Every profession has its own lingo. The medical field has words like stat, CBC, and INR, while football players need to understand words like offsides and holding. It’s no different in the automotive world. In fact, there is more lingo to understand at your local service center in the Plainfield, Indianapolis, Fishers, and Bloomington areas.
Just in case you’re ever hanging around your local auto body shop or if your service professional has explained things using language you don’t understand, we’ve created a primer to help you decipher all of the lingo. At Andy Mohr Collision Center, we want you to be in the know, right beside us.
General Vehicle Terminology
The are some acronyms and general terms that may be thrown around by your service technician without the realization that you don’t understand, so here’s a little glossary:
- Aftermarket Parts near Indiana – This is the term used to describe parts that are not made by the manufacturer of the vehicle that is being worked on.
- VIN – This acronym means Vehicle Identification Number and describes the number that is unique to your vehicle and can be found in several locations as a means of identifying your car, truck, or SUV.
Repair Terminology
When you’re bringing your car in to be repaired or if you’re at home looking through your paperwork, there may be some words being thrown around that you don’t understand. For example:
- Bench – This is the machine used to repair your frame after it has been damaged. A system of clamps, hydraulics, and chains can help a technician pull areas of the vehicle that need to be fixed.
- Edge to Edge – This is a type of repair that you may have your service tech doing for you. It means it is a complete job and not just one little spot.
- LKQ – This acronym means “Like Kind Quality” and it is a part that has been taken from another car and repurposed for your repairs. These parts are rigorously inspected, both by the person selling the item and the receiver.
- R&I – This means remove and install, which is reserved for parts that are okay for reinstallation in your vehicle after the repairs have been done. For instance, this may be an engine or transmission that has not been damaged in an accident but must be removed for repair purposes.
- R&R – This is the opposite of R&I, as this term means remove and replace. This refers to a part that has to be removed for the repair process but must also be replaced when the repair is finished as it has also been damaged.
Paint Job Terminology
There are a couple terms that you may hear that apply to paint job body shops. These terms are unique for this type of repair, so if you’re having your car painted, you will likely to see or hear some these words:
- Masking – This applies to the process of taping off and covering the parts of your vehicle that will not be painted, such as the windows, headlights, sunroof, and more.
- Primer – Much like house paint, your car needs an underlayer that will be applied to the unpainted body of the vehicle.
- Top Coat – This applies to the final coat that your car will receive when it is being painted. It’s not really a necessary addition, but it can help keep your car from being damaged by the sun.
Schedule Your Service
While this is just a smattering of the words you may hear being exchanged around a body shop, you’ll have a better grasp on what it is that your service professionals handle on a daily basis. We can also handle your repairs of any kind from paint jobs to frame repair, so call or go online to schedule something with us at Andy Mohr Collision Center. We have four locations to choose from:
