VehicleOwnersGuide.com announced the inclusion of OEM scratch-and-dent parts to its EstimateScrubber.com app.

Developed in conjunction with Tonkin Parts Center, the CollisionPartsSource plus OEM Scratch and Dent app allows dealership parts departments to show repairers their available returned OE parts inventory as they scrub estimates. The app works with estimates created with the AudaExplore, CCC and Mitchell estimating platforms.

It’s common for collision repairers to have parts that were purchased but not used, and for dealer parts departments to have parts returned that incurred minor damage during shipping. The question has always been what to do with those parts. In a lot of cases, the parts sit in the back room collecting dust and get thrown out after a period of time. The CollisionPartsSource plus OEM Scratch and Dent app provides a channel to make the parts available to repairers at the exact time they need them.

“It makes sense to look at alternate sources of parts when scrubbing estimates,” said Steven Siessman, president of VehicleOwnersGuide.com. “The estimate is written and any dynamic parts pricing done. At that time, it is logical to make a final check of non-traditional parts channels, such as looking at parts held by other shops or scratch-and-dent parts offered by OE dealership parts departments.”

Keith Burtran, senior management for Tonkin Parts Center, added, “If you sell wholesale collision parts long enough, you’ll eventually end up with damaged parts. Often times, the dealer doesn’t have any way to recoup the expense from the manufacturer. So, if a shop would be willing to buy a part at a deep discount, rather than the dealer writing the inventory off and throwing the part away, the dealer and the shop win.”