Auto Body Repairs: Benefits, Cost, and Selection of A Workshop
21 October, 2020
Damage to the car body can occur over time and age of use. Several things can cause this damage, one of which is a small bump on the road which can cause scratches on the body of your car. In this condition, you need body repair and repainting.
However, before deciding to go to a body repair and car paint workshop, several things need to be considered. For instance, to be able to select the right repair shop, you might want to consider whether the quality of work is worth the price they offer. Don’t get stuck in a repair shop whose quality of work is not on par with their pricey rate.
In this article, we will provide you with some information concerning auto body repair, so that you can know how to get your car to its original condition at a friendly price.
What Is Body Repair?
Body repair refers to the repair of a car body due to collision or daily use, which includes repairing or replacing panels using certain methods. In general, the repair shop will use washer Walder, on-off dolly hammer, and shrinking methods for minor and moderate repairs. On the other hand, heavy repairs, for instance, connecting or replacing panels, will benefit from methods such as the CO2 MIG/MAG welding method.
3 main stages are conducted in a body repair workshop as you can read below.
- Firstly, the workshop will identify the damaged panels.
- Secondly, the damaged panels will be repaired, where cleaning/sanding, greasing, and repainting will be conducted.
- Lastly, panels that have been repaired will go through a finishing process by getting thorough polishing to give a glossy shine.
Also read: Car Coatings, Why Your Car Needs It?
Body Repair Benefits
The main benefit of body repair is indeed to repair your damaged and problematic cat. Besides, body repair also restores your car’s new color due to scuffs or collisions which results in the loss of the original color.
A successful body repair workshop will give satisfying finishing results, thanks to not only the return of your car’s shine but also all the added benefits of protection to your car, such as anti-rust and anti-fungal.
This satisfying finishing result comes from 4 layers of paints used during body repair. The first layer is the primer layer which prevents rust and then the surfacer to prevent defect absorption.
The layer on top of the primer is the base coat that acts as the main color of the car, and the last layer is a clear coat that prevents the color from fading. On top of that, the clear coat also polishes the car paint.
Also read: How To Perform Car Tune-Up At Home?
Selecting A Body Repair Workshop
To conduct body repair, you should choose a workshop carefully and avoid being fooled by cheap prices. Failed body repair will have a direct impact on the body of the car, especially if the painting is done poorly. What often happens is that the finished panel looks different from the other panels, so the car’s color looks uneven.
You can find quite a lot of body repair workshops, both offering a full repair service or a stand-alone car painting shop on a roadside. They come with varying prices, too. More often than not, the results are quite good, considering that many insurance companies also collaborate with body repair workshops to reduce repair costs, but with fairly good work results.
It is important to take into account a workshop’s portfolio of past works and the quality of techniques used. One indication that a workshop is of good quality is that it has many regular customers and is considered as a reference by many car owners. So, do your research before deciding to use a workshop service.
For better results, however, it is strongly recommended to do it at an official body repair workshop. Your car will be handled by professionals in the field, and the paints used are of higher quality.
Non-official body repair workshops usually use Duco paint, which stands for DuPont Corporation. On the other hand, an official body repair workshop usually use higher quality paint brands, such as Sikkens, Spies Hecker, and Standsdoken
Price and Cost Range
When doing body repair, there are some corrective steps taken to handle damaged parts. In return, several cost components must be taken into account during body repair, including repairing dents, welding if there is rust, painting, and finishing. All these costs can be calculated either for the full body or per panel.
The range of calculation of repair costs in non-official workshops is slightly cheaper than in official ones. The estimated costs are as follows.
- Standard door panels, spoilers, side skirts, bumpers, fenders range from IDR 300,000 – IDR 450,000.
- Luggage hood and engine range from IDR 400,000 – IDR 600,000.
- Car roof ranges from IDR 500,000 – IDR 800,000.
Meanwhile, the cost of repairs carried out in official workshops is a little more expensive, as they use much higher quality paint materials and employ professionals. At official body repair shops, the price per panel is around IDR 700,000 and IDR 1,800,000 for a roof. Meanwhile, higher quality paints such as Sikkens and Spies Hecker can cost from IDR 800,000 for each panel.
Also read: Car Care And Maintenance During Stay At Home
Now that we know the range of repair and painting costs per panel, we can calculate an estimated cost of full body painting using oven paint. You can choose to have your car handled at a cheaper price at a non-official workshop, or aim for better paint and finishing results at an official body repair workshop.
- Full body using Nippon Paint, DuPont, Apsara, and Blinken materials can cost at IDR 4,000,000 (depending on the size and the condition of your car’s body and color selection.
- Full-body using Sikkens and Spies Hecker is priced at IDR 9,000,000 (depending on the size and condition of your car’s body and color selection).
Wuling Family, we hope that you are now well informed of body repair. Before deciding to go to a repair shop, you have full information on the importance of body repair, as well as the benefits and costs, range for cars’ body repair and painting. Of course, Wuling has professionals who are always ready to help you with your car needs!
