A car is a big investment, and poor-quality repairs can not only reduce its value but also compromise your safety. That’s why it’s essential to choose a reliable car body repair shop, one that understands the repair process and delivers high-quality results.
When selecting a repair shop, look for the car body shops that ensure repairs meet certain quality and safety standards. Whether you’re dealing with a small scratch, a bumper scuff, or damage from a serious accident, it’s helpful to understand what to expect.
Here is the Step by Step Car Body Repair Process
Dealing with vehicle damage, whether a minor scratch, a scuffed bumper, or even a more serious accident, can be stressful, especially if you’ve no experience with car body repairs. You might not know what kind of repair your car needs, what services to expect from a repair garage, or how long the process will take.
This guide breaks down the most common steps of the car bodywork process so you know exactly what to expect when visiting any car bodyshop.
Damage Assessment
The repair process begins with a thorough assessment of your vehicle. Technicians will inspect both visible and hidden damage, including:
- Bodywork (scratches, dents, paint damage)
- Lights and windscreens
- Potential mechanical issues.
Based on the evaluation, the garage will provide a repair plan. In most cases, this involves bodywork services such as dent removal, paint correction, and panel repairs. Sometimes, some mechanical parts also need to be replaced to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive.
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Why Choose an Insurance-Approved Body Shop?
If your vehicle has been involved in an accident, it’s wise to use a garage approved by your insurer. The repair process typically includes damage assessment, insurer authorisation, and a detailed quotation outlining the repair work, parts ordering, expert panel and paintwork repairs, reassembly, and thorough quality checks.
These workshops:
- Use genuine manufacturer parts
- Follow industry-standard repair procedures
- Provide warranties and documentation for the work carried out
Insurance approved body shops also manage direct communication with your insurer, helping to avoid unnecessary delays in your claim process. This ensures your vehicle remains safe, road-legal, and fully covered by insurance after repairs.
Dismantling
For more serious damage, certain panels, trims, or internal parts may need to be removed to access and repair hidden damage. This process is done carefully by specialised technicians to avoid further harm and ensure the full extent of the damage is repaired.
Structural & Frame or Mechanical Repair
If the vehicle’s chassis or frame has been compromised (common in high-impact collisions), structural realignment is essential. Advanced equipment is used to bring the car back to manufacturer specifications, ensuring:
- Proper wheel alignment
- Suspension safety
- Roadworthiness
Mechanical components affected during a collision are repaired or replaced by trained professionals as part of the full restoration process.
SMART Repair vs. Traditional Car Body Repair: Key Differences
SMART stands for Small to Medium Area Repair Technology. It’s a modern, cost-effective technique used to repair minor cosmetic damages to the car body without removing large body panels. It is a cost effective method for small repairs like, panel or bumper scuffing, minor paint chips or dents, etc. it is usually a few hours process and you could get your car back in the same day.
Traditional car repair is a more extensive repair method typically used for larger or structural damages, such as major accident repairs, full panel paint work, structural damages, or mechanical repairs. This is an extensive process which takes more time, specialised equipment, and frequently involves insurance companies .
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Key Differences
| Feature | SMART Repair | Traditional Bodyshop Repair |
| Damage Size | Small/localised (e.g., scratches, bumper scuffs, dents) | Large or severe (e.g., crash damage, panel replacement) |
| Repair Area | Small typically small dents and scuffs | Whole panel or multiple panels |
| Tools Used | Portable tools, small spray systems | Full bodyshop equipment, spray booths |
| Time Required | 1–3 hours (same-day repair) | 1–5 days or more |
| Cost | Lower (affordable for out-of-pocket repairs) | Higher (often through insurance) |
| Panel Removal | Not required | Often required |
| Paint Matching | Local blending | Full-panel respray and blending |
| Example Repairs | Alloy wheel scuff, bumper scratch, small dent | Crumpled door, accident damage, deep scratches across multiple panels |
Dent Removal and Repair Process
Paintless dent repair (PDR) is often used for minor to medium size dents that haven’t affected the paint. This is a smart repair method where the expert technician at a car repair garage removes the dent without affecting the car paint work.
Dents where paint has also cracked, the panel may need to be reshaped, filled and then resprayed with colour-matched paint. If a panel is badly damaged, technicians would suggest replacing it entirely.
Paint correction process is often necessary after a repair to match the newly painted panel with the rest of the car’s finish.
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Scratch Removal or Paint Correction
Scratches can range from faint surface scratches to deep scrapes that penetrate the paint layers. Light scratches are frequently cleaned away with detailing and polishing processes and it often does not need any paint touch ups.
To repair deeper scratches, a more detailed process is required. It involves the below step by step process which involves
- Surface preparation – Decontamination and masking the affected part to protect the rest of paint.
- Sanding – Sand it to remove any loose paint or rust to ensure the quality.
- Filler Application – Body fillers are required for deep scratches, shaped and smoothed afterwards.
- Primer Application – A professional grade primer is applied to prepare it for the paint work.
- Paint Application – Paint is matched with colour code and applied, multiple coats needed.
- Clear Coat application – Clear coat is applied to the painted area to protect it from degradation.
- Blending and buffing – Area is wet sanded and machine polished to blend the repair lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the type of damage. Minor damage requiring SMART repair can be fixed within a day, while major damage requiring thorough repair and respray can take several days.
Bumper replacement can cost between $100 and $1,000, depending on the bumper’s material. Metal bumpers are usually more expensive than plastic bumpers.
The duration of replacing a bumper depends on several factors, such as car make and model, parts availability, and painting.
Why Choose AVX Repairs?
Understanding the repair process helps you properly maintain your private hire vehicle while avoiding unnecessary stress and expenses. For minor dent repairs to paint correction are often enough to get your car in good condition on the road, while accident car body issues require an insurance approved bodyshop with qualified technicians. Whether it’s a major car paint repair or a minor touch-up, let AVX help you with reliable car bodywork services.
We provide the quality cosmetic repair services your car deserves, feel free to get in touch with AVX team to restore your car’s original look.
