If your vehicle has been in an accident, you may wonder what is involved in getting your vehicle restored to its original condition? What role does the insurance company play? A thorough process takes place when you bring your vehicle to a reputable repair facility. Read this list to view the series of steps that Airpark Collision Center of North Scottsdale follows to ensure that each vehicle is repaired correctly.
- Prepare estimate/inspect the damage
- Owner signs repair authorization
- Insurance approval – The insurance company involved must approve the estimate before we can begin work.
- Parts ordered electronically
- Parts received
- Completion date given – At this time we will provide you with an Estimated Completion Date.
- Vehicle dissembled and re-inspected – As your vehicle’s outer panels are removed sometimes “hidden” damage is discovered. Please note that any additional damage may alter your vehicle’s completion date.
- Supplement damage report written, if necessary – This report is written and submitted to the insurance company to cover the costs of any additional or “hidden” damage that may have been discovered. This is referred to as Supplement Damage in insurance terms.
- Supplement approved – The insurance company must authorize this additional damage before we can continue the repair.
- Additional parts ordered, if necessary
- Vehicle set on unibody repair equipment (if needed)
– Your vehicle was manufactured in compliance with tight structural standards. Exact location and fit of integral parts are critical to the operation and appearance of your vehicle. In this process we measure your vehicle against published factory specifications and return your vehicle with in the manufacturer’s prescribed tolerances to ensure proper operation, location, and fit of body and structural parts. - Our repair technicians will now undertake structural and body repairs.
- New panels installed and checked for proper fit.
- Corrosion protection reapplied to repaired areas – Most of today’s vehicles include some form of corrosion protection applied by the original manufacturer. We will reapply this protection to ensure that your vehicle conforms to the original manufacturer’s standards.
- All metal work and initial tests done – It is at this point in the repair that we begin to check systems for proper functioning and perform quality control of the repair work. An example of a systems check would be the resetting of your safety systems, involving your passive restraint or airbag system.
- Vehicle prepped, primed and blocked – Our technicians will begin the refinish process by applying a primer. Block sanding is a method of further preparing the surface of your vehicle for paint.
- Vehicle is masked, taped, and placed in paint booth
– To ensure that the highest quality standards are met, we carefully mask your vehicle to protect it from overspray during the refinish process. Only the area that needs to be refinished is left uncovered. We then place your vehicle in a controlled atmosphere called a paint booth, where paint material is applied. - Vehicle is chemically cleaned and tacked – This process removes all outside contaminates that may have been deposited on your vehicle during the repair process. Tacking the vehicle then removes any dust particles that may remain.
- Vehicle undergoes multi-step refinishing process – Most of today’s vehicles are coated with what is known as basecoat/ clearcoat refinishes system. We will only use refinish products that meet or exceed the manufacturer’s specifications and are backed by a lifetime paint performance guarantee.
- Reassembly, wheel alignment, air conditioning, detailing, final inspection, test drive
– Once your vehicle has gone through the refinish process, we then reattach the outer parts such as mirrors, moldings, and other hardware. Should your repair require a wheel alignment or service such as air conditioning repair, we will perform them at this time. - Vehicle interior/exterior cleaned. Repairs checked for correctness. All remaining compound removed. Final inspection.
Watch the YouTube video explaining the disassembly process
Watch the Quality Check Process before the Car Release
- Vehicle is Finished – all insurance paperwork finalized payments and guarantee of payments made with insurance company. Owner informed the vehicle is completed. Owner and shop schedule time for vehicle to be picked up.
