Boyd Autobody & Glass Articles

Every industry has unique terminology, and the auto body repair sector is no different. As a car owner, it can be difficult to understand when an estimator starts listing acronyms you don’t understand.

To help cut through the jargon and have you ready for your next repair, we’ve compiled a list of common repair-related acronyms.

DRP

DRP stands for Direct Repair Program. If an auto body shop has been approved by an insurance company for direct repair, vehicle owners are able to go through the entire repair process in one place, from assessment to estimate to repair.

VIN

Before leaving the manufacturer, each vehicle is stamped with a 17-character identification code, called the Vehicle...

Shorter days and longer nights mean that fall is coming. Soon, your easy breezy summer morning commute will be a thing of the past as kids, big and small, start trekking off to school.

As schedules get busier, though, so do the roadways, so what’s the best way to make sure that you and your car are in fine driving form and ready for the back-to-school routine? These tips will help you get the kids to morning class plus hockey, dance or band practice, too, safely and on time.

Slow ‘er down

September 1 is when lower speeds are put back into practice when driving around schools and school playgrounds. Official school zones often start before you can even see the school, so look out for those road signs to...

Having a car accident is stressful, even a minor one. Aside from the obvious concern about safety, dealing with paperwork and having your vehicle repaired just adds to your already full day-to-day to-do list.

Being prepared with questions about the best way to repair your vehicle can help your stress levels and make your ride a smooth one. Here are a few questions to ask when talking to your collision repair shop about getting you back on the road quickly.

      1. Is my car a total write-off?

Even if a vehicle’s frame is damaged, most cars can be returned to their original, fresh out-of-the-box factory specifications. Usually, only when the repairs would exceed your insurance...

Darn. Someone dinged your car door in the parking lot! It’ll probably take weeks at the body shop to correct, patch, sand, and repaint the whole area, right? Wrong. What if there was a better way that’s fast, easy, and saves you money? Enter PDR - Paintless Dent Repair.

PDR can correct minor collision dents without all the hassle. You can have your dent fixed fast and for a reasonable rate.As long as there is no paint damage on your vehicle, PDR may be right for you. It’s perfect for the hail damage on the hood of your car. Or if your neighbor dents your side door, PDR can do the trick. It is easy to fix minor dings and even large dents. No metal exposed? You’re likely good to go.

The three main reasons to use...

Apart from your home, it is likely that your vehicle is one of the more expensive purchases you may make. Thus, you will want to do whatever you can to keep your automobile safe and in excellent working order. Unfortunately, there are some things in life we cannot control and eventually, you may find your vehicle in need of auto body repairs. However, with multiple body shops to choose from, it might be difficult to decide where to take your car to get it fixed. How do you choose – especially if you are not particularly knowledgeable about auto body repairs! 

With that in mind, we have come up with a short list of things to know before choosing where to have your auto body repairs completed! 

1 – You...

An auto collision is not an experience any of us particularly wants to deal with, but unfortunately, some drivers may find themselves in this situation at some point in their lives. It is a stressful experience with lots of things to think about including arranging auto collision repairs. That’s where things might get complicated because there are so many myths and misconceptions out there regarding collision repairs. 

Let’s take a moment to bust a few of the most common myths regarding auto collision repairs. 

1 – It’s Up to Your Insurance Provider Where You Get Your Collision Repairs

Many drivers believe it is down to their insurance provider to decide which body shop will handle...

Back To School!

It's that time of year again when our mailboxes are brimming with flyers for back to school specials. Pens for a dime? Notebooks for a quarter? Back to school outfits for a toonie? Sounds good! We'll take a dozen of each!

"Back to school" means something else entirely for drivers

"Back to school" should be synonymous with "SLOW DOWN".

In the summer drivers tend to relax a little because (compared to winter driving) the roads are nice and dry and we can see further ahead. The sun is out for much longer and people take vacations, so there are fewer people on the roads. In other words, it's much easier to drive safely in the summer and (if we were to be honest with ourselves) we may slack a little in our driving...

Part of driving safely means spotting the dangers, and some of those dangers are easy to spot

That weaving vehicle? That speeding driver? That guy who ran the red light? Those are obvious. Here are dangers that are more difficult to spot.

Be aware of them and watch for them so you can avoid a collision when these invisible dangers are present Vehicles in your blindspot. This is probably the best-known "invisible danger" and yet so many drivers fail to check their blindspots before turning. A quick shoulder-check gives you an opportunity to sweep your blindspots with your eyes to make sure it's safe to turn Children. Children are oblivious to the world around them. And they're short. That's a scary...

During the Academy Awards, we are reminded that it takes far more than a talented actor and actress to make a movie

There is also the director, the producer, the film crew, the musicians, and (of course) the supporting cast… and so many more.

The same is true if you think of driving as a type of on-the-road performance

The driver might be the leading actor or actress, as well as the director and producer all rolled into one. They are not the only actor in this drama! Consider some of the other actors that can change the scene at a moment's notice:

Other drivers. Vehicles share the road with other vehicles and those vehicles are driven by other drivers. Each driver has a goal (to get where they want to go) and usually...

It's the commute home FROM work that really does you in

Your day starts off just fine. It's a little rushed in the morning but everyone gets out the door on time and you get to work (with a quick stop at Tim Hortons of course).

Why is that?

It's not always easy to tell while you are in the vehicle driving home but here's what we think Your day at work can sometimes build up stress. Bosses are annoying, coworkers are far from perfect, customers can be demanding, and you're reminded by the end of the day that you don’t get paid enough to do what you do You're thinking about the project that you wanted to finish today but didn't get a chance to do and you'll have to rush it a bit tomorrow morning to have it ready You haven't...