Aluminum Reconditioning & Replacement

Giving Your Car the Back Bone it Needs

Our Aluminum Repair Process

Plaza Motors Collision Center is the premier luxury auto body shop in St Louis. One of the benefits of using our I-CAR Gold Class and factory certified collision center is the expertise that we provide in more specialized auto repair, like dealing with aluminum. Plaza Motors Collision is proud to offer full aluminum repair service to our customers. A common question is, “What cars, trucks and SUVs are made out of aluminum?”. Many popular brands, such as Ford, Lincoln and Honda and more utilizing aluminum frames and body panels, but aluminum repair requires additional training and facilities that can provide repairs safely, and correctly. Plaza Motors Collision Center is equipped to provide the best, high-quality aluminum repair work for your Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, INFINITI or Tesla. Schedule your appointment today and see why more folks are choosing Plaza Motors Collision for their auto repair needs.

The Differences Between Aluminum & Steel Repair.

Steel and aluminum present very different challenges. When it comes to auto repair, it's important to find a shop that can properly repair aluminum. If you just type "Body Shops Near Me" and find the nearest collision center, you could find yourself in a situation where you have somebody repairing your vehicle that is not familiar with the differences. Why does it matter, you might ask? This can lead to further damage to your vehicle and, in some cases, may not be fixable. Aluminum doesn’t have the same moldable properties found in steel and responds very differently to heat. Aluminum is much stronger & weighs less than steel, too. These reasons are also why aluminum requires more attention to detail than steel does. Plaza Motors Collision keeps our team up to date on the latest factory training and maintains both I-CAR Gold Class certification. You’ll be confident knowing that our certified technicians at Aluminum certified body shop know how to mend aluminum properly and understand how its differences from steel.

So, what happens when an aluminum panel gets dented?

So, what happens when you get a dent in an aluminum panel? When aluminum is dented or damaged, it takes specialized tools to extract the dents and reshape your vehicle. The two metals, also, cannot come in contact with each other, as it can cause a potential explosion. Collision Center that are properly trained in aluminum repair have their own clean area to handle aluminum repair. That’s why Plaza Motors Collision Center is equipped with the tools, designated repair areas and knowledge to understand these differences in the metal and restore your vehicle back to its pre-accident condition. Utilize our online photo estimator and get your free estimate...from the comfort of your home. We look forward to helping you get back on the road!

Education

First and foremost, education on aluminnum repair is the most important factor. If you don't know about what you are fixing, how can you do it properly? Plaza Motors Collision's' technicians are both I-CAR Gold Class Certified & Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, INFINITI and Tesla certified. This lets you know that they can properly fix any aluminum damage on your vehicle. Most customers don’t know that there are different types of metals used on vehicles, and different metals require different care. For example, different welding wires cover all types of aluminum. Honda requires different wire used in the repairs of their steels than Ford. This is where extensive education comes in handy. Proper training and certification allows our team to understand the factory standards and repair your vehicle to those specific brand standards.

Heat

Heat is one of the main things for repairing aluminum. The metal that was damaged collision is very strong, so heat is used to help soften the aluminum so the technician can reshape the damaged area correctly. When looking at a dent or damaged panel/bumper, the whole panel must be considered in the repair process, not just where the dent is. This is why aluminum repair is a true art form. Heating the damaged area, reshaping the metal, and allowing it to cool while keeping its is a difficult task to perfect. Careful monitoring and specialized equipment is necessary to do this process correctly. This is why Plaza Motors Collision Center keeps their certification and training as current as possible to make sure they have the best aluminum repair technicians working on your vehicle.

Equipment

Proper equipment to repair aluminum damage can be quite expensive, but it’s an important investment to ensure that aluminum repair. Luckily, Plaza Motors Collision Center have the proper equipment and tools in our 7 locations throughout Florida to properly repair any aluminum that is damaged on your vehicle, some of which includes specialized welding equipment. Aluminum dent pullers have also the ability to save more panels, thus saving money and not requiring a replacement panel. While the process takes a lot of time, and even more in order to master the technique, these aluminum dent pullers do make the job easier than it previously was and take less time, even in the heating and cooling process.

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