The Process of Repairing Your Damaged Vehicle

When you’ve been involved in a minor accident, one of the most nerve-wracking aspects of the whole situation is whether they’d be able to fix your car or not. But, the truth is that nowadays, almost anything can be fixed on a car – thanks to technology and industry experts. Whatever the damage may be, odds are they’ll be able to fix it. The only reason a mechanic wouldn’t be able to fix the car is if the repair would cost more than the car’s actually worth, but besides that, you should have your vehicle back in its usual mint condition in no time. To give a brief look into the process of a vehicle repair, here are just some of the steps technicians take to return your vehicle to its usual optimal condition.

Step 1 – Disassembling

During the disassembling, the vehicle is being prepped for repair by having all the parts removed. During this process, hidden damages are found that might not have been visible during the first evaluation. If there are any hidden damages, the mechanic will inform your insurance company so that they can order additional parts. Your mechanic can help you know how to determine your car accident claim value.

Step 2 – Ordering the parts

Once the disassembly has been carried out, the technicians can order all the necessary parts needed for the repair. During this process, the availability of all the components required is checked, and alternative measures are taken if any parts are not available at that moment in time. The repair can only commence once all the parts have arrived, so the vehicle’s components are ordered as quickly and swiftly as possible to ensure the repair can start as soon as possible. 

Step 3 – Repair

The main event of the entire process is the repair itself. The first step is to repair any structural damage the car might have undergone in the incident. During the structural repair, a computer-based system is used to analyze your vehicle framework in order for technicians to repair the structure in a way that is in line with the vehicle manufacturer’s standards. Afterward, the repairs to the vehicle’s body begin, and the outside panels are fitted to the car. All the vehicle’s sheet metal and finishings are aligned and installed before the car can go off to the paint section of the repair.

Step 4 – Painting

The painting process is probably one of the most important of the entire repair – a good paint job will determine whether the vehicle looks adequately repaired, so many gadgets and equipment are used when painting the car. Firstly, the specialists choose the paint they are going to use; there are usually three different coats of paint used in the process. To begin with, the vehicle is sanded, smoothing out all the surfaces to ensure a silky paint job. Any parts of the car that shouldn’t be painted are masked in order to prevent any paint from getting on these parts. The specialists then prepare the vehicle by applying the first coat of paint, which is the primer; it is applied with a spraying tool. One of the most critical parts of this spray gun is the compressed air dryer. This air dryer prevents any water or compressed oil from entering the paint, which could ruin the entire paint job, so it is definitely essential to perform quality paint jobs on cars. 

After the first layer has dried completely, the car is then sanded again before applying the next layer. This process is repeated a few times to ensure the vehicle has a few primer layers before the second coat of paint is applied. The second coat of paint is mixed with thinning liquid before being spayed unto the car with a spraying tool. The second coat of paint is applied three or four times to have a consistent paint job throughout the entire vehicle. After the topcoat has dried, a clear coat is sprayed on to ensure a glossy finish, making your car look like it was built yesterday!

Step 5 – Reassembly and Last Checks

In this process, all the vehicle parts are put back into place, and any finishings that need to be added. This is one of the final steps of the process where the vehicle’s system is also checked to ensure everything is working correctly and that there aren’t any tech issues with the car. Afterward, the car is almost ready for delivery or collection. But, before the process can be completed, the vehicle is cleaned very diligently to ensure no dust or residue is left behind from the repair. After the car has been cleaned, it is taken for a road test that will prove if all the parts have been assembled correctly, whether all the systems and tech are working as they should, and if the car itself is roadworthy as it should be.

Is it worth it to have your car fixed?

Although many have said that repairs are costly and that it isn’t always worth it, experts say otherwise. According to these specialists, it is almost always less expensive to have your car repaired than just buying a new one. Cars are expensive in general, and a repair to a part of the vehicle will never cost more than actually buying a new one. Even major issues like a failed transmission or even engine problems that tend to be the most expensive repairs are still less costly than purchasing a new vehicle. The fact is that you already invested a lot of money into the car that needs repairing, so you need it to last a few years at least to be able to get your money’s worth out of the vehicle.

In the end, mechanics are the ones who save the day when your car has gone through a bit of trauma. And, without them spending countless hours on repairing other people’s vehicles, everyone would be left with trying to figure it out themselves or just having to buy a new car every time something goes wrong.