Choosing a Collision Repair Service
The Repair Process
We believe strongly that skilled craftsmen and the right tools are the keys to top quality repairs.
Quality & Workmanship Damage Assessment :: Parts
Frame & Unibody Repairs :: Body Repair Wheel Alignment ::
Painting Finishing Touches Electronics & Safety Devices :: Accessory Services RVs & Motor Homes :: Motorcycles
City Auto Body Centers are fully equipped with the latest high tech equipment necessary for the expert repair of your vehicle, including:
- Duz-Mor® frame straightening equipment
- Hunter® wheel alignment equipment
- Hein Werner® ultrasound measuring and diagnostic equipment
- Premium quality welders
- Electrical analysis equipment
- Air-conditioning recharging systems
- Computerized paint mixing systems and state-of-the-art downdraft spray booths
Our personnel are thoroughly trained--and tested--on the use of our equipment and its exacting application in the repair process. Our technicians are ICAR-trained and ASE-certified (industry certification programs that provide ongoing technical training in the collision repair business). In addition, the manufacturers of our high-tech frame, body repair, and paint systems train our technicians on the proper use of their equipment and materials.
A complete, thorough estimate of repair costs will list all parts to be replaced and all labor operations to be performed. Without this estimate, repairing your vehicle is similar to building a house without a set of approved blueprints: tough to do, and the costs will soon be out of control.
If the insurance company estimate is different from our estimate, we will immediately notify them of the differences--and the reasons for these discrepancies. We will work with the insurance company to arrange for the correct compensation to return your vehicle to its pre-accident condition.
Parts
There are generally four types of parts that can be used to repair your vehicle:
OEM |
Original Equipment Manufacturer parts made by the manufacturer of your vehicle (such as Ford, GM, Toyota, or Chrysler). These parts are usually the best quality and must meet the manufacturer's high standards and specifications for fit, finish, corrosion resistance, and so on. |
AM |
After-market parts made by firms other than the manufacturer of your vehicle. These parts generally do not have the same tolerances for fit, corrosion resistance, and overall quality as OEM parts. These parts are sometimes referred to as "quality replacement" or "alternate" parts. |
LKQ |
Like Kind & Quality used parts obtained from automobile salvage yards. |
RECON |
Reconstructed parts are previously damaged, then repaired OEM (generally) parts. |
In nearly all instances with regard to later model vehicles, you should insist on replacement with OEM parts. Used or after-market parts generally will not provide the highest quality repair.
On the other hand, there may be economic or pragmatic reasons that may require the use of AM or LKQ parts to avoid a "total loss" situation with a vehicle that you may prefer to keep. Many insurance companies are now writing policy language that permits them to repair your car in any manner that they see fit.
At City Auto Body Centers, we will rarely agree to use AM sheet metal and we will never use AM hoods. The problems with proper fit and alignment of body panels makes it impossible for us to provide you with the quality of repair that you should expect from us unless we use OEM sheet metal.
Bumpers, windshields, moldings, and grilles are examples of after-market parts that we will consider using based upon the circumstances and extent of the repairs.
Your vehicle's frame or unibody is the structural backbone of the entire vehicle. Any damage to the frame or unibody that is not properly repaired will affect everything on your vehicle from safety to proper fit of sheet metal exterior panels.
So is your vehicle built with a frame or unibody? And what are the differences?
Frame |
A vehicle that has a frame construction--such as a pickup or larger SUVs--can have all its sheet metal and body components removed simply by unbolting the sheet metal, cab, and pickup box from a structural ladder to which the wheels, suspension, motor, and drive train are attached. |
Unibody |
A vehicle that has a unibody construction--such as most sedans, sports cars, and smaller SUVs--are built like an aircraft fuselage whereby the main body of the vehicle provides the structural strength required to attach the drive train, suspension, and sheet metal components. Unibody construction permits the manufacture of lighter, smaller, more maneuverable vehicles. |
At City Auto Body Centers, we have highly specialized equipment onsite so that our experienced technicians can repair a damaged frame or unibody to very exacting factory tolerances.
The term "body repair" or "body work" refers to the repair or replacement of sheet metal, trim, and minor structural items. The decision to repair or replace becomes an economic one since it will often determine the extent of the refinish work required and the feasibility of returning your vehicle to its pre-accident condition.
At City Auto Body Centers, we will always advise you on the best method to restore your vehicle. For instance, in order to avoid breaking factory-weld seams or to minimize the extent of painting required, we may suggest repair rather than replacement.
The best body repair method is not based on who is paying the bill or who caused the accident--these decisions are based on our responsibility to you and the integrity of your vehicle.
Because most accidents involve some sort of impact, we believe that a check of your vehicle's wheel alignment is always necessary. Even a minor impact can throw a wheel alignment out of specified tolerances.
Four-way alignment--especially on a vehicle with unibody construction--is an integral step in our high quality repair. We need to verify that your vehicle will handle and respond in a safe manner after the accident, and we want to prevent any excessive tire or suspension component wear that might go unchecked.
Color matching the paint on your vehicle is both an art and an exacting science. Auto manufacturers apply paint to the bare shell of the vehicle in ovens where temperatures exceed 350-degrees Fahrenheit. This is because auto manufacturers paint the car BEFORE any of the wiring, electronics, hardware, or interiors are assembled into the vehicle. Auto manufacturers also use an electrolitically applied "E-coat" primer that is applied to the bare vehicle unibody or sheet metal. This is a total immersion process in a liquid, electrically charged solution that is impossible to duplicate in the repair process.
In the collision repair process, the paint can only be cured at temperatures up to 180-degrees--any hotter and damage will be done to the car's mechanical, electrical, and interior systems.
Finally, the colors used by auto manufacturers may vary widely on the same models painted with the same color. Variations in shading and coloration depend on whether your car was painted at the beginning or end of an assembly line run of paint.
This is further complicated by the fact that most new cars are also painted with a "two-coat" or "tri-coat" paint process, where mica, pearl, or metallic materials are applied sequentially in the factory finish. These finishes often vary in appearance based on the angle from which they are viewed! For example, a green metallic paint can appear "teal colored" when looking at a straight or flat surface such as a hood, but nearly "black" when looking at a rounded surface such as a fender.
All of these factors make paint mixing, tinting, and blending in the collision repair process even more critical. To properly repair a minor dent of several square inches, an entire panel may need to be painted and the adjacent panels may need to be blended in order to achieve a precise color match. City Auto Body Centers use computer-controlled sensing devices that provide the refinish technician with a precise formula to match the paint color on a vehicle.
In collision repair, as in most trades, it is attention to the smallest details that matter most--and make the biggest difference in the final product.
At City Auto Body Centers, after the repair of your vehicle is completed, we thoroughly clean your vehicle inside and out, polish all repaired areas, touch-up pin striping if necessary, check undercoating and corrosion protection to make sure it has been maintained at pre-accident levels, check all your fluids, and align your headlamps.
We want you to be completely satisfied when you pick up your repaired vehicle. We also want your vehicle to pass our final safety check before you take it out on the roads.
Electronics and Safety Devices
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City Auto Body Centers maintain a full staff of qualified technicians in-house to handle everything from air bags and air conditioners to power door locks and heater controls. By providing these services with our own personnel, we help control costs and assure that all repairs are completed in a timely manner.
- Pinstriping and graphics are applied by the finest people with years of experience in this art form who work with us at our facilities.
- Rock chip repair is a method of air brushing tiny amounts of paint into small, chipped paint areas of your vehicle. It is not a substitute for refinishing, but a cost-effective alternative. Unfortunately, this process may only last a year or so, since rock chips tend to reappear after a number of car washes and polishes. But if you are trying to get your vehicle in top shape to sell or trade, it's a great solution.
- Paintless Dent Repair is a process which removes minor dents without body work or paint. The dent is "massaged" from inside the body panel. Again, this process is not a substitute for complete body repair and painting, but a generally less expensive alternative.
We frequently will advise vehicle owners to use these processes (rock chip repair and paintless dent repair) in certain circumstances where we feel it is warranted (such as the age or mileage of the vehicle might not allow for recovering all the repair expenses if the vehicle is to be sold).
- Accessories such as running boards, visors, and bug deflectors can also be painted and installed during the repair process.
RVs and motor homes present unique repair challenges largely due to their physical size, their construction (fiberglass and aluminum), and limited parts availability. City Auto Body Centers are equipped to handle these difficult repairs.
When they have been damaged in an accident, motorcycles generally have parts replaced rather than repaired. In addition to repairs, City Auto Body Centers will custom paint the gas tank and accessories to make your bike truly unique.
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