A car owner is responsible for all the repair and upkeep of that vehicle, and sometimes, serious trauma can badly damage a car’s body or windows. After an auto incident or an act of vandalism, visiting an auto body shop is a good idea, where the staff can perform bumper repair, remove hail damage, or even replace the windshield. Car owners can look up body shops in the area online if they don’t already know one, and even broaden their search to car paint shops as well as body shops. The car owner may also call these body shops online and double check that they can perform a certain type of repair job, such as windshield replacement or fixing the car’s rims. So, what are some common incidents that may damage a car’s body or glass, and how do repair crews fix this damage?
Body Damage
Blunt trauma is always a possibility when a car is on the road, and a car doesn’t have to get totaled to suffer serious damage. Some auto accidents are more like scrapes, or glancing blows, and they can put dents in the body or break the bumper loose. Drunk or distracted drivers are dangerous, and they might end up striking a glancing blow against your car. And it’s not just that. Icy or snowy weather can make the roads more slick, and cars might go out of control and slide into one another or hit fire hydrants or lamp posts. Meanwhile, a car may suffer dents if a truck’s cargo comes loose and starts flying around, such as bricks or construction tools. Hail is another weather-based hazard, and while most hail is too small to cause damage, larger hail (such as golf ball sized) may pound some serious dents into a car unless it is parked in a garage or under a roof. Finally, vandals may throw heavy objects or use blunt instruments to pound dents in a car for whatever reason.
Dents in a car’s body are not only unsightly, but they disrupt the car’s aerodynamic qualities, lowering its fuel efficiency. Plus, a car covered in ugly dents will have a lower resale value. So, a car owner may find body shops in the area and ask the staff to pound out those dents, which means removing pieces of the body and striking the indentations from the other side. Dents might be found anywhere from the hood and trunk to the roof, doors, and even the wheel rims. Rims are made of soft aluminum, and may suffer damage like this. Badly damaged hubcaps can be replaced as needed.
In some cases, the paint has also been damaged or scraped off, and this exposes the car’s metal body to rust (and looks quite ugly). Many body shops can also offer paint touch up services, and the workers will sand down the affected area and apply new paint and sealant. Some car owners do this alone at home, and they can order paint of the proper color and touch up their vehicle. Primer, paint, and sealant will need time to dry off once applied.
Windshields
A car’s windshield, rear window, or even side mirrors may also suffer from blunt trauma, often in the same ways as the body itself. A car wreck can crack or shatter the glass from kinetic energy, and flying debris such as bricks or large hail will crack the windshield. Having a cracked windshield is a hazard because it’s very distracting for a driver, and enough pressure can even cause the cracks to widen and spread further. The windshield might even totally shatter at some point, and thus, a car cannot pass an official safety inspection while it has windshield cracks. Be aware that vandals are often known to crack a car’s windshield to thrown objects or blunt tools, such as crowbars or tire irons.
Cracked glass must be replaced at once, and at an auto shop, a compromised windshield will be removed and a new one is put in place. The same can be done for the rear or side windows, too, and many car owners do this so they can pass an auto safety inspection or make the car appealing to buyers.
