Modern vehicles today are built with engineered features that are designed to protect you and your family in the event of an impact. When repairing these vehicles, it is important that the correct procedures and materials are used so that those same safety features will perform properly in case of another impact. As collision repair professionals, all of our training, specialized equipment, our state of the art facilities and expertise ensure repairs that not only look great, but will perform great.
Routine car maintenance is crucial to keeping your vehicle running smoothly and preventing costly repairs down the line. We can catch small problems before they turn into big ones. Don't neglect your car's maintenance - let us help you keep it running at its best for years to come. Schedule an appointment today!
To ensure the best results we follow a rigorous 18 step collision repair process.
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.
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 may be found once the repair is underway.
The insurance company that is involved must also approve the repair estimate before we can begin work.
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.
Once all of the parts are received and accounted for, we can schedule your vehicle for repair.
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 until we perform this thorough inspection.
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 of your vehicle is revealed. This is referred to as Supplement Damage in insurance terms.
The insurance company must authorize this additional damage before we can continue the repair.
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 advancer to cover these additional repairs. Please note that this additional damage may alter your vehicle’s completion date.
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 specification.
Our Repair Technicians will now undertake structural and body repairs.
All collision-related repairs require some degree of cosmetic repair and often require replacement of factory panels. We will check for proper fit here and ensure your vehicle’s parts look, fit and align the way they should.
Most of today’s vehicles incorporate some of corrosion protection applied by the original manufacturer. We will reapply this protection to ensure that your vehicle conforms to the original manufacturer’s standards.
It is at this point in the repair that we begin to check systems for proper functioning and perform quality control of the repair work. An example of a systems check would be the resetting of your safety systems, involving your passive restraint or air bag system.
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 sending is the method of further preparing the surface of your vehicle for 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.
Once your vehicle has gone through the refinish process we then reattach the other parts such as mirrors, moldings, and other hardware. Should you 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.
Rotate your tires at least every 6,000 miles or every other oil change. Rotating your tires periodically is an essential part of tire maintenance. The main purpose of regularly rotating tires is to achieve more uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle.
YES. Timing belts must be replaced at the manufacturer's recommended distance and/or time periods. Failure to replace the belt can result in complete breakdown or catastrophic engine failure. The owner's manual maintenance schedule is the source of timing belt replacement intervals, typically every 60,000 to 90,000 miles (approx 96,000 to 144,000 kilometres).
When car computer finds a problem in the electronic-control system that it can't correct, it turns on a yellow warning indicator that's labeled "check engine". It doesn't mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck. It does mean you should get the car checked out as soon as possible.
Stop driving as soon as possible and allow engine to cool down for at least 15 minutes before checking. Do not attempt to check the fluid level in the radiator; If you remove the radiator cap before the engine has cooled down you could get scalded. The best thing to do is have your car towed to the nearest, trusted auto repair facility.
For maximum protection, most oil companies say to change the oil every 3,000 miles or three to six months regardless of what type of driving you do.
Clean battery terminal connections. Auto parts stores will check your charging system for free & then load test the battery.
Both will do the job but Synthetic will last longer between changes. The major advantage of synthetics is superior lubrication that significantly reduces engine wear over the long term.
Replacing the fuel filter periodically, every year or so, for preventative maintenance can reduce the risk of filter-related driveability problems. Most vehicle manufacturers recomend replacing once every five years or 50,000 miles.
For maximum fuel economy and peak engine performance, your spark plugs should be replaced every 30 months or 30,000 miles, unless your vehicle is equipped with 100,000-mile platinum tipped spark plugs.
Always replace burned-out fuses with ones of the same amperage (printed on the fuse) and note that if a fuse continues to "blow," you should have the circuit checked professionally by one of our technicians for defects.