THE REPAIR PROCESS
THE ESTIMATE
We would like to remind our customers to park in the front stalls; nearest to the office.
Call or send an email to us and we will schedule you in for an appointment. The average estimate takes about 15 minutes. If your estimate is for an insurance company, please bring your insurance papers into the office with you on the appointment date. As to not impede production, please do not enter the work area of the body shop, park in the rear stalls, or in front of the bay doors.
Our first step of the estimate process is obtaining your contact information and determining your alternate transportation needs when we are repairing you vehicle. Is a courtesy car required? Do you have loss of use coverage such as Roadstar or Roadside Plus? New Planet Collision also offers shuttle services.
If you have been deemed "not at fault" in an accident, a rental vehicle may be a route that we can pursue at no extra charge to you.
Once the paperwork process is complete, we will be going over the damages with you in person. To ensure no misunderstandings, notes and photos will be taken in regards to old damage versus new damage.
The body shop estimator is required to capture certain photos; depending on lighting and weather conditions, we may bring your vehicle inside the body shop to take our photos.
Upon completion of the estimate process, New Planet Collision no longer requires your vehicle until approval is received from your insurance company. Moving forward, our next step pertains to scheduling and facilitating repairs back to your vehicle's pre-accident condition.
Customers can expect to take their vehicle with them after the estimate - provided there are no safety concerns.
INSURANCE APPROVAL & PARTS ORDERING
Depending on the insurance company, we generally receive approval for repairs within one to two business days. At this time, New Planet Collision will order your vehicle's parts if necessary.
Most times we are able to see parts within the same day as ordering. There are times when collision repair shops face issues with back-ordered parts. Sometimes it may be a necessity to purchase parts in the USA or Europe. This could delay the process by one to two weeks. We make sure to notify our customers if any delays are to be expected.
SCHEDULING
Once we have your authorization and parts, our office staff will call or e-mail to schedule the repair; the means of communication is entirely up to you. At this time we will discuss the duration of time expected for your vehicle to be at the shop, as well as address any questions or concerns you may have.
We generally work towards a first come first serve basis - In the event your vehicle requires no replacement parts or insurance approval, we may be able to accommodate you sooner; this will be dependent on courtesy car availability, and shop production schedule.
VEHICLE DROP OFF
Have you been scheduled in for a rental vehicle? If a rental vehicle is required, we will call our provider once you arrive. You can expect to be picked up and brought to their location; a short drive away. As a reminder, please take all belongings you may need, such as garage door openers, parking passes, ect.
In regards to our courtesy vehicles, the paperwork process will take us no more than five minutes. You can expect your courtesy car with a full tank of gas.
Please be reminded to take what you need before vehicle drop off. Garage door openers, parking passes, car chargers, etc.
THE VEHICLE REPAIR PROCESS
Disassembly
When your vehicle arrives in our care, the disassembly stage commences. During this process, we document any hidden damage that may be found. Cross-measurements may also be made to your vehicle that the manufactures provide us. Using the most up to date laser measuring system, we compare damaged vehicle measurements with original specifications to ensure no damage is overlooked.
The Repair Stage
Once the disassembly stage is complete, the body repairs commence. We use the latest in sheet metal, plastic & aluminum repair equipment. Body, structural, and mechanical repairs will be addressed during this phase - all damaged components are repaired or replaced.
Refinishing
After meticulous inspection of the body repairs, our refinishing stage starts. It is at this point that the body panels are thoroughly cleaned, sanded and primed to ensure a mirror-like finish. Achieving excellence is all in the prep work!
Quality Assurance
Our team provides attention to detail throughout our 5 stage quality control procedure. By using a coordinated effort within our internal departments, your vehicle progresses through the assessment checkpoints to ensure nothing is overlooked.
If there are any delays, hidden damage, or updates that pertain to your repair, we will contact you directly and immediately.
VEHICLE PICK UP
As your vehicle nears completion, we will contact you to arrange a date and time to pick up your newly repaired vehicle.
Once you arrive, we will go over the condition to ensure satisfaction. You can then pay your deductible or final repair cost.
As a reminder, we ask for no smoking or pets in our courtesy cars.
TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS
Please leave a reasonable amount of fuel in your vehicle when dropping it off for repair.
We may need to go for a road test, sublet certain mechanical issues or complete inspections which require that your vehicle leave our shop for short distances.
Sometimes we must access the trunk or other internal areas of the vehicle to facilitate your repair. Prior to dropping your vehicle off, the less items left in your vehicle the better.
