When you take your car in for auto body work, the mechanic will have a lot of work to do. Each minute that the mechanic spends prepping your car to make the repairs is money that you will owe when the repairs are finished. So, is there anything that you can do to make the mechanic's job a little easier and lower the cost of the repairs for you? This blog is all about preparing vehicles for auto body repairs. Here, you will learn what prep-work you can do at home so that the repairs are completed more quickly and the cost is less.
From a minor fender bender in a parking lot to scratches and dents from pulling into your home's garage, small damage to your vehicle's body may seem unnecessary and too costly to repair. However, even small dents, dings, scrapes, and scratches deserve some attention for a few important reasons. If you were involved in a small accident or if your vehicle's exterior was damaged in another way, understanding the reasons for repairing even minor damage is imperative. Here are a few important reasons why you should repair small dents, dings, and scratches.
Affects Vehicle's Appeal and Value
If you are like most people, you want your vehicle to look good, since your vehicle's overall look is important for making an impression.
Unfortunately, small dents, dings, and scratches can affect the look of your vehicle in big ways. Not only will these imperfections take away from its appeal, but the damage will also affect your vehicle's value.
It is important to note that vehicles do tend to depreciate in value once they are driven off the dealer's lot, but body damage can decrease the value of your vehicle even further. If you decide to sell or trade your vehicle in, the minor body damage will cause the buyers/dealers to pay less for the vehicle.
Since the exterior condition of your vehicle does affect its appeal and value, consider having even minor dents and scratches repaired.
Affects Entire Exterior Finish
Small dents and scratches affect the look of your vehicle in one specific area, but over time, the damage can spread, affecting a larger area of your vehicle's body.
One small dent, ding, or scratch will remove some of the vehicle's paint. The paint will start peeling away from these small dents and scratches, eventually fading and peeling away in larger sections. This not only decreases the appeal and value of your vehicle even further, but it will also be more expensive to repair these larger areas of damage.
If you have small areas of damage, such as minor dents and scratches, it is more affordable to repair them now before they become even more physically and financially overwhelming.
Affects Underlying Body
Another reason you should repair even minor dents, dings, and scratches is to prevent rust and corrosion. As the paint begins peeling and chipping away at the site of the dents, dings, and scratches, the underlying metal of your vehicle will be exposed to the outdoor elements.
Rain, sleet, snow, humidity, ice, and even the sun's harmful UV rays will discolor the underlying metal, causing it to rust. Rust alone decreases the appeal and value of your vehicle. However, over time, the rust will become even more problematic.
Without repairing the minor damage, you will face rust buildup. Without removing the rust and then completing repairs on the body to create a layer of protection, the rusty metal areas will begin to corrode.
Corrosion is basically when the rust eats through the metal. If the metal parts of your vehicle's body start to corrode, more moisture and debris will enter the vehicle's body, causing even more damage. Of course, corrosion can also cause parts of the body to shift or fall out of alignment, decreasing the appeal and value even further.
Finally, if parts of the body's frame start to corrode, the vehicle may not be able to drive properly. Although it can obviously affect its appearance, corrosion of the frame can also affect the vehicle's function and operation.
You may think the cost is not worth to repair, but minor damage to the vehicle's body should be a cause for concern. Contact an auto body repair shop for more information.
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