Empire  Collision​

Fontana’s Premier Collision Repair Shop

 

Eric, the general manager of Empire Collision Center,  has seen a lot of advancement in vehicle manufacturing over the years which means when it comes to managing the constant training and new equipment needed for a Complete auto collision repair center, to be “Gold  Class” there are always new things to stay on top of.

 

“We just came back from I-CAR class where we do all of our training.  As an example, an Audi R8 which costs over $200,000 is all aluminum and high strength steel.

 

Most shops can’t even work on this car because they don’t have the tools, but we do. This vehicle can’t just go into a mom and pop collision repair shop and get it fixed.”

We Are Equipped For Collision Repair On All Foreign and Domestic Vehicles

 

Don’t just think the equipment at Empire Collision Center is only meant for dream machines though. Much of the equipment required to work on Audi’s, Ferrari’s, or Lamborghini’s, is also used on your Ford and Chevy. In a similar manner of getting a printout for a wheel alignment, we can do a printout from our frame machines. “It’s all precision electronic measuring so we can do extremely accurate printouts so we know your car is within factory specs. You couldn’t do that back in the old days. You’d have to take someone’s word that the frame was now fixed!”

 

Whereas, a “Gold Class” certified shop like Empire Collision Center is required to provide proof of ongoing annual training needed to keep up with the rapidly changing metals and repair technologies of newly made vehicles.  In order to achieve “Gold Class” Status,  I-CAR requires us to possess all of the proper equipment necessary to restore a wrecked vehicle’s structural integrity back to factory safety standards in order to receive this coveted designation.

 

We have certified welders on staff with an inverter welder. (Duplicates factory type spot welds.) Not all  Collision Repair Shops have these type of capabilities  We have paint booths for factory type paintwork with baking capabilities, a computer assisted frame rack  on premises, as well as written Limited Lifetime Warranties.

Refinish Department

Getting your car fixed right, the first time, with a lifetime warranty, back to factory specs, is one thing. (And it can take a village of highly trained people to make that happen.) Making sure your newly repaired vehicle doesn’t come out the paint shop looking like an orange peel is another.

 

 Master Refinish Technician, Cristian H. will tell you priming, sanding, painting, sealing and polishing takes various degrees of attention to detail and expertise. Cristian says a lot of sandpaper scratches in vehicles can be seen if the primer isn’t sanded properly.

 

Our Auto Body Paint System

Empire uses a top of the line PPG Enviro base Paint System. It is the best manufacturer of automotive OEM coatings – providing technologically sophisticated and environmentally responsible coatings as well! These primers have become standard for some OEM manufacturers providing protection while preparing the surface for top-coating without the use of solvents.

 

For PPG products the main properties of its clearcoat are smooth and glossy surfaces. This helps produce excellent resistance against weathering, chemicals and scratches. The materials used ensure OEM requirements such as weathering stability or chemical resistance. These are the standards that Empire Collision Center meet.

 

A basecoat is the coating layer providing color and aesthetic effects. It must provide uniform appearance for many years without fading. When it comes to some fancy paint jobs, micas, aluminum flakes and other particles, they will all effect pigmentation. They can be incorporated in one basecoat layer or in a separate layer (for example in two-tones). If two basecoat layers are used, the sandwich with the clearcoat is called a tricoat or three stage finish.

One such example is the “pearl” paint that gives your vehicle just a touch of sparkle down the road. “They go with a tri-coat,” Our paint jobs are done not only to match the original color and finish after an expert auto body repair, but because of vandalism or people who love their older cars and just want it to look showroom new.

 

Empire Collision Center have our own paint Mixing machine  for that perfect match. “We mix our own paint. We take the paint code off the car and we even have a camera that would capture something as small as a bubble gum wrapper and match the color. That’s how advanced its gotten. In the old days you’d have two different panels with two different colors – you don’t really see that anymore.”

Unlike a discount auto body paint place where a vehicle is washed, taped and spray painted, the process at Empire Collision Center is very different. “We take the whole car apart. We take all the glass out, all the molding and handles out, as well as all the doors and bumpers. We completely do it as they would at the factory. Put it back together and buff, polish, detail and it looks brand new.”