Accident & Bodywork Advice

A full respray, a partial respray and a vinyl wrap each suit a different state of paint and metal. Here is how the decision is made on the car itself.

The clear coat is the only layer protecting the colour on your car. Why it clouds, why it peels, why polish makes it worse, and what the repair involves before…

Run a fingernail across the mark. A scratch inside the lacquer polishes out, and one through the colour needs paint. Here are the four depths and what each one needs.

Filler, a let in repair panel or a full arch section. Which one is honest depends on the condition of the steel under the paint, not the size of the…

Early rust shows as a brown stain or a line of blisters under the paint. How to tell surface rust from scale and perforation, and the order to check your…

Chassis Damage After an Accident Chassis damage on a modern car means distortion of the welded shell that everything else bolts to, because almost no car on the road now…

Electric and Hybrid Car Accident Repair Repairing an electric or hybrid car differs in three ways. The high voltage system is isolated and proved dead before anyone touches a panel,…

ADAS Calibration After Accident Repair ADAS calibration is the process of re-aiming the cameras and radar that run your car’s driver assistance systems, and it is required after any repair…

Hidden Damage After a Minor Car Accident Hidden damage is everything behind the bumper cover that absorbed the impact while the outside sprang back, and on a low speed shunt…

Hit an Animal on the Road: Damage, Reporting and Repair An animal strike carries a legal duty to stop and report for eight named kinds of animal, and no such…

Hit by an Uninsured or Hit and Run Driver Being hit by an uninsured or untraced driver means there is no other insurer to bill, so the money comes from…

What to Do After a Car Accident in Cardiff: A Step by Step Guide Stop, make the scene safe, exchange details, and photograph everything before the cars are moved. You…

How to Photograph Car Damage for an Accurate Repair Quote Six photographs get you a firm quote for cosmetic damage: one of the whole car, one of the whole panel,…