Disposable Cars?
More repair-friendly vehicles don’t appear to be in our future, equating to fewer vehicles being repairable and those that aren’t totaled costing more to repair.
Through the Looking Glass – Head First?
Considering the complex nature of collision repairs compared to those of glass, it’s debatable whether networking collision shops will be doable. It’s also debatable whether networks are in the best long-term interest of the collision industry, consumers or even insurers.
Can This Salvage Law Be Salvaged?
Before rubber-stamping Missouri’s much-touted salvage law as model legislation, we need to examine how it’s established a benchmark for insurers that didn’t exist before — and costing shops business.
Reindeer Games
Many shop owners eagerly anticipate the results of State Farm’s annual labor rate survey like kids on Christmas morning.
DRPs: Our Business Skills
Stop the finger pointing. How well we do in this trade has a lot more to do with our business skills than with how “bad” insurers are. In fact, direct-repair programs have, dare I say it, made many shops more efficient and profitable. It was more than 40 years ago, but I still remember sitting
Respect: The Customer’s Auto When in Your Possession
Do not smoke or eat in (or on) a customer’s car. Do not steal the Viagra. And never use the test drive to take a carload of techs to a local lunch spot (or to solicit a prostitute). When a customer drops off his vehicle at your shop for repairs, it’s common knowledge that he
Going Head 2 Head
Use “Key Performance Indicators” to compare your shop against others – and to identify and eliminate any
weaknesses.
What a Tech Wants: Dealership Over an Independent
There are reasons techs choose a dealership over an independent or vice versa. More importantly, there are things you can do to convince them to choose your shop.
The Cynic’s Guide to Structural Repairs
After 30 years of working on critically wounded vehicles, I can safely say I’ve pretty much done it all when it comes to surgical frame and structure repairs. I can also safely say that timely, quality repairs can still be done in our time-and-labor-hostile environment.
Apathy
A massive segment of repairers – wallowing in yesteryear’s thinking and uninterested in learning anything new – are driving themselves out of business. Do you fit this description?