When you get in your car and start driving, you most likely do not think about getting into a collision. Even as a defensive driver, there are some situations that you cannot avoid. You may have been involved in a minor collision that did not result in injuries for any party. While it may be easy to continue with your day, you should make it a priority to visit an auto body shop.

When your car collides with another vehicle, you may not think any significant damage occurred. But you should get a full inspection and other services from body shop professionals.

Assess the Vehicle

The first step is looking at your vehicle in thorough detail. For instance, after looking on your own, you may know that the bumper is a little scratched or cracked from the collision. While it may only look like cosmetic damage, this may not be the case. The best way to handle this situation is to cover all possibilities of damage to the car, and this is what an inspection will do.

Replace Parts

An auto body shop will be able to tell you whether you have parts that need to be replaced. If the bumper has several large cracks, you will likely need to replace it altogether. This is when you will want to think about the value of replacing the bumper because of the part and labor costs.

For example, if you have an older vehicle with high mileage, you may not intend to own it for much longer. This may encourage you to skip the bumper replacement and focus on more serious concerns such as any engine damage from the accident.

On the other hand, if you have a newer vehicle, you should get the bumper replaced. Even if you do not own the car for many years, you will maximize sale or trade-in value by keeping the car free of damage.

Paint the Car

In a fortunate situation, you may only have cosmetic scratches on the bumper and other parts of the car. This means you do not need to worry about replacing any of the affected parts. However, the scratches will still show up unless you cover them up. The best way to handle this problem is to have body shop professionals mix paint to match yours and then paint over the scratches.

If there are a lot of scratches, it may be worth painting the entire bumper for optimal blending. This will keep freshly painted areas from standing out alongside the older paint on the bumper.

Check the Frame

An essential part of taking your vehicle to a body shop is to check the frame. Being in a minor accident may not have led to any injuries, but your vehicle can still sustain a lot of damage. When your car's structure is compromised, you will likely have some extensive repairs on your hands.

Finding out this information is how you will gain the most peace of mind. In an ideal situation, you will have gathered all the insurance and accident-related details after the collision. This will allow you to file a claim if you find out that the problem at hand is more severe than it looked.



When you start driving after getting into an accident, you want to pay attention to the sounds that your vehicle makes as well as if there are any changes in the way that your car handles. You will want to provide this information at a body shop to give them a head start on the diagnosis.

Contact us at Cambron Body Shop if you have any questions or want to have your car inspected.