Recent survey asks collision shops whether they are billing for additional time to prep an adjacent panel for blending paint — most aren’t
Portland, Ore.—A “Who Pays for What?” survey conducted by Collision Advice and CRASH Network was the first to ask shops whether they are billing for additional time to prep an adjacent panel for blending paint. And if so, how often they are being paid for it.
For example, a repair plan calls for blending the paint into an adjacent panel — but that previously painted panel has surface texture problems, like “orange peel” or other imperfections that must be corrected prior to blending the color or extending the clearcoat.
The time needed to correct those issues may include additional sanding, leveling or surface refinement beyond the light scuffing typically required for a new, undamaged panel. And in all three estimating systems, that additional labor is not included in standard refinish, blend or clearcoat operations, and must be determined based on the condition of the existing finish that needs to be corrected.
Just over two in five shops are itemizing those operations on their estimate, and about half of those say they are reimbursed “always” or “most of the time” by the eight largest national insurers.
“I would encourage shops to reach out to their paint manufacturer to get educated on this process,” shop consultant Mike Anderson of Collision Advice said.
Take the next survey
The latest quarterly “Who Pays for What?” survey is now open through the month of April. It focuses on “not-included” frame and mechanical labor operations. Shops can take the survey here.
The survey can be completed in about 15 minutes by anyone familiar with their shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of at least some of the largest national insurers. Each shop’s individual responses are held in the strictest confidence; only aggregated data is released.
Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey findings along with analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.
The results of previous surveys are also available online here.
Comments are closed.