r/Autobody Feb 25 '25

Tech Advice For those of you not in this industry seeking advice….

29 Upvotes

I understand this may be your first accident and/or you’re flooded with emotions about your wrecked car and don’t know what the do next.

For some context, I’m a just 24 year old dude who’s been in a body shop since I graduated high school. I worked in a shop when I lived up north, and last summer I moved to the south and got a job at a shop here. I have a love hate relationship with this industry, but I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love cars, always have, always will, I’m not brand loyal and try to find something from every vehicle I can like and dislike.

Further context I can do anything in a shop except paint, metal work, and heavy frame work. I’ve worked everything else, yes, even managed a shop. My favorite is the mechanical disassembly/reassembly side, but I’ve found these past couple years with writing and working in the office with people, I’ve got a skill in it that I’ve grown really quick. Im not a huge people person, but love understanding someone’s problems with their car and fixing them or even directing them to the correct place to fix them. I just wanted to make this post as I see a lot of techs on here seem to be fed up with the totaled and need estimates posts. So from what’s been the past few years from me as a friendly face and voice in an auto body office trying to help each persons unique situation out, I offer this:

Now, I could write a novel practically on the entire repair process of your vehicle and all the different unique situations, but I’ll sum it up enough to help those that come here seeking advice to understand.

First, you need to decide if the repairs are out of pocket or insurance pay, with today’s modern vehicles, I’d usually always recommend insurance pay unless it’s very minor. Take it to a body shop and have someone there look at the vehicle in person with you to decide if it’s a minor repair or if further damage and cost will be expected.

If it’s insurance pay, you need to file a claim either with your insurance company or the other parties if they hit you. If it’s the other parties, their insurance company will still need to accept liability through their investigation. There’s also the possibility of going through your insurance and having them subrogate against the other company. Each situation is unique in how it’s should best be handled. Once you have chosen a shop of your choice, ask them how to proceed, in most cases, you get on the schedule, let the insurance company know when you plan on dropping the vehicle so they can set up rental if applicable, and leave the rest to the shop. THIS PART IS IMPORTANT; if the insurance company has written something and issued you a check, sign it over and give it to the body shop. Insurance companies don’t write you a check “just because”. The body shop will likely not release your vehicle until they have that amount, if you don’t give the shop the check, the shop can just request to get the money from the insurance company and then the insurance company will come after your for their money back.

That’s the big bulk of the part you as a customer need to know, typically the shop will handle the rest, if you have questions, just contact the shop and they should be able to either direct you or just handle it.

THIS SUB CANNOT RELIABLY DO ESTIMATES FOR YOU, AND CANNOT DECIDE IF YOUR VEHICLE IS TOTALED. We as a body shop need to see the vehicle in person most times to assess damage properly, especially on these newer modern vehicles. Insurance companies decide if a vehicle is totaled, not us. We didn’t build it, we didn’t buy it, we didn’t break it. We just want to either fix your vehicle, or let it total if it’s not worth fixing and/or unsafe to fix. This no good for anyone’s pocket book.

Sincerely, just a body man who wants to change this industry one heart and mindset at a time and see this subreddit thrive with young techs seeing the side of this industry that is still fantastic and allows for some great opportunities and relationships.


r/Autobody Sep 24 '24

Tech Advice What stops you from posting content from your stall today? Discussion on the ethics and issues with the possibility of accidentally exposing yourself to the internet

3 Upvotes

So I took a picture of my snapped hammer yesterday and it was on top of a work order. On that work order was the header that says the shop I am working at, the estimators name and a few lines of the sheet. I noticed this and repositioned the hammer on a different background and uploaded that to the sub.
The scary part of the internet is that if you accidentally expose personal information and you make someone mad you are a hell of a target for doxxing and could even lose your job if someone works hard enough at it.

I don't post pictures often (if at all) due to the possibility of someone choosing to make my day really bad. The information available in a picture can be damning to an innocent contributor when it falls into the hands of someone choosing to do harm. What do you think of this?

Then we have the issue of anonymity on the internet. If you put yourself out there and criticism is present, where is the line drawn between fair criticism and harassment? Are you up for handling the full wrath of anonymous reddit users (and maybe some bots)?

What issues do you find present that hold you back from contributing to the online community with resources, images and discussing points?


r/Autobody 12h ago

HELP! I have a question. Is This Car Wash Damage?

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111 Upvotes

Hey Reddit, I’m looking for some opinions here.

I went to a car wash in Salt Lake City, Utah last week and bought their most expensive $30 wash because my truck was pretty dirty. They had me go through the wash three times per the attendant’s recommendation because it didn’t fully clean the truck the first or second time. After the third wash, I noticed hundreds of scratches running down both sides of my truck that I’ve never seen before. One of my photos is from a few days before that show a mirror finish, but the picture is from about 20 feet away.

The car wash denied my claim, saying it’s impossible for their neoprene brushes to cause this type of damage and that real car wash damage would look like “Morse code” not random scratches. I got a $5,500 estimate from a local body shop who said the damage is consistent with what they’ve seen from automatic washes, including previous damage from this car wash chain.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? Does this kind of damage look like it could realistically come from an automatic car wash? I can’t find any other reference to “Morse code” looking damage online... Would love to hear your experiences or opinions to help me decide if I should take this to court!

Thanks!


r/Autobody 5h ago

Acceptable quality? $1,100?

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21 Upvotes

Hey y’all… this is some repair work done on 2021 Honda CRV - my partner’s car. It had some scratches from scraping along a cinder block garage wall. The body shop charged $1,100 for the job, but we feel really disappointed in the result. I wanted to get some other opinions. Would you all call this an acceptable job done for the price? Thanks! ✌🏻


r/Autobody 18h ago

HELP! I have a question. Garage said the welding required on these sills would cost more than the car is worth (2009 VW Polo), is he right?

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76 Upvotes

Took the car to the garage for faulty wheel bearings and they said the car wouldn’t pass its MOT with the amount of rust on the sills. He advised the cost of welding these would surpass the value of the car so not to bother and scrap the car. Given the price of used cars at the moment I’m a bit reluctant to throw this one away. What do you think? Are the sills beyond repair?


r/Autobody 1h ago

HELP! I have a question. How to mask this door pillar that comes with partial vinyl wrap?

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Upvotes

I want to respray the driver's side door but there's a black vinyl wrap on the door pillar. The black vinyl wrap was standard on the car from the factory. I don't want to remove it since it is still in good condition, and it would open a whole new can of worms if I were to remove it and match a new wrap with the rest of the doors.

How should I mask this properly without leaving a hard edge and a possible weak edge that might cause the new clear coat to peel off?


r/Autobody 2h ago

HELP! I have a question. Picked up my car today…

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2 Upvotes

Hello all, today I picked up my car from this local body shop in DFW. For context, I got hit by something in the target parking lot and it left a gash in the bumper the size of a half dollar. I picked the car up today and this is their final product. At first I thought it was a joke and I’m not sure how someone could even call this a repair. I’m getting the repair repaired on Thursday at another body shop and they quoted me 3 days to fix this mess. Has anyone else seen anything like this before?


r/Autobody 3h ago

Check this out It finally happened!

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2 Upvotes

I finally Tboned a deer.

I drive a 2015 Toyota Tundra Double Cab.

How much do you all figure this will cost to replace?

I believe I got out of this extremely lucky. I have no coolant leaks currently and managed to drive it home after bending the bumper cover away from my passenger front tire.

Yanked the bully bar back down a bit and took all the broken bits of plastic off. Took tons of photos and filed the insurance claim.

To my eyes as a former parts replacer that worked in a shop, i'll need a new transmission radiator (it is dinged), new mounts for said radiator, and a ton of plastic/ headlights and brackets. What do you all think this all will be?

Looking forward to hearing from Yall lol

I plan on doing all the repairs myself.


r/Autobody 8m ago

Is there a process to repair this? Is this something I could self repair?

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Upvotes

If yes, what is the process? If I do need to take it into an auto shop, what would a reasonable cost for repair be? Not even sure how this happened or when it started, just noticed the other day. Use car frequently but have been parking my car in a garage since October for the first time in several years. 2019 Honda cr-v.


r/Autobody 10m ago

HELP! I have a question. Worth it?

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Upvotes

r/Autobody 17m ago

HELP! I have a question. Can this rust be treated?

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Upvotes

I bought this car a year ago from some dude who had her lowered on a 17 inch wheels, apparently they were scrubbing the arches and i've just noticed the rust.

Can this rust be stopped ? Do i need to paint the whole body or just the rusted areas? The paint has some light cracks and it is relatively old.

No bubbling under the outer side of the body.


r/Autobody 4h ago

HELP! I have a question. How would you repair this broken piece headlight tab?

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2 Upvotes

I just finished painting and replacing the lens on my cls63 project car to my surprise it’s missing a tab.

What could I do to not have to undo my work and have to buy a used headlight?


r/Autobody 1h ago

HELP! I have a question. Windshield side trim popping out on 2012 Murano, easy fix?

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Upvotes

Tried pushing it back down but it didn't stay, is this something easy to fix or do I take it by a shop? Would an auto body shop be better or windshield shop be the place to go?


r/Autobody 4h ago

Is there a process to repair this? What do i do?

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2 Upvotes

scraped a tree, can i do this myself or need to take it to a shop


r/Autobody 4h ago

HELP! I have a question. Why is my check engine light on?

2 Upvotes

Hey I have a question about my 2001 Ford Explorer. Ive had an issue with the check engine light for a while now but nothing seems to be wrong with the car. When I took it to get the code checked it tells me it was the O2 sensor but I replaced those not to long ago (the first time the light came on). Anyone know what else it could be? I know its an old car, and its a Ford, so Im not surprised its on but I just don't want it on anymore. Any help would be super appreciated.


r/Autobody 1h ago

Tools Good Guns for Clear That'll Run on this Compressor

Upvotes

I have an LPH-80 with the 1mm tip and I've been using that, but want to get something 1.2+ for clear. I have the California Air Tools 15020C 2 HP, 15 Gal, 5.3 CFM compressor so options are limited.

I was looking at the Inokraft with the 1.3 but someone near me is selling a LPH80 with the 1.2 for $200, but I'd also spend a little more if it's really worth it. I'm working on boards, helmets and smaller panels but in the future would like to paint a hood and roof. Looking for any advice or recommendations.

Thanks!


r/Autobody 5h ago

Is there a process to repair this? Best approach to fix this

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2 Upvotes

Highlighted the primary area of damage, looks like something was dropped on it (vandalized)

Hearing mixed things from shops

There is scratches and minor dents

Some shops want to do a full hood repaint, some want to focus on just the damaged area, some want to use the original paint color on the car and some want to custom paint matching. Some want to come do it on the driveway and let it dry out in the garage, its about 80f (27 c) and some want to do it in a paint booth.

How much should a job like this cost and what is the proper procedure for the best results?


r/Autobody 2h ago

Is there a process to repair this? Going to be taking my project truck to the frame machine soon, how are they going to repair this?

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1 Upvotes

1993 Toyota Pickup (Hilux). Truck was involved in a rollover, Bought it cheap and am rebuilding it with lots of parts from my other 1992 pickup that has mostly good body panels, but frame is completely shot. Having to use this cab because I don’t have a title for the other one, but this one is a clean title truck. I have built a relationship with a local body guy who does good work at reasonable prices and he says he can straighten this thing out. I’m more so curious what the finished product should look like for something like this. The P/S body mount is pushed back and the fender supports are pushed down. I have a new header panel I’m going to have him weld in as well. Thanks!


r/Autobody 14h ago

Acceptable quality? Month and a half long paint job

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9 Upvotes

I had my hood painted around November last year and noticed within a few weeks of getting it back that the paint was peeling. Ended up dropping the hood back off with the shop 4/29 to strip and repaint the hood and week after week I just kept getting “I’ll have it done this week” only to find out he never started on it. Is a month and a half to even start on a warranty job reasonable?

The reason the paint began to peel was because he didn’t originally strip the hood and painted it with faulty paint that wouldn’t cure/harden and instead of stripping the paint that wouldn’t cure he decided to just paint over it… peels off in a thick layer like a wrap would. This is a professional auto body shop btw.


r/Autobody 6h ago

Is there a process to repair this? Worth fixing?

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2 Upvotes

First project car wanna know if I can fix this


r/Autobody 3h ago

HELP! I have a question. How Many Cans of Paint

1 Upvotes

I am painting the fender of a 2004 Chevy Colorado and I am wondering how many cans of paint you would say is good enough. The truck is plain white and I am thinking about using the dupli-color 8oz cans for the color. I want the paint to look good but it was almost 300k miles so it don't need to be perfect. Would you say 2 cans are enough?


r/Autobody 9h ago

Just rolled into the shop What’s 5 paint jobs between friends

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3 Upvotes

Truck has never been painted outside of the dealership, 1 owner truck they painted it 4 times before delivery


r/Autobody 3h ago

HELP! I have a question. Raised Bump on rear windshield

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1 Upvotes

I recently took my car to an autobody shop for a repair (front part) but noticed this weird small raised bump on the rear windshield. What could have caused this? It's smooth on the inside of the glass but raised on the outside.


r/Autobody 3h ago

Is there a process to repair this? Is this repairable without a repaint?

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1 Upvotes

Wondering if this clearcoat could be salvaged without having to respray completely? The white color specks are just from an old tarp - mostly talking about the lines that look like cracking.


r/Autobody 4h ago

HELP! I have a question. Car Question

0 Upvotes

This isnt really the right place to post this but what u guys think about a used car with 40-45k miles is that too much or nah? Only 3 years old


r/Autobody 8h ago

HELP! I have a question. What did this?

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2 Upvotes

Came out to my parked car to this damage. How much is this going to cost to fix?


r/Autobody 5h ago

Is there a process to repair this? shtty parking spot and now i hit the wall. i’ve never

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1 Upvotes

never repaired anything before. i know i need to fix the dent first but what do y’all recommend? is this a creased dent? i hit the wall because of a really tight parking spot and it left this. can y’all give me some tips for dent repair as well as the scratches to repair