Smash repairs
Accident Repairs in Brisbane
If your car has been in an accident, the next practical step is to get the damage looked at properly before anyone talks about price or timeframes. We repair accident damage of every size at our Moorooka workshop, from a kerbed bumper through to structural work, along with the mechanical damage that usually comes with it. Call 0402 723 464 and we will tell you what happens now.
If it just happened
What to do first
Work through the steps on our smash repairs page first. They cover injuries, safety, exchanging details, photographs, police reporting and opening the claim, in the order they need to happen.
Once that is done, call us. We can usually tell you over the phone whether the car is safe to drive in the meantime, and if it is not, we will help you organise towing.
Understanding the damage
How bad is it, really
Accident damage falls into a few broad bands, and where your car sits decides almost everything about the repair.
Cosmetic
Scuffed paint, a scraped bumper cover, a light dent in an outer panel. The structure is untouched. Work like this is usually a few days.
Panel damage
A dent or crease deep enough that the panel has stretched, or a panel that has to come off and be replaced. Paint has to be matched and blended into the panels either side.
Structural
The impact has moved something the car depends on for its shape, such as a chassis rail, a strut tower or a subframe mounting. This is measured work with defined tolerances.
Mechanical under the panels
Radiators, condensers, steering racks, control arms, suspension mounts and cooling hoses all sit close behind the bumper. None of it shows up in a photo of the outside.
Most cars that arrive here after a decent impact sit in more than one band at once. That is the reason we assess before quoting rather than after.
The repair process
What actually happens to your car
Assessment and quote
We strip what needs stripping to see the damage, measure where measuring is required, and write it up. More on that on our collision damage assessment page.
Insurer sign-off
If the job is going through a claim, the assessor reviews the quote before work starts. We deal with that directly.
Parts ordering
Availability here is the single biggest thing we cannot control, particularly on European models and anything recently updated.
Repair and replacement
Panels reshaped or swapped, structural sections pulled back into specification.
Preparation and paint
Primer, colour matched to your car rather than to the paint code alone, then clear coat and blending into adjacent panels.
Reassembly and mechanical checks
Trims, lights, sensors and fluids back in, then wheel alignment and a road test.
Final inspection
We go over the car before you see it, not after.
One building, two workshops
The mechanical side, which is where a lot of repairs fall down
Our mechanical workshop and our smash repair workshop are the same building. That matters more after an impact than it sounds.
A front-end hit that leaves the bonnet looking straight can still have pushed the alignment out, cracked a radiator support, bent a control arm or damaged a steering component. If the panel shop and the mechanical shop are separate businesses, those faults tend to become your problem a month later, at your cost.
Here it gets checked as part of the repair, because the person who can check it is twenty metres away.
Communication
How you get kept in the loop
The most common complaint people have about smash repairers is silence. We work on the basis that you should hear from us at the assessment, when the insurer signs off, if a supplementary claim has to be raised, when parts land, and when the car is ready.
If a date moves, we tell you it has moved rather than waiting for you to ring and ask.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is my car safe to drive after an accident?
Call us and describe what happened and what you can see. If there is any doubt about steering, brakes, lights, tyres or fluid leaking onto the ground, do not drive it.
Do I need to go through insurance?
No. Plenty of jobs are paid privately, particularly smaller ones where the repair cost is close to the excess. We will quote it either way and you can decide.
Can I choose where my car is repaired?
Under most Australian comprehensive policies you can nominate your own repairer, though some policies restrict it. Check the choice of repairer section of your own product disclosure statement.
Do you tow?
We can arrange towing to Baldock St. Ring us and we will organise it.
Will the repaired panel look different to the rest of the car?
It should not. Paint is matched to the car as it is now, allowing for fade, then blended into the adjacent panels so there is no hard edge where the new colour starts.
What if more damage is found once the car is apart?
It happens on most jobs of any size. Where the repair is going through a claim, the extra work goes back to the assessor as a supplementary claim before we proceed.
Do you repair European cars?
Yes. All makes and models, including European, diesel, 4WD, hybrid and EV.
Can you handle fleet and commercial vehicles?
Yes, and we can deal with your fleet manager directly on approvals if that is easier.
Do I have to be there to drop the car off?
No. We have an after-hours key drop, so you can leave the car outside business hours.
How do I get a quote?
Bring the car to 2 Baldock St, Moorooka, or call 0402 723 464. Photos help us give you a rough idea, but a proper quote needs the car in front of us.
Free damage assessment
Bring the car in
for a proper look.
Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm. After-hours key drop available. All major cards and cash.