Has your car suffered body damage in a recent accident? In addition to leaving unsightly dents on your car's body, an auto collision can ruin the vehicle's paint finish, increasing the risk of rust damage to the substrate metal. To prevent further damage to your car following an auto accident, you should immediately take the vehicle to an auto collision repairs shop. 

How each shop arrives at the final goal of restoring your car to its pre-impact condition may look different, but here's an overview of what typically happens during auto body collision repairs.

Vehicle Damage Assessment 

Auto body damage can be anything from minor to moderate to severe, depending on the impact force during a collision on the road. The first thing that an auto body repair specialist will do when you bring your car in for repair is to inspect the vehicle to check for damage.

While some forms of damage can be easily identified by undertaking a visual inspection alone, others lie beneath the surface of a vehicle and can be difficult to find without tearing the vehicle down. If any hidden auto body damage isn't detected and repaired, it can cause major problems down the line. 

Selection Of Repair Methods

From minor scratches, dings, and dents to deep scratches, large dents, and bent frames, auto collision damage can take many different forms. Different forms of damage require different repair methods to return a vehicle to its pre-accident condition.

Once your auto body repairer has identified the kind of damage your car has suffered, they'll choose an appropriate repair method for the vehicle. 

Undertaking Repairs

The final step in the auto collision repair process is carrying out the repairs that your vehicle requires. 

For instance, paintless dent repairs can work well for dents where the paint is undamaged. If the paint is damaged, the dents can be popped out and touched up with an exact match to your vehicle's original paint color.

A dented metal bumper can be hammered out back to shape while a broken plastic bumper will need to be replaced completely. 

When it comes to auto body collision repairs, it's important that you weigh up the cost to repair and replace the damaged sections of your car. If it costs more to repair than replace a part, you're better off replacing that part. If the total cost of repair exceeds the car's value, consider writing off the vehicle.