Panel Beaters Carrum

Accident repairs for Carrum, start to finish

Most people land here having just had a bad morning, so here is exactly what happens next.

You call or send photos

Tell us what happened and whether the car is drivable. If it is not, we will arrange towing, whether it is sitting on the Nepean Highway, on McLeod Road or in the car park by the station.

We assess it properly

Panels off where needed and a look at what is behind them before we quote. Repairs that blow out almost always do so because damage underneath was missed at quoting stage, and we would rather find it now.

We handle the insurer

Images, report, authority. You should not have to project manage your own claim.

Structure, panels and paint

Where the structure has moved, the car is measured against the manufacturer’s data and pulled back under control. Panels are repaired where the maker permits it and replaced where it does not. Paint is matched to your panel rather than to a code, then blended into the panels either side so the repair does not announce itself.

Calibration, road test, handover

Driver assistance systems recalibrated where the repair disturbed them, fault codes checked, panel gaps and finish inspected under proper light, road tested, then cleaned before you see it.

Makes we repair

We repair every make, and for four of them we hold current manufacturer approval, which means our equipment, our technicians’ training and our repair methods have been audited against that maker’s own standards. Manufacturer approved: Tesla, BYD, Zeekr and Lexus. Everything else: Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Jeep, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, MG, Isuzu and the rest. The standards those approval programmes hold us to apply to every car that comes through the door, not only to the four badges on the wall. If you drive something electric or hybrid, the high voltage system is isolated to the manufacturer’s procedure before anyone opens a panel, and the cameras behind the driver assistance systems are recalibrated before the car goes back to you.

What we repair

Panel beating and structural repair

From a dented door skin through to measuring and pulling a bent structure back to specification. See panel beating.

Spray painting and colour matching

Single panels, blends and full resprays, matched to the panel in front of us. See spray painting.

Paintless dent removal

Where the paint is unbroken, the dent gets pushed out and your factory finish stays where it is. Cheaper, faster and better at resale. See paintless dent removal.

Hail and storm damage

A bonnet, roof and boot covered in shallow dents is the ideal case for paintless repair rather than refinishing three large panels.

Salt air, stone chips and bayside wear

Living this close to the water is hard on paint. Chips that have gone through the clear coat are worth sorting before the metal underneath starts to go.

Accident assistance and replacement vehicles

Towing, the claim and keeping you mobile. See accident assistance and replacement vehicles.

Why Carrum drivers use us

• We are around the corner. Eight minutes, and we collect and return cars in Carrum at no charge anyway.
• The approvals. If you drive a Tesla, BYD, Zeekr or Lexus, the list of Melbourne repairers who can work to the maker’s procedures is short, and most of it is a long drive north.
• VACC approval and thirty years. We are not a new name learning on your car.
• Lifetime warranty on parts, for as long as you own the vehicle.

Insurance, and choosing your own repairer

We are an approved repairer for AAMI, RACV and NRMA and we work with every major insurer in Victoria. Worth knowing: when you claim, your insurer will usually nominate a repairer from its own network. Many policies also give you choice of repairer, either as standard or as an option you have already paid for, and insurers have to tell you what your policy allows. If you want CA Autobody, say so, and we will handle it from there. If the accident was not your fault you generally have more freedom again, because you are not bound by your own insurer’s network at all.

Where we are

We are at 7 Ashley Park Drive, Chelsea Heights VIC 3196, a short run from Carrum across the Patterson River. We also look after Chelsea, Edithvale, Aspendale, Carrum Downs, Mordialloc and Sandhurst. The full list is on our areas we serve page.

Common questions from Carrum customers

Is Carrum the same as Carrum Downs?

No, and it catches people out constantly. Carrum is the bayside suburb, postcode 3197. Carrum Downs is inland, postcode 3201, about fifteen minutes away in the City of Frankston. We look after both, and the Carrum Downs page is here.

Do you pick up from Carrum?

Yes, free of charge, though plenty of Carrum customers just drop the car in on their way past.

Do I have to use the repairer my insurer picks?

Often not. Many Victorian policies include choice of repairer or allow you to request it, and your insurer is required to tell you what yours allows. Ask before you agree to anything.

How long will my car take?

A bumper is days. Structural work is weeks, and parts availability usually decides it rather than the repair. We give you a time frame once the car is stripped and assessed, and we tell you if it changes.

Can you match my paint?

Yes, and we match to your panel rather than the code alone, because paint fades with sun and salt air. The repair is blended into the adjacent panels so there is no edge to catch the light.

Can you work on my Tesla or BYD?

Yes. We hold current manufacturer approval for Tesla, BYD, Zeekr and Lexus, which means genuine parts, the maker’s own procedures, and sensor recalibration before you get the car back.

Do you do small jobs, or only insurance work?

Both. A lot of what we do is a scuffed bumper or a car park ding paid for directly, and on smaller dents it is often worth checking whether the repair costs less than your excess.