I recently sent this to the author of “7 things…”

I just came across your “7 things auto-body shops won’t tell you” and as a 2nd generation shop owner and industry writer, I find some of what you say right on target and other things, well, not so much.

I work hard to be an advocate for our industry and so am compelled to give you a few of my thoughts. I hope you find them informative and perhaps you will change some of your beliefs about receiving auto body repair.

Your item #2:

It is true that insurers make “agreements” with shops for pre-negotiated labor rates and set fees for certain operations. However, the insurers then attempt to make these contracted rates “stick” with all shops, from ABC to XYZ. The vast majority of shops are under the thumb of insurers when it comes to reimbursement with or without an “agreement”. However, you are not going to see an honest shop cutting corners by repairing parts they get paid to replace and inferring that this is a common tempted practice makes the entire industry appear questionable, when we are not. Most of us are independent business owners and our reputation with our customer is on the line everyday and everyday shop and after shop is doing the right thing by the customer.

The best place for people to get a referral to a repair shop is from family and friends with similar tastes and expectations when purchasing a service. Another good source is with the independent mechanic they may have a relationship with. The online services such as the one you mention are not hard to get listed on and only require you to pay the fee. I recommend that people check further than those types of listings by going to the BBB website or their state justice department and confirm the business has an honorable reputation. They should also look for certification in welding by I-CAR, and in competence by ASE. I-CAR provides a professional designation if certain levels of training are maintain so a consumer can look for this too, it’s the I-CAR Gold Glass Professional. If a shop doesn’t have an I-CAR certified welder (or equivalent – I don’t know what the equivalent is) and ask to see the documentation, the consumer should move on. ASE certifies competence through testing different aspects of the repair process, such as estimating, collision repair and painting.

Your item #3:

While everything here is as we experience it, there’s a touch more going on. Often in 3rd party claims – when it’s not your fault – it is becoming nearly impossible to get OEM parts for our customer. Insurers are just telling shops and customers that if they don’t like their settlement then go through their own carrier. By doing this the customer is then restricted by their own policy, in turn their insurer goes other the 3rd party insurer to collect and they still don’t have to pay for OEM parts. In addition, usually the only way we can get an insurer to pay for OEM parts is to provide proof that the aftermarket parts do not fit or are of inferior in terms of how they look – like in headlamp reflectors – when compared to the OEM. The way this is accomplished is by actually ordering the specified aftermarket parts, and when they are inferior – which isn’t always the case, but it is more often than not – calling the insurer for OEM parts approval. This in and of itself can easily add a week to the process depending on the insurers requirements for approval, some have to physically inspect the parts on location.

Your item #4:

Mechanics are synonymous with mechanical repair such as engine servicing which is not auto body repair. In auto body repair we have repair technicians; however, it is the estimator or customer service representative that normally communicates with the customer. The items that hamper an accurate delivery date more frequently than not, is not the shop over-scheduling, it is the waiting the shop must do for an insurer to approve things they either did not see or intentionally left off an estimate they prepared and in turn, handed to the customer to take to the body shop. The body shop, if not one of “contracted” providers you warn against earlier, is required, if they want to receive payment, to get approvals for every line item of labor, parts or materials PRIOR to moving ahead to correctly repair the vehicle. This is time-consuming and riddled with delays inflicted upon shops by insurers trying to get out of paying what they should.

Your item #6:

This is true for some of the top-end models in some of the higher-end lines. Not all models of all higher-end lines. Additionally, very few shops will actually have access to the certification process as it may be limited by market by the manufacturer to some extent. The investment, for example, to be Audi certified to repair Audi’s top-end models may exceed $100,000 and require a dedicated area for only that make of vehicle. Obviously, not every shop is in this kind of a repair market and are very qualified through other training and resources to repair nearly every other vehicle. If a consumer does their homework when looking for a shop, if a repairer is not qualified to work on their vehicle, they will tell them so. As an industry we want properly repaired vehicles, happy customers and we don’t want to expose ourselves to something we don’t know how to do. And don’t expect insurers to be willing to pay a higher price for a better repair. There are back yard shops in every community, they get paid the same rates by insurers as those of us who maintain a store front, donate to our communities, train and certify our employees and provide our employees with a benefits package.

I am also a freelance writer in the industry.

Thank you for your time,

Car Cam
Second generation body shop owner

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