Category: Accident

Many people find themselves feeling surprised at the amount of damage that hail can do to a cars’ body. These little bits of ice that fall from the sky are one of the worst things that can happen to a nice car. On average, hail causes about 15 billion dollars in damage every year…and those are just the coverage costs reported by the insurance companies.

If you account for all that unreported damage, the figure is even higher. Today, we are going to compare the two methods of repairing hail damage: The DIY method and the professional method. By the end of this article, you should know which option is best for you.

 

DIY Method

It might seem like child’s play to remove a few small dents, but it’s not always that easy. The internet is filled with all kinds of tricks that will (supposedly) remove small dents from your car. However, until you have tried these methods, there is no way to know exactly how well they are going to work. Yes, you can watch videos and observe the results, but clever editing can hide a lot of problems.

 

The Pros

The most obvious upside to the DIY approach is the greatly reduced cost. Depending on what tools and methods you choose, you might be able to get off very cheap here. Obviously, the extent of the damage will also play a determining role. You can go out and buy all the same tools that a professional mechanic has, although you might not be able to afford the very best.

Another good thing about the DIY approach is the fact that it offers a chance for customization at the same time. For instance, just about everyone with a half-decent car has thought about getting a cool custom paint job. Most people also discard that thought when they realize that it’s a large expense indeed. However, if you have the skills to do it right, a DIY paint job can be a great creative opportunity. If you’re putting a lot of time into this project anyway, why not take a little more time and create something truly stunning?

 

The Cons

The DIY method also has one gigantic problem: Most people are not going to get it right. If minor dents were easy to repair, body shops would not be as common as they are. Yes, you can use many methods to “grab and pull” the dent, but several things can go wrong. First, you might pull too hard and create a reverse dent (i.e., protruding outward instead of inward). Secondly, if you do things too roughly, you might crack or chip the paint job, exposing that part of the vehicle to quick corrosion.

If you want to do things yourself, you had better make sure that you know what you are doing. Without sufficient knowledge, it is likely that you will make the problem worse. This means that you will end up paying even more money when you finally take it to a shop. As the old saying goes, “shortcuts make for long delays!”

 

The Professional Method

Unfortunately, it can get a bit expensive to have those hail dents removed at a professional shop. That being said, this is the method that usually brings the best results. Unless you happen to be an expert in auto repair (or at least a gifted amateur), you could very well end up making the problem worse. When you go to a professional, on the other hand, you get guaranteed results. If not, then you need to find a new mechanic.

 

The Pros

The big pro of this method is peace of mind. When you put your vehicle into the hands of a highly trained and qualified person, you can have a lot more confidence that you will get a good result. Not only do they have the proper training, but they will also probably have much better tools and equipment than your home garage. The average person simply cannot match the work of a qualified expert.

Work guarantees are another big upside that comes from dealing with a professional shop. As long as you are dealing with reputable people, they should be willing to guarantee their work. Thus, if something goes wrong, your interests are covered. Obviously, you cannot guarantee your DIY work, and it may even void your vehicle warranty.

 

The Cons

This is a lot more expensive than the DIY approach, that’s for sure. If your car is foreign, strange, or highly customized, those costs are going to be even higher. One of the worst-case scenarios is a vehicle that has been pieced together from other vehicles (sometimes jokingly called a “Frankencar”). Such a vehicle will definitely be more expensive to service, simply because they are a lot more confusing to the mechanic.

If you don’t choose the right body shop, that list of cons can get a little bigger. Paying top dollar is only worth it when you are getting top-tier results. If not, you might have actually been better off with the DIY plan. However, this con can be reduced or removed if you take the time to evaluate your body shop carefully.

 

Conclusion

We think there is a pretty obvious winner here, and it is the professional option. Although going the DIY route can save you a lot of money, that doesn’t mean squat if you don’t get the desired results. Yes, you will pay more for the services of a professional, but you are also a lot more likely to get the desired results.

If this article has you wondering: “Where is the best auto body shop near me?”, then we have the answer. Here at Elmer’s Auto Body, we offer reasonable rates, well-trained and certified personnel, and a track record of satisfied customers throughout our service area. If you would like to know more, you can call us at (856) 218-0202.

When you need bodywork on your vehicle, cost estimates can be maddeningly vague. Until the job is done, the exact costs cannot be determined, so an estimate is the best you are going to get. This is a problem because you need to know if you can afford these services before bringing your vehicle to a particular shop. Thus, to save you a little bit of time and aggravation, let’s go over some basic rules that govern auto body repair costs.

 

Labor Vs. Parts

In general, auto body repair fees can be divided into two types: Parts and labor. As you would probably guess, labor is usually the bigger part of the expense. Any good shop will be getting their parts at a reduced rate, allowing them to pass on some of that savings to the customer. Labor costs for car repair work, however, will generally range between $47 and $215 per hour, according to AAA.

 

Make And Model Will Also Play A Role

Your exact rates will also depend on what sort of vehicle you have. Needless to say, foreign cars and other uncommon vehicles tend to carry higher repair costs. This is because parts are harder to obtain and because fewer people know how to fix those uncommon machines.

It is also generally true that newer cars will cost more to service. Older technology tends to be simpler, and it requires a lot less to repair. On the other hand, anything that is computerized and high-tech is going to drive up the repair bill. That being said, an older vehicle can also be pretty expensive if it is old enough to be rare.

 

Here is a short list of vehicles that are particularly expensive to have repaired:

• Chevrolet Trax
• Kia Soul
• Audi Q3
• Hyundai Accent
• Nissan Maxima
• Nissan Kicks
• Ford Ecosport
• Chrysler Voyager
• Dodge Grand Caravan
• Anything by Mercedes or Saab
• All electric and hybrid vehicles

 

Consider The Extent Of The Damage

The extent of the damage being repaired will play a huge role in determining your final price. We probably don’t have to tell you that minor damage is cheaper to repair, and that’s because minor damage usually doesn’t require the replacement of damaged parts. For instance, a cracked windshield can usually be repaired without a need to replace the whole thing. If it is well done, you will never be able to tell the difference (and you won’t pay much, either).

 

Here is a short list of repairs that tend to be more expensive than average. If your problem is on this list, you should prepare yourself for a significant expense.

• Damage to the ECM (electronic control module), which is basically the main computer of your car. It can cost up to $200 just to inspect one of these, and replacement costs can get up in the thousands.
• Safety system repairs, such as airbags, mirrors, and seat belts. Although these jobs might not be all that complex, there are some serious liability issues and no store wants to be held responsible for shoddy work. Thus, they have to take a little more time and care.
• Replacing bumpers and grills. These components are a lot more complex than they once were, as they now include things like impact sensors, backup cameras, extra lights, and all sorts of other things.
• Transmission issues are probably the worst whammy of them all. Other than the engine itself, this is the most expensive component to fix. Most people choose to buy a new vehicle if the transmission goes bad.

 

Is The Cost Of Auto Body Repairs Worth Paying?

Although most vehicle body damage can be fixed, there is a question of whether or not it’s worth the time and money involved. Let’s say you’ve just wrecked an old Yugo from the mid-80s. Since the Yugo is considered to be one of the worst cars ever made, and because it is well past its prime, it probably isn’t worth the money to fix a car like this. The repair costs could very easily exceed the cars’ value.

When getting an estimate, you can “double-check” the prices by asking for a per-hour rate. After that, ask them approximately how many hours it will take for repair. Multiply the per-hour rate by the estimated repair time (in hours, of course), and you will have an approximate total cost. If this doesn’t match with the estimate you were already given, you might want to look for services elsewhere.

 

Always Do Your Homework

If you are like most people, your vehicle is very important to you. As such, you do not want to bring that vehicle to someone with a history of shoddy work. Of course, when you have an emergency (like a car that won’t even start), there isn’t enough time to sufficiently vet your options. That is why you need to evaluate your local shops ahead of time and answer the all-important question: “Which one is the best auto body shop near me?”

 

Here are some important things for which you should look:

• Relevant qualifications (certifications, etc.)
• Relevant experience with your kind of vehicle
• Online reviews (as many as you can find)
• Any known legal/liability issues
• Guarantees and warranties that aren’t completely full of loopholes

 

Conclusion

Of course, none of this knowledge will do you a lot of good if you are dealing with a substandard shop. That’s why you should call our seasoned professionals here at Elmer’s Auto Body at (856) 218-0202. With our years of experience and some of the most reasonable pricing around, it’s hard to go wrong with Elmer’s. Like so many others, you will find that our service cannot be beaten.

 

Everyone has to repair a vehicle throughout the time they have one, two, three, or even four or more vehicles. Most of those repairs involve some kind of bodywork either from an accident or just age and wear and tear. So, what are the top 6 most common body shop repairs? If your car has taken on damage, maybe it fits in one of these categories. Here is a rundown on common body shop repairs.

 

1. Scratches and Paint

Scratches and chipped paint may be two of the many things that result from an accident. There are many other ways scratches and chips can occur. Simple rubble from the road can get stirred up and land on your vehicle and cause scratches, dings, and chipped paint, or another vehicle could come close to the driver’s side of your car door and cause damage such as a large scratch or even a ding.

No matter the cause, scratch and paint damage seem to be routine kinds of normal repairs that technicians see regularly. These kinds of issues are usually fixed fairly quickly through different painting methods that include matching paint, sanding, and redoing the surface areas affected. A vehicle can often look like new when body technicians address problems like scratch and paint repairs.

A whole new paint job occurs when a vehicle is in dire need of exterior paint, particularly after an accident. A vehicle that has been repaired may need to be completely painted just to protect its exterior and give it a new kind of appeal. Body shops do paint jobs fairly regularly. Whether a vehicle is affected by rust, paint issues, scratches, or other damage, painting it can have a huge effect.

 

2. Dent Removal (PDR)

Major dents can come from anywhere and anything. It could be a runaway shopping cart, flying objects, or even hail. They all can leave dents in the panels and doors of a vehicle. If the dents are left untouched, the most minor of dents often cause more damage later. To make sure that the damage is corrected, PDR or paintless dent removal is used.

With PDR, there are no extensive sanding or filler materials involved. A body shop technician who goes through extensive PDR training uses an assortment of specialized tools to push any dents out, which doesn’t at all affect the paint job. Paintless dent removal or PDR is a less costly and lasting way to get your vehicle in shape and looking new once more.

 

3. Other Dent Repair

When you use PDR dent repair, you’re seeing damage from a dent that doesn’t require any paint touch-up. You’re fixing a dent without the added expense of repairing the dent with paint. These kinds of dents are fixed more easily. Dents with chips and paint issues are what make the problem more serious and a technician will have to take further steps.

A body shop specialist uses metal rods, a specialized pick body hammer, and other devices to push out dents. The repairs center around where the dent happens to be on a vehicle. Once the dent is eliminated, there will be other steps that include lightweight to heavier sanding, buffing out and smoothing the area, and finally painting over it all.

 

4. Glass Repair

Accident damage can affect any part of your vehicle where glass is. It can come in the exterior form of chips, breaks, and fragments. Glass breakage may require repairs, but often a new windshield or replacement of windows may be essential. Any auto body shop near you or in the vicinity usually has a glass repair specialist who is a permanent employee of the shop, so if your vehicle is undergoing other body repairs, often a glass technician will be of help if necessary. There are even glass repair specialists who are called out to do windshield and window replacements before the vehicle goes into the shop for body repair work.

 

5. Frame Issues

Many vehicles that are involved in accidents sustain damage to the frame. This means testing the frame and straightening it. A weak frame or one that is bent can put anyone in the vehicle in danger, especially with a follow-up accident. Vehicles with bent frames will drive choppily along a road, plus they’ll handle it inadequately and likely cause the steering and tires to deteriorate early. In checking on the safety of a vehicle’s frame, technicians usually follow the routine that includes:

• A technician inspects a vehicle for indications of damage.
• If damage is suspected, the vehicle will be situated on a frame alignment machine.
• The machine’s hydraulic force and rotational force (torque) will adjust the frame to its initial specifications.
• Once the frame is adjusted, a vehicle should drive normally and be safe for driving.

 

6. Bumper Repair

Accidents that involve front and rear bumpers are common and body shop technicians repair them fairly regularly. Bumpers are usually the major part of a vehicle that receives direct contact in a collision. Getting the right repair process is critical.

Repairing a bumper involves not just painting over the damage or erasing recesses, dents, scrapes, and scratches. With bumpers and bumper covers being made of some form of plastic, the repair process is more than just repairing or replacing the plastic. Even less extensive damage to a bumper brings on other problems, such as alignment issues, steering problems, bent frames, and even electrical system issues. A thorough inspection of a bumper is imperative in discovering any underlying problems.

If you’re looking for an overall body shop that does common collision repairs in the southern New Jersey area, look no further than Elmer’s Auto Body. We have been in business for over 70 years and have the experience and knowledge to perform common and not-so-common repairs. You want a reliable body shop that provides the right services. If your car has been in an accident or if your vehicle needs maintenance, why not call us at (856) 218-0202? You’ll be glad you did.

Few things in life are as annoying as a dent in your nice fresh paint job. Getting an automobile finish can be a difficult and/or expensive process, so it really is annoying when someone or something ruins that perfect shine. You may think that the vehicle needs to be repainted at this point, but that would be untrue. In many cases, a vehicle dent can be repaired without damaging the paint. This is what we call a “paint-less dent repair”, and it has several distinct benefits.

 

1. Cost Savings

What Are The Benefits Of Paintless Dent Repair? Any other kind of dent repair will involve at least partial repainting. Needless to say, this equals a much larger repair bill. A paint-less dent repair, on the other hand, tends to be a fairly quick and easy process. It does take some specialized tools, but it isn’t very hard. Thus, your repair bill is likely to be a lot smaller.

 

2. No Worries About Poor Touch-Up Work

You should probably know that most auto body shops will not repaint the entire car over a single dent. Instead, they will normally repaint the affected area. If they do a good job of matching the colors and blending the edges, a “spot” job like that can be perfectly adequate. However, if they don’t do such a good job, that repainted spot will be very noticeable and very ugly. When you go for a paint-less dent repair, you simply don’t have to worry about that.

 

3. Less Down Time

Being without your vehicle is a major life disruption. When you aren’t able to go anywhere (without asking someone else for a ride), a lot of plans will have to be delayed or canceled. That is why you should try to minimize that repair time as much as possible. Sometimes, you may not have that option, but a paint-less dent repair will pretty much always be done quickly. Thus, you will experience less disruption of your life and plans.

 

4. Preservation Of The Vehicle’s Market Value

In general, vehicles have a higher market value when they still have the original factory finish. Like anything else, a vehicle will bring more money when it is in “mint” condition. Paintless dent repair allows you to fix those minor dings without removing any of the original finish. This is especially important if you plan to sell the vehicle at some point.

 

5. Environmental Friendliness

If you are concerned about keeping your activities “green,” paint-less dent repair will fit the bill nicely. It does not require any chemicals, whether toxic or otherwise. It does not produce any pollution of any kind. This is mainly because paint-less dent removal is an inherently simple process. The dent is pushed from the inside of the panel, allowing it to “pop” back into place. Again, it just requires the right tools for the job, Since it is a simple mechanical process, paint-less dent repair is ecologically friendly.

 

Can You Do A D.I.Y. Paint-less Dent Repair?

It is possible to do a P.D.R as a home repair job. However, it is not recommended for most people. Not only does it require specialized tools, but it also requires the knowledge to use those tools correctly. It’s not quite as simple as pushing the dent outward from the inside. That is a part of the process, but there are numerous little tricks that make the difference between a mediocre P.D.R. and a perfect one. If you can’t do a perfect job on your own, it really is better to call a reputable and experienced body shop.

 

When You Can’t Do A Paint-less Dent Repair

Unfortunately, there are some instances where a paint-less dent repair is not possible. If the finish has already been damaged by the impact, you obviously cannot use this method. The paint-less method will only work if the finish itself is undamaged. If you have lost even a single flake of paint, the P.D.R. method will not work.

That brings us to the crucial factor of dent size. If you are dealing with a very large dent, there will probably be paint damage. Even if it isn’t visible right away, any damage to the paint itself will render the paint-less method ineffective. When they have to pop out a larger dent, more force is required, and that will often knock away pieces of paint. Thus, you should know that this method is primarily effective for small dents and minor impacts.

 

Conclusion

Although it might not always be an option, paint-less dent repair offers many benefits. To sum up those benefits, it will save you time, money, risk, and trouble. If you are interested in paint-less dent repair (or any other auto bodywork), Elmer’s Auto Body is the place to call.

There is no need to ask “where can I find a good auto body shop near me?” because the answer is staring you in the face right now. Elmer’s Auto Body has been proudly serving the New Jersey area for over 75 years, and we look forward to showing you why our reputation is so good. If you would like to know more, you can reach us at (856) 218-0202.

Major or minor, car accidents in the state of New Jersey must often be reported, according to several laws. Those laws usually include reporting the accident to local, county, or state police agencies, as well as a report on the damages or costs incurred. If you are wondering whether or not you have to report your car accident in New Jersey, keep reading for more information.

 

Do You Have to Report a Car Accident in New Jersey?

If you’re a driver in New Jersey and are involved in a car accident, you’re obligated to report the accident if the situation means the following conditions: the collision resulted in a death or injury of any individual involved, or if the damages exceeded $500. You must report the accident to the local or county police departments or the New Jersey State Police.

 

After the collision, you must also file a written report about the accident. Though it is not legally required to file a claim with your insurance company, your policy may have stipulations about accident reporting. If you fail to notify your insurance company about an accident, they may deny you coverage for the claim.

 

How to Report a Car Accident in New Jersey

While New Jersey statutes do not tell you exactly when to report the accident, it is best to make the report as soon as possible. This could mean calling from your cell phone soon after the accident occurs or using another electronic device. Should you be unable to call by phone, it is best to visit the nearest police department—if the police have not arrived already. If your vehicle is totaled and inoperable, you can always report the accident upon returning home.

 

To file a written accident report, which is also required by law if the accident causes death, injury, or over $500 in damages, you can use the “Self-Reporting Crash” form, which is available from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. This must be done within 10 days of the accident.

The rules for filing a written report are found in section 39:4-130 of the New Jersey Statutes.

Because New Jersey is a “no-fault car insurance” state, you must report a car accident and file a claim in order to get compensation for financial losses and medical bills.

 

What Happens If You Fail to Report a Crash?

Since reporting an accident that caused injury, death, or $500 in damages is compulsory, you do not want to forget. In the event that you fail to report a car accident in a timely manner, you could potentially be fined up to $30 to $102, excluding court costs. Your driver’s license and vehicle registration may also be suspended for a period of time. However, failure to report an accident in NJ is not a points violation.

 

Leaving or Fleeing The Scene

Did you know that leaving the scene of a car accident you were involved in is considered a criminal offense in NJ? Abandoning the accident and failing to check on the other people involved carries a heavy penalty, especially if there were injuries, death, or property damage caused.

When there is property damage in a collision and you flee the scene, you could be convicted for up to 30 days in jail, a fine between $200-$600, and suspension of your driver’s license and registration. Plus, NJ adds 2 points to your driving record.

Was there an injury or death? You could be convicted for 3-5 years in prison, the loss of your driver’s license for 1 year, fines up to $15,000, and 8 points on your driving record. You can also expect up to $600 added to your current insurance rate.

 

Looking For Repairs After an Accident?

When you’re involved in a car accident in New Jersey and meet the stipulations of reporting the accident and making a claim, you’ll probably need repairs to your vehicle. If you’re in the southern New Jersey area, Elmer’s Auto Body can help you with any repairs or bodywork. We have been in business for 70 years and are a family-owned and operated business, so we are prepared to make the services we perform easy, convenient, and fast. We will provide you with the service that gets you and your vehicle up and running in no time. Call us at (856) 218-0202.