How long is my car going to be in the shop?
Based on the extent of the repair and availablity of parts, it is nearly impossible to say.
The insurance company uses a benchmark time frame for repairs. For example, the insurance company expects the shop to complete 4 hours of labor and paint per car per day. For instance, if you have a 12 hour repair, their projection is 3-4 business days. However, in reality, the repair time is based on parts availability, type of repair, employees, and sometimes, even the weather. These factors make it impossible to provide an exact time of completion. More than likely, the shop will tell your that your car will be done by Friday! They just forgot to tell you which Friday!
Many issues come into play concerning the length of time it takes to repair a damaged vehicle. Obviously the greater the damage, the longer you car will be tied up. Front and side damage are typically the hardest to repair. The front end has the majority of the mechanical and electronic components. Side damage can involve damage to the floor and roof structures which can require interior removal as well as removal, replacement and diagnosis of side and roof mounted airbag systems.
When your car is brought to a repair shop and has approval from the insurance company to begin repairs, it obviously has to get in line behind work currently in the shop. Just like your favorite restaurant, a shop known for doing quality work has a backlog of work ahead of your car, where an empty shop may leave something to be desired in this regard. A properly run shop will have the damaged area of your car disassembled in a timely fashion to determine the extent of the damage, get the necessary parts ordered and call the insurance appraiser if necessary to update the estimate if further damage is found. Repairs cannot begin without having parts in hand since the new parts will be necessary to confirm alignment and fit during repairs. Again, the harder the car is hit, the longer this step will take and will involve less commonly replaced parts, which will take longer to obtain. Another issue to consider on extensively damaged and high end cars is there are going to be fewer qualified technicians that have the experience and skills for heavy repair work.
Once parts arrive, the repairs can begin. Body repairs and any necessary structural alignment must be done before progressing to the paint department. This may involve mounting and removing body panels, glass, trim and light units to confirm proper alignment before being prepared for paint. Body panels being replaced will be primed and painted on inner exposed edges (known as “cut in”) after having been mounted to confirm proper fit. Panels requiring cut in are removed and painted off the car, given proper drying time, then remounted on the car before painting the outer surfaces.
Once in the paint department, panels are sanded and primed to prepare them for paint. This will occasionally reveal the need for further body work that was not obvious before this point, sending the car back to the body man. The paint department also masks all jambs and adjacent panels to prevent overspray of unrepaired panels. Additional preparation work also includes insuring that the areas to be painted as well as the paint equipment and booth are clean to obtain the best possible finish.
After painting,
appropriate drying time is necessary for the new paint to allow finish sanding and buffing. Drying time can vary widely due to shop and atmospheric conditions. Colder air and high humidity require longer dry time for each step. After sanding and buffing to match the finish of the unrepaired panels of the vehicle, it is returned to the body man for assembly.
During assembly it is not uncommon to find out that additional parts may be necessary to complete assembling your car. This can cause unexpected delays as the repair nears completion.
Once the car has been assembled, glass can be installed and any mechanical and/or electrical issues can be addressed. Most structural repairs will require a suspension alignment to confirm that the body has been repaired correctly. Any damaged suspension components will also be replaced at this time. Any dashboard warning lights or outside lighting will be checked and repaired as necessary. Again at this point additional damage that was not obvious can be found, possibly requiring additional parts which are not always immediately available. The shop foreman should road test your car to confirm correct operation of all affected systems and address any problems prior to clean up. As with any human endeavor, any mistakes made will cause further delays, and there are many that can be made when dealing with anything as complex as an automobile. |
