Every shop handles the repair process a little differently. Here at Germain Collision Center, our repair process is setup to maximize quality and consistency, while minimizing the time our customers are without their vehicles. To help you, our customer, understand just what goes on behind the scenes, we have laid out our repair process below.
The estimate is the first step in the collision repair process. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about the common repair procedures, facility and expectations. We write estimates any time, for your convenience you will not need to make an appointment.
You have some extra time, so you stop in for the estimate. We can send any necessary paperwork and photographs to the insurance company. They may request to look at the vehicle as well, we will work with the insurance company to repair your vehicle and return it to you in the condition it was before the accident.
After we have the estimate, we will schedule a time to drop off the vehicle. The time is takes to get parts in will vary for every vehicle. To ensure the quickest collision repair, we will pre-order the parts so they are here when you arrive. While your vehicle is in the shop, you may need alternate means of transportation. We can help you to set up a rental vehicle and they will meet you at our collision repair facility at the time of drop off.
Once you’ve dropped off your vehicle, we’ll begin the process of disassembling the damaged area. Once we have it torn down, we will update the estimate and supplement to the insurance company or responsible party for anything additional we find.
After the vehicle is disassembled, we will get authorization to proceed with collision repair, and then we will order any additional parts as needed. Your car will remain in the state of disassembly until the necessary parts arrive and any structural components have been repaired.
Once we receive authorization, the body technician will begin the collision repair. We use state-of-the-art CAR-O-LINER Computerized Unibody and Frame Measuring equipment. With this equipment, the body technician will insure that the structural components meet the original equipment manufacturers specifications.
The body technician will replace any/all needed body panels to make sure everything is aligned properly. Once they have ensured the proper fit, they will take the parts to be painted.
After the affected parts are repaired or replaced, the painters begin their magic! Here they will work to ensure the new parts match the color of the existing parts on the vehicle.
If the painters see fit, they will suggest blending into the adjacent panels to further ensure the perfect match. Once the painters have completed the refinish on the vehicle, they will buff the area to add a little sparkle.
In addition to our excellent workmanship, we go above to give you a lifetime of satisfaction. Our partnership with DuPont allows us to provide you a lifetime warranty for any paint issues, should something arise.
After the paint shop has put the final touches on the polish of your vehicle, it will move back to the body technician’s bay for the reassembly process.
Here all of the parts, glass, and moldings will be reinstalled. The body technician will assess the vehicle in its entirety to make sure it has returned to the factory settings. Once the collision repair passes our 12-point inspection, the technician and advisor review the paint and body work together to address the complete repair of the vehicle.
If the vehicle has endured structural damage, the advisor will take the car on a test drive to check the safety at high-way speeds.
Once the body work is complete, the detail department. The detail technicians will hand wash the outside and sweep the interior to remove any shop dust that may enter your vehicle during the collision repair process.
All collision repair provided at our facility are covered by our Germain Collision Center Lifetime Guarantee. All of our work performed to your vehicle is covered for as long as you own your car.
Any occasion that may arise that you, our customer, are not 100% satisfied, we will do what is necessary to make it right, you will never hear “Well, that’s just the way it is” from us.
