A car accident can be stressful and traumatic from having a near death experience to going to the hospital. These reactions occur even before having to estimate the damages to your car.

After taking care of your health, you can focus on making repairs. Read on to find out why you should take your damaged car to an auto body shop instead of a mechanic shop.

Making Repairs and Fixing Damage Is Not One In The Same

Many drivers are not aware of the difference between the two shops. A collision repair service and auto mechanic shop work to fix cars and get them back on the road. However, these two specialties have unique roles in the auto maintenance industry.

When You Need A Mechanic

A mechanic deals with every day things that goes wrong. If you need new brakes, lights checked, transmission examined or an oil change, then you would take your vehicle to a mechanic. Mechanics are trained to diagnose and repair the mechanical components of a vehicle.  

The Specialty Is Damage

A collision repair specialist focuses on damage and is skilled at making repairs to vehicles that are damaged through collisions. When a vehicle is in an accident, it sustains damage to the body. This damage usually occurs to the hood and fender. The automobile may also suffer minor scratches and dents to the bodywork.

Auto body shops have certifications and use special equipment for repairing the body. Common tools used include plasma cutters, metal-cutting guns and pneumatic equipment.

Painting is another service offered by auto body shops. It can be a laborious process and expensive. Many mechanic shops would not have the certification or the equipment to paint vehicles.

Structural repair is another specialty under this branch. Structural collision damage causes deep, structural damage to occur to the vehicle. The impact causes your panels to shift, twist and break. The auto body shop has to check and make sure that the other parts are properly aligned. There can always be hidden damage within the skeleton of your vehicle. A collision specialist can repair your automobile from the inside out.

It does not matter who is responsible for the accident. However, you have to report the damages and make a claim with your insurance company. An insurance agent will come out and examine the vehicle. He or she will give an estimate for damages. After getting your estimate, you can take your vehicle for a collision repair.