Collision Repair Terminology

We want to use this area to define some of the terms and concepts that you will hear and see when dealing with a collision repair.  We will do our best to explain these terms and concepts in layman's terms and we will use digital images where appropriate to enhance the readers understanding.  If there is a collision repair term or concept you'd like to see defined here please send us an email to the address specified below.

Blending
The one question that all of our first-time customers ask is: "Is my paint going to match?"  While there is no such thing as a "perfect" match, the color can be custom tinted to a point where the color is close enough for a blendable match.   That's where blending comes in.  Blending is a technique used during the final refinishing of your vehicle to ensure as close a color match as possible.  For a breakdown of the technique itself click here.

What's with all these acronyms?
Just like most industries ours is full of industry specific acronyms.  One area that raises a lot of questions is the acronyms used to define what kind of parts are listed on the estimate.  We'll define four different acronyms here that describe what kind of parts are listed on a collision repair estimate.

• OEM - OEM refers to Original Equipment Manufacturer.  Basically this means the parts specified will come from the manufacturer of your automobile.  For example, if you have a Mazda, the parts would be purchased from a Mazda parts supplier.  This doesn't mean that Mazda actually made the part but that they have had the part manufactured for them to a specific set of criteria and standards.

• A/M - A/M refers to aftermarket parts.  These are parts that are manufactured by companies other than the Original Equipment Manufacturer.  Sometimes this is O.K. and sometimes it's not.  It all comes down to the quality of the part.  Sometimes these parts are just as good as the OEM parts.  They may have even been made by the same manufacturer.  Other times the parts are not of good quality and may not provide a good repair.  These parts should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and only used when they are of equivalent quality to the OEM parts they are replacing.

• QRP - QRP refers to Quality Replacement Parts or Quality Recycled Parts.  When used as Quality Replacement Parts it is an alternate acronym for the A/M acronym defined above.  When used as Quality Recycled Parts it is an alternate acronym for the LKQ acronym defined below.  These terms are being used more in the electronic estimating systems to give the impression that the parts being listed on the estimate are quality parts.  Again,  these parts should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and only used when they are of equivalent quality to the OEM parts they are replacing.

• LKQ - LKQ refers to Like Kind and Quality parts.  This generally refers to used parts from a vehicle recycling center or salvage yard.  These parts are defined as Like Kind and Quality because they are from a vehicle just like the one being repaired.  Typically they should be from a vehicle the same year model, or newer, as the vehicle being repaired.  These parts differ from A/M and QRP parts because they are just like OEM parts they're just being re-used from another vehicle.  Just like A/M and QRP parts, LKQ parts should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and only used when they are of equivalent quality to the OEM parts they are replacing.