One of the main concerns of car owners who take their vehicle to repair is the uni-body alignment. There is one millimeter error and that’s all what manufacturers will allow. So, that’s why many Body shops use a laser measuring system, to make certain everything is straightened. But when this critical process is completed, what’s next?

Make sure you ask the manager, and then follow up with “How much experience do your technicians have?” That’s the really important question, because you want to know that the folks who will actually be working on your car or truck, repairing the sheet metal, straightening the frame, and painting the body panels really know what they are doing. Experience, as they say, truly is the best teacher.

I have found that, here in the Flower City, the average experience of body shop techs is slightly over seven years, and rookies are few and far between right now. That means you are quite likely to find a shop with experienced techs, if you just take the time to look around.

Dark dank body shops are a thing of the past, although you may come across one down some back alley somewhere. Today though, the majority of body shops are clean, airy, quality tools on show with clean working environments. Having said this, you still have to ensure that even though everything looks smart and clean, at the end of the day, it is the work that matters.

You could also ask to speak with one or two of the technicians, and ask them straight out what kind of a facility they work for. Either way, ask questions to determine technician satisfaction.

The most important thing at this later stage is that the vehicle gets finished in a paint booth that is clean and dust free. This outweighs a dirty booth of a fantastic design.

When it comes to choosing a body shop, there are also local factors to consider. For example, in upstate New York, winter freezing and thawing must be taken into account, and an experienced repair facility will understand how to work under those conditions. The heavy use of road salt in Monroe County and the surrounding counties is an added intangible that your body shop must be aware of. Make sure they have been doing business locally for at least three years, preferably several more.

How long has the shop been open? How much experience do the technicians have? How satisfied are the techs? Hopefully, asking these three questions will help you feel more confident and comfortable the next time the unavoidable happens, and you are faced with the need to choose the very best collision repair facility

When you have had the unfortunate event of being in a automotive collision, the last thing you need is to have a bad experience with an auto body shop not doing their job. A good auto body shop will fix your car back to pre-loss condition, both in appearance and in structural and mechanical integrity. A great auto body shop will almost make you feel like the accident never happened. They should start with customer service better then you get at a good restaurant.

What can you do in such an event? Should you keep silent and accept the unacceptable repair job done on your vehicle? No, you need not just accept the bad repair work without taking any action.

Following are certain steps that you should follow if you are unsatisfied with the repair job done by the auto body shop:

Step 1: Talk to the manager or the shop-owner of the auto body shop you are dealing with, and explain your problem to them coolly and frankly. As most auto body shops rely on word of mouth, it is highly likely that your problem will be sorted out at this step itself.

It looks great but it is highly expensive. If you get a normal paint job, you will pay much less. Some paints are also designed to be rust-proof or to limit the need for waxing, or limit damage from scratches. These are obviously more expensive. When you have your car painted, typically the entire vehicle is sandblasted to remove the old paint and then a new coat of paint is put on. A common misconception is that you can just paint over your old paint, this is not true.

Step 2: Find out if there is anyone at a post higher than the manager. If yes, get an appointment fixed with the higher authorities of that auto body shop. Speak to them directly if possible; otherwise just send them an e-mail explaining your problems. If this solution also does not work, try the next step.

Step 3: Submit a formal written complaint regarding the unsatisfactory services to the consumer welfare government office. If the auto body shop you are dealing with is a part of online portals, such as the ‘Better Business Bureau’, you can post your complaint with them online to make it public.

Thus, instead of accepting a repair that is just not right, it is wise to take appropriate actions as listed above. As is popularly said, “Prevention is better than Cure”, it is always better to avoid any such event by making sure you are dealing with a reputed, trustworthy auto body shop functioning in your area.