Have you looked at your car recently and noticed that it has a few dents in the panels, some scratches in the previously immaculate paint work or isn’t handling quite as well as it did before you had that slight bingle with a light pole a while back? Perhaps you’ve grown tired of the colour, or never really liked it from the start but the alternatives were even worse! Or it’s time to trade it in for a new one but you’d like to get as much of your money back as possible.

American auto body shops are not just places to take a car to be fixed after its been in an accident. Most offer a range of general auto body services from a simple paint job right through to dent and frame repairs, restoration work and car detailing.

The most common service offered at American auto body shops is painting. Vehicles that have been involved in accidents generally require some type of paint job but it’s not often known that auto body shops also provide general car painting services. They can repaint your vehicle a different color, add artwork like flames, stripes and paintings as well as various other types of decorations.

If you’re looking to increase the resale value of your vehicle, a paintwork touch up or repaint job will help greatly by making the vehicle look a lot newer. Scratches in the paintwork can also be repaired fairly easily like this. Most auto body shops have a computerized paint mixing system that allows them to easily and reliably match new paint with existing paintwork. If it’s a total new look you’re requiring they can also create exactly the shade of paint you want.

Dent repair is another common service offered by auto body shops. Dents and dings not only look unsightly, they may also reduce the value of the vehicle. If left unattended they could lead to further damage, particularly if the protective paint layer has been compromised and the underlying metal is exposed to the elements. Most dents can be quickly and easily repaired by a good auto body shop and the vehicle restored to its original condition.

If you’ve ever been in a motor vehicle accident then you’ll realize that quite often, even in the smallest accidents, either the vehicle’s frame or one of the bumpers will sustain damage. If the damage is not too severe, an auto body shop can generally repair it and get the vehicle back on the road for you in short order. Severe damage to the frame however may render the vehicle unroadworthy, in which case it pretty much needs to be written off. Bumpers that have been badly damaged are often replaced with new or second hand ones from a wreckers.

Frame mending also isn’t restricted to damage caused by accidents. Sometimes older vehicles will have sustained damage to the frame or bumpers just through general wear and tear.

One thing that is often overlooked when a vehicle has had some frame mending work done is wheel alignment. Damage to the frame can throw the wheels out of balance, leading to uneven wear on the tires and steering problems. Both are potentially dangerous and some auto body shops have a wheel alignment service, which it’s highly recommended you use if there is any chance your tire alignment is out.

Classic car restoration is an increasingly popular pastime for many motoring enthusiasts and this is also where your local American auto body shop can be of great assistance. Unless they’ve been kept in pristine condition since purchase, most old cars require a paint job, some frame mending work and invariably have dents and dings that need fixing. Throw in a good detailing to finish up and you have a show worthy specimen that looks like it just rolled off the production line yesterday.

It is important to understand though that not all American auto body shops are created equal. As with most industries, it pays to do your homework first and shop around. A good auto repair center will have apprentices and trainees working under experienced qualified technicians. They will have the expertise and the experience to spot damage to your vehicle that may not be noticeable to the non-professional, and they’ll know where to look for damage depending on the type of accident the vehicle may have sustained. They will also not fabricate damage in order to bump up the bill, knowing that you don’t know enough to dispute or query the work.

Another thing to take into consideration when looking for a quality, reputable body car shop repair center is knowledge of auto electronics and computer systems. Most new motor vehicles now have computers that run many of their vital systems and knowing how to deal with this equipment is a must. Malfunctioning computers and electronic equipment failure is expensive to repair and also means your vehicle likely won’t run properly either.

So do your homework, search out a reputable auto car shop and your vehicle will surely thank you for it.