“I’ve been doing this for 30 years!”

If you have a direct repair contract with an insurance company, many of them dictate no supplemental repair submissions So if you miss something the first go around youre fucked and the shop is eating it. Or they are dinging your scores which may affect your relationship as far as the contract goes. This is the reason technicians don’t want to work for mom and pop shops anymore. because a corporate Bodyshop isn’t going to make the technician or the estimator pay for the mistake out of their own pocket. I had a motherfucker charge me and my helper 1500 for a bmw windshield that my helper broke. Didn’t even take payments. Straight out of our next check.

 

no way to really increase accuracy without "guessing" at what is damaged behind bumpers, outer panels etc... (that is when skill and experience comes into play).

the insurance industry as a whole, practices, and preaches, only write what you can see. so in cases of small damage (fender benders... hate that description personally) you would have to wait until the auto is in the shop, under repairs, and torn down, making it undriveable, until you can get the insurance company to authorize additional repairs, with documentation... photos, video, invoices supplemental estimate.

you can give ten people the same car to estimate for full repair back to pre-loss condition, and you will have 10 different totals.

some shops write low purposefully, to get jobs in the door, once torn down the truth comes out but, by that time the customer, and or the insurance company are "stuck" with that shop.

some shops write as a complete an estimate as possible, to help eliminate the above issue, and speed the repair through the shop, for the shop, and insured. which in turns looks like they are "gouging" or have "higher cost per claim/repair", and get that stigma.

in reality, all ten, end up very near the same price at the end of the repair, if the repair is of quality, industry standard, and back to pre-loss condition of the auto.

Ski

 

the only time I have ever witnessed a "no supplement payment available" was when a shop wanted to fix a possible (probable) total loss, and "contracted" the repair cost. if they found anything else, the shop was on the hook. but, that in turn, leads to the shop doing some shady stuff, to stay under the cost window.

the current shop I am working at, has direct repair provider status with several insurance companies. usually the reason to be on direct repair status, is the ease of supplements on the repairs. no need to wait for an adjuster to come out for reinspection... just document why you need more, with notes, photos, invoices, and continue with the repair, no delays. Ski

 

It just happened again!

I asked one of the paint preppers to wipe down one of my panels with wax and grease remover (acrisolve) before he primered because I touched it with dirty hands, and he goes “no problem man I’ll wipe it with thinner, it gets all that shit off” to my horror. You can’t wipe fresh bodywork with thinner/acetone because it will take off the final layer of pinhole filler AND will cause the body filler to become brittle and fail over time, not to mention outgasing after paint that causes it to fail. I calmly pleaded with him not to do that to which his response was…….. wait for it…..


IVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 30 YEARS!!

Sigh….. I need a beer.

 

Smoke a doob...it'll help ya settle down.

 

He's probably been doing that for 30 years too.

 

Give him a good cuff behind the ear.