07 Feb 12 Auto Body Repair Estimates Demystified – The 5 Most Common Items on a Repair Estimate
So you’ve decided to get an estimate from a local body shop. These days, most body shops will use a computerized estimating software to write your estimate. if the shop you have chosen does not use a computer to write your estimate that should be cause for concern. this is not meant as a jab at those long time owners and technicians and I am not implying they are backward or luddites or ignorant. its more for accountability. Computerized software is now standard in our industry and insures a more uniform, unbiased and accurate appraisal for how long things take to repair. for instance, I was talking to a shop owner just a couple days ago who was remembering with fondness the good old days when he would routinely get 15+ labor hours to repair frames on cars that nowadays he only gets 4-5 hours on. the truth is however that 4-5 is the more accurate and fair rate (depending on the job of course it could be more or less). And since consumers and insurance companies are billed by the hours on an estimate the old days of falsely inflating hours are gone.
When it comes to auto body repair the vast majority of line items on an estimate will be one of 5 things:
1. R & I. this is shorthand for remove and install and means to take something off your car and then to re-install it later. parts that are not damaged may need to be temporarily removed to access another part that was damaged or more often so the panel it is taken off of can painted properly. for instance, say your electric motor for your window stops working. the interior trim panel will need to be temporarily removed for to gain access to the motor to see if it can be repaired (not likely) or replaced. or perhaps a molding needs to be removed from your door before it is painted only to be put back on later when the paint dries. one caution here is that if panels are being painted and you’re not being charged for R & I the shop may be taping them up which can actually cause peeling or flaking months or years later. So don’t be surprised if for instance a headlight needs to be removed to properly paint a fender. you should actually be more concerned if its not. FYI: R & I times are typically set to industry standards by estimating software and are not discretionary.
2. Repair. Repair (aka ‘Rpr’) is the most discretionary item on an estimate and typically the amount of time it takes to repair something will be underlined or asterisk-ed (*) to indicate this. this is where an insurance adjuster might say a dent will take 3 hours to fix and a technician might say it will take 4. There’s no hard and fast rule here and this needs to be negotiated between insurance adjusters, shop estimators and possibly even the technicians doing the job. My dad who has been in the industry almost 40 years taught me a long time ago that a dent which is about the size of a man’s fist should take about 3 hours to repair. From there you can adjust up or done for various things like a body line that runs through the dent (add an hour) or the dent has no creases and is accessible from the inside and therefore can be mostly popped out (subtract time). the reason these times are so important is that insurance companies are paying shops based on the number of hours on the estimate.
3. Replace. Replacing parts, sometimes shorthanded to ‘repl,’ is not a discretionary item on an estimate and is governed by industry standards or what shop folks call book time. if the book/software says it takes 3.5 hours to replace that bumper then that is what the insurance company will pay. no more and no less. it is pretty well standardized with only slight variations depending on which software is used and then it only differs by very little.
4. Sublet. sometimes there are things that an auto body shop will send to someone else (typically a mechanic who takes care of more under the hood items) to perform and this is categorized as sublet. popular things for shops to sublet out are air conditioner recharging and 4 wheel alignments when the suspension is damaged. the reason this is sent out typically is that the equipment and space required for these operations are not cost effective for a body shop. And when it comes to deeper engine repair, oil and paint don’t mix Oil and grease can quickly ruin a paint job. So, shops that say they can do everything typically can’t do everything well.
5. Miscellaneous. under this category will go small charges like hazardous waste removal (about once a month we pay someone to pick up and dispose of our hazardous waste in the safest way possible) and car cover for overspray which pays for paper, tape and plastic to cover the vehicle during the painting process so paint over spray doesn’t go all over the windows or adjacent panels.
28 Jan 12 Useful Auto Transport Services Providers
There are many uses of auto transport services today. Not only are they useful in transporting your vehicle but you can also make use of services like storage or garage. you might be moving for many reasons. it might be for work or for vacation. if you want to take your car along in the tow then you need to make use of car transport services.
Auto transport is also known as vehicle shipping. these services move vehicles from one place to another. the source and the destination need not be standard points. this means the source of the trip need not be your home and the destination need not be your vacation spot or your new home. you can literally move your vehicle from anywhere to anywhere using auto transport service. this is however no ordinary task or service. Most car transport companies use large trucks to move a bulk of cars together. Most transport services will not list car transport as its standard feature. this is because auto transport requires special requirements and equipment. it is an industry by itself. you will get many references for auto transport anyhow.
You need to make some wise choices before you embark on hiring a car transport company. Always go for a company that has the highest reputation. this might prove a little expensive for you but this will also end up saving you irresponsible handling of your car. There are horrific stories of many car transport companies not handling the vehicles properly. the cars generally arrive at their destination with scratches and even with missing accessories. Therefore you need to make right decisions when hiring these auto transport services.
Most car transport companies would ask you book two or three months in advance. this is because the need for auto transport has reached its peak these days. With the amounts of people who are moving around, the need to move their vehicles has also increased. also most auto transport companies will move vehicles in a bulk. Therefore you have to wait till they have enough cars to make the trip from one place to another. Of course, there are those companies that will give you the option of immediate transport. this might cost you’re a little more but you can exercise this if you have the option to.
There are many car transport companies that are in the market today. you can make a simple search on the net to get a list of such companies. Most of these companies will offer you a free quote. you can then compare the quotes from various companies and see which one works for you the best. also read all the terms and conditions of the company that you select before you enter into any kind of agreement with them.
27 Jan 12 Buying a Car – A Big Decision
Buying a new car is not an easy task. People are often intimidated by the choices available to them in the market. There are new models of cars launched every 6 months thus adding to people’s confusion.
Buying a car should be a personal choice. Before doing so we must consider a few points like size of the family, distances to commute, value for money and of course how much can we afford to spend In short it should suit your lifestyle and image. Before going to the dealer it’s advisable to check out the features and prices of the cars you have in mind on the net. There are many sites that give you options and price lists which you can use for comparison. This will increase your bargaining power.
If you intend buying a used car there are special dealers too. There are many do’s and don’ts when it comes to purchasing a used vehicle. When you narrow down your choice on a couple of cars its better to test drive them, do this on different terrains or at least for 3 to 4 kms and then choose again depending on which is the best value for money. The age of the car is very important so is the mileage done. You cannot negotiate much over the accessories, tyres, upholstery etc. if you are buying from an individual don’t be hesitant to ask about why they are selling it or permission to get it checked by your mechanic. Sale of cars by individuals or owners would be on an ‘as in’ basis, thus they may not offer you any warranty. It’s therefore better to buy from a dealer as the car is checked and rectified before sale.
Nowadays it’s a buyers market so at the dealers one can bargain for the best deal. try to negotiate for some extra accessories, spares, even on the insurance and interest rates and of course the price. The salesmen are trained to give you tough bargain, do not get flustered by their high pressure tactics. if at any point you feel the deal is not right for you feel free to stop as you can look for a deal else where. if you feel you are not getting any head way feel free to leave your number and last offer price. choose the one you think is most profitable for your pocket.
21 Jan 12 How do i Lease A vehicle With Unhealthy Credit? Easy methods to Get Your special Car
Nowadays, a many people who seem to desperately plan to drive (are you one of these? ) employ a less compared to impressive credit rating. This at this point leads the crooks to ask ‘how can one lease an automobile with unhealthy credit? ‘
Many of us need an automobile to travel. Incidentally, car dealerships really need to lease motor vehicles if to merely keep your business still living. with a good scenario in this way one, something ought to give. you need to have a way for you to serve together parties’ likes and dislikes.
Over the majority the data format of internet business car booking or man or women leasing car happens to be very trendy and attractive way for you to own a good van for time. Form this perspective associated with normal individual it is a most affordable way for you to own car lease van in which otherwise can be been impossible to deal with. if we all talk deeply in regards to the cars booking format then simply it is really a hiring a good van for the certain length of time for a amount of money.
At the bottom of this contract, the consumer has to come back the vehicle oh no – the booking company. car leasing which drag the eye of owners especially politicians for booking a motor vehicles is who’s allows those to offer less monthly obligations than the traditional ones, indicated sincere COO Jana Burns.
That brings to mind, it is achievable to possess a car to implement and not fully buy one. there are not the same car hire options serious individuals will be able to always capitalize on.
Generally, for everybody who is thinking associated with leasing an automobile, you have to have several things under control. you ought to be ‘well-qualified. ‘ along with by ‘well-qualified’ this implies you’ll want a good credit ranking, which will be something many don’t have these days.
The the next thing you must look at as soon as you lease an automobile instead of buying one is that you’ll not ought to go searching for insurance for a car as it can be in the price on the lease. This can offer you a huge safeguarding, as primarily when you have a innovative car, you can expect to always want a completely comprehensive insurance protection. although it that leasing an automobile is never actually a good practical option given it is extravagant, the extra you check out it, extra you will understand that leasing is not really actually who expensive since of course.
Next, as soon as you do an assessment between leasing and purchasing a motor vehicle, you need to think about your own circumstances. unless you will purchase an oldtime second hands car, then you should have finance. As a result, you don’t have to only to be definitely certain you happen to be able to build the repayments for a car, but which you have a particular predicament that will be secure enough to be able to take out a very lending factory. there will be nothing worse yet than buying a more significant purchase vehicle for three or more, years, just to have the software repossessed when you lose your task. So, leasing just as before here appears to be a highly viable alternative.
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