The Value of Service Repair Information

Dan Espersen
ALLDATA® Collision^SM
Senior Program Manager

With the ever-changing complexity of today’s vehicles, manufacturers’ repair information is one of the most important tools you can utilize on a daily basis. Whether you are an Estimator, Manager, Insurance Adjuster, Technician or part of the Production Team, proper repair procedures from the manufacturer will allow you to identify, negotiate and explain key repair plan thought processes, as well assist and manage critical business indicators, such as cycle times, hours per day, sublet repairs, technician efficiencies, overall productivity and profits.

Many considerations arise when preparing a repair plan, whether it’s for your insurance partners, everyday customers, or technicians. Issues such as minimal supplements, factory recommendations, correct documentation, customer satisfaction and cost effectiveness are only a few issues that must be considered.

Questions such as these will confront you or your staff daily:

• Should I section this or replace the entire panel?
• How do I handle this Hybrid?
• What SRS parts do I need to replace after the accident?
• Can we reset the Tire Pressure Monitoring System?
• Does my Technician know how to remove the trim panel on this vehicle?
• Can we repair this suspension here at our shop? How can I provide my customers detailed repair documentation if they require it? Documentation is critical to a repair strategy.

So when is the best time to access or source this valuable repair information – pre-production or during the production phase? Based on your collision operation and processes, the answer to both of these questions is “yes.”

Accessing manufacturers’ repair information during the pre-production phase, or at the time of the repair plan, is an effective way of properly identifying critical repair decisions. Notice that I said “repair plan” and not estimate.

Often a certain repair procedure may be available, but if you don’t know it the vehicle can halt in production due to supplements, authorizations, parts orders, or sublet repairs. Whenever a vehicle is stopped or delayed during the production process, cycle times will increase, efficiencies decline and overall shop profitability is affected.

If thought was given to proper repair techniques, locations and practices during the repair plan or prior to production, these critical performance indicators would ultimately benefit.

Example: You are developing an estimate on a 2007 vehicle that has structural damage to the front. Do you know if the structural component can be repaired or should it be replaced? If you have to replace it, can it be sectioned and where? Without the correct repair procedure, you may develop your estimate based on prior experience, hearsay, industry-accepted practices or the ever popular “guess.”

As the vehicle moves into production, parts have been ordered, the estimate has been approved. The technician diligently disassembles the vehicle, but then realizes that the damaged structural component cannot be repaired with the method on the estimate because it appears that the component is made of advanced high strength steel.

Production stops, a supplement is generated, approval for additional repairs are pending and parts are reordered.

If the proper repair and identification procedures were accessed from the manufacturer at the time of the repair plan, this scenario could have been avoided. Now ask yourself how much time you spend reacting to estimates that were prepared incorrectly, as in our example. Would you ultimately generate less work for yourself if you did some repair research prior to production or when you were developing your repair plan?

During the production phase, a technician ultimately benefits by being efficient or keeping his hands on the vehicle. Locations of components, testing procedures, disabling operations, material identification and overall proper repair procedures are only a small portion of what today’s collision technicians face day in and day out.

By providing them with access to Manufacturers’ information, couldn’t they increase their overall productivity and efficiency?

Ask yourself this question the next time that your technician cannot locate a component or remove a certain part without instructions: “If they had access to factory-correct procedures would they limit or eliminate these time-consuming scenarios?”

In summary, vehicle complexity is changing at a rapid pace, and to stay current we need to utilize the latest repair strategies and procedures available.

A proactive approach, a proper repair plan and utilization of published procedures from the manufacturer are effective ways to manage your time and your team. This strategy will ultimately provide safe and accurate repairs for our valued customers. Isn’t that why we are in business?

Written by Dan Espersen, ALLDATA Collision Program Manager. Dan is a Gold Pin Member of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and holds an AA Degree in Automotive Technology. He has 17 years of experience in the collision industry and 17 years of experience in the automotive industry.

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