Getting your car back from a repair shop after having collision damage fixed should be a happy occasion. Your car is repaired, and you no longer have to rely on rented cars or public transportation for everything. When the repair is done correctly, you can put the accident behind you, at least in terms of your car.
However, you do want to be sure the shop made the repairs correctly. Good, reputable repair shops will fix your car the way it should be fixed. But it's best to inspect the car for certain issues just to be sure there were no inadvertent issues.
Look Along Surfaces After Dent Removal
If part of the repair involved removing dents from panels (and not replacing the panels themselves), look along the car to see if the reflections fluctuate unexpectedly. The panels on cars are curved, so even a new, undented panel will show the reflections changing a bit as you look around the panel. But if you place your head next to the panel at its edge, and slowly duck a bit, stand up a bit, and so on while looking along the surface of the panel, all reflections should move or change according to the normal curves of the car. If you see a sudden shift, it could be that there's a residual dent at that spot.
Check Paint Jobs in Daytime, Outside
Try to pick up your car on a sunny day. If it's going to be cloudy all week, then there's not much you can do about sunlight levels, but still pick your car up during the day and look at it outside. Look at each panel, and if repainting was part of the repair, be sure the paint matches. Sometimes the OEM paint color is discontinued, and the shop has to find an acceptable substitute; this should still match the rest of the car's paint in terms of hue and texture.
Inspect Around Painted Areas for Overspray
Paint overspray is when droplets of paint hit panels other than the one being painted. Severe overspray is obvious and shouldn't be an issue if the work was done in a good shop as the repair techs will cover those adjacent parts of the car that aren't being repainted. But the occasional droplet can land on panel edges or tires where you might not see the droplet from a distance, but once you see it up close, you won't be able to not see it again. Have the shop clean up those spots if you see them.
While a reputable repair shop will do its best to return your car to its pre-accident state, unintended issues can still occur. Checking out the car when you pick it up after repairs are complete is always a good idea.
For more information on auto collision repair, contact a company near you.