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Chip Magic^® can be your one-stop body shop of choice, no matter what insurance company you have.

1) We are a Better Business Bureau GOLD STAR member. That means NO COMPLAINTS, EVER! Not since I opened the door!

2) I started this shop because of the poor repairs done to my own car, an Acura NSX, by a large body shop. The repair peeled twice. I never want to go through that again and neither should you.

3) We are an independent shop. The buck stops with ME, not some "suit" at Corporate who doesn’t care.

4) We tried three different paint product lines until we found the BEST one for thickest primer coverage, the BEST base coat coverage, permanent flex agents that stay in the product forever, and the BEST clear coat we could find. It costs us (not you) more, but we can guarantee the repair for life without reservations. I back my word on that personally and I own the shop!

5) We go the extra mile for YOU, the customer! UNLESS it’s hidden damage, I DO NOT change the estimate price, PERIOD. What you see is what you get, hands down. Hidden damage or parts price differences from the original estimate? I will show you the old parts, the invoices and in some cases I may even be able to reduce the price of the part to MY cost. Ever heard of that one? I can’t always do that but if I can I will!

6) I pay my people a flat hourly or salary wage. Why? Typical body shop and paint technicians have a saying, "No payee, no doee." Most body shops pay based on a "flag" hour (each part of the repair is assigned a certain number of hours, and if the technician can do it faster, he makes more money), so if it isn’t on the estimate or work sheet it doesn’t get done. Plus doing things faster just to make more money will cause problems later. By making sure my people get a set pay, we can have a philosophy of "Might as well fix that or touch that up at the same time!" Heck, if we already have the paint and it only takes a minute extra, why not? In one recent example, the insurance company only paid for us to do a small corner of a front bumper. The rest of the bumper looked bad. What did we do? We sanded the entire bumper, primed the entire bumper and painted the entire bumper! Extra cost to the customer? ZERO DOLLARS! Priceless!!

7) We can do anything any larger body shop can do. Frame pulls, glass replacement, detailing,

8) We have the time to test and develop new techniques and products. One new product we developed is a Spray on Clear Bra Process that no other shop has! Why use this? See our Clear Bra Comparison page for details.

9) Even though the cost of our processes and materials are higher than most shops we STILL beat almost any other quality shop on the price! Here is an recent example: A big DRP (insurance shop) quoted a customer $5,000.00 for a standard full paint job. Our price? $3,500.00!! How? Lower overhead and quality people willing to go the extra mile instead of wanting more money every time a extra dent needs to be repaired. The DRP shop can quote an unreasonable amount of money because if they don’t get the job, oh well. If they do get the job they get to line their pockets! We have to be realistic in our pricing and give customers real value.

10) I own the shop and it is NOT a franchise. Not every repair can be done with one piece of sand paper and one pint of paint. A franchise takes a standard "book" process with each and every car. That isn’t the real world for a quality repair.

11) Don’t have a second car to get around in while your car is in for repairs? If it’s an insurance job, your insurance will usually pay for a rental vehicle but if not what do you do? Don’t worry, Chip Magic has teamed up with Budget Rental Cars and can get you a rental car for the same low rate as the insurance company pays AND it's not an sub-compact either! Of course you may still have to give up an arm or leg for the gas these days!

12) By disclosing all the information below, I’ll probably tick off both the insurance industry and a lot of body shops, so I can use your help. So visit us next time you have a need. You won’t be disappointed.

You have the right to have your vehicle repaired ANYWHERE you choose. The insurance companies cannot dictate where you take your car. They can SUGGEST some shops that are on there "preferred" list. These "preferred" shops are usually shops that have signed a contract, sometimes referred to as a Direct Repair Process (DRP) contract.

While this was a great tool in the beginning, the insurance companies realized that signing many shops in different areas allowed them to cut costs by "pooling" the rates charged to them. In turn the shops that wanted a lot of volume would gladly sign on with an insurance company to have repairs directed to their shop. However, it soon became clear that with the huge overhead required to meet the demand of the insurance contract, the shop would have to use faster methods and cheaper material. This can result in lower quality repairs to your vehicle.

You may not see the quality difference for a while, but have you ever seen excessive rock chipping on a repaired section while the factory painted section appeared relatively unscathed? That is a direct result of using a cheaper process or cheaper materials than should really be used. There may be several factors causing this. One factor is that in order to meet the time frame specified by the insurance company, the shop may have used a faster process or just plain rushed the application. The rushed application may show up as scratches in the under coat or base coat. The is the result of "shrinkage" of the primer due to lack of sufficient dry or flash time between coats or between the final primer and the first base coat being applied. The faster drying clear coat is usually more brittle than the higher quality, slower drying clear coats and that means when a small rock hits it the clear coat may chip or crack. Sometimes the shops, in order to make up for the lower rates allowed by insurance companies, will use the cheapest cost in all the materials. We have even seen several instances where a shop did not even take the time to properly clean a brand new plastic bumper, because it cost more in time and materials, and then the paint just flaked off under normal washing. Proper cleaning requires several steps, not just a fast wipe! The other "cost cutting" procedure some shops use is not to put a good, and usually more expensive, flex agent in the base coat or clear coat. A less expensive flex agent may evaporate after a period of time, leaving flexible bumpers vulnerable to premature chipping.

If an insurance company EVER tells you that you HAVE to take your vehicle to a specific shop just say the magic words "isn’t that called steering?" They might turn pale and start to shake, so use with caution!

Our HIGHEST rating for customer service and the desire to repair the customers car CORRECTLY goes to...........

Sorry, but there aren't any insurance companies left, in my opinion, that really look out for the customer anymore. There are many now that try to get you to sign away your right to take your vehicle where you want in return for a slightly smaller rate. Some have even started drop-off programs. These usually are not in the consumers (your) best interest.

American Family, State Farm, and Farmers are the top three although they could still use more of a "customer first" and "let's do it right" attitude adjustment!

An independent body shop can’t afford even one angry client or customer, so you will get better customer service. Also, while it may cost the shop more to do the job right and entail using costlier, higher quality materials and better processes, it will produce a better and longer lasting repair for your vehicle. After all, your vehicle is usually the second most expensive investment you ever make.

A shop that has an insurance contract (controlled by the insurance company) is assured of a constant flow of customers from that insurance company and unless enough customers complain to the insurance company or the insurance commissioner abut poor repairs, and we all know how much time and effort that requires, nothing changes.

The second reason to choose an independent auto body shop.

A good independent body shop doesn’t have to schedule vehicles to be repaired one after another, so a good independent body shop can usually start on your repairs right away and get them done faster.

A shop that has an insurance contract is assured of a constant flow of customers from that insurance company and therefore MUST schedule more vehicles than it can repair at once. This is similar to the "over-booking" scheme used by the airlines. Your vehicle sits there, sometimes for a week or more, before the repairs even start.

The third reason to choose an independent auto body shop.

We’ve all seen the ads that claim that a shop can paint your car for $499.00. Without removing anything, door handles, mirrors, lights, or trim, it’s simple to paint a car, not really but.... Combine that with the cheapest materials available and, yes, it can be done. The paint job usually lasts anywhere from 3 months to a year and then it costs more to have the poor paint jobs repaired. Yes, there is a place for these type of shops but only if you don’t care about peeling, chipping, no warranty, and we have even seen the mirrors, chrome wheels, and rubber moldings painted right over!

1) Check your local BBB, Better Business Bureau, for any complaints that haven’t been resolved.

2) While it does take some extra time the first time, call and then go visit the shop and talk with the owner and/or technicians. Some shops don’t want you talking to the technicians. That’s ok. Take a look around the shop. Are there many cars that look like they have been sitting for more than a week or so? Then beware.

3) Don’t fall for the scams that say "You pay no deductible" or "you pay half of your deductible." If you have a $1,000.00 repair and a $1,000.00 deducible, does that mean you’ll get you car repaired for free? Of course not! I actually called these companies because I have a $2,500.00 deductible on my car so if I only have to pay half and the damage is under $1,250.00 it's FREE!!  If you believe that one I have some land in Florida for sale, CHEAP!

The "no deductible" line is just to get you in the door and if they will trick you to get you in the door imagine the final bill after all the other tricks are used!!

4) Check how long the business has been operating. The chances of finding a quality shop is much better if the shop has been around for a longer period of time.

5) If you need another high quality shop to compare with let me know and I'll tell you the names of the shops that I know of that do a high quality repair. I'm that confident in our quality and prices.

For more information, call 303-683-8679 or e-mail info@chipmagic.biz

Locally Owned and Operated • Satisfaction Guaranteed • Limited Warranty
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