You will hear from us
Updates at authorisation, at any change to the date, and when the vehicle is ready. You should not have to chase us.
Our Repair Process
What actually happens between dropping your vehicle off and picking it up — stage by stage, and what you should expect from us at each one.
Stage by stage
Seven stages from drop-off to hand-back
The most common complaint about body shops is not the quality of the work — it is not knowing what is happening. This is what we do and when you will hear from us.
01Assessment and documentation
We photograph the vehicle before anything is touched and walk the damage with you. On collision work the critical question is whether the impact reached structure, because that decision drives the parts list, the labour hours and the timeline.
Where it is warranted, we remove panels to expose hidden damage at this stage rather than discovering it three days in. Finding it early is the single biggest thing that keeps a repair on schedule.
02Written estimate
You get an itemised estimate — parts and labour separated, with photographs of what we found. If it is an insurance job, it goes to your adjuster in the format they work in, and we follow it up rather than waiting.
Nothing is ordered and no work starts until the estimate is authorised. If we find additional damage later, it goes through as a supplement with photographs, and you hear about it from us the same day.
03Parts and scheduling
On authorisation we order immediately, flagging long-lead items so you know what is driving the date. We explain the OEM, aftermarket and recycled options and what your policy covers, and you choose.
You get a target completion date at this point. If it moves — a back-ordered part, a slow authorisation — we tell you, rather than letting you find out on the day you expected the vehicle back.
04Structural and body repair
Structural work is measured against manufacturer dimensions, anchored, pulled back within tolerance and re-measured. Panels are repaired or replaced to the published procedure for that vehicle, using the joining methods the manufacturer specifies.
Cut, welded and drilled areas get corrosion protection and cavity wax before anything closes up. On Alberta roads that step is what stops a good repair rusting from the inside three winters later.
05Refinishing
Colour is read from the actual panel, not just the code, mixed to the closest variant and verified on a sprayed test card in daylight before it goes near the vehicle. It is then blended into adjacent panels so the repair has no visible edge.
Refinishing happens in a controlled downdraft environment with a proper bake cycle, which is what produces a finish that holds gloss through a Calgary winter rather than dulling out by spring.
06Scan, calibration and reassembly
Every vehicle gets a post-repair diagnostic scan. Cameras, radar units and sensors that the repair moved are recalibrated to the manufacturer's procedure — static, dynamic or both, depending on the vehicle.
Suspension and alignment are checked on anything that took an impact. A vehicle that has been beautifully repaired and pulls to the left has not been finished.
07Quality inspection and hand-back
A final inspection covers panel gaps, finish quality under proper light, all electrical function, and that everything removed has gone back. The vehicle is cleaned inside and out before you see it.
You leave with your repair file — measurement reports, scan reports, parts documentation and the warranty. If anything is not right, bring it back and we will deal with it.
Everything in writing
Estimates, supplements and any difference between what we recommend and what your insurer authorises — all of it documented so you can decide with the numbers in front of you.
Warranted work
Workmanship and refinishing warranted for as long as you own the vehicle, with parts carrying the manufacturer's warranty.
Ready to start?
Book a free assessment and we will take it from there.