Can I have my car repaired during COVID?
Matilda Douglas-Henry
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives in unprecedented ways. This is acutely felt in our everyday lives, where long-term lockdowns have had a significant impact on what we can and can't do day-to-day. We’ve talked about how COVID majorly affected car sales in the past year but what about car repairs during these strange, unsettling times? What you might not know is that panel beating is an essential service; ensuring your vehicle is safe to drive is vital, even throughout lockdowns and rising cases.
In this article we will lay out:
- Essential services for cars: an overview
- Repairers commitment to safety
- Contactless repair services available
- Extra safety measures for cars that require interior access
What are car-related essential services during COVID lockdowns?
As we mentioned in our introduction, panel beating is considered an essential service during statewide lockdowns. As a result, all panel beaters are open for business and are carrying out strict health and safety protocols to protect you and your family from any risk. If your vehicle is in need of repairs, now is the perfect time to act. Wait times will be shorter than usual, and your trusted panel beater will be all the more attuned to your needs.
You might be wondering what other car-related services are considered essential during lockdowns. These vary state-to-state, but overall: car repair shops in general are open—this includes general repairs and tyre services—and can perform routine services/needed repairs.
What are we doing at DingGo to keep you safe?
At DingGo, your safety is our priority. Not only do we repair your cars to a safe, roadworthy standard, but during the pandemic we are committed to protecting your overall health and wellbeing too.
Our mobile repair service is perfectly catered to maintaining distance between you and people outside your immediate household. A technician will come to your residence and, in many cases, will not need to access the interior of your vehicle at all to perform repairs. All they need is a secure area to perform the repairs, and access to power.
If your repair can't be done by a mobile repairer then now worries, all our repair workshops also offer contactless services too. Due to the limited people on roads and extra capacity many repairers will even pickup and drop off your car for you if you are uncomfortable travelling to their shop nearby.
DingGo’s contactless repair
We want to make sure you feel as safe as possible when getting your car repaired. DingGo has introduced a contactless repair service where your car can be assessed and repaired without having to come into direct contact with anyone at all.
If you choose to take your car to a repair shop, you can opt for contactless repair in one of two ways. There will be a key drop-off station where you can place your keys and then collect them once your car has been repaired, or—if you are able to leave your keys in a safe location—a repairer can pick up and drop off your vehicle for you.
Mobile repairs can also be entirely contactless if you leave your keys in a safe location for the repairer to access.
What if my car’s repairs require interior access?
If your car’s interior needs to be accessed to perform repairs, do not worry. All our panel beaters are following government recommendations regarding safe hygiene practices, including hand-washing, social distancing, and regularly cleaning the workshops.
To ease your worries further, technicians are disinfecting every vehicle that they service as soon as it’s in their station, and will sanitise the car before they return it to you as well .
Conclusion
We know how disorienting and difficult the past 18 months have been, and we don’t want your day-to-day to become even more stressful if you experience some serious car trouble. DingGo is here to help, and our qualified smash repairers are committed to your health and safety more than ever. So now is the perfect time to get your car repaired, safely and back to the condition you bought it in. Use our quick quotes service today.