photo: modernhippiemag.com

We spoke about the environmental impact of spring elements on your car’s paint finish in last month’s blog.  (Spring Maintenance at Dalton Collision, 3/18/2012)  Well, we’re right in the thick of all of it right now!  You can’t walk outside without finding a thick layer of yellow pollen coating everything, including your car.  Bird droppings, tree sap, exhaust buildup, tar, mud and more build up quickly in warmer months on your car.  Detailing is one of the best options to address all of those issues, while also taking care of the interior of your car.

Dalton Collision has a comprehensive menu of detailing options, and we’re confident that we have a package available to suit your needs and fit your budget!

Detailing Menu

• Quick – Clean Detail, includes hand wash of exterior, vacuum carpets, upholstery and floor mats, clean & protect all vinyl or leather surfaces.  Price:  Small Vehicles – $40 / Medium Vehicles – $45 / Large Vehicles – $40 and up
• Interior Detail, includes combination of Quick – Clean Detail plus adds shampooing of carpets, upholstery & floor mats, clean & protect all vinyl or leather surfaces.  Price:  Small Vehicles – $75 / Medium Vehicles – $90 / Large Vehicles – $115 and up
• Spring Clean Up, includes combination of Quick – Clean Detail and Interior Detail plus adds hand waxing to the interior.  Price:  Small Vehicles – $115 / Medium Vehicles – $135 / Large Vehicles – $165 and up
• Complete Detail, includes combination of Quick – Clean Detail, Interior Detail, Spring Clean Up, plus adds Clay Magic to remove fallout and Machine Polishing to the exterior (The Works).  Price:  Small Vehicles – $175 / Medium Vehicles – $200 / Large Vehicles – $250 and up
• Additional Services – Overspray removal and Paintless Dent Repair.  Call 865- 933-9818 for additional details and pricing for these services.
• IMPORTANT:  All of the above are approximate prices and can vary depending on the condition of your vehicle.  We do NOT use silicone based products.
• ** Larger Vehicles and Vans will have slightly higher prices for the above listed packages.**

Remember, the life of your paint job and your upholstery depends on the care that you give to your car.  Detailing and interior cleaning ensure the longevity of all these materials and improve the resale value of your car.  Have further questions?  Call us at 865-933-9818 and we’ll be happy to help you decide which detailing package best suits your needs.

Make the Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision

Dalton Collision · Detailing · Interior detailing · Protecting Car Paint Finish

Photo: www.cars.about.com

It’s springtime in east Tennessee and everything is blooming and greening up around us!  What does that mean for your car?  Lots and lots of yellow pollen and tree sap!  Some of you may not be aware of the fact that pollen, tree sap and bird droppings can be corrosive to your car’s paint finish.  This is one reason why getting your car detailed and cleaned regularly is important.

Here are some helpful tips about Spring Maintenance for your car:

Here at Dalton Collision, we offer a wide range of detailing options for you to choose from.  Detailing and cleaning can start at $50 and go as high as $250, depending on the type of service needed.  The $250 range encompasses your higher end “paintless detailing”, which we will go into detail about in our April blog post, so stay tuned for that one!

The more affordable detailing price range encompasses things like shampooing your carpets, washing and waxing the body of the car, and small repair jobs such as fender bender dent damages.  Each detailing job tends to be unique, so rather than hit you with a slew of different price packages and industry terminology, we ask that you give us a call at Dalton Collision – 865-933-9818 – to discuss your specific detailing needs.  We’ll be happy to work with you on a detailing price that best fits your needs!

Make the Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision!

Body Shop Business · Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision Website · Protecting Car Paint Finish · Spring Maintenance

PPG Paint Process

We’ve talked a bit before about the new, green-friendly paint system that we use here at Dalton Collision. It’s an environmentally friendly waterborne paint from PPG called Envirobase® High Performance Paint. (We’ve gone green!, Dalton Collision blog, 9/23/2011)  We thought our customers might like to learn some more details about PPG.  First, you can follow them on Facebook at PPG Refinish.  Click to Like their page and you’ll get a lot of useful information, fun photos and tips on their FB page.

Some of the top green corporations in the country choose PPG as their paint supply source.  The American Institute of Architests (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) named its top 10 green projects for 2010 and five of those projects feature environmentally-advanced glass or coatings made by PPG.  We at Dalton Collision think this puts us in very good company as we embrace providing environmentally friendly paint options to our customers.

If you’re curious to learn more about our paint processes, or have any other questions about collision repair, please give us a call at 865-933-9818.  You can also find us on Facebook at Dalton Collision, and on Twitter @DaltonCollision.

Make The Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision

Body Shop Business · Dalton Collision · Environmentally friendly services · Going Green · PPG Paint Process

Tire Tread Test - photo courtesy of consumerreports.org

We’ve had an unusually wet, warm winter thus far for 2011-2012.  From a collision repair perspective, one of the common causes of accidents in wet weather is hydroplaning.  What does this mean?

Hydroplaning occurs when a layer of water builds up between the surface of the road and the tires of your vehicle, leading to loss of traction and preventing the vehicle from responding to control inputs such as steering, braking or accelerating. If it happens to all four wheels simultaneously, the vehicle becomes, in effect, a sled.  This can occur with all forms of precipitation – rain, snow or ice.

An important factor for safe driving in wet conditions is having good tires with sufficient tread depth. Worn tires—especially bald ones—can be deadly on wet roads, where the grooves aren’t deep enough to channel water out from beneath the tread. The result is hydroplaning.  Wet-weather braking and snow traction also decrease as tires wear.  The faster you drive in wet weather with bad tires, the more likely you are to hydroplane and lose control.  An accident is the inevitable result.

Here are some helpful tips for avoiding this driving danger:

• Start by culling out the riskiest rubber. Look for bald tires by checking whether any of the wear bars are flush with the tread’s outer surface. Another way to check whether your vehicle’s tires have reached their wear limit is to insert a penny into each groove, Lincoln’s head down, as shown above. Replace the tire if the top of Abe’s head becomes uncovered by any of the grooves.
• Slow down. And leave added room between your vehicle and the one in front of you. Safety experts recommend a two-to-three-second lag between the time the vehicle ahead passes a sign or other fixed object and the point at which your vehicle reaches it. Double that distance in rain or snow to give yourself more time to brake.
• If your tires hydroplane, back off the gas pedal to regain control.

Accidents happen, despite best intentions.  Dalton Collision is here when you need collision repair services.  Call us at 865-933-9818 to schedule your repair or ask any questions you may have.

Make the Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision!

Body Shop Business · Dalton Collision · Hydroplaning safety tips · Repair tips

Here are the rules for our new, fun Monthly Trivia Contest for 2012!

To be eligible for the contest, you must do the following:

1.  Like our Dalton Collision Fan Page on Facebook.  (links provided below)

2.  Follow us on our Dalton Collision Twitter page.  (links provided below)

3.  If you have had a repair done to your vehicle at Dalton Collision in the past calendar year, post a testimonial on one of the testimonial sites posted below. (links provided below)

4. Post on our Facebook wall to let us know you posted a testimonial and provide the link to that testimonial site.

5.  Answer our weekly trivia question correctly.

To Like our Facebook Page, click this link and click the Like button:

https://www.facebook.com/DaltonCollision

To follow us on Twitter, click this link and click to follow:

https://twitter.com/#!/DaltonCollision

• Weekly Trivia Question winners will have their names added to our monthly drawing.
• Weekly Trivia Question winners’ names will be posted on our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Pages.
• Monthly Trivia Question winner will be drawn from the weekly winning entries, and that name will be posted on our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Pages.

Prizes will be bigger in 2012 for the Monthly Trivia Contest!  Fun and useful things like gift cards for gas, to some of our favorite Knoxville restaurants, movie passes and more!

Here are the testimonial sites for you to write your testimonial about your experience with Dalton Collision:

Yahoo Local

http://local.yahoo.com/

Yelp

http://www.yelp.com/

Merchant Circle

http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/

City Search

http://knoxville.citysearch.com/guide/knoxville-tn

LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_home

Google Places

https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=lbc&passive=1209600&continue=http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?service%3Dlbc%26utm_source%3D/lbc%26utm_medium%3Dvan%26utm_campaign%3Den&followup=http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?service%3Dlbc%26utm_source%3D/lbc%26utm_medium%3Dvan%26utm_campaign%3Den

Finally, don’t be intimidated by this testimonial process!  We love to hear feedback on your experience with Dalton Collision, and your comments help us to fine tune our business practices.  We look forward to hearing your thoughts and we also look forward to lots of fun in 2012 with our “new and improved” Monthly Trivia Contest!

Make the Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision!

2012 Trivia Contest · Customer Service · Dalton Collision · Dalton Facebook fan page · Dalton LinkedIn page · Dalton Twitter fan page · Testimonials · Trivia Contest

We’re in the beginning weeks of November already!  We have several details on new projects to share with you, along with some safety tips, so we decided to do an old fashioned “This and That” kind of post.

Safety Tip:  Fall and winter months open up hunting season for deer.  We’re sure everyone has seen news footage of the damage that can happen when a vehicle hits a deer.  Vehicles can be totaled and both humans and wildlife can come to serious physical harm.  If you’re in an area where hunting is common, be mindful as you’re driving.  Gunfire can startle all manner of wildlife into darting out across a road unexpectedly.  While you can’t ever be fully prepared for such an occurrence, driving through those areas a bit more slowly might allow you to have a bit quicker reaction time to avoid a collision.  Of course, if you do experience such an accident, Dalton Collision is always here to help you with your repair needs.

If you’re following our Facebook fan page, then you’re aware that we’re running a fun weekly Tennessee Trivia Contest! Since it’s football season, we’re alternating between UT football trivia and Tennessee history questions.  So far, you all seem to be enjoying the contest and we’re having fun with it too.  Remember, the first person writing the correct answer on our Facebook or Twitter wall gets their name entered into the monthly drawing for a FREE Dalton Collision t-shirt.  If you’re not already following us on Facebook and Twitter, please take a minute to visit each page and follow/Like.

Coming up in December, we’ll be posting information on our new weekly contest/monthly drawing.  Don’t worry, we’ll post the link on Facebook and Twitter for that article so you don’t miss it!  The new contest will have bigger prizes and more details to explain and will start in January 2012.

In the meantime, would you be surprised to hear that people are still calling us and bringing their cars by for repairs of hail and storm damages incurred back in the spring months of this year? There was so much widespread damage throughout the greater Knoxville area that many repair shops were implementing waiting lists for their customers.  Dalton Collision hasn’t turned anyone away for repair service needs!  Yes, we’ve been incredibly busy, but we have kept repairs rolling along smoothly and we choose not to implement waiting lists.  If you’re still waiting to get storm damages to your car dealt with, give us a call at 865-933-9818 and we’ll get your car taken care of.

Make the Right Decision – Choose Dalton Collision!

Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision t-shirts · Dalton Collision Website · Dalton Facebook fan page · Trivia Contest · Twitter

We decided to add something fun to our blog and Facebook and Twitter pages – a weekly trivia contest!  We will post a weekly trivia question on Friday afternoons.  The first person to answer the question correctly will have their name put into a drawing for a FREE Dalton Collision t-shirt (valued at $10)!  At the end of a calendar month, we will draw one name from the weekly trivia winners to give the free t-shirt to.  We hope that each winner will agree to take a photo of themselves wearing our t-shirt so we can post it on our social media walls!

Since we’re currently in football season, some of our trivia questions will cover University of Tennessee football topics.  Other trivia will be focused on East Tennessee history.  We think this will be a fun way to get involved with all the wonderful people who follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and who read our blog.

So, here are the details of our trivia contest:

• We will post one trivia question each week, on Friday afternoon.
• The first correct answer by a Facebook or Twitter friend who is following that page will have their name put into a monthly drawing.
• The winner’s name will be posted on our social media walls the following Tuesday afternoon.
• We will draw one name from the weekly trivia winners at the end of each month.  That person will win a FREE Dalton Collision t-shirt (valued at $10)!
• We would like to get that trivia contest winner to agree to take a photo of themselves wearing our Dalton Collision t-shirt and allow us to post it on our social media walls.

That’s it!  Short and sweet, and we hope it will be something all our friends and customers will enjoy!  Look for our first trivia question this upcoming Friday, October 14th!

Make the right decision – choose Dalton Collision!

Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision t-shirts · Facebook · Trivia Contest · Twitter

Green symbol courtesy of www.psdgraphics.com

Dalton Collision takes pride in continuing to provide the cleanest, most environmentally friendly services possible.  To that end, we are happy to share the news that we are going green with a new environmentally friendly waterborne paint from PPG called Envirobase® High Performance Paint.  Representing the 3rd generation advancement of the innovative, waterborne technology that PPG first introduced in 1999, Envirobase® High Performance basecoat offers a premium-quality solution for collision centers that can benefit from a simple, easy-to-use system offering maximum throughput with globally-accepted OEM (original equipment manufacturer) approvals. Developed to integrate seamlessly with PPG’s Global Refinish System® of undercoats and clearcoats, Envirobase HP is now available in the Greater Knoxville area at Dalton Collision.

Why is Envirobase® HP so important? VOC (volatile organic compounds) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects.  Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.  Envirobase® HP is a waterborne based paint that complies with globally accepted OEM requirements, making the environment safer, and providing a high quality paint finish for your vehicle.

There are some care instructions that go along with your new paint finish that we will be sharing on our Facebook and Twitter pages in the coming weeks.  Similar to any new vehicle paint finish, care is required in the first 30 days to ensure that your Envirobase® HP paint job remains pristine and long-lasting.  Here are a couple of tips to share:

• Do not use a commercial car wash.  Stiff brushes or sponges could mar the finish and damage the surface.  Wash the vehicle by hand with cool water and a very mild car wash solution.  Be sure to use a soft cloth or sponge.
• Do not spill oil, gasoline, antifreeze, transmission fluid or windshield solvent on the new finish.  IF YOU DO, immediately rinse of with water and DO NOT WIPE the surface.
• Trees are likely to attract birds.  Bird droppings have a high acidic content and will damage a freshly painted surface.  Droppings should be washed off as soon as possible.

We have handy hang tags with specific care instructions for your new Envirobase® HP paint finish here at our front desk area at Dalton Collision.  If you’re interested in learning more details about this new paint service, give us a call at 865-933-9818.

Make the right decision – choose Dalton Collision!

Body Shop Business · Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision Website · Envirobase HP Paint · Environmentally friendly services · Going Green · Repair tips

Photo - www.gearz.org

If you’ve ever had an automobile accident, you know first hand how traumatic and inconvenient an experience it is.  You’re faced with a whole slew of questions and immediate needs to address so that you can have your car repaired and get your life back to normal.  At Dalton Collision, we employ caring people who respect your situation and the technical expertise to quickly return your vehicle to pre-accident condition.

Take a look at the steps we employ in our Unique Repair Process:

1. Your vehicle is damaged and requires repair.  Call our customer service department or use our estimate page on our website to make an estimate appointment.
2. We have established relationships with primary insurance providers and deal directly with them for you.
3. Our automated estimates, digital imaging and estimate auditing cause less missed items to reduce parts delays.
4. At drop off, your vehicle is checked in, pre-washed, disassembled and an advanced blueprint of the repair is completed.
5. Our ICAR Certified welders use MIG and Resistant spot welding techniques to assure proper weld strength.
6. Our experienced technicians produce “invisible” body and advanced plastic repairs.
7. While in the repair process, you will be notified of the progress with photos of each step posted on our website under the Your Vehicle Status link.
8. Color coordinated primer is used, so if the paint chips, the area is the same color as your vehicle.
9. Vehicle color is computer color matched and world-class polyurethane Sikkens® refinish products are used.
10. Final finish has Sikkens® clearcoat which will give your vehicle the like-new “wet look”.
11. Your finish is final baked in a computer controlled down-draft spray booth.
12. The finish is color sanded and buffed to remove imperfections.
13. Your vehicle is washed, vacuumed, quality checked and ready for pick up.

That’s the whole process that we go through to ensure the highest quality repair job for your vehicle.  Delivering your professionally repaired vehicle to you as soon as possible and reducing the interruption to your life is our Number One Goal.

Life is never static, and accidents do happen.  When a vehicle is damaged, Dalton Collision makes the following our Mission Statement:

Repairing your vehicle right the first time, on time.

When a car accident does occur, keep Dalton Collision in mind for your repair needs.  We offer a tradition of service and expertise that is backed by over 15 years of experience.

Make the right decision – choose Dalton Collision!

Body Shop Business · Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision Website · Insurance tips · Repair tips · Track Your Vehicle Status Online

This spring and early summer of 2011, East Tennessee experienced what felt like an endless series of weather related catastrophes.  We had repeated storms that produced tornadoes and hail, causing all manner of damage to homes, property and cars.  Here at Dalton Collision, we’re staying busy with a steady stream of car damage repairs caused by a lot of the bad weather.  We recognize the fact that a timely repair turnaround is the Number One Priority for all our customers.  With that in mind, we want to share a very handy and useful tool on our website.

On the Dalton Collision homepage, on the left sidebar (see photo image above), you will see a link called Your Vehicle Status.  If you click that link, it takes you to a page where you will be able to track the progress we are making on your specific car repair.  Simply type in your phone number that has been registered in our system (when you dropped off your car at our location), choose your local time zone and click Log In.  This will give you access to all the repairs and status of your vehicle within our dedicated system.  Your privacy is 100% guaranteed. 

Now, instead of taking time out of your day to call and ask questions about the status of your repair, you can simply log onto our website and see at a glance everything we’re accomplishing for you.  This streamlines the process for everyone involved and gives you specific details and photos that are updated on a regular basis as we work through your unique repair needs.

Efficiency and trust are important to us here at Dalton Collision and we’re happy to have this valuable tool to offer to our customers.  Remember, at Dalton Collision, we offer a tradition of service that is backed by over fifteen years of experience.  Car accidents, minor dings and weather damage to your vehicle are some of those unfortunate situations that visit us all from time to time.  We think all of our customers will appreciate the convenience of our repair tracking system on our website, and we welcome your comments if you’ve used the Your Vehicle Status link recently!

Make the Right Decision ~ Choose Dalton Collision!

Dalton Collision · Dalton Collision Website · Repair tips · Track Your Vehicle Status Online