According to Bankrate, about 13 car crashes happen every minute. That is a lot of collision damage. Vehicle owners are often tempted after a collision to think about possibly doing auto body work themselves. These types of repairs can get very expensive, so it's easy to see how someone might be tempted to cut costs this way. However, it is not recommended that you do these types of repairs on your own for a number of reasons. This quick guide will walk you through some of the reasons why you should avoid DIY car collision repairs and use a professional instead.

Concerns Regarding Equipment

Car collision repair is not the same as home repair jobs where you can just reach into your toolbox to pull out the right tool for the job. Car collision work requires very specialized equipment that is often only found in an auto body repair shop. Many of these types of equipment were invented to make collision repair safer. If you attempt to do this type of work without the proper equipment, you can put yourself, your vehicle, and others at risk of injury. Also, it should be noted that without the proper equipment, there are some repairs you simply cannot even accomplish.

Health Concerns

Many people do not realize that a lot of car collision work comes with health risks. As mentioned above, much of the equipment used for car collision work is used in order to make the job safer in the first place. Without that equipment, you are putting yourself at risk. For example, some equipment that makes auto body work safer includes lifts. Without proper lifts, it is almost impossible to complete many of the tasks needed to do an auto body repair job. There are also certain types of protective gear that auto body professionals have access to and use to keep themselves safe from harmful materials and fumes. Auto body professionals will often use professional-grade respirators to keep their lungs safe from resin fumes, carbon monoxide, and paint fumes. Without this type of protective gear, you will be putting yourself at unnecessary risk by trying to complete these types of tasks on your own.

Time Investment Concerns

Another thing you should take into consideration is the time investment needed to complete an auto body repair job properly. Odds are, if you are not an auto body professional yourself, you have a different day job to be at. It would be very difficult for an average person to find the personal time to invest in an auto body repair job. If you did take the necessary time, it would literally cut into everything else you have going on in life. To keep your life on track and avoid major disturbances in your time, it is best to let a professional auto body shop handle your collision repairs.

Quality Concerns

If you are at all concerned with how your vehicle will look after body work is completed, then you will want to have a professional do the job. A professional will not only have the proper tools and equipment to do the job quickly and safely, but most importantly, they will have the experience needed to make your vehicle beautiful again. Most people consider vehicle bodywork to be an art form. You want a professional working on your vehicle who will take the job seriously and take pride in their work.

Avoiding Further Damage

If you attempt bodywork repairs on your own without the proper tools and experience, it is very likely that you will cause further damage to the vehicle. Vehicles are intricate machines and you cannot simply bumble your way through repairs and expect the machine to work properly afterward. Any mistakes that you make will most definitely come back up to haunt you later on. Get the work done right the first time by using a professional.

Insurance Concerns

In addition to all of the above-mentioned concerns, there will also be insurance concerns as well. Your insurance company may simply not allow you to do the work yourself. Most insurance companies want repair estimates and work to be completed by professionals. If you attempt to do the work yourself, you will likely run into complications with your insurance company that is handling the claim.

Lien Holder Concerns

Not only might an insurance company be concerned about your completing auto body repairs yourself, but if there is a lien on your vehicle, the lien holder may not allow you to do repairs that you are not qualified to do. You will need to review the terms of your lien or loan to determine if you can even do such repairs in the first place.

Concerns Regarding Different Types of Repairs

There are many different types of auto body repairs. When you undertake a collision repair, you need to be aware that the project could include any of the following types of repairs.

• Collision repairs
• Frame or structural repairs
• Cosmetic touch ups
• Theft repairs
• Dents
• Suspension and alignment repairs
• Mechanical repairs

Following an accident any of these types of damage may need repair including mechanical. A vehicle is typically damaged cosmetically in an accident. Often mechanical damage is also present that will need to be addressed.

Affordability

The main reason why many people even consider trying to do collision repair themselves is that they feel they cannot afford to have a professional auto body shop do the work. You should really consider that when you allow an auto body shop to do the work, you are making an investment back into your vehicle. This will ultimately pay off in the end. However, if you really cannot afford the work, there still might be other options. You might talk with a local auto body shop to see if you can barter any other goods or services for auto body repair. This is sometimes a viable solution and one reason why many people love the local economy. Another option might be to simply borrow the money from someone. If getting the vehicle properly repaired is that important you might just need to go into a little debt in order to get it done right.

Once you have made the wise decision to allow a local auto body shop to do your repairs, you will want to choose your shop carefully. When choosing an auto body shop, do some research first. You can do research by asking friends and family who they trust and who they really hate. Finding out about the bad shops is just as important as finding out about the good shops. You will also want to take some time to meet with the professional that will be doing the work. Be sure that you are comfortable with the professionals and with the shop itself. If you feel that your vehicle will not be safe, then you should choose a different business.

Auto body repair is very intricate work and it is in your best interest to have collision repairs completed by a professional. If you're in need of auto body repairs, contact our team at City Side Auto Body and we'll happily help you through the process. We look forward to hearing from you!