5 Common Auto Body Issues and How They’re Repaired
Many vehicle owners believe that the only time to take a car to a collision or auto body repair shop is after a car accident, but that stems from a misunderstanding of these services. Sure, the majority of work repair technicians do involves collision repair, but these laborers specialize in bodywork, meaning they help maintain the outward appearance and functionality of your car. While people often take their cars in after a wreck, there are several reasons to use an auto body service.
Most garages will agree that the majority of their business stems from five categories: dents, scratches, cracks, weather and collisions. While the damages may vary, every shop has similar processes for repairing auto body problems. However, to understand the skills repair technicians use, it is necessary to understand the general damages.
1) Dents
Dents are common occurrences with vehicle ownership because almost anything can cause them. Car bodies are strong, but specific panels are intentionally flexible, which means they dent easily, and you do not have to experience an accident for a dent to occur. For example, a child may fall into your parked car on their bicycle, or a rock may get kicked up by the vehicle in front of you. Dents happen all the time, and often without significant consequence.
There are two ways a body shop can address a dent, but the process depends on the severity of the dent. For minor dents, when the paint is still intact, a service can use paintless dent repair tools for popping the body back into shape. However, if the dent is severe and broaches the surface of the paint, then the repair technicians will need to drill a hole near the dent and use a tool to pull it back to the surface. The technicians will then use body filler, smoothing the surface, before painting the area.
2) Scratches and Paint Damage
Scratches happen. While some may be the result of malicious intent, most occur because of unavoidable daily use. For example, you can scatch the paint surface with a key ring when unlocking a door, or you may cause paint damage when loading items into the trunk or backseat. Most paint issues are easy fixes and nothing to worry about. Even when scratches are significant, they are repairable.
Minor scratches, resulting from key rings or cart collisions, can often be buffed out without the need for repainting. If the scratch is deep, a service may sandblast around the area, and then apply body filler. Once the surface is smooth, the repair techs will use computerized matching to find the precise color of your car’s body. With the right color, the techs will apply several coats and a sealer to match the rest of the vehicle. You will never even know there was a scratch.
3) Weather-Related Problems
Another frequent contributor to body damage is the weather. People often think that parking in a garage or carport protects their car from weather damage. While temporary shelters do protect against some exposure, they do not prevent everything. When parked at work or outside of a grocery store, your car is exposed to the sun and other elements. When driving on roadways after a heavy snowfall, the undercarriage is pummeled with road salt. Severe storms, causing hail, can lead to significant dents and cracks. Garages do not protect against everything.
Auto body shops help to combat and correct weather damage as they do with scratches and dents. Repair technicians will use a combination of tools, body filler and color-matched paints to restore the original beauty of your car.
4) Windshield Damage
Windshield damage is also typical and does not require a collision. When driving on highways or busy roadways, it is possible for debris, like stones, to get kicked up by the vehicles around you, resulting in minor to significant cracks.
A repair technician at a body shop will examine these cracks and determine the best course of action. If the break has gone through both sides of the windshield, then it likely needs to be replaced. However, if the cracks are small and insignificant to structural integrity, the tech may apply a resin or filler to repair the crack.
5) Collision Repair
Finally, people use auto body repair shops for collision repairs. Crashes can result in dents, scratches, cracks and even structural issues, which need to be addressed for the maintained safety of vehicle operation.
The repairs for collisions is similar to the other damages on this list. However, sometimes an accident results in frame damage. There was a time when a bent or distorted frame meant the car was totaled, but not anymore. With help from technology, body shops can use computer-aided equipment to realign the structure.
Are you looking for a collision or auto body repair center in Pennsylvania? If so, contact Tachoir Auto Body, with over 40 years in business, they are a trusted name.
