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Wednesday, October 20, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D3 AUTOMOTIVE How to pick a good body shop Improperly fixed damage might be okay for now, but what happens when there' s another accident Picture this: you're in a front-end collision. Miraculously, you're unhurt, but your hood is suddenly a few inches shorter, and looks kind of like an accordion. You sigh, thinking about the hassle o f taking it in to the body shop to be fixed. But before you get too depressed, picture a slightly different scene: the same front-end colli sion, but this time the hood stays relatively undented. Instead, it holds its shape but gets pushed straight back through the windshield and straight through your... Well, you get the idea. The body o f an autom obile can be crucial in a crash. Today's high-tech metal and plastic com ponents are designed with "crumple zones," areas that absorb the shock of a crash and fold, instead o f passing the shock onto the human pas sengers. The c a r's body is there to protect you; if it's not properly fixed, it w on't do much good next time. The hood-through-windshield example is one o f the better-known horror stories about body repairs gone wrong. It's caused when the hood is incorrectly reinforced, leaving it too rigid to crumple. But unless you've been through an accident, chances are good you've never even thought about what a body shop does, much less how to pick one if you need it. "Prior to having an accident, most people resist the thought o f where they would have their car repaired, because most people resist the thought o f having an accident," says Paul Iverson, national director of operations with M aaco Auto Painting and Bodyworks. "So preshopping for a body shop doesn't happen." In fact, Iverson says, deep down, what most cus tomers want more than a good body shop is for the accident to never have happened in the first Iverson says it's only recently that cars have become so complex that keeping their structural integrity is as important as looking flawless. In fact, some body shops specialize in collision repair, while others focus on paint jobs. Other shops specialize in windshields; and still others bring in glass specialists from outside the shop for specific jobs. It all depends on the shop - so remember: don't be afraid to ask questions, and make sure the shop is reputable. If you're in a crash, your life could depend on it. W here should I go? Industry experts offer these tips: 1) Is the company reputable? 2) Try to get personal referrals from people you know. 3) Some insurance com panies may have working relationships with some shops. They may be able to give referrals, or may only approve certain shops. 4) How long has the shop been around? 5) Are they willing to give a written warran ty? 6) Is the shop organized? 7) Will they show you their facility? 8) Get them to show you the car, before and after. D on't be afraid to ask them to explain what they're going to do, or what they've done. 9) Will replacement parts be new, used, or rebuilt? 10) Do you feel comfortable with the shop? How much should I pay? 1) Shop around. Costs vary widely, and you get what you pay for. 2) Try to get two or three estimates, and most im portantly, find out what those estim ates include. The lowest price isn't necessarily the best job or the best guarantee. 3) A dealership may charge more than an independent shop; but dealerships specialize in certain makes and models and might be more knowledgeable about your vehicle. past several years. 4) Prices for parts, like headlamps, shouldn't "We used to refer to it more as a Mom and Pop change from one shop to the next; but prices will business," says Iverson, who's been in the busi be different if one shop uses new parts and ness for 35 years. "Young men with good hands, another uses rebuilt parts. D on't be afraid to ask. starting out in a garage or a field or under a tree." -- By WBC News Services place. Nonetheless, as Elvis Costello once sang, accidents will happen. So how do you decide where to go? One thing to bear in mind is that the world of auto body repair has changed radically over the Chrysler Intrepid: Frugal full-size sedan I f you're a business person, a fleet The Audi TT, with its much ballyhooed buyer, a traveler, or just someone aerostyling, has a drag coefficient of with a big family, cost is a limiting 0.34. In fact about the only outward dif factor when you're thinking full-size ference between the two Bramalea-built sedan on a mid-size budget. Intrepids is the letters "ES" It's pretty easy to get a on the door of the more big car if you can afford to expensive car and fog lights shop in the luxury and pre in the front spoiler of the ES mium luxury class. But in model - and that's it. the $24-$27,000 bracket Trunk volume is a gargan (about the price o f a good tuan 521 litres (18.4 cu. ft) mid-sized car) the pickings and a cargo net is now stan get pretty slim. dard. With the optional 50/50 Only 20 years ago split bench front seat, six can Chrysler produced large, sit comfortably as the car is seemingly un-killable cars 1,890 mm (74.4 inches) wide with small price tags like and the wheelbase is 2,870 the Dodge Diplomat and mm (113 inches). Plymouth Fury. Chryco sig The ES is only available naled that it is seeking out this market again when it ________ ______ with a 3.2-litre, single over head cam V6 producing 225 consciously made two different cars hp and 225 ft/lb of torque. The only under the skin of the Chrysler Intrepid. The base Intrepid and the Intrepid transmission is a four-speed automatic ES share the same svelte styling that with AutoStick, a mode that lets the dri wowed the crowds in 1993 when the ver select gears manually. The base intrepid, as tested here, is entire LS concept car was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. Even today, the only available with a 2.7-litre, 24-valve, slippery skin with a 0.299 coefficient of twin-cam V6. Instead of the 170-1280 drag is on a par with LeMans racers. hp one would expect from an engine . - V. RO BINSO N iJIM l RoadWorthy 1999 Chrysler Intrepid this size and running on regular fuel, the and locks, AM/FM stereo and the front 2.7 produces 200 hp while providing bucket seats standard (the buckets allow fuel economy values of 11.3L/100 km rear heat/AC vents as well). The white (25 mpg) city, and just 7.1L/100 km gauges with black ideograms are now (40 mpg) highway. Torque rating on the same on both cars. Nice for the price this engine is 190 ft/lb and it is hooked are the standard block heater and the up to the only transmission offered triple nozzle windshield washer jets. with the 2.7, a four-speed automatic You can buy the base Intrepid for with overdrive and lockup torque con $25,060. Making it more homey can be verter. done with a few inexpensive options. A Both intrepids are fitted with stan full-size spare tire is $175 while mov dard air conditioning, power windows ing up to the optional 16-inch steel wheels/tires/plastic wheel covers is just $260. Add another $260 for the option al Bright Platinum Metallic Clear Coat and you have an Intrepid that looks like a LHS. The CD player with eight speakers and night-and-day better sound was $425 Because this is Canada, optional four-steel ABS was another $745. The best deal of all was the $870 Customer Preferred Package 22D. This includes 120-watt amplifier, passenger assist handles, illuminated entry system, remote keyless entry, leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter, rear reading lamps, and on.... Considering this was the entry level trim, the front buckets were fine. The rear seats backs and cushion appear flat but proved comfortable and quite big enough for a WWF-sized journalist at my place o f work. With the right options (as above) this may be a "base" car but its size and daring styling makes it look you're the CEO especially with the optional metallic paint job. Thrifty of fuel and nifty to look at, the Chrysler Intrepid has a lot of offer those looking for a frugal runner in a full-size sedan. Night driving tips Avoid over driving your head lights. When an object becomes illuminated by your headlights, you should be dri ving slow enough to stop your car safely without hit ting it. If a driver coming toward you is using high beams, flash your lights quickly with the dimmer switch. If the driver fails to dim the lights, look toward the right side of your lane. This will keep you from being blinded by the other car's headlights. You should be able to stay on course until the car passes. Don't drive tired. Fatigue diminishes respon siveness needed for safe night driving. If you absolutely have to drive tired, pull off the road, where it is safe to do so, and rest sev eral times during your trip. cassette · N ext -G eneration d u d a ir b o g s * O dd-protection rear door locks · Sunscreen glass · Side-door im pad beams · 3 year or 60,000 km w arranty le a s * excludes fre ig h t, license, regis tratio n, in cludes factory to retaile r incentiv e! OR PURCHASE FOR 22,988 · 6 0 /4 0 s p k t-fo ttn g rear seals · Dual e xte rio r m irrors w ith driver's side m anualrem ote · Front & rear flo o r mats OR LEASE $ A * Q · Tinted glass · Child protection rear door locks F O R ... M t 1 J r/M O N T H · N ext-generation d u d oirbags · Com plim entary la n k o f Fuel f, a »odhs s u re io -w n e m « i 'D m M k 100.100 tim in g n n U ti to m . m n r a t n a rtn m . equivalent trade and $475 freight NO SECURITY DEPOSIT. v' ':'> v. ' 'A 1 I 11 1 / \ l\ 1 \^ V * V - t T I S 1" iV II UUD A n 175 W yecroft Road, Oakville (BETWEEN KERR & DORVAL) , > w w w .lo c k w o o d c h ry s le r.c o m Q/\R A A ^Q