5 Jan 2016

Tales From a Collision Repair Shop in Salt Lake City

by Carrie Kelley | posted in: Selling Auto Services | 0

I work in an auto body repair shop in Salt Lake City. Two days ago I had to settle a dispute between two of the technicians (named Frankie and Johnny respectively) who work for me. On that day they were repairing a 1998 Lincoln Town Car with a heavily dented steel fender. Frankie had already roughed out the fender and prepared it for the plastic filler. Frankie wanted to apply the metal conditioner to the base metal areas arguing that this would improve the filler adhesion. But Johnny argued that all the paint should first be removed from the damaged area to improve filler adhesion.

Of course I knew that Johnny had the right idea but I did not want to come out and say that because I knew that Frankie would get upset. Frankie and Johnny are both great technicians but there is a bit of ego between them. For this reason I do not often have them working on the same project together. It only leads to problems. On that day I was a little short handed and I needed to get that Lincoln Town Car out of auto body shop to make room for another car. So I made the executive decision to have them work together on the Town Car.

Luckily, Frankie got a call from his old lady. I think they are having marital issues and I do not want to get involved with that. Frankie got off the phone visibly upset so I told him to take the rest of the day off. He seemed to brighten up a little after hearing that. Once he left I told Johnny to remove the paint from the damaged areas of the town car before applying the plastic filler. Problem solved. These are the types of issues I have to deal with working in my collision repair shop in Salt Lake City.

3 Dec 2015

Warranty 101

by Carrie Kelley | posted in: Selling Auto Services, Selling Autos | 0

People in need of an auto body repair shop in Salt Lake City should only use auto body shops that offer a full and written warranty for their repairs. What does “warranty” mean in this context? Very simply, a warranty is a guarantee or promise made by the auto body shop to its customer that their work will actually fix the damage to the car and the car will then operate normally after it has been repaired. If the damage is not repaired by the auto body shop to the customer’s satisfaction then the auto body shop will be obligated to complete the repairs at no additional cost to the customer. If the auto body shop refuses to complete the repairs, the warranty can then be legally enforced by a court through legal action. If it comes to this the auto body shop will typically be required to pay money damages to the customer.

Sometime the auto body repair shop will be ordered to make the repairs by the court. This is called “specific performance.” However, this is not a remedy courts normally like to use in this situation because if the repair shop refused to fix the problem correctly the first time it is unlikely the repair shop will be motivated to do the best job the second time around. Specific performance is usually used when there is no other person who can perform the work that was originally warrantied in the first place.

Fortunately, there are many auto body and collision repair shops in Salt Lake City. This competition makes it unlikely that a reputable auto body shop would fail to offer a full, written warranty for their work. But it is always a good practice to make sure there is a full, written warranty agreed to by both the auto body repair shop and the customer.

18 Nov 2015

Types of Vehicle Insurance

by Carrie Kelley | posted in: Selling Auto Services, Selling Autos | 0

If you operate a vehicle in Salt Lake City it is very important (and legally required) to have adequate insurance. Without insurance if you have a car accident you may face steep repair costs in an auto body repair shop, a hospital or a court room. The following is a brief and general overview of typical types of insurance coverage available for vehicles in the United States. Keep in mind, terms of specific policies will vary between different insurance providers and the laws governing insurance coverage also differ from state to state.

Bodily Injury

Bodily injury liability provides coverage for damages to another person’s physical body resulting from a car accident. Typically, a bodily injury insurance will cover medical costs and tort liability up to a limit set by the policy. Many states require bodily injury coverage for all vehicle operators.

Collision

Collision insurance will cover losses related to collisions with other vehicles and is optional in most circumstances. Collision insurance covers the cost of repairs or replacement costs if the vehicle is totaled.

Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive coverage covers losses that result from theft, fire, flood, vandalism or other causes not associated with a collision.

Liability

Liability or “casualty” insurance covers bodily injury or property damage caused by a car accident for which the insured driver is responsible. This coverage will cover direct expenses (repair and medical bills) as well as tort liability.

Loss of Use

A loss of use policy will provide monetary reimbursement for costs associated with rental expenses while your vehicle is being repaired provided the damage being repaired was covered by the policy.

Property Damage

Property Damage covers damage to another person’s property. This can apply to a vehicle or other structures located on their real property damaged in an accident (e.g. a mailbox or fence).

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorist insurance covers losses in situations where the party responsible or at fault for damages resulting from a car accident does not have insurance or has insufficient insurance to cover the loss. Uninsured motorist policies typically cover costs associated with vehicle repairs as well as medical bills for the insured.