What To Do After A Collision

Being involved in a collision is a stressful experience. By following these tips, Mac Haik Professionals hope to minimize your stress level.

Keeping a collision reference sheet in an easily-accessible place, such as in your glove compartment, will help you remember these steps if you should ever be involved in a collision.

The First Steps To Take

Call the police to the scene of the collision. If you're injured, it's important that you get treatment immediately, Even if there doesn't appear to be any damage to your vehicle, a police report will verify that you and the other parties were involved in a collision. This will help your claim in case hidden damage is discovered later.

It is wise to keep an easily accessible collision reference sheet in your vehicle at all times, such as in your glove compartment.

Contact your insurance company as soon as possible after the collision - check your policy, as some policies require notice within 24 hours. Your insurance company is there to help you deal with the other parties involved in the collision.

Contact Us

Choosing A Collision Repair Facility

After taking care of personal injuries, the next thing to take care of is the injuries to your vehicle. Take an active role in the collision repair process. You want to know how much damage was done, how much repairs are going to cost, how long you'll be without your vehicle, and most importantly - if your vehicle will look and drive the same after it was been repaired.

Your vehicle may be the second largest investment you make in your lifetime. Asking the right questions and taking a tour of our collision repair facility can help you rest assure that your investment is in the best hands.

Next to the I-CAR & ASE designation, the most important things to look for in a collision repair businesses are:

• Modern Equipment

• Evidence of Proper Collision Repair Training

• Cleanliness

• Warranty Program

• I-CAR Trained Technicians

• ASE Certified Technicians

Modern equipment and evidence of collision repair training show that a business is up-to-date with technology and can repair your vehicle properly. We have a three-dimensional measuring system to measure the height, width, and length of your vehicle structure. Because this structure supports all steering and suspension parts, these points of your vehicle must be properly repaired to factory measurements and specifications. In most cases, the tolerance is as strict as three millimeters- the thickness of three dimes. Some vehicles today require a tolerance no greater than one millimeter.

Cleanliness and atmosphere can say a lot about the business and technicians attitudes. We are willing to give you a tour to show you their facility and equipment. We offer a warranty on all repairs. This is to protect you if something does not work properly after the repair is complete.

The Estimate

How accurately the analysis of damage to your vehicle is conducted can affect the quality of your repair. That's why it is important that your vehicle is inspected by Mac Haik Professional at Mac Haik can detect hidden damage to your vehicle and have trained on the technical knowledge and skills required to achieve a complete and safe repair. After your vehicle estimate is complete, be sure to get a cop of the damage report. This becomes the "blue print" for repairing your vehicle. Ask the estimator to explain, in detail, what damage was done to your vehicle and how it will be repaired.

The After-Repair Inspection

Before your take your newly repaired vehicle home, look it over carefully and take it for a test drive. Check all the electronic accessories, and pay attention to details such as making sure the doors, hood, and deck lid open and close smoothly. In a variety of lighting situations, examine freshly painted areas for a good color match. During the test drive, listen for any unusual noises and test the handling. The collision repair facility should provide you with a complete breakdown of the repairs completed and what, if any, parts were replaced.

If you're not satisfied, report it immediately.

It's important that your vehicle is inspected and repaired by a Mac Haik Professionals because they have been properly trained on how to repair your vehicle so it looks and drives as well as it did before the collision. More importantly, proper repairs make your vehicle safe for you and your family to drive.

What Every Consumer Should Know

If your vehicle has been damaged in a collision, you probably heard this common misconception: your vehicle will never be the same. Chances are, it wasn't your insurance company representative or an employee of a Mac Haik who said this. That's because our collision industry professionals return collision-damaged vehicles to their previous condition - both structurally and cosmetically.

So what does it take to repair your vehicle properly after an accident? Because of today's complex vehicles and high-quality paint finishes, technicians need to be properly trained in the entire repair process to achieve complete and safe repairs.

The repair process begins when a detailed estimate is prepared, indicated all of the repairs needed to restore your vehicle to proper function and appearance. In some cases this damage assessment requires removing damaged body panels or other parts. This results in the most accurate initial estimate possible. The parts listed on the estimate are then ordered. The collision repair business and your insurance company should explain whether the replacement parts are new parts ordered from the manufacturer of your vehicle, used parts ordered through an automotive recycler, or new parts manufactured by a company other than the manufacturer of your vehicle. Mac Haik and Insurance Co. can explain the pros and cons of using each of these types of parts.

If your vehicle was hit hard in the collision, Mac Haik will use a computerized measuring system that checks specific points of your vehicle structure against dimensions provided by the vehicle of equipment manufacturer. We will also need to measure your vehicle several times during the repair process to make sure it is within the recommended tolerances. In most cases, this tolerance is a strict as three millimeters - the thickness of three dimes. Some vehicles today require a tolerance no greater than one millimeter.

Whenever appropriate, original parts are repaired. Severely damaged parts need to be replaced. A properly trained technician can repair sheet metal and plastic so that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to find any indication of damage. In some cases, parts not included on the estimate may need to be ordered during the repair process if "hidden" damage is found.

After repairs are complete, the vehicle is ready to be painted. The areas to be painted are fist prepared. Repaired areas are finely sanded, primer and corrosion protection products are applied and areas that won't be pained are "masked off" and protected. The painted then uses a paint mixing system to mix the paint that will match your vehicle's finish. A paint code on your vehicle provides the starting point, but generally requires a trained eye to match the paint to your vehicle. Often, paint will require "blending" a technique used to facilitate matching the color of your car. The paint is sprayed inside a spray booth designed to keep dust and other contaminants off the new finish.

Once the painting is complete, the vehicle is reassembled with all trim pieces, decals, and stripes. If any new glass is needed, it is usually installed at this point. The wheel alignment will also be checked if the collision damage was severe, if the vehicle spun, or if a tire, wheel, or suspension parts were damaged in the collision this helps to catch any potential problems with the steering and suspension parts.

Finally, your vehicle is taken to the detailing area for thorough interior and exterior cleaning. Any minor imperfections in the new paint surface will be removed by polishing and buffing. A final inspection checks that all work meets the repair facility's standards and the final paperwork is prepared for the vehicle owner and involved insurer.

Throughout this process Mac Haik will be in contact with the insurance company handling the claim. The insurer may want to review the estimate and inspect the vehicle before or during the repair process. In some cases, the repair facility may need to obtain insurer and vehicle owner approval before completing additional necessary repairs not included on the initial estimate.

Locating a collision repair business that will follow the above procedures is important for any vehicle owner. Insurers and collision repair business owners alike say the key is looking for evidence of properly trained technicians, such as the I-CAR & ASE designation.

The Unibody Revolution

If you drive late-model vehicle, chances are you're driving a unibody. Vehicle makers adopted the lightweight unibody construction after the rise of gas prices during the 1970's. While today's vehicles are lighter and more fuel-efficient, they're also more difficult to repair after a collision.

Unibody vehicles are made of high-strength steel, welded into a single unit. Therefore, repairing collision damage requires specialized skills, combined with the proper training and equipment, helping to ensure that there is no loss in handling, performance, durability, or appearance.

With a unibody, it's also more difficult to judge the extent of damage. What appears good on the surface may, in fact, be damaged underneath, where only a trained eye can detect it. An improperly repaired vehicle can cause even more problems such as suspension and handling problems, increased tire wear, and reduced durability or operation of key safety systems and structural parts.

It's important that your vehicle is inspected and repaired by Trained and Certified Professionals because they have the most up-to-date training to repair your vehicle properly. Mac Haik Techs have been properly trained on how to repair your vehicle so it looks and rives as well as it did before the collision. More importantly, it will be safe for your and your family to drive.

Keeping Up With Technology

Today's vehicle designers face some completive demands. They need to reduce fuel consumption and polluting emissions, but still recognize that consumers love sport utility and other large vehicles. Consumers aren't clamoring for a return to the days of the compact car.

One solution is obvious, but challenging - find a way to reduce the weight of vehicles, thus reducing fuel consumption, without sacrificing size.

The aluminum industry believes it offers vehicle makers a good alternative to the weight of steel. an aluminum-based vehicle may be 22 percent larger than a steel car of the same weight. In recent years, the use of aluminum has surpassed the use of plastic in some vehicles. Once limited primarily to engine, transmission, and suspension parts, aluminum is increasingly being used for cosmetic outer panels, door skins, trunk lids, inner structural parts and even structural frame rails.

A limited but growing number of vehicles are constructed almost a completely of aluminum. Aluminum industry officials recently used on such vehicle, to show off aluminum's strength by supporting the 4,000-poud luxury sedan with only a six-pack of aluminum beverage cans under each wheel.

The steel industry is fighting back, however, with an ambitious multi-year project to develop an "ultralight steel auto body (USLSAB)." This consortium of steel makers says it has shown that steel can be used to create a typical five-passenger sedan with 25 to 33 percent less weight than a conventional steel-bodied vehicle, without raising production costs or sacrificing safety.

How is it done? First, the ULSAB uses more of what is called high-strength steel while between 20 percent and 60 percent of the body of most current vehicles is made from high-strength steels, these materials account for 100 percent of the ULSAB.

Traditional vehicle parts are stamped out of a sheet of one type and thickness of steel. The ULSAB engineers recognized that some of these parts could instead be stamped out of a "quilt-like" piece of steel created by welding different thickness or strengths of steel into a single flat piece. A part stamped from this "tailor-welded black" can have high-strength steel in the areas where it is needed, and thinner or lower strength steel in other areas. This removes weight that does not contribute to performance.

For example, the ULSAB body side, including the rear fender and roof structure, is all one part made from a tailor-welded black that includes three grades of steel and five different thickness. By consolidating what have traditionally been multiple parts into one unit, designers also eliminate the weight of the flanges needed to weld the parts together.

Some of the non-structural portions of the ULSAB vehicle body, such as the spare tire tub and dash panel insert, are made from a steel sandwich material. Two very thin skins of steel combined with a plastic core create this one-millimeter thick material weighting 50 percent less than a comparable all-steel piece.

As aluminum and elements of the LSAB project are increasing being used on vehicles on the road today, proper training is becoming even more important to achieve a proper repair after a collision. Vehicle owners should select a collision repair facility that has the current technical training to understand how to work with the lighter weight materials and changing vehicle construction designs.

How Does I-CAR Gold Class Affect Me?

The Gold Class sign helps you feel confident about your choice in collision repair.