Whether you are doing repairs or restoration, your local GM Dealer has the parts specifically designed and engineered to make your vehicle look and feel good.
Restoring your favourite GM vehicle not only requires specialized parts. It also requires specialized knowledge. We can help.
Vintage Vehicles Services
The restoration of vintage vehicles requires a special degree of knowledge. By providing unique vehicle-specific production information for Canadian produced or Canadian sold GM vehicles, regardless of production location, we hope to pass along that knowledge.
Restoring a Vehicle For Selling Purposes
If you are selling, we can provide proof positive identification for your vintage car or truck, including special options that will make your car or truck more valuable.
Our vintage vehicle package provides the option content of your vehicle. Information includes:
- original paint colour and interior trim colour
- production/shipping dates
- quantity of same model produced for sale in Canada
- original engine number through late 1960's (if available)
- original selling Dealer and location (if available)
This information is combined with Engineering Specifications for your specific year and vehicle line to provide a comprehensive package of production information for each car or truck.
Option details are available from 1964 to the present for most vehicle lines. Available information from 1946 to 1964 is limited to:
- colour
- trim
- production/shipping dates
- engine number
- quantities produced for sale in Canada
- selling Dealer (after approx. 1957)
Only production numbers are available prior to 1946 (sorry, nothing from 1939 to 1945), except for Chevrolet where Engineering Specifications are also available.
We can help identify engine numbers, and offer assistance in locating the parts you need to restore your GM car or truck to its original form. An original equipment car is much more valuable than a clone.
The best way to ensure a higher resale value and a higher degree of safety after an accident is by restoring your vehicle with genuine GM Collision Parts. Don't be disappointed -- insist on only genuine GM Collision Parts. They're the same as the parts your car rolled off the new car lot with. So you can be sure you're getting the same quality, reliability and durability as its original equipment. Yet, if you don't ask for GM Collision Parts, you might get stuck with cheap imitations.
Genuine Advantages of GM Collision Parts Over Imitation Parts
Only genuine GM Collision Parts provide the safety, look and warranty protection you expect and deserve.
A number of automotive parts manufacturers try to copy GM hoods, fenders, door panels and other collision parts. These are offered to body shops as replacements for the original panels your GM car or truck was built with. If imitations do find their way onto your vehicle, they can lead to some unpleasant surprises:
- The safety, composition and corrosion resistance of imitation parts is unknown. GM has no way to control the material, design or manufacturing methods used in producing imitation parts.
- The structural integrity of genuine GM Collision Parts meets factory original standards. They're made with factory-specified steels and factory-specified gauge thickness to provide the best durability possible.
- Genuine GM Collision Parts are made from rust-resistant, two-galvanized steel. A layer of zinc on the outside of our GM sheet metal helps resist surface rust, and a layer of zinc on the inside prevents holes, which typically start on inside surfaces.
- Genuine GM Collision Parts are made to fit properly and help your vehicle retain its original look. Imitation parts are reverse-engineered so additional holes may be drilled or the parts contorted to make them fit properly. This can cause mismatches in the vehicle's lines and reduce its resale value.
- Imitation parts are not covered under your GM new-vehicle warranty. No General Motors warranty covers liabilities related to the use of imitation parts, or associated GM part or system failure caused by the use of imitation parts.
- If you don't speak up, imitation parts may be used. The only way to make sure that you get genuine GM Collision Parts is to insist on them. If your vehicle is involved in a collision, ask your insurance agent and bodyshop representative if your vehicle will be repaired with genuine GM Collision Parts. If the answer is yes, then you'll be getting the value, safety, endurance and peace of mind you deserve.
Answers to Common Collision Questions
Here are answers to your most common collision questions:
What is the difference between imitation parts and parts made by the manufacturer of my vehicle?
The parts made by the manufacturer of your vehicle are built to the same specifications as those on your vehicle when it was built. Genuine GM Parts are made with factory-specified steels and to factory-specified thickness to provide the best durability possible. Imitation parts are often not made specifically for your vehicle. This may make it necessary for technicians to alter or otherwise manoeuvre the part to make it fit. The end result may be diminished satisfaction and value, and it may jeopardize your warranty protection.
How can I be sure that I'm getting the real thing when it comes to replacement sheet metal parts?
You should talk to your insurance agent and the collision repair facility doing the repair. Tell them you'll only accept genuine GM Collision Parts when they repair your vehicle.
What if imitation parts are used to repair my vehicle?
You should ask for documentation if imitation parts are used to repair your vehicle. In the event of structural failure as a result of using imitation parts, you'll have a way to establish liability and increase your chance of receiving proper compensation.
What is the difference between collision insurance and comprehensive insurance coverage?
Collision insurance and comprehensive insurance may vary by province. Generally, collision insurance covers damage to your automobile caused by a collision with another object, while comprehensive insurance covers damage to your automobile from such things as vandalism, theft or glass breakage.
What is the meaning of 'actual cash value'?
The term 'actual cash value' refers to how much it would cost to replace your damaged vehicle with one in similar condition and with similar kilometres driven. Since conditions such as kilometres driven, unrepaired previous damage and tire wear are all considered in determining cash value, that sum may not be the same as the market price for an automobile of the same make, model and year.
Typically, the most an insurance company will pay for a damaged automobile is its actual cash value at the time it was damaged.
The value of the loss or damage is based on actual cash value after taking into account depreciation. An insurance company will not pay more to repair an automobile than its actual cash value at the time it was damaged.
An insurance company will pay the lower of the following:
- The cost to repair the loss or damage; or
- The actual cash value of the automobile at the time it was damaged.
If, as a result of repairs, the actual cash value of the automobile is more than it was before the accident, you may be asked to contribute to the cost of the repairs. The amount you will be asked to pay is the difference between the actual cash value of the automobile after the repairs and the actual cash value of the automobile before the accident. If a part needed to repair the automobile is no longer available, the most an insurance company will pay is an amount equal to the manufacturer's latest list price for the part.
More questions regarding automobile insurance?
For additional information on automobile insurance, please go to the Insurance Bureau of Canada Web site at www.ibc.ca
