Collision Center vs. Body Shop, Service Center, or a Mechanic

October 14, 2021
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Understand Your Options in Colorado Springs

Do you know when to choose a collision center or body shop or service center or mechanic? At Phil Long Collision Center, we want you to understand your options in Colorado Springs. We will examine what each of these options has to offer and show you the benefits of these choices. Depending on the type of repair you need, you might find that one is better suited to you than another.

Collision Centers | Certified & Uncertified

If your vehicle is involved in an accident, you might be facing body damage along with mechanical issues. A qualified collision center will be able to handle most mechanical issues while also restoring the appearance of the vehicle to factory-like condition.

Certified vs. Uncertified

A collision center can lack certifications but never tell the customers that come in. Without certifications, the technicians might not be fully trained to work on your vehicle type and make. A certified collision center ensures that all of the technicians are qualified to work on specified vehicle brands. The level of skill is much higher since testing is done to get these certifications. With this expertise, technicians perform all repairs to factory specs. When possible, genuine parts are also used to ensure superior integrity. Phil Long Collision Center is OEM certified to repair all Corvette, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Ford and aluminum-body vehicles to factory specifications.

Body Shops

The majority of body shops don’t have the same skills as a collision center in Colorado Springs. The majority of body shops don’t have specialized equipment and training to handle collision damage. They won’t know how to handle the majority of mechanical repairs, requiring you to go somewhere else for this work. At a typical body shop, the technicians are focused only on the appearance of your vehicle. Body shop technicians can repair dents, repair fenders, provide paint work and replace body parts to the vehicle. Beyond this, there are no other skills available.

Service Centers

Most dealerships have a service center, but there are also independent shops you can visit in your local area. The main focus of the service center is maintenance, but minor repairs are also offered. In the common service center, you will find services, such as:

  • Oil/Filter Change: As one of the most common maintenance tasks, service centers provide an oil change anywhere from every 3,000 to 10,000 miles.
  • Wheel Alignment: When the car starts pulling to one side, the technicians can put it on a rack that aligns the wheels. This service offers a smoother ride and reduces wear to tires.
  • Tire Rotation: By rotating the tires, you ensure the wear occurs evenly. Without tire rotation, you will need to replace the tires more frequently.
  • Brake Service: The service center can replace the brake pads and check the system to ensure integrity.

The services offered by these automotive centers vary, depending on the experience. Additionally, the service center may only work on particular car brands, especially when inside a dealership.

On top of that, most service centers don’t deal with body issues. Instead, the shop will focus only on mechanical issues, such as maintenance and repairs.

Mechanic

An independent mechanic is normally a lower-cost option compared to the service center. While you will pay less to visit the neighborhood mechanic versus the dealership, there are some downsides. First, most independent repair centers don’t use OEM parts. With aftermarket parts installed on your vehicle, the integrity could be compromised. You won’t know how well the parts are going to work with your vehicle. Additionally, there don’t need to be any special certifications held by the common mechanic. Without factory training, it’s difficult to know if these technicians can handle the repairs to your vehicle. Finally, the average mechanic doesn’t get involved in auto body repair. You will need to take your vehicle to a mechanic and an auto body shop or collision center to get the entire vehicle fixed after an accident.

Why Choose Phil Long Collision Center

The solution is clear after you’ve been in a car accident. Phil Long Collision Center can tackle all of the mechanical and body needs to ensure your vehicle looks and runs like new. Additionally, our technicians are OEM certified to work on all Corvette, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Ford and aluminum-body vehicles.

We work with all makes and models to ensure a job well done. Plus, our staff is ready to provide the customer experience you deserve. After all, you’ve been through enough stress from the car accident. You don’t need any more to worry about. When you schedule with Phil Long Collision Center, we remove the burden from your plate. Contact us today to schedule your collision repair in Colorado Springs.

REPAIR, COLLISION, COLLISION REPAIR

Phil Long Collision Center

Review Our Body Shop!

At Phil Long Collision Center in Colorado Springs, we care about our reputation. That’s why we always give the best service we can to all our customers.

That’s also why we invite you to leave a review of your experience at our center and let the world know what you thought about it. Please visit one of our review sites below to leave a review for our collision center!