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.
How to Drop 13 DRPs — and Live to Tell About It
It didn’t take long to learn that more volume doesn’t always equal more money.
Debunking the Myth of ‘Pre-Accident Condition’
You may have the best collision repair facility this side of the Mississippi, but you still shouldn’t use the term ‘pre-accident condition’ to describe your repairs. It just isn’t accurate.
The Mustang Kid
Finding the wrecked 1976 Mustang was the easy part. Putting it back together was a real labor of love.
Strategies for Preparing – and Presenting – Your Estimate
The insurance industry’s reluctance to pay what I consider to be fair and proper damage appraisals concerns me greatly. It also concerns me greatly that many shops aren’t doing anything about it.
The Bottom Line: Many in This Industry Clearly Are Struggling to Run a Profitable Business
Before billing in dollars, I performed excellent work but was only paid for 60 to 70 percent of it,” says an Illinois shop owner. “The customers and insurance companies were happy, but I was poor.”
Pearl Tricoat: Refinishing Made Easy
The problem: You don’t know how many coats of pearl the OEM applied at the factory. The solution: Make a letdown panel.
Mentoring Works
This real-life success story shows how mentoring can help to bring talented youngsters into your shop — and into
an industry in need of recruits.
Spotting Trouble: Arbitrary Changing of Paint Times
Been asked by an adjuster to change the paint time on a panel? If insurers would pay for the prep and want a spot paint – and as long as the hours equal the full time – shops might embrace the procedure. Since that’s not happening, shops need to learn how to justify their estimates.
Shrewd Player, Poor Payer: Progressive’s “Concierge” Program
Despite Progressive’s hardball reputation, it’s had no trouble recruiting shops for its “concierge” program – which eliminates all shop/customer contact and makes Progressive liable for repairs.