archiveRepair Operations

Collision Industry Conference participants last week suggested the auto insurance industry may not be training sufficiently to judge repair plans for modern vehicles. Repairers also discussed failing among claims personnel to comprehend the variety within the modern vehicle fleet and the shop preparation essential to fix those vehicles. This could...

Insurers might be attempting to combat claim severity by denying reimbursement for required repair operations, instead of address the problem where it can truly be solved, with different discussion at the July 15 Collision Industry Conference. Effectively, insurers are lashing out at consumers and the body shops as opposed to...

Toyota has rewritten its Collision Repair Information Bulletin No. 65 on clear coat to mandate body shops follow the paint manufacturer’s requirements. “To keep vehicle quality and sturdiness, Toyota and Lexus require all refinish repairs to follow the application guidelines from the applicable paint manufacturer,” the OEM wrote in the...

An Arizona couple has sued State Farm for breach of contract and a insufficient good faith within the insurer’s alleged behavior on their 2021 Nissan Pathfinder auto body repair claim. State Farm refused to cover a brand new quarter panel and new outer wheel well on Jason and Melissa Wilhelm’s...

Honda has toughened the word what on its conditions and terms for certified auto body shops to state shops “must” follow OEM procedures and “must” pre-and post-scan vehicles with Honda-approved processes. The automaker had previously implied certified repairers must perform that work. The brand new language leaves no wiggle room....

Though nearly all shops polled hadn’t tried to charge for the work, some of the repairers who did itemize vehicle fluid cleanup found major insurers consistently reimbursing the charges, a brand new “Who Will pay for What?” survey question found. “It is not uncommon for tow truck drivers to itemize...

Repairers struggling with reimbursement of auto repair shop charges might wish to direct the client or the local adjuster or appraiser to comments in the nation’s main auto insurance trade group. A representative for that American Property Casualty Insurance Association recently described to Rhode Island state lawmakers charges either the...

Advocates described a Rhode Island auto insurance reform bill necessary to curb real-world situations reported to a House committee recently. House Bill 6324 will make three changes to Rhode Island’s unfair claims practice statute, General Laws 27-9.1-4. Abandoned total notification One element is due to how carriers handle total losses...

A Rhode Island bill would require insurers to pick recycled parts with equal “fit, quality, performance and warranty” as new ones and carry “exactly the same year or newer” and “exactly the same or less mileage” because the customer’s vehicle. “You need the same specs,” sponsor and House Corporations Committee...