3 Tips to Save on Auto Body Repair

No matter if you have been in a major accident or a minor parking lot accident, auto body repair, done correctly, is expensive. Collision Pros offers these 3 tips to help you save money on auto body repair work.

Repair Rates

Every shop has their rates that they charge per hour, often called their “Door Rate.” These rates can be negotiable at some shops. If cost is an issue for you, explain your circumstance and asked if there is a better rate or any kind of discount available. You’ll be surprised how accommodating shops will be.

Make Minor Repairs Yourself

If you’ve just bumped into something lightly, the paint damage may just buff out. If the damage doesn’t look like it went into the paint, you may try to wipe the transfer off. You can start with acetone or nail polish remover. Nail polish remover is mostly acetone and will not damage factory paint. Try a small area out of site first, but it’s not likely to penetrate your paint.

After you have wiped of the transfer, there may be more that can be removed with a little elbow grease and rubbing compound. The rule of thumb is, if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, by running across the scratch, it’s too deep to remove. If you think it may come off, put some compound on a soft towel and rub until it’s removed. This may take a bit of work of work.

Now that you have removed the scratches you may have paint damage that goes down to the paint. You can purchase a paint touch up kit at most auto parts stores. Use it to cover up the paint damage. Some colors brush touch well and others don’t take well to it at all. Brush touching is a quick fix for small out of the way areas and not a replacement for correct paint work. Learn more about paint brush touching in my previous blog article on Paint touch up.

Appearance Allowance

Often when you are in an accident there is a part or two that have a small amount of damage that you can live with, but your insurance is required to pay for it. This is something like a wheel or a light that have a small scratch or chip. All insurance companies and auto body shops are aware of what this is. Ask them if you can save on your appearance allowance. You can learn more about saving on an appearance allowance on this article.

Hopefully these 3 tips help you save on your auto body repair, but if you need more, stop by and see us at Collision Pros. At Collision Pros we know that everyone has a budget and we do our best to talk with each customer to find out what you want to achieve and what your budget is. So, stop by any Collision Pros in Northern California in Auburn, Chico, Red Bluff, Paradise, Woodland and soon to be Loomis, California. Collision Pros where we get it right on time, every time.