Will the paint match on my car after my auto body repair is done?
So you need to get you car fixed after an accident. A safe repair is most important to the customers of our body shop in Green Valley AZ, and our body shop in Tucson AZ, but most consumers are really concerned that the car gets returned to its factory appearance. There are many techniques we employ to make a color match exactly to the rest of the factory paint on the car, such as blending and tinting. We as autobody repair professionals are faced with many challenges in matching the factory paint.
First challenge: The factory Standard
The first challenge is the factory standard. Today, the average paint code has between three to seven alternates that are worth formulating. There is actually more but the auto paint manufacturers have narrowed them to down to keep the databases simple to use.
So why do the car manufacturers have so many variances?
Most manufacturers have three major paint suppliers. The manufacturer decides on a standard color for production and submits a painted sample to their suppliers. The paint manufacturer then produces a formula for the “standard sample” and is allowed a tolerance of plus or minus 5% when they deliver the paint.
Second challenge: Manufacturers geographical variance
The plant in the east coast may be getting a 5% shade greener on a blue metallic standard and the plant in the west coast may be getting a 5% shade violet on the same blue metallic standard. When compared side by side, they look like a completely different color. This is the reason the paint manufacturers usually have the standard formula followed by two alternates. If the alternates are not available, the painter in the body shop usually mixes the standard formula and tints it accordingly.
The second reason for variances in paint colors is the metallic color applications. The metallic colors are now classified in 7 categories. Extra fine, fine, medium, medium coarse, coarse, and extra coarse. The metallic colors control the value (lightness and darkness) of the color similar to what white does in a pastel color.
Metallic colors will cause variances in color when applied. Temperature, paint film thickness, flash off time between coats, fluid tip sizes, speed of the spray gun, surface type (Plastic or Metal) and humidity will all cause the color to shift lighter or darker.
The rule of thumb: the longer it takes to dry, the darker the color will change as it dries. This is caused by pigment floatation. The metallic flakes will settle down to the bottom of the paint film and push the pigment up causing the color to shift darker.
Yet despite these challenges, a good auto body painter can match your factory paint, using manufactures’ paint codes, spray panel testing, and good old-fashioned experience. So the answer is yes, the paint will match if you are using a reputable body shop.
Do you have vehicles for your business? You have fleet needs.
As a business owner you might not have considered your vehicles as a fleet. If you have more than one or two vehicles for your business you have a fleet. In fact many insurance companies give fleet discounts on or after the third vehicle. Maybe you are an electrician with a couple of vans, or a floral delivery shop, auto parts delivery, or pest control service, whatever your business, you might have a fleet of vehicles that you depend on every day as if it were an actual employee. That vehicle, if it has any type of logo or branding, is a reflection of the quality and care with which you conduct your business. It is often the first impression one has of your business and no doubt has led to a portion of the revenue you have generated through new business.
Many fleets are incurring additional miles on vehicles due to increased business activity, which has added to fleets' costs with increased repairs and replacement cycling. Complicating maintenance in 2011 was a shortage in the availability of parts following March's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, resulting in many repair delays.
If your vehicle is off the road, it isn’t making you money either from the jobs it isn’t supporting, or the advertising it is no longer generating. Because of downtime, fleets are seeing an increase in rental vehicle expenses. The increased vehicle repair downtime is due, in part, to the fact that many repair shops don't stock a large inventory of parts. Instead, they order only parts they require on a daily basis.
As a business owner you have many professionals you rely on to conduct your business, you have accountants, attorneys, vendors and suppliers. If you are fleet owner we suggest you add “auto body repair shop” to that list of vetted, go-to vendors. You don’t want to wait until your vehicle needs repairs or has been in a collision and scramble to find that partner. You need to find them now and if possible work out an agreement ahead of time.
Here are a few things to consider when looking for your fleet auto body repair partner:
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Find a shop that is sensitive to the needs of your business. Find one who understands that your fleet vehicle is as important as the rest of the insurance work in their shop. Shops who rely on insurance work are under the gun every day to reduce cycle times and get those cars done first. If your vehicle is a customer pay and not an insurance job, you might be left waiting at the paint booth, or some other step in the process. A good partner will treat your vehicle with the same time constraints as the insurance work in the shop.
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Find a shop that is capable of supplying you a suitable replacement vehicle to meet your business needs while you vehicle is off the road. Could a mini van substitute your vehicle for a week or two? Do you need something with four-wheel drive? Make sure your partner can get you what you need ahead of time.
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Find a shop that can get the parts you need for your vehicle quickly. Do they do business with the right suppliers to get you your parts?
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Find a shop with the right equipment to fix your vehicle. Can their lift support your dually? Your airport shuttle vans? Your stake bed? Can the mount tires your size?
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Find a shop that can meet your refinish needs. Can your vehicle fit in their booth? Can they match your custom paint? You may consider supplying them with certain paint codes ahead of time.
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Is the facility large enough to accommodate your vehicle? Will repairing your vehicle cause complications in the shop due to its size limitations? Can your vehicle even fit in their bay doors?
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Will your shop offer you a discount on parts to earn and keep your business? If you have a decent size fleet, you might become a frequent customer of a shop. A good shop will recognize this and offer your special incentives like parts discounts to attract and keep your business
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Can your shop also handle routine maintenance needs of your fleet? Alignments can save tires, oil changes save engines. Some shops have a strong mechanical department or might be willing to add a dedicated mechanic depending on the volume of your business. These are all things to consider in negotiating and selecting your new partner.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider in selecting your fleet partner. One factor always remains in business: time=money. Time spent finding a repair partner is time well spent. Orielly collision centers is a dealership shop with locations in Tucson Arizona and now in Green Valley Arizona. As a dealership shop has certain advantages and can be a great partner for your fleet, and we welcome the opportunity to earn your fleet business.
It is just barely 2012 and we are pleased to announce in early 2012 we are opening up a second location in Green Valley Arizona! Our new shop will allow customers in Green Valley to get the same great service that has made O'rielly collision centers Tucson's go to shop for over 80 years.
Our new location will service the customers of Green valley and we will continue to work with all motorists and insurance companies as in our main location. Customers can expect to find the same quality, the same technical expertise as in out flagship shop which has allowed us to be named top shop by ABRN (auto body repair network) magazine for two years in a row.
the now shop will be located at: 1975 North La Canoa, Green Valley 85614
Stay tuned for grand opening details!
Paintless Dent Repair
Consumers have a new friend in the body shop. It’s called “Paintless Dent Repair” or PDR. PDR is a process for removing dents using specialized tools and equipment to work the metal back into shape. In the old days of body repair, and good body man could hammer and dolly your dents back to shape using pure skill, art and the ability to read a dent. The widespread use of high-strength metal and resilient paint finishes has allowed PDR to become a viable alternative to traditional body repair techniques. In fact, some insurance companies will even waive the deductible if PDR is chosen over more traditional techniques like body fillers and paint.
What Can Be Fixed?
Paintless dent repair can be used in the following conditions:
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Dents from very small to large dents-even as large as a football.
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Generally speaking 1990 model year and newer vehicles because of the type of steel used.
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In the area of the repair, the paint must not be broken or cracked, other wise the repair will have to be repainted.
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The dent must not be near the edge of a panel- a technician needs to be able to work the dent from behind in most cases.
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The panel must not have had previous body repair- if the panel has any body filler in the repair area, it cannot be fixed with tis technique as the old repair might get cracked or damaged.
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Hail damage is often very repairable using PRD. Some insurance companies use hail teams that travel to an area that was hit by hail to repair vehicle damage using PDR techniques.
Advantages of Paintless Dent Repair
A number of advantages for paintless dent repair include:
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no repainting or body filler needed;
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less expensive than traditional body repair;
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same-day service in most cases;
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no risk of paint overspray on other vehicle areas;
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no risk of incorrect color matching;
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vehicle retains original paint.
A vehicle with original paint retains a higher value than a repainted vehicle. Even if it is just a door or a fender, it is always preferable to maintain the original paint on a vehicle for as long as possible.
How Is It Done?
PDR technicians use specialized tools to push the metal back into its original shape from behind the dent. Depending on the location of the damage, the panel is accessed by removing trim pieces, through window openings or by removing inner panels.
In a typical dent removal, the metal around the outside edge of the dent in slowly massaged back into its original position. The dent becomes progressively smaller as the technician works from the outside edge; eventually the dent becomes so small it blends with the texture of the paint and disappears completely.
Most repairs can be completed in one to two hours, and many PDR companies offer mobile service to save even more time.
Prices vary depending on the location and complexity of the repair. O’Reilly Collision Centers charges $99 for a single dent, up to several hundred dollars to repair several dents in body panels. Compare this to a cost of several hundred dollars to repair and repaint a single dent using traditional auto body repair techniques.
Photo credit: KOMUnews
How safe is my car after the accident?
You just got your car back from the shop, and the paint looks great, the car smells good, and it looks even better than before it was in a wreck. But how safe is it now? The number one concern for most people after picking up a car from the repair shop is how safe the car will be. Modern cars are very different from those from a decade ago, and each individual make and model requires different knowledge and technology to make repairs. In short, not every shop can fix modern cars properly. Here are a few areas to concern yourself with in making sure you choose the right shop to ensure the safety of your family in your car after an auto body repair job.
1. High Strength Steels
Starting in about 2004, automakers began using more advanced, higher strength steels to increase driver and passenger safety. Sometimes called Ultra High Strength steel or Boron steel. However, this also requires that technicians know how to work with the steel, and receive proper training. For example, some ultra high-strength steels cannot be heated. If it is heated or welded incorrectly, it can diminish the safety of that structure in the event of anther collision. Some manufactures require that replacement frame rails are bonded in, or replaced much further back than what was standard procedure just five or ten years ago.
2. Specialized Training Required
You have to have a state license to cut hair, but you don’t have to be licensed to cut and repair a car. Consumers are not aware of this fact. Never assume that just because your car is at a body shop, that the person putting your car back together knows what the proper procedure is. Repair shops that only employ general technicians typically do not have the experience required to fix cars to the highest safety standard possible. This requires collision repair training (I-Car is the industry standard), frame and structural repair training, as well as refinishing training. Finally, the technicians should be ASE Certified Experts and have experience fixing your specific make of car. A good shop, such as O’Reilly Collision Centers in Tucson Arizona only employ I-Car certified and I-Car Gold certified technicians.
3. Specialized Equipment and Techniques
Tolerances have also changed in modern automobile manufacturing. Back in the 1980’s through the late 1990’s a vehicles specs were allowed to be within a couple of millimeters. Now with computerized crash avoidance and crash safety equipment on board such as side and curtain airbags, allowable tolerances are extremely specific and much tighter. As such, some manufactures recommend or even require specific jigging and fixturing while safety items like frame rails are being repaired or replaced. To make safe repairs today, your shop must stay on top of modern equipment needs and mist diligently make that investment. A ten-year-old frame rack is not enough anymore.
4. The Pitfalls to Improper Repair
Improper repair can mean a lower safety rating as well as a decrease of safety of family in car after auto body repair. For example, an improper repair can mean the timing of airbags is negatively affected, or that the structural integrity of the vehicle is compromised because of poor welding techniques. Choosing the right auto body repair shop does matter; your family's well being might depend on it.
5. The Answer
Pick a good shop, with well-trained technicians and quality industry leading equipment, and your car can be put back on the road exactly to OEM specifications as if the accident never happened. So the answer is Yes, it can be just as safe as when you bought it, if it was repaired properly.
Why it is important to repair your car’s exterior after a minor accident
Sometimes if a car is damaged in a minor fender bender, but not too badly, owners choose to ignore the situation and avoid exterior body repair. It can be tempting, especially in this economy, to ignore the repair and continue driving the vehicle if the drivability is not affected.
Safety is the most important concern, especially for families.
Everyone should feel safe while driving their car. And no parent should ever have to wonder about family car safety, even for a second.
Even seemingly minor damage can cause a loss of structural integrity, which must be fully restored to maintain the vehicle’s safety. The bumper is particularly important, because it’s the car’s first line of defense.
In some cases, ignoring body repair or a poor repair job can create additional and potentially critical safety problems such as altering the air bag deployment timing. Improper welds and other low-end work will likely cause trouble down the road even if they appear OK at first.
Body repair is simply necessary to ensure safety.
Repairs aren’t just cosmetic. Damage may seem “not too big” right now, but it could easily become that way down the road.
Paint protects the metal underneath, which protects the car’s interior. Un-repaired paint deteriorates faster, putting the body work and interior at risk long before the car’s expected lifespan.
As already noted, bumpers play a vital role in ensuring family car safety. Bumper repair is less expensive and may be just as effective as replacement. It’s also better for the environment than discarding an old bumper. The part of the bumper that you see is simply a plastic cover. The actual safety portion of the bumper is a steel bar just behind the cover and some foam padding. An impact over 5mph can structurally affect that part and diminish the safety provided by the bumper should the vehicle become involved in an accident again.
Top quality body repair makes the most sense.
It’s essential to use high strength steel and other best-quality materials to restore a vehicle’s structural integrity. Specialized equipment and the latest techniques are vital, and specialized training ensures top workmanship. Be aware that not all shops are fully up to date.
There are lots of body shops, therefore lots of choices. Getting several estimates can be a pain, but it will provide confidence and peace of mind. Look for a clean shop with knowledgeable staff who are informative but not pushy. Get referrals from friends, the car dealer, the Better Business Bureau. Make sure the shop offers a warranty, and inspect the work closely before paying.
Affordability is relative. It may cost more to get quality body repair, right away, but “saving money” with faulty repairs or no repair could seriously reduce family car safety.
O'Rielly Collision Center named ABRN top Auto Body Shop for 2011
For the third year in a row, Auto Body Repair News (ABRN), a trade publication for the entire Auto body industry, has named O'Reilly Collision Centers as a "top Shop" for 2011.
"Do the basics brilliantly" is the shop's motto and has allowed them to take the top slot for the third year in a row. O'reilly's commitment quality, training and customer satisfaction starts with the estimators and trickles down through the whole shop including the body men, the painters and the technicians.
Now, estimators, technicians and painters all inspect the work they get.
"Estimators look at the work throughout and perform a final inspection. Our painters will look over the bodywork before they paint. When their work is done, the technicians inspect it. Everyone is involved. We have as many eyes as possible on the work. This way we really cut down on any re-dos," Shop Manager Brian Guerrero says.
In fact, by the time a vehicle leaves O'Rielly, Guerrero says it has been inspected four times.
The inspection that happens once a vehicle is returned to the customer also is significant since customer satisfaction is a key ingredient in "doing the basics brilliantly."
"The key thing is that our people want to get better. Everyone here wants to be the best," adds Guerrero, who says the renewed attention to CSI has paid off by creating improvements at every point in the shop's business, from customer service to repairs to paint. The fact that some of these changes may seem minor or are simple tweaks to an existing process doesn't matter. Small, sometimes incremental, changes can have big payoffs.
Guerrero notes that employees are familiar with this fact, having seen how their work impacts every part of the dealership.
"The dealership and shop are over 80 years old, so people have been coming here a long time. Everything we do touches them and their reputation. If we make a mistake, the customer is not going to come back here to buy another car. They're not going to come back to buy tires," Guerrero says.
Check out the rest of the Article here:
ABRN top shop article
What is a Repair Plan and why does my body shop need one?
Besides getting you from point A to point B, your car serves one important function; protect you and your occupants in the event of a crash. The technologies in your car have been advancing at an amazing rate since vehicle safety started to get public attention in the 1950’s. Cars built today are some of the safest and strongest ever built. It does not matter if you are driving an economy car or a luxury cruiser, your car will protect you in an accident like no models that came before it.
Prior to about 2004, most cars were built of a softer stretchable heavy gauge steel which could be pulled and beaten back into shape. Steel has a memory to it and good body man could hammer and dolly your vehicle back into shape.
This is not the case with High Strength Steels (HSS). HSS and UHSS (ultra high strength steels), cannot be cut and most are very susceptible to heat. In the old days it was common practice to weld in a replacement frame rail, or structural part. Each manufacturer requires differing techniques for structural part replacement. Sometimes parts have to be bonded not welded, or possibly cut and welded way beyond the area of the collision.
When picking the right repair shop ask them if they perform the following procedures:
- Research the repair prior to repairing the vehicle. Manufacturers put out Technical Service Bulletins(TSB’s) all the time based on data pulled from the field as more and more of that model are crashed and sent in for repairs. All manufacturers have a hot line available to the repair shop to check each vehicle prior to repairing it to see if any information has changed.
- A repair plan helps the auto body shop if a technician is out sick or has an emergency. A proper repair plan will instruct that technician’s replacement on what needs to be done to be within safe compliance of that vehicle.
- Sometimes even a ½ year model difference can mean a completely different repair technique. It is not uncommon for models to change materials mid way through a model year. It may look exactly the same on the exterior but could be made of a different material depending on when it was built thus affecting the repair process.
- A repair plan will tell your auto body technician the exact measurements and tolerances necessary for the functioning of the safety equipment of that vehicle. If not exactly right, things like airbag timing and structural integrity could be affected.
When selecting your auto body shop, ask them to walk you through the repair process and don’t forget to ask them how they will be crafting the repair plan for your vehicle. Your vehicle can be repaired safely, and it can be brought back to exact factory specifications if you choose a shop who can get it done right.
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Should I use my insurance company's preferred auto body shop or Direct Repair Partners (DRP’s)?
Your Insurance company has recommended to you that you select a Direct Repair Partner auto body shop with whom they do business in Tucson, but what’s in it for you? All business are trying to cut cost and boost profit, and the Direct Repair Program (DRP) your insurance company has in place with the body shop down the street is designed to protect your investment and theirs. By lowering operating costs, the insurance companies are able to offer lower, more competitive premiums.
One way insurance companies implement cost cutting measures is by recommending that the people they insure use the direct repair companies with which they are associated. These companies are under contract with the insurance agencies, which allows the agency some perks that they don’t get from a non-contracted repair shop. Here are a few perks the Insurance companies get from signing up a shop to a DRP contract:
- Free storage- So one of the things in the contract with the direct repairs shops is free storage for the cars they are working on. You may not even realize this, but this storage fee gets worked into the cost you pay for repairs.
- Free towing- If the direct repair shop ends up towing the car that they later get contracted to work on, the chances of the insurance company ending up paying for the tow truck virtually disappear.
- Discounts on parts and labor- in some cases, keeping the costs to the insurance company down where in turn they are not required to pay out as much on their claims.
- Uniformity in estimating systems and procedures- Most insurance companies demand that a body shop use their preferred estimating and reporting system.
- Warranties on labor and Materials used- Most good DRP shops offer a lifetime guarantee on the paint and craftsmanship.
These cost savings in the long run get passed on to you the consumer. And with that you get certain insurance company and shop backed guaranties. This is a win-win for the consumer. So the biggest benefit of all to using a DRP shop is peace of mind. But not all DRP shops are the same. Our next installment will deal more directly with what to look for in a shop.
