A recent “Better Call Jackson” segment on WCMH NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio, looks into “a relatively new charge that most [consumers] are unaware of – until your insurance company refuses to cover the cost.”

The “relatively new charge” is for pre- and/or post-repair scanning. Although scanning has been around for several decades, it recently became a hot topic in the collision repair industry after some OEMs issued position statements emphasizing the importance of performing pre- and post-repair scans.

Investigative reporter Mike Jackson explains that scanning is needed “to make sure that all the computers in your vehicle are connected to each other and all of your safety features are working properly.” While that might be a gross oversimplification, at least the message is starting to get out to consumers.

“Most consumers are not going to have any idea what [scanning] is, why it’s important and what needs to be done,” Mike Troxel of Rife’s Autobody in Westerville, Ohio, tells Jackson.

The three-minute news segment provides ample time to cast insurers in an unflattering light.

“Some insurance companies say, ‘Hey, if the manufacturer says it has to be done, we’re paying for it,’” Troxel tells Jackson. “Other insurance companies say, ‘Well, I know the manufacturer says it has to be done, but we don’t feel that it really does because there’s no lights on the dash, so I don’t think we really need to pay for that.’”

Troxel adds: “It’s a safety issue, and it matters.”