Category: Collision Repair

No matter how safely you drive, you cannot avoid collisions or prevent damage to your vehicle. Even when your car is parked, someone could open their door into it and cause a ding to your fender. A driver might not pay attention to the road and hit your bumper. It isn’t even other drivers that can cause damage. Stones thrown from the roadway by a passing vehicle or hail can also cause issues. Luckily, auto body damage can be repaired. In some cases, with the latest technology, these repairs may only take minutes. Here are some causes of damage to your car and what can be done to fix these common body damage issues.

Weather Damage

Your car’s exterior is vulnerable to the outdoor elements throughout the year. Paint can become faded in the summer. During the winter, road salt is known to corrode your exterior paint, and those frequent temperature changes can cause a crack in the windshield. For those spring storms, hail and heavy winds might leave your car with chipped paint and extensive dents. If you want to avoid these damaging elements, you should try to park undercover to protect your vehicle.

However, even if you keep your car in a garage or carport, chances are the vehicle spends a little time exposed to the elements. You may have to park in an open parking lot when you are at work. While you are in the grocery store, your car is sitting in the hot sun or winter cold. Weather can damage your vehicle’s finish, and that minor damage can lead to rust spots on your car. At Elmer’s Auto Body, we can sand and repaint any damaged areas to return your vehicle to its original beauty. If your car has developed rust, we may be able to cut out the affected area and replace the metal for a beautifully restored appearance.

Lack of Maintenance

Lack of maintenance might be a secondary source of auto body damage, but it is important to your vehicle. When you own a car, you need to perform routine maintenance on your vehicle. Regular maintenance can often feel like a burden, but it is crucial to protect your vehicle. You need to check your brakes, steering systems, and other components. If you fail to perform maintenance, you might end up in an accident. Keeping your vehicle in poor condition can cause damage to your car and pose a threat to you, your passengers, and others on the road. You want to make sure to service your vehicle at least twice a year.

Major Collisions

Any accident can cause severe damage to your car, especially major collisions. These accidents can break windshields, destroy body panels, and damage steering systems. If your car is damaged in an accident, you will want to have your vehicle towed to a professional auto body shop.

Minor Fender Benders

After a car accident, the damage is often visible on the vehicle. However, those minor fender benders cause many problems that might not be visible to the naked eye. Those small bumps can damage your steering, frame, engine, windshield, and other hidden parts. Like any accident, you want your car inspected before hitting the road.

Miscellaneous Factors

However, there are times when a random accident can cause damage to your car. These unexpected situations can come from a runaway baseball, a pothole, or a faulty car component. You can take some steps to avoid these common issues, but some things might be out of your control. No matter what happens to your car, you need to take steps to prevent any more damage to your vehicle.

Now that you know about the common causes of damage to your car, you can find ways to repair them. With a professional auto body shop, your vehicle will be fixed with the latest technology as they get it back to its original condition.

Scratches In The Paint

Despite your diligence, there will be scratches in the paint of your car. It could be as simple as a shopping cart that rolls into the side of your car or a key ring striking the door as you unlock it. You could even scratch the car while loading items into the backseat or trunk. A professional auto body repair shop can easily buff out a small scratch. However, those large scratches need filler and paint to seal the surface’s large depression. With the help of a professional, the paint can be electronically matched to the surface of your vehicle. In turn, you will never know that the car suffered from scratched paint, and you will be left with a seamless finish.

Body Dents

Almost anything moving can dent your vehicle. A rock from the car’s tire in front of you, a child’s bicycle handle when they ride too close, or a dropped object you are trying to load could lead to dents. These dents can range from massive craters to tiny bumps. After assessing the dent, the technician can use conventional repair methods or paintless dent removal tools. If the paint is still intact, we can use paintless dent repair to fix the damage. Paintless dent removal does not disturb the current coat of paint.

On the other hand, conventional methods require the paint to be redone or touched up. There are three different techniques to remove a dent. They often include a dolly and hammer, stud welder, or dent puller. These methods use tools that push, hammer or pull the dent so that the panel can be smoothed back into its original shape.

In some cases, the panels have deep dents that are irreparable and need to be replaced. If the dent is significant, we will drill a hole near the dent, insert a special tool, and pull it from the surface. We also use body filler to smooth the surface and paint the area.

Suspension Damage

During the winter, those unnoticeable potholes can do a lot of damage to your car’s suspension. If the damage is quite severe, then the ball joint or shock absorber may need to be removed and replaced. However, in some less severe cases, the wheels might need to be realigned.

Cracked Windshields

Windshields are extremely important. They provide a clear view of the road as you travel in your car. When damage happens to a windshield, it can incur a small chip or break the glass. In those severe cases, the entire windshield will need to be taken out of the weld and replaced with new components. Any small cracks or chips can be easily fixed. Many of the issues just need a resin injection to prevent spread across the windshield and restore its strength.

Bumper Damage

Rear-ended accidents are a common occurrence for many vehicles. You could be stopped in heavy traffic and get bumped by a distracted driver. In some cases, you need to have your bumper replaced, especially for those components that are damaged beyond repair. However, some damage can be reversed. A cracked bumper will need body filler to smooth out any damage. After that, the new paint must be applied to reseal and protect your vehicle.

Collision Damage

After a collision, minor damage can be repaired quickly using similar body repair processes. However, a severe accident can cause extensive damage to the car’s frame. In those cases, your vehicle might be too damaged to drive. A bent frame may indicate that the vehicle was in a severe accident. With today’s technology, we can use computer-aided equipment to pull the frame back into position. In turn, you can hit the road without any worries for your car.

Find The Right Auto Body Shop For Your Vehicle

After encountering any type of damage to your vehicle, you need to find the right professional auto body shop. There are a few simple steps to ensure that you find the best shop to complete your repairs. You should always do some research before selecting an auto body shop. These professionals can be vetted by reading reviews, checking certifications, and asking your family and friends. You will find a shop that provides top-notch service and backs up their work.

It is also important to ask questions. You want to make sure that your professional auto body shop has the experience to complete your required work. When these questions are answered, you can have some peace of mind that your car is left in reliable hands. Finally, any reputable shop will provide a free estimate for your repairs.

Find The Best Auto Body Shop Near Me

After you have received a few quotes, you can find the right shop that has the combination of reliability, fair pricing, and experience. At the end of the day, you will find that Elmer’s Auto Body will meet all those requirements.

If your vehicle has suffered damage, contact Elmer’s Auto Body by calling (856) 218-0202. Our technicians will work to get your car back on the road as quickly as possible.

In the past, getting a car repaired for cheap was as easy as taking it down the road to a third-party mechanic. Those mechanics did not have to worry about computerized systems in your vehicle or ADAS or OEM. But such times have come and gone. Presently, automakers are pumping out advanced technologies that can help you drive better than ever before. But that means the cost of repairing cars is more complicated than before. If you do not supply your vehicle with the right parts, it could severely damage its performance. That’s why you should only go to an auto body shop that uses OEM parts.

What is OEM?

Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM, describes vehicle parts designed by the original manufacturer that is used for collision repairs and other services. OEM is not an entirely new concept, but they are becoming more and more essential as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) evolve. Since OEM parts are designed specifically for a certain make, they are of better quality than one-size-fits-all aftermarket parts.

OEM parts also guarantee quality. The manufacturers of OEM parts certify auto body shops and require them to follow stringent procedures to maintain that qualification. If you are looking for the best items to repair your vehicle, look at OEM parts.

What About Aftermarket Parts?

The alternative to OEM is aftermarket parts. Many repair shops will use aftermarket or salvage parts because the insurance company asks them to. Some aftermarket parts are considered modifications, but most of the time, “aftermarket” is just a fancy way to say “used.” The main reason auto body shops will give you aftermarket parts instead of new ones is to reduce the cost. As you may imagine, this could cause problems. Aftermarket parts may not be compatible, and that can mess with the ADAS. That is why OEM parts should be your first choice.

Advantages of OEM Parts

Purchasing OEM parts for your vehicle’s repairs come with a couple of benefits. The first is knowing that the auto body shop has been certified to provide such parts. This means that the technicians have spent plenty of hours earning those credentials. Once the auto body shop has the certification, they are backed by the manufacturer to provide superior quality service. Because of this, the manufacturer works closely with the mechanics, so any questions or concerns are dealt with quickly.

OEM parts also guarantee compatibility with the vehicle and upstanding quality. That is because OEM parts are designed by the very people who made your car to begin with; every piece of equipment is identical to the original factory parts. Most OEM parts have a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty, so if the product arrives with defects or damages, the manufacturer will replace it.

If OEM Parts Are So Good, Why Are They So Expensive?

Even with the latest and greatest technology available, returning your car to pre-accident condition requires manpower. You need a trained technician who knows what they’re doing; how to diagnose problems, devise a plan, and execute those plans successfully are all important steps. The cost of installing OEM parts is increased because those technicians need tools and equipment for every single manufacturer they are certified in.

That means a full-service auto body shop like Elmer’s Auto Body invests thousands into their equipment to ensure you are getting the best service available. Of course, that is reflected in the cost of OEM parts and installation. Plus, ADAS sensors have to be re-calibrated, and the process is arduous. Never get your OEM installed by a third-party. This will void the warranty and put you at risk of unhanded practices.

Choose Elmer’s Auto Body For OEM Repairs

The best body shops are going to use OEM parts and have OEM certifications to back that up. Since the cost of obtaining OEM certifications is so high for the collision repair shop, you know that the quality of repairs and service you receive is going to be a cut above average. OEM certifications come with a lot of responsibility, too. Such auto body shops are committing themselves to regulations and supervision. Therefore, you should choose an auto body shop that shows such commitment, such as Elmer’s Auto Body.

We only use OEM parts for auto repair and never take any shortcuts. Every car receives the same uncompromising level of attention. That is why we have a community of happy customers who keep coming back. Fill out the contact form or give us a call to see what we can do for you.

Most vehicle owners do not know their rights. At Elmer’s Auto Body, we believe that such knowledge is power, and we want New Jersey drivers to know that they could be entitled to financial compensation for collision repair. These days, with New Jersey having some of the highest rates for auto insurance and vehicle prices, getting those costs covered is a tremendous blessing.

We understand if you are worried about repair shops raking you over the coals during such a distressing time. The truth is that, if you are seeking collision repair, you are protected by laws. If you are not aware of your rights, then auto body shops and insurance companies might try to pull a fast one on you.

Here is everything you need to know about your legal rights for New Jersey collision repair:

The Right To Choosing Who Repairs Your Vehicle

When your vehicle has been badly damaged in an accident, the insurance company will step in once the claim has been filed. During this time, the insurance company may try to push you towards their recommended auto body shop, also known as Direct Repair Facilities (DRP). There are agreements between preferred collision repair shops and insurance providers to save money, but this does not always work out in your favor. As a result of these partnerships, many consumers receive lower-quality repairs.

What you need to know is that the recommendations are only that—recommendations. You do not have to use your insurance provider’s auto body shop. Only trust qualified auto body shops with experienced technicians to do the job right.

The Right To Choose Your Repair Parts

If insurance companies could wish OEM parts out of existence, they would. Fortunately, you have the option to choose between aftermarket, salvaged, and OEM parts for your vehicle repairs—depending on the terms in your insurance policy. Yet, any respectable body shop is going to tell you this: aftermarket parts are cheaper, but they are not always better. Some are ill-fitting and not of the same quality as Original Equipment Manufacturer parts.

Every policy is different, so you will need to check. If it does not state anything against using OEM, you can ask for them. You may need to pay the difference of the cost, but at least you have peace of mind knowing that you are receiving high-quality items designed specifically for your vehicle’s make and model.

The Right To Coverage For All Related Expenses

No matter what happened in the accident, you are entitled to three things: the return of your vehicle to pre-accident condition, payment of any medical bills, and coverage for any further expenses as a result of the collision. In other words, insurance should pay for any dent repair, repainting, glass replacement and repair, and so on. If you were not at-fault in the accident, then you also getting the following expenses covered:

• Reimbursement of a rental car
• Reimbursement for personal property damage, such as your electronic devices or a child’s car seat
• Out of pocket expenses
• Diminished value
• Loss of income or wages
• Pain and suffering

The Right To Guaranteed Quality

Insurance companies may try to persuade you into using a DRP by saying work done at your chosen automotive repair shop is “not guaranteed.” However, any honest and trustworthy repair shop is going to provide you warranties for replacements and repairs anyway.

Prohibitions Under NJ Law

Aside from the above-stated rights, you are protected by the and from any of the following actions:

• Oral and/or written statements made by the auto repair dealer that purposely mislead the consumer.
• False promises that influence or persuade the consumer to authorize services or maintenance of their motor vehicle.
• Work that was done without authorization from the vehicle owner that is not clearly stated and is done outside of working hours.
• Work that is started prior to giving the consumer a written estimate.
• Failure to provide a consumer with documentation and receipts pertaining to any services rendered. These must be provided at the time of signing.
• Failure to return parts that were requested.
• Failure to record all repair work done by the automotive repair dealer for the customer. The invoice should clearly itemize every single service rendered, as well as the amount of labor and whether the parts supplied were new, used, or rebuilt.
• Failure to provide the customer with a contract that outlines all terms and conditions.
• Failure to post signage that informs the consumer that the auto body shop must give them a written estimate, copies of documentation and receipts, invoices, guarantees, and the right to return any replaced vehicle part.

Elmer’s Auto Body—Your Ally In Collision Repair

You deserve to know your rights. You also deserve the best collision repair available. Knowing what you can and cannot do, as well as what should be covered by insurance, is one step back towards normal. Along the way, make sure you choose to work with an honest and transparent auto body shop.

At Elmer’s Auto Body, every technician has certifications for OEM. You can trust us to restore your vehicle back to excellent condition. We do what is best for you and your vehicle instead of listening to the insurance companies. If you would like more information or want to schedule an appointment, pick up the phone, or fill out the contact form.