Collision Repair Services
Collision repair services, especially with modern vehicles is a complex procedure that requires a lot of experience and high-precision tools. Without these two it is impossible to bring the vehicle back to its original geometry.
When you bring your vehicle in for a collision repair, (or we can tow it in for you), a technician receives the car and becomes its guide throughout the repair process. Here’s how the collision repair process goes:
- Quick assessment and categorization of the collision damage to the car body
- Measuring of the deformation of the unibody in key points
- Restoring of the car body to its original geometry
- Painting the vehicle to a “like-new” look
Assessment and Categorization of Collision Damage of the Car Body
When a a car comes in for autobody repair, it gets a dart. DART stands for Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician. All our repair technicians at Palm Beach Customs have years of training and experience, and can easily determine the kind and scope of damage of the vehicle.
Cars today are built around the concept of self-supporting body structure, where the car body unit (aka unibody) supports the suspension, engine, interior, and exterior panels. Because of this unibody design, when collision occurs, the auto body needs complex deformation repairs. With unibody cars, even with a relatively light frontal collision the damage can carry ( flex and twist ) through the passenger compartment.
The Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician will create a rough map of the repair process, which differs for scenarios when we have a sideways collision case, or a frontal collision, or the car was hit from the back. The technician also roughly estimates the severity of the collision, which is needed for the next stage.
Measuring of the deformation of the unibody in key points
After the initial visual inspection, the Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician uses top-of-the-line precision measuring equipment to quantify the findings from the initial visual inspection of the collision vehicle:
- mark up the deformation zones of the vehicle
- determine the amount of deformation of individual zones
- define the repair scenario to a “like-new” autobody geometry.
Restoring of the car body to its original, pre-collision geometry
With all the measurements in place your Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician can now move onto the most demanding phase: the actual repair/restoration of the vehicle’s geometry to a pre-collision state. Again, the DART relies on years of training, extensive hands-on collision repair experience, and our shop’s high quality equipment and the latest technology to perform the necessary repair steps:
- Reliable and precise pulling of the car body in all three directions (up-down/left-right/in-out),
- Precise measurements to define the vehicle’s centerline or datum, and any variations
- Proper Measurements of Wheel base and correction of even the smallest disrepancy
- high quality welding/repair/replacement of body sections
Manufacturers now use (HSS) high strength steel and (UHSS), ultra-high strength steel, to make unibody cars safe and sturdy. Each manufacturer has exact procedures that we follow precisely to make sure that here at Palm Beach Customs in Ft. Myers you get the best possible collision repair service. After each geometry repair stage, the DART makes sure everything is according to factory specifications, so your vehicle can once again meet all crash-worthiness requirements, as well as have the original proper steering and driving performance.
During the full auto body repair process, the Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician uses only the best-quality, original replacement parts. Our dedication to quality is unbiased, and you will not find any after-market parts secretly installed without your knowledge.
Painting the vehicle to a “like-new” look
Re-painting of repaired collision cars is also excellent at Palm Beach Customs in Ft Myers. Our paint booth is a top-of-the-line facility with air filtering to ensure dust-free environment, and daylight-equivalent lighting system that helps our paint technicians to give your car the finish it deserves:
- full body color consistency
- even coating of paint
- flawless shine
With the paint job complete, the Dedicated Autobody Repair Technician then cleans up your car thoroughly, so when you come to pick it up you will really see that the car received a rock-star treatment by the DART.
At Palm Beach Customs we combine our top of the line high precision machinery, with our extensive collision autobody repair experience that we build since 1980, to bring you a repair service that is unmatched in the Ft Myers area. We hold the ASE & I – CAR certifications, yet another guarantee that you will get a high quality professional collision repair service that is unmatched in the Ft. Myers area.
We will treat your vehicle like a rock-star, regardless of the level of work it needs:
- full body collision repair and painting,
- car panel replacement and painting, or
- dent and scratch removal
So, don’t hesitate. Bring your car in, or call us and we’ll tow it in. The DART will manage the entire process of repair, from start to finish. You can have peace of mind, knowing that in any moment you can call and get precise information about the progress of the collision repair progress.
Please take a quick look at this very small sample of collision repairs we’ve done in the past: