COVER STORY: The New DRP
Without significant changes to current direct-repair programs, all parties involved are stuck with a system that has become a fertile garden for corruption, abuse, extortion and inefficiency.
Laying Down the Law
When Michael Trinagel’s twin daughters were born 16 years ago, he drove them home from the hospital in a Rolls-Royce. Today, the only reason his shop, Personal Touch Auto Body in the Bronx, is still in business is because he took out a loan against the equity he has in his house – one part of
The Mighty MIG
A little understanding of MIG welding will help you become your own personal troubleshooter. It will also help you create welds that aren’t just ‘pretty’ but are able to pass a destructive test.
Work Off Your Own Estimate
I remember 20 years ago when a wreck would be driven in or towed in and we would let the insurance company write the estimate, putting “repair as per insurance estimate” on the work order. Then, we would order the parts and fix the car. There might even have been an occasional phone call made
RIP, Yellow Pages
It’s official: the Yellow Pages is dead. Hopefully you didn’t hear it here first. Hopefully you heard the death knell a long time ago and decided the Internet was the way to promote your brand. The Yellow Pages I’m referring to is the big yellow paper directory dropped off on your doorstep that some people
All About Energy Efficiency
These spraybooths tout energy efficiency in a time when cost savings are all-important to body shops.
Breaking Away
It was evident by the way CARSTAR CEO Dick Cross bypassed the stairs to the stage and leapt up onto it instead that this year’s annual CARSTAR conference was going to be a high-energy affair. The leader of the largest group of independently owned and operated auto body repair stores in North America couldn’t have
Anti-Steering Video Public Service Announcement Now Available to SCRS Affiliate Associations
A broadcast quality video public service announcement (PSA) informing consumers of the illegality of insurance company steering is being made available by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) to its affiliate associations. The 30-second spots were developed by Ozone Advertising, Design and Strategy, a San Francisco Bay Area firm. Developed to be aired
SCRS MO-KAN Chapter Introduces ‘The Collision Repair Job Connection’
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) of Missouri & Kansas has launched “The Collision Repair Job Connection,” a forum for the top technical school collision repair students to connect with SCRS MO-KAN member shops that are seeking employees. More than 20 technical schools are currently in the network, representing more than 400 students that
Reference
2013 Industry Profile Click here for the full report. State of the Industry – 2012 Report Click here for the full report (PDF) 2011 Industry Statistics Shop Owner Market Shop Operations Insurer Relations Purchasing Personnel To purchase a full copy of the Collision Repair Industry Profile, contact Bob Roberts at (330) 670-1234 ext.