WILTON — Cole’s Collision has opened their newest facility in Wilton. Located at 601 Maple Ave., the 14,500 square-foot facility is one of five Cole’s locations – which also includes centers in Ballston Spa, Clifton Park, Colonie, and North Greenbush.
First opened for business in January 2007 in Colonie, the family-owned business is a supporter of many local charities and community organizations. It has built its reputation on providing the highest quality repairs, and working with anything from small door dings and fender benders, to major collision work.
Within the 5 shop locations, Cole’s is certified currently by: Honda, Acura, Subaru, Tesla, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Nissan. The Wilton location is currently Volvo Certified and is in the beginning stages of training and equipment to be Tesla Certified, which may be completed by the end of June, said Cole’s Collision Centers General Manager Josh Jewett.
Wilton is currently fixing 110 to 140 cars per month and is looking to increase that with added bays and paint booth. Overall, the company is currently fixing 700 to 900 cars each month.
The manager of the Cole’s Collision Wilton location is Matt Vogt.
Q. How long have you been in the industry?
MV: I’ve been in the industry since I was 17 years old. I’m 39 now. And I’ve been with Cole’s Collision for about 10 years.
Q: How many staff do you have in Wilton
MV: We have 13.
Q: What sort of work is done? What services do you offer?
MV: Automobile repairs on all makes and models, as far as collision repairs.
Q: What’s the most exotic vehicle you’ve worked on?
MV: I would say anything from a Maserati to a ’69 Corvette.
Q: Has the industry changed during the time you’ve worked in it?
MV: The industry is definitely changing. Vehicles are getting more and more technologically savvy to where they require a lot more attention, and a lot more scanning and calibration with all the sensors on them.
Q: What’s in the near future?
MV: There are a lot of cool things coming down the pike. At this specific location we are Volvo Certified. We are soon to be Tesla Certified at this location, so we will be able to work on Teslas.
Q: Like many industries, the training of your employees and the equipment you use have likely had to adapt and become more technologically savvy as well?
MV: Absolutely. There is certain equipment to buy. All of our paint is waterborne, so we are helping the environment and cutting back on waste. We have the latest and greatest frame machines, and we are aluminum certified to do all aluminum repairs. And we are seeing a lot of aluminum panels, which requires a different way of repairing than back-in-the-day. There is a lot more training involved. We are I-Car Gold Class certified – which means we have all the up-to-date training necessary and in place for repairing these types of vehicles that are being built a different way now.
Q. Is there anything else that you would like to add for folks to know?
MV: We’re certainly here for anybody that wants to stop in and get an estimate, and we work on all makes and models.
Cole’s Collision Center of Wilton is located at 601 Maple Ave. For more information, call 518-583-1306, or go to: colescollision.com.
Photo provided by SuperSource Media.
