You may be familiar with technicians performing a scan on a vehicle to find issues. Most auto body repair shops perform a vehicle scan to estimate your bill. When you get auto body repair estimates, find out that shop’s methods.

There are two scans to ensure that technicians find anything that is not working and to make sure all parts are working after repairs.

Pre-scan before repair

After a collision, there is likely visible damage to the body of the car. What may not be as obvious is any damage to the car’s safety or other features. A pre-scan determines not only what is not working, but damage as a result of the collision. This scan captures the diagnostic trouble codes.

Determining damage that happened during the collision is important for the insurance claim, and also if you choose to pay out-of-pocket for repairs. The scan may determine issues unrelated to the collision, and distinguishes them from those that are collision-created.

Post-scan after repair

As you choose a San Antonio auto body shop, ask about the post-scan process. You want a quality control process that guarantees any damage related to the collision, and any others set during the repair, are identified and cleared.

A post-scan will also determine if any new issues developed during repair, which is uncommon but sometimes happens. Some codes require a brief test drive to clear or driving a specific number of miles.

Some manufacturers require shops with certified technicians to perform both scans as part of its certification process. GM is among those manufacturers that mandates both scans, along with calibration to bring the car back to its pre-crash condition.

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