Fixing dents, dings and scratches to a car's exterior will help protect the car's metal from rust. A car's frame and body are also meant to protect you in case of a collision, and when panels or doors are dented or crumpled, they are weakened and not able to absorb the impact of a crash. A fully repaired and freshly painted car also looks good! If your car has some dents or dings or needs a fresh coat of paint, note some questions you might have about this work and how to ensure it gets done right.

Will an insurance company work directly with the smash shop?

One reason many people put off getting their car's exterior repaired is that they don't want to deal with the insurance company, or may not know how to get estimates, get reimbursed for repair costs, and so on. While it's up to the insurance company to decide how much of that communication the repair person can handle for you, note that many shops will at least fill out the reimbursement paperwork your insurance company requires, so you don't need to do this yourself. Ask the smash shop owner or manager what they can do for you when it comes to communicating with your insurance company.

Can a person declare their own vehicle totalled?

A vehicle is totalled when the cost of repairing it exceeds its resale value. This is not up to a vehicle owner to decide, however; the owner may need to get certain repair estimates and present these to the insurance company, but the insurance adjuster will be the one to decide if the vehicle is totalled. If the vehicle is declared totalled, the owner is then usually reimbursed for the car's replacement cost.

Can metal spray paint fix a scratch or other minor damage?

Automotive touch-up paint can be used on very minor scratches that you cannot simply buff out of a car body, but note that automotive paint is made of different materials than other paints. Automotive paint is meant to be flexible, so it can bend when the car is dented or dinged, reducing the risk of the paint chipping or flaking away. It will also have glosses added to it, so the car's body looks shiny. Metal paint is not likely to actually match the paint used for cars and may tend to flake off easily, so have your car painted by a professional if the colour needs more than a simple touch-up.

For more information, contact your local body work shop.

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