Month: November 2020

The Art of Paint Matching in Auto body Repair

Posted on by Cline Collision Center

After an accident, you want your car back in good-as-new condition. For an auto body shop, one of the most challenging aspects of that repair is paint matching.

The truth is that you should feel great about what your car looks like when you get it back from the shop. But perfect paint matching does more than make your car look good. It also adds to resale value and allows drivers to return leased vehicles to the dealership with no charge.

Poor paint matching is painfully obvious. A car that has one panel that is a different color from the rest of the vehicle stands out from the crowd—and not in a good way! The mismatched paint can actually make the vehicle look worse than the accident – not the outcome you wanted after paying for insurance and deductibles.

Why Is It So Hard To Match Paint?

There’s a reason that matching the color of your paint is so challenging. When your car was at the factory, the entire body was painted at the same time from the same batch of paint. Though that paint color has a code, there are thousands of variations and shades. Even basic colors such as black and red have dozens, if not hundreds of shades to choose from.

Making it even more difficult, your car’s paint is like skin. Although you don’t notice it until you see it from a new angle or perspective, paint ages a little bit each day. Over times, this adds up and the older your vehicle is, the harder it is to match the paint.

This is where the art comes in. Even if a new batch of paint is mixed to factory specifications, there may still be a noticeable difference. A good technician can change that shade just enough to match the paint as it is, not as it was.

The artistry doesn’t stop there. If, say, a door panel on an older car needs repair, a shop can use blending techniques like lightly overspraying new paint onto old paint to create an unnoticeable transition. In some cases, though, weathering and fading may make it necessary to paint the entire side of the car. Some insurance companies refuse to pay for this. You may have to make a case with your adjuster, or work with your repair shop to include this next step as part of making a quality repair.

What Can You Do To Make Your Car Look Good-As-New?

Of course, even the best shop can’t bring a car that has seen better days back into good-as-new condition without taking some extra steps. You may want to consider getting your car buffed, which will brighten the paint up. This will cost extra but may be worth the money if you want that new car feeling without that new car price.

Accidents are often, at best, unpleasant experiences. It can feel good to put it behind you with a properly repaired car from a professional, reputable shop. When you want to work with an auto body repair shop that stands behind their work, bring your vehicle to Cline Collision Center. We are ASE-certified, have OEM certification from Infiniti, Nissan, Fiat/Chrysler (FCA), Honda/Acura, Ford, Hyundai, and Kia, and have earned Gold Class status from I-CAR. For top-quality workmanship and customer service, including help with navigating insurance challenges, call 707-591-9909 or contact us online today!

What Are the Top 5 Vehicle Safety Features You Should Know About?

Posted on by Cline Collision Center

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re buying a new or used car – fuel economy, legroom, cargo space, and of course, finding a model that you know you’ll be happy with overall in the long run.

Safety First Sign

One thing that should always be a priority when purchasing a car is its safety features. Although traditional safety features like seat belts, anti-lock brakes, and airbags, are now standard, newer vehicles have also come to rely on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). ADAS is comprised of a variety of electronic safety features that use automated technology (like sensors and cameras) to detect obstacles around the vehicle and driver errors. Some features will sound or display a warning, while others use automated features to correct the vehicle without any action from the driver.

ADAS features vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Typically, the more luxurious the model, the more ADAS features it includes. However, as automakers embrace electronic safety features, many of them are becoming more widely available, even on more conventional models. Here’s a look at five of the most important ADAS safety features that will help reduce your risk on the road.

Electronic Stability Control

Electronic stability control (ESC) has been standard for all cars built after 2012. It relies on sensors to help the driver maintain control of the vehicle and prevent skidding or sliding in conditions where there may be poor traction. The sensors monitor factors like wheel speed, sideways motion, steering angle, and rotation to keep the car moving in the driver’s intended direction.

If the car moves outside of this path, the ESC will apply automatic braking on one or more of the wheels to prevent skidding or plowing out. ESC happens so quickly that drivers often don’t even realize there’s a need for steering corrections. Many manufacturers have their own name for the ESC, like StabiliTrak (Buick/GMC) or AdvanceTrak (Ford) but they all work similarly. ESC is especially helpful for taller vehicles that are more at risk for rollovers, like SUVs and pickup trucks.

Blind Spot Monitoring

Blind spots are a major safety hazard. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), blind spots are the cause of as many as 350,000 accidents a year. Blind spots can be due to a fault in the vehicle design or physical limitations of the driver being able to see around the vehicle well. The most common blind spots on most vehicles are near the rear bumpers.

Volvo was the first to develop blind spot monitoring systems (BMS) in 2003; since then, many other automakers have followed suit. BMS systems use a set of sensors mounted on the side mirrors and/or rear bumper to detect vehicles in the adjacent lanes. If the sensors detect a vehicle, they trigger an alert (typically auditory and/or visual, but some models may use vibration as well) to warn the driver. Some models may also integrate cameras into the system along with sensors.

Lane Departure Warning

The lane departure warning (LDW) uses a camera to monitor lane markings and detect when the vehicle strays outside of the lines. It will then alert the driver with a visual or auditory warning so the driver can steer the vehicle back into the lane. While it’s similar to the ESC because it tracks the vehicle’s path, it doesn’t take control of the vehicle in any way. LWD systems have been shown to reduce a variety of accidents, including single-vehicle, sideswipes, and head-on collisions.

Adaptive Headlights

Headlights are one of the most important safety features on any car, but adaptive headlights go a step further than just lighting up the road after dark. Adaptive headlights use sensors to actively respond to changing light or road conditions to provide better visibility and reaction time.

There are several different types of adaptive headlights, but the most common is curve-adaptive. These headlights have bulbs that will pivot to adjust the light depending on the direction of travel (driving up or down a hill, for example) and sometimes according to the vehicle’s speed. Other features that fall under adaptive lighting are headlights that adjust the brightness of the light depending on outside light conditions and automatic switching between low and high beams.

Traction Control

Traction control monitors vehicle wheel slippage and other indicators that could signal a loss of traction. If it detects one of the wheels is spinning faster than the others, the system immediately applies the anti-lock brake system to that wheel or, in some cases, may cut engine power to the wheel. Although automakers are now legally required to include electronic stability control in their vehicles, they aren’t required to include traction control – although most do.

One important thing to remember about this feature is that there are some conditions where it won’t work, like driving on a sheet of ice. It can only provide traction in instances where the tires would already have some, like wet roads, gravel, or other uneven, loose, or soft surfaces. For that reason, you should still reduce your speed and take turns slowly when driving in slick conditions. Traction control tends to be most effective when accelerating from a stopped or slowed position, or when trying to accelerate up a slippery hill.

Accidents Can Still Happen…

There are many other ADAS safety features that aren’t on this list, but hopefully, this gives you a better understanding of some of the most important ones and how they work. Unfortunately, no matter how many safety features your car has, accidents can still happen – and if they do, Cline Collision Center is here to help! We use OEM parts and repair methods to restore your vehicle to its pre-accident condition and ensure all safety features remain intact and functioning properly. We’ll also handle the insurance coordination to ensure the repair process is streamlined and hassle-free. Contact us today at (707) 591-9909 or schedule your appointment online.