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.
No one ever wants to see their vehicle engulfed in fiery flames, but this can happen, and it happens more often than a lot of drivers actually know. According to a report provided by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), about one out of every eight fires that result in a fire department call is actually a vehicle fire that takes place on the highway.
Sometimes, these fires occur as the result of a collision, but there are cases when cars catch on fire due to other issues. If your vehicle has been involved in a fire, it doesn't necessarily mean that it cannot be repaired. Here are a few things to know about auto body restoration after a fire.
If the fire was extinguished quickly, there's a better chance of restoration.
Even though vehicles have a lot of metal components, they also can have a lot of plastic-based parts. A fire can consume these parts really quickly. Vehicles that were in a situation where there was a fire but the fire was extinguished rather quickly are more logical to restore. For example, if there is only some fire damage around the front end where the engine caught fire, restoring just this part would be more logical than trying to restore a full vehicle.
After-fire restorations can be costly.
If you have a vehicle that has been involved in a fire, you should only opt for restoration if you are comfortable with a larger repair budget overall. Not only will there be a lot of autobody work involved, but you are also going to be facing the replacement of the majority of the engine components, the interior components, and many other parts. For most vehicles with insurance, the replacement of all this is more costly than the value of the vehicle. Therefore, the car may be deemed a total loss by the insurance adjuster, which means you can use the money from your claim to get another vehicle.
Modern cars are not always the best for fire restoration at an autobody shop.
Modern cars are built to be more fuel-efficient, which means they are built with lighter-weight materials made from plastic and thin metals. These vehicles tend to sustain a lot more damage during a fire because the excessive level of heat can break down the body components much faster. Older vehicles that have more heavy-metal parts that make up the body can make a restoration job easier.
To learn more, contact an auto body repair shop.
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