Ian’s Body Works…in Forsyth Family Magazine November 2010
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Ian’s started in downtown Winston-Salem on Marshall Street in 1974, and for the past two years, David and Heather have been overseeing the daily operations at their extraordinary facility on 1540 Hanes Mall Boulevard.
From the time you enter the parking lot, you know this isn’t “just another body shop.” The facility is clean, the customer waiting area is relaxing and comfortable, and the Walshes are there to ensure that your experience is as pleasant as possible.
“We are customer-focused, first and foremost,” Heather says. “From the time your car arrives, we handle everything with your insurance company. We have Hertz on-site for car rentals, and if you don’t have loss-of-car coverage, we have two loaner cars for our customers’ use, when they are available.”
While Heather takes care of managing the office, David works on getting the estimates together, scheduling your repairs, communicating with insurance companies, and making sure your car is given the care it needs. And with over 20 years of experience, he knows what he is doing.
“When a car comes in, it’s my goal to ensure that it leaves here in better condition than it was before it was wrecked,” David says. And that means not rushing the job.
“People need to understand that when it comes to repairing a car after it is in an accident, cutting corners is not something you want us to do,” David says. And in our “I want it yesterday” world, David and Heather will do their best to get your car back to you as quickly as possible, and to do it all right. That extra effort also comes with a guarantee that everything they do for your car is guaranteed for as long as you own it.
“One of the reasons car repair can take some time is that new cars are more complex in their construction,” David says. “Many parts on newer cars are ‘replace-items’ only. To take the damaged parts out and get the right parts back in place takes precision. The business is completely different than it was even 10 years ago.”
There’s a lot more than meets the eye at Ian’s. Within their 14,000 sq. ft. facility there is the experience of a 10-person crew, state-of-the-art lifts, work areas and tools, and an incredible paint shop.
You would be amazed how many color combinations car manufacturers use on the cars we drive. Sometimes what you see as white can be completely different to David and his crew. In all, they have over 18,000 paint chip samples on hand, so they can precisely match the paint to the color of your car.
David uses Glasruit 90-Line paint on all of their cars, which is one of the many moves David and Heather are working on together to create a greener company.
“Glasruit 90-Line is water-based, which means there are fewer solvents used in its composition,” David says. “We also recycle plastics, steel, headlights and chemicals, along with the cardboard everything comes in.”
To keep up with all of the new technology that is constantly evolving in the automotive business, David is I-CAR Certified, and he frequently holds ICAR classes at his facility. I-CAR is an internationally recognized, on-going educational program that works to provide the skills needed for body technicians to stay current with new techniques, so they can become more educated.
In addition to running their business, David and Heather are running a household in Lewisville, complete with two boys, Griffin, 6 and Carter, 4. Heather works around the boys’ schedule, so she can spend, as much time with them as possible, but that doesn’t stop her from making sure her customers are taken care of as well.
“It’s a balancing act for sure, but we work well together as a team in the shop and at home,” Heather says. For more information about Ian’s Body Works, contact David Walsh by calling (336) 768-IANS (4267).
