Who’s the Expert?
We’re the collision repair experts yet we allow insurers to dictate how repairs are done and let them pay us a mere pittance for it. The potential result is my biggest fear: an industry full of unqualified technicians
To Clip or Not to Clip?
“What’s the difference among what I-CAR, shops, insurance companies and car manufacturers are saying about clipping?”
Kaizen Part II: Pulling the Value from Waste
Simply put, the objective of a lean business is to continually identify and eliminate waste. As waste is eliminated, more value is produced, which means a more efficient model.
Matching Tricoat Pearls: Think Groundcoat
Making a let-down panel doesn’t solve the problem of matching tricoat pearl color. There’s got to be a better way – and there is: an invisible foundation-coat repair. If an automotive painter were asked what he did for a living, it would be fair for him to say that he’s a master illusionist. Citizen Jane
Prime, Featheredge, Fill…The Lost Steps
It takes 12 steps to prepare a repaired panel for paint prep. If you’re not vigilant, you won’t get paid for seven of them – costing you hundreds of dollars per repair.
UV Coatings: Curing at Light-Speed
Increase productivity and boost your bottom line. UV curable coatings reach full cure in two to three minutes – and that’s with no mixing, virtually no VOCs and no heat.
No Supplements Allowed
My techs stopped speaking to me for a while, but once they started reaping the benefits ($$$) of our new system for heavy hits, they liked me again. And I liked the fact that my shop was more efficient and profitable.
Ignorance Is Expensive
Both the autobody and insurance industries are throwing away money by relying on the estimating software companies to manage data.
Blind Claims Auditors: A Deal’s a Deal?
In one of my favorite films, Fargo, the general sales manager of a new car dealership is on the phone with the slime balls he conspired with to kidnap his own wife. Upon learning the circumstances had changed and the villains wanted more of the ransom, the sales manager/husband played by William Macy exclaims: "Hey,
Write Better Estimates
The estimate is the most important aspect of our business process. If an estimate is poorly written, it can wreak havoc on your shop and cost you a boatload of cash.
