Obviously, all collisions are different, so it stands to reason that the time taken to repair damages will be different in every single case. Despite the fact that there is no specific and guaranteed time frame to accomplish the ideal collision damage repair process, it is possible to estimate the length of time required. All based on the type of collision and the level of resulting damage. Whenever an auto accident has occurred, a claims adjuster from your insurance company will assess the damage, and make an estimate of the cost associated with that damage.
After that, it might take anywhere between a couple of days and a whole week to find a collision company that can take on the work. When you do decide on one specific collision shop, you should have a conversation with them about how long they think the work will take. Many factors can influence that length, one of the main ones being how much of a backlog of work the shop already has. Availability of parts may be another factor that has an impact on repair time, as can be the level of difficulty associated with the necessary repairs.
Structural Collision Damage Repair
Whenever it’s necessary to repair a frame rail, a rear body structural panel, or something to do with the radiator, it will be necessary to use a frame machine and some specialty fixtures. This will ensure that the car gets measured right, and then it will be necessary to mount the car on the frame machine. In order to do this, it will be necessary to remove some electrical parts, like the suspension, and maybe the engine to fit the car on the frame machine. They might use specialty fixtures to attach the car to the machine. These fixtures are cast molds that get attached to the vehicle at specific points. All this is to ensure that the car’s weight gets distributed evenly over the frame machine.
Special Materials and Metals
Many new cars include specialty materials and metals that call for special equipment, special training, and technicians with considerable experience and skills. Some of these materials are carbon fiber, aluminum, and high-strength steel, all of which require equipment and training.
Many shops might not even have the resources to carry out these kinds of repairs, so you’ll need to find a collision shop that is appropriately equipped and can handle these repairs.
New Auto Technology
New technology is always getting added to the vehicles driven by owners, and while this makes your driving experience more enjoyable and safer, it can cause repairs to take much longer. For example, a car with a rear bumper that has high-tech options would require the car to be recalibrated with special equipment that tends to be fairly expensive.
If this isn’t done, your car simply won’t operate as it should after doing the collision damage repair work. Other high-tech options that need recalibration are rear-view cameras, lane-changing warning systems, and park distance control sensors.
Any kind of high-tech options like the ones included in your car will generally increase the length of time, to ensure the accuracy of the repair work.
Check the Damages
One of the biggest factors in figuring out how long repairs will take is to assess the exact kind of damage which has occurred to the vehicle. There might be a relatively simple fix involved such as replacing a bumper, and that will only take a couple of days to finish up.
However, it’s likely that you will need more intensive bodywork, and that will take much more time. In addition to this, it’s possible to discover the vehicle needs extra repair work, for instance, internal issues that were not readily observable in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
Any good collision shop will accurately address and fix whatever damage has occurred, and this may require having certain auto parts removed so that other possible damage can be found. All this takes more time because it’s necessary to find all damage and get your car back to a roadworthy condition.
Factors that Might Delay the Repair
Sometimes it’s difficult to estimate the time necessary for repairs until the work has actually begun. This is partly because they can discover other damage during the process. When you remove certain parts of the vehicle for closer inspection, it sometimes turns out that more extensive damage is discovered, which of course will add to the total repair time.
Whenever an estimate is made of the time necessary for vehicle repairs, you should always remember that that repair estimate can get invalidated by the discovery of additional damage.
However, if this is the case, the collision shop will always contact notify you about the changed status, because your approval will be necessary to proceed with additional repair work.
Repair Cost of Typical Collisions
In addition to the time necessary to make vehicle repairs, the cost of those repairs will also vary depending on all the circumstances related to the damage. There are some standard factors used when estimating the cost of repairs. For instance, the make and model will be important in assessing the total cost. Newer or more common vehicles generally use parts that are readily available, while older cars or those which are unique, will often call for ordered parts.
Depending on where these repair parts come from, it might take a while for them to get delivered and then installed by your collision experts. Another factor that contributes to the cost estimate is the kind of repairs that are necessary. For instance, work that is much more detailed, such as a complete paint job, will require considerably more time and will bump up the cost of repairs.
Labor cost is another important factor in the overall cost of repairing collision damage. Collision mechanics are specialists who work hard to ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy again, and they should be fairly compensated for their efforts. The number of hours of labor required, as well as the number of specialists working on your car, will have a major impact on the eventual cost of the collision damage repair.
