So I’m in the gym trying to find my ever elusive abs again and I keep thinking is everyone doing this; working tirelessly to be fit.  Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t.  Some days I’m good and other days, well, just bad.

Though those bad days can’t be fixed, the team at Allston Collision Center, Inc. can fix Aluminum, Bronze and Steel, the other kind of ABS.

Vehicles like Tesla, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Range Rover, Audi, Porsche, and the Ford F-150 are all built primarily with aluminum.  Aluminum offers a lighter weight vehicle which assists with gas mileage and aerodynamics.  It also makes for specialized repair work.

In 2016, when Allston Collision Center, Inc. purchased the Multi-Mig 522, I thought the future was trending toward using more aluminum. Now in 2018, it seems I may have been right; more manufacturers are using aluminum including Toyota, Nissan and ACC recently worked on a 2010 Saab with an aluminum hood.

Similar to my thinking on going with water-based paint processes, I believe investing in the Multi-Mig 522 and keeping technicians on the newest trends will keep Allston Collision Center on par with car manufacturers as well as looking to the future.

Not only are ACC technicians proficient in aluminum but they work on mixed metal vehicles, so our techs cover every car made.

If you want more information on ABS, Aluminum, Steel, and Bronze that is, you can look up my earlier blog on our website.

ABS also stands for Automatic Braking System and guess what Allston Collision Center can work on these ABS too.  We are a full-service body shop which includes mechanical work.

The team works with each customer to make sure their job is done right.  Maybe you need a tow or a rental car – our team works with you, the customer, to get all the details covered.  Allston Collision Center’s strategy is to use all our combined knowledge to help make an accident as painless as possible.

Well, in the end, ACC can’t make anyone, including me, go to the gym to get you washboard abs, but we’ll do all we can to fix your other ABS!

The post Auto Body Repair – Aluminum, Bronze and Steel appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

Allston Collision Center prides itself on having such professionals.  Our appraiser, with 40 years of knowledge, our aluminum technicians possessing the most recent training, to purchasing the most effective, modern equipment available – we are trained, experienced and ready to help.

You will see three different Tesla models here in various stages of repair.  The Before, showing the damage; The Process, these are great shots showing the stages of repair; and, The Reveal, Allston Collision Center’s final product.

Instead of a long blog, please take a look at the photos and judge for yourself.

2017 Tesla 100S Repair

2016 Tesla X90 Repair

2017 Tesla 75 Repair

The post Tesla Auto Body Repair – All Kinds of Teslas appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

I came from a completely different work environment and had been out of work for almost three years.   I allowed myself to think I could absolutely bring something to the table.  How exciting, and frightening, to take an established business and create something new while paying tribute to a family legacy.  Dave had passed, Mick had retired, and Paul was looking for something but not sure what that something was.  I was to create the facelift Allston Collision Center, Inc. needed.

Over the years we have done many facelifts, i.e., in 2008 a new logo and major relaunch when we went green.  In 2016 the Multi-Mig welding machine was added to encompass all aluminum work, and we became ICAR certified.  Over varying years we have updated computers, paint, and equipment.

Eighteen years later Allston Collision Center received another major facelift in a more functional way.  The office has been completely redone including paint, rug and yes we got rid of the used furniture, and we upgraded to our modular desks!

The paint shop has also been a recipient of the facelift process.   We have always maintained our systems to keep them in the best working order, but this year the spray booth was taken apart from floor to filters.  We were able to add a clean room which acts as a prep and paint station and increases our productivity.  The building interior received new paint and floor, and the air handlers were reworked as well.  We documented the paint shop’s facelift with this photo.  I hope you don’t mind I’m breaking the fourth wall!

Paul and I have weathered many changes in our personal and professional lives.  We have invested time, sweat and money into this business and it has rewarded us for being persistent.

I started at Allston Collision Center not realizing I could make big changes in this small part of the world, but I did, and I am proud of having done so.  I am happy I took the opportunity when it knocked.

My children are 20 and 19 now, and I am lucky to say they are well adjusted after all of my decisions.

I took the LEAP and found my own facelift.

The post Allston Collision Center Gets a Face Lift appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

If you look at the before shots, you will see how the hood is separated.  Most of us would think – hey not too bad right?  However, by the time this job was completed, with a full front paint job and making the hood perfectly aligned this turned into a pretty expensive repair.

I realize I frequently repeat myself in the writing of these blogs, but this is a great example of why you need a trusted professional on your side.  If you took your own photos of this damage, it would seem like a small job, but once you get “under the hood” so to speak, it turns into a major accident.  The reason why photos don’t show the whole story and why this becomes major is because the vehicle needs to be completely disassembled.  A lot of new vehicles have protective shields under the hood.  These shields help with aerodynamics and gas mileage but make it so Allston Collision Center has to take it apart to find all the damage.

What you don’t see is the work which needs to be done under the protective shield.  This particular vehicle needed an AC condenser, headlights, radiator, radiator fan assembly, grille, hood, hood lock, bumper, and painting the nose.  A photo won’t show any of the above.

Allston Collision Center, Inc. has aluminum trained employees which helped with this 2019 Jeep because the hood is yes, you guessed it, aluminum.  Though the hood ultimately had to be replaced, it is good to have professionally trained employees looking at it to determine whether it can be fixed properly or not.

We give quite a bit of attention to each vehicle that comes to us, and I hope it shows on this brand new Jeep.

The post Jeep Auto Body Repair – Our First 2019 Model appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

The post Tesla Collision Repair – Side Body Damage appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

Aluminum began its use in the automobile industry when an engine was developed pre-WWII by Carl Benz. The rest, as they say, “is history”. Moving forward aluminum has become inexpensive to use, and a breakthrough in 1961 has Land Rover producing a V-8 engine block with aluminum cylinders. In the next 40 or so years, aluminum will surge and be used for a wide range of items including parts, engines, and, today, vehicles. Many mass marketed makes and models are using aluminum, such as Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Tesla, and Audi. Ford has recently entered the market and is currently using aluminum instead of steel.

Some fun facts are (1) 90% of aluminum vehicles are recycled at the end of their life; (2) saves in crude oil energy compared with traditional steel (3) aluminum can absorb 2X the crash energy of mild steel; and (4) because the product is lighter automakers can increase the thickness of body panels and still lower weight. Lower weight = better acceleration, braking and handling. Safe, energy efficient and good looking – that is a win-win.

Many consumers do not realize how difficult and labor intensive aluminum is to repair. There are big differences when repairing aluminum versus steel. Steel has memory; aluminum does not, and therefore it cannot be easily reshaped to pre-damaged condition. Excessive heat is also an obstacle, and can compromise the product as well as potentially cause safety issues.

If you are wondering why automakers choose to use aluminum if it is so difficult to repair – the answer is… weight. When the body weighs less, it becomes more efficient in speed and consumption.

Aluminum has typically been repaired at high end auto body shops like Allston Collision Center. We have acquired a new MultiTool Aluminum Repair Station and have started to ramp up our capabilities in the area of aluminum repair.

Allston Collision Center continues to invest in itself by staying on the edge of new technologies and education. The bottom line, Allston Collision Center, Inc. is equipped with both the talent and the tools to effectively bring any vehicle back to its pre-damaged condition.

Take a look at these photos of an absolutely beautiful Tesla we just repaired.

If you are driving a vehicle with an aluminum body and have been unfortunate enough to be involved in an auto accident, you can at least rest easy knowing that you have found the best aluminum auto body repair shop in Boston.

The post Aluminum Auto Body Repair in Boston appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.

The post Tesla Auto Body Repair in Boston, MA appeared first on Allston Collision Center | Expert Boston Auto Body Repair.