Diminished Value: Fact or Fiction?
Whether or not you agree with or support the idea that customers’ vehicles lose significant portions of their value after they leave your shops, the market has spoken to the issue, and it appears to be an inescapable fact.
Comparing Computerized Measuring Systems
Pilots flying in dense fog have to rely on their instruments to make safe landings. Can you do the equivalent of an instrument landing when repairing a vehicle? Only if you can determine the dimensional accuracy of a structural frame…by using a computerized measuring system
SUPER TECHNOLOGY ISSUE: Pedal to the Metal
Carmakers are introducing exotic metals to vehicle
structures at an alarming rate for the sake of fuel efficiency and passenger safety. Understanding their properties is key to quality repairs.
PROFIT CENTER: Hinging on Profits
Replacing worn door hinge bushings on 1999-2007 GM trucks and SUVs can
represent a viable new profit stream.
PROFIT CENTER: Sprayed & Paid
Sprayed-on coatings aren’t just limited to bedliners. Applications are so diverse you might just end up creating a whole new market.
READER’S CHOICE: Dealing with Inexperienced Estimators
“Is the trend of young, ill-prepared insurance estimators here to stay? How will this affect sales when estimates are so poorly written and biased more than ever in favor of insurers?” – Thomas Graddy, owner, Graddy’s Body Shop, Earlington, Ky.
Freeze Frame
Over the last 50 years or so, frame machines have evolved from basic garage-built machines to high-tech modern marvels.
Green & Mean
More and more consumers are seeking out green businesses that help the environment, and a growing number of body shops are seizing the opportunity.
The Big Stuff
There may be less insurer involvement and less overcapacity in the heavy truck collision repair business than there is in the passenger car business, but it has plenty of its own unique challenges.
A Supplement-Free World: Just a Dream?
Many shops say much of their inefficiency comes from having to write and request supplement after supplement. Is there another way?
Laying it on Thick
Sprayed-on bedliners, once the realm of only a few manufacturers, are now available from many different sources as very basic systems to incredibly elaborate ones.
Power Steering
Insurers steering vehicles to their preferred shops has gotten out of control. But there are some action steps shops can take to counter its effect.
