Understanding The Collision Repair Industry

Like any other industry the Collision repair Industry is made up of many different values, ideas and levels of customer service and honesty. Almost every collision center will boast Quality Repairs. At Weber’s Body & Frame Inc we define our quality standard. A fit and finish equal to or better than the original, an invisible repair. We feel that anything less is unacceptable and will surly diminish the value of your vehicle at time of trade or sale.

Within our industry there is a concept promoted by some insurance companies that is referred to as Direct Repair Programs. Insurance companies that use these programs glorify the program names to make it sound like it is always in the customer’s best interest to use the program. Things like Lifetime Warranty and Guaranteed repair standards.

The problem is that Insurance companies do not warrant repairs they pass that back to the shop that completed the repairs and further more they do not have written repair standards. Research shows that in order for a shop to be accepted on these programs they have to give deep discounts in exchange for referrals from the companies. This could result in less than acceptable and unsafe repairs for you causing your vehicle to lose value. Many times the poor repairs are hidden to the untrained eye. Please be cautious of these programs and ask a lot of questions.

In Ohio you have the right to have your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice.

Steering is a term used in the industry when an insurance company strong arms a vehicle owner to use a certain shop and this is illegal in Ohio. Some insurance companies may tell you things like, you will have to pay the difference between what the shop charges and what they are willing to pay. Or that shop is not on our preferred list leading you to believe that your shop of choice is somehow incompetent which is usually not the case. In most cases the shop has refused to short cut repairs to save the Insurance company money at your expense, there fore the Insurance company blackballs the shop because they want to perform quality repairs that cost slightly more than what program shops have agreed to charge.

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Understanding The Repair Process

Step 1: In the Estimate Process area the vehicle is inspected and relevant data is entered into an estimate computer systems. This data is compiled to determine the cost of repairs. However, hidden damage that can not be seen may appear after the vehicle is disassembled.

Step 2: Once the estimate is completed, the insurance company will review the estimate. The insurance company will determine if the vehicle is even repairable. Once this process is completed, the vehicle begins the actual repair process.

Step 3: In Disassembly hidden damage is often found, and inner structure repairs are determined. Many times this will require scheduling insurance re-inspection and ordering additional parts.

Step 4: The required parts for your vehicle are ordered. If a part needs to be special ordered, the order will be placed as soon as possible. Although many parts may arrive very quickly, the repair process can not begin until the shop receives all of the structural parts

Step 5: In the Structure Repair area, the unitized body is returned back to the factory specification. A sophisticated measuring system is used to so. A computer based measurement system is used to analyze the frame of your vehicle and assure of an accurate repair.

Step 6: The Body Repair Department replaces exterior panels, and all metal finishing that may be required. The vehicle begins to come back to life as sheet metal is installed and aligned. From here the vehicle will go to the paint preparations department.

Step 7: Paint Preparation is a critical step in the refinishing process of every vehicle. All panels are prepared for paint, then primed and sealed to assure good adhesion when the final top color and clear coats of paint are applied.

Step 8: Final moldings and detail pieces are put back on the vehicle in the reassembly area. All the vehicle's systems are checked during this process. The vehicle is almost complete and ready for delivery when it is in this stage.

Step 9: During the repair process the vehicle accumulates dust from the repairs. It will be cleaned. It will also be road tested to ensure that everything is working properly. A final inspection will assure that the vehicle is restored to it's pre-accident condition.

Step 10: Delivery is the last step in the repair process. When the customer arrives to pick up the vehicle, the bill is explained and the final paper work is completed. The customer drives away in the vehicle that has been restored to it's pre-accident condition.