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

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

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

Example of hail damage, Bing images

When a vehicle accident occurs, whether it is a collision or something in nature such as the recent tornado and hail storm activity we had in East Tennessee in May, what is the first step you take?

1. Call your insurance company.  They will walk you through the necessary steps to file a claim. Tell them you want to use Dalton Collision. We work well with major insurance companies to take the hassle out of the claim process.
2. Dalton Collision can take care of the following:

• Catastrophic events, i.e., natural disaster damages – hail damage, dents, paint repair
• Wreck damage – DRP, Direct Repair Program
• Cosmetic repairs – paint, dents, scratches, and more. (click here for an extensive list of Dalton Collision repair services)

We have some of the finest technicians in the automotive repair field available to work on your vehicle.  While many car repair centers in the greater Knoxville area have moved into wait list status, Dalton Collision is still accepting new repair requests.  If you have completed your insurance claim process and been awarded an estimate, give us a call to schedule your repair.  We will get your car in and give you quick, efficient, quality work in an equally efficient turnaround time period.

Make the Right Decision ~ Choose Dalton Collision!

Dalton Collision · Insurance tips · Repair tips