FAQ

 

Workmanship guarantees

We offer a 24 month guarantee on all physical and body repair related workmanship. You can be assured of superb workmanship by using cutting-edge equipment.

We offer the security that the best materials and correct methods are employed on your car’s finishing, by professional technicians, using approved equipment and procedures.

Paint warranty – Lifetime

All automotive refinishing products manufactured by BASF are designed to match the appearance and performance of a vehicle’s original paint work.

BASF offers a Lifetime warranty – which covers all solid and basecoat clear formulations – on all re-painted areas of a customer’s vehicle. Spot-on colour matching and an excellent and durable finish is guaranteed.

As an approved BASF collision repair centre, only the finest quality coatings in the world are used. BASF protects you with a Lifetime Refinish Warranty, covering the paintwork against cracking, hazing, chalking, fading and peeling. We guarantee that your paint repair or complete paint job will last for as long as you own the car.

Rust perforation warranty – 12 months.

 


 

 

Estimate

 

1. Estimate

Once a vehicle has been turned over to a collision repair center, after the police reports are finished and all insurance photographs are taken, repairs do not start right away.

The first step in the process is to write up an estimate. The estimate indicates which parts should be repaired, replaced, and/or painted. It also indicates what type of parts should be used, how much the repairs will cost, and approximately how long it will take to make the repairs.

More than one person may write an estimate. It may be written by an estimator/production manager from the collision repair facility, an appraiser/adjuster from the insurance company, or an independent appraiser/adjuster for the insurance company. Before the repairs can begin, the insurance company, collision repair facility, and customer must all agree to the estimate.

Note:  It is always the customer’s choice, where (at which collision repair facility) he wants his/her vehicle to be repaired.

2. Parts

Once the insurance company, collision repair facility, and customer must all agree to the estimate, the claim is authorized. Then only are parts ordered as estimated on the quotation.

Repairs on a vehicle can only start when all the necessary parts have arrived at the repair facility.

Note:  When a part is on “back-order”, the client will immediately be notified – this lengthens the repair process.

3. Client deliver vehicle

The service advisor will contact the client to schedule a suited date to bring in the vehicle for repairs.

4. Repair process

Panel beater, strip & fit
Paint preparation & paint shop
Paint shop

The refinishing process is when spray guns are used to apply coats of primer, basecoat (color), and clear-coat to the vehicle. The refinish technicianmay apply the paint and coatings to the parts on or off the vehicle. If parts are refinished on the vehicle, adjacent areas are masked off using paper and tape.

A paint code on the vehicle is used to identify the paint formula (colour) that the paint maker recommends. Many different tints are used to make the colour that is sprayed on the vehicle. Often a process called blending is used to create a uniform colour appearance. Paint distributors and paint system manufacturer representatives supply the collision repair facility with the necessary refinish materials and offer technical support.

The graphics and pinstripes on a vehicle may be painted or applied as a decal. Painted graphics are applied free-hand, or they are applied in a series of masking steps. Decals are applied after the paint has dried.

The vehicle is protected against corrosion before, during, and after the refinishing process. Corrosion resistant primers, seam sealers, and anti-corrosion compounds are used to help prevent the repaired area of the vehicle, as specified by manufacturer from rusting.

Polishing

Collision repair paint is usually polished.

Cleaning

Customer’s vehicles are properly cleaned from front through to back – interior and outside.

Quality Control

The vehicle and repairs are also inspected and compared to the estimate.

5. Client notification

“After the repairs has been done, the vehicle is properly cleaned and inspection done on the repaired work and compared to the estimate.  Then only is the client notified that the repairs done on the vehicle is complete and the vehicle is ready for the customer/client to collect his/her vehicle or either the vehicle is delivered.”

6. Vehicle delivery

Customer inspects the repairs done as per quotation carried out.  A clearance certificate must be signed, and if necessary, the excess needs to be paid, before the vehicle can be released.  If no excess needs to be paid, only the clearance certificate to be signed and then the customer can take his/her vehicle.

 


 

Tips and How to articles

Tips and Warnings Regarding a Collision Repair Estimate

Obtaining a collision repair estimate is the first step in getting your car repaired. How and where you get the estimate depends on many factors, but it basically has to do with what your insurance policy accepts or dictates. There are, however, some basic steps that are common to every policy.

Step 1

Talk to your insurance company first. It may have experts specially designated to give a collision repair estimate to clients, or it may have a list of approved repair shops you can contact. Even if you think you can get a better or cheaper repair estimate on your own, you need to first find out what your Insurance company requirements are.

Step 2

Get a list of approved repair shops if your company has one, and contact several of them to get several collision repair estimates. You can then decide which one is better or more appropriate, or simply choose the shop that you find most convenient.

Step 3

Get the repair shop to specify what, if anything, will not be covered under the collision repair agreement. Most insurance companies will not pay for certain repairs, such as removing fuel, wheeling alignment (if it’s not accident related), belt adjustment, old and previous damage not related to current collision. When getting a collision repair estimate, ask the repair shop to exclude those items from the quotation.

Step 4

Ask for a collision repair estimate that includes extras or incidentals that may come up during the inspection of the vehicle. Shoot for a higher number, and then have the bill adjusted if necessary. This is usually easier than having to ask for more money later.

Step 5

Have the repair estimate approved by your insurance company before you give the go ahead for the repair shop to get started. This may require additional forms and inspections, but it is essential if you want to be reimbursed or paid for the work.

Step 6

Get a quick collision repair estimate on-line by filling out some basic information, such as the year/make/model of your car, colour and finish (metallic or flat) and type of damage suffered. While on-line estimates may not be an exact number (since nobody is actually looking at the car), they will still give you a general idea of what to expect in terms of expenses. For further information please feel free to give us a call and be assisted by one of our many qualified staff.

 


 

Tips on how to clean vehicle windscreens

Step 1

Wipe down the interior windscreen with a dry micro-fiber cloth. Spray the entire surface of the interior with automotive glass cleaner.

Step 2

Turn the micro fiber cloth to the clean side. Wipe the windscreen all around the top edges. This prevents dirt stuck in this area from traveling down and dirtying the glass after you’ve cleaned. Switch to a clean cloth.

Step 3

Spray the inside edges of the windscreen again and wipe them down. Wipe the larger surface of the glass, spraying with more cleaner as necessary. Wipe it over once more with a dry cloth.

Step 4

Wipe off one side of the exterior windscreen with a cloth. Spray the area with the glass-cleaner and wash it off with a hose. Dry with a towel and then do the other side of the windscreen in the same manner.

Step 5

Pour a little white vinegar on a clean micro-fiber towel. Go over the interior and exterior windscreen with the vinegar to clarify the glass and make it sparkling clean.

Our guarantee covers

Leaks, delamination, wind noise. It excludes, rust, UV damage and wear and tear. Tampering with windscreen in any manner will render the guarantee null and void. The guarantee is valid for as long as the vehicle owner owns the vehicle..

SABS approved

Our supplied SABS approved windscreens fit perfectly to ensure the structural integrity of the car is maintained in an accident. Your windscreen provides up to 30% of the vehicle’s structural strength and the passenger airbag relies on the windscreen to provide support if the airbag deploys..