Panel Beaters Mentone

Accident repairs for Mentone, start to finish

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

You call or send photos

Tell us what happened and whether the car is drivable. If it is not, we will arrange towing from wherever it is sitting, whether that is Balcombe Road, the Nepean Highway or a car park off Como Parade.

We assess it properly

Not a glance in a car park. Panels off where needed, a look at what is behind them, and a quote based on that. Repairs that blow out almost always do so because damage underneath was missed at quoting stage.

We handle the insurer

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

Structure, panels and paint

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

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 the 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 leaves us.

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, 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.

Bumper scuffs and car park damage

Small jobs are still jobs. If yours is quick, we will tell you it is quick.

Accident assistance and replacement vehicles

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

Why Mentone drivers come down to Chelsea Heights

Mentone sits in the City of Kingston, and there is no shortage of workshops between Charman Road and Warrigal Road. What people come to us for is usually one of four things.

• 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.
• VACC approval and thirty years. We are not a new name learning on your car.
• The lifetime parts warranty, for as long as you own the vehicle.
• Free pickup and drop off. Mentone is inside our valet area, so for most jobs you never need to drive to us at all.

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 take 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.

Getting your car to us from Mentone

We are at 7 Ashley Park Drive, Chelsea Heights VIC 3196. From Mentone it is a straight run down the Nepean Highway, roughly fifteen minutes outside peak. If the car is not drivable, or you would simply rather not lose the time, we collect and return cars across Mentone as part of our free valet service.

We also look after neighbouring suburbs including Parkdale, Mordialloc, Cheltenham, Aspendale, Chelsea and Carrum Downs. The full list is on our areas we serve page.

Common questions from Mentone customers

Do you pick up from Mentone?

Yes. Mentone is inside our free pickup and drop off area. We collect the car, repair it, and bring it back washed.

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 the question 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 itself. We give you a time frame once the car is stripped and assessed, and we tell you if that changes.

Can you match my paint?

Yes, and we match to your panel rather than to the code alone, because paint fades with sun and age. 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 repair procedures, and sensor recalibration before the car goes back to you.

Can I get a car while mine is being repaired?

We have replacement vehicles, and on a not at fault claim you may be entitled to one at no cost to you.

Do you do small jobs, or only insurance work?

Both. Plenty 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.