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Collision & body work
Somebody hit you. Now what?
Take photos, get the other driver's information, and then call here before you call anybody else. Two minutes on the phone will tell you whether this is an insurance job or a cash job — and those two answers cost very different amounts of money.
What the body side handles
From a scuff to a real hit
Body work is the half of this trade most mechanical shops send away. Here it's in the same building, which means one drop-off, one conversation, and one person accountable for the whole car — including whatever the impact did underneath the panel.
Insurance, honestly
Claim it, or pay for it?
This is the question that costs people the most money, and almost nobody gets a straight answer to it. Here's the actual arithmetic.
Small damage, big deductible
If the repair costs about what your deductible is, a claim buys you nothing and can raise your premium for years. Paying it privately is usually the cheaper end of the deal.
Serious damage
Structural, airbags, multiple panels — that's what insurance exists for. We'll work the claim and deal with the adjuster's process.
Not your fault
Different rules again. Bring the other driver's information and the claim number, and you'll be told plainly where you stand.
Either way, it's your choice
You get the numbers before you decide. Nobody here pushes you toward the route that happens to be easier for the shop.
Not legal or insurance advice — just what a shop that has handled hundreds of these will tell you across the counter.
How a body job runs
Photos first, then a real estimate
Wide shot, close-up, and one of the panel gaps. Text them over and you'll get a first read the same day.
A real estimate needs the car — hidden damage behind a bumper cover is the norm, not the exception.
Parts, labour, paint, timeline. Approve it, and the car goes into the schedule.
Panel work, refinish, then the mechanical once-over before the keys come back.
Stand-in photography · replaced with shots of real work from this shop
Questions people ask after an accident
Straight answers
Can I choose my own repair shop?
In Ontario, yes — the choice of shop is yours, not the insurer's, regardless of which shops they suggest. Tell them where the car is going.
Will the paint match?
Colour is mixed to the car's paint code and blended into the neighbouring panels so the repair doesn't sit as a patch. On older or sun-faded paint, blending is what makes the difference — and it's why a cheap quote sometimes looks cheap forever.
How long will it take?
Depends on parts. A bumper and a fender is days; a hit that needs multiple panels and a colour blend is longer. You get the timeline with the estimate, not as a surprise later.
Do you do rust repair?
Yes — rockers, wheel arches and seams. Worth doing before a safety inspection, since structural rust is one of the common reasons a car fails one. More on safeties →
Send the photos today.
The sooner someone competent looks at the damage, the fewer decisions get made for you by an adjuster who has never seen the car.