Your car is a companion that will be with you through thick and thin, so it’s imperative that you keep it in the best condition for as long as possible. One of the most integral ingredients of maintaining a car in its optimal performance and aesthetic is working with a reliable auto body repair shop. The issue is that it can be difficult to determine which shop is the most suitable one for you. After all, there are always a few bad apples when it comes to these shops. With that said, here are three tips on how to find the best one in your area:
Read online reviews
The internet is the first and best place to look for an auto body repair shop, as you can learn a great deal about the location, professionalism, and service quality of each one. You can read reviews to see what people are saying about a place and how well they rate it according to their experience. Ideally, you will want to work with a shop that has all 5-star reviews, but this is not always possible. As a general rule, anything above 4.5 with at least 30 reviews is considered top-quality shop. When you see a 1-star review on these shops, be sure to read to see what it says, as a negative review is almost always more valuable for customers than a positive one.
Pay a visit
Once you have found a shop that you’re interested in, it’s a great idea to drop by to see the shop with your own eyes. Listed below are the elements you should look for in a shop when you see it for the first time:
// Cleanliness and professionalism
Like any other type of professional establishment, a good auto repair shop has to be spotless. A dirty shop says a lot more about the management and service quality than you’d think, as it shows that the owner doesn’t care enough about the presentation of the establishment. One more thing to remember is that a dirty, disorganized shop won’t be able to carry out a safe and effective repair, as it increases the risk of an accident. It’s always a good idea to work with a shop that’s neat, clean, and well-kept.
// Pricing
High-quality auto repair work can cost quite a large sum of money, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. You can find a great car repair shop at an affordable rate, so you shouldn’t expect to pay a fortune for a minor repair. If the shop is charging you 20% more than the other shops in the area, you need to ask what they offer that is different from what their competitors do. It won’t be worth the additional cost if they’re delivering the same service as the others. Some shops will use additional features that don’t have anything to do with the repair as an excuse to get more money out of you. It’s important that you’re aware of these tricks so that you don’t fall victim to these scams.
On the other hand, if the shop is suspiciously cheap, you need to know the reason why. If it’s cheap because they use cheap products and underqualified staff, then you need to get out of there and look for a better shop to work with. When it comes to your car, it’s worth making sure that it’s taken care of by the most experienced mechanics and technician you can find. Therefore, you should look for a certificate of excellence that indicates that a particular shop is the best one for you.
// Warranty
It’s important to look for a shop that has warranty policies. No matter how high-quality the shop is, mistakes do happen. In the unfortunate case that it does, you want to avoid having to be responsible for all the costs yourself. In an auto body repair shop, accidents can happen at any time and you shouldn’t be responsible for something that you didn’t do. Therefore, make sure that you look for a warranty policy to make sure that you’re covered if the shop does a sub-par repair job.
Ask for before and after photos
Lastly, you should look for the before and after photos of previous customers to see the difference between the car going in and out of the shop. You can find these photos on their site or social media pages, as they will usually use these photos to advertise their services.
If you’re looking for an auto body repair shop in Brantford, The Touch Up Spot is your best option. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
Just like our bodies, our cars are also susceptible to sun damage. Your car’s exterior, as well as its interior, can be damaged by the sun’s powerful UV rays and if you’re not careful, you’ll start to see indications of this. Thankfully, there’s still hope! In this article, we’ll be taking a look at a few tried and tested methods that can help you protect your car from sun damage.
Interior
Parked outside on a hot summer’s day, your car’s metal shell is absorbing heat which heats up the trapped air inside, essentially turning your car into an oven! With temperatures sometimes exceeding 60C, prolonged exposure to such high hat can be detrimental to things like vinyl, plastic and leather which will start to show signs of cracking, fading and even staining. To protect your car’s interior from sun damage; keep the following tips in mind:
Use Sun Shades: Sun shades placed on windows and windshields can help reflect the sun’s heat. This will keep your car’s interior cooler and further protect exposed areas such as your seats, dashboard and trim from sun damage.
Cover those Seats. Seat covers will not only protect your car’s interior from stains and dirt, but can also significantly improve the level of sun protection whilst keeping them cooler.
Use Commercially Available Cleaners & Protectants. Nowadays there are loads of products out on the market that can be used to clean and protect your car’s interior. For example, special leather conditioners can keep your leather seats moisturized and protect them from cracking and fading. In turn, most dash and trim products are able to re-vitalize plastic and vinyl whilst protecting them from sun damage.
Exterior
As we mentioned earlier, the UV rays produced by the sun can discolor and fade your car’s paint and interior. To keep your car in tip-top condition, we’ve provided a few solutions to protect your car’s exterior from sun damage.
Keep it Clean and Waxed. As with your car’s interior, it’s advisable to keep your car exterior clean throughout the summer. Washing with soap and water often will remove any dirt, dust, bugs, and bird droppings that have settled on your car. Additionally, waxing your car will lock in the paint’s natural oils and add an additional layer of protection from sun damage. Make sure you regularly clean and vacuum the interior too! Food, dust and dirt particles exposed to high temperatures can actually bake themselves into the seat, resulting in permanent stains.
Keep it out of direct sunlight. It’s especially important in the summer to keep your car parked out of direct sunlight whenever possible. Parking in a garage or any other shaded spot will further protect your car’s finish. We also recommend cracking your windows open slightly whenever possible. This will help the heated air we mentioned earlier escape and lower the car’s interior temperature, which helps protect your car’s interior from sun damage.
The above tips are definitely not exhaustive and there are lots more for you to protect your car from the sun. At All Makes Collision, we understand the sun’s damaging effects and are able to repair any sun damage that has already been caused. If your car has been damaged by the sun in any way, contact us today to find out how we can help.
The arrival of spring signals the start of the driving season. Here are five tips to get your vehicle ready for your next road trip.
- Change your Tires
It’s time to remove your winter tires and change them to all-season tires. Even though our unpredictable weather could mean another snow storm, changing your tires now will beat the rush. - Take it for an inspection
Winter can be rough on vehicles so now is a good time to have it inspected by a licensed mechanic. Your mechanic will have the knowledge and training to look for and repair and damage caused by a harsh winter. - Spring Cleaning
Road salt makes for better traction during the winter, but can play havoc on your ride. Salt can eat away at your vehicle and make it deteriorate quickly and can cause damage. The salt can find its way inside your vehicle too so don’t forget to clean the interior. - Change your Fluids
This spring do more than just top up your vehicle fluid levels – change them. It helps maintain your vehicle and keep it in top running order. Typically, when you get your vehicle serviced they should provide a complete change of fluids if required, such as windshield washer fluid, oil, oil filter, transmission fluid to name a few. Check with your vehicle maintenance schedule. - Check the Alignment
Potholes and rough winter roads can impair your vehicle’s road handling ability and cause uneven tire wear. When you’re servicing your vehicle, ask the technician for a wheel alignment and tire balance.
Did you know that a professional thief can steal your vehicle in only 30 seconds, and they don’t even need the key to do it? That shocking statistic is the basis for the award-winning “Lock It or Lose It” campaign run by the OPP and supported by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The campaign is a crime prevention initiative that encourages drivers to take simple, common-sense precautions with their vehicles at this theft-prone time of the year. We’ve seen this campaign take many shapes and forms over the years, and oddly enough, people are still leaving their vehicles unlocked and their valuables in sight.
What does this mean for you?
Auto theft and crime can be devastating, so why take the chances with your valuables? The program reminds drivers to take simple steps to ensure the safety of their vehicles and their purchases.
Let’s take a look at the four things you should always do when exiting your vehicle.
Roll up the windows!
First, it’s cold outside. Why leave your windows open, anyway? Certainly this is a more relevant reminder during warmer times of the year, but it still happens even when the snow is falling. Put all the windows up so that no one has access to the inside of your vehicle—you’d be surprised what a professional thief can do with just a half a centimeter of space.
Ensure all valuables are out of sight!
No, you can’t just throw a coat over your packages and assume that no one will be able to tell what they are! If you can look into your back window and can tell, then a professional thief will be able to tell, too. Put packages and purchases in your trunk, or take them inside with you at each stop. When they’re out of sight, your vehicle presents a much less tempting target. No thief is going to waste time and risk breaking into a car if they’re not sure there’ll be a reward for doing so!
Lock your doors!
This may seem like a no-brainer, but thieves are savvy and watchful. Just running in the house for a few minutes? If you’ve left packages in your car, or your doors unlocked, you’ve practically left a flashing neon sign for thieves.
When out and about in town, lock your door at each and every stop. Double check if you have to, because an unlocked car is an invitation for trouble.
Put away your keys!
Pocket them, zip them up in your bag, or wear them around your neck on a lanyard. Don’t leave them in plain sight, hanging out of your bag or halfway out of your coat. This is similar to your valuables—placing keys out of sight removes their theft from the equation. And wearing them around your neck makes them visible to you at all times. Even an amateur thief will have no problem removing unsecured keys and walking around the parking lot to find your vehicle—newer cars have electric key fobs, and all a thief needs to do is wander the lot pressing the buttons until they find your car.
Lock it or Lose it! The key to preventing theft from vehicles starts with YOU! Hopefully next time you’re out and about, you’ll remember to place all valuables out of sight and secure that vehicle! And tell a friend, too. Let’s all work to discourage car theft!
