The Fraud Triangle
Anticipating possibly getting something for nothing – and convincing themselves they’re entitled to it – repairers, insurers and consumers commit fraud on a daily basis, assuming that if they don’t get caught, no one gets hurt. But nothing comes without a cost.
Fill In The Blanks: Correctly Using Fillers
Today, fewer panels are repaired and more are replaced. Likewise, gone are the days when shops used entire 5-gallon pails of body filler weekly to avoid doing metal work. While today’s fillers are used in smaller volumes, a wider variety of styles can provide just what you need — if you know how they work, which to choose and how to use them properly.
Cool Route for Creating Profits: A/C Repairs
Repairing air conditioning systems as a profit center can be quite rewarding — provided you’re quite knowledgeable when it comes to systems, environmental concerns and government regulations. Otherwise, you may be cooling your heels in an empty shop.
Consent Decree: Enforceable or Forgetable?
In 1963, 265 insurers signed a Consent Decree drafted by the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. By signing, they agreed to abide by the Decree’s terms: no more demanding discounts, setting hourly rates, boycotting repair shops and using specific appraisers. It’s still a binding agreement today … but will it ever be enforced?
Your Mission: Educate Consumers
"How can we better educate our customers so they can make more informed decisions about choosing a repair facility?" — Timothy Kilkeary, v.p., Kilkeary’s Auto Body, Inc., Eighty Four, Pa. Since I took over my family’s business in 1984, the collision repair industry has been on a roller coaster ride of changes, twists and turns.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
"How does a consolidator arrive at the value of a shop?" — Clyde Wilkerson, owner, Wilkerson Body & Frame, Kokomo, Ind. To answer this question, we must first define which type of consolidator you might be dealing with. Collision shop consolidators generally fall into one of two categories. The Predator First, there’s the consolidator whose
A License To Repair
"Why isn’t it mandatory for all collision techs to be licensed?" — Don Marshall, manager, Fresno Chrysler/Plymouth, Fresno, Calif. The collision repair industry is the ultimate example of irony and paradox. In most (if not all) states, the damage appraiser needs a license to prove he’s capable of determining the cost and procedure of repairing
Should You Get Into Bedliners?
Sure, starting a spray-on bedliner business sounds like guaranteed money in your hands, but if you aren’t informed on the technical aspects, then you may soon find yourself empty-handed instead.
Ditch Your One-Dimensional Ways
Only selling collision repair service these days? Diversification is the answer
to getting your profits back and making your business worth owning.
Survival Strategies for Independents
Consolidation or Independence?