Our Process
High Grade Auto Body Demonstrates Best Practices in Automotive Restoration
Proper Restoration Leads to Safer, Better-Looking Results
When another car or truck smashes into your vehicle, you may experience visible damage to your car, but you also may experience damage you cannot see. A professional evaluation will determine the full extent of the damage to your vehicle. At High Grade Auto Body we look beyond the surface damage to make sure your underbody is okay or determine if it needs repair or replacement.
Ford Escape
As the photos reveal, this Ford Escape experienced visible damage to the rear bumper and driver side rear quarter panel. Without looking deeper, you might conclude that this was the full extent of the damage. However, upon closer inspection, we discovered damage to the inner structure of the vehicle.
This in depth look upfront allows us to work with your insurance company so they understand and pay the full extent of your damage.
In addition to replacing the rear bumper and quarter panel, we replaced the inner wheelhouse, inner rear body panel and the left rear side frame rail of the unibody.
Unibody construction involves the use of high strength steel that’s been welded together to form a single unit. Once this type of metal is crushed, you have to replace it. Otherwise, you lose the tensile strength of the metal. High strength metal is heat treated in the manufacturing process and cannot be improved or repaired through re-heating.
If you try to get away with straightening the high strength metal components, you may achieve a lower cost result that looks fine, but if you become involved in a second accident, the metal will collapse more easily causing more damage than necessary, resulting in higher repair costs and reduced passenger safety. You also may experience suspension and handling problems