Based on a string of botched collision repair jobs he has
recently inspected, a North Carolina post-repair inspector is pushing
legislators hard to mandate licensing of body shops in the state.
"I mean, is that not hilarious that a barber shop
has to be licensed and someone who fixes a car, the safety of your family,
doesn't have to have a license?" Billy Walkowiak of Collision Safety
Consultants told FOX Charlotte.
Walkowiak cited the example of a Belmont, North Carolina
couple whose minivan he inspected. After the minivan was repaired at a
dealership body shop, he found 20 "topics of concern."
Walkowiak recently met with the state's insurance
commissioner, Wayne Goodwin, to alert him to the problem, and he said the
discussion was positive.
"We discussed improper and faulty repairs,
underwritten estimates, diminished value, total loss and salvage brands on
titles," says Walkowiak. "We're moving forward per his instruction to
find and report improper estimates by appraisers and adjusters since they're
the ones licensed by the NCDOI. Goodwin also suggested that we form a council
to oversee body shops in North Carolina, suggesting that we look at Ohio since
that state now regulates body shops."