Thank You For A Great Year!

Wanted to say thanks for a great year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you and yours have a safe and happy holiday! From our family to yours!

Has been a year full of challenges and now with a new president maybe things will change.

Christmas Ships

Lately I have been seeing a lot more news activity on aftermarket parts. GM just put a new video together and here is the link to the page Genuine GM parts. A local news station also has a real good story about the quality of these parts. 9 investigates Insurance companies cutting corners I suggest that you view both stories so you are ahead of the curve should you have an Insurance claim on your vehicle,

It has become such prevalent behavior that we had to write our own policy to protect our shop and customers when they are mandated by the Insurer.

"We are ready to get started on repairs but I wanted you to know that when dealing with aftermarket parts and fitment we will handle these parts the same as OEM. In other words we will trim the parts out that need to be and install them if they do not fit they cannot be returned because they have been painted. That means you will own them either way. This may also cause additional delays in the repair process because of parts ordering and other delays in the approval process to get OEM parts.

It has been our past experience that no matter who the manufacturer of the aftermarket part is the fit and quality of the part is not the same as OEM parts. Just inspecting the parts when they are unpackaged is not enough to insure fitment. Bumper covers and grilles aftermarket will not fit the same as OEM. The customer has expressed a concern about the quality of these parts also.

OEM restock, blems or whatever the company calls them are rejected parts from the manufacturer that were not up to the quality standard for fitment at the factory. If the customer complains about the fitment after repairs are completed you will be charged to do the repairs a second time. There is no restocking and repacking these parts for returns after installation. We cannot save all the packaging these parts came in sometimes it is not possible.

If you would like these parts test fit before installation there will be a charge for R&I of each part that is aftermarket to install remove and install them."

Sad to say how inferior these knockoff parts really are. In the past we were only required to use them on older cars when there was no other options available. Some Insurance companies are now forcing consumers to have these parts installed on new cars with low mileage on them. 

They usually don't fit or function like the new parts from the manufacturer. A great description of this problem here. Aftermarket parts

I have found that Liberty Mutual is the only Insurer that will require the use of OEM parts in your repairs. This make your vehicle as close as possible to Pre-Accident Condition.

We have had some great projects in the shop and we have been very busy! Sorry for no stories but I will hopefully have a little free time to write once in a while!

Bob Winfrey

Maaco and The Big Body Shop Box Stores All Doing Discounted Repairs?

  I read the other day that Maaco bought Carstar ( Another Franchise Body Shop chain) This move seems kind of funny in a way. Some people actually think that these big Box shops do quality repairs. I worked at a Maaco and an Econo years ago and thought they were just large body shops. After being told we were taking to long sanding cars and basically doing too good of a job sanding I was somewhat surprised! I watched another auto body tech pour a whole gallon of filler on a pick up roof instead of trying to straighten the metal and thought maybe I was wrong about this place it's not a real body shop! The things that were done to nice cars there was horrible. Paint on the trim, sanded moldings, scratched glass, sanded chrome, cars painted the wrong color, paint going flat before cars left the shop, body work showing through the paint, painting over rust not fixing bent frames and chassis's and the list goes on. Needless to say I did not stay long.

  The point being there is a few notable buy outs in our area by some large chain shops that are now owned by national chains, like ABRA and Service King to name a few. They are here to get referrals from Insurance companies. Referrals are a big deal for shops as it brings in millions of dollars every year. The problem is the systems in place is very much like the Shake and Bake auto body shops. Get them in, get them out and get the money. If this environment did not breed crappy repairs it might be a good thing. We all like to save money but what are you getting shorted on? I have seen cars fixed by these shops that were repaired so badly they had to be taken off the road! No joke!

  If your Insurance company gives them a nod or tells you to use one of these shops just remember it's for them to save money on your claim and really no other purpose. I have read the agreements the shops sign to get the referrals and there was really nothing in them that benefited the consumer. The shops get work without merit or high standards and the Insurer gets a nice discount at you and your cars expense!

  If you need a quality repair, seek out an independent shop with some certifications. Look for good reviews on Facebook, Yelp and BBB. This will always let you know about the reputation of the shop you are looking to use.

  If you feel like they have messed up your car and won't help you get it fixed correctly reach out to us or seek out a Post Repair Inspector. There are people out there that can help! Check our PRI site www.diminished-value-auto.com or www.allprecisioncollisionrepair.com We will be glad to assist you!

Happy New Year! Back to the Shop!

After the holiday hangover? Wow it was busy. We had a great time with our family and we are back in the shop working on some new collision repair jobs and getting back into the groove.

I want to thank all our loyal customers for making last year a great success and one of the best years in business. We repaired a lot of Chevrolet's last year but also did a great mix of the competing brands. We fix all makes and models so don't worry our experience carries over to all vehicles on the road including campers and RV's.

I should have made a video of the headlight repair I did on a 2011 CTS yesterday. Headlight full of moisture, cost of a new one over $1000. We removed the lamp dried it out resealed the lamp and now it is good as new! Warranty covered the drivers side but the passenger side failed after the warranty expired! All good now. When we say we restore headlights we mean it!

Dull faded lamps reduce your visibility at night and can cause an accident. Come by the shop or go to our website and get the mobile app let us take a look and we can either repair or replace your headlamps and get your nighttime visibility back to a safe distance.

With daylight dwindling early in our days you need all the help you can get to make it home safely. Fog, rain, sunset and darkness see us to make your lighting the best it can be.

Get our mobile app so you can save a trip to the shop and shoot us pictures of your body damage before you turn it in to your Insurer to save you time and money.

Get The Accident Helpers App for your mobile device here.

Visit our web site and check out some of our work:

All Precision Collision Repair Web Site

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Have a great day and be safe out there!