Accidents are never fun and usually result in a trip to the autobody shop which is likely to result in either panel or unibody repair. These repairs range from minor to major and everywhere in between which can cause some grey areas. Therefore, we took the time to discuss what these repairs are and why they might be necessary after you are in a collision.
Severity of Damage
First, every collision is unique and therefore requires expert care and knowledge of your vehicle. This is because there are a couple of different options of how to handle these issues depending on the severity of the damage. The severity of the damage can vary drastically because even collisions at slower speeds may cause serious damage to the unibody or panels of the vehicle. In some cases, the damage can just be a small scratch, but it can also vary to structural issues that will total your vehicle.
Regardless of the issue we highly recommend seeing a reputable collision repair shop to meet your needs big or small. It’s up to the skilled repair technician to know exactly what to do to achieve the best possible results
As stated, the repairs are usually one-of-a-kind and different collisions will lead to different strategies to go about fixing the issue. With panel repair, there are three possible ways it can go.
Scratches on the vehicle with no dents
This can be repaired by sanding the scratch and using primer filler and color matching. However, if there are any dents it will require additional assistance depending on the size
Deep scratches or dents on the vehicle
For this issue, bare metal sanding or panel beating is needed to repair it. This repair occurs when there is a larger scratch or dent on your vehicle.
Severe damage that requires replacement
This kind of repair is done when there is too much damage done to the panel. When there is a large amount of damage on the panel it can be the timelier inexpensive option as opposed to panel beating. This is the act of completely replacing a portion of your car or truck's body instead of repairing the damage done to it. The most common types of panel repair are listed below.
- Trunk Lid
- Bumper
- Fender
- Door
- Quarter panel
The unibody or frame varies drastically in what kind of repair it may need. Sometimes you can straighten out the frame but other times it is easier to get the part replaced or rebuilt. This will be dependent on what damage has occurred to the frame, other sections of the vehicle damage, and what long-term issues might arise. This is assessed before the estimate because one of the most challenging things to do is wield enough force with accuracy to properly adjust the frame. To get the vehicle back to pre-accident condition you need to apply the same amount of force that took the frame out of place. This can be done more easily with a special tool that more specialized mechanics have.
Conclusion
In closing, accidents are never fun and the unknowns of what will come after the accident and dealing with auto body shops are just unneeded headaches. Therefore, we hope this shines some light on how panel and unibody repair gets done.