Our Most commonly asked questions

Q. What is Auto-look?
A. Auto-look is a specialist automotive cosmetic damage repair company in Ipswich, Suffolk. Auto-look offers two types of service, mobile service for smaller types of repairs and a fixed location for larger repair jobs.

Q. Are your paints safe to spray outside?

A. Yes! We do not spray paints that contain isocyanate, and as we spray at such low air pressure and with HVLP Mini spray guns there is no chance of overspray and fumes are kept to a minimum.

Q. What if it rains?

A. We would arrange another appointment to complete repair as if it rains in middle of a repair the repair would be ruined.

Q. How long does the paint take to dry?

A. Most repair are completed within 2 hours and the paint is dry enough for you to drive the car right away.

Q. What is the difference between Auto-look and a regular body shop?
A. Auto-look specializes in making high quality repairs to minor paint damage and light collision work only. This enables us to complete repairs quickly and conveniently. We can repair all types of damage including Alloys, Paint and Trim. we look after the light cosmetic damage!

Q. What is the difference between your mobile service and your repair facility?
A. Our mobile service, although extremely convenient, is limited in the type of repairs that can be made. It is best suited for the repair of bumpers and minor damage such as light dents, scratches and stonechips. Our repair workshop can repair "light collision" damage such as bumper scrapes, dents, alloy wheels and full machine polishing service.

Q. What is "light collision" damage?
A. Light collision damage means no structural or suspension damage. Repairs that primarily require parts replacement and/or light bodywork and repainting.

Q. Why light collision damage only?
A. By focusing on these types of repairs we are able to produce high quality work very quickly. Most of our repairs are completed within a day.

Q. What is "high end" and more extensive paint damage?
A. Some paint damage is too extensive to be able to achieve satisfactory results with our mobile service. Long key scratches, difficult to repair damage on expensive or brand new vehicles and some of today's complex colors are better serviced at our facility.

Q. I went to another body shop, their estimate was a lot more than your estimate and they need to keep my car for three days, but I know they do high quality work. Why is your price so much less and how do you do it so fast?
A. We built our business around filling a particular need, our operation is dedicated to doing one thing very well. Because we concentrate on fixing minor damage only, we can manage our workflow very efficiently. We do not have many of the obstacles that traditional body shops have that interrupt the production flow.

Q. Okay, you can do it fast and for a good price, will it look as good?
A. Absolutely! This is our specialty, whether you own a Porsche that is your weekend car or the family mini-van, you can be confident that you will get a job that will satisfy you - guaranteed!

Q.I have a very expensive car, am I leaving it in good hands?
A. Our specialization is not with a particular category of vehicle, but in the type of repair that we do. Most of our customers have either very new vehicles or very expensive ones.

Q. Will the colour match?
A. The answer is yes, but it needs to be qualified. Paint matching is not an exact science, contrary to what anyone may claim it is impossible to guarantee a perfect match on every repair. There are numerous factors and variables that can affect color match. However, because our sole focus is refinishing we are very confident of our ability to consistently match color as close to perfect as possible. Because we know which repairs have the potential to have color matching problems we can advise the customer in advance and explain what type of results they can expect.

Q. What type of paint do you use?
A. Our primary refinishing products are from Dupont. We are working in line with the New 2007 EU DIRECTIVE which means we are using a Compliant Lechler water based paint system. Dupont's and Lechler automotive refinishing line, are recognized as one the finest automotive paints available. This premium product combined with our experience enables us to make repairs that will last.

Q. Do you repaint whole cars?
A. No, complete repaints are very labor intensive and inhibit our ability to do what we do best. We book our work so that we can deliver high quality repairs quickly. This means we need to focus on vehicles that have two to three panels of damage or less.

Q. How long will you need my car?
A. Generally if you drop it off early in the morning you can pick it up that evening. Some jobs can be completed sooner and some can even be done in just over an hour.

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Q. What makes your process of repairing paint damage any different from that of a body shop?
A. Approach. The first thing that we do is evaluate the damage and then find out what the needs of the customer are. A customer who accidentally damaged his new Aston Martin has a different need than the person who is going to be returning their leased Hyundai. Having established what the need is, we can then recommend the possible options. It is our goal to always maintain as much of the original factory finish as possible on a car. If refinishing is the only solution then we always work towards keeping the "refinished" area as small as possible.

Q. What is the difference between reconditioning and refinishing the cars exterior?
A. Reconditioning is a term used to describe different methods of repairing paint, leather and trim damage. Paint surface reconditioning (wet sanding/buffing) and specialized touch-up techniques usually do not produce "perfect" repairs but they often can bring satisfactory results for certain applications. The biggest advantage to reconditioning is that it leaves the original finish intact. Refinishing is the industry term for repainting. Our innovative approach to refinishing is what separates our service from traditional body shops.

Q. Do you guarantee your work?
A. Yes! 2 years as standard on most repairs. Satisfaction is also guaranteed! We provide guarantees in accordance with the customer's needs and the types of repairs performed. Many repairs qualify for our lifetime paint guarantee, please enquire about the details.