Hail repair is a complex dent repair job that you should never try to do yourself unless you’re a certified technician. There are several things you must consider before choosing a body shop for hail damage repair in Austin, such as:

1.     Dent Types

Your vehicle can suffer from three types of dents – round dents, crease dents, and dings. These dents differ in terms of the severity of damage and repair requirements. For instance, crease dents usually don’t damage the paint and are caused by hail scraping through the sides. In contrast, round dents form when hail falls close to 90-degrees at great velocity. While most body shops can fix minor dents, repairing major dents require intervention from certified repair professionals with proper tools and equipment.

2.     Research

Before you head into a body shop in your area, take some time to do some online research, and speak to their support. Once you have a shortlist of potential shops in the vicinity, you can distinguish their services based on:

3.  Cost

If your goal is to keep the repair costs to a minimum, you might not get the best finished results. Anywhere you go, you’re likely to find similar prices for repairs. The only difference is that a professional service would be able to break down the process and share the cost of each step with you. A proper breakdown structure for cost and work is an indicator of professionals that know what they’re doing.

4. Repair Duration

The last thing you need is to wait for weeks to get your car back following hail damage repairs. Most workshops typically use PDR to fix dents, and this process hardly takes more than a few days, depending on the extent of the damage. You should ask the body shop about the ETA once they’ve done the evaluation and estimation. If they can’t find a justifiable reason for delays or long repair periods, they’re probably outsourcing the job to other services.

5.  Dent Repair and Service Quality

A renowned body shop generally offers superior customer service, better repair jobs, and escalated timeframes. They can even deal with your insurance company to make the repair job less stressful. Some might even provide you a free rental car to manage while your car gets repaired.

1.     Genuine Ford Replacement Parts

Collision repairs go beyond banging out fender benders and refreshing the paint job. Modern Ford models feature several smart sensors and tech features that rely on unique parts to function properly. This makes it vital to make repairs using genuine replacement parts designed by ford. Generic parts or low-quality copies are not all built equal. With genuine parts, you can ensure the same reliability as the original parts.

2.     Certified Ford Technicians

While you can easily purchase original replacement parts from a dealer, you’ll still need an experienced technician who understands how to properly install them. Certified Ford technicians are well-versed in the anatomy of old and new Ford models so they can take out disassemble, fix, and reassemble parts effortlessly.

3.     Proper Tools and Equipment

Every car brand, including Ford, employs several unique parts, components, and systems that are specifically designed for the models they manufacture. Choosing a certified Ford auto body shop will ensure proper repairs based on your model’s design and specifications. Unlike local shops, they have the expertise, experience, and proper tools and equipment to work on aluminum panels, complex wirings, and mechatronic infrastructure.

4.     Maintained Vehicle Value

Only by opting for a certified Ford body shop can you maintain your vehicle’s value. This means that if you plan to sell it in the future, you can get a good price even if after a major accident. Local shops generally use salvaged or reconditioned parts to keep things running, and this affects the resale value.

5.     Computerized Evaluation

All modern Ford vehicles would be hooked to a software-based scanning tool to reset or fix the coding so the vehicle functions efficiently. You cannot find this software and computers at a local body shop. Nor can you find technicians who can fix tens of thousands of codes. And even if they can, you don’t want to risk your safety by opting for improvised solutions just so you can save a few bucks. Spending money on a certified Ford auto body shop near you is a smart investment that can pay off in the long run.

1.     Take a Good Look Around

You don’t have to get your repairs done from the first body shop you walk into. The minute you head into a body shop, take a good look around. Is the workshop relatively clean and organized? Is the staff friendly and professional? How many cars are currently being repaired? A bad first impression is often a sign to take your car somewhere else for repairs.

2.     Ask About Training and Certifications

The last thing you want to is to hire a team of untrained or inexperienced professionals working a complex vehicle like a Cadillac. Ask the manager or staff what kind of training they received. Look for plaques or certificates in the auto body shop, such as:

• I-CAR Training I-CAR certified repair professionals have the relevant knowledge and skills to take on complex repair jobs in the collision industry. Look for ships with Gold Class I-CAR designation.
• ASE Certification If you see technicians with ASE Blue Seal on their uniforms, know that you’re at the right place. These professionals are trained by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
• OE Certification Cadillac has many certified shops throughout the country based on their criteria. You can ask the auto body shop if they’re certified by Cadillac.

3.     Get Several Estimates

Getting repair quotes from different body shops near you is a smart way to avoid overcharges. However, this does not mean that you go for the lowest quote. Only choose a cheaper shop if they have a solid reputation. Many shops unnecessarily charge more for the same job because of their location and demographics.

4.     Pay Attention to Word of Mouth and Reviews

Just because a body shop has the marketing budget to run ads on Google doesn’t necessarily mean they have the best shop in town. Any business can advertise, but those shops that family, friends, and colleagues recommend often offer better services. In many cases, that Cadillac Auto body shop might not even be the most popular one in the area. Secondly, if you search for the best Cadillac body shop near you online, make sure to look for positive and negative reviews on their websites and social media pages.

5.     Follow Your Intuition

Finally, don’t ignore your gut feeling about a body shop. If a shop has few cars, maybe that’s because they don’t have many customers. If the place is a mess, you cannot expect the technicians to offer top-notch repair services. If the staff and manager are uncooperative or hiding something, take your car to another shop.