Auto Repair Estimates and Car Repair Prices – The Real Information to Avoid Car Repair Scams

March 9th, 2010


Worrying whether or not you were overcharged for your car repair is an awful feeling. There’s tons of advice on how to avoid getting ripped-off, but few discuss the actual car repair prices. We really need to look at the charges on a car repair estimate or auto repair invoice to determine if we’re paying too much.

The focus needs to shift from giving outdated and ineffective advice to addressing the specific charges. Are they legitimate charges? Can they be justified by industry guidelines?

Now car repair estimates can be confusing. So let’s break it down to get a better idea if your auto repair shop is billing you appropriately.

First, a glossary of terms is in order, as the auto industry has a language of its own…

Aftermarket Parts: parts not made by or for the manufacturer.

MSRP: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. Manufacturer approved parts designed specifically for your vehicle.

TSBs: Technical Service Bulletins. Notes and instructions provided by the manufacturer for known and specific concerns (they are not recalls).

Flat Fees: services such as alignments that don’t get broken down into parts, tax, labor

Miscellaneous Charges: these can include, but are not limited to shop supplies – rags, chemicals, hazardous waste disposal fees, waste oil …etc.

Labor Rate: a repair center’s hourly charge to service your vehicle

Labor Time: the amount of time or hours determined that it will take to fix your vehicle

Labor Description: the step-by-step written details of repairs and/or services

Ok, let’s look at the Anatomy of an Auto Repair Estimate:

There are six basic components to a car repair estimate

1) Customer/Vehicle Information

2) Parts

3) Labor

4) Miscellaneous Charges

5) Flat Fees

6) Summary of Charges

Customer and Vehicle Information
Using a generic “top down” style estimate, the top portion simply contains your personal information and your vehicle’s specifics: year, make, model, mileage…etc, as well as your request or concern.

We also want find the shop’s labor rate. The labor rate is critical in determining if you paid too much. Most repair centers don’t list the labor rate. We’ll discuss why shortly.

Auto Parts
Parts are listed usually with a brief description, as well as the quantity, and the price. There are three types of parts: OEM (parts made by or for a manufacturer). These are the parts installed by a dealer, although many local shops use OEM parts too.

Aftermarket parts are non OEM parts, and there are various degrees of quality, depending on the brand and where they’re made – China versus USA, for example.

Then there are Used parts purchased from a salvage yard.

To determine if you paid too much for parts, first find out what type of parts are being used. With OEM parts, you don’t want to pay more than MSRP, although most people do without realizing it. Premium aftermarket parts are similarly priced across brands, although beware not to pay more than MSRP, which again, many folks do. Used parts prices are all over the place, so pick the price in the middle.

Auto Repair Labor

Labor is billed in tenths. So 1.0 equals 1 hour. 1.5 equals an hour and a half.
Labor rates range from $60 to $100 per hour at local repair shops and $80 to $140 per hour at the dealer level. Labor times are based off established industry guidelines, which are frequently abused.

If you don’t see the shop’s labor rate posted on the car repair invoice, ask your service center for the rate. Repair shops can manipulate the labor rate (among other things) with a labor matrix. Matrix pricing is a complicated and ethically questionable practice discussed at length in RepairTrust literature. What you need to know is that you can pay as high as $150 per hour rather than the posted labor rate of $105 per hour.

Thus, you’ll want to multiply the number of hours billed (which is also often not posted) by the shop’s labor rate to determine if you’ve been charged accordingly.

Most labor descriptions are poorly written and difficult to understand. So ask questions.

Here’s a “clear” labor description for a 30,000 mile service on a Toyota Camry.

Performed 30,000 mile service per customer request, and in accordance with manufacturer guidelines. Changed oil and filter, installed new air filter, cabin filter and performed all necessary tests, checks, and procedures, including road test (miles 30,123 – 30,125). Performed lubrication services and confirmed proper vehicle operation. Set tire pressures, and checked fluids, belts and hoses. Note: vehicle is pulling slightly left. Needs alignment

Miscellaneous Charges

The bulk of your car repair invoice will be parts and labor, but we can’t forget about Miscellaneous Charges. These charges can include, but are not limited to, shop supplies – rags, chemicals, hazardous waste, disposal fees, waste oil …etc. The latter of these may be billed out separately in a summary at the bottom of your repair invoice.

Very few of these “extras” are actually used during regular repairs. Miscellaneous charges are calculated off the amount of labor hours billed, not the amount of miscellaneous items used.

Flat Fees

Flat fees can be another very tricky area. Flat fees are services, such as an alignment, which don’t get broken down into parts, tax and labor. This makes it difficult to determine the real and fair price. On the plus side, most flat fees are competitively priced.

Be warned however, another term for Flat Fee is called Menu Selling. In other words, you might see Tune Up: $99.99 or Transmission Flush: $89.99. Follow your manufacturer’s recommendations only, not a dealer’s or repair shop’s menu.

For an interesting read on this topic, click
car maintenance costs

Summary of Charges

The last part of an auto repair estimate is the summary of charges. It’s usually found in the bottom right hand corner of the invoice. Check it against the charges above to ensure that it all adds up mathematically, as well as logically.

This basic estimate outline may differ from your particular invoice, which may have other categories such as “Sublet” or “HazMat.”

A sublet charge is added when your auto repair shop uses another vender to fix or repair your car, such as a glass company that replaces your windshield.

A HazMat charge may include waste oil or other disposal fees. Just make sure that the charges are warranted, as again, they too are often calculated off the labor time rather than actual need.

In sum, understanding the “actual” charges, asking the right questions, and breaking down your auto repair costs is the best way to avoid paying excessive car repair prices.

By: Theodore Olson

About the Author:

-Theodore P. Olson (Ted)
RepairTrust
Making sense of Car Repair Prices

Ted Olson is the founder of RepairTrust – a web site designed to empower the car repair customer.



Auto Repair Shop Kissimmee

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Auto Repair Advertising – No Response + No Information = No Customer

March 8th, 2010


If you partake of auto repair advertising, you may have noticed a downturn in effectiveness as a new breed of consumers emerges. They are armed not with phonebooks and word of mouth, but with Internet browsers and RSS feeds. They know where to check your information in the blink of an eye, and can find the perfect middle ground between price and quality faster than you can change oil. This new group of consumers ranges from 16 to 60, and they are looking for you. But are you ready for how they do business?

A recent study of consumers seeking auto repair quotes/information online showed extremely high levels of dissatisfaction with the speed and personalization received by local technicians. Beyond that, of the few facilities even offering email contact, virtually none of them chose to respond to the inquiry. Even more powerful is that the vast majority of these customers reported they took their business elsewhere. Some in just a few hours. A subsequent study, looking at the number of online searches for “auto repair” and all possible variations, found that in any given month between April 2006 and March 2007, there were well over 52.4 million inquiries nationwide.

What a fantastic opportunity for your auto repair facility! It seems the market is wide open for technicians who return emails. Somebody out there is getting this business… why not you? But here’s the catch: Technicians choosing to tap into this massive stream of new customers will have to be prepared to focus on direct, personal communication and provide information before sales.

No longer is it enough to say: “bring it in and we’ll take a look”, or push credentials and experience now you must provide information along with a ballpark price or at least an explanation of why you are unable to estimate and a disclosure of your inspection fee. If you want to establish the kind of trust and credibility which leads to long term clients, you must do the following:

1: Directly answer the question/concern of the individual.

2: Offer, based on the information given, either a ballpark price or an explanation as to why you are unable to give this and quote your inspection fee.

3: Offer potential, lower cost alternatives to the full procedure (if possible).

4: Ask for the business, then provide an easy way to contact you.

Would you rather have a person come in once and never return, or endless times over the course of many years for $50 – $150 maintenance, while bringing legions of friends?

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t flout your credentials; it is always a good idea to include a sentence or two about your experience and certifications. But this initial online correspondence must be about offering information. There is no other way besides direct, value rich correspondence to build trust with today’s net savvy consumer. Many auto repair facilities refuse to give any information at all over the phone or online. Unfortunately, this approach, in almost every case, backfires. Not offering some sort of info-rich response defeats the purpose of communication. This alienates your potential clients. While many technicians view these people as “price shoppers,” the majority of consumers are only looking for a healthy middle ground between quality and cost.

At the end of the day, the auto repair facility responding appropriately to online buyers has a much better chance of landing a strong line of new clients. Not only will you establish your professional credibility, but you will have a major edge against the fierce local competition with a wide open door to new word of net business.

By: Drew Turnbaugh

About the Author:
Drew Turnbaugh is Americas leading authority on communication based auto repair advertising [http://www.ianauto.com/auto-repair-advertising-optin.html] and founder of The International Automotive Network (IanAuto). IanAuto is responsible for helping facility owners reconnect with consumers while growing their business by becoming local information resources.



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Auto Repair Facilities – Dealership Or Independent?

March 7th, 2010


Automotive service and repair is something we all have to do or have done. But just like the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover,” the same goes for a lot of independent repair facilities and dealerships. I’m not suggesting that one is better than the other, but that there is good and bad in both. Finding the right one should keep your vehicle in excellent mechanical condition without breaking the bank.

So which one would you choose? Dealership service or local repair shops? Keep in mind that all dealerships are not the same, and that goes for local shops as well. You should be able to find quality service at both locations; however, some things to consider :

Who is working on my car? Get to know the person or people that service and repair your automobile. This usually isn’t a problem at most local shops, but a lot of dealerships have a service writer to greet you and you may not get the chance to talk with the mechanic. That’s almost like going to the doctor and being treated by the nurse without seeing or speaking to the doctor.

Reputation Ask around while your out shopping or at the post office. See what others say about an establishment and how long they have been serving the community. This may not be necessary if your are not new to the area or from near by, but it still may be some interesting info.

Shop Resources and Cleanliness Ask questions to find out if updated equipment and resources are available to your specific repair needs. It’s not a crime to not know everything, but it’s not good if you don’t have the resources to find the correct answer. Shop cleanliness should not be the main deciding factor, but if the time is taken to be neat and tidy, then the extra time may be taken not to overlook simple items while your intake is laying on the bench.

Overhauls and High Mileage Autos Some dealerships and other shops don’t work on vehicles with high mileage. So make sure you find a well rounded shop that can meet all your needs, regardless of what you drive.

Parts and Labor Ask for an estimate for the repairs that you may need and check for O.E.M. (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts to be installed. Labor rates can vary from $60.00 to $120.00 per labor hour and on up depending on geographic location and vehicle. You can research local rates and repair costs, but hopefully that gut feeling was right when you thought you found the place to trust with your vehicle, and all passengers within it.

By: M. S. Davidson

About the Author:
article by Scott Davidson

http://www.davidsonautopro.com



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Auto Repair Costs: How You Are Ripped-Off Daily Under the Radar

March 6th, 2010


Most know the most glaring auto repair pricing abuses: Service centers overcharging $100’s even $1000’s for repairs, or charging for service that was never done at all. To be sure, this still happens every day.

However, there are many other techniques which involve flying just low enough to avoid detection. The savvy repair shops increase the price so as not to set off any alarms. It’s become so common that it’s not just an accepted industry practice, but even service customers have accepted paying higher prices.

Knowing how ingrained price-gouging is within the automotive service industry, it’s shocking (although understandable) that even service customers have succumbed to excessive car repair prices. I frequently hear service customers’ state:

“Yeah, I know I was ripped off, but my car’s fixed now.” Or, “I know they charge too much, but they’re convenient.”

This is insane! To accept auto repair price-gouging is to allow its continuation. The difficult part, of course, is how to stop it. Given that the automotive service industry is so big and powerful (and so frightfully necessary) how does one battle such a force?

The first thing to understand is the degree to which this type of stealth-like price-gouging occurs. A two-decade undercover investigation has revealed that 98% of all repair shops (dealerships, local shops, and franchises) are price-gouging their customers in one form or another.

The following exchange, between a service manager and service advisor, provides an idea of the “scope of scamming” below the radar.

A service advisor asked his manager how to bill more hours per month, which is another way of asking how the advisor can make more money. The service manager casually stated:

“Simply add an additional two tenths to every ticket you write.”

In other words, every customer this particular service advisor “helps,” he was instructed by a superior to add a “little” extra. So if the labor rate is $100 per hour that would equal $20 “extra.” Rather than pay $100 per hour, the service customer would actually pay $120.

$20 doesn’t sound like much. However, whether it’s an overcharge of $0.02 or $20, it’s too much. If you visit a shop practicing just this strategy alone (there are hundreds of strategies, many applied simultaneously), you may get scammed $100’s or more by year’s end.

What’s really shocking is that being ripped-off $100’s over a year’s time is actually minor!

Try $500-$5000!

By: Theodore Olson

About the Author:
-Theodore P. Olson (Ted)
http://www.repairtrust.com/

Ted holds extensive certifications from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, GM, and ASE. Over a twenty-year period in the automotive service industry, he has served as a technician, shop foreman, shop manager, shop owner, service advisor, service manager, and service industry consultant. He is the author of eight books and numerous articles on the car repair industry.

Other Works by Ted Olson Include:

  • ARREST the Automotive Service Industry!
  • Maintenance Myths: A Step-by-Step Guide to STOP Getting Ripped Off!
  • Auto Repair: The Shocking Truth About Who’s Ripping You Off and Why!
  • Automotive Service Pricing Strategies—a fair pricing guide for service centers
  • Being the Best—a comprehensive customer service handbook for service advisors
  • Service Center Personnel—an auto repair informational for general service staff
  • Service Mission Statement—a philosophical proposal to improve customer service



Auto Repairs Kissimmee

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Why Auto Body Repair Shops "Hate Our Guts"

February 23rd, 2010


The two most frequent vehicle accidents are getting hit while parked and rear end collision. For the rear end collision, approximately 75% of them are less than 10 miles per hour, 94% occur on straight roads and most are direct hits. The average claim is less than $1,500.

Just from the 5 mile per hour “rear into pole” crash tests done by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, the best rear bumper on a pickup truck sustained over $600 damage in 2004 (the last time the IIHS tested pickup trucks) and the worst sustained over $2,000 damage. SUV bumpers had even more damage in this walking speed accident with the worst sustaining over $4,000 damage.

You can see why bumper manufacturing companies and auto repair facilities are smiling. The average number of plastic bumpers being replaced each year is over 8 million with the average cost to repair a plastic bumper $450 and the average cost to replace one is $900. And what are they made of – thin metal, plastic, fiberglass and even foam – very flimsy stuff. Today, if you hit the bumper, you hit the car. And there are thousands of tailgaters, inattentive, distracted drivers, drivers with poor judgment and lousy-stinking parallel parkers out there just ready to wreck your vehicle.

In 2007 I did a live radio talk show interview on The Auto Channel about rear end collisions and one of the interviewers was an auto body repair guy. The host of the show asked this body shop guy: “Are you interested in having people protect themselves? (from a rear end collision)” and his answer was; “Not necessarily.” And he continued on by adding; “For those of us in the body shop business, that’s how we make our living.” I didn’t get real warm and fuzzy feelings from this guy at all. And I totally understood since I was introducing a product that would eliminate a lot of his business.

But, after having been in a rear end collision, all the hassle that it entailed, the amount of damage we sustained and the threat of my insurance going up, I decided to do something about it – and the auto body shops don’t like it at all. Needless to say I won’t have to worry about advertising in any auto body magazines or web sites.

Today, if you paid $40,000 for a new car, totaled it and wanted to put it back together again with new parts, it would cost you $150,000. Auto body shops and automobile manufacturers don’t lose money in their parts departments. And like Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes once said; “bumpers don’t protect anything except the income of automobile parts departments.”

You can take a proactive approach to this huge problem and protect your family, vehicle and insurance before the “auto body shops” get you or you can wait until it happens and wish you’d done something about it. There are products on the market today that will prevent a lot of this damage. And when nearly 15% of the drivers out there are uninsured and you’re armed with a $500 deductible it’s defiantly worth your time to try to find them.

By: Jeff Mohr

About the Author:
Jeff is CEO of Mohr Mfg is an expert in rear end collisions. His company makes portable, energy absorbing, spare safety bumpers or “hitch steps” that install in seconds and protect your vehicle from rear-end collision damage, reduce whiplash injuries, shield your gas tank from under-ride and eliminate parking lot and parallel parking dents and dings. For additional information: http://www.superbumper.com



Auto Repair Kissimmee

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Online Auto Repair Manual – Fix Your Vehicles Yourself

February 21st, 2010


If you have recently taken your car in to be repaired, you have likely been dumbfounded by how much you had to pay for even simple repairs. You may have a desire to decrease your repair expenses by doing the repairs yourself. However, you may lack the knowledge necessary to make the repairs on your own. Fortunately, you can find an online auto repair manual to help you with the process.

Not All Manuals Created Equal

On the Internet, you will find many repair manuals. However, you should not assume that every manual you find online will be helpful. The quality of the online repair manual will depend on the experience and knowledge of the person who wrote the manual. Also, you will want to review the manuals carefully to see if they cover the repairs you need to make. Some repair manuals will only cover certain parts of the car.

Where to Find a Online Auto Repair Manual

There are many places you can look on the Internet to find a repair manual. You can simply go to your favorite search engine and do a simple search and you will find a multitude of repair manuals for you to search through. You can also find these manuals on websites dedicated to cars. These could be manufacturer websites or personal websites maintained by mechanics.

If you know some mechanics, you may want to ask them if they know of a good place online to find repair manuals. Also, when you find a good manual, you should pass on the knowledge to others so that they do not have to search all over for one.

You can also use the Internet to find actual auto repair books. The Internet is a great source to find books. If you do not mind purchasing a used book, there are many websites that sell used books for a fraction of the price of a used book. Also, many well known bookstores also have a website where you can purchase repair manuals.

You May Still Need Help

Even if you find an online auto repair manual, you still may need some help in repairing your car. You may need to find a friend who knows who has experience fixing cars to help you see how to apply the things taught in the repair manual. However, the manual can help you learn how to repair your car over time and thus save you money.

Go Find One

Now that you know how to find an online auto repair manual, go out and find one. As stated above, the repair manual will not only help you to save money, but you will also be able to learn a new hobby and may be able to help others out that need their cars repaired. The Internet is a great resource that can help you learn to repair your car and avoid having to pay a mechanic. Do not delay in finding a repair manual today, you will not regret it.

By: Wendy Pan

About the Author:
Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about online auto repair manual, please visit My Auto Repair Tips Now for current articles and discussions.



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How To Choose Between Auto Repair Quotes

February 20th, 2010


Getting your car repaired stinks. It can be a frustrating ordeal before; during and especially after you’ve finished paying the difference for the repairs. A common mistake that a lot of people make is automatically assuming that by taking their vehicle to an authorized dealership that sells vehicles, they will be getting better quality service over an independent mechanic who doesn’t have all of the fancy bells and whistles. Have you ever heard that saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, it’s true. An independent mechanic can do just as good as a job, if not better, than a big dealership. So, the next time you have an auto problem, don’t just jump up right away and head straight to that dealership.

The first thing any responsible car owner is going to do when forced to take their vehicle to a repair shop is begin getting quotes from local auto repair shops. This is done to avoid being surprised, or out right shocked, by repair costs while physically in the auto repair shop or being put in a situation where the price of repair is more than you can afford. Getting a quote before taking a car to be repaired will avoid uncomfortable or embarrassing situations, and it will also keep car owners from paying more than necessary for repairs.

There are usually three different types of quotes that auto mechanics working at repair shops will give someone calling to inquire. There are some shops that will absolutely refuse to give quotes over the phone usually giving the caller several confusing and contradicting reasons for why they can not give quotes over the phone. Other auto repair shops will give an extremely low price that is, in some cases, unrealistic, in hopes of getting you into their location so that they can attempt to over charge you for additional parts or labor. Sometimes shops providing inexpensive quotes will actually live up to their claims but will cut many corners are use inferior parts that will cost you more money over time since you will have to return to the shop at later dates to have the initial problem looked at again. Lastly, there are auto mechanics that will give extremely detailed, often expensive, quotes over the phone that cover ever situation and scenario that are usually extremely confusing and hard to follow.

In the end it is up to the consumer to make their choice based on their own experiences and situation. However, it is often in a car owner’s best interest to visit the auto mechanic that has given the highest and most detailed quote. This usually means that the auto repair shop is interested in educating customers by providing them with information that they would not have thought to inquire about and not attempting to hide and possible costs. Also, these shops have not attempted to lure in new customers by advertising a low price, they have chosen to risk losing a potential customer by stating a price that they often know is higher than that of their competitors.

By: Brenda Williams

About the Author:



Auto Repairs in Kissimmee

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Do You Want Cheap Auto Repair Fixes or Pay Big Bucks on Auto Repair?

February 19th, 2010


With all the improvement done to our vehicles nowadays, it is not a surprise auto repair cost keeps getting high. When the government requires that our vehicle be fuel efficient, most manufacturer made a lot of improvements to comply. Result? More complex parts are introduced to the vehicle engines which require:

More training required for the mechanics

More expensive tools needed to do the repairs

These 2 factors alone will make the repair process so expensive that if a driver look at the engine compartment, it is very hard to know where to start the repair! No wonder the easiest thing to do is call a tow truck and bring the vehicle to a garage. So with these problems in mind, how does an ordinary driver like you and me stand a chance in fixing our vehicle problems?

Remember the INTERNET INFORMATION HIGHWAY? Yes folks, this Internet, there are now online
advisory companies being established all over to help you fix this kind of problem. It used to be a mechanic can store in their minds the common fix for a particular vehicle problem. Then when a similar vehicle comes for the same symptom, he will do the same test as before and perform the same fix quickly. Instead of doing that, some online automotive companies will gather and store that information and for a fee, give the same information to you. And the beauty here is; this information is the same ones used by most garages!

Common fixes works based on the common symptom that is generated by a particular vehicle as a result of its overall design when manufactured. Example: if a wiring harness is mounted
close to an exhaust manifold, it is to be expected that after some time, those wires will
have poor resistance to heat and fail. This is why manufacturer recall happens to correct this type of problem. Another example is those wires or sensors which are exposed to moisture or dirt will surely develop corrosions in the plug-ins which again will result in a particular sensor or component not to work.

This common fix is therefore unique to every vehicle and since mechanics have access to this
information, they basically know what to do when the symptoms occur. This why you need to get
this information too so when it happens to you, you do not have to fork out a lot of money to
fix it. Membership to an automotive online advisory club will get you this. Also, the membership for
this club could be free but of course you get what you paid for. But the best approach is to join those online companies that offer:

Prompt 24/7 online support in case you have any questions.

Unlimited wiring diagrams so you can locate the sensors

Trial period so you can try it and get a refund if not satisfied

Access to the common fixes for your particular vehicle

On some of this online support groups, they will even include automotive video demo so you
can understand the repair process quickly. So there you go, you either panic and run to your nearest garage if an auto repair problem occur or deal with it and fix it right away by getting an automotive online assistance.

By: Richard Trent

About the Author:

Mr. Richard Trent is an automotive writer specializing in online car and truck repairs. Learn to conserve gas and save $200-$300 right now by watching his automotive troubleshooting video located at http://www.automotivetroubleshootingsecrets.com



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Do It Yourself Auto Body Repair – It’s Easier Than You Think

February 18th, 2010


Everyone has done it. You back into a pole, rear end a stray shopping cart or drop a heavy object on the trunk lid. The result is an ugly dent or a scraped finish. Turning in small damage claims to your insurance can be costly and if you have gotten an auto body repair estimate, you know that parts and labor can be expensive to pay out of pocket. There is another option though, you can fix it yourself. That’s right. Armed with a plunger, a bottle of touch up paint and a few supplies, the average do-it-yourselfer can repair small dents and scratches. Here’s how.

Unsightly Dents

If your accident has not broken the finish and has damaged a larger body panel, you may be able to pull the dent out. Dump a bucket of soapy water over the dent and stick your household plunger over the area. The water should help create a good seal and you may be able to pull the panel back into shape. The soap will allow you to slide the plunger down the panel to break the suction.

If your dent is in a small area near a crease in the vehicle, you can place a small block of wood at the tip of the dent and gently tap the wood with a mallet to force the misplaced metal back into its original shape. Tapping gently around the edges of the dent may help pop the metal back into shape. Use care not to break the finish, chipped paint exposes bare metal which will rust.

Scratches, Scrapes and Stone Chips

Most body shops will sell you a bottle of touch up paint. They will also ask you what you are repairing and offer to fix it for a large fee. Kindly decline, and request just a bottle of touch up paint. They will need access to you vehicle to get the manufacturer’s paint code. This is most often found in the glove box or the door jam. If your vehicle has been painted a different hue than its original paint color, the auto body technician can use an educated guess to mix your paint to match the rest of the finish closely.

You will need a fine grit sand paper, a bucket of soapy water, some wax and buffing cloths in addition to your bottle of paint. Wash the scraped area well with soapy water, paying special attention to any bugs or tar in the area. Wet your fine grit sand paper and carefully sand the edges of the scrape or stone chip, making sure to keep your sand paper wet. Dry the area well and leave it sit for at least ten minutes to make sure it dries completely. Then, shake the bottle of touch up paint for at least two minutes. Brush on a light coat of paint over the damaged area. You can always apply a second coat after the first coat dries. Allow the paint to cure overnight then use a rubbing compound followed by a coat of wax to protect your finish

Paint repairs fare the best when done on a sunny day with low humidity. If this is not possible in your area, perform the repairs inside a heated building with a dehumidifier running. You can also use heat lamps or a hair dryer on its lowest setting to help cure the paint.

With a few tools and a little know how, you can save yourself some money by repairing small damages yourself.

By: Levi Quinn

About the Author:
Find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips, free auto insurance quotes and helpful car insurance advice.



Auto Car Repair Kissimmee

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Auto Repair Advice

February 17th, 2010


Auto repair advice gives you simple and practical solutions for questions regarding your vehicle. There are numerous web sites providing comprehensive information on auto repair. These sites also feature links to auto repair service centers, shops and garages near your place.

You are given instruction on auto parts and their functioning. Online advice resources provide the service of experts who pinpoint the exact cause and suggest possible repairs before you visit the shop. You can even post car care or repair questions on their message boards. Car owners and mechanics exchange advice and help through these forums. Auto repair advice given on these sites is often free of charge.

Auto repair advice is sometimes provided in manuals given along with your vehicle. Whether opting for online advice or depending on repair manuals, the vehicle owner should have a clear understanding of the terms and techniques involved. In case you are taking your vehicle to a service centre, a written estimate should be sought and the history of the shop should be checked out with the Better Business Bureau. One has also to check whether the repairs provided have any guarantees. If so, get the details in writing.

It is important to verify whether your car is still under warranty before venturing to repair the car yourself. For cars under warranty, the repair work must be performed by a mechanic or a technician certified by the manufacturer. The repair in this case is usually carried out at the dealer’s service center. Some manufacturers do not offer to perform repair work and you may have the provision of carrying it out elsewhere. Read your warranty carefully to find out how you can get the repair costs reimbursed.

You can get repair advice from mechanics and experienced persons in the automobile industry. Repair advice is given for almost all models and types of vehicles, whether domestic or imported.

By: Ken Marlborough

About the Author:
Auto Repair provides detailed information on Auto Repair, Auto Glass Repair, Online Auto Repair, Auto Body Repair and more. Auto Repair is affiliated with Discount Auto Parts.



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