As you return to your car from a successful shopping outing, what do you find? Parking lot rash! There’s your car with an unsightly scrape on the bumper, thanks to some other careless shopper. If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone!  It is a story I have heard time and time again. So what can you do? The obvious choice is to call your insurance agent and have them guide you through the insurance claim, losing your car for days to have it fixed and a potential increase in your insurance premium.

Bumper damage is the most common damage that occurs to a vehicle. Typically this type of damage occurs at low speed and leaves only cosmetic damage to the car. Often bumper damage can be completely repaired for less than the typical deductible. Spend some time researching repair solutions yourself before you go to your insurance agent.

Dealing with providers directly does have its own risks, so a referral from a friend or family member with a positive experience would be great. If you have to go alone though be sure to ask a lot of questions. You’re not always comparing apples to apples when it comes to repairers.

Cheapest is not always best. So ask –

  • “What sort of guarantee do I get?”
  • “How good will the color match be?”
  • “Will I be able to tell that the area has been repaired?”

So who do you go to for an estimate? Body shops might seem the obvious choice, but there are other options such as mobile providers that will come to you and do the estimate and the repair at your home or office. This provides a convenient, affordable solution to your problem. The good from the bad are easy to pick when it comes to Mobile Repair Specialists. Are they accurate to the estimate? Is their vehicle tidy and presentable? Does the technician present him or herself professionally? Do they explain the process to you so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money and are they listening to your concerns? If they tick the boxes in these categories you are going to feel far more at ease having them perform a repair on your pride and joy.

Here are a couple tips from Shane to keep your car looking new and protect the paint.

Tip 1 – If you see bird droppings on your car, clean it off as soon as possible or at least pour some water over the area. The acidity of bird droppings can damage paint to the point that repainting the entire panel is the only solution to fix it.

Tip 2 – How much does sticking that bumper sticker cost you in the long run? If you stick a bumper sticker on any part of the paint work of your car it could cost you hundreds of dollars in paint repairs. After being baked, day after day by the sun, bumper stickers eventually etch into the paint work causing costly damage to the paint surface. If you want to support your favorite team or support a cause put the sticker on a glass surface, without obstructing your view, where it’s much easier to remove a burnt on sticker.