Programs

“We’re also triple-checking what can actually be repaired. Our repair percentages are going up,” Clymer said.

Rich O’Leary, manager of Fix Auto Sierra Vista in Arizona, said another challenge of releasing vehicles with a cosmetic part that hasn’t arrived is the customer satisfaction survey question related to whether they had to bring their vehicle back to the shop.

He said his shop has “invested in some steel and aluminum pulling equipment, and we do find ourselves repairing a lot more than we used to,” though he noted that entails understanding when that can be done as part of a safe repair, and what should not be repaired.

O’Leary said they also use the PartsVoice website to locate needed OEM parts beyond the local market.

“Often you’ll find a dealership around the country that has the part sitting on their shelf collecting dust,” he said. “It costs more to have them package and send it, but that’s an alternative.”

But some at the meeting said searching for parts at dealerships out of your shop’s market doesn’t always resolve the issue. Some suppliers, for example, may not be willing to sell a part to ensure they have it for those in their market.

“There’s a natural inclination when supply is short to take care of your best customers,” said Ken Weiss, who moderated the CIC discussion. “One of my other concerns is that all of the parts platforms that I’m aware of on the shop or insurer retail side expect the supplier to pay for shipping. Because of that, I know there’s a lot of parts that are probably not put into the search network because the supplier is not going to absorb the shipping when it’s a low-cost part.

“Or if it’s what we refer to as dimensionally-challenged; shipping a sheet metal quarter panel could cost more than the quarter panel is worth,” Weiss said. “But to me it’s better, especially if you’re the insurance company, to get the quarter panel and pay the shipping rather than have the car sitting in limbo for two months.”

www.autobodynews.com

By partnering with leading industry organizations, the ASE Education Foundation continues to provide innovative programs that help increase the number and diversity of service professionals entering the industry.

“We want to thank all of our industry partners who step up year in and year out to provide much appreciated support for the ASE Education Foundation,” said Mike Coley, president, ASE Education Foundation. “Our partners are the backbone of the foundation and continue to provide us with their expertise and needed resources to implement our programs. They will be instrumental as we expand our new Adopt-A-School program, implement new registered apprenticeships and increase diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the coming year.”

New partners ALLDATA, Auto Care Alliance, Automotive Lift Institute, Collision Repair Education Foundation, Goodheart Willcox, Hertz, ExxonMobil, Noregon and Permatex will join the following list of returning partners who support the ASE Education Foundation: ACDelco, Acura, ASA, ATech Training, Audi, BMW, Bridgestone, CarMax, CARQUEST, CCAR, CDK Global, CDX, Cengage, Electude, Federated/ Pronto, FedEx, Ford, Garage Gurus, Gates, General Motors, HDA Truck Pride, Honda, Isuzu Truck, Lexus, Mack Truck, Mercedes-Benz, Motor Age, NADA, NAPA, Navistar, Nissan, NTB, PepsiCo, Porsche, Ryder, S/P2, SkillsUSA, Snap-on, Stellantis, Subaru, TA Petro, TechForce Foundation, Tire Kingdom, Toyota, UPS, Volvo Truck, Volkswagen and WD-40.

“We are proud to join forces with these fine organizations and leverage their vast experience in order to recruit, nurture and inspire the next generation of service professionals,” said Coley.

To learn more about supporting the ASE Education Foundation and its mission to improve the quality of automobile, collision repair/refinish and medium/heavy truck training programs, visit www.ASEeducation Foundation.org/partners.

Source: ASE

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