Letters
Dear Georgina: I enjoyed reading your article on paint judgment times [Editor’s Notes, March, pg. 6]. I see more and more insurance adjusters’ estimates calling for blend within the panels on repaired panels. Allstate and Farmers have been the worst for taking advantage of this. Once Allstate wanted to repair a quarter panel for 12
The Rental Car Roller Coaster
I’ve been renting cars for 23 years. If you’re also thinking of getting into the rental car business, I’ve got two words of advice: Hang on!
Parts, Policies and Patsies
Shop manager Bradley Wooten asks why American Family Insurance is getting by using strictly used or A/M parts.
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.
San Diego Lawyer Writes Auto Body Repair Law Dictionary
San Diego lawyer Bruce Cornblum has written the Auto Body Repair Law Dictionary to help collision repairers understand the relationship between the shop, the insurer and the customer.
Shattered Market: The Body Shop Glass Business
NAGS list price discounts are increasing, labor payments aredecreasing and deals made behind our backs are eroding profitability. Still, you might want to consider performing your own glass installations since, ultimately, you’re the one shouldering the liability.
Hybrids: Why They’re Here To Stay
Fuel costs – gasoline or diesel – seem to be creeping ever higher. This is probably natural because of the rules of supply and demand. Oil is a finite resource, and as we use more of our own American crude in the lower 48, we’re going further afield to supply our ever-expanding need for more
Sold
Do you ever wonder what happens to body shop owners who sell their businesses? Where do they go? What are they doing now? Perhaps more importantly, what leads these folks to put their shops on the market and are they happy now?
Light Up Your Life: New Technology
I admit it. I’m not a huge fan of new technology. Heck, I only own seven – none which I actually bought. People keep giving them to me, hoping to inspire me to move forward into the new millennium (or at least into the ’90s). So trust me when I say I understand if you’re
What’s Diminished Value Mean To You
As contentious an issue as diminished value (DV) has become in the insurance and repair industries, there’s a quiet revolution taking place in the claims business. Once limited to the owners of exotic cars, DV is now a phrase on the lips of ordinary people with damaged grocery-go-getters. And this flood of inquiries to claims