FAQ
No, we will work with the estimate the insurance company provided to you. If we discover any additional damage when we disassemble and blueprint your vehicle we will contact your insurance company and inform them of the additional damages and in most cases bill the insurance company directly.
In most cases the answer is NO. No matter how experienced the estimator is he or she cannot see damage that may be hidden. During the disassembly process we will uncover 99% of the damage. Sometimes during final reassembly, we may find other parts missing because the old parts were missing when the vehicle came to us.
Yes & No. As I stated previously many times we find more hidden damage when the car is disassembled. You may and should talk to your attorney before you accept any money but If you are going to do this without an attorney, PLEASE never accept a check that says final payment until all repairs are complete. You may want the individual that is going to pay for the damage come with you during your estimate so we can discuss with them any possible hidden damage and expense. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people take a check that says final payment and the cost of repairs are more than the original estimate and the individual that was at fault will not pay the full cost of repairs.
When we write an estimate we can only write for the damage that we see. During disassembly and blueprinting, we look at every damaged or missing part and then we can see 99% of the damage. Sometimes we may write to repair a panel that after we attempt repairs we find the metal is too fatigued and will not allow us to do a proper repair and this will force us to replace it. With the use of high strength steel and aluminum this is becoming more and more common.
Vehicles painted by the factory with the same paint code can have slightly different colors. So, even vehicles coming off of the factory line can have slight variations in color due to the differences in spray equipment.Manufacturers periodically publish the formulas for mixing variants using somewhat cryptic descriptors such as, “darker”, “lighter”, “yellower”, “dirtier”, etc. We will look at these variances and choose the one that matches your color best then we blend (mix your factory color with our paint) the panel to get the best possible color match.
Most of the vehicle surface is metal whereas the bumper covers, mirror covers, mud guards, etc., are all plastic. Applying the same paint on plastic and metal can often result in a slightly different color appearance. This can be due to several factors. First, the plastic dissipates heat more slowly than metal (the paint dries slower), and drying time can be a key factor in paint appearance. As paint dries more slowly, metal flakes in the paint have more time to settle at different angles, and volatile chemicals have more time to evaporate causing slight variance in the paint color.Another factor is that plastic can hold more static electricity charge than metal and, if not properly discharged before spraying, can cause metal flakes to align differently than on a metal surface.Most modern factories use electrostatic spray equipment to paint the metal surfaces of a vehicle. While they use conventional spray equipment to paint the plastic surfaces. This will also cause paint color variations.As you drive today look at the bumpers on the cars around you. Even the most expensive cars bumpers will not match perfectly from the factory. We will do our best using proper spray and prep techniques to match the factory finish.
