We are fortunate in British Columbia that ICBC's regulation of the collision industry results in a very uniform price structure for our collision repairs. Labour rates do not vary significantly across the province from one repair facility to another. The collision segment of the automobile repair industry compares very favourably with mechanical repair shops and car dealers, where labour rates often exceed $100.00 an hour! Similarly, the parts supply chain is regulated to keep margins at a very low level in our industry, and again prices are very uniform across the province.

Nevertheless, people are sometimes surprised by the costs involved in collision repair, so take a few minutes if you wish to get a better understanding of how involved the process of a typical collision repair really is.

Remove and Replace...a.k.a. R & I or Re & Re

First, we normally need to remove the damaged panel from your car. This usually involves hoisting the vehicle and removing several fasteners underneath the vehicle, an also inside trunks or hoods, inside the interior door panels, and so on. These of course need to be replaced at the end of the repair process, taking great care not to damage the fresh paint. Then, all parts and trim are removed from the body panels in question, and usually from adjacent panels as well, so that the paint can get in behind all parts all the way to the inside of the panels, in order to prevent any potential for future water damage and peeling. The adjacent panels are also "R & I'd' so that we can blend the fresh paint into the old paint. Hence the acronyms R & I- or remove and install, or Re & Re- or remove and replace. This takes some time, and time is money.

Repair or Replace

At this point, we have made the most affordable choice regarding whether the panel in question needs to either repaired or replaced. If we are replacing the part, we need to source it from an unbelievable number of suppliers. We can purchase an original auto manufacturer's part (or OEM part), an alternate manufacturer's part (also known as 'jobber parts') to save you money, or we can buy a recycled part from a wrecked vehicle. We only use those that are in good condition, and have aged in a similar manner to your vehicle. These are normally the least expensive panels available. It takes time to go through the purchasing process to find the right part, and again, time is money. Often suppliers send us the wrong part, or the part is back ordered, and this has real potential to delay your repair.

In a body panel repair, a grinder is first applied to remove all paint and materials in the repair area, so that the new materials to be applied will properly adhere to the bare metal. Our skilled craftsmen then use their artistic abilities to re-shape the panel to its original shape. This requires a great deal of finesse, given the complex, computer-generated shapes and curves on today's automobiles. The smoothing compounds are then dried with high-intensity lights, and finally the panel is carefully sanded with two fine grit levels of sandpaper in order to produce a perfectly smooth and accurate body panel.

The Paint Processes

The car or truck is now ready for the paint shop. Our painters first review the work completed so far around the repair area, and correct any blemishes. Then, two further levels of very smooth sandpaper is used on the panels, to ensure that the painters are satisfied that the vehicle is as smooth and perfect as it can be when it leaves False Creek Collision Plus. The third process is to 'mask' the car. This involves covering the entire car- other than the areas to be painted- with paper and fastened with masking tape. This prevents 'overspray' from damaging any part of your vehicle.

Now the car is moved into our state of the art downdraft spray booth. This technology involves first sucking fresh air through heavy filters in the ceiling. This removes all dust and pollutants from the air in the booth, ensuring that you get a clean and smooth finish. The air is then removed through more filters, this time in the floor. These filters ensure that all paints, solvents and other toxic pollutants do not escape into the environment and are instead properly captured and disposed properly.

The first step in the booth is to clean the vehicle thoroughly, using a special water-based solvent and dust-free disposable wipe. Once again, this step ensures proper adhesion and a smooth, dust free finish. As you can see, these processes can take a great deal of time...or be skipped by lower-quality providers. Finally the vehicle is ready for paint. This is an multi-cycle process - several levels of paint and drying cycles. First, a coat of primer is applied, and then heat-dried. Secondly, the environmentally friendly waterborne base-coat is applied. After sufficient flash-off time a coat of 'clear coat' is applied, which protects your car's colour from the sun, from scrapes and scratches, and from environmental pollutants that can damage your colour. The clear coat is then baked, and finally a second and sometimes a third clear coat is applied and then baked dry. These processes are very time consuming, they involve significant energy costs, and utilize sophisticated and expensive materials.

Still Three More Processes...

Now the car is moved back to the body technician for review and re-assembly. He first inspect the paint job and ensure that it is up to his standards, and only if it is a great job will he remove all paper and tape from the car. He will then re-assemble all panels, mechanical parts, trim, lights, decals and so on, and then he will move the car to the detailing area.

Again the vehicle is reviewed, this time by the detailer, who completes a quality assurance checklist. The detailer then provides the vehicle with an interior and exterior detailing at no cost to you.

Finally, the detailer moves your car to the front of the office where our management staff inspects all aspects of the repair process. Only when we are satisfied that the fob is the best it can be, you will be called and notified that your car is ready and good as new.

Still Reading?

Thank you for taking the time to understand how hard we all work to give you the best collision repair possible. We take pride in what we do, and although we sometimes do make mistakes, we are committed to following these processes to the letter, which will ensures that you receive the best possible value for your hard-earned money.