The Temperature Can Affect Auto Body Repair

Winter often means big business for auto body shops in Billings.  People don’t slow down for slick driving conditions and they end up getting into a wreck.  Fortunately, most people have insurance that can help them get their vehicle back into working condition.  But many auto body shops in the area aren’t set up to handle the influx of customers.

The problem is that the cold weather can affect the collision repair process.  Without an adequate facility, an auto body shop could end up doing less work when there are more accidents occurring than during the other times of the year.

Big Sky Collision Center is different.

 

Longer Paint Drying Times

Most peoples’ experience with paint is on the walls of their homes, or perhaps on furniture.  When you paint anything, you have to give it time to dry.  Warmer weather and lower humidity means that the paint will dry faster that in cooler temperatures.  Auto paint is similar (although chemically quite different), and too cold of temperatures can actually prevent the paint from fully curing (causing it to flake, chip, or slough off).  Many auto body shops in Billings have to wait a lot longer to ensure that paint is dry enough to fully reassemble the vehicle.

Big Sky Collision Center is different.  We have a specialized bay for vehicles that have been painted.  This bay heats to over 100 degrees to quickly and fully cure the paint.  No matter what time of year, the paint cures exactly the same.  The result is high quality paint jobs no matter what time of year.

Further Damage to Metals and Plastics

A huge part of auto body repair is re-shaping the metal so that it’s a nice smooth surface again.  Some of the dents can be suctioned out; some have to be pounded out.  But the weather will end up affecting how effective those methods are.  When the metal is too cold, it can crack while being manipulated.  Paintless Dent Repair can end up cracking the paint causing the need for further repairs.  Some auto body shops will try to heat the metal, but the risk is that the metal gets too warm and becomes soft.

Big Sky Collision Center is different.  We have indoor shops for all aspects of the repair process.  Vehicles undergoing repairs are brought inside and allowed to warm up before any work is done on them.  By the time we remove the dents, the metal is at a temperature where it is easy to work with and won’t have problems cracking.

 

The Best Auto Body Shop in Billings

Here at Big Sky Collision Center, our focus is providing you with the best experience possible and to bring you a fully repaired vehicle that has been restored to factory safety standards.  To do that we have a state-of-the-art facility that can handle repairs all year long, even in the winter when the cold weather is slowing everyone else down.

Give us a call at 406-259-6328 to learn more, or to make an appointment.