Blog · Estimates
Picking Up Your Vehicle: The Walk-Around Checklist
What to look at before you sign for a finished body repair in Odessa: gaps, color, reflections, lights, and the questions to ask while you are in the lot.
The last step of every repair at our shop is a walk-around in daylight, with you, before anything gets signed. It takes ten minutes and it is the moment where anything wrong should be caught. Here is what to look at, in the order we do it, and the questions worth asking while you are standing there.
Do it in daylight
Not under the shop lights, not at dusk, not in the rain. Paint reads differently under every kind of light, and the only one that counts is the one you will see it in tomorrow morning. We walk every vehicle outside for that reason. If you pick up after dark, come back the next day and look again; if you see something, call us.
Stand back first
Twenty feet away, then walk a circle. You are looking at the overall shape: does the hood sit level, do the doors line up with the fenders, does the bumper sit even on both sides. A repair that is right looks like nothing happened from twenty feet. If something catches your eye from a distance, it will catch your eye every day.
Then the gaps
Walk up and look at the seams between the repaired panel and its neighbors. The gap between a fender and a hood, a door and a fender, a bumper and a quarter panel should be even from top to bottom and match the same gap on the other side of the vehicle. Uneven gaps mean a panel is not aligned, or something behind it is.
Then the color
Look at the repaired panel straight on, then step to each side and look again. Metallic and pearl paints change with the angle, and a match that is dead-on from the front can drift when you move. Look at where the new paint meets the old: there should be no line, because the color gets blended into the next panel so the eye cannot find the edge. Do this on the sunny side and the shady side of the vehicle.
Then the reflection
Crouch and sight down the side of the vehicle so you see a long reflection in the paint, of the building, a truck, the sky. On a straight panel the reflection is straight. Waves, ripples or a bulge in the reflection mean the panel is not flat under the paint.
Then the texture
Get close and look at the surface at an angle. Factory paint has a very slight orange-peel texture. The repaired area should match it. Too smooth or too rough next to the original panel is visible in the right light. Also look for dust nibs, small bumps in the clear, and any sanding scratches showing through.
Then everything that came off
Every light, handle, emblem, molding and trim piece that was removed for the repair should be back on, straight, and tight. Open and close every door that was worked on. Turn on the headlights and the turn signals on the repaired side. If the bumper had sensors, check that the parking assist works as it did. Pop the hood and look for the labels and clips that live under it.
Then the inside
The interior should be as clean as it came in, or cleaner. Check the trunk if the rear was repaired, and check that the spare and the jack are where they belong. Look at the dash for warning lights that were not on before.
Questions to ask
- Can I see the teardown photos and the old parts?
- Was anything found that was not on the original estimate, and how was it handled?
- Are there any parts still on order or anything that needs to come back?
- What should I not do to the fresh paint in the first month? (Usually: no automatic car wash, no wax, no pressure washing the edges.)
If something is not right
Say so before you sign. That is the entire point of the walk-around. We are owner-operated, the person walking the vehicle with you is the person answerable for it, and we would much rather fix it while the vehicle is still in the lot than have you drive off unhappy. Nothing about this is awkward for us.
Paying
On an insurance job you pay your deductible and we settle the rest with the carrier. On a cash job the invoice matches the estimate plus anything you approved during the repair. If a number on the invoice is a surprise, ask about it before paying, and there is more about the deductible in your deductible, explained.
FAQ
What if I notice something a week later?
Call us. Paint and panels do not change in a week, so if it is a repair issue we will see it the same way you do. We are at 7033 W 24th St, (432) 220-3243.
Can I wash it right away?
A gentle hand wash is fine. Skip automatic car washes, wax and pressure washers on the repaired area for the first month while the clear fully cures.
Should I bring someone with me?
If it helps you look, yes. A second set of eyes on a walk-around is never a bad idea.
Do you keep the old parts?
Ask at drop-off and we will set them aside for you. On insurance jobs some carriers want to see replaced parts, so we hold them regardless.