OUR PROCESS
***Following any damage to your vehicle your first call should always be to your insurance company. They will open a case file for you and give you a claim number. It is always YOUR decision on where you prefer your repairs to be performed at.
LOCATE THE DAMAGE
The first stage of repair is having a qualified estimator assess the damage. Chris will evaluate your vehicle and decide which components will need to be replaced or which can be repaired. This process may also be performed by an insurance field appraiser/adjuster as well. After this stage has been completed an initial estimate is formed.
TEAR DOWN
This is the second stage of repair. “Tear down” is the term which is used when the vehicle is brought into the body shop by a technician, and all damaged parts are removed. Our estimators will work with Marcus and Freddy to get a full scope of the damage. Removing damaged parts may show damage that was previously hidden by these parts and were not documented on the initial estimate.
INSURANCE SUPPLEMENT
Once the body shop has located all of the accident related damage, a “supplement” is filed with the insurance company requesting additional repair time, paint time, or additional parts. This process has some variance from company to company, however a supplement is usually reviewed within 48 hours.
ORDER PARTS
After the supplement has been approved, all the parts needed for the repair are ordered.
BODY REPAIRS
We begin all repairs immediately where parts are not needed. As the parts come in that are needed, they are replaced or sent to our paint department for paint preparation.
PAINT PREP
At this stage the vehicle is taken to our paint department. All surfaces that were repaired are sanded to proper smoothness then sprayed with primer. Parts that were replaced sometimes require primer as well. After primer is complete, the areas are sanded again and checked for a smooth surface. The final step before masking, is referred to as “wet sanding”. This is when they use a very fine sandpaper soaked in water to give the perfect finish prior to paint. The final step in the paint preparation is called “masking”. This is when all areas where paint should not be applied are masked off to be kept clean.
PAINT
One of the most crucial aspects of the repair process is color match. We have state of the art equipment to make this process fast, and ensure an accurate paint color match. After Chris or Cody have achieved the correct variance for color, the vehicle is moved to the heated paint booth. When paint is applied in the booth it prevents cross contamination from particles in the air, and gives the perfect temperature to promote adhesion.
ASSEMBLY
During this stage all components are put back on the vehicle, and proper body panel fitment is achieved.
DRIVE-ABILITY TEST, SAFETY & QUALITY INSPECTION
This is most important check in the repair process. The vehicle is test driven and all safety components are checked to ensure proper functionality. The surface panels are checked for imperfections in the paint or body work.
FINAL INSPECTION
After the vehicle interior and exterior is cleaned, a final inspection is completed. We inspect the vehicle from to top to bottom like it is one of our own. When you pick up your vehicle it will have been returned to pre accident condition and ready for your enjoyment.
