You may be reading this article because unfortunately, you have either been involved in a car collision, or you dread the thought of dealing with repairs in the event one might occur. Maybe this information will put your worst fears to rest.
Fortunately, if everyone made it out of the accident safely and only your car suffered damages, you are ahead of the game and very thankful. Your next thoughts are how to get your car repaired as soon as possible. And, if things work according to plan, after a few days, the car should be repaired and, from its outward appearance, back to its original state.
Hooray, great news!
However, before you drive out of the auto repair shop in your restored vehicle, we suggest you carefully inspect it before leaving the shop. Now, this doesn’t mean you doubt the trustworthiness of the shop; it means you are being a conscientious consumer. We know, “to err is human,” so, it’s always a good idea to review the quality of service. We stand by our performance record.
Inspect your vehicle after repairs are completed
Check the paint job.
If your car was painted, start by inspecting the body repair area for any irregularities, such as color mismatch, uneven texture, or overspray. Next, take a step back, look at your car from a distance, and then take a closer look at your vehicle to see if there are any imperfections.
If you see imperfections, immediately make your concerns known to the service representative. If you want to get a second opinion with another body shop, search out other body shops near you. Make sure to check and read customer reviews to better determine if the next body shop is reputable.
Alignment
Alignment refers to an adjustment of a vehicle’s suspension. The system connects the car to the wheels; however, it is not an adjustment of the tires or wheels themselves. The key to proper alignment is the adjustment of the angles of the tires, which affects how they make contact with the road. If your car is poorly aligned, the car usually pulls to one side, and this will lead to your tires wearing out faster. So after an auto repair, be aware of the way your car drives. If it is pulling to one side, that indicates that your car’s alignment is off. Other signs are your steering wheel is off-center when going straight and if the steering wheel vibrates while driving.
Clipping
Clipping happens when a used section from another vehicle is welded to a vehicle being repaired and the materials are not the same. For example, a more recent model might be made of lightweight, high-strength materials, and welding an older model’s front fender or side portion onto it, clipping could lead to structural weakness, which occurs if an old section is welded to a newer one. The worst part is this malpractice of clipping can present a severe safety risk because of the disparities in the materials.
Airbags
Car airbags are crucial to a vehicle to reduce injury by either cushioning the occupant’s contact with the vehicle’s interior or preventing contact altogether. However, some not-so honorable auto repair shop owners have been known to sell expensive airbags on the black market. And it gets worse! Some suspicious auto repair shop owners do not even re-install airbags after charging full payment from insurance companies. So be sure to inspect your vehicle to find out if the airbag was replaced or not. You can check the airbag indicator on the dashboard or gently knock on the steering wheel.
Duplicate or Used Spare Parts
It’s shocking to believe that some insurance companies work with auto body repair shops to use substandard or used parts, but believe it, it happens. Most aftermarket spare parts do not meet the manufacturer’s specifications, so the inferior quality may pose a severe safety risk if there’s ever a collision. One way to offset this is to always ask the auto repair shop to provide original receipts for any parts they replace.
At Liberty Collision, we are a family-owned small business that has been servicing vehicles in the Reno community since 2014. We’ve built a long-lasting business on the American values of honesty, integrity, and respect. So when you do business with us, you will feel like a part of the family and you do not have to worry about shady, dishonest activity when we repair your vehicle.
However, whether you bring your vehicle into Liberty Collision, or take it to any other auto body shop in the country, we want you to be extra cautious to prevent fraud and ensure better vehicle safety. You are our client and our job is to provide the best service possible. We’ve provided these helpful tips to help ensure we do just that.