Straightening out a little fender bender

A fender Bender is simply a collision involving motor vehicles that results in minor damage to the cars involved in the accident. Unfortunately fender benders are sometimes an everyday part of our lives. Straightening out your car back to the way it was before the fender bender ever occurred can be a challenge to some folks, but it doesn't have to be that way. Recently we were involved in a small fender bender, and all of the photographs below are of our very own little Buick Century. The car repair process has ten basic steps, and listed below are all of the typical steps in the repair process that our car went through after it's little fender bender.

Estimating the repair cost - In this step the car is inspected and all of the necessary information is entered into a computer system, which helps determine the total cost of the repair job. Estimates will sometimes changes if hidden damage is later discovered after the vehicle is disassembled.

Getting approval from your insurance company - After the estimate is finished it must be determined if the car is repairable. If it is then the estimate will be reviewed to determine the price and the procedures for the repair of the car.

Dis-assembling your car - During this step the inner structure of the car is inspected for repair and any hidden damage. If hidden damage is found, the car may have to be reinspected to determine if any more additional parts are needed to repair the car.

Ordering the necessary repair parts - In this step the required parts are ordered for your car. If a part needs to be special ordered, the order will be placed as soon as possible. Although many parts may arrive very quickly for your car, the repair process can not begin until the shop receives all of the necessary parts for your car.

Repairing the car's structure - In the Structure Repair step, the car's structure is repaired back to the factory's specification. A computer based measurement system is used to analyze the frame of your car. All phases of the structure repair are then monitored using a sophisticated measurement system, that ensures an accurate repair.

Doing the body repair on your car - In this step the body repair area will replace all of the exterior panels and any metal finishing that is needed. The car begins to come back to life as the sheet metal is installed and aligned.

Painting the car - Paint preparation is a critical step in the refinishing process of every car. All panels are prepared for paint, then primed and sealed to assure good adhesion when the final top color and clear coats of paint are applied to the car.

Reassembling the car's parts - During this step the final moldings and detail pieces are put back onto the car. All the car's systems are also checked during this process. The car is almost complete and ready to roll when it's in this step.

Detailing the car - During this step the car is cleaned up and inspected. The car is then road tested to ensure that everything is working properly on it. A final inspection is then performed on the car to make sure that the car is restored back to the way it looked in its glory days.

Getting the car ready for delivery - This is the very last step in the repair process of the car. When you arrive to pick up your car, the bill is explained and all of the final paper work is completed. At this point, you are free to drive away in your car, which has been 100% restored back to it's original beauty. I hope this helped to explain everything that you have to go through in the repair process of a simple fender bender, and I also hope that you won't ever have a need for any of this information.