Car Damage Repair
Auto body repair isn’t just for vehicles involved in a collision. Most drivers are mindful, because they are concerned about their personal safety and avoiding damage to their car or truck. In addition, safety features such as back-up cameras and sensors help reduce the risk of a car accident. But sometimes, it’s not a collision that causes a trip to an auto body shop.
Don’t Leave these Items in your Car!
Recently, I heard a St. Louis teenage girl left a bottle of dry shampoo in her car’s center counsel. The warm summer temperatures caused the shampoo to explode. Sending the center counsel through the sunroof and then landing 50 feet away from her vehicle. Besides the damaged sunroof, her interior was a charred mess. After the girl and her mother figured out what caused the auto body damage they noticed the warning on the can advising to “keep away from heat.” Luckily, no one was hurt in this incident.
Another interesting non-collision damage repair was caused by an oil air freshener that attaches to a car’s air condition/heating vents. A customer sent us a photo requesting a quote to repair her dashboard after the air freshener leaked and damaged that area of the car. Surprisingly, there are plenty of similar stories nationwide mentioning various brands. In Atlanta, an oil air freshener leaked and corroded a vehicle dashboard and ruined surrounding vehicle electronics.
Handbags or tote bags should never be left in a car. This one seems obvious, right? Well, unfortunately, there are countless stories of people leaving bags in their vehicle. In some cases, the vehicle owner defends the incident by explaining that the valuable contents where removed or the bag was completely empty. A criminal peering inside the vehicle only sees the bag. The result? Glass breakage, destroyed window tint, and interior door trim damage. Recently, a woman told me she was taking a nap in her parked vehicle when a criminal smashed the glass and stole her purse! This customer was understandably riled. Besides the traumatic experience, her credit cards/identification were gone, and she had to make an insurance claim for auto body shop repairs.
Don’t Do these Things to your Vehicle!
Never over inflate vehicle tires. You may of heard people claiming to get better gas mileage by inflating their tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Besides, experiencing a rougher ride and prematurely wearing out your vehicle’s tires you are putting your safety and your car at risk. Did you know that over inflating tires will require you to increase your stopping distance? Front end collision repair will cost more than any gas savings. In addition, when tires are over inflated less of the tire is making contact with the road causing poor traction. Loosing traction, especially in wet weather is not only very dangerous, but it will increase the likelihood of fender, door, bumper damage, etc.
Never use dishwashing soap to wash your car. While cleaning your car with dishwashing detergent won’t cause auto body dents it certainly will ruin your vehicle’s paint! Dishwashing detergent is meant to remove grease and food debris from dishes, pots and pans. When this product is used on a vehicle it strips off the wax and removes key oils from the paint and paint sealants making the vehicle exposed to the elements. This practice over time will degrade the paint and clear coat, leaving the paint vulnerable to fading and early paint failure. Buying a product made for car washing is worth the money and will definitely be less than paying to refinishing your vehicle at an auto body shop.
Auto body repair is typically associated with car collision. However, you can see it is not the only cause for vehicle damage. As car owners all we can do is try to be more mindful of what we are leaving in our vehicle or doing to our car. In the event, of a collision or an occurrence similar to one mentioned above, Airpark Collision Center will be happy to help you. Our facility has earned several OEM certifications and is industry certified, we have the right tools and equipment to restore your vehicle to pre-accident condition. Please stop in or click for an estimate!