Many of us wonder what were to happen if we were involved in an auto accident. Sometimes knowing ahead of time what to expect makes a stressful situation easier to handle. This will walk you through some of the steps you and your car will go through when it requires body work.

Usually when you have been in an accident you are rattled and not thinking clearly. That’s why it’s a good idea to print the Ballas Accident Assistance Guide and keep it in your car. If you should get into an accident, you will have this informational guide at your fingertips. It helps you thorough the initial shock, what to say, not say and how to interact with others involved in the accident, including the police.

Your first decision is if you wish to call your insurance company to report the accident and damage. Some decide to fix damage done to their vehicle and pay for it out of pocket. This will depend on your coverage, deductible or previous claims.

Should you decide to call your insurance company, they may send their own inspector to assess damage done to your vehicle or they may direct you to a Collision Center to have an estimate done through the Collision Center. You have the right to select where to have work done to your vehicle. Whether your insurance company or a Collision Center writes the estimate, your car will be looked at for damage. This is a good time to point out areas of concern you may have so you can be assured all damaged has been viewed and documented.

If your vehicle is drivable, you may stop in at anytime during business hours to obtain an estimate. Ballas will take the time to thoroughly go over your vehicle. If your vehicle is not drivable, Ballas will assess the damage and call you after our evaluation is completed. Once Ballas has your approval to begin work, we order parts and schedule the repairs.

Ordering the parts to repair your vehicle can sometimes be a tricky process. Rest assured, Ballas handles all those details. It’s not often, but it sometimes happens; a part is on back order and will require a longer than usual wait time for the part to be shipped to Ballas. Our Collision Center staff will keep you up to date on the status of your parts, should there be a back order. We understand it can be frustrating to feel left in the dark.

Once all the parts are available, your car will be assigned to a body technician. This Ballas employee has been factory trained and has years of experience. The same technician will see your vehicle’s repair through from beginning to end. Your vehicle is also logged in our system with its “Promised Delivery Date”. Our Collision Center Manager and the Production Manager are tracking the progress of your vehicle, at every part of the process. This is to ensure your vehicle will be ready when we said it would. Should your vehicle require additional repairs or the estimated time will take longer than originally thought, you will be made aware. It is unusual for this to happen.
Your body technician will disassemble your vehicle and inspect for further damage. The technician will then begin the needed repairs to get you back on the road. Ballas has a state-of-the-art collision center with highly complex equipment specific to repairing body damage. For example, any vehicles with a damaged frame or uni-body is placed in a computerized, laser guided machine that brings the vehicle back into factory tolerances.

After repair, if needed, your vehicle is sent to our paint shop. From there, it is given back to your assigned body technician for re-assembly and final touches. Vehicles requiring service repairs are sent to service to be repaired by a certified service technician. Much like the body technicians, the service technicians are trained by the factory and have many years of experience. At this time your vehicle is test driven. When your repair is complete, the vehicle is vacuumed and the windows are cleaned. Now is the best part of the process- Ballas calls you to tell you your vehicle is ready to go home.

Ballas offers attention to detail, courtesy, prompt service, advanced equipment, trained technicians, tracking systems and works with most insurance companies. Ballas is doing business with integrity. We are eager to prove it to you. Discover for yourself, how Ballas is unparalleled in the extraordinary services we offer.

Be safe out there!