Monterey Collision & Auto Repair

By chartphotoUpdated November 2023:  Whether you've just driven your brand-new car off the lot or have been faithfully cruising the same vehicle for years, keeping your car looking its best is a priority. Unfortunately, dents, dings, and scratches are an inevitable part of owning a car. But fret not! In this updated blog post for 2023, we'll delve into the most common culprits behind exterior car damage and provide you with valuable insights on how to prevent and mitigate these issues. Armed with this knowledge, you can ensure your car remains in tip-top condition for years to come. Common Causes Of Exterior Vehicle Damage: The most common cause of dents and dings remains the actions of other drivers. Whether it's someone carelessly flinging their door into your parked car or a rogue shopping cart taking aim at your bumper on a windy day, th ... read more

Photo by Orhun Rüzgar The devil is in the details If you're like most people, your car is one of your most prized possessions. You take pride in keeping it clean and looking its best. But even if you are diligent about cleaning it yourself, some areas are just tough to reach - and may not get the attention they need.   That's where a professional detailing service comes in. Detailing involves a thorough process with specialized products and tools. It can make your car look like new again! Here's a look at what goes into detail work and some tips on choosing the right detailing service for your vehicle.   What is detailing, and why should you do it Your car is one of your biggest investments, so taking care of it is important. Detailing is a process that involves cleaning and polishing the exterior and interior of your vehicle to restore it to its original condition. Many people choose to have their cars detailed by a professional, as this ensures that ... read more

If you like paying attention to details, you’re going to love this week’s blog! It’s all about the details inside the Detailing Center of CARSTAR Robert’s Collision. Have you seen spiderwebs on your black car? No, we’re not talking real spiders! We’re not even talking about Halloween! We’re talking about those tiny scratches you see when the sun shines brightly on your black paint.  If you see spiderwebs in the black paint of your car -- or any dark-colored paint, for that matter -- come and see us at CARSTAR Robert’s Collision. Here, you will find out all of the services provided by our Detailing Center, where your vehicles can receive the ultimate detailing experience for the interior and exterior. Our Detailing Center is the ultimate final step in the auto body repair process. After your vehicle has been repaired and painted, our goal is to buff out scratches and protect the paint. We use various techniques, including a complet ... read more

Window tint - Pros and Cons Tinted windows are great for a number of reasons. They can block dangerous UV rays, they look good, and also offer some privacy, so you don't feel like you are driving in a fishbowl when on the road. Keep in mind; there is such a thing as too dark of tint.   Is It Legal? In the south, we encounter many cars with really dark tinted windows. The advantage of dark tint is heat repellant and UV ray reduction. The intense heat of the south does tend to tax your air conditioner, so it is an advantage. As we move to the northern states, dark tint tends to signal that whoever is inside may have reason to hide. Many states have laws in place to limit the tinting of vehicle windows.   Vision Limitation Yes, tinted windows can keep your eyes from sun damage, on darker days, that same tint can impede your vision. Missing an animal crossing the road, a car without headlights, or worse yet, a child running into the way could mean ultimate disaster. It ... read more

  At CARSTAR Robert’s Collision and Repair, we know you love your car as much as we do, so we put together a list of car cleaning hacks with handy items already in your home. We hope these hacks are helpful!   Toothbrush cleaning tools Use an old toothbrush to scrub your dash, vents, and console. Toothbrushes are very handy when getting into tight spaces that need a scrub.   Toothpaste your headlights It might sound funny, but headlight lenses get cloudy over time after being exposed to the sun. One way to clear your headlamps and brighten the road is to take some toothpaste and a towel and get scrubbing. It may take an application or two, but the results you will see are impressive!   Q-tip cleaning When nooks and crannies are challenging to get into, grab a Q-tip, and get to rubbing. Q-tips are especially great for cleaning your vent corners and between the shifting lever.   Magic Eraser on vinyl and leather stains Are you finding dirt and ... read more

    Used parts from a junkyard can be a fantastic alternative to aftermarket parts, UNLESS that used part is also an aftermarket part. Cars can be in an accident more than once. If a vehicle that is in a wrecking yard, say, from a front-end impact and your vehicle requires a left rear door, this part could be a great option. What if that same car had been in an accident prior and was repaired before the front-end collision which made it a total loss? That used part is now not only pulled from the wrecking yard; it is also an aftermarket quality part. That is like doubling down on alternative parts.   Who finds these parts anyway? Used parts go through many hands before they reach a body shop. First, a vehicle has to hit 70% threshold of the resale value before qualifying as a total loss. Once a car is deemed a total loss, it is then towed to a wrecking yard to await tear down. Salvage yards usually have a big fenced-in area as well as different warehouses to store ve ... read more

When you look around this time of year, it’s hard not to begin to get into the holiday spirit. This is the time of year for gratitude as well as gift-giving. Giving a gift to your car isn’t such a crazy idea, but there are endless ideas out there for the auto enthusiast in your life too.  Auto Detailing Auto detailing is one of the specialty services offered at CARSTAR Robert’s Collision & Repair. It’s a great gift for your car or for the car enthusiast in your life. Consider it a spa treatment, and who wouldn’t want a spa treatment for Christmas? Detailing provides practical benefits too. It will get the gunk and dirt off of your car, and that will help protect the integrity of your paint.  Now that your car is detailed and clean, take a look at some of these ideas to help keep it that way: A Car Garbage Can is always a great idea to help ... read more

Even if you wash your car on a regular basis, at the car wash or at home, it’s still in your best interest to have it professionally detailed at least once a year. If you can swing it every 4 months, even better! The more you detail it, the better it will serve you over time. There’s nothing quite like getting into a freshly detailed car. It feels good and it looks terrific. The harsh chemicals used by the car wash facilities as well as what is found in many everyday kinds of soap we tend to use on our vehicles can cause damage or leave buildup. They can lead to the destruction of your car’s paint job as well as contribute to rust spots that can cause extensive damage over time.  The point of washing your car is to get it clean. The point of detailing your car is to bring it back to its original state of beauty or to get as close to that as possible. Detailing means that only the best equipment and cleansers are used to restore to as near perfect as possible. Th ... read more

As we head into summer, a lot of people start thinking about buying new cars. The sun is shining and the open road calls and it’s perfectly normal that we get this itch for something new. Take time to consider if this is really the right thing for you right now or if you can wait out the itch in order to get more out of your current vehicle, maybe even invest in a nice detail to make it new-to-you again! Here are some tips to consider before signing on the dotted line: Be flexible: maybe that BMW M4 you’ve had your sights set on won’t really fit into your daily life or your budget. Take time to research similar models under different marquees as well as other BMW models. You might be pleasantly surprised. If you can be flexible on color, engine size, etc., it might help you keep the cost down based on what’s available.  Research: this ties into #1 above… research, research, research before setting foot on a dealership lot. Make sure you know as mu ... read more