When collision repairers were asked this past year how often they’re researching the OEM procedures required after reconnecting a battery, 34% said they do it “all the time” — up from just 20% a year earlier — and another 22% said they do it “most of the time.” That was among the findings of a quarterly “Who Pays for What” survey conducted by Collision Advice and CRASH Network.
Battery reconnect procedures vary by automaker, said Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, but sometimes include initializing sensors or clearing diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).
“I was analyzing the procedures called for by one Asian automaker recently and found 11 procedures required after reconnecting the battery,” Anderson said. “Researching procedures needs to happen every single time on every single vehicle. Disconnecting the battery often will set DTCs that you can’t check for without doing a post-repair scan in conjunction with reconnecting the battery.”
In terms of reimbursement for the labor involved in battery reconnect procedures, the survey found that more than half of shops (57%) that bill for it say they’re regularly paid by the top eight largest national insurers — even while about one in four shops have never sought payment for these OEM-specified procedures.
The latest quarterly Who Pays for What? survey is now open through the month of January. It focuses on not-included refinish labor operations. Shops can take the survey here.
Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey findings along with analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.
The survey can be completed in about 15 minutes by anyone familiar with their shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of at least some of the largest national insurers. Each shop’s individual responses are held in the strictest confidence; only aggregated data is released.
The results of previous surveys are available at crashnetwork.com/collisionadvice.
