Things To Remember After Your Vehicle Goes Through An Auto Body Repair

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Art's Auto Body & Paint Shop

Before you consider taking your car away for a long drive after an auto body repair, make sure that you perform a thorough inspection. This includes checking your automobile for common issues, regardless of how great your local auto body repair shop is. This doesn’t mean that you don’t trust the professionals who performed the auto body repair. This is your responsibility to make sure that the job has been done properly, and you can take this opportunity to check for the quality of work and service. Check if there had been any lapses, or see if potential problems may occur right after the changes have been made. Doing this early on allows you to address the problem immediately rather than dealing with it in a few weeks or months.

Inspection

Irregularities are common issues car owners experience after the repair. Check if the colors match, or watch out for uneven texture. Look at your car from a distance, and look closely and check all the details. The closer you look, the better your chances of seeing imperfections, if any. Lastly, don’t forget to check your vehicle for its overall condition.

If by any chance, you’re not satisfied with the results, make sure that you discuss this with the local body shop’s service representative. This way, they can immediately address whatever it is that you’ve found. There are also some instances where a third-body representative may perform the inspection. You can always Google “body shop near me” to look for other available auto body repair outlets within the area. Seeking a second opinion is never a bad idea, after all.

Common Auto Repair Issues to Watch Out For

Unfortunately, some auto body repair shops provide mediocre quality of work, and sometimes, may use questionable practices. This happens in most industry types, which is why it is important that you are extra careful and that you watch out for these common problems:

Poor Wheel Alignment

This is on top of the list after getting a repair. Your vehicle often pulls to one side more than the other. When this happens, your tires wear out faster, or the body may get bent, causing further problems.

Clipping

Clipping happens when the local auto body repair shop takes out a body part from a different car. This is never ideal as most modern vehicles use lightweight materials that may not be compatible with older car versions. Doing so may lead to possible structural weaknesses and may even cause health hazards.

Airbags

Some people who were unlucky with their choice of auto body repair shops opt not to install airbags, even when they have charged the customers or the insurance company for it. This is why it is important that you manually check if your airbags have been replaced or not. Most vehicles these days now come with an airbag indicator often seen in the dashboard. You can also check if there’s one installed by gently knocking on your steering wheel. Listen carefully for the sound it makes. If it’s hollow, then there’s a greater possibility that no airbags are installed.

Substandard Body Parts

Believe it or not, some insurance companies still work with repair shops that use either second-hand or substandard parts. Unfortunately, this still happens. Most of these used parts often do not meet the manufacturer’s safety and recommended specifications. This is a big deal when it comes to safety because inferior parts may mean that your safety is at risk in an event of a collision. To avoid this, don’t forget to ask the company for original receipts even that they have replaced some body parts. Check and make sure that they are brand new and that the parts came directly from the manufacturer.

Suspension

If you’ve changed your suspensions, it is a must that the torque specification must be investigated and checked upon. This is to make sure that the suspensions aren’t too loose, which may negatively impact your vehicle’s performance. Don’t hesitate to ask the repair shop the kind of procedure that they’ve used for suspension replacement, and see to it that they’ve torqued the suspensions based on the manufacturer’s specifications.

Get to Know The Basics of Auto Body Repair

Being vigilant and extra careful after getting an auto body repair ensures your safety and prevents fraud. Always inspect your vehicle and don’t hesitate to ask your local body repair shop questions about the entire process before hitting the road. It is your right to know. If you’ve encountered some problems, Art’s Auto Body & Paint Shop can assist you with whatever your concerns. You may schedule an appointment with us by calling (909) 764-8624 and one of our specialists will be happy to assist you and schedule an appointment with you. We’re always here to assist and we are happy to answer your questions.

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