What contributes to these factors? There are many but to start, insurance companies are hungry for profits and this causes bad repairs to happen. Shops will hire unexperienced adjusters, pencil-pushing auditors and have an unrealistic cycle time in order to meet their demands. Truth be told, insurers don’t really care whether or not your vehicle is repaired correctly, so long as it is repaired, if it falls apart later, its on the body shop, not the insurer. And if the body shop doesn’t offer a warranty? Well then, that’s it. You are stuck with the bad repair AND the cost to fix it. You are agreeing to the body shops terms by taking your vehicle there, you have to make sure you are making the right choice.

Bad dent repair.

Sure, insurance issues is a contributor to bad repairs in the industry, but many shop owners and managers allow this to happen. Without correct and tight quality control and standards, your vehicle is really left in the hands of the body techs and painters. Meaning, they are the ones who really determine what is going to become of your vehicle. Body techs and painters are mainly paid on commissions, therefore they try and turn as many hours as possible. This allows for many cuts and skips on their parts just to get the vehicle out and on to the next one.
 

Quality repairs start with a thorough repair estimate, not one based on an adjuster’s damage appraisal. Quality repairs will proliferate once shops owners and managers demand them, expect them and oversee that they’re actually being performed in the shops. Paying your techs and painters properly so they don’t feel the need to rush out vehicles and correctly adjusting your cycle time to reflect this will yeild good repairs.
 

What can come of bad repairs? UNSAFE vehicles. Shotty repairs can CAUSE accidents in the future, and make your vehicle incredibly unsafe IF you happen to get in another accident. This really can be life and death, no joke. Bad shops don’t care about the realization that real people, not crash dummies, drive the wrecks that they repair. Once it leaves the shop it is no longer their concern. The liability, the risk, isn’t the immenent concern. The money and looking out for insurance companies to save a few thousand dollars is the reason.

 

So, enough with detail, lets go into the jist of this entire story. YOU as the consumer need to treat the repair of your vehicle with the utmost concern. What many consumers don’t realize is that you don’t have to go by the reccommendation of your insurance, and that you have the right to choose the repair facility of YOUR choice. Do you research on everyone in the area, and who they are telling you to take your vehicle to.
 

Here are some pointers:
 

-Does the shop offer a warranty? Ask, and read it.
-Does the shop seem organized and have a positive attitude?
-Are there unrepaired or partial repaired vehicles sitting out in public view? Not a good sign
-Ask to take a tour of the body shop. If they run a good facility, they should be proud and happy to take you through the process.
-Ask about their process. What steps do they take to inform you of your vehicles progress and how much information can they give you on the actual repair?
-Ask about their equipment, research it.
-Go online and read reviews, their website and Facebook, search BBB and see what you can find.
 

Being in the collision repair industry in McAllen, TX for over 20 years, working in all kinds of shops, I have seen what can and does go on in these types of shops. McAllen is full of them, be sure of that. Don’t think that just because it is a dealership that their body shop is up to standards, not all of them are.
 

Collision Specialists has a no secrets policy. You ask, we tell. We will gladly take your through our shop and explain to you our Nationwide Lifetime Warranty. I have kept up to date with the latest technologies in auto repair by attending seminars all over the country, investing in factory grade equipment, and investing in the training of our techs. This is why we offer this kind of guarantee. We restore your vehicle back to FACTORY standards, no if ands or buts about it. This means, you vehicle will be returned to its preloss conditions, be exactly the way it was before the wreck.
 

If the unfortunate does happen and you do need repairs, give us a call, come by and visit, take a tour and see what we are talking about. It can make all of the difference.
 

References

Each day, more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver.1 Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving; these activities can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash.

There are three main types of distraction:

•Visual—taking your eyes off the road;
•Manual—taking your hands off the wheel; and
•Cognitive—taking your mind off what you are doing.

Distracted driving activities include things like using a cell phone, texting, and eating. Using in-vehicle technologies (such as navigation systems) can also be sources of distraction. While any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others, texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.2

How big is the problem?
•In 2009, more than 5,400 people died in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver and about 448,000 people were injured.1
•Among those killed or injured in these crashes, nearly 1,000 deaths and 24,000 injuries included cell phone use as the major distraction.1
•The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of a fatal crash has increased from 7 percent in 2005 to 11 percent in 2009.1
•When asked whether driving feels safer, less safe, or about the same as it did five years ago, more than 1 in 3 drivers say driving feels less safe today. Distracted driving—cited by 3 out of 10 of these drivers—was the single most common reason given for feeling less safe today.3
•A recent CDC analysis examined the frequency of two major distractions—cell phone use and texting—among drivers in the United States and seven European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom). Results of the analysis included the following findings:7◦Cell phone use while driving:■25% of drivers in the United States reported that they “regularly or fairly often” talk on their cell phones while driving.6
■In Europe, percentages ranged from 21% in the Netherlands to 3% in the United Kingdom. 7

■75% of U.S. drivers ages 18 to 29 reported that they talked on their cell phone while driving at least once in the past 30 days, and nearly 40% reported that they talk on their cell phone “regularly” or “fairly often” while driving.

■In Europe, percentages of young adults who reported talking on their cell while driving at least once in the past 30 days ranged from 50% in Portugal to 30% in the Netherlands.7

◦Texting or e-mailing while driving:

■9% of drivers in the United States reported texting or e-mailing “regularly or fairly often” while driving.6
■ In Europe, percentages ranged from 10% in the Netherlands to 1% in the United Kingdom.7
■52% of U.S. drivers ages 18-29 reported texting or e-mailing while driving at least once in the last 30 days, and more than a quarter report texting or e-mailing “regularly” or “fairly often” while driving. 6
■In Europe, percentages of young adults who reported texting or e-mailing while driving at least once in the past 30 days ranged from 44% in Portugal to 17% in the United Kingdom.7

What are the risk factors?
•Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than other distractions.2
•Younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at highest risk because they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.1

How can distracted driving be prevented?
•Many states are enacting laws—such as banning texting while driving—or using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to keep it from occurring.4
•On September 30, 2009, President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving on government business or with government equipment.3
•On October 27, 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enacted a ban that prohibits commercial vehicle drivers from texting while driving.5

Resources for More Information
•U.S. Department of Transportation
•Official U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving
•Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Q&As about cell phone use and driving and state cell phone law maps
•World Health Organization – Mobile Phone Use: A Growing Problem of Driver Distraction

References
1.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts: Distracted Driving 2009. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, September 2010. Publication no. DOT-HS-811-379. Available from http://www.distraction.gov/ . Accessed June 27, 2011.
2.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Statistics and Facts about Distracted Driving. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011. Available from: http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/index.html. Accessed June 27, 2011.
3.AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index. [Cited 2009 July]. Available from URL: http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/2009TSCIndexFinalReport.pdf. Accessed June 27, 2011.
4.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Policy Statement and Compiled Facts on Distracted Driving. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011. Available from: http://www.nhtsa.gov/. Accessed June 27, 2011.
5.Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Limiting the Use of Wireless Communication Devices. Washington DC: US Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2011. Available from: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/. Accessed June 27, 2011.
6.Porter Novelli. (2010). HealthStyles 2010 Survey. Unpublished raw data. Washington, DC: Adam Burns.
7.Porter Novelli. (2010). EuroPNStyles 2010 Survey. Unpublished raw data. London, England: Melissa Taylor.

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Everyone loves the fresh crisp feeling of getting into a brand new car. We know we do. That’s why our Vehicle Detail Services are designed to restore your vehicle back to that fresh and clean status. Our technicians use professional grade materials and machines, with new technologies to bring you the ultimate in clean. Our Optima Steamer deodorizes and elimates all odors and breaks up all debris in your carpets, leaving them amazingly clean. Choose the Level 3 Detail and get all of the nicks in your paint touched up as well as your engine cleaned and dressed. Keeping your vehicle in immaculate condition helps preserve its value!
 

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Interested in scheduling a detail? Simply give us a call at 956-682-1999, and our customer service representative will be more than happy to assist you! Happy Driving!

You can see the clear headlights after we performed the Headlight Restoration Service! Come by and get yours done!
Collision Specialists Mcallen is here to service you in any way possible. For any of your auto body repair, or vehicle detail services, we’ve got the technology and customer service to offer you the best in the Valley.

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We are expecting to launch this program within the next few weeks so stay tuned!

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