Collision Repair… Why you should only use an I-Car Gold Class Professionals body shop to repair your vehicle
An automobile is typically the second largest purchase most people make. It is also a machine that you depend on to protect you and your passengers from harm in the case of an accident.
If your vehicle is damaged in a collision, how do you ensure that it is properly repaired so that it retains its value and can perform the same safety functions in the future?
Poor quality body and paint work diminishes the value of your car and compromises its safety. In many cases, it’s harder to fix bad body repair than it is to fix the original accident damage!
Since most vehicle owners are not experts in the field of auto body repair, and since much of collision repair work is invisible once repairs are complete, consumers need some way to determine which auto body shops in their area are the most capable of performing high quality collision and paint repair.
Perhaps the best objective way to make this determination is to look for the I-CAR Gold Class Professionals logo. I-CAR (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) was formed in 1979 as a non-profit training resource for the collision industry. It provides training and education for body repair technicians, refinishing technicians, and estimators.
I-CAR Gold Class Collision Repair Professional Certification for Body Shops
In order to identify body shops with this level of commitment to collision repair excellence, I-CAR created the Gold Class Professionals Shop designation. An I-CAR Gold Class Professionals shop has Platinum Certified employees in 4 areas of collision repair: Structural Technician, Non-structural Technician, Refinish Technician & Estimator.
As is the case with individual Platinum Certification, a Gold Class Professionals shop must renew its certification each year. Maintaining Gold Class Professionals Certification also allows the collision center to stay abreast of new developments in auto body repair materials, equipment, & techniques. With the industry’s highest level of training in all 4 areas, a Gold Class Professionals shop has the skills to properly return your car to pre-accident condition, maximizing its safety and value.
Since ongoing training and skill development would seem to be an obvious goal of any good business, you would expect most body shops to be Gold Class Professionals Shops, right? The truth is, only about 10% of auto body shops in the USA are I-CAR Gold Class Professionals shops.
Hilbing Autobody is the first I-Car Gold Class Certified shop in the Quincy area! We are committed to both the ongoing training and employee retention necessary to maintain this level of expertise. Hilbing Autobody has been certified since 2009. In fact, we employ multiple Platinum Certified technicians across each of the repair disciplines. This is one of the reasons that we can offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty on our collision repairs.
Our goal is to make your car look and drive like nothing ever happened to it.
If your vehicle needs auto body & paint repair, be sure to ask if the shop you’re considering is an I-CAR Gold Class Professionals shop. Ask to see their current year certification (believe it or not, some shops still use the logos on their website and merchandising materials even though they have failed to maintain their certification). Your family’s safety is far too important to take chances on the quality of collision repairs being performed on your car.
To find out more about I-CAR and Gold Class Professionals certification, head over to I-CAR’s “How Does Gold Class Affect Me?” You can also check out a Gold Class Professionals shop directory!
