Collision Repair

A jigsaw is a versatile tool that easily cuts metal when you use the proper blade. You need to use a fine-tooth blade that has 21 to 24 teeth-per-inch (TPI). The higher the TPI, the finer the cut...

Properly closing down welding equipment at the end of a workday will extend the life of the equipment. Leaving the welder running overnight causes the internal components to wear rapidly, and if...

Shielding gas used for welding runs through a regulator and an outlet flow gauge before traveling to the welder through gas hoses. A flow meter replaces the outlet flow gauge. A flow meter is an...

Airbags help save countless lives every year. The cost of this technology is well worth the value they bring to any car, but the price of replacement airbags does significantly add to the repair...

MIG welding feels a lot different to the operator than stick welding does, so it is good to be prepared. As with any endeavor, practice will always improve your skills, but going into your first...

That parked car came out of nowhere and you didn't have time to stop. I know. It happens. Luckily it was a 1971 Mercury Montego with a solid steel bumper and it didn't get damaged at ALL. Your...

Large pop rivets take a toll on your hand during a day of work. Pneumatic rivet guns automate the process, removing the strain of setting rivets and increasing productivity. There is a minimal...

Welding with a wire welder, known as a MIG welder, results in spatter. Spatter is the remnants of the wire electrode that do not fuse with the weld puddle and splatter on the surface surrounding...

A fillet weld rests between two perpendicular pieces of metal. The fillet weld should be the size of the thinnest metal thickness coming to the weld joint. Before measuring the fillet weld, you...

Tungsten is an electrode used in tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. Grinding tungsten improperly will result in poor weld quality, as the current will not flow from the tungsten to the weld joint...

Easily remove paint and rust from metal with a wire wheel---a collection of wire strands fastened to a base, which then attaches to different types of power tools. A wire wheel attached to a drill...

It never fails that just after you’ve spent all day washing and waxing your new car, someone comes along and scrapes their key down the side of it, ruining both your mood and your car’s paint job....

There are several different ways to repair the inevitable scratches and dings that happen to our cars and trucks. When paint is impacted or scratched, the surrounding paint, though it may look...

Oxy-acetylene torches are a common tool on jobs that require modification to steel. Torches are used to cut, notch, and braze thick steel beams and heavy metal plate. Unlike other methods of...

Wire feed welding or MIG welding is a common welding process. The welding electrode and filler wire are combined in a spool of wire that is continually fed through the MIG gun and into the welding...

Had a car accident? Need car repairs? Filling a car insurance claim? Don't trust the insurance companies or the auto repair shops to treat you right. Here's how to keep them honest.

Touch-up paint can be a valuable tool when trying to cover small scratches and chips that inevitably strike the surface of your car's doors over time. However, these paints often do not match the...

Slide hammers are the most popular and effective tool used in removing dents from vehicles. Body shops and collisions centers use them on large and small dents. You can purchase a slide hammer at...

TIG welding is one of the most common types of professional welding used today. It is especially useful when welding thin sheets of metal or certain types of metals such as aluminum and other...

Our vision is a blessing, and most of us would be lost without it. That is why it is important to always use protective eyewear when engaging in activities that could be dangerous to the eyes. In...

Body damage is an unfortunate inevitability of owning a car. Whether from minor door dings to more serious collisions, body damage can diminish the car's value and, if left unrepaired, can lead to...

The MIG welding process is efficient due to its ability to feed welding wire through the electrode. This allows for longer weld times and increased productivity. Unlike other welding machines that...

When you notice a scratch, scuff or paint chip on your bumper, you generally have three choices: you can leave it alone and wait for it to get worse (and it will), you can take it to a body shop...

Flux-cored wire is held on a wire spool and used with a Metal Inert Gas welder. The same welding procedures are used for both solid wire and flux-cored wire. Flux-cored wire does not rely on a...

Metal Inert Gas welding uses a spool of wire to allow you to perform long continuous weld. This propelled MIG welding into the lead as the most commonly used welding process. Speed comes at a cost...

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) require an inert gas to shield the weld from contamination from reactive gases found in the atmosphere. Plasma arc welding (PAW) uses both an...

Perfect conditions would allow a welder to weld every project in a flat position. However, imperfect conditions arise and welders need to adapt to those conditions. Field welding and welding on...

Fiberglass fenders can be an expensive fix if you have to order a brand new one. An easier route is to do the repair yourself. Almost all fiberglass fractures or even holes can be repaired in a...

Dents can be repaired in multiple ways, but the only sure way to repair any dent, no matter the depth or size, is to use a slide hammer. A slide hammer is also called a dent puller and is used by...

Paintless dent removal is the easiest and most expensive way to repair dents. No heavy equipment or special dent pulling tools are needed. Repairing a dent without having to sand, primer and paint...

High spots that occur when doing body work are from the metal surface of the car sticking out too far. This can happen from being dented or from repair work going wrong. High spots in body work...

One of the most popular auto customizations is aftermarket grille replacement. The Ford Ranger has a simple grille design that makes removing the old grille and installing a new one very easy even...

For the best results, completing body and paint repairs on a vehicle should be left to trained, experienced professionals. If you are inexperienced and looking for a decent paint finish, you can...

Dents on the side of your car can make even a new car look bad. Old or new, the cost of dent repair can be expensive, especially if the dents are extensive. Collision repair shops charge by the...

Hail can cause severe damage to your car. It most often damages the roof, hood and trunk areas. A collision center charges for material and time, so the bill can get very expensive very quickly...

Scratches in car paint can make a nice paint job look bad. Scratches can also cause damage to the body of the car by allowing moisture to reach the bare metal under the paint. This eventually...

Body side molding on a Nissan Xterra comes in a variety of colors. It comes in rolls with a sticky backing that quickly cures when the protective tape is removed and it comes in contact with the...

Your car's rear bumper probably is the area most likely to get bumped or dented at some point. Most bumpers on cars made today are plastic and can be repaired using one of several methods.

Laws governing consumer rights in insurance matters are particular to each state. Auto insurance is a legal contract between a policy holder and the underwriter, within parameters outlined by a...

A wrecked car may cost thousands of dollars to repair at a collision shop. You can often perform the same repairs on your own for as little as a few hundred dollars. You will need a few basic...

Removing a dent from a car requires several special tools made specifically for this job. Some tools may be substituted with general use tools, but the majority must be automotive tools. All auto...

The Neon was introduced in 1995 and sold until 2005 by Chrysler Corporation, under the Dodge brand. The Neon proved to be a popular vehicle for modifications, including body-kits and aftermarket...

Once a vehicle has been turned over to a collision repair center, after the police reports are finished and all insurance photographs are taken, repairs aren't begun right away. The first step in...

Dent repairs are easily done by any body shop or collision center around the country, but they can charge hundreds of dollars for these repairs. You can repair your own car without paying for more...

Scratches can occur on the front or rear plastic bumper of your vehicle. Repairing these scratches isn't as difficult or as important as repairing scratches on sheet metal, since the plastic can't...

Removing dents from a car doesn't have to be a difficult job. Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for a collision shop to remove the dents from your car, you can do it yourself. It does take...

Bodywork requires skill and experience to complete a full repair from start to finish. This includes repairing dents or dings, preparing the surface for paint and then painting the car. To better...

Your whole car can appear battered and old with a few small dents in the side of it. Small or large, dents make a car look bad. Dent removal is an expensive process at body shops and collision...

Dent removal is a common repair job for any body shop, but a relatively new technique is gaining in popularity. Without the use of body refill and the need to repaint the repaired area, Paintless...

Dents can be an eyesore even on a new car, but having them repaired at a body shop can be expensive. There are several ways you can repair dents yourself using a few tools found around your home...