Trusted Tips and Resources

Trusted Tips & Resources

Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Experts at Preferred Collision Explain How to Avoid Collisions

What can you expect when you deal with the professionals at Preferred Collision and Glass Saskatoon? You can also expect seamless quality repairs! A faster turnaround for your vehicle (on average 25% faster!!) and assistance dealing with insurance! You'll find quality at every price point - from a few hundred dollars to a thousand or more. Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert.



5 COMMON CAUSES OF AUTO COLLISIONS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Auto Collisions are quite often referred to as accidents. However, the reality is that auto collisions happen for a reason and can usually be avoided. Here are 5 common causes of auto collisions and how to avoid them.

1. DISTRACTED DRIVING

Distracted driving is the leading cause of auto collisions. Driving is an important task, and it is imperative that the driver is fully aware of all surroundings and remains alert at all times. With the number of distractions for drivers such as texting, checking themselves out in the mirror, eating, changing the music, or even talking on the phone, it is no wonder distracted driving is the most common cause of collisions.

To reduce the chance of a collision, distracted driving should be avoided. Distracted driving can be avoided by only using your cellphone in emergency situations using the Bluetooth feature, and not eating, texting, or attempting to multitask when you are behind the wheel. The driver must prioritize driving free from distractions to avoid collisions. 


2. EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT

Speed limits exist and are enforced for a reason. When the speed limit is exceeded, the driver has less time to react to potential hazards. Even if you are running late, slow down. Speeding is not worth the risk to yourself, passengers, and other drivers. Following the posted speed limit will help to avoid collisions by giving the driver time to react to unforeseen circumstances.

3. IMPAIRED DRIVING

Impaired driving is an inexcusable behaviour that causes auto collisions and destroys lives. It is every driver’s responsibility to ensure that they are fit to operate a motor vehicle before getting behind the wheel. To avoid a collision, do not get behind the wheel if you are impaired, and always plan a safe ride home. With ride-sharing apps such as Uber, a safe ride home is more accessible than ever. There is no excuse for driving impaired, and we must ensure the safety of our community.

4. INCLEMENT WEATHER

Though inclement weather is a cause of auto collisions that is out of the driver’s control, it is important to exercise caution when driving conditions are unfavourable. Snow, ice, heavy rain, and fog are just some of the inclement weather conditions that are not ideal for driving. 

If you do find yourself caught driving in a storm, avoid a collision by slowing down and staying focused on the road. When driving in a storm ensure your windshield is kept clear to optimize visibility, and always pay closer attention to the road than usual.

5. TAILGATING

Following too close behind the vehicle in front of you is known as tailgating, and this driving behaviour can easily cause an auto collision. To avoid a rear-end collision with the vehicle in front of you, always maintain a safe following distance of at least three seconds.

When you’re driving, you should focus only on the road that is in front of you and if you get in any collision or accident, contact Preferred Collision for all your vehicle repair needs.

If you are in a collision, Preferred Collision and Glass will look after all your and your car’s needs, during and after, with our Customer For Life program.


Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert. 


Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Experts at Western Millennium Collision Share 5 Tips for Safe Driving!

At Western Millennium Collision, they focus on three things: quality, convenience, and service. Quality implies that they maintain state-of-the-art tools and equipment so that their highly experienced technicians have all the latest tools and technology to ensure that your vehicle receives the finest quality and extraordinary workmanship. Convenience is all about valuing your time and simplifying the process of having your car fixed from the moment you contact them. Their shop is large enough to accommodate any size of vehicle, so that you can drive into the estimator for a complete evaluation of the damages to determine how fast the repairs can be done and how much it will cost, in one easy step. Western Millennium Collision Is a Trusted Saskatoon Collision Repair & Auto Body Shop.

5 TIPS FOR SAFE DRIVING

Owning a car is one of the biggest purchases most people will make. However, unlike owning a house, a car is not an appreciating investment. It is a depreciating asset which means it loses value over time. Here are 5 tips to drive safe.

1. KEEP A WELL-MAINTAINED CAR

Every day you take your vehicle on the road, you contribute to its wear and tear. You need to be a responsible car owner in order to extend the value of your vehicle. Maintaining a car is more than just keeping it clean. You have to make sure it is in fine, road-worthy condition, some key tips are:

  • Check water levels every 2 weeks.

  • Make sure the tires are inflated to the proper temperature.

  • Never let the gas run down to near-empty levels.

  • Check the levels of the following car fluids: engine oil, brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid, radiator, transmission, and power steering.

  • Keep track of your car battery expiration date.

  • Make sure the power windows, rear, and side mirrors, and dashboard lights are working.

If you notice something wrong or unusual with your car, don’t take any chances. Bring it right away to your nearest mechanic or car repair shop.

2. WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT

It seems odd that in this day when commercials and reminders of the importance of using the seat belt are on rotation on every type of media, some drivers and passengers still refuse to buckle up. Don’t be complacent because your car has air safety bags. Car accidents remain potentially deadly even with increased safety features.

This is especially important for passengers who stay in the back seat. If the car gets rear-ended by another vehicle that is travelling at a high speed, the passenger becomes a projectile who could either hit the driver or go through the windshield. Either proposition should be enough to make you put on your seat belt the moment you enter the car.

3. KEEP COOL ON THE ROAD

A car is a heavy machine often made of solid steel. It is a marvel of engineering and the latest technology. It can give one a sense of empowerment and invincibility. Behind all the computer processing and gadgetry that goes on inside your car, the human organism remains in complete control. Your car will function the way you want it to function. That is why incidents of road rage and physical altercations happen on a daily basis. Some drivers let the sense of empowerment get to their heads. When another driver does something that makes you feel disrespected, it is not worth your time and energy to find ways to respond in kind. Not all drivers are of sound mind. Don’t be one of them.

4. MASTER DEFENSIVE DRIVING

You should focus explicitly on what you can control from your end. There are drivers who are not well versed in proper driving etiquette or who have a clear understanding of the rules of the road. In some countries, when you signal that you want to move to the right lane, the car behind will suddenly accelerate to make sure you don’t get ahead of them. Then there are drivers who don’t understand right-of-way and just careen their vehicle through an intersection.

There could be other reasons why the driver handles their car that way. They could be a beginner; there could be an emergency or it’s just someone who is having a bad day. It is not your concern to find out why drivers drive the way they do. Your only focus is to make sure you practice safe, defensive driving.

5. DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE

There is a market for apps that prevent people from texting or answering phones while driving. Why? Because multi-tasking while driving is proven to be very dangerous; it takes your focus away from the road, others on the road, and from handling your car properly.

This is the reason why many countries have passed laws that prohibit using your mobile phone while driving. In some countries and provinces, the penalties can be very severe. They include indefinite suspension of driving privileges, a monetary penalty, and even jail time. Another example of irresponsible multi-tasking is grooming while driving. Women are often caught putting on makeup or fixing their hair while their cars are still in transit. Men are sometimes caught putting on their neckties or shaving while driving.

When you’re driving, you should focus only on the road that is in front of you and if you get in any collision or accident, contact Western Millennium Collision for all your vehicle repair needs.

 

Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Experts at Western Millennium Collision - Winter Vehicle Maintenance Tips

At Western Millennium Collision, they focus on three things: quality, convenience, and service. Quality implies that they maintain state-of-the-art tools and equipment so that their highly experienced technicians have all the latest tools and technology to ensure that your vehicle receives the finest quality and extraordinary workmanship. Convenience is all about valuing your time and simplifying the process of having your car fixed from the moment you contact them. Their shop is large enough to accommodate any size of vehicle, so that you can drive into the estimator for a complete evaluation of the damages to determine how fast the repairs can be done and how much it will cost, in one easy step. Western Millennium Collision Is a Trusted Saskatoon Collision Repair & Auto Body Shop.

PREPARE YOUR VEHICLE FOR WINTER

Winter driving conditions are hard on your vehicle. As winter approaches, it is helpful to be prepared for the icy, snowy road conditions ahead. Here are a few easy vehicle maintenance tips to prepare for winter.

CHECK YOUR VEHICLE'S BATTERY TO PREPARE FOR WINTER

To prepare for the cold winter months, one of the most important things to do is check your battery. A quick inspection and battery health test will ensure a dead battery will not leave you stranded in the cold. Your best defence against the cold weather is a fresh battery. If your battery is weak, be sure to replace it. 

If you do not drive your vehicle often, it is beneficial to attach your battery to a trickle charger or maintainer. Because your battery needs to work harder in the cold weather, it loses power over time if your vehicle is not frequently in use. Utilizing a trickle charger will ensure your vehicle starts when you need it to.

CHECK YOUR VEHICLE'S TIRE PRESSURE

As the weather gets colder, it is particularly important to monitor tire pressure. In cold weather conditions, low tire pressure is more common. This is because fluctuating temperatures cause the air in your tires to expand and contract. As good tires are essential for icy conditions, low tire pressure leads to poor performance on the road. In addition to monitoring tire pressure, utilizing snow or winter tires may be worth the investment. Winter tires will help with traction and safety on icy winter roads.

GET AN OIL CHANGE

To ensure your engine runs efficiently in cold weather conditions, it needs to be properly lubricated. Due to the fact that cold weather reduces the effectiveness of car oil, it is necessary to use thinner oil during the winter months. Therefore, the wintertime can be a good opportunity to switch to synthetic oil, provided it is appropriate for your vehicle. Overall, synthetic oil is more free-flowing at temperatures below freezing and offers protection against your vehicle’s engine immediately. This is because synthetic oil does not require any time to warm up. Be sure to check your vehicle’s owner’s manual to ensure you are using the proper oil viscosity.

PROTECT YOUR VEHICLE'S EXTERIOR

As the temperature drops, exposure to the cold elements is not ideal for the exterior of your vehicle. Whenever possible, always seek shelter for your vehicle in the cold months. This keeps brushing the snow and scraping the ice off of it to a minimum. If you have a garage, it is recommended that you utilize it to park your vehicle. Shelter protects your vehicle’s paint job from the elements.

In addition to your vehicle’s exterior, protecting your vehicle’s interior is also important throughout the winter. Use snow mats to keep melted snow and dirt from wrecking the carpet of your vehicle.

REPLACE YOUR WIPER BLADES


In conditions where snow and ice are prevalent, clear visibility on the road is especially important. To ensure clear visibility, good-quality windshield wiper blades are essential. A good set of wiper blades will suffice for all seasons, and there is not necessarily a need for wiper blades that are winter-specific. However, it is recommended that you replace windshield wiper blades once a year. In addition, a car scraper should always be used to remove ice from your windshield. This will prolong the life of your windshield wipers.

Following these easy tips will ensure you drive comfortably and stay safe on the roads this winter. When you’re driving, you should focus only on the road that is in front of you and if you get in any collision or accident, contact Western Millennium Collision for all your vehicle repair needs.

 

Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Experts Preferred Collision Explain The Costs of Respraying

What can you expect when you deal with the professionals at Preferred Collision and Glass Saskatoon? 
You can also expect Seamless quality repairs! A faster turnaround for your vehicle (on average 25% faster!!) & Assistance dealing with insurance! You'll find quality at every price point - from a few hundred dollars to a thousand or more. It's up to you. Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert. 

Preferred Collision Break Down The Costs Of Re-Spraying Your Vehicle

Respraying a vehicle is a time-consuming process, with dozens of hours needed for preparation, painting and follow-up color sanding, making it very difficult for a good-quality paint job to cost less than $10,000. Obviously, there is trade-off, you can have less time spent on the respray, which will mean the process will cost less. However, there will be a noticeable difference in the quality of the finish.                                                                                                                                  

Here we look at the various costs that are involved with any respray


DISASSEMBLY
Before any work can begin, the vehicle needs to be completely disassembled. This can be done by the owner if they wish to save costs. However, we recommend that the shop should do it for continuity and parts-tracking assurance. This process can take 12-20 hours and will cost around $2,500.
 
STRIPPING
The next step is to media-blast or chemically strip the body, which will reveal the full extent of any rust or previous body repairs. This step is where the cost of the project can increase considerably, but it is essential to ensure that a quality job is done. This step will cost around $1,500-$2000. A body respray can be done without media-blasting to save on cost, however, several hours will still be spent sanding down the existing finish.
 
BODY REPAIR
Body Repair is often the biggest variable as every vehicle needs a different amount of work, but it's normally inevitable that it will need to be done to some degree on every project. Sometimes, it can be cheaper and more efficient to do a whole panel replacement than repair the existing damage. It is difficult to estimate the cost of body work before the project has started, but it can range from a few hours of work to hundreds of hours, purely depending on the state of the car once it has been stripped. 
 
PANEL ALIGNMENT
Panel alignment tends to be necessary on older vehicles, as the body panels generally need to be adjusted to achieve more even gaps and ensure the body lines have good alignment. This process could add $2,000 or more to the cost, but it isn’t always necessary on every project.
 
BLOCK SANDING
The smoother and straighter the body is, the better the finished job will look, and this comes down to block sanding. Block sanding is an extremely time-consuming process and it takes hundreds of hours to do a quality job. A reasonable 100 hours of block sanding can add $9,000 to the tally, but this doesn’t include a concours-level finish. It is very important not to skimp at this step as it will massively affect the quality of the paint job.
 
PAINTING
This part of the project actually involves less hours than others. Depending on how many layers are sprayed on, the painting process tends to involve 8-12 hours’ worth of labor, costing around $800-$1,200. However, two or three gallons of paint will be needed, so this part of the project will normally cost between £3,000-$5,000 in total, but can sometimes be more.
 
COLOR SANDING
Similar to block sanding, hundreds of hours can be spent on high levels of color sanding. Color sanding is necessary in order to achieve a greater appearance to the finish. A reasonable 40-50 hours of color sanding can add another $3,500-$4,500 to the final cost of the project, but for an even better finish more hours are needed, which will increase the cost. 
So, if you are needing a re-spray on your vehicle come visit us at Preferred Collision, and we PROMISE to do a quality job for a fair price. 


If you are in a collision, Preferred Collision and Glass will look after all your and your car’s needs, during and after, with our Customer For Life program.

Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert. 


Preferred Collision and Glass Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body experts share a tip on Good Drivers

What can you expect when you deal with the professionals at Preferred Collision and Glass Saskatoon? More than you thought!  

First, expect big cost savings! 

You can also expect Seamless quality repairs! A faster turnaround for your vehicle (on average 25% faster!!) & Assistance dealing with insurance! 

You'll find quality at every price point - from a few hundred dollars to a thousand or more. It's up to you.

Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body experts in collision repair and auto paint!  

Preferred Collision and Glass shares a tip on Good Practises for Today's Drivers

Driving is a daily task for most of us, and staying safe on the road is important. Your car is also likely one of your largest investments, so taking care of it should just be common sense.

However, when you spend so much time in your car, it can be easy to overlook even the most basic safety and maintenance issues. These are great habits to get into so that your car will serve you well for years to come, and yet overlooking these simple tasks are some of the most common mistakes drivers make.

Check Your Oil Frequently 

Everybody who drives knows that cars need an oil change from time to time. However, many drivers really neglect this fact. They know what needs to be done, but they don't do it. Why?

While you might read that motor oil needs to be changed every 5,000 miles or so, the truth is that the only way to know how often you should be changing your oil is to follow the intervals recommended in the owner’s manual that came with your vehicle - and use the dipstick to see if the oil's colour has darkened. Every car is different, but that's why the owner's manuals exist.

Not changing your car’s oil frequently enough can harm yours. If you have a leak, just topping it up will work for a while, but you should really get it fixed if you want your car to work for any length of time. Engine repairs are among the most costly, so changing your oil on time just makes sense for your pocketbook. You can even keep an eye out for coupons to save money on car maintenance.

Replace Your Air Filter 

Most people simply don’t think about the air filter in their cars unless they’re very interested in how a car works. In fact, some people don’t even realize that their car needs a filter. It does, and if your air filter is dirty and needs replacing, your car won’t perform at its best.

Over time, running your car with a dirty air filter can cause the engine to overheat, damaging other parts of your car and keeping it from running efficiently. The worst part is that replacing your air filter is an inexpensive repair, usually below $40, so having a dirty one damage your car for expensive repairs doesn't make sense at all.

Don’t Drive With Worn-Down Brake Pads 

Brake pads don’t really break, but they can easily become worn down over a period of time, making it more and more difficult to stop your vehicle. Eventually, that quick stop that keeps you from going past that red light or bumping into a car ahead of you just won’t be possible.

While there really is no ideal amount of time you need to wait between changing brake pads, many mechanics and car manufacturers recommend somewhere in the 20,000- to the 25,000-mile range. The best time to have your brake pads checked is when you’re having your tires rotated or replaced since they will be exposed and easily accessible. If the pads need replacing, do it on the spot if you can afford it to avoid any unnecessary risk.

There are also a few warning signs of worn-down breaks to look for between checkups. You should head to a mechanic if you start hearing squealing when braking, or if it starts taking longer than usual to break.

Keep Your Eyes on the Road 

Beyond maintenance, you should practice good habits while on the road as well. For a lot of people, the biggest driving distraction is using a smartphone to send text messages or make voice calls. There's also applying make-up, changing the radio or iPod playlist, and eating and drinking food. Regardless of what your distraction is, stop it.

You might think you’re saving time, but doing too much while your eyes should be focused on the road can lead to catastrophe.

If you absolutely have to multitask on the road and make calls, you should consider investing in a vehicle with hands-free technology that allows you to dial, talk and answer calls with voice commands. Texting is something that you shouldn’t be doing in your vehicle. 


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