The Automotive Service Association has launched a new initiative to focus on refinish issues and their effects on collision repair facilities.
Dan Risley, ASA’s president and executive director, spoke on behalf of the association and outlined the goals of the initiative to revive this important issue for collision repairers:
“There are two fundamental issues that ASA intends to resolve through education and collaboration with industry stakeholders,” said Risley. “First, the arbitrary reduction of refinish time on a damaged panel, and second, the lack of acknowledgement and reimbursement for the labor and materials associated with blending the paint on a damaged panel.”
ASA has sent letters to all three information providers requesting information about how their refinish times are developed. The association is also in the process of sending letters to the top 10 insurance carriers requesting their position on this issue.
“ASA’s goal is to educate the industry and bring broader understanding of the rampant abuse of the arbitrary reduction of refinish times on damaged panels,” Risley said. “The reductions typically range between 5 percent and 70 percent. ASA would like the collision industry more engaged and is requesting that repairers assist by providing copies of any estimates where the refinish time was arbitrarily reduced (in regard to blend within/zone refinish).
Collision repair professionals are encouraged to participate in the data collection process. Simply FAX your estimates (for blend within panel/zone refinish) to (817) 977-7767 or email a PDF document to [email protected]. For reporting purposes, ONLY the estimate data and regional area of the submission will be disclosed. All repair facility, employee and customer information will be kept strictly confidential.
“This is a call to action for the industry,” said Risley. “It’s an opportunity for us, as an industry, to drive change by working together with all the stakeholders without the threat of lawsuits and legislation. Repairers should be fairly and accurately compensated for all the labor and materials required to properly repair the vehicle.”
ASA will continue to monitor the issue and provide updates throughout the data-gathering process.
The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry.
ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.
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