An Ordinary Guy – an Extraordinary Decision
As Clint Arndt examined the Chevy Astro van, he knew almost instantly that it hadn’t hit a deer – though that’s what the driver claimed. Arndt’s years of experience (32 to be exact) and the fact that he repairs 10 to 15 deer hits a month at Wentworth Buick in Eugene, Ore., told Arndt that something was wrong … that someone had placed deer hair into the vehicle’s headlight area to make it look like the van hit a deer.
So … What Else Do You Do? Profit from those Extra Services
Your shop doesn’t exist in a “collision repair” vacuum. There’s more to maintaining and fixing vehicles than pulling dents, straightening sheet metal and painting panels. But you can’t profit from those extra services unless you start offering them.
How Feds Dodged the Consent Decree in ’93
A group of shop owners – armed with reams of documentation and the 1963 Consent Decree – visited the Department of Justice in ’93 to provide what they considered proof of insurance industry wrongdoing. For whatever reasons, the DOJ dismissed their allegations, sweeping the Decree back under the rug. But how long can the dirt remain hidden?
Do Your Job and Get Paid for It: Estimating
Too many shops aren’t getting compensated for the repair procedures they perform because they fail to itemize them on their estimates. How can you be sure you get paid for all the work you do? Become familiar with your estimating system P-pages.
A Reluctant Informer and the Hardest Hit
An Oregon body shop technician’s keen eye and decades of repair experience played a vital role in the apprehension of a driver responsible for the hit-and-run death of a 12-year-old girl. But it was more than knowledge of the job. It was his first-hand knowledge of knowing what it was like to lose a child.
You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Stocking
The 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser.
An Allstate Exec Wrote this Article
Don’t turn that page! Regardless of how you feel about the insurance industry, try to objectively read this article. Why should you? Because few repairers know what it’s like to work on the insurance side – yet this perspective can give you insight into situations you encounter daily and help you run your business better.
7 Ways to Save Money on Materials
‘Tis the season to spend money on gifts for family and friends. No money, you say? You need a Christmas miracle? You don’t need a jolly old elf with eight tiny reindeer to reduce your expenditure for paint and materials. In fact, if you follow these seven proven steps, you’ll be stuffing stockings with increased profits.
Partnerships that Drive Your Business
Forming industry relationships can shift your shop into high gear by boosting your bottom line and giving you credibility with consumers.
The Insurance Consumer Advocate Network: www.ican2000.com
Individual drivers are, on average, only involved in an accident once every seven years. Such infrequent exposure to the collision repair process leads to a lot of questions.
Insurers Can’t Tell You Where to Buy Parts
We dread the day insurance companies try to dictate where shops must buy their OEM parts because we’ll then lose the goodwill and volume discounts we’ve established over decades with local dealers. (It will be difficult to get special clips from the local dealer on a Friday afternoon if he knows that all the big parts for the job were purchased elsewhere.)
Made in Taiwan: A/M Parts: Part 4 of the Series
This month, we conclude our series on Taiwanese aftermarket parts manufacturers with a look at Auto Parts Industrial, Ltd. and TYC, a division of the Tong Yang Group