Most shops in DFW refuse aluminum work — the tools, training, and facility requirements are too expensive to maintain. We've invested in all three. Aluminum-capable for Tesla Model 3/Y/S/X, Ford F-150, BMW, Audi, Range Rover, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lincoln — plus every Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, and luxury/exotic work on Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari, and Lamborghini.
Aluminum looks like steel, but almost nothing about repairing it is the same. The metal is softer, it conducts heat differently, it cannot tolerate even microscopic steel contamination, and the structural adhesives and rivet-bonded seams on modern aluminum vehicles are engineered to exact OEM specifications. Repair it like a steel car and you introduce invisible problems that show up two, three, five years later — galvanic corrosion pitting from behind paint, structural adhesive failure, panel distortion from improper heat application.
Most general body shops in the DFW area don't have the equipment to do aluminum correctly: no isolated bay to prevent cross-contamination, no dedicated aluminum MIG welder, no aluminum-specific rivet bonders, no dust collection on aluminum grinding. Some will quietly attempt the job with steel tools anyway. Others refuse the work and send you to a dealer, where you'll wait weeks and pay 40% more.
DG Collision Center built our aluminum capability the right way. Our shop in Lewisville has an isolated aluminum repair bay, dedicated aluminum tooling that never touches steel work, I-CAR aluminum-certified technicians, and full OEM repair procedure access for Tesla, Ford, BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, Cadillac, and Lincoln. We've been repairing aluminum vehicles since Ford launched the aluminum-body F-150 in 2015 and since Tesla Model S arrived in DFW in volume.
If a DFW shop has told you "we don't do aluminum", or quoted you a number that sounds like a whole-vehicle replacement, or told you "the dealer is the only place" — get a second opinion. We're also the closest I-CAR-certified aluminum auto body shop in Highland Village's drive radius, which is how many of our Model S and aluminum F-150 jobs find us. We've saved hundreds of aluminum panels that other shops wrote off. Send us photos of the damage and we'll give you a realistic, honest assessment.
Drag each slider to see the difference. Every vehicle shown was repaired in our Lewisville aluminum bay.
Plano · Pearl White Multi-Coat match
Flower Mound · Loading damage rebuild
Frisco · Aluminum Space Frame repair
Text photos of the damage — we'll give you a real answer within 15 minutes. Free, no obligation.
Not every body panel on these vehicles is aluminum — modern cars mix aluminum, steel, boron steel, and composites. We work from OEM repair procedures for each specific year and model.
Aluminum body panels, structural bonded aluminum, high-voltage battery awareness, ADAS recalibration. See our Tesla body shop page.
Fully aluminum cab, doors, hood, bedsides, and tailgate over steel frame. Aluminum Raptor and Lightning EV also repaired in-house.
5 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series, X5, X6, X7 — aluminum hood, doors, trunk, and fenders. BMW-specific rivet bonding and structural adhesives.
Audi was the earliest mainstream aluminum-body builder (A8 since 1994). Aluminum Space Frame repair requires Audi-specific procedure access.
All-aluminum monocoque body on Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, and Discovery. Requires JLR-approved aluminum procedures.
Jaguar's aluminum-intensive architecture shares repair procedures with Land Rover. Dedicated aluminum bay required per JLR.
Mixed-material luxury builds with aluminum hood, doors, and closures. GM and Ford-specific aluminum procedures on file.
We repair every model. Porsche 911, Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan, Macan. Mercedes-Benz S-Class, EQS, E-Class AMG, G-Wagen, GT, GLE, GLS. Porsche- and Mercedes-specific aluminum procedures on file.
Full exotic and supercar capability. Chevrolet Corvette C7/C8 (aluminum frame + composite body). Ferrari 488, F8, Roma, SF90, 812. Lamborghini Huracán, Urus, Revuelto. OEM procedures, factory-match refinish, discrete handling.
Don't see your vehicle? Call (972) 219-0864 — we repair more marques than we can list, and we'll tell you honestly if yours is a fit.
An aluminum-capable shop is not a marketing claim — it is a specific combination of facility, equipment, training, and procedure access. Here is exactly what DG Collision Center carries.
Dedicated space with physical separation from steel work. Positive-pressure ventilation, aluminum-only dust collection, and tooling that never touches steel. Prevents galvanic cross-contamination — the invisible cause of 3–5 year premature corrosion.
Shop-level I-CAR Gold Class certification plus individual I-CAR aluminum structural repair and aluminum welding credentials for our technicians. I-CAR is the North American collision-repair training authority.
Pulse-MIG aluminum welder, self-piercing rivet (SPR) tooling, aluminum-compatible structural adhesive systems, dent-pulling glue-pull systems, induction heaters calibrated for aluminum alloy tempers. All tools kept exclusively on the aluminum side of the shop.
Active subscriptions to Tesla Service Information, Ford Service Technical (motorcraftservice.com), BMW TIS, Audi erWin, and Jaguar Land Rover Topix. Every aluminum repair follows the published OEM procedure for your specific year and model — not a generic playbook.
Aluminum panels require specific primer systems (etching primer + epoxy barrier) before basecoat. We run PPG waterborne paint and measure every factory color with a spectrophotometer — critical for Tesla Pearl White, Deep Blue Metallic, and other multi-coat finishes.
Every aluminum-body vehicle gets a diagnostic scan before teardown and after reassembly. Bumper and windshield work triggers full ADAS calibration (cameras, radar, lidar) per OEM spec — with printed verification you keep.
Every modern Tesla is a mixed-material build with heavy aluminum content. Model S and Model X are largely aluminum body structures. Model 3 and Model Y use aluminum on the hood, front fenders, and door outers with steel elsewhere. All four share the same non-negotiable repair requirements: high-voltage battery isolation awareness, Tesla-specific structural adhesive and rivet-bonding procedures, and factory-accurate color match on Tesla's notoriously difficult paint system.
Tesla publishes repair procedures through the Tesla Service Information portal. We maintain active access and follow those procedures on every Tesla that comes through the shop — including the Model Y door-sill weld specification, Model S megacasting awareness, Model 3 front-rail replacement procedure, and Model X falcon-wing alignment.
A note on "Tesla Approved": We are not part of the Tesla Approved Body Shop network. That network is small, regional, and administered by Tesla. We are, however, a Tesla-capable independent shop that Tesla owners across DFW trust for aluminum and collision work. Under Texas insurance law, you choose your repair facility — not your insurer. If you'd prefer the dedicated Tesla experience, we built a page just for Tesla owners: Tesla body shop DFW.
Tesla Pearl White Multi-Coat (PPSW) is a three-stage finish: white basecoat, pearl mid-coat, clear. It's the single hardest OEM color to match correctly — shops without a spectrophotometer typically miss the pearl flake alignment, leaving a visible color shift at different viewing angles. We measure every Pearl White Tesla before paint. Color match is part of our lifetime warranty.
In 2015, Ford made the bold call to build the F-150 with a fully aluminum body over a high-strength steel frame — a decision that cut ~700 pounds and transformed the repair industry overnight. Nearly ten years later, most general-purpose body shops still don't have the equipment to repair an F-150 correctly. Many will quietly decline the work. Others will quote insurance two-to-three times what a comparable steel truck would cost. A few will attempt it with steel tools and introduce galvanic corrosion that shows up after the warranty expires.
The F-150 uses self-piercing rivets and structural adhesive instead of welds in many panel seams — a Ford-specific technique that requires SPR tooling and the correct aluminum-compatible adhesive. Door skins, tailgates, and hoods are all aluminum. So are the bedsides, which take the brunt of loading damage and work-site dings.
Common F-150 aluminum repairs we handle in-house:
We repair F-150s for Lewisville-area contractors, Denton County farms and ranches, and suburban owners across the DFW metroplex. If your insurance has told you the job is "too expensive" or steered you to a different shop — send us the estimate. We regularly find the previous quote was based on replacing panels that can be repaired, or aluminum parts sourced at dealer markup when aftermarket OEM is available at half the price.
Every aluminum vehicle gets a full OBD-II diagnostic scan and OEM-specific module check before any parts come off. We decode the VIN to pull the exact build sheet, paint code, and applicable repair procedures from Tesla Service Information, Ford TSB, or the relevant OEM portal. Damage is documented with timestamped photos and a written repair plan before insurance is notified of any supplements.
The vehicle moves into our dedicated aluminum bay. Teardown is performed with aluminum-only tooling — no cross-contamination. Hidden damage behind panels is photographed and added to a supplement submission if needed. For rivet-bonded construction (F-150, Tesla), we remove the original rivets per OEM spec to preserve the surrounding panel flange.
Minor aluminum damage gets repaired with glue-pull dent-pulling (preserves factory finish and alloy temper). Structural damage gets replaced with new aluminum panels using Pulse-MIG welding with argon shielding, self-piercing rivets, and aluminum-compatible structural adhesive — following the exact OEM procedure for the vehicle.
Aluminum panels demand a three-layer refinish: etching primer (adheres to raw aluminum), epoxy barrier (prevents moisture intrusion), then basecoat and clearcoat. Color is measured with a spectrophotometer against the undamaged adjacent panel — critical on Tesla Pearl White, Ford-specific metallics, and BMW Individual colors. Finished panels are baked to full cure.
A second full OBD-II diagnostic scan confirms no codes remain. ADAS features (cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors) are recalibrated to OEM spec with a printed verification. Your vehicle gets a full interior/exterior detail — free on every repair — and final delivery with the lifetime warranty on paint and refinish written in your file.
Insurance-direct, free loaner, free pickup across DFW. Lifetime paint warranty. Let's start your estimate.
Ranges below are rough guidance only. Insurance pays on the vast majority of our aluminum jobs — we handle the claim and supplements directly. Exact pricing requires teardown or detailed photos.
Insurance claim? You pay your deductible (or less, depending on coverage) and we handle everything else. Free loaner vehicle and free pickup/drop-off included on all aluminum repair jobs — DFW-wide.
Send photos — we'll write you an accurate estimate within 15 minutes. Insurance-direct, free loaner, lifetime warranty on the refinish.
"Called five body shops in DFW about my F-150 after someone backed into my bedside. Three said they don't touch aluminum. One wanted $4,800 to replace the whole panel. DG repaired it properly for under $1,900 and you can't tell it was ever damaged. These guys know what they're doing."
"My Model Y Pearl White was hit in a parking garage. State Farm wanted to send me to their preferred shop in Dallas but I wasn't going to trust a non-Tesla specialist with that paint. DG's color match is flawless — not just close, flawless. Worth the drive from Frisco."
"Audi dealer quoted me 6 weeks and $9k for aluminum fender work on my A7. DG had me out in 11 days and came in $3k under. Same OEM parts, proper Audi procedures, and a real warranty. Zero regrets taking it off the dealer path."
"Range Rover Sport got rear-ended. Two JLR-approved shops quoted 8-9 weeks out. DG had the part list and procedures on file, got it done in 3 weeks. Aluminum panel work is invisible, paint match is perfect. Proper shop."
If your insurer or a shop uses any of these and you're not sure what they mean, this is the quick reference.
Three reasons. First, the equipment is expensive — a proper aluminum repair setup (dedicated welding station, aluminum rivet bonder, dust collection, specialized tools, isolated bay) runs $50,000 to $150,000 beyond standard steel equipment. Second, cross-contamination is a real structural hazard — steel particles in aluminum panels cause galvanic corrosion that destroys the vehicle from the inside over 2–5 years. Most shops don't want the liability of doing it wrong. Third, I-CAR aluminum certification requires additional technician training hours most general-purpose shops won't invest in. DG has all three.
Yes — when the work is done correctly. Proper Tesla aluminum repair means: OEM Tesla repair procedures followed, aluminum-specific rivet bonding (not general rivets), spectrophotometer paint match on factory colors (especially critical for Pearl White Multi-Coat), and ADAS sensor recalibration after bumper/panel work. We do all four. Most Tesla owners cannot tell a panel was ever repaired. See our dedicated Tesla body shop page for Tesla-specific detail.
Aluminum repair typically takes 20–40% longer than comparable steel repair. Reasons: aluminum requires longer cure times on structural adhesives, MIG welding aluminum requires more pre-heat and post-heat passes, and panel alignment tolerances are tighter. A single-panel F-150 repair that would be 3–4 days on a steel truck runs 5–7 days on aluminum. A Tesla Model S rear-end rebuild that would be 2–3 weeks on steel runs 3–4 weeks on aluminum.
Yes, typically 30–50% more. Three cost drivers: aluminum parts cost more than steel equivalents (Ford F-150 aluminum hood can be $1,500–$2,500 vs $800 for a steel truck hood), aluminum welding and bonding takes more labor hours, and the specialized equipment investment gets amortized across fewer jobs. Insurance carriers understand this and typically approve proper aluminum repair estimates without friction — we handle the supplements.
No. We are not part of the Tesla Approved Body Shop network, which is a limited Tesla-administered program. However, we repair Teslas correctly using Tesla's published OEM repair procedures, we hold I-CAR Gold Class certification including aluminum-specific training, and we have a dedicated isolated aluminum bay required for Tesla work. Texas law gives you the right to choose any licensed repair facility. See our Tesla body shop page for the full breakdown.
Yes. Since 2015, Ford F-150 bodies are aluminum (cab, doors, hood, tailgate, bedsides) with a steel frame. Most body shops quote 2–3x what a steel-body truck would cost, or refuse the work entirely. DG is equipped for F-150 aluminum repair: dedicated aluminum bay, Ford-specific repair procedure access, aluminum-specific rivet bonding and MIG welding. Common F-150 repairs we handle: door skin replacement, tailgate dents, bed-side panel damage, hood replacement, and full bumper-to-bumper collision rebuilds.
Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical reaction that occurs when dissimilar metals (like aluminum and steel) come into contact in the presence of moisture. On a repaired aluminum panel with embedded steel particles, this reaction causes pitting and structural weakening that progresses over 2–5 years — often after the warranty period ends. A shop without an isolated aluminum bay creates this hazard invisibly during repair. Done right, aluminum repair has no galvanic corrosion risk because steel contamination was never introduced.
Yes. Major carriers (State Farm, GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, USAA, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Tesla Insurance) understand aluminum repair costs more and approve proper aluminum estimates. The risk is insurers steering you to their "preferred" shops that may cut corners on aluminum procedures to hit volume pricing. Under Texas law you choose your repair facility — not your insurer. We handle the claim directly and negotiate supplements when hidden aluminum damage is discovered during teardown.
We're one of the few DFW shops equipped for Tesla, F-150, BMW, Audi, and JLR aluminum work. Customers drive to us from every corner of the metroplex — free pickup and drop-off available for aluminum jobs.
Most aluminum-capable shops are clustered around the dealer districts of Dallas and Fort Worth — meaning a 30–60 minute drive with a damaged vehicle for most DFW suburb drivers. DG puts a proper aluminum bay in the middle of the metroplex.
Dedicated Tesla page — Model 3, Y, S, X. Pearl White match, HV-safe aluminum repair, Tesla OEM procedures.
Full-service collision for steel and mixed-material vehicles. Frame straightening, ADAS, insurance direct.
PPG waterborne, spectrophotometer color match, baked downdraft booth. Lifetime warranty on refinish.
Paintless dent repair (PDR) and hail claim specialists. $0 out-of-pocket on qualifying comprehensive claims.*
Send photos online, get a realistic estimate back fast. Insurance-approved or cash-pay — either way, free.
Blackhawk Korek + Hein-Werner SHARK laser measuring. Unibody and body-on-frame repair measured within 1mm of factory spec.
Family-owned auto body shop in Lewisville, TX — serving DFW since 1978. 15,000+ vehicles repaired.
Send a few photos and some details. We'll respond within 15 minutes during business hours with a realistic assessment — or an honest referral if we're not the right shop for your specific vehicle.
*$0 out-of-pocket applies to qualifying comprehensive hail claims. Aluminum repair pricing varies by damage extent and specific vehicle. Insurance deductibles apply per your policy.