Car Scratch Repair

The damage on this bumper corner was caused by another driver reversing out of a tight car parking spot. As you can see the damage is located around the rear off side corner around the wheel arch section. This customer contacted us via email from which he sent us some photos for an estimate, the price we gave was more than agreeable so we booked him in a date and time for the repair.

The day we arrived the weather was not on our side from the start, it was raining quite hard and the customer had no cover for us to work in, so we had to use our portable shelter. It only took a couple of minutes to erect and gave us complete protection around the area that we were intending to fix.

The repair took us an hour and a half to fully complete and is waterproof straight away, which was handy for the rain had not stopped and was set to continue for the rest of the day. The customer was very impressed with the service and the final result. All our repairs are fully guaranteed which gave the customer that little extra piece of mind when selecting our mobile car scratch repair service.

If you have a car scratch or any other form of body work damage you would like fixed then send us a photo at sales@carbodyrepairs-uk.info or fill out our car body repair form or give us a call 0800 0778832 for more information.

Shorter Working Hours

Just a note to let you know that our working hours will be changing over the next few weeks. Our working hours are totally dependent on the amount of daylight there is in a day, what we mean by this is that we can only repair body work damage when there is sufficient daylight available. It’s pointless trying to repair damage in the dark or when it’s near to dark for in the morning the repair could look totally different. Over the past 3 months we have benefited from the extended amount of daylight and have been working from 8am till 8pm in the evening as a result, but the end of summer and the start of autumn brings with it shorter days and  so shorter working hours for us.

From the Start of October Car Body Repairs 4 Less will be working from 9am till 5pm Monday through to Saturday.  If you work during the week and need a car booked in for a repair when you get home we wouldn’t be able to do this past 3pm, for it will be dark when the repair is finished and checking the quality would be imposable. As a result of the change in daylight hours we will be opening our diary for emergency appointments on Sundays.

If you have a garage with sufficient light available then you can still have your car repaired as long as there is enough room for our equipment (about 1 metre from any obstacle).

We hope that this doesn’t affect too many customers.

Good and Bad Smart Repairs

Smart repair services are great for repairing those small bits of damage around your car like bumper scratches, key scratches, dents and stone chips. They are a cheap and efficient alternative to using a body shop, with repair times reduced dramatically and as they come to your home to carry out the repair, it is really convenient. In Hertfordshire and Essex alone there are more than fifty smart repair services all competing for the same business in both the trade and private sector. While the majority of these services are professional in their work approach there are some that don’t match up. Unfortunately there are some car body repair companies out there that are giving the industry a bad name, which is frustrating as most of the companies provide a professional service with guarantees of their work. There are instances of some companies using substandard materials and equipment that has a detrimental effect on the repair finish. Along with this they can have low health and safety standards that not only puts themselves at risk but also the people around them. By following these tips you can make sure you are using a professional and safe car body repair company.

1. If you have some form of car body damage and need a smart repair service it’s always best to research the services in your area first.
2. Look at photos of their previous work so you can see the quality of their repairs and read customer reviews.
3. Recommendations are always the best way to choose a company, so ask around.
4. Good smart repair companies will usually work in at least two different garages. If they do ask for references.
5. When phoning around smart repair services, check if they use VOC compliant materials. If they do it means they are in line with the latest paint and lacquer techniques.

It might seem like a lot of research to do for a simple repair like a car bumper scuff or vandal scratch, but if it’s not repaired properly it may end up costing you more further down the line.

Scuff Repair in Watford

This customer had someone collide with his new Volkswagen Polo in a supermarket car park. The offender didn’t leave his name or number and speed off straight after. It’s hard when someone damages your car especially if you watch it happen this customer kept his cool informed the police and charges were brought against the vandal. It’s a shame but all the vandal needed to do was leave his detail or contact a mobile car body repair service like ours that could have same him the trouble of going to court for a messily £95.

As you can see from the photo the rear bumper has been scratched and deeply gouged, it doesn’t need a replacement part but a couple of hours TLC to put right. The damaged area needed to be filled with plastic padding to even out the bumpers surface before the painting could begin.

The repair took us 2 hours in total to fix and is drivable straight away. This customer lived in Rickmansworth near Watford in Hertfordshire; he contacted us via email sales@carbodyrepairs-uk.info for a quote. You can do the same or fill out our car body repair quote form.

Bumper Scuff Repair Chigwell

This bumper damage was caused by another vehicle that went into the rear of this car while it was parked, the customer left there details and were prepared to pay for the bumper repair. This customer was based in Chigwell in Essex that’s well within the areas we cover. We have already been to this customer numerous times over the past few years so we were well known to him and him by us.

As you can see from the photo above the damage is located on the rear off side bumper corner. The damage is easy enough to fill and repair but the colour of the car is a different kettle of fish. It’s not a solid white but a translucent pearlescent white which contains more pearlescent tint than any other in the mix, so requires nearly twice as much paint to cover than a standard white.

The repair was carried out on a dry sunny day which is quite rare at the moment and completed with 2 hours. We eventually applied 5 coats of paint and two coats of lacquer to complete the bumper repair.

If you have a similar type of repair or just need a quote, you can contact us via email sales@carbodyrepairs-uk.info or call on 0800 0778832 or you can fill out our car body repair quote form.

Reducing Costs for Customers

At scuff n chips we aim to give you the customer the best mobile car body repair service available at the lowest cost. In today’s uncertain economic environment where every penny counts we know that cost is a key factor on whether you have a car body repair carried out or not, so as a result are constantly trying to reduce our over heads to try and give you the best deal on the market to fix your body damage. One way we are trying to achieve this is by constantly sourcing automotive products, materials and equipment from varying competing manufacturers and producers to get the best possible deal and reduce customer costs as a result.

Even down to the small things like recycling old news papers by using them as masking sheets and concentrating jobs in one localised area for the day instead of all over the counties helps reduce the fuel cost. We recycle all our paint mixing pots as well as storing paint that can be used for other jobs all these additional measures helps reduce the overall cost for us and for you the customer.

As a by product of all these cost cutting and money saving techniques we have reduced our businesses car bon foot print which is  essential in this eco environment we live in and beneficial as a whole to you the customer, the environment and all of our futures too.

 

Rain Rain Go Away

Over the last few months starting from May the weather has been consistently poor with rain forecast for most days, and has been the wettest 3 months over the summer period on record. This understandably has affected our mobile car body repair service, even though we have a portable shelter that offers us some protection the wet weather can still slow down the repair time. This has given us a huge back log of car body repairs that need to be cleared but in this weather its virtually impossible to carry out all the jobs we have on in a day as well as fit in extra jobs on top, but there seems to be an end in sight.

Over the next week starting from the 23^rd July the weather is supposed to get warmer and dryer, which is great news not only for you sun worshipers out there but for us to, for we should be able to start clearing our back log of jobs. We will have to work longer hours than usual but it’s worth it to get back on track with our business.

We have made it even easier to get a quote for your car body damage by having a simple form that you can fill out and upload photos on our website see Car Body Repair Quote.

Scratch Prevention

There are numerous ways in which you can get a scratch on your car, from branches and moving objects to intentional vandalism. Scratches are unsightly and can be costly to repair, so trying to prevent the scratch from happening in the first place is key to saving you money and keeping up your cars appearance. There are different techniques that can be used to prevent a scratch, but vary to the type of scratch you are trying to prevent. The top four scratch preventative techniques are listed below.

1. Light scratches can be found around handles and are caused by finger nails and key rings. The best way to stop these from appearing is to take care when opening your car door, try not to let your keys/keying dangle while you use the handle and fold your fingers in tight so your nails don’t scratch the paintwork in the cavity. These scratches are light so if you do manage to get them they can be easily removed (depending upon the severity) with the use of cutting compounds and polish.
2. Intentional scratches that are caused by vandals can be difficult to prevent for they can occur at any time on anybody panel, all you can do is reduce the chance of them happening. Park in well lit areas if possible and near CCTV cameras, keep out of areas that are well known for vandals and always use your garage or driveway if you have them. If you get a vandal scratch it will cost a fair amount to repair by a scratch repair service.
3. Bumper scratches that are self inflicted can be easily prevented by fitting sensors to the front and rear bumpers. These will give you plenty of warning before you are anywhere near an object, they might be expensive to fit but are well worth it for what you will spend on the fitting you will more than save on the potential repairs.
4. Most scratches on cars are caused by parking in tight spots or busy areas where people are constantly moving past your car. To solve this park further away, it might mean that you walk further to your destination but you will reduce the chance of scratches in the process.

The preventative measures set out above if used correctly will reduce the possibility of you getting any form of scratch on most body panels, and therefore saving you money on their repairs.

Dent Repair Bishops Stortford

Our standard size of dent that we can repair is usually the size of a tennis ball, but sometimes there are occasions when larger size dents can be repaired, it just depends where the dent is and its shape. This customer is based in Bishops Stortford on the Hertfordshire and Essex border and had driven into a garage wall while trying to park, the result of this impact left him with a nasty looking dent on the front wing. He sent Scuff n Chips some photos via email from which we returned a quote within 24 hours. We explained to the customer that the dent is larger than the typical size dent we fix and might not be a 100% repair, the customer was happy with this for he didn’t want to go through the insurance and had an overpriced quote from a body shop.

As you can see from the photo the dent is over the front wheel arch and has pushed in the wheel arch contour line.

The repair took 3 hours to fix and required a fair amount of filler after as much as possible had been pulled out. As you can see from the photo above the damage is virtually invisible and well worth the repair by our mobile car body repair service.

If you have a dent or similar type of damage and need a quote, email us some photos at sales@carbodyrepairs-uk.info we will get back to you within 24 hours with a quote.

Bumper Scuff Repair Harlow

This scuff on the off side front bumper corner was caused by the customer scuffing another moving car at slow speed. The customer lives in Harlow in Essex and had found our contact details on the internet. He emailed us a photo of the damage from which we replied with a quote within 24 hours and a date and possible times we were available to carry out the repair.

As you can see in the photo above, the bumper scuff is sporadic over the entire corner with the base plastic in black showing through. Luckily the scuffing is not over the wing or the bonnet and located in one area which makes the repair a lot easier to fix, the car is 2003 registered star silver 3 colours. Sometimes the age of the car can cause problems for when we make up the colour for the repair it’s for the original colour and does not take into account colour distortion or bleaching over the cars life which can have a distinctive effect on the car paint.

The car body repair was completed within 2 hours and was drivable straight away; the colour is virtually spot on and did not cause us to much bother adjusting for differences. During the repair of the bumper scuff it did start to rain but we erected our outside shelter which gave us protection from the elements throughout the repair.

If you live in Harlow in Essex or in any other area that we cover and have similar damage on your car give us a call on 0800 0778832 or email us some photos sales@carbodyrepairs-uk.info for a free quote within 24 hours.