Proper Care and Maintenance Practices for Your Vehicle

Tony Mers • August 3, 2020

A well-maintained vehicle not only means safety but peace of mind. You want to be sure the auto repair shop you choose is a well-established company. The following will provide reasons why it's so important to take your vehicle to a reputable shop.

Safety is the First Priority

An unskilled technician can cause heavy damage to your car and can even cause a car accident. Unsecured tires, as well as misplaced liquid, are tragic mistakes that are sometimes made due to poor vehicle repair. There are about 6 million car accidents in the United States every year. Don't become part of this statistic because you didn't receive proper auto care. Not only the right auto maintenance important for safety reasons but the right auto care and repair are also important if your vehicle has been involved in an accident as well. The vehicle will need extensive repairs, and this is where a skilled auto body repair technician comes in. Certain standards must be followed to get the vehicle roadworthy. If a repairman doesn't follow through on these parameters, your vehicle could become a safety hazard.

Take Your Vehicle to a Trusted Paint Shop

When you take your vehicle to a trusted auto body shop, you get peace of mind knowing that your vehicle repairs are in good hands. Following a collision, you will need to take your car to a professional paint shop, to provide the cosmetic finishing in your car. If your car has a pristine outward appearance, as well as proper maintenance, the resale value goes up. If you work with professional auto techs who have your best interest at heart, you know you'll receive a fair deal, as well as stellar work.

Proper Auto Repair Equals Better Gas Mileage

All the systems on a car are inter-related. If one part is under-functioning, the whole car suffers. This holds with the gas mileage in your car. Under-inflated tires or poor alignment can affect a car's gas mileage. That's why getting a car fixed by highly trained technicians is an important step toward better vehicle health. With proper car maintenance, your vehicle will run at peak efficiency, and you'll spend less money on fuel.

Avoid Auto Service 'Rip-Offs'

A way to avoid a sub-part paint shop or auto repair shop is to be armed with knowledge. Having a handle on how your vehicle operates, and the ability to identify problems is a nice start. It's also imperative that you know how to choose the right auto service tech, knowing what questions to pose, and your rights as a customer. Research is also essential in the search for a good, certified repair and paint shop. Take the time to peruse customer reviews on the Internet. By checking reviews and even word-of-mouth from friends and family, you'll be able to ascertain is the repair shop is on the up and up. Shopping around for the most cost-effective deal will also help, by doing this, you'll be able to compare pricing and services provided. With information on your side, you'll be sure that you are choosing the right shop for your personal needs.

Before and During the Appointment

Before you even have any work done, inquire how the shop determines their pricing. Find out whether the shop charges a flat fee for labor. Some shops will do this, while others charge on for the actual time the technician worked on the vehicle. For work that is more complicated, and requires an overhaul of the vehicle, getting a second opinion is also recommended. Should you decided to take the vehicle to a different shop after diagnostic work is complete, ask if you will be charged for the assessment. If you decide to have the work done, ask the shop to provide a written estimate for work to be performed.

Finding the right auto body services, paint shop and general repair doesn't have to be an arduous process. Simply doing your research goes a long way. Ultimately, it's about your absolute safety and promotion of a long life for your vehicle.

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Why Ignoring Small Dents Can Lead to Bigger Problems

January 30, 2026

It is an awful feeling when you walk out to your car after a long day and see a small dent on your passenger door. While it may appear to be just a cosmetic issue, you should still get it fixed, because ignoring small dents can lead to bigger problems for your vehicle. Don’t let small dents on your car go untreated; let's talk about why you need to tackle these issues ASAP. Rust Loves Chicago Winters We all know the drill here in the Windy City. We have beautiful summers, sure, but we also pay the price with brutal winters. And what comes with winter? Salt. Tons of it. Your car’s paint job acts as a suit of armor protecting the metal body underneath. Even a minor dent often comes with microscopic cracks in the paint—sometimes too small to see with the naked eye. Once that seal is broken, moisture and road salt sneak in. They settle against the bare metal and start a chemical party you definitely don’t want to host. Oxidation begins immediately. By the time you notice bubbling paint or that tell-tale orange stain a few months later, the rust has already been eating away at your door panel from the inside out. Resale Value Takes a Nosedive For many people, maintaining their car is a valuable part of purchasing a new vehicle. When that day comes, curb appeal is everything. Used car buyers (and dealership appraisers) will judge your car by its exterior appearance. If they see a vehicle riddled with door dings, bumper scrapes, and ignored scratches, they see a car that wasn't cared for. They assume that if you didn't care enough to fix the outside, you probably didn't care about the rest of it either. It lowers the perceived value instantly. Maintaining your car’s body and its paint is an investment in your future trade-in value. Paint Damage Spreads Like a Virus When a dent or scrape compromises the integrity of the paint, the surrounding paint loses its grip. High-pressure car washes, wind, and temperature fluctuations cause the paint to flake away from the initial injury site. A scratch the size of a quarter can grow into a patch the size of a softball over a couple of seasons. It’s Easier (and Cheaper) Than You Think Here is the good news: fixing these things early is surprisingly affordable. Modern body shop technology is amazing. For many small dings where the paint isn't cracked, we can use techniques that massage the metal back into place without spraying a drop of paint. River North Collision Repair offers paintless dent repair in Chicago to fix minor dents. Regardless of what nicked your door, we can help remove the dents and maintain a seamless look for your vehicle. Don’t Wait for Problems Don't let minor dents turn into a big nightmare. Save your future self the headache (and the cash). Swing by River North Collision Repair for your quick and easy repairs. Because driving a car you’re proud of? That’s a feeling you can’t put a price on.