Assessment
The vehicle is inspected by highly trained and qualified staff to determine the best repair method and an assessment of cost and parts are provided to your insurance company or the individual. However, often there is hidden damage that cannot be seen until after the vehicle is disassembled. given that we are a preferred repairer for most major insurance companies, we liaise with your insurer directly to obtain all approvals in relation to additional cost for the extra damage.
Insurance Approval
Generally, approval is obtained in most cases within 3 hours and can take up to 48 hours or more in some instances. We continually follow up on your behalf with your insurance company to obtain approval as soon as possible, Your Client Manger at Laverton Accident will keep you informed by providing you with updates throughout the repair process.
Disassembly
In disassembly hidden damage is often found, and inner structure repairs are determined. Many times this will require scheduling insurance re-inspection and ordering additional parts.
Order Parts
The required parts for your vehicle are ordered and availability is checked. If a part needs to be specially ordered, the order will be placed as soon as possible. Although many parts may arrive very quickly, the repair process can not begin until the shop receives all of the structural parts. Please also note, that in some instance the manufacturer of your car may not have the required parts in stock, in this instance we will notify you. In most cases if parts are required from overseas, this can take between 2 to 8 weeks. Please understand that Laverton Accident does not have control over parts availability. We will however continue to follow up on your behalf with the manufacturer to obtain your parts whilst our Client Manger keeps you informed of the progress.
Structure Repair
In the structure repair process, the body of the vehicle is returned back to the factory specification. A sophisticated measuring system is used to ensure that your vehicle is restored to factory specifications. A computer based measurement system is used to analyse the frame of your vehicle. This system assures an accurate repair.
Body Repair
The Body Repair Team replace exterior panels and all metal finishing that may be required. The vehicle begins to come back to life as sheet metal is installed and aligned.
Paint
Paint preparation is a critical step in the refinishing process of every vehicle. All panels are prepared for paint, then primed and sealed to assure good adhesion when the final top colour and clear coats of paint are being applied. Another important factor is the type of paint that is used. At Laverton Accident, we want our customers to have the very best. For this reason we were one of the very first smash repairers to make the decision to move to Water-based paints. Water- based paints are the future of automotive coatings. All automotive paint manufacturers are working on this technology and many have already released water-based products into both the OEM and refinishing markets.
Reassembly
Final mouldings and detail pieces are put back on the vehicle in the reassembly area. All the vehicles systems are checked during this process. The vehicle is almost complete and ready for delivery when it is in this stage.
Detailing
Finally, prior to delivery of your vehicle a final inspection is carried out to ensure that the vehicle is restored to its pre-accident condition. Once this is done, we will wash and clean your car ready for collection. Our Client Manager will organise a time with you to collect your car. We will then carry out a hand over of your car explaining what work has been carried out.