Collision & Repair Considerations

A couple of years ago there were 6.3 million auto accidents in this country. At the time there were 217 million driving age adults. Some accidents have only one car involved, some three or more, but if you use an average of 2 cars per accident it works out to about a one in 17 chance of being involved in an accident during the year.

Most motorists have a pretty good idea of where to go for their routine oil change, tires, and other maintenance or repairs when needed, but have no idea where to take their car if they are involved in an accident. Many don’t even realize that they can take it someplace other than where the tow truck driver tells them.

There are many very good body shops in our area, and unfortunately there are many of the “other” kind. How can you know the difference before it is too late and you have a car that is not properly repaired, has a poor paint color match, or sits in the shop for months while your rental car benefits run out?

The best proof of a quality body shop is in its finished product. Talking to your friends or neighbors will reveal a lot. Whether their experience was good or bad you will learn of at least one shop to use or avoid. Another way to find a good shop is to ask your mechanic. They may actually do body repair themselves and if you are happy with the mechanical service they have provided you will probably be just as happy with the collision repair they do. Even if they do not do body work at their shop they will know local shops that perform good work.

Once you have located a shop that you would use if needed keep that information handy, maybe keeping a business card in your glove box or wallet. Be sure that each family or company driver knows your preference and where that information is.

When you do have the unwanted experience of an accident tell the tow truck driver where you want the car towed. If they give you any argument tell the officer on the scene where you want it to go. If it is after hours have the tow driver take your car to their storage lot, or to your home. If you have it towed home most drivers will want cash, not a check, for the fee. If it is towed to the storage lot the insurance will pay for the transfer tow to the shop of your choice the next morning.

Be very careful about signing anything the truck driver gives you. They will often have a repair authorization in with the paper work. Also a signed tow slip is considered a “consent tow” and is subject to much higher rates than a “non-consent tow” ordered by the officer on the scene. With a non-consent tow the truck will have to take the car to its storage lot facility.

If you are dealing with a good body shop a phone call to the shop will set everything, including the cars transfer, in motion. You may have to sign a release for the car at the storage lot, but everything else can be handled by the shop you chose.

Collision repair is very complex, involving both high tech mechanical systems and the art of making a wrecked car look great again. When considering a body shop the location should not be nearly as important as the quality of the shop. We look for a general service shop near our home for the convenience of it. When looking for a body shop that hopefully you will only use once in many years don’t be afraid to expand your normal search area.

Freedom Automotive has both mechanical and collision services and we will be happy to help either with the repair of your car, or a referral a little closer to your home.

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Home Address Linked To Risk Of Auto Accidents: How Do You Rate?
By: Ariana Bianchi
Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk

A study released by Quality Planning Corp (QPC), a San Francisco-based analytics company that helps insurance companies price insurance, reveals that a person’s physical home address, not just ZIP code, can predict the likelihood of an auto accident. The research, which consisted of an analysis of 15 million policyholders and 2 million auto claims, shows that people who live within a mile of a church or other religious institution are much less likely to be involved in an auto accident, as opposed to those who live within a mile of a restaurant.

In fact, living within one mile of an eating establishment increases the risk of auto accident by about 30 percent, while living within a mile of a church decreases the risk by 10 percent.

Wondering what other neighborhood locations increase the risk of accident? Living near grocery stores, schools, and banks all weighed in as high risk areas. Conversely, living near a doctor’s office, airport, or community park showed the risk of accident to be substantially lower.

“It’s important to remember,” says Bob U’Ren, QPC vice president of marketing, “that these observations are indicative of the area and we would naturally expect higher accident rates in higher traffic areas.”

Makes sense. But while some of the results seem predictable, other results are surprising. For instance, churches and elementary schools are ubiquitous in most neighborhoods, yet their accident rates are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

U’Ren adds, “There are also comparatively fewer homes and apartments, and generally lower vehicle use, close to parks and forests. But who would have thought it is more dangerous to live by an elementary school than a liquor store?”

The study does not really contemplate why certain areas demonstrate increased risk, but undoubtedly research on the subject will continue now that QPC has been able to refine auto risk assessment from the ZIP code level down to the street level.

“It’s well known that auto insurers use a policyholder’s ZIP code to calculate the risk he or she represents,” comments Founder and CEO of QPC, Dr. Daniel Finnegan. “New technology enables us to be even more accurate in determining the level of risk associated with a policy by identifying the specific risk factors associated with that policyholder’s home address.

“In our research to develop a new predictive loss model for auto insurers, we have identified more than 500 variables that are highly correlated to auto accidents, many of which are specific to a policyholder’s home address. Among the more interesting variables we found are hail storms, crime rate, topography, traffic patterns, occupation, street width and chiropractors per capita.”

QPC’s new predictive loss model assists auto insurance companies in their efforts to minimize rating error. The ability to assess risk at the street level, and not just based on ZIP code, provides a better predictor of property/casualty insurance losses, enabling insurers to rate more accurately. More accurate rating can mean better financial stability for the companies.

But what does more accurate rating mean for you? Well, some analysts argue that more accurate rating could mean a decrease in auto premiums. While this may be true for some drivers in certain locations, the opposite could also be true. In other words, auto premiums could go up if you happen to live near, say, an elementary school. And chances are good that you do.

Before you start house hunting for a place in the middle of a forest within a mile of a church, know that insurers are not likely to use these partly ambiguous correlations just yet to adjust auto premiums. More research is needed to understand why these risk factors influence auto accidents, and what can be done to mitigate those risks.

Automotive Q&A

QUESTION:
Hello, I recently purchased a 2006 Ford F150 XLT Triton supercrew. I want to really take care of this truck and make it last forever. In your opinion should I only use the manufacturer suggested oil in my oil changes.

It says to use only Motorcraft oil as well as filters, etc. Am i safe if I just use the regular bulk oil that most oil change places use. I believe the oil my mechanic uses started with an L, like Linden or something. And in your opinion is it better to do all the maintanence at the Ford dealership or should I be ok with my regular mechanic. And do you suggest I stay with Motorcraft oil, filters, etc. what Ford is recommending. Or is other brands ok, Ford just wanting to get the most money out of me. Thanks for all of your help!

ANSWER:
Congratulations, you picked a good vehicle if you are looking for long and dependable service.
We get this question about Dealership vs. Independent service and maintenance often and some folks are actually led to believe that they must have the service done at the dealer to keep their warranty.

First off the manufacturer cannot require you to use their service facilities for anything unless they are doing it for free, such as warranty repair or a recall. However, they can and do establish the minimum standards for service and products used on their cars and trucks.

Oil is one of the most misunderstood products. The technology has and continues to change at a fast rate to keep up with the changes in the engines and emission systems. There are so many different oils making so many varied claims that the average motorist has no idea what is appropriate for their car.

Most of us are familiar with the old SAE standard of oil weight. For instance your car calls for 5W20 oil. Those numbers refer only to the viscosity of the oil, it's ability to flow at specific temperatures. Using the specified oil weight is critical to engine life, but by itself is not enough.
API also has a letter standard that tells us other things about an oil such as its ability to fight aeration, fuel economy rating and the amount of specific additives or contaminates in it. The current API spec is "SM". The weight and the rating are both shown on the API "donut" logo located on the oil container.

A few years ago we started using the International standard, ILSAC. The International Lubrication Standardization and Approval Committee sets a standard for all oils used around the world, with some exceptions for European cars. The current rating standard for ILSAC oil is GF4. If you use a GF4 oil in any car or light gas powered truck build since 2001 you will meet or exceed the oil standard requirements. All oils meeting this standard display a "Starburst" logo on the label.
For a 2006 vehicle you want to use the proper weight, in your case 5W20, and a API SM or ILSAC GF4 oil. All of the major oil companies make this oil, not just Motorcraft.

The problem you, or any driver has is to know if the service shop you chose is using the proper oil.
The major oil change places, especially those that fly an oil company banner, are going to be using the right oil. Some of the discount places may not. If you see a very cheap oil change price I would be concerned about the quality of the oil, GF4 oil is much more expensive than the older oils.

If you are using an independent repair shop ask them what they use as the "house" brand of oil. If, for any reason, you think they might lie to you then you are in the wrong place for an oil change, or any service.

At Freedom Auto we use Motorcraft oil in all the Ford products. We use Castrol GF4 in almost everything else. The problem has been that there are so many different weight specifications (0W20, 0W30, 5W20, 5W30, 10W30) that we can no longer depend on the "house" brand and weight for every car. Each oil change requires a look at the specification. Fortunately that spec is clearly printed on the oil filler cap of most cars.

You can still enjoy the convenience and personalized service of the independent shop, just ask the right question, "What kind of oil do you use in my car?" Just to make it more confusing GF5 oils will be standard in 2010 vehicles.