Know Before You Sign
Collision Repair Glossary.
Estimates and insurance calls are full of shop language. Here's what every term actually means, in plain English — so you can read your own estimate and ask better questions.
Collision & Auto Body Repair
The vocabulary that shows up on almost every collision estimate.
- Collision repair
- Restoring a vehicle's body, structure, and finish after an impact — including panel work, welding, refinishing, and the safety systems affected by the damage.Collision repair services
- Panel replacement
- Removing a damaged body panel entirely and fitting a new one, instead of repairing the original metal. Used when a panel is torn, heavily creased, or stretched beyond repair.
- Quarter panel
- The large body section between the rear door and the rear bumper. On most cars it's welded to the structure rather than bolted on, so repairing it takes more time than a fender.
- Rocker panel
- The reinforced strip beneath the doors along the bottom of the body. It carries structural load and is the first place road salt causes rust.
- Corrosion repair
- Cutting out rusted metal, welding in fresh panel sections, and applying corrosion protection before refinishing so the rust doesn't return under the new paint.
- Teardown
- Removing bumpers, trim, and covers so hidden damage can be seen and documented before the repair plan and estimate are finalized.
Dent Repair / PDR
Terms used for door dings, parking-lot dents, and hail damage.
- Paintless dent repair (PDR)
- Reshaping metal from behind a panel with specialized tools so a dent is removed without filler or repainting. It only works where the paint is undamaged and the metal isn't stretched.Dent repair services
- Door ding
- A small, shallow dent from another car door, shopping cart, or bike. The most common PDR job and usually the least expensive body repair available.
- Crease dent
- A dent with a sharp fold line rather than a round dish shape. Creases stretch the metal, so they usually need conventional repair and refinishing.
- Hail damage
- Many small dents spread across horizontal panels — roof, hood, trunk. Priced per dent and per panel, and often repairable with PDR when the paint is intact.
- Body filler
- A sandable compound used to level a repaired area before priming and painting. Applied thin over properly worked metal, never as a substitute for it.
Paint & Refinishing
How automotive paint is layered, matched, and repaired.
- Clear coat
- The transparent top layer that gives paint its gloss and protects the color beneath from UV and chemicals. Most light scratches live here and can be polished out.Paint & refinishing
- Base coat
- The color layer under the clear coat. Once a scratch reaches it, polishing can't fix the damage — the area has to be refinished.
- Paint code
- The manufacturer's identifier for your exact factory color, usually on a sticker in the door jamb or under the hood. The starting point for any paint match.
- Blending
- Fading new paint gradually into the adjacent panels rather than stopping at a hard edge, so the repair disappears instead of showing a visible line.
- Spray-out card
- A test panel sprayed with the mixed color and checked against the actual vehicle before anything is painted, since sun exposure shifts color over the years.
- Clear coat failure
- Peeling or flaking of the top layer, common on sun-exposed roofs and hoods. The panel has to be sanded back and resprayed in full; spot repairs peel again.
- Wet sanding
- Sanding with very fine abrasive and water to level a defect or scratch, then polishing the area back to full gloss.
Bumper Repair
What's actually behind the bumper you can see.
- Bumper cover
- The painted plastic skin most people call the bumper. It's cosmetic and often repairable rather than replaceable.Bumper repair
- Bumper reinforcement bar
- The metal beam behind the cover that absorbs impact. A bent bar is a common reason a replacement cover won't sit flush.
- Absorber
- The foam or honeycomb layer between cover and reinforcement bar that manages low-speed impact energy. Replaced when crushed.
- Plastic welding
- Fusing a cracked thermoplastic bumper cover back together and reinforcing it from behind, then refinishing — usually cheaper than a new cover.
- Panel gap
- The intentional spacing between body panels. Uneven gaps after an impact usually mean a bracket, reinforcement, or structural point has moved.
Frame & Structural Repair
The parts of the car that protect you in the next collision.
- Unibody
- A construction method where the body shell itself is the structure. Nearly all modern cars and crossovers are unibody, so structural repairs are sectioning and welding to spec.Frame & structural repair
- Full frame
- A separate ladder frame carrying the body, still used on most pickups and some large SUVs. It can be straightened or replaced as its own component.
- Frame straightening
- Pulling structural points back to factory position on a measuring bench, following the manufacturer's published tolerances rather than eyeballing the result.
- Three-dimensional measuring
- Electronically comparing key structural points against factory data before, during, and after a pull, so the result is documented rather than assumed.
- Crush zone
- Engineered areas designed to deform and absorb energy in a collision. They're repaired or replaced to spec, never simply reinforced.
- Structural adhesive
- High-strength bonding used alongside welds and rivets on many modern and aluminum vehicles, where the manufacturer specifies it instead of welding.
EV Collision Repair
Electric and hybrid vehicle terminology.
- High-voltage safety / de-energizing
- Shutting down and isolating an EV's high-voltage system, then verifying it's safe, before any body work begins. Required on every electric and hybrid repair.Tesla & EV repair
- Battery enclosure
- The sealed structural case holding an EV's battery pack. Underbody, rocker, and rear-quarter impacts call for inspection even when the damage looks cosmetic.
- Aluminum body repair
- Repairing aluminum panels using dedicated tooling in a separated area, so steel particles can't contaminate the metal and cause corrosion later.Aluminum & panel work
- Rivet-bonding
- Joining panels with rivets plus structural adhesive instead of welding — standard on many aluminum and EV structures.
- Thermal event
- Overheating or fire risk in a damaged battery pack. Manufacturers publish quarantine and inspection procedures for suspect packs, which are followed rather than shortcut.
ADAS / Post-Collision Inspection
Driver-assist systems and the checks a modern repair requires.
- ADAS
- Advanced driver assistance systems — the cameras, radar, and sensors behind automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, adaptive cruise, and blind-spot monitoring.
- Calibration
- Re-aiming an ADAS sensor to factory specification after a windshield, bumper, mirror, grille, or suspension component is replaced. Without it the system measures the road incorrectly.
- Static vs. dynamic calibration
- Static calibration uses targets at measured distances inside the shop; dynamic calibration requires driving at set speeds. Some vehicles need both.
- Pre- and post-repair scan
- A full diagnostic scan before and after repairs to record every stored fault and confirm nothing is left unresolved.
- Post-collision inspection
- A structured assessment after an impact covering structure, suspension, restraints, and sensors — not just the visible damage.
- Diagnostic trouble code (DTC)
- The stored fault code behind a dashboard warning light. It's read and diagnosed, not simply cleared.
Insurance & Estimates
Claim language, in plain English.
- Estimate
- The written breakdown of parts, labor, and paint required for your repair. Free at our shop, and preliminary until the vehicle has been torn down.Request a free estimate
- Supplement
- An addition to the original estimate when hidden damage appears after teardown. Submitted to your insurer and only performed once approved.Insurance process
- Deductible
- The portion of the repair you pay under your policy, due at pickup. The insurer covers the approved balance.
- Direct repair program (DRP)
- An insurer's network of preferred shops. Useful shorthand, but in New York the choice of shop is always yours regardless of the list.
- Diminished value
- The reduction in a vehicle's resale value after an accident, even following a correct repair. Whether it's recoverable depends on your policy and who was at fault.
- Total loss
- When the cost to repair approaches the vehicle's value and the insurer pays out instead of repairing it.
- Betterment
- A charge an insurer may apply when a new part meaningfully extends the life of a worn component, such as tires.
- OEM vs. aftermarket parts
- OEM parts are made by or for your vehicle's manufacturer; aftermarket parts are made by third parties. OEM matters most on structural panels and anything carrying ADAS sensors.
- Recycled / LKQ parts
- Original manufacturer parts salvaged from another vehicle. Some policies specify them; we confirm condition and fit before installation.
Accident Towing
Getting the vehicle to the shop.
- Flatbed tow
- Transporting a vehicle fully on the truck bed rather than dragging two wheels. Standard for collision-damaged, all-wheel-drive, lowered, and electric vehicles.
- Accident recovery
- Securing and removing a vehicle from a crash scene, including cleanup of debris and coordination with the responding officer.
- Storage fees
- Daily charges at whichever lot holds your vehicle. Towing straight to the repairing shop generally avoids them.
- Vehicle pickup and delivery
- Collecting a driveable vehicle from your home or workplace and returning it after the repair, so you don't need to take time off.
Make & Model Collision Repair
Why the same damage is repaired differently on different vehicles.
- OEM repair procedures
- The manufacturer's published, model-specific instructions for repairing your vehicle — which joints may be welded, which must be bonded, and what has to be replaced.All services
- High-strength steel
- Advanced steel used in modern safety structures. Much of it cannot be heated or straightened and must be sectioned or replaced per the manufacturer.
- Boron steel
- An ultra-high-strength steel used in pillars and reinforcements. Almost always replace-only, never repaired with heat.
- Tri-coat / pearl finish
- A three-layer paint system where color depends on layer thickness. Matching requires more spray-out testing and blending than a standard two-stage finish.
- VIN decode
- Reading the vehicle identification number to confirm exact trim, build date, and factory options, so the correct parts and procedures are used.
Have An Estimate You Don't Understand?
Bring it in or send it over. We'll walk through it line by line and tell you what's necessary, what's optional, and what your insurer should be covering.