Phase 1
Prepare estimates
Our
estimator will inspect your vehicle and begin to document the damage
caused by the collision in the form of an estimate. In some cases, you
may already have a preliminary estimate of this damage prepared by your
insurance company. In any event, this step must be accomplished prior
to beginning the repair process.
Authorization
Before
any work can begin, you must first sign a repair authorization allowing
us to repair your vehicle. At this time it is not unusual for our
estimator to request another signature in advance to cover any
additional damage that my be found once the repair is underway. These
additional damages will be paid for by the insurance company.
Insurance approval
The insurance company that is involved must also approve the repair estimate before we can begin work
Starting
Upon
receiving approvals from you and the insurance company, we will begin
the process of locating and ordering the parts necessary to repair your
vehicle.
Phase 2
Repairs begin
We
can now contact you to schedule a convenient time for your vehicle to
be repaired. In some cases, your vehicle may already be at our repair
center, in which case, it will be available for immediate repair.
As
your vehicle's outer panels are removed and the physical structure of
the vehicle is revealed, often additional or "hidden damage" is
discovered. This additional damage is difficult to diagnose at the time
of the original estimate as it cannot be seen or predicted until we
perform this thorough inspection. Please note that any additional
damage may alter your vehicle's completion date.
Supplement report
This
report is written to cover any additional or "hidden" damage that may
be discovered once your vehicle's outer panels are removed and the
physical structure or your vehicle is revealed. This is referred to as
supplement damage in insurance terms. These supplement items will be
covered by the insurance company.
Supplement authorizations
The insurance company must authorize this additional damage before we can continue the repair.
Order additional parts
Should
we find additional damage, we will need to repeat steps 2, 3, & 4.
For this reason, our estimator may have asked you to sign an
authorization document in advance to cover these additional repairs.
Please note that this additional damage may alter your vehicle's
completion date.
Phase 3
Unibody repairs begin
Your
vehicle was manufactured in compliance with tight structural standards.
Exact location and fit of integral parts are critical to the operation
and appearance of your vehicle. In this process we measure your vehicle
against published factory specifications and return your vehicle to
within the manufacturer's prescribed tolerances to ensure proper
operation, location and fit of body and structural parts.
New parts installed
All
collision-related repairs require some degree of cosmetic repair and
ofter require replacement of factory panels. We will check for proper
fit here and ensure your vehicle's parts look, fit and align according
to manufacturer.
Phase 4
Vehicle painting process begins
Our
technicians will begin the refinish process by applying a primer. A
surface filler is sprayed on to ensure a quality, uniform and smooth
surface. Block sanding is the method of further preparing the surface
of your vehicle paint.
To
ensure that the highest quality standards are met; we carefully mask
your vehicle to protect it from overspray during the refinish process.
Only the area that needs to be refinished is left uncovered. We then
place your vehicle in a controlled atmosphere called a paint booth,
where paint material is applied.
This
process removes all outside contaminates that may have been deposited
on your vehicle during the repair process. Tacking the vehicle then
removes any dust particles that may remain.
Phase 5
Reassembly,
wheel alignment, air conditioning, detailing, final inspection, and
test drive. Once your vehicle has gone through the refinish process we
then reattach the outer parts such as mirrors, moldings and other
hardware. Should your repair require a wheel alignment or services such
as air conditioning repair, we will perform them at this time. Your car
will undergo a thorough cleaning, test drive and quality inspection
prior to being returned to you.
