Condition Now Combats Negative Vehicle History Reports with Repair FACTS

Imagine this scenario: Your shop writes an estimate and repairs the customer’s vehicle, and within a few days, information shows up in vehicle history reports from companies like CARFAX. The shop has no clue how it got there, and the customer is angry that their information was shared.

How did they get that data? “More than 131,000 data sources across North America report information to CARFAX,” according to CARFAX Public Relations Director Emilie Voss. “The details associated with a single event on a CARFAX report may have been reported to CARFAX from several sources, both public and private. CARFAX recognizes the importance of accurate information, and therefore, the Help Center on carfax.com provides an easy, quick way to send CARFAX requests for data verifications and corrections.”

But even if the information is accurate, vehicle history reports often negatively impact the value of customers’ vehicles. Condition Now offers a way for shops to mitigate that concern. “When a vehicle history report is pulled after an accident, it does not take into consideration whether you’ve written an estimate and repaired the vehicle – or whether that vehicle was repaired correctly,” observed Condition Now CEO Tom Allen. “Our report serves to update the vehicle history with important associated information. We inspect the vehicle and attach that inspection to the CARFAX or AutoCheck to demonstrate that the vehicle was repaired by a certified collision facility and is in better condition than the accident report indicates.”

Although vehicle value always diminishes after an accident, “there’s a disparity between an improperly repaired vehicle and a well-documented, proper repair,” Allen emphasized. “Most people shop for vehicles that have never been in an accident because that’s what they’ve been trained to do, but in reality, the best value may be a repaired vehicle…assuming it was properly repaired by the right shop that is certified for that type of repair and used the best parts and components in the process.” Recognizing this, Condition Now reports provide a way for vehicle owners to retain some of their car’s trade-in value after a collision occurs.

“A consumer who has their vehicle repaired at a certified shop by a well-trained technician using OEM parts certainly has some peace of mind…and that’s all well and good while she owns the vehicle, but it doesn’t help her sell it,” Allen pointed out. “It’s still just a car that had an accident. But by providing her with the documentation that proves the car was repaired properly, with the right parts, she benefits from a higher trade-in value and sale price when it’s time to sell her car. The Condition Now report carries itself along with the vehicle for its lifetime.”

In addition to alleviating a potentially tense encounter with the customer, Condition Now inspections offer a great tool for educating consumers on their rights. “We want consumers to understand that they have the choice of which shop to take the vehicle to; it is not the insurance company’s decision,” Allen stressed. “Traditionally, the customer takes their car to the shop that the insurer recommends – and we all know that’s going to be a DRP shop where they’ve negotiated rates and are able to use the least expensive parts possible. But the consumer doesn’t know any of that.

“Condition Now provides a resource to help shops explain facts of the industry to their customers, enabling them to understand that they can take their car to the shop that is best equipped to safely repair their vehicle…and an OEM-certified shop is going to deliver the highest quality repair for that manufacturer and champion for OEM parts, making the repair better overall.”

Allen believes the industry’s future lies in OEM certification. “Certification is costly, but there are many benefits to it, including having the ability to fix a customer’s car right and also help them sell it for a reasonable amount when the time comes,” he said. “Providing a means for certified shops to create even more value for their expertise works in the shop’s interest, allowing the guys who’ve invested in advancing their knowledge and technology to collect the customer’s keys and obtain the documentation necessary to fight for quality repairs and get paid for their hard work.”

Promoting collision repair professionals plays a key role in why Allen founded Condition Now and is also why his company is involved with both local and national associations, including AASP/NJ, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers National and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).

“Condition Now wants to help shops and consumers. Our goal is to do something positive for our industry,” Allen admitted. “We’re trying to accomplish more than merely selling inspections – we want to help push the industry forward and elevate this profession. It may seem cheesy, but if more cars are fixed better, everyone benefits down the road…and we’re all a little safer on the road!”

Learn more about Condition Now at conditionnow.com.

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