Autobody chains make sense, they really do

"Cars and Things" (stern0) 11/10/2015 at 10:08 • Filed to: None

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A few months ago, a local motorist was involved in a heavy-duty crackup. It happened like this. It was a rather cloudy day during mid-winter when there was ice and snow all over the place. As the motorist drove to pickup pizza one of the front wheels caught a patch of ice and spun out.

It was the kind of spin you always hear about from someone else. On hitting the ice patch, the car did an end-around and spun out crashing into a guard rail full force. At the 25 mph or so closing speed, you had to know that the airbags popped – likely keeping the motorist from real harm as they kept him in place — as the front end buried itself into the barrier. Continuing, the motorist said the car flipped to the right and into the barrier so that the right-hand side was damaged. There were some minor injuries.

The damaged car – a Chevy – was towed to an autobody shop where it remained until an insurance appraiser came out to look things over. The damage was extensive. If the insurance carrier hadn’t totaled it, the motorist was going to have it fixed because he liked – and almost owned – the car.

Let’s say that he had opted to have the car fixed. The first question that arises is where do you have it fixed? It could have been at the first site, but that was an unknown quantity. Instead, the motorist decided to look further for a different shop.

There were several types of auto body shop that the motorist looked at. There was the local outfit, where the car was first dropped; there was the national autobody shop chain, and there was the dealer body shop, where the car was purchased.

Of all the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! around, the motorist chose a national chain. There’s a lot to be said for a chain.

First, because they have many stores across several states, a national chain can buy parts in bulk which means a substantial savings to you when you have your car repaired.

Second, since they are locally owned parts of a national chain, they know the local economic conditions and whether to offer original equipment parts or generics and the like.

Third, a national chains is able to keep its personnel up to date with the latest tools and techniques because a chain has the means to organize training and present it effectively by bringing in professional trainers.

Fourth, a national collision repair chain can afford to send its personnel off for training. Unlike an onsite or in-house training course, a national chain can send its personnel off to factory sites or to training institutes like the National Institute of Auto Service Excellence (NIASE).

Of the four reasons to use an autobody shop chain, persons the most important is the second, they are local. For example, let’s look at a market like Scottsdale, AZ. Using a national chain in Scottsdale means good things for a motorist. For starters, a local outlet means just that, it is local. Because it has national backing, it is able to offer all sorts of support for the technicians, including parts, equipment and training. At the same time, though, with local ownership, there’s a vested interest in providing quality service because it is the best form of advertising.

Further, by using a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! shop with national backing, it means access to parts more quickly, parts that were likely purchased as part of corporate supplies. Major purchases by companies are usually made at prices far lower than those that independents may be able to achieve.

And, as noted, there’s the expertise factor. Because they are national in scope, like like this are able to swing in expert help when needed. It is just an added feature.

Finally, there’s the insurance company recognition that a collision repair shop with national linkage brings.

For all of these reasons, using a local shop with national links is likely the best way to go. Think about it, the next time you need repairs.

By the way, the motorist involved in the accident at the start of this piece did use a nationally based chain and was quite happy he did. Not only was the support from the insurance company excellent, but so was the support of autobody shop personnel. The motorists was impressed with the quality of the work.

vondon302 > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 10:27

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Like earl schieb?

Cars and Things > vondon302 11/10/2015 at 10:36

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Not necessarily....

Justin Hughes > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 10:38

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YMMV. I went to a small local shop when my BRZ got hit. It doesn’t hurt that when I first called, a guy I used to race with answered the phone. He made sure they took good care of me. The work took a while, but for the right reasons - they took their time to make it right, and it was returned to me in like new condition. Another friend of mine, also a body shop guy, thoroughly inspected the car when he saw it, and thoroughly approved of the work.

Party-vi > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 12:12

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Good afternoon Cars and Things.

Reviewing some of your previous posts and this current post, you seem to reference specific businesses depending on the topic of your posts, like Gerber Collision, Safecar.info, and Winnipeg Honda to name a few. Are these businesses providing you with any compensation for linking to their websites? It seems to be a common theme in your posts to reference a specific related business with a post tailor-made for their interests. Please advise.

Cars and Things > Party-vi 11/10/2015 at 12:50

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Not that I know of...I’d ask, but since there is no one else here but me and our cat — my wife is out at the moment — I know the answer. It’s the same, not that I know of.

Cars and Things > Justin Hughes 11/10/2015 at 12:51

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Glad it worked out for you. Networking is what it’s all about..

pauljones > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 13:10

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Yes, but what does the cat think?

Cars and Things > pauljones 11/10/2015 at 14:03

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She is remaining strangely quiet, at the moment. Fact is she is the one who actually writes around here...truthfully...I think it’s by telepathy or something...quite an office kitty...

pauljones > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 14:22

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So your cat, then, is immensely adept at telepathically finding links to businesses that may or may not need advertising support and/or traffic, and coming up with the perfect places to fit them in posts?

It’s this part that I’m unclear on.

What is otherwise the purpose of all of the very specific links that you post?

Cars and Things > pauljones 11/10/2015 at 18:32

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Just using them as examples of the subject...national chains of stores...and advantages of them...don’t see the problem.

Jayvincent > Cars and Things 11/10/2015 at 21:17

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Came here expecting an article on tire chains... still waiting.

Cars and Things > Jayvincent 11/11/2015 at 14:46

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By jove I think you’ve given me an idea.....:)