Fixing Them All Wrong

In May of 2014, just over two years ago, I heard a very knowledgeable and successful former collision shop owner, who at that time was working as the collision tech manager for one of the major manufacturers, talk about the repairs he had been doing some years before that as a trusted independent.

To paraphrase ’everyone was happy, we were making money doing millions of dollars in repair each year, the customers were happy with good looking repairs delivered on time, the dealers were happy because they were selling parts and their customers were getting great service.’

Then after a pause he added, ‘and we were fixing them all wrong.’

He continued with ‘they looked great, they drove great, but in the next accident they would not perform as designed.’

The reason he could say that with a clear conscience is that at the time they did not realize they were fixing them wrong.

For many obvious reasons information on correct repair methods is now far easier to get than it was in the early 2000s period he was talking about. So why are so many cars still being fixed wrong now that the information is available?

In an earlier post with an article about GM CEO Mary Bara she is quoted as saying ‘there will be more change in the next 5 years than there was in the last 50.’

We are in that 5 years now but all the industry players grew up in the last 50, the methods and practises that were the keys to survival and success during that period may not be right today, but they are the foundations of industry culture.

It is this culture that is slowing the move to Next Accident Ready repairs.