The Total Story
Why are some cars repaired when they should be totaled, and others totaled when they should be repaired? Because, too often, poorly trained people are estimating damages. If it’s a total, then total it. If it’s a borderline case, communicate with your customer and your tech. But keep in mind that customer safety is your No. 1 priority.
A Big City Small Business
Gold Coast Auto Body, Chicago, IL.
Fixing Plastics is Possible – and Profitable
It was 1968 and this shop was successfully repairing plastics. So why is it that shops today aren’t?
Boosting Booth Production
Don’t let poor production processes hurt shop profits. Proper spraybooth placement, setup and maintenance could mean another $500,000 in sales per year. Interested?
Letters to the Editors
The Need for Speed Dear Mr. Bailey: I liked your article in the August issue of BodyShop Business [Supervising Smarts, pg. 20]. I’ve watched the industry turn in the unfortunate direction of the almighty dollar for quite awhile now, and I wish there were more techs out there like you who cared about the quality
Body Shop Fraud: A Question of Intent
A New Jersey body shop customer has some questions that no one, it seems, wants to answer.
Drop That Stone and Step Away From the House
As I stood at an industry function, chatting with a shop owner and his wife, I was only half listening until … the shop owner took a sip of his third (maybe fourth?) rum and Coke, started talking and couldn’t shut up. He told me all about how shops in his area – including his
How Many People Will She Tell
I’m not just a collision repair industry editor – I’m a client. I admit, I’ve always been a bit accident prone – if there’s a wall to run into, a piece of furniture to fall over or a step to trip up, I’m your woman. No one in my family ever harbored hope of my
The Need For Speed: Quantity Over Quality May Cost You
A shop manager who chooses quantity over quality may cost you more than a few dollars in comebacks. He may also cost you a few good technicians.
Wheels in Motion: Wheel Set Back
Wheel set back is an indicator of larger problems that are often overlooked when measuring. But because most techs think of set back as an alignment measurement, they don’t bother checking for it – and don’t deliver a complete, timely or profitable repair.