When it comes to car repairs, there are some small repairs that you can complete yourself in your garage at home. Having the basic knowledge to fix small repairs can come in handy if you’d like to save some money, or time, at your local mechanic. But what about if you have some small, cosmetic damage to your car? Does it make sense to attempt to fix these auto body repairs yourself? Here is some information to help you figure out if you should attempt that small auto body repair yourself, or if you really should take your car to the auto body shop.
Not All Colours Match
Your car might be red, or black, but the specific red colour will be slightly different from car manufacturer to manufacturer. Each red will have a slightly different hue to it, and that specific red colour may be unique to a brand. You might have a really hard time finding your car’s specific shade, and they might not even sell that colour paint to the public.
Furthermore, paint will fade over time. Of course, cars have special finishing coats over the paint to help ensure minimal fading, but when your car is outside for extended periods of time, the elements will cause it to fade. If you can find your exact shade of paint, will you be able to match the amount of fading your car has? If your car is more than a couple years old the one spot where you paint over might look really out of place.
Unseen Damage
If you just bumped into someone at an intersection, you might think it’s just your bumper that was hit so you just have to pull the dent out. But what if there is more damage that you can’t see? When you’ve been in an accident, or you’ve bumped an object like a lamp post, you should always take your car into a professional body shop as they will be able to determine if it’s just the bumper or if there’s alignment or frame damage.
Behind the Scenes
Even the smallest fender bender can bump loose wiring connections in your car. Wiring issues can be big trouble, especially if you don’t know how the connections work. A body shop will be able to look over your car and confirm whether there is any damage to the wiring. If electrical issues are not handled properly, they can make your car unsafe to drive.
If you attempt to do your own auto body repair it could end up costing you a whole lot more money in the long run. Auto body shops have experience and access to tools that you might not have at home. These shops also have proper disposal processes, just in case the repair requires the draining and changing of car fluids. They can also dispose of harmful chemicals in safe ways, where you might not be able to do that from your home.
Overall, it’s worth it to pay the extra and take your car to an auto body shop because if you don’t do it properly the shop might need to reverse the repair you tried and then fix the damage done to the car.