Tag: Seattle Auto Body Shop

There are several product lines out there that promise quick, cheap solutions for all your cracked windshield needs. Though many enthusiastic do-it-yourselfers may find such a prospect attractive, this is one area where you’re well-advised to stick with the expert help of your Seattle auto body shop.

Though you’re sure to save a little money with a home repair kit, few people find the results to be worth the cost. These kits generally supply you with a low-quality resin, which frequently changes color, falls out, or causes further damage to your windshield. This problem is only compounded by the sub-par tools that go with a do-it-yourself job; professional equipment is able to leave your repair smooth, so that your wipers don’t trip up on it. It’s able to create a vacuum in the cracked area, so that no air particles are trapped inside the resin to compromise the integrity of your repair. These are things that cannot be offered by a kit.

So remember to take all of your cracked windshields to a real collision expert. We’ve got the best tools, the best materials, and the know-how it takes to make your repairs last.

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Pro Windshield Repair

Windshield cracks happen. Even if you’re the world’s greatest driver on the world’s safest roads, you’re eventually going to see a tiny break start to snake its way across that once-pristine pane that keeps the bugs out of your teeth. So what do you do about them? Are they anything to worry about? When is it time to call upon your Seattle auto body shop for repairs?

The good news is that there are actually some pretty simple standards to tell you when a windshield can be repaired or when it needs to be replaced. These all depend on the specific type of crack, its location, and its size:

• Crack: A simple fracture line. Cracks can be repaired if they are no longer than fourteen inches in length.
• Bullseye Cracks: Circular cracks caused by a sharp impact. These cracks are repairable if their diameters do not exceed one inch.
• Star Breaks: Groups of cracks emanating from a central point in a star-like shape. These can be repaired if the diameter does not exceed three inches.
• Combination Breaks: These combine the features of different kinds of cracks, like a star break within a bullseye. If the diameter of the body of such a crack (excluding any “legs”) does not exceed two inches, it can be repaired.
• Surface Pit: This is a nick in the outer glass layer of a windshield that has not penetrated into the inner plastic layer. If the diameter of a surface pit is at least one eighth of an inch, it can be repaired.

However, if your crack meets any of the following criteria, the windshield will have to be replaced:

• The crack extends from an edge and lacks an impact point (a “stress crack”)
• The crack extends to more than one edge.
• The crack is in the driver’s direct line of vision.
• The crack is contaminated to a point that it might not fill properly.

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While Greenwood’s Seattle auto body shop is well suited to solve all of your bigger car problems, a jump start is a task that you should be able to take care of by yourself. If your car isn’t starting and you blame the battery, get yourself some safety goggles, a good pair of jumper cables and a friend with a functional car. Then follow these simple steps to get your engine running again.

WITH BOTH CARS TURNED OFF, open the hoods and locate the batteries of each car. Each battery will be clearly marked with a positive (+) side and a negative (-) side. It is important to keep track of these, because attaching the wrong cables to the wrong sides can do serious damage to your engine. Attach the red cable to the positive ends of each battery. Attach the black cable to the negative end of the good battery, and then to a section of unpainted metal on the dead car. DO NOT ATTACH THE BLACK CABLE TO THE DEAD BATTERY, AND DO NOT LET THE RED CABLE TOUCH THE BLACK CABLE OR ANY OTHER PART OF THE CAR WHILE IT IS CONNECTED TO YOUR BATTERY.

Now that the cars are connected, turn the key on the car with the good battery. Leave it running for a minute or two to allow a charge to build up in the dead battery. Now you can try to start the car with the dead battery. If the car turns over, go ahead and disconnect the cables and be on your way. If you continue to experience problems, it may be time to contact your auto body shop.

Jump Start Guide

It’s no mystery that winter is a prime time for auto damage. Extreme cold and harsh, wet weather is hard enough on your car without the added dangers you face on the road. To keep you safe when Jack Frost starts knocking on your windshield, your Seattle auto body shop offers these tips:

Prepare your car. You don’t want to get caught off guard if there’s any chance that you could get snowed upon. In addition to snow chains, it’s a good idea to have a supply of sand or kitty litter to throw under your tires in case you get stuck. You’ll also want to find a brush for removing snow from your car; it can be easy to damage your paint job when scraping away snow, so look for a brush that is specially designed for this job!

Practice. If you have the luxury, you might consider finding an open parking lot or other wide, empty space where you can practice braking on icy surfaces. Proceed cautiously here, and allow enough space to assure that you’re not going to damage anything. A few trial runs across a slippery surface may help to keep you from panicking whenever you might get into a real slide.

Drive safely. Under normal conditions, you would be maintaining a following distance of three seconds. When the road is slippery, you should increase this number to eight or ten seconds. Also, you should never be using cruise control on a slippery surface.

Be ready for a skid! If your car goes into a slide, take your foot off the gas. Don’t slam on the brakes, steer your car towards where you want to go, and let it slow down enough for you to regain control. If you get stuck, try to pull out with your front tires as straight as possible; this will reduce the resistance they will encounter and improve your chances of freeing yourself.

Follow these tips this winter and you should keep any damage to your vehicle to a minimum. When all else fails, though, you can always give a call to Greenwood Collision. Through rain, sleet, or driving snow, we’ll get your car back on the road as soon as possible.

Safe Winter Driving Article Source