Body shop talk

[Alan's Classic]

I've been wanting to finish this story that I started writing this year about how body shops are changing. I haven't finished it yet. I thought about bouncing it off of ya'll to see what kind of feed back I get. I'd like for it to get out to the public to inform people of what's going on in the body shops. Remember I haven't finished this yet. I will ad to it as time sees fit, or anyone else can ad their thoughts or experiences. This story is my personal view of what see is happening.

Oh yea, let me get this out of the way.

How does your car really get repaired!
By: Alan

First let me introduce myself to you. My name is Alan and I’ve been in the collision industry for 11 years and over that period of time I’ve seen things I really don’t think should happen. Prior to that I was a Airframe and Powerplant mechanic in the Air Force for 11.5 years. My last position was an Assistant Flight Chief and in charge of Quality control. I volunteered to get out under President Clinton’s force reduction. I don’t claim to be a fancy writer or an educated writer. I’ve always had an interest in writing but felt I was incompetent to convey my message in an effective manner. But I really feel that this is very important information to pass along. I’m writing this article to inform you of the repair process your car goes through once it is the body shops hands. Most of my article will have to deal with insurance claims, but it can also apply to self pay.

Your vehicle is the second largest purchase you will make. Most people take the time to make sure their vehicle is maintained by performing scheduled maintenance. Why not take the time to insure vehicle is repaired properly. Most people assume that once they get their car back and it is bright and shinny everything is OK. That is not always the case. I’m not trying to invoke a panic so please don’t rush to where you had your car repaired or insurance company. I’m trying to provide you information so you will be an educated consumer.

Don’t get me wrong there are more quality shops than not. Even in those shops there is a bad apple. Just look around where you work. I’m sure there is someone you work with that you feel doesn’t pull their weight, there are slackers everywhere. (That’s another topic for a latter date) On the flip side, even in the bad shops there may be a quality person doing their best but gets a bad rap because of the shop reputation.

There are several ways for your car to arrive at a collision center. Once the collision center has your keys and you sign the authorization to repair we can begin work on your vehicle. There are several factors to the process, but I’m giving you the cliff notes version. Once the vehicle is disassembled, we look for any additional damage and notate it on a supplement. If it is an insurance claim the supplement is forwarded to the insurance company for review. Then an adjuster will more than likely come out to approve all or a portion of the supplement. Direct Repair Programs (DRP) are set up differently. It is basically a contract between the insurance company and the repair facility, which expedites the repair process. DRP shops don’t have to wait for an adjuster to come out which could be one day or even weeks for someone to show up. The supplement for DRP’s are documented via pictures and the repair process continues.

The technicians pay is different from shop to shop. Some shops may pay a salary while most are on a flat rate program. Flat rate is best explained by an example. If a fender pays 2 hours to replace and the technician can do it in 1 hour he just doubled his money. On-the-other hand, if it takes him 3 hours his pay just got cut in half. If I’m just replacing the part, I can’t argue the labor times even if I wanted too. But when it comes to repairing there is not a set guide line. For example: If a quarter panel is damaged and the technician and shop agree that it will take 10 hours to repair and the insurance says they will only pay 5 hours, this is when the problems start to arise.

The body shop does not dictate how your vehicle is repaired, we merely estimate what it will take to do a quality repair. Your insurance policy dictates how it will be repaired, so I would suggest reviewing your policy and making necessary changes if any of this makes sense. If it is not an insurance claim and you are paying for the repairs yourself then it is up to you to dictate how the repair will be done based on the suggestions of the shop. Remember most of the time the shop will be more knowledgeable than yourself.

When I repair a vehicle I treat it as though it is my own. I have 2 young kids of my own and it would devastate me if my workmanship was in direct relation to someone getting hurt or even killed. Even if it meant making less money or working overtime to do it right. I will sleep better at night knowing I did the best that I could do. I’ve seen in the past people taking extreme short cuts just to make a paycheck. I’ve also seen vehicles brought in that have been repaired prior that have really been butched on. Again a lot of the butchery that goes on has to do with how much they are getting paid to do the job. There are numerous reasons why vehicles get repaired poorly. Lets just say it happens.

Untrained insurance adjusters are another reason for poor quality repairs. Insurance companies for the most part will not hire an experienced body man to be an adjuster. My opinion is they hire young people that don’t know a front bumper from a rear bumper and train them to be as cheap on the repairs as possible. One prime example was with 20 year old boy that argued with me on repair time. He said “It will not take that long”. I handed the keys to my tool box and told him to fix it himself for that amount of time. I then ask him if he had ever done body work and he said for 6 months. I then said “I know why you didn’t make it as a body man.” Needless to say I got the required time I needed to properly repair the vehicle.

During my 11 years as a body man I’ve seen a big change that has been gradual and I didn’t realize it until it just hit me. Your good body men are getting out of the business due to the way insurance companies have become. I’ve seen about 20% decrease in my yearly take home over the years. It’s not because I’ve slowed down. With experience comes speed and quality. When you get better at your job wouldn’t you expect to make more money? Being a good body man requires a several special talents. I’ve had about 12 helpers trying to train them to become a body man and only one made it.

Stay tuned for more info

[68C15]

I know where you are coming from. i am a professional auto tech, have been for 20 or so years. I used to work at a shop where we accepted extended warranties. they have adjusters just the same as you. their sole job is to shave as much money from you and the customer as possible. my biggest complaint is they DO NOT pay for diagnostic time. i could get into a very long rant on this subject alone but I would rather have a nice peaceful night's sleep. ( I have spent uncountable nights in class away from family, dolled out untold amounts of cash on high end test equipment only to be told I will not get paid for it. easy now, think happy thoughts. )
this brings me to my current status. I work at an independent shop with a strong 35 year reputation and a customer base to match which I plan to take over in the near future. we do not honor extended warranties for this exact reason. our customers know this and they completely understand our position. I cant make money while sitting on the phone for an hour trying to get Joe Adjuster to cover the repairs let alone the diag. time. the customer pays and the company can reimburse them.
what if body shops did the same thing? would it fly? should I ditch my plans and become an adjuster?

[Painter D]

I feel your pain. I'm a collision painter here in DFW, been doing it since I was 18. These insurance companies have become extremely stingy on repair times. I had one adjuster tell me that they don't care about quality as much as they care about getting the vehicle back on the road as cheap as possible. He literally said that to me. I don't know about other places in the U.S. ,but they're pushing "cycle times" extremely hard as well. I had another guy tell me once that they want the repair to be like a drive thru at a fast food restaurant. Go figure. Here in DFW we have very large body shops that turn alot of work , and if we're 1 day over their precious "go date" the insurance company shuts off the work. It seems to me that hardley any insurance companies care at all about doing things right anymore.

[PHAT TONY]

Sadly, insurance companies govern collision bodyshops, and insurance is a profit based business(not quality based). I'm a 22yr collision based tech now restoring cars/trucks as a proprietor of my own shop. I'm a one man show as it's nearly impossible to find another like-minded bodyman; I spent 2yrs trying and pretty much gave up nearing financial ruin paying for work I couldn't charge for, then re-doing it after hours! Body work and mechanical are different animals; a car don't run too well with a butchered tune-up.....

[SS68]

I also work in a body shop, and the worst insurance to deal with in my opinion is allstate. they do supply a great deal of business over a $100,000 in business a month so we have to play by their rules. and like previously mentioned its all about cycle time now a days. and as far as the guy posted this thread he sounds like a body man. or like anyone that works in a body shop you can allways hear complaining but how a saying goes in our shop "thats why toolboxes have wheels" you dont like it roll it out. The shop will run with you or without you. I understand what Alan Classic is saying but its just something you hear alot when you work at a shop. It gets to a point where you have heard it all.