Industry Insight with John Yoswick
—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.
GM Scales Back Post-Crash Inspections Requirement for Collision Repair Shops
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General Motors recently rolled out be replaced; if not deployed, a via significant overhaul of the vehi- sual inspection of the module cover cle inspections it calls on auto body is sufficient, provided no “deformawith Ed Attanasio shops to perform post-collision, say- tion, distortion or indentations” are ing the changes in no way compro- seen. mise safety. There is also additional infor The automaker previously had mation from GM’s engineers about a long list of such inspections it re- many of the inspections, such as quired “after any collision,” includ- what to look for during visual ining inspection ofwith the steering wheel spections of different components. Ed Attanasio
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the needed vehicle repair procedures such as scanning or calibrations. “This is simply talking about what you should be inspecting during the repair process,” he said. “It is only part of the process. It doesn’t replace any of the other requirements we may have.” Eck was also asked about the issue of insurers refusing to pay for the post-crash inspections GM calls for. “It’s a touchy issue for me as an OEM. We’re not the ones paying the bill,” Eck said. “The repairers are the ones doing the work. Our job is to provide all the content and all the information necessary for the repairer to say, ‘This is what I need to do to repair the vehicle properly, safely, and to make sure it’s ready to go back on the road.’ And he should get paid for the work that is necessary for that to happen. But it’s hard for
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General Motors now says most post-crash safety inspections are necessary only after “any collision that exceeds minor outer body panel cosmetic distortion.”
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and column, the instrument panel Given only a seat belt inspecmounting points and brackets and tion is required in the event of colliseat mounting points. sion repairs that involve only “minor It now says most inspections outer body panel cosmetic distorare necessary only after “any colli- tion,” Eck was asked to clarify what sion that exceeds minor outer body types of repairs that might include. panel cosmeticwith distortion.” “If you’re looking at just the StaceyThis Phillips eliminates the need for some “pret- front quarter panel, no mounting ty invasive” steps, said John Eck, brackets or no structural support collision manager for GM, in a we- brackets are damaged,” Eck cited as binar about the changes, like “re- an example. “Or a fascia that might moving the headliner or…dash, or be cracked but the bumper bars armeasuring a steering en’t damaged and there’s no airbag withcolumn, Staceywhen Phillips all you’re doing is replacing a fascia deployment. Or that side mirror that without any structural repair.” comes off backing out of a garage.” One exception: GM wants “ev- A dime-sized dent on a rocker ery seat belt of every [GM] vehicle panel? “A rocker panel is not a cosmetinspected every time” a vehicle is in ic outer body panel,” Eck said, meanfor repairs, “regardless of the [crash] ing safety inspections must be done. with Stacey Phillips The document applies to all severity level or what’s being done” to the vehicle. GM vehicles, though it has been When damage is more than integrated into GM’s online repair “minor outer body panel cosmet- procedures only for 2021 and 2022 ic distortion,” GM has a list of the models so far. Use the search term “unrelated components that could be “inspection” to find the document subject to damage” for Stacey which further in GM’s online system for those with Phillips inspections are needed. vehicles. Until it is integrated with For each of these, the new doc- the repair information for older veument lists different steps necessary hicles, it can be downloaded at the based on whether there has been an www.genuineGMparts.com webairbag or pretensioner deployment. site. If a front airbag has deployed, for Eck emphasized the inspection example, the steering wheel must document in no way replaces any of
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us as an OEM to step in the middle of a conversation about a transaction that is happening between the repairer and the insurer.” He said he hopes insurers see the revised post-crash inspections as “a reasonable approach without compromising safety.” He also said vehicles continue to change, and the excuse of “Well, we’ve never paid for that in the past,” shouldn’t apply. “It’s what should we be doing now with what we have and what we know and what these vehicles are expected to do and perform relative to protecting the occupants inside and [pedestrians] outside the vehicle,” Eck said. GM acknowledged last year that among 17 automakers, it and Subaru were the only two that required extensive inspections following any collision, regardless of severity.
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