Aftermarket "Raptor" hood install, with custom painted lettering, under the clear.
2009 370 Z
2009 370 Z Scratch and dent repair. Click the picture to see what's involved to fix a small scratch and dent the correct way. See the full tear down of the damaged panels for paint, and the process step by step.
F-250 roll over
GTO repair
Click for more pics.
Click bus for more pictures
Hagerty classic car insurance claim
Collision repair
Here's a few things to know about the collision business before taking your car to the shop that an insurance company tries to direct you to. Most of today's body shops are controlled by the insurance companies. They set the labor rates, have control over the estimating software, and slowly they want to own and operate all the body shops. This is illegal, but it doesn't stop them from trying. There are fewer new and skilled technicians now than ever. Insurance companies cap paint and material costs, cut labor procedures, and give shops unrealistic time frames for repair. Also, insurance companies try to push you into going to one of their own shops. This is called steering( Texas HB 423), and it is illegal. By law, you as a customer have the right to take your car to any body shop of your choice. They are supposed to tell you this before suggesting a place to take your vehicle. The shops they use are called DRP's... direct reference program. Some DRP's still try hard, but it's getting harder for a lot of them to keep up. They enter into contract with the insurance company to fix cars the way the insurance company wants, even if it's not right. This takes all control away from the shop. The shop has to give big discounts and agree to the insurance companies terms. This means. if insurance company X wants to use aftermarket parts, or partial paint on a panel, the DRP shop is under contract to do it. The insurance companies are looking out for their bottom line, not quality for your repair. What they make sound like is for the customer's best interest, is really for theirs. Big DRP shops depend on fast turn around, and big volume to make any profit. That's why the quality of repair in one of these mega facilities with all the equipment to do the job right, is sometimes substandard. We have had to fix paint match problems, alignment of panels, and poor workmanship to cars fixed in these places on the customer's nickle; simply because they wanted it done right, but had a bad DRP experience. The customer would rather pay us to do it right, than take a chance for more bad workmanship. The workers in these shops simply can't spend the time necessary to do the job right, even if they want to. The push for fast production cuts out the extra time it truly takes to get it right. All this is new to the public because the average person gets in less than five wrecks in their lifetime. When they do, the confusion starts. Whether we fix your car or not, if you are looking for quality, go to a shop that is not part of the insurance network, one that also has a good reputation, clean and organized, ASE or I-Car certified, without dust covered unfinished projects, or junk stacked in or around the shop. The shop doesn't have to look like the Taj Mahal, but at least clean and organized. Ask around first. Don't depend on your insurance agent, or claims rep. for a referral. We have been a word of mouth referral shop since 1994. We're honest, and proud of the work we do. We always take care of our customers first. This is why we won't become part of an insurance DRP program, we don't need them.
These are links to monthly collision industry newsletters, Body Shop Business, and ABRN. Find out more about what's going on in this insurance company controlled industry.
http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Collision+Repair/Connecticut-class-action-lawsuits-target-steering/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/530191?contextCategoryId=498
http://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/advanstar/abrn0208/index.php?startid=Cover1&WidgetId=B806D12B-D4E8-8C41-D066-8CFA8C1065E2&BookId=92a20480a33ab068a157618c1e69ba82
