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The Collision Repair Process

What’s the secret behind a high-end collision shop? “The Collision Repair Process” video details the 12 steps to returning your vehicle to you in showroom condition. The secret? It’s the highly-skilled, talented and professional people taking care of your vehicle at each step along the way.

Watch as the Today’s Collision team displays their expertise and dedication from the moment you are in a car accident until the moment you drive off the lot. Today’s Collision Repair Centers has been repairing vehicles for over 35 years, and we’ve learned that helping YOU understand the steps we take to repair your vehicle, helps US communicate with you along the way. Today’s Collision Owner, Bobby Cobb, walks you through the steps, providing an explanation of how your car travels through the shop on its way back to you!

Key Moments:

00:26 Getting an Estimate for Car Repairs (STEP 1)

02:08 Pre-Scanning & ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) (STEP 2)

02:46 Disassembly & Blueprinting to OEM Specifications (STEP 3)

03:43 Writing a Supplemental Insurance Estimate (STEP 4)

04:43 Auto Parts Verification & Matching (STEP 5)

05:23 Repairing the Vehicle Structure & Aluminum Repairs (STEP 6)

06:11 Auto Body Repair (STEP 7)

06:47 Preparing the Vehicle for Paint including Prime & Jamb (STEP 8)

07:41 Formulating an Exact Factory Paint Match Color & Painting the Vehicle (STEP 9)

08:36 Reassembling the Vehicle & Replacing Final Moldings & Detail Pieces (STEP 10)

09:04 ADAS Calibrations & Testing (STEP 11)

09:44 Performing a Quality Control Inspection & Detailing (STEP 12)

Step 1: THE INITIAL ESTIMATE After an accident, the first step to repairing your vehicle is to obtain an initial estimate of the damage.

Step 2: PRE-SCAN & PRE ALIGNMENT Once your vehicle arrives at our facility, we will run a series of pre-repair diagnostics, which includes a complete ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) scan. ADAS is responsible for many of the safety and warning features in your vehicle.

Step 3: DISASSEMBLY Our team has been trained by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) on the proper way to disassemble your vehicle and complete a “BLUEPRINTING”.

Step 4: SUPPLEMENTAL ESTIMATE If, during the disassembly stage, additional damage is found, our estimators will rewrite the repair requirements needed to repair your vehicle back to pre-accident condition, and produce a “Supplemental Estimate.”

Step 5: PARTS ORDERING & VERIFICATION Any previously, pre-ordered parts that are currently on-site for your vehicle’s repairs are verified and the secondary order for additional parts discovered during the disassembly process is placed.

Step 6: STRUCTURE REPAIR Our technicians utilize a computer-based measurement system or an approved OEM JIG system to ensure the structure of the vehicle is restored to factory specifications.

Step 7: BODY REPAIR The Body Repair Department replaces all bolted, damaged exterior panels, and all metal finishing that may be required. This includes repairing all dents and scratches. Sheet metal is installed and aligned.

Step 8: PAINT PREP New parts are “raw” and need to be prime-sealed, and jamb-colored. Any other panels that we repaired will be primed and sealed.

Step 9: PAINT Our expert paint technicians determine the proper color formula and codes, which are entered into the computerized mixing scale.

Step 10: REASSEMBLY Our technicians will reassemble your vehicle and all final moldings and detail pieces will be replaced. All of the vehicle’s systems are checked for proper operation during this process.

Step 11: CALIBRATION & TESTING We utilize the most advanced technology in the industry to calibrate and test your vehicle to ensure both structural and operational integrity. A post-repair diagnostic ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) scan will help us clear any indicative codes remaining.

Step 12: QUALITY CONTROL & DETAILING Our Quality Control review occurs at this stage, which includes a final inspection by our technicians to ensure that the vehicle is restored to its pre-accident condition. Returning your vehicle to you is our favorite part of the day, because we know that every member of our team, at each step along the way from the initial estimate, through disassembly, and paint to the final testing, is dedicated to ensuring that you are 100% satisfied with your repairs.

Why do Collision Repair Shop Estimates Differ Between Shops?

Chances are, if you’ve been in an accident or if your vehicle was vandalized or damaged by weather, you’ve been shopping around for repairs. You may have noticed that lots of the advice online recommends comparing estimates at different repair shops. But, if your car has the same damage, why would different repair shops give you different estimates? Which one should you trust?

There are a lot of reasons an estimate may vary from shop to shop, and understanding what they are can help you make an educated decision about which shop should repair your car.

The materials used can vary.

Different shops use different tools, different materials like paints, plastics, screws, welding, etc. and different hardware and software in their computer systems. All of these can add up to varied estimates.

Not all replacement parts are created equally.

There are several different options when it comes to materials used for replacement parts, and some are better than others, depending on your needs. The cost of these replacement parts varies too! Usually, your options are OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts, non-OEM parts, or recycled parts.

Different locations cost different amounts.

If you’re taking your car to the middle of town, rent prices or taxes or general overhead for your repair shop are likely to be higher, as is the cost of hiring employees who can afford to live nearby. Taking your car to a less expensive area means the shop will have lower overhead costs.

Experience and the need to get your business.

More experienced shops with loyal customers and an established reputation can afford to charge more because they have too many clients, while newer, less experienced or less established repair shops may need to take any business they can get at any price.

Estimate qualities aren’t always the same.

There are a lot of debates going on in the automotive industry at the moment about how to correctly estimate and perform repairs. Most of this is due to the rapid evolution of automotive technology, but the standard hasn’t yet been set. Some shops may perform a more thorough repair that requires them to dismantle your vehicle, some may have fancy equipment and use sensors, some may base estimates on photographs, and some may rely on insurance company regulations more than others. Some shops may tend to overestimate while others tend to underestimate. It’s always a good idea to ask questions so that you understand exactly how your estimate was done and how it could change as repairs start.