A Car Collector Talks About Automobiles

Month: February 2023

car collecting

How toy cars created my obsession with cars as a child

I think it’s safe to say that if it weren’t for all the toy cars my parents gave me when growing up as a child that I wouldn’t be a mad car collector today. All the other girls my age throughout elementary school got cute dolls with pink dresses to play with, but not me. I was given red hotrods and yellow trucks, blue racing cars and green off-road buggies.

My toy car collection was much more extensive and cared for than my current car collection today. Back then I had special plastic cases for my favorite toy cars and displayed them on collector’s shelves. Even when I became a teenager and went out partying with the other teenage girls on the weekend, I may have stopped playing with my toy car collection but I still admired them in their cases every day.

It wasn’t until, when I was in my early twenties, friends of the family gave birth to a boy so I donated the toy cars to them knowing my collection could live another life. I lost interest in toy cars, but that was also around the time I purchased my first real car, a beater that puttered worse than a blind man at a putting range!

Today my car collection constantly expands and contracts and I know for certain that if I had been playing with dolls as a girl instead of toy cars that this expensive habit of mine probably wouldn’t exist. I’m glad it does exist though, because I love cars and I love collecting them. And I owe it all to my parents giving me toy cars as a child!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Hamilton Ontario bound

Why I went all the way to Hamilton, ON for auto body repair service

Now, Hamilton isn’t super far away from where I live, maybe a few hours drive with busy traffic, but it is out of the way considering there are many auto body shops near me. But I went all the way to Hamilton to get auto body repair services done on my vehicle. Because all my friends were shocked by this, and said “Why drive 2 hours for service out there when you could use a local auto body shop and save $30 on gas?” Because so many friends asked me this question I decided the answer might make an interesting blog post. So now let me tell you the background story behind my trips to Hamilton for car body repairs.

It all started halfway through a two-week road trip across a large portion of Canada back in 2018. It was my first time doing a road trip alone, and as a lady I was rather nervous on the road, making sure to obey all traffic laws and to take good care of my vehicle lest anything go wrong. I got an oil change every 4,000 kilometers just to be extra careful, and made care to stick to the well-maintained Trans Canada Highway. But I never would have expected, for all my care, that I would get into a car accident while passing through Hamilton, ON.

The car accident was 100% NOT my fault, and I know that’s what everyone says but I swear it’s true. A van with a drunk driver swerved in front of me and I wasn’t able to slam the breaks fast enough. I rear ended the swerving vehicle rather harshly, resulting in my bumper being rather wrecked. I didn’t know what to do besides take the other driver’s information for insurance and then call the nearest collision towing service for assistance. I happened to be on Sherman Ave North, where the auto body shop Hamilton, ON should be so proud of, was nearest to me. The shop is called Tip Top Auto Body, and if it weren’t for them than this day would have been a lot more stressful than it turned out to be. Because the crew at Tip Top Auto Body responded promptly to my plea, got my car towed to their shop, worked with my car insurance company for me to get the repairs done within 48 hours, I thought they were angels here to save my road trip.

I could make this long story short by telling you that I was able to finish the rest of my 2018 cross-country road trip thanks to Tip Top Auto Body’s amazing help, but for you to fully understand why in 2023 I still went all the way to their auto shop in Hamilton, I’ll now tell you about the amazing friendship that evolved while getting my car repairs done there.

After the accident I was so distraught that the incredible service and kindness of the individual who worked on my car’s auto body repair came as a great relief. The man was a pure gentleman! He reassured me that I’d soon be on the road again enjoying my road trip, and they would work with the insurance company for me to relieve all my headache. I ended up being so emotionally grateful for his service that I made an oath to always user their services whenever possible from now on, as a form of eternal thanks.

Now to this day that kind man at Tip Top Auto Body has been more than just my auto body mechanic. We’ve made a true friendship, and to prove this let me tell you that I stayed in Hamilton two days longer than my my car repairs required because I went to dinner and grabbed several coffees with him. I won’t reveal his name, but if you too go all the way to Hamilton for auto body repairs by Tip Top Auto Body, I’m sure you’ll meet him and understand why he’s quickly become one of my favorite men in the world. We’re both married but we know that in an alternative universe we might be more than just friends.

It took a lot less convincing from my current lover for me to go out there for the trip than I expected, but my lover trusts me and understands.

So now I hope it makes sense for you why I’d travel so far for auto body services. It’s a dear friendship and brand loyalty, all by chance meeting. Now in a strange way I’m sort of grateful for that random car crash while passing through Hamilton, ON.

auto body facts

5 shocking facts about auto body mechanics

Welcome to Tamara’s Automotive Blog! Today we want to share 5 shocking facts that you probably don’t know about auto body shops. I’ve had the pleasure of touring through many auto body shops in my career, and these were the cool things I learned:

  1. Most auto body mechanics only work with the exterior and appearance of cars. That means unlike a full-blown car mechanic, an auto body mechanic won’t tune up your engine or change your oil, although every shop is different and some might offer extended mechanical services.
  2. Many auto body mechanics who work with cars all day ride bicycles to work! That’s right, isn’t that strange? You’d expect anyone who works with cars to have a car collection or something, but over the years I’ve met dozens of auto body mechanics who hate driving and would much rather ride a bike.
  3. An auto body shop is the same thing as an auto collision center. This fact might seem obvious to many, but for me I always thought they were two different things. Most auto body shops specialize in collision repair, which is the main function of a collision repair center. So there you go!
  4. Many auto body shops also offer collision towing service. It might not look like it from the outside, but many auto body shops have a few tow trucks on hand to assist with removing wrecked cars from scenes of accidents to tow them straight to the shop for repair. This is super convenient for anyone who gets into a crash because the auto body shop will also work directly with your car insurance company or other warranty providers to get the costs covered.
  5. Auto body repairs are often much more affordable than you might expect. I’ve seen people drive around with dents in their doors for years not knowing the dent could easily be repaired by an expert for less than $100. If you’ve paid thousands for your car, why not pay a little more every now and then to have it looking its best?

If you enjoyed this post, check out our tips for taking good care of your car.

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