The actual repair work on each car is very different, depending on the damage. Hail damage is an example of one type of work that takes a really long time to fix. Front-end hits cost the most to repair because there are so many parts involved, including airbags and windshields. The hardest to repair are cars that get hit in the doors because of what’s necessary to get doors to close easily and still have no wind leaks. There’s more welding involved in a side hit, and with welding there is no room for adjustment.
What’s the time factor for repair work?
Tommy says to his customers: “We give the customer a due date, but we probably won’t keep it. Customers may get temporarily annoyed, but when they get their car back and don’t have to slam the door to shut it and the headlights are aimed where they’re supposed to be, pretty soon they forget they’ve been in an accident and they forgive me. However, if we get the car repair done quickly and they have to slam the door every time they get into the car, they’re going to hate us forever.”
There are so many variables. A frequent cause of delays are parts that come in from the factory that are not right. As an extreme example, Tommy once had a Hondo Del Sol with a damaged hood. Nineteen new hoods were shipped from the factory; all were damaged. Finally they gave up waiting and straightened one of the hoods themselves. Another example is waiting for months for one part that is on national backorder. Other variables are hidden damage or waiting for insurance re-inspections.
What equipment is used?
For tolerances: Tolerance means that if a bolt is supposed to be in a certain place, it is within the specified range of millimeters. Most cars these days are built within 3-6 millimeters of tolerance. In the old days it was just “pull it till it fits.” Now we are able to do a much more precise job. Using the Genesis, a computer laser measuring system, we can get the car to within zero tolerance, often better than when the car came from the factory.
Toyotas and other Japanese cars are the closest in their “tolerances.” If a bolt head is supposed to be 412 millimeters from another bolt head, it usually is. On an American car, the tolerances are a little looser, even when the car comes straight from the factory. We had a Honda Del Sol (same one) that had been hit hard in the front. We had to replace everything from the doors forward. We had to pull out the engine and all the suspension, replace the bumper, grill, hood, fenders and both frame-rails in the front. The fenders were on backorder. We decided to trust our laser measuring system and welded the car together without having the fenders. When the fenders finally did arrive in our shop, they fit like a glove. That wouldn’t have happened on a Ford, but we trusted Honda to have tight tolerances and we trusted the Genesis measuring system.
There are shops that have measuring equipment where the equipment sits and collects dust. It takes extra time to do all this measuring and to train technicians to use the equipment. Top quality in auto repair comes from having technicians who know how best to use the equipment.
For welding: We have Mig Welders that use electricity rather than gas and heat up the metal faster. The faster metal heats up, the narrower the area that is affected by heat. Anytime you weld and heat, you destroy metal. The smaller the heat zone, the better. We have spot weld removal drills that do not damage the metal like the chisels we used to use.
For painting: We have downdraft spray booths with bake capabilities and computerized paint mixing.
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