When To Consider Taking Your Car In For Body Work
Auto body repair may not always involve structural repairs to your car, but if your vehicle has a lot of minor damage to the body, it may not look great. Damage to the body can also lower the value, and deciding when it is time to take the car in for a facelift may hinge on a few things.
Trade-In Time
Cars that are driven every day will eventually get some dings and dents on them. It is nearly impossible to stop that from happening, and while you may not care how the car looks, if you are considering trading the vehicle in on a new one soon, it could benefit you to put a little time into body repairs and touch-ups.
You can often find an auto body repair shop that can fill the dings and spot paint the car to make it look good and increase the trade-in value enough to offset the cost of the work. Some shops offer different work levels for these types of situations and may have a budget touch up that you can get for a couple hundred dollars. It can sometimes mean the few hundred dollars you spend now will net double that on your trade, but if money is tight, it can be a gamble.
Resale Value
Like the trade-in value, a car that looks good will have a better resale value than a rough, dented, or rusted vehicle. Having an auto body repair tech work on the car and fix the damage can make a significant difference in what the car is going to sell for.
In some cases, the car may attract more attention at a higher price because the new paint and the straight, undamaged body looks good. If the vehicle is an older model, someone may be looking for that model and not find one in good shape. This can be motivation to pay a little more for the car when they see it.
Long-Term Reliability
Even if you are not considering getting rid of your car, auto body repair is often an excellent way to extend the vehicle's life. Damage to the sheet metal can allow water and road debris to get caught up behind the panels and cause rust to form where you can't see it.
Over time, the rust will begin to eat through the panels and cause the paint to bubble, crack, and peel off the body. Once the damage starts, it can be difficult to stop, but the auto body repair shop can cut out the rust and repair the panel, or replace it entirely, preventing further rust and keeping the body in better shape for a more extended time.
For more information, contact an auto body repair service in your area.