Nobody plans for a car accident, so when it happens most people freeze for a second. Even a low-speed bump can leave you standing on the nature strip trying to work out what you're meant to do first, or wondering if that scrape on the bumper is actually nothing.
How you handle the first day tends to shape everything that follows, the insurance claim, how quickly the car gets fixed, whether you end up arguing with anyone about it.
If you've ended up needing smash repair in Melbourne, there's a rough order to follow: make sure everyone's okay, get the accident properly documented, then have someone qualified actually look at the car before you assume you know the extent of the damage. A panel can look completely fine and still be hiding a cracked bracket or a sensor that's been knocked out underneath.
Below is a rundown for Melbourne drivers on what actually matters in those first 24 hours.
Check on People Before You Look at the Car
This sounds obvious written down, but in the moment it's easy to get distracted by the damage. Check yourself first, then passengers, then anyone else involved. If somebody's hurt, or there's any doubt at all, call emergency services before you do anything else.
Adrenaline is a strange thing after a crash. You can walk away feeling completely fine and then notice pain an hour later once it wears off, so don't take "I feel okay" as the final word.
If the cars are sitting somewhere dangerous, blocking a lane on a busy road for example, get them to a safer spot if you can do that without putting anyone at more risk.
Think Twice Before Driving It Away
Just because the engine starts doesn't mean the car's fit to drive. Steering can feel slightly off, brakes can be compromised, a wheel can be knocked out of alignment, and none of it is necessarily obvious from behind the wheel.
Look underneath for fluid on the road. Check for smoke, odd noises, or anything hanging where it shouldn't be. If any of that's happening, or you're just not sure, don't risk it. Call for a tow instead.
Swap Details With the Other Driver
You'll want to get the other driver's name and contact details, their licence number, registration, and insurer. Note down where exactly it happened too, and if anyone saw it happen, grab their details as well before they wander off.
Try to stay calm through this part even if you're rattled. Nobody needs to sort out whose fault it was on the side of the road, that's what the insurers (and sometimes the police) are there to figure out.
If police show up, do what they ask and hold onto anything they give you, a report number, a card, whatever it is. It tends to come in handy later.
Take More Photos Than Feels Necessary
Your phone earns its keep here. Before either car gets moved, assuming it's safe to do it, take photos of everything you can.
Start wide so you've got the full picture of where the vehicles ended up, then get in close on the actual damage: dented panels, cracked bumpers, broken lights, damaged wheels, even scratches that look minor. Photograph the number plates too, and the road itself if there's anything relevant like skid marks or debris.
It feels excessive in the moment, but a small mark you barely noticed can turn out to matter once someone's assessing the car properly. Having the photos makes that whole conversation easier.
Get Your Insurer on the Phone
Once you've got the details you need and things have calmed down, call your insurer and report what happened. They'll want to know roughly what occurred, ask for your photos, and get the other driver's information.
Here's something a lot of people don't realise: you're not always locked into using whoever your insurer suggests for the repair. It comes down to your policy. At Glossworks we've found plenty of drivers actually have the right to pick their own repairer, so it's worth reading the fine print before you agree to anything.
Not sure how that works for you? Have a quick chat with your preferred panel beaters in Melbourne before signing off on anything.
Don't Try to Fix It Yourself
It's tempting, especially with a small dent or a bumper that looks like it just needs popping back into place. For genuinely minor cosmetic stuff, maybe it's harmless. Actual collision damage is a different animal though.
A bumper that looks only slightly out means there could be clips, sensors, or mounting brackets behind it that took the hit too. A dent in a panel can hide things you'd never catch just looking at the paint.
Proper car body repair in Melbourne starts underneath the surface, not with a quick cosmetic patch job.
Book a Proper Assessment
Once the dust has settled, and it will settle faster than you expect, get the car in front of someone who knows what they're looking at.
An actual assessment is the only way to know what you're dealing with. Sometimes it's a straightforward panel beating job. Other times it involves dent removal, new parts, a full respray, or all of it at once. You won't know until someone's had a proper look.
At Glossworks, nothing gets touched until the car's been assessed and a repair plan's been worked out. We cover both insurance and private jobs, and that includes smash repairs, panel beating, dent removal, and spray painting. More often than you'd think, the damage that's actually there doesn't match what it looked like on first glance.
Ask Whatever You Want to Ask
Don't feel awkward putting questions to your repairer. Reasonable things to ask:
What damage have they actually found so far?
Is there anything they still need to check underneath or behind panels?
Which parts need repairing versus full replacement?
Will there be spray painting involved, and how do they match the colour?
Do they deal with the insurer directly, or does that fall on you?
What's the rough timeline?
What happens if they find something extra once they're into the job?
If a repairer can't answer these in plain language, that says something.
At Glossworks the process is assessment first, then a repair plan, then the work itself, then you get the car back. We work directly with the major insurers too, which covers assessments, quotes, and getting approvals sorted.
Don't Assume You've Seen All the Damage
This is probably the most common mistake people make. A dent stares you in the face, so it's easy to think that's the whole story.
What's less obvious is what's sitting behind the bumper, under a panel, or wired into the car's electronics. Modern vehicles are loaded with sensors and cameras, and a decent knock can throw one of those out without leaving a mark you'd notice.
This is the whole reason collision repair in Melbourne needs to go further than cosmetics. Making the panel look good again is only half of it, the other half is knowing the car's actually sound.
Keep Temporary Fixes Temporary
Sometimes you need a stopgap before the real repair happens, a broken window covered over, an exposed panel kept dry until it's booked in. That's fine.
Just don't let it become the permanent solution. No forcing a panel back into shape, no wrapping half the car in gaffer tape, and definitely don't keep driving it if it's showing signs it shouldn't be on the road. If you're not sure what counts as okay in the meantime, ask before you improvise.
Find a Repairer Who Actually Talks to You
Picking a smash repairer in Melbourne isn't only about who can get the job done fastest. You want someone who'll explain what's wrong, keep you posted while it's in the shop, and not vanish the moment your car's up on the hoist.
Glossworks operates out of Moorabbin and Carnegie, covering Melbourne's south-east and the Bayside area. We work on the usual daily drivers as well as prestige and European makes.
If your car's a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Porsche, it's genuinely worth finding someone with real experience on those brands rather than a shop that does everything from Corollas to Ferraris with the same approach.
After the First Day
Once you've reported it and the car's been assessed, the actual repair work starts. That could mean panel beating, dent removal, replacing parts, or spray painting, depending on what's wrong.
Colour matching matters a lot here, especially on visible panels. Nobody wants a repaired door that's a slightly different shade to the rest of the car. Glossworks uses computerised colour matching along with premium refinishing systems for exactly that reason.
How long the whole thing takes comes down to how bad the damage is, whether parts are in stock, and how fast the insurance approval comes through. A repairer worth your time will give you a realistic timeframe and let you know if that changes.
Final Thoughts
An accident is stressful enough without adding confusion on top of it. Getting the first 24 hours right makes the rest of the process a lot easier to deal with.
Check on people first. Document everything properly. Get the details you need, call your insurer, and don't assume the damage you can see is all there is.
And whatever you do, don't rush into a repair decision before someone experienced has actually looked at the car.
If you're after smash repair Service drivers can trust, Glossworks handles collision repairs, panel beating, insurance work, dent removal, and spray painting out of our Moorabbin and Carnegie workshops. We work with insurers and private customers alike, and we'll walk you through the whole process from the first look to picking up your car.
Glossworks Australia
44 Alex Ave, Moorabbin VIC 3189, Australia
1064 Dandenong Rd, Carnegie VIC 3163, Australia
Phone: 1300 145 677
Serving Melbourne’s South East and Bayside areas
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