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Traditional Repairs vs SMART Car Repairs: What’s the Difference?

Jul 07, 2022

Traditional Repairs vs SMART Car Repairs: What’s the Difference?

If your car has unfortunately suffered damage as a result of an accident, there are several repair options available to you. In this article, we will run through the differences between traditional repairs and SMART repairs.

Besides a house, buying a car is one of the most luxurious purchases you can make. Being a motorist is expensive without considering the daunting prospect of fixing the vehicle. Whether through a mistake on your part or an accident caused by another driver, damaging your vehicle can land a devastating blow. Accidents can ruin the look of your prized possession and cost thousands of pounds to repair. It may also affect your No Claim Discount if you decide to claim through your insurance company. Even minor dents and scuffs can be a demoralising experience!

When your car’s bodywork suffers damage, it’s highly recommended that you fix the impairment as soon as possible to prevent the damaged area from worsening. Automotive repairs are best performed by professionals at a local garage or body shop. They will usually carry out a traditional repair or a SMART repair, the differences of which we will explain below.

Traditional Repairs vs Smart Repairs

A SMART repair, which stands for ‘Small, Medium Area Repair Technology’, is a relatively recent innovation that has taken off within the automotive sector within the last decade. While SMART repairs depend on the damage sustained, the core functionality of this technique is that it allows you to focus on a localised area while leaving other parts of the car alone. Concentrating on the damaged area that needs to be fixed means there’s no need for entire panels to be replaced or repainted.

If the bodywork’s paint is intact, the SMART repair can use Paintless Dent Removal to remove dents without respraying the vehicle. Even if a respray is necessary, SMART repairs use technology to respray the damaged area, seamlessly blending it in with the rest of the car. The result will be an outstanding finish that matches the rest of the car’s colour, even considering sun damage. The car’s aesthetics won’t appear different from how it looked before the accident!

One of the great benefits of SMART repairs is that they can often be done mobile, meaning the repair specialist will visit your home, reducing your inconvenience. A SMART repair is often cheaper, not because of reduced quality, but because there is less work. Due to the low cost, you likely won’t need to claim through your insurance company and, therefore, won’t lose your No Claims Discount. SMART repairs are rapid, with most work completed the same day. If you want to increase your car’s value before a sale, a SMART repair can be a great way to repair minor issues.

Traditional repairs are often much longer and more expensive as they involve wholly disassembling and reassembling multiple parts of the vehicle instead of just honing in on the damaged section. However, a traditional repair may be the only choice if the damage is more serious. As the acronym states, SMART repairs are best left to small and medium repairs. You can use them to repair minor dents, bumper scuffs, scratches, and scuffed wheels, to name just a few.

At InfraTech Infrared Solutions, we are specialists in SMART repair equipment. We can provide your body shop with a SMART repair heat lamp that will increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the quality of your repair services. View our product range or get in touch to learn more about how we can help your business.