Tag: auto body shop NH

auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me

How long should an auto body repair take?

St. Laurent

You would think it would be a cut and dry answer for an accurate auto body collision repair time, but there are many factors that have to be considered including:

  1. Your insurance company. They need to give us approval. Sometimes it take a day – sometimes it’s several days. This is beyond our control.
  2. We can only see the visible damage. Once we start removing parts, we may f ind other internal damage.
  3. Is it a minor accident? or a major one?
  4. The type of car you have can make a difference. Older parts are harder to locate. Foreign cars parts, sports cars or a specialty vehicle may take longer to receive the replacement part.

How does Auto Body Repair Work?

It all starts with an estimate. You bring your car in. We provide an estimate and send it off for approval to your insurance company. In order to get your car fixed as soon as possible, we pre-order the parts we know are needed -even before the approval comes in- so that we’re ready to go.

Once we get the insurance approval and you drop off your car, we disassemble it and look for further damage. Most often there is additional damage. Now, we have to re-submit for a another approval (supplement) from the insurance company. So, even if we pre-ordered parts, we have to do another order for the supplement parts. Once we get approval from both you and the insurance company for that, we’re ready to start. This all takes another day or two.

Finally, if you have a vehicle with alot of advanced electronic features, once we put it all together, we have to do an electronic re-calibration to reset the electronics in the bumper for back up cameras, lane warning system, etc.

So, as you can see, even just a simple bumper repair or replacement that “should” to take 1-3 days in the past, depending on your make/model and electronics can in reality take 3-5 days or longer.

What adds time to an auto body repair?

1. Part Availability.
At St Laurent, we try and pre-order parts while waiting for the insurance approval. Most parts are available within 1- 2 days, but not always. Sometimes a part can be on back-order and take weeks.

2. Industry Standard Repair Time We use an industry standard time guideline to prepare your estimate so it’s the most realistic timeframe as possible.

3. Complexity of the Vehicle Body Repair. The type of repair can greatly influence how long the job may take. If a job has structural repair it needs a special piece of equipment to get it done correctly and this can add quite a bit of time.

Like many things these days, the electronics are now more complicated and add additional time to the repair process. Factory scan tools then run diagnostics to insure everything is communicating.

4.Insurance Company Approval for Auto Body Repair. At St. Laurent Collision Center our shop is electronically connected to insurance company’s. Each insurance company has their own process for verifying and approving the repair. If they can do it with photos the response time is fairly quick. Sometimes, they require an onsite review which can add days to the approval cycle. We try to avoid this as much as possible by sending accurate, clear photos.

5.Quality Control Check. At St Laurent the quality of our work stands out. As an ICar certified center, we provide continuous training for performance standards and new technology techniques. Every vehicle is double checked before we authorize a release back to you.

We will do everything we can to get your car back to you as quickly as possible, but as you can see, there are a lot of variables that are hard to control. Therefore, we make sure we keep you informed via phone, text or email on what your car status is.

At St Laurent Collision Center in Nashua New Hampshire we take pride in every vehicle that leaves our shop and we always go the extra mile for each and every customer that entrusts us with their repair. Come see us the next time you need an auto body repair.

http://www.stlaurentautobody.com – 603-882-6822

auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, collision repair NH, local auto body shops

Auto Body OEM Parts vs Aftermarket Parts: What’s better?

St. Laurent

Everyone wants to save money, right? And we want to save you money too – so where can you save?

Well, oftentimes you have to consider the quality and longevity of OEM parts vs aftermarket parts. If you’re going to keep the vehicle, we strongly suggest using OEM parts. The OEM version is built to exact specifications and design. Aftermarket parts are promoted to work the same, but generally under perform as 3rd party companies don’t go through rigorous testing process that the auto manufacturers do. Our recommendation is using factory direct items whenever possible.

Aftermarket items are similar but not exact to manufacturer specifications. In many cases this could lead to parts not fitting or functioning properly. We’d recommend only using Aftermarket parts when a part is no longer available through the manufacturer.

So, back to pricing. At St Laurent Collision Center our estimating system provides the appraiser with both OEM and aftermarket pricing. Our team goes the extra mile by working hard to negotiate a better price for the OEM product.

It’s a WIN-WIN. You save money and still get an OEM quality built product.

Next time you need an auto body repair – think St. Laurent. We’ll take care of you.

St Laurent Collision Center 149 Amherst St., Nashua, NH 03064

603-882-6822

St Laurent Collision Center – Voted Best Auto Body Shop in NH

follow us on facebook

auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair Litchfield NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, autobody repair Hudson NH, autobody shop NH, Blog, collision repair Amherst NH, collision repair Hudson NH, collision repair Litchfield NH, collision repair near me, collision repair NH, collision repair shop NH, local auto body shops, local auto body shops

Why does there always seem to be supplemental damage found once my car goes in for auto body repair?

St. Laurent

Please be aware that the auto body repair shop must follow the process set forth by the insurance company who is managing your auto body repair claim. Whether an insurance adjuster wrote your original estimate or the body shop wrote your original estimate the insurance company will typically not allow them to write for unseen/hidden damage even if more damage is suspected. This means that the person writing the estimate can only write for damage they can actually see and take photos of. If the vehicle is drive-able at the time the estimate is written then the vehicle will not be torn down to assess for further damage until it is actually dropped off at the shop for the repair. This allows you to continue driving the vehicle until your repair can be scheduled.

This is why it is not uncommon for an auto body shop to report supplemental damage once a vehicle is dropped off for repair and has the opportunity to tear the vehicle down. This allows the estimator to see the previously hidden damage take photos and report it to the insurance company. At this point the insurance company will either give the approval to move forward with the repair or in some cases they may want to come out and review the additional damage them selves. Be aware that additional damage may increase the cost of the repair and can also extend the time it takes to complete the repair. The insurance company will cover the additional damage if it is related to the accident and if you are in a rental they will typically extended the rental to cover the additional time it may take to fix the supplemental damage found. Your auto body shop should have an open line of communication with you and the insurance company keeping you both fully informed.

auto body repair Amherst NH, auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair Litchfield NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, autobody repair Hudson NH, collision repair Amherst NH, collision repair Hudson NH, collision repair Litchfield NH, collision repair near me, collision repair NH, Uncategorized

Automotive Sensors and Cameras in Today’s World

St. Laurent

It is true that sensors and Cameras are an important new tool in the automotive industry. They help detect objects in our blind spots while driving, if your vehicle is getting too close to the vehicle in front of you, if there is something behind you when you are backing up, and so much more. They are there not as a full proof but as an additional precaution to help improve our driving.

Please make sure you use these as a tool to assist in your driving but do not solely depend on your sensors and cameras to keep you safe and your driving in check. It is still important that you look around, keep fully engaged, and are aware of your surroundings when operating a vehicle. To many times here at St. Laurent Collision we have had people come into the shop with collision damage who are blaming the sensors in their vehicle for the accident.

Also when ever your vehicle is in for collision repair and you have sensors that are located in the area of collision damage being repaired be sure that you are getting a pre scan and post scan for your sensors and cameras to make sure they are functioning properly. It is easy for a sensor or camera to get out of calibration in an accident or even for the paint to be applied to heavily over your sensors during the repair so always ask your repair facility to show you the pre and post scan data from your repair.

auto body repair Amherst NH, auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair Litchfield NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, autobody repair Hudson NH, autobody shop NH, collision repair Amherst NH, collision repair Hudson NH, collision repair Litchfield NH, collision repair near me, collision repair NH, collision repair shop NH, local auto body shops, local auto body shops

Talk to Your Teens About Safe Driving

St. Laurent

Teens and young adults today deal with so many more sources of distraction than they did 20+ years ago. 33% of deaths among 13 to 19-year-olds occur in motor vehicle crashes.

We know that technology is a major factor in these collisions involving teens and young adults today. 56% of teens admitted that they talk or text on the phone while driving. It’s important to discuss the dangers of distracted driving with our teens and how to avoid the pitfalls that technology may bring to their driving experience.  

Using phones that block notifications while driving are a good start, putting devices in a place that cannot be reached while driving is also a good idea to avoid the temptation of looking at the device while on the road.

We also know that with each additional passenger the chance of getting into an accident increases. It’s important that we set limits on the number of passengers we allow our teens to have in their vehicle and discuss keeping talking to a minimum and the volume down. Especially for brand new drivers.

Time is also a factor it has been determined that there are are more teen involved accidents between the hours of 9PM and 6AM. Setting a curfew for your teen driver may help decrease their changes of being in an accident.

We hope these facts and tips help you with preparing you teens to get on the road as safely as possible.

auto body repair Amherst NH, auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair Litchfield NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, autobody repair Hudson NH, autobody shop NH, collision repair Amherst NH, collision repair near me, collision repair NH, collision repair shop NH, local auto body shops

How to Deal with a Car Accident While on Vacation

St. Laurent

Everyone looks forward to going on vacation this time of year. No one ever expects that they may find them selves in a car accident while on vacation. But it does happen, dealing with a car accident while away on vacation can be more than stressful. There may be a number of factors that further complicate the situation.

  • You may be far away from home in an unfamiliar location
  • You may not know who to contact for assistance
  • You may have been driving a rental instead of your own vehicle
  • You may be dealing with injuries that require you to stay put for an extended period of time.

If involved in an car accident while on vacation you should keep the following things in mind:

  • Call 911: Always call 911 no matter where the accident occurs. If you are unable to call, ask a passenger or passersby to call for you. Please note that calls to 911 from an out-of-state phone number will reach local emergency responders.
  • Check for injuries: Always put your health first. Even if you don’t notice any mediate signs of injury you should still consider getting checked by a local emergency room.
  • Get the police report: Always request a copy of the police report. Do so right away, as it can be difficult to obtain a police report once you have returned home.
  • Notify the Rental Company: If the accident occurred in a rental car you must notify the rental car company of the accident as soon as possible. Even if you refused insurance from the rental company, your auto insurance may still cover you. Always check with your insurance company prior to declining rental insurance.
  • Capture the details of the accident scene: Take pictures of the accident scene, the vehicles involved, and any thing else that would provide evidence related to the accident.
  • Collect the other Parties Insurance Details: Immediately exchange insurance and contact information with the other parties involved in the accident and any witnesses. This information may be difficult to gather later.
  • Contact Your Lawyer: It is important to ensure that your rights are protected no matter where your car accident occurred.

auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, auto collision repair near me, autobody shop NH, collision repair NH, collision repair shop NH

Making Collision Repair A Snap

St. Laurent

As we grow and learn new things, there is no shortage of ideas and inventions that come around. Innovations come in every shape and size and affect every facet of our lives while trickling into various industries. Even collision repair in the Hudson NH area is changing, but St. Laurent Collision Center is excited about these innovations that improve our services!

collision repair hudson nh

Say Goodbye to Bends

Machines like a Uni-Body/Frame Straightening system ensure there is little room for error when you need to get a vehicle frame straightened out. These types of machinery measure vehicles and straighten them, so the frame is no longer riddled with dents or bends.


 Computers Offer Precise Measurements

Some systems use computers to assess a vehicle’s body. The technicality behind this machinery offers the precision and detail necessary for complete, thorough, and accurate repairs. Cameras, scanners, and more that are used in computers have a lot to offer and are almost certain to improve as time goes on.


 Bigger and Better Spray Booths

While spray booths are hardly new around shops that offer collision repair, they keep getting better and better. For example, St. Laurent Collision Center has a spray booth that is downdraft and heated.  They can customize temperature and angles to ensure a thorough wash to make a vehicle look brand new.



Making quality products that deliver results requires technology. As technology ebbs and flows, great developments come around and improve all aspects of life. From the phones in our hand to garages offering top-notch services, technology is all around us and shifts consistently. For collision repair in the Hudson NH area that uses traditional and new technology alike, contact St. Laurent Collision Center. Give us a call at (603)-882-6822 and see what we can do for you today!

auto body repair Amherst NH, auto body repair Hudson NH, auto body repair Litchfield NH, auto body repair nh, auto body shop NH, autobody shop NH

Signs You Should Find A New Auto Body Shop in NH

St. Laurent

We are all creatures of habit, and we typically have several businesses we frequent often for our needs. However, they are not always the best for you. It can be hard to change things and find a new auto body shop in NH, but you should under the following circumstances.

collision repair in NH

1.) The Range of Services is Small

Vehicles are complicated, multifaceted machines that require plenty of upkeep throughout their lives. If your shop does not have a lot of services available, you may want to reconsider going there for your repairs. After all, you want to have confidence that your mechanic can do anything in their power to make your car work.

2.) Poor Customer Service

Any business should know that treating customers with fairness, patience, and kindness is key. Poor customer service will drive customers away, and it is not a thing you should tolerate. Flock to a new auto body shop in NH if you feel disrespected or if your needs are not met.

3.) You’re Relocating

Unfortunately, you will not be able to make it to your local shop if you do not live in that area anymore. If you plan on moving, find a new shop that will be closer to your new living space. It will be much more convenient.

4.) Better Prices

If you find more competitive prices, no one can fault you for wanting to save a few bucks! Mosey on over to the deals if the mechanics offering them are competent enough to repair your vehicle, and enjoy.

5.) They’re Closing

It is common sense, but necessary. If the shop is closing down, you need to find a new place, and fast. Be sure to get on it as soon as possible and find your next quality body shop.

These are just some situations that require finding a new auto body shop in NH. Visit St. Laurent Collision Center, and you won’t need to find another business. Our team of experts get the job done, and we dedicate ourselves to stellar customer service. Give us a call at (603)-882-6822!

auto body shop NH, autobody repair Hudson NH, local auto body shops

Good Times to Detail Your Car

St. Laurent

Like most things in life, cars are made to make our day-to-day life more manageable. Because so much of our lives depend on our cars, so much of our life gets left behind in a car. You toss a water bottle in the back seat when you’re done, you drop those coins under the seat, and your trash bag overflows. These things can start to make your car feel just as cluttered and chaotic as the rest of your life. Just how you need to slow down and clear out the fog every once in a while, so does your car. Don’t let auto detailing in NH slide. Here are a few good times to consider getting your car detailed.

Auto Body Shop in NH

Spring Cleaning

Every winter your house piles up with mess and nonsense because you’re cooped up for months at a time. The same goes for your car. Especially with the snow and mud of the colder months, auto detailing in NH becomes a necessity. Getting your car detailed to start off the spring gives you the cleanse you need to feel energized with the warm weather.

End of Summer

The same that was said for Spring Cleaning goes for the end of summer. The only difference is that the summer is much more fun than winter months. You’ve had beach trips leaving sand and flip-flops behind. The time in your car really adds up as you travel more to enjoy the weather. So getting your car detailed at the end of the summer gives you a fresh start to the fall. Plus, it gives you more room in the backseat for your trip to the pumpkin patch.

After a Breakup

After a breakup is the perfect time to get your car detailed. Chances are there will be signs of your ex in your car. Whether it’s her hair scrunchy, or his sweatshirt, or even just their smell, detailing your vehicle will eliminate any lingering feelings you have. In your car, at least. Replace the air riddled with her perfume or his cologne with that new car smell.

Your car is an extension of you. For those looking for a change of self to go with the change of seasons, or those just looking for a change of pace, consider auto detailing in NH. If you have any questions, contact St. Laurent Collision Center or visit them online today.

auto body shop NH, autobody shop NH

Car Care is Self-Care

St. Laurent

Cars are an integral part of the average person’s everyday life. So how do we repay them? We drive them through the mud, let them sit in the rain, and hit the steering wheel when other drivers cut us off. When our life starts to get busier, we begin to rely even more on our cars. Yet, we treat them even worse. It’s a good thing to remember that taking care of your car is a good way of taking care of yourself. And who doesn’t love to take care of themselves? For those looking to make up for their callous treatment of their car in the past, consider auto detailing in Nashua NH. Here are three ways to take care of your vehicle and yourself.

Auto Body Shop in NH

Interior Detailing

Consider interior detailing a bit like a nice therapy session. It’s the time you take to vent out all the problems you may not even think about. The dirt that’s burrowed into the carpet after all these months of usage, the gum wrapper you didn’t even realize fell between the seats, and the stains from a spilled soda are all gone. In their place is nothing but cleanliness. Plus, it’s an excellent way to try and relive that new car smell.

Exterior Detailing

If interior detailing is like therapy, exterior detailing is a full-blown makeover montage sequence from a John Hughes’ movie. Wheels and rims get a thorough cleaning. Your tires even get dressed for the occasion. Your car will have a nice clean and get the whole wax on, wax off treatment and leave looking like a showroom model version of itself.

The Total Package

Of course, just detailing your inside means nothing if you don’t detail your outside and vice versa. Nothing fires up the old engines like a thorough Kosmetics Komplete Makeover for auto detailing in Nashua NH. No matter what state your car enters in, it’ll leave looking like the total package.

You wouldn’t ignore taking care of yourself so don’t neglect taking care of your car. For those considering auto detailing in Nashua NH, check out St. Laurent Collision Center. Contact them at 603-882-6822 or visit them online today.