auto accidents

In Case of an Accident

The most important thing to remember if you are in an accident is information. At the scene obtain as much information about the other people and cars involved and take pictures if possible. Please print this accident printout sheet and keep it in your glove box for reference.

NEVER drive a car that may be unsafe. Call us and we can help arrange towing. If it is after normal business hours you can call NK Towing at (760) 745-3495 and they can move your car from an accident scene and deliver it to our locked facility. Otherwise, the CHP can arrange for your car to be transported to a tow yard and we can have it towed here the next day.

You have the right to go to the repair shop of your choice. Your insurance company cannot require you to go to a particular shop. You should always feel comfortable with the shop repairing your car. We encourage you to come down to our shop, meet us, take a tour of our facility, and see the cars we are currently working on.

Most insurance companies will evaluate the damages to your car themselves and write their own estimate. This can either be done at a location of your choosing such as your home or work, one of their approved repair shops, or you can drop your car off with us and they will inspect it here. Some insurance companies may ask you to submit your own estimate of repairs for review and approval. They may ask for multiple estimates for comparison, but this is not required by law. We would be happy to fax or email our estimate to your insurance company for review.

Differences in repair estimates are common. A lower estimate may not include all necessary work. If you’re not sure why one estimate is different from another you’ve received, please ask us.

If you have rental coverage on your insurance policy or are a claimant, a rental car should be set up with your claim. Enterprise and Hertz are each within a few blocks of us; they both have shuttle services to pick you up from our shop. If you don’t need or don’t have access to a rental car, we would be happy to give local rides back home or to work.

Your car is the second largest investment you’re likely to make. Preserve its value and your safety by having it repaired professionally.

If you have any questions, please ask us. Our trained professionals are ready and willing to help in any way they can.

For further information, click here to read the Auto Body Repair Bill of Rights,revised January 1, 2010 by the California Department of Insurance. For information on choosing a repair facility visit the Bureau of Automotive Repair’s website.

Collisions

Collision Repair Process

Every collision and subsequent collision repair is unique; however here are the general steps to the collision repair process.

While your car is in our shop, you are welcome to visit during any of the steps in the process, or you may request for pictures to be taken and emailed to you.

Estimating

One of our estimators will review the damage to your car and provide a written estimate and a time frame for how long the repairs will take. If you are filing an insurance claim, your insurance company will most likely schedule an appointment to see your vehicle and write their own estimate.

In either case, an original estimate is usually not the final repair total. Your vehicle will have to be disassembled to expose any possible damage hidden behind body panels.

Disassembly

Once you sign the repair authorization, we order the replacement parts and your vehicle moves into the disassembly stage.

Here we remove all the damaged parts and inspect for hidden damage. If we find  other damage, we notify you and your insurance company.

If required, we schedule a second insurance inspection. Whether you or your insurance company are paying for the repair, we provide a revised estimate  for authorization of the additional repairs.

This second estimate is referred to as a supplement to the original estimate.

Repair

Depending on the damages, we will either repair or replace the damaged parts.

We have all the necessary equipment to repair unibody frame structures and sheet metal to pre-accident condition and manufacturer specification.

Our technicians are fully certified and keep current on the changing technologies.

Paint

After the disassembly and repair we move your vehicle into the paint department.

We use the highest quality Glasurit and PPG paint and mix it using factory formulas.

The areas to be painted are isolated, cleaned and prepared for paint.

They are sprayed first with a primer to help the paint adhere.

Then the areas are sprayed with a color coat and finally a clear coat which is blended into adjacent panels so there are no transition lines.

Any parts such as bumpers that need to be painted before assembly are painted at this time as well.

Our state-of-the-art heated spray booths offer dust free environments for paint application and quick dry times.

Polish

Before we can out your car back together, we may have to polish the new paint to remove any imperfections. Polishing before the car is reassembled allows us to get to all the painted surfaces for  a seamless transition.

Reassembly

At this point, your vehicle goes back to the technician who disassembled it for reassembly. We take extra care to ensure all new and existing parts fit properly.

Clean

It is inevitable that cars get dirty during the repair process and we thoroughly clean your car inside and out before returning it to you.

Delivery

The last step before we call and inform you that your car is done, is the quality inspection.

We inspect your vehicle to ensure the repairs are seamless and that your car is indeed back to its pre-accident condition.

If you are like most of our customers, you will be very glad to get your car back, looking as good or better than before!