If your vehicle needs repairing cosmetically, you may be offered a SMART repair – often conducted by a mobile technician.

But what exactly is SMART vehicle repair, and how does it work?

Here we cover all you need to know about SMART repair methods, including what they mean, how they’re used, and the advantages they bring for repair customers.

What is SMART vehicle repair?

SMART stands for ‘Small to Medium Area Repair Technology’ – which is used to repair damage such as dents, scrapes, and cracks on vehicles, without replacing the affected components themselves. 

Common use cases for SMART repair include fixing dents, scrapes, and chips on vehicle paintwork, repairing alloy wheels, and repairing cosmetic panel damage on both exterior and interior surfaces.

How do SMART repairs work?

When conducting SMART repairs, technicians use specialist tools, materials, and bespoke matched paint to repair the vehicle to its pre-accident condition.

This involves filling scratches, reversing dents, repairing the affected area, and painting/blending to match the original OE finish.

Some SMART repairs can even be completed without respraying the component – such as through paintless dent removal (PDR) technologies. 

SMART repairs are highly effective – giving the same faultless result as you’d expect from a replacement part.

What are the benefits of SMART vehicle repair?

SMART repair methods bring a number of benefits for repairers and their customers, including:

1 – It’s cheaper than replacing parts

Using SMART repair can be a cost-effective alternative to classic repair methods, due to the decreased need to replace entire parts or components. 

Parts like doors, wings, and bumpers are some of the most expensive for repairers to source. Repairing these parts, rather than buying replacements, can significantly reduce the cost of accident repair for insurers & their customers – without compromising on quality.

2 – It’s more sustainable

SMART vehicle repair methods are more sustainable – thanks to the preference for ‘repair over replace’. 

This helps to decrease the carbon emissions of manufacturing & delivering new parts, as well as minimising the number of parts that are removed from vehicles and sent to landfill.

3 – It facilitates roadside & mobile repair

Thanks to its targeted approach, SMART vehicle repair can often be conducted effectively by mobile repair technicians.

This adds immense convenience for repair customers, who can often benefit from roadside/driveway repair services – rather than dispatching their vehicle to a bodyshop.

4 – It promotes faster repair turnaround

Using SMART methods can promote faster repair turnaround, thanks to reduced reliance on parts supply chains, which often experience delays during high-demand periods.

This benefits both repairers and their customers alike, getting vehicles back on the road sooner, and freeing up shop-floor capacity at repair centres – allowing for more intensive structural repairs to be prioritised.

Repair over replace means work can be started immediately, rather than waiting for replacement parts to be sourced, delivered, and fitted.

SMART Repair at Activate Group…

Activate Group utilises SMART repair methods throughout our repair network. Our engineering teams consider opportunities for repair over replace wherever possible, providing a more sustainable, cost-effective solution for repair customers.

Even if the vehicle’s repair requirements are more complex, SMART methods can still be utilised for targeted repairs in certain areas – like bumpers, bonnets, and wings. This highlights the importance of a robust repair engineering process, which helps to identify opportunities for alternative methodologies like SMART repair.

Learn more about Activate Group’s industry-leading accident management services – including incident response, vehicle triage, engineering, and best-quality repair.