B&R Collision Center & Auto Repair is a Metairie, LA-based auto body shop providing a number of services. These services include access to a full-service Collision Center, auto body repair, painting, auto repair, brake repair, and air conditioning service. The B&R Collision Center team also does custom bodywork, custom finishes, and decal work.
Big Easy Collision is a Belle Chasse, LA auto body shop. Offered services include body repair, vehicle painting, frame repair, mechanical repair, and detailing. Big Easy Collision can handle insurance claims and uses OEM recommended techniques in all repairs.
Chambliss Auto Repair Shop has been operating in New Orleans for nearly three decades. The experienced team provides a number of services including ASE certified air conditioning repair, frame and body repair work, painting and paint matching, and more. Chambliss Auto Repair Shop offers a lifetime warranty and its founding partners have 10 decades of experience between them.
Clean Fleet Auto Body has been doing auto body work in Metairie, LA for over three decades. The auto body shop provides all collision repair services and works with all insurance companies. Satisfied customers of Clean Fleet Auto Body praise the timely service and stress-free experience. The company is OEM certified.
Pontchartrain Customs & Collision is a Mandeville, LA-based, locally owned and operated auto body shop. Services include collision repair, custom design, and paint and detail work. The team at Pontchartrain Customs & Collisions has over five decades of experience, offers a lifetime warranty on all body repairs, and has an iCar certification.
R&D Collision Center does auto body and paint repair in Lutcher, LA. Services include structural repair and paint and finish work on both foreign and domestic makes and models. R&D Collision Center is an i-Car Gold Class business, home to a PG certified painter, and offers customers a lifetime warranty on craftsmanship. A Hertz Rental Car is conveniently located at R&D Collision Center.
Rivertown Collision Center is a Kenner-LA auto shop providing collision repairs. In addition to undertaking all collision repairs, the auto shop does custom automotive painting, paintless dent repair, upholstery, and windshield repair and replacement. Rivertown Collision Center works with insurance companies, offers towing services and rental cars, and provides a limited lifetime warranty.
Woody’s Collision & Mechanical Repairs has been operating in Kenner, LA for over four decades. The qualified team does automotive repair as well as paint and bodywork post-collision. PPG, I-Car, and ASE technicians can service all foreign and domestic makes and models. Woody's Collision & Mechanical Repairs offers a warranty and is an AAA approved repair shop.
If the vehicle's hood, roof, trunk, bumper, or any other exterior panel is dented, an auto body shop repairs the damage and repaints the car's exterior surface. Mechanical and electrical repairs, such as brakes, power steering, and broken tail lights, are handled through an auto repair shop.
Auto body shops handle the balance and aesthetics of a vehicle. Technicians repair the sheet metal dents. They replace the car's damaged body parts, including doors, fenders, bumpers, and glass. Auto body shops also refinish the vehicle's exterior surface, matching paint to factory colors. Some shops can also repair a vehicle's frame.
After a collision, your vehicle may require both mechanical and body repair. A body shop can fix dents, replace parts like fenders and doors, and repaint a vehicle. A collision repair center, however, offers more extensive services, often repairing the mechanical and body damage caused as the result of an accident.
Depending on the extent of damage, collision repair costs can range from as low as $50 to well into the thousands, according to insurance.com. Touching up minor scratches with paint may register on the low end of the cost spectrum, while repairing a bumper might incur a charge of $700, and repainting the entire vehicle could cost $7,000.
If you've been involved in an accident, you might first want to begin by contacting your insurance company. It will arrange for an adjuster to evaluate the damage, and its representatives can often provide their insured with a list of approved body shops. Armed with the adjuster's findings, it's recommended you get several quotes before choosing a shop.
Each shop determines its own payment policies. Some auto body shops accept payment plans through their partnerships with specific lending agencies. You also have the option of using a credit card with most establishments. Another alternative is to take out a personal loan with a lending institution. Paying cash, however, may afford you some leverage for negotiating a discount.
Depending on your skill set and setup, you may very well be able to repair your own vehicle after an accident. You can use your insurance company adjuster's estimate or evaluate the damage yourself. If you are determining the required parts, it's important to include replacement estimates for what's visible as well as any ancillary parts, such as new wiring.
If you document all communication and get a signed contract, it is possible to successfully sue an auto body shop for failing to complete competent work in the agreed time frame. However, recovering damages may prove more challenging. It might be in your best interest to try to reach a resolution with the business owner before threatening to sue.
The shop has the legal right to put a garageman's lien on the vehicle until the bill is paid in full. If repairs are covered by insurance, the usual practice is for the shop to require the insured to pay the deductible before beginning necessary work.
There are pros and cons to using a dealership or private auto body repair shop. While dealerships specialize in repairing specific vehicles, their technicians are required to meet strict deadlines that could jeopardize the quality of the final product. Private shops can be more cost-effective and detail-oriented than dealerships; however, it pays to research their trustworthiness and quality.
Since body shops build labor costs into their invoices, there's no need to include a tip. It is a nice gesture to add a little more if the shop did an exceptional job, or it provided a good deal.
An auto body technician's job description includes reviewing damage reports and preparing cost estimates. They inspect vehicles for structural damage and remove, repair, or replace body parts, including fenders, bumpers, doors, and hoods. Technicians prepare the repaired surface and apply the new finish.
A high school diploma or GED is required to become an auto body repair technician. Although technicians can find employment in several shops with a vocational school certificate, other auto body repair jobs require an associate's degree.
Auto body repair technicians can obtain certification through The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence by passing an exam in each of the five certification areas. They also need to complete either two years of formal training and one year of work experience or two years of work experience.
A certificate program through a vocational or trade school can be completed in approximately eight months. Community colleges and trade schools also offer an Auto Body Technology Associate Degree that consists of completing 63 to 70 credit hours of study and requires a two-year commitment.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for an auto body or collision repair technician in 2020 was $44,190 a year, or $21.24 per hour. The BLS estimates the lower 10% of those employed in the industry make approximately $13.51 an hour or $28,090 annually, while the upper 90% earn $37.12 hourly or $77,210 a year.
