How to shop for auto collision repair shops: Part II

In the last River City Auto Body article, we gave you the first three of six tips that’ll make your collision repair an easier even that heading to the DMV or the dentist. (Sorry again, dentists) Here's the rest of our list of things to look for in a reputable facility to return your car to you with the fewest headaches. Both articles are combined in a downloadable flyer from our website at this link.

4) Get more than one estimate. You're not required to get several, but it is recommended, and here's why. Some shops will write a lower estimate just to get you in the door. Sometimes, it isn't even intentional: They might not have viewed all the damage.  River City Auto Body encountered that last week.  Another shop had written a repair to buff the headlight…. when the vehicle came here for an estimate, we noticed that the headlight actually was cracked and needed to be replaced, not buffed. When you get quotes…

5) ...Share the estimates. Feel free to show one shop's estimate to other shops. We're competitors, but at the end of the repair day, it's your car's appearance and safe operating condition that matter most. One shop might miss something… like that headlight, or replacing an airbag.

Be wary of a shop that discourages you from sharing their math. There are unscrupulous shops that will write the estimate for all new OEM parts, then get the job in the door and use aftermarket or used parts on the repair to pad their profit… or pay your deductible for you. Certification comes into play here as well:  Shops that are committed to the cost for the I-CAR and OEM certifications have to use the parts recommended by the manufacturer or they lose their certifications!_. 

6) Trust your gut. When you visit the shop, is the staff rude? Is the shop dirty or disorganized? Do you get a bad vibe? If so, walk.

 River City Auto Body is fortunate to be asked to estimate a lot of collision repairs. And we earn the business of a great many of those customers. Attention to detail and customer care are the intangibles that make a difference between a satisfied customer and a happy customer. When you're treated like family, it makes collision repair a lot better than the DMV or the dentist.

 Photo by Erwin Wodicka, used with permission.

How to shop for auto collision repair shops: Part I

Do you look forward to going to the DMV? Or how about the dentist? (Sorry, dentists.) River City Auto Body 'gets it' that you're not necessarily overjoyed to be facing a collision repair either. Here's a short list of things to look for in a reputable facility to return your car to you with the fewest headaches.

1) Don't let the insurance company shop for you. If they tell you have to go to a certain shop, it's called steering, and that's not legal. They can recommend, but not require. See our two articles on steering. 

2) Ask your friends. Internet reviews are nice, but you don't know those reviewers like you know your friends. Referrals are the life blood of any business. More importantly, referrals tell you who your friends trust.

3) Look for certifications. A shop that keeps fit, finish, durability, value, and safety top of mind is what certifications represent. You'll eliminate 9 of 10 body shops if you search only for ones with I-CAR certification. I-CAR Gold Class shops have current, up-to-date training that contributes to complete, safe, and quality repairs. Only 10 percent of shops currently complete the rigorous training requirements.

You'll also want to see what the vehicle manufacturers, like Ford, certify in the training, tools, and technology needed to provide top-notch repairs. Also, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certifications are as important as your seatbelt. With all the technology in the vehicles today, you just can’t repair the cars the way you did 10 years ago… even five years ago.  Without knowing current techniques, the vehicle occupants’ safety is at risk.  Certifications show which shops and technicians are qualified to do the repair.   

River City Auto Body invests a lot of time and money in the training and certification of our team. It’s the right thing to do for them professionally, it helps us stand out professionally from competing shops and dealerships, and it is the absolute best thing to do for you and your vehicle. That being said, we’ll have three more tips in the second part of this series, including a real eye-opener on how a repair shop might be paying your deductible.

Photo by Sorapong Chaipanya, used with permission.

Auto insurance steering isn't us vs. them, it's about you

Earlier in the River City Auto Body article archive, we shared two 'myth-buster' articles on auto insurers steering claim repairs to a shop of the insurer's choosing. They can't require you to go anywhere for your repair: It's your vehicle. Yet they may attempt to sway your decision by suggesting a collision repair shop, and that's legal – mostly.

We work with a lot of insurers. They're an important part of protecting your vehicle investment and your peace of mind. Not to mention your wallet. River City Auto Body recognizes the valuable role your insurer plays in your life, and how they can make or break our business. Insurers work with the same auto repair shops every day. And since you, as a driver, aren't likely to have that much experience with getting collision damage repaired quickly or cost-effectively, you probably appreciate any effort the insurer makes to help you through the crisis.

The suggestions they make are in that spirit: The spirit of helping you. However, the insurance industry is, as a business, committed to cost savings. Those two concepts can be contradictory. To put it another way, the insurer works for its shareholders or policy owners (in the case of a mutual company). River City Auto Body works for you.

Something to consider… A 2016 J.D. Power and Associates study indicates consumers are more apt to shop for a new carrier after they've had a claim, whether they're happy with the claim response or not. So, if the insurer possibly will lose you anyway, what would their incentive be to do anything but cut its repair costs?

That survey indicated you are more likely to stick with them after a claim when you rank highly your experience in these 10 areas:

— Answering all customer questions
— Managing expectations regarding the settlement
— Expressing genuine concern
— Avoiding negotiated settlements
— Providing flexible appraisal appointments
— Returning phone calls
— Sharing information between representatives
— Providing proactive updates
— Ensuring customer is at ease with claims process
— Giving customers a time line and meeting it

Who delivers that level of individualized, face-to-face service, the insurer? Or the shop doing your repair? When River City Auto Body does right by you, we're actually helping the insurer keep customers. Our commitment to your satisfaction with our work is how we ensure referrals and repeat customers.

 

 Photo by Dmitry Kalinovsky, used with permission.

Aluminum vehicles require high-tech, high-touch repair

Automakers are betting the ranch that aluminum body frames and panels will deliver the new fuel efficiency requirements imposed upon them. Aluminum, while lighter and potentially stronger than steel, doesn’t fare well in collisions as seen in some of River City Auto Body’s repair vehicles.

The dents require more care and more often than not require replacement of the panel. According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, aluminum is more expensive than steel in a raw state, in its conversion to a usable sheet metal, and in its assembly — resulting in a 60 to 80 percent cost premium. That aside, you want the finish to last. River City Auto Body has been repairing and refinishing aluminum long before fuel economy became the reason for changing metals.


Ford is one automaker that was using aluminum well before they ramped up their flagship truck production to all-aluminum in 2015. A common issue with those older panels: Corrosion under the paint. It’s a quirky way the paint bonds to the metal that’s gotten better with manufacturing improvements. Some repair shops aren’t up to speed on those improved techniques.

Audi, Volvo, and several other luxury and sports brands have been using aluminum body panels for twenty years – Mercedes Benz even longer, going back to the early 20^th century. Those cars have an unwarranted reputation as being hard to fix right. According to Doug Richman, vice president of engineering for Kaiser Aluminum this simply isn’t true. “They’re not more complex, they’re not more difficult. They’re different.

“Technicians need aluminum-specific knowledge to do repairs properly,” he says. When repair staff is up to speed on aluminum repairs and how to avoid corrosion issues, your repair can be done efficiently, and the finish will last. River City Auto Body techs have this specialized training for this generation of vehicles, the last generation of aluminum cars, and the next one.

SAE International, initially established as the Society of Automotive Engineers, has an interesting write up on aluminum body repair for additional reading.

 Photo by Vlad Teodor, used with permission.

Bring some clarity to warranty, guarantee and honesty

With more than three decades in the collision repair business, River City Auto Body witnessed more than a few similar business come and go over challenges involving those three words in the article title. Realistically, no one expects warranty and guarantee to mean the same thing. However, they're frequently used for the same principle: When something goes south, it gets fixed. Period.

Warranty and guarantee do mean the same thing from a legal standpoint. The Uniform Commercial Code, which has been adopted in some form in every state, protects consumers when it comes to promises made by a seller.

We simplify it here:

·         Pieces and parts are warrantied. This comes from the manufacturer. For example, who hasn't come across a product recall? Some piece or part fails or creates a safety-compromising situation. It's replaced. Done. A warranty is a form of a guarantee, and comes from the maker/manufacturer. You see them ranging from 30-days for consumer electronics to years for car systems to the rare Lifetime Warranty.

A bit about parts and the warranty. Remanufactured parts carry a tag or label shortened to 'reman.' Sometimes remans carry a warranty from the REmanufacturer which isn't necessarily the company that originally manufactured the part. That original maker is usually called the OEM, by the way, short for Original Equipment Manufacturer. ‘

This is where honesty comes in. River City Auto Body believes in using new, OEM parts whenever possible and fully discloses when the parts used in a repair aren’t. Even if you don't use us, please ask any repairer to give you that courtesy.  

·         Work is guaranteed. You can use the best parts, but what about the installation or assembly? When you find a business willing to put it on the line that their employees do work so well – even the intricacies of paint work – they'll guarantee the labor.

At any rate, as we mentioned last week, an insurer doesn’t warranty claim repairs because they don’t make the equipment, and they don’t do the labor. We guarantee our parts (new and used) and labor – even refinishing except for damage from acid rain or stone chips – for a year because WE CAN. The fit and finish of a job are too important to us to cut corners. As long as you own the vehicle, we guarantee our work for a year. No fine print. The fine-print mentality is another form of dishonesty.

   

 Photo by Val Thoermer, used with permission.

Auto repair mythbuster part II: The insurance co. said WHAT?

Last week, River City Auto Body introduced you to the topic of steering: When an insurance carrier ‘suggests’ you use a certain repair shop for your covered auto. It’s worth repeating: Your insurer may suggest, but cannot require, you have your car repaired at a specific auto repair shop. After an accident, you are under no obligation to take your vehicle to the shop of their choosing.  In order to help YOU stay in control, here are a six tactics you might hear from an agent or appraiser (neither of which are auto repair pros – they’re doing their jobs as employees of the insurer):

1.       "We can't give you a rental if you go to River City." If you have rental reimbursement on your policy, take advantage of it. If you are hit by someone else, they have to put you into a rental.

2.       "River City Auto Body won't agree with our appraiser." Shops that often ‘agree’ with appraisers are trying to remain friendly with the insurance companies. YOU are the customer.

3.       "They are not on our preferred list." ‘Preferred’ can mean the insurance company trusts the quality of the shop – and we’ve earned that status with many companies. Preferred also may mean the shop has signed an agreement to pre-negotiate your repairs by giving the insurer discounts, using inferior parts, and possibly not doing all necessary processes to repair your vehicle properly. In those cases, it sounds sketchy, and in fact the insurer is the customer, not you.

4.       "If you go to a non-preferred shop your repair will be delayed waiting for our adjuster to inspect the vehicle." Delays are a scare tactic. Most state insurance regulations require insurers to respond within a reasonable amount of time.

5.       "If you go to our shop we can pay them directly and it will be faster." It is your money, the check should be written to you!

The sixth one is an odd but common tactic: "We won't warranty the repair if you go there." Ask the insurer for a copy of said ‘warranty’ and ask who will do the re-repairs. Insurers don't actually repair anything. So they can’t do warranty repairs. More on repair warranties and River City Auto Body’s guarantee in next week’s article.

     

 Photo by Monkeybusiness, used with permission.

Auto repair mythbuster: You CAN take your car anywhere

When River City Auto Body welcomes a new customer, about half the time it involves an auto insurance claim. We make sure every customer knows – up front – that as the owner of a vehicle they can take the car to the repair shop of THEIR choice. Many people don’t realize that. But it is the LAW.

A mythology has evolved around car repairs and quotes and insurance coverage. We do our level best to help bust those myths, not just when it’s to our advantage to do so. This particular myth is one we find challenges customers too often because an insurance policy is a complicated contract. State law clarified one thing with certainty: Your insurer may suggest, but cannot require, you have your car repaired at a specific auto repair shop. If anyone tells you otherwise, you can call Wisconsin’s Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection to defend your rights at 800-422-7128. 

When insurers attempt to direct you to a specific shop, the practice is called STEERING in auto repair circles. You’ll see the topic quite a few times in upcoming River City Auto Body articles.

Repair ‘choice’ is a win for everyone involved. Repair shops gain an equal footing when there aren’t rules limiting competition. Insurance companies win because service can be fast, local and competitive. Most of all, YOU win because you have choice where to have work done… and since there is competition for your business, quality goes up and costs (including insurance premiums) are more manageable.

This isn’t like that “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” scheme we heard not too long ago. Here you have a situation where if you like your repair shop or what you’ve heard about a repair shop like ours, you can keep it. If you don’t like a repair shop’s reputation, you can go elsewhere. It really is that simple.

Repairing a vehicle after it’s been damaged requires precision to restore the vehicle to specs. River City Auto Body is so proficient at what we do that we’ve earned the trust of many insurance carriers as a Direct Repair Program (DRP) shop. However, not one of the insurers can tell you that you have to use us. Our track record and our ability to GUARANTEE our work as long as you own the vehicle will make you want to choose us for your damage repair. It IS your choice!

 

 

 Photo by Karammiri , used with permission.