Accident repair checklist
Discussion
I have to pick up my car from an accident repair centre on Saturday following a non fault accident that happened a few weeks ago. The car sustained damage to the front bumper and various slam panels and radiators behind, both wings, alloys and possible chassis damage(Car steering badly to the right after accident).
Apart from the obvious things like driving in a straight line and lights/aircon working what do I have to look out for?
How can I check that the engine/drivetrain hasn't sustained any damage that could leave me with a big bill in the near future? Stopping suddenly from 60mph can't be good for the car.
what about paint matching? Brand new black won't be the same as 6 year old faded black. Do they have to match the whole car perfectly or will I be left with a car with two different colours and have to live with it? How do I check that the paint matches perfectly in what will likely be either inside a garage with poor lighting or in wet and grey conditions outside?
Also what about plastic panels? The car has several spread about which have faded to a grey colour and they did require replacing before the accident, if they were to replace only the front panels they would then be a different colour to the ones on the rear.
Do they have to replace alloys? The front alloys on the car had one or two marks on them but the drivers side was then damaged in the accident, this could be mistaken for an extremely curbed alloy.
I'm planning on putting together a check list of things that have to be repaired or changed and how the car should behave so any help or past experience would be extremely helpful. The accident has been a massive pain in the arse and inconvenience to myself and I just want my car back just how it was..
Thanks
Apart from the obvious things like driving in a straight line and lights/aircon working what do I have to look out for?
How can I check that the engine/drivetrain hasn't sustained any damage that could leave me with a big bill in the near future? Stopping suddenly from 60mph can't be good for the car.
what about paint matching? Brand new black won't be the same as 6 year old faded black. Do they have to match the whole car perfectly or will I be left with a car with two different colours and have to live with it? How do I check that the paint matches perfectly in what will likely be either inside a garage with poor lighting or in wet and grey conditions outside?
Also what about plastic panels? The car has several spread about which have faded to a grey colour and they did require replacing before the accident, if they were to replace only the front panels they would then be a different colour to the ones on the rear.
Do they have to replace alloys? The front alloys on the car had one or two marks on them but the drivers side was then damaged in the accident, this could be mistaken for an extremely curbed alloy.
I'm planning on putting together a check list of things that have to be repaired or changed and how the car should behave so any help or past experience would be extremely helpful. The accident has been a massive pain in the arse and inconvenience to myself and I just want my car back just how it was..
Thanks
Drain holes, panel gaps, clearances and alignment of headlights relative to front wings, bonnet and bumper etc. Bad paint (not just the colour match) - including drips/runs, dry edges etc
Trim and bumpers re-attached properly
Just imagine the simplest of tasks requiring the dexterity of a 2 month old baby, then assume that you got someone of those skills repairing your car, and check everything you could possibly imagine such a complete and utter biffer getting wrong.
Trim and bumpers re-attached properly
Just imagine the simplest of tasks requiring the dexterity of a 2 month old baby, then assume that you got someone of those skills repairing your car, and check everything you could possibly imagine such a complete and utter biffer getting wrong.
Open and close anything that will.
Run fingers over levels between panels.
Stand back and look at gaps to make sure they're even.
Look at trims and seals in/around/behind panels for damage/overspray.
Look inside the door shuts and at hinges carefully.
Look at how the door feels/hangs.
Look behind door handles.
Look at clips/screws/rubbers under the bonnet.
Put your hand on headlight/trims/handles/clips/covers and give them a good wobble.
Look at plastic grilles for cracks or broken clips.
Feel the edges of panels for sharp/rough bits.
Bring an LED torch and look very closely at the paint for sanding marks, filler or drop.
Compare everything you look at to its equivalent on the other side of the car.
Get a four wheel laser camber/castor/toe check.
Bring an anal/fussy/picky friend with you.
Run fingers over levels between panels.
Stand back and look at gaps to make sure they're even.
Look at trims and seals in/around/behind panels for damage/overspray.
Look inside the door shuts and at hinges carefully.
Look at how the door feels/hangs.
Look behind door handles.
Look at clips/screws/rubbers under the bonnet.
Put your hand on headlight/trims/handles/clips/covers and give them a good wobble.
Look at plastic grilles for cracks or broken clips.
Feel the edges of panels for sharp/rough bits.
Bring an LED torch and look very closely at the paint for sanding marks, filler or drop.
Compare everything you look at to its equivalent on the other side of the car.
Get a four wheel laser camber/castor/toe check.
Bring an anal/fussy/picky friend with you.
Additionally, check any electrical looms that run in the area of repair. Check them for damage and or evidence of repairing or replacement - I know a couple of instanced when an accident repaired vehicle had subsequently suffered an electrical fire due to poorly/not repaired electrics.
to add to whats been said
DO NOT pick up the car in the rain, rain hides a multitude of sins
DO NOT pick it up in the dark
Do NOT be afraid to say you aren't happy with something, my guess is the wheel may not have been repaired/replaced to save costs. My experience is that something is likely to be wrong unless you have a very good bodyshop who take a bit more pride in their work.
Best course of action take someone with you who knows what to look for.
DO NOT pick up the car in the rain, rain hides a multitude of sins
DO NOT pick it up in the dark
Do NOT be afraid to say you aren't happy with something, my guess is the wheel may not have been repaired/replaced to save costs. My experience is that something is likely to be wrong unless you have a very good bodyshop who take a bit more pride in their work.
Best course of action take someone with you who knows what to look for.
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