repairing auto body damage caused by your teen

If you want a newer model car without the newer model price tag, you may be tempted to buy a vehicle that is mechanically sound but has been wrecked and needs some tender loving care from an auto body and paint professional from a used car dealer such as Skyline Auto Centre. This is an excellent way to obtain a vehicle that may otherwise be out of your price range. However, this will involve some patience and extra work to get your car road ready and looking good. Here are a few interesting tidbits of information about auto body paint and repair which you will find helpful to know along the way. 

You can usually obtain aftermarket body parts relatively cheaply. 

When you initially take your wrecked ride to an auto body repair shop for an estimate to repair the damages, don't forget to let the technician know that you want to see the difference in price between aftermarket and manufacturer parts. While you may prefer to go with original manufacturer parts to restore the vehicle, aftermarket parts are often a lot more affordable. This is especially important if you want to try to get your vehicle looking like new with as little of an investment as possible. 

You may be able to save some money by starting the project on your own. 

One thing a lot of customers do not realize about auto body repair is that professionals do often charge by the hour for repair work. So, just by taking the time to remove damaged body parts yourself, you could potentially save a lot of money. Dented and scraped fenders, bumpers, and damaged lights are all things that are fairly simple to remove even if you do not have a lot of auto body work experience. Once you get an estimate, ask if you could possibly shave some off the cost by removing some damaged components on your own. 

Having a car painted may not be as expensive as you think.

It is a common misconception that having a car painted after a rebuild is one of the more costly components of the process. However, this is actually not always the truth. Some auto body shops will charge as little as $600 for a basic paint job. Painting tends to cost about $2,000, with the need for additional prep work taking the cost up further, but even this price is much more affordable than a lot of customers expect to pay for a full paint job for their vehicle.