Stupid Owner Tricks
Does the owner of the collision repair shop where you work make Forrest Gump look like Einstein? Take solace in the knowledge that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Insurer-Owned Shops: Anomaly or Trend
er relationships?”– Johnny Reyes, operations specialist, Pacific Collision Center, Inc., Placentia, Calif. Question answered by: Charlie Barone Among the greatest concerns of body shop owners in the United States is the possibility of a developing trend toward insurance company ownership of body shops. While the advancement of the Sterling/Allstate venture appears to be rapid in
Charge for What You Do: Replacing a Quarter Panel
What’s a quarter worth these days? No, I’m not asking the value of an American quarter dollar. I’m asking you to consider what you should be charging to replace a quarter panel. Are you charging enough for the amount of work involved in a good quality repair? A lot of shop owners and managers insist
Market Pricing: Examining the Forces Behind It
independently of recessions and bear markets? Some industry leaders would say yes, they do. The reality is that body shop sales tend to follow meteorological trends rather than economic indicators. Hail storms and the shellacking of ice that some cities get in the winter do more to drive markets for body work than does the
Better Safe Than Liable: Check the Safety Features
Hurried techs sometimes forget to – or just simply don’t – check the safety features on a collision-damaged vehicle. But being rushed is no excuse.
Fiasco-Free Quarter-Panel Replacement
I was 17 and knew all there was to know … at least that’s what I thought until my first quarter-panel replacement. I learned from that disaster, and you can, too – by following these 19 steps.
Out of Retirement: Full-framed Vehicles
Just when you thought they were gone for good, MJ, bell bottoms and full-framed vehicles are back. Though Jordan can still score 40 points per game and bell bottoms are still … scary, today’s full frames aren’t the same as the ones produced in the past. And the repair procedures aren’t the same either. by
Point – Counterpoint
Are Double Standards OK, Depending Who’s Paying the Bill?
Are Double Standards OK, Depending Who’s Paying the Bill?
A double standard [where you write a different estimate if the repair is paid by an insurance company rather than a customer paying out of pocket] creates an image of what this industry is trying to defeat, which is that we’re crooks. I don’t want to present one image to one customer and another image
Las Vegas or Bust: NACE 2001
NACE 2001 hits the jackpot with a solid line-up of seminars, a new action demonstration arena and entertainment by comedian Jay Leno.