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Jeff sends along this helpful link from the Automotive Education Policy Institute. It includes links to notices and brochures that may be of interest. Check it out!

As the people who will be driving repaired motor vehicles, we often need assistance navigating the complexities of the repair process and the frequently conflicting information we receive from our insurers.

One very confusing issue arises from insurer injection of itself into the repair process. However, insurers typically do not have the right to dictate to a collision repair shop how the insurer thinks YOUR vehicle should be repaired — unless it is “electing to repair” as an option in the terms of your insurance policy. Most insurers prefer to pay your loss in money rather than exercise the repair option because historically electing to repair made insurers equally liable for the quality and propriety of the repair as the shop that performed the work.

Many insurers are now trying to tell collision repairers how to fix your vehicle, yet avoid any responsibility for the quality and safety of the repair. You can avoid much of this difficulty by asking your insurer to declare which remedy it is choosing to resolve your claim as provided by your insurance policy. Here at the AEPI, we developed the “Consumer Vehicle Damage Insurance Election Form” to help you obtain this clarification from your insurer. This form is available to you in the block on the right.

Remember, this is only an option for the insurer under YOUR insurance policy. If someone else hit you and their insurer will be paying for the repair to your vehicle, the insurer cannot “elect to repair” — that’s only available as a component of the insurance contract. The insurer isn’t paying you based on your insurance contract. So whatever it may have agreed to with the at-fault driver regarding that person’s car repairs has nothing to do with you or how YOUR vehicle should be repaired — even if you have the same insurance company.

Edmunds.com, the automotive pricing, review and advice website, has posted an article detailing many trends and things to watch for in today’s collision repair market. The article hits everything from quality benchmarks among different shops to the trend of insurance-preferred shops, or DRPs.

Edmunds points out that choosing a shop based on quality of repairs is very important, as not all shops are created equal:

It’s clear that finding the right shop and building a relationship with the owner or manager is an essential first step in the repair process. There will always be fly-by-night shops, and even mobile dent-repair guys working out of the trunks of their cars. Consumers should look for brick-and-mortar body shops that have been in business a long time and have a solid track record of satisfied customers.

Haury’s has been in business since 1967 and has a long track-record of high quality repairs and authentic and responsible customer service. Our reputation as a longtime supporter of the BMW Car Club of America’s Pacific Northwest Chapter shows that we take quality seriously – the quality that BMW owners look for in repairs and service. Check out the “Testimonials” or “Kudos” sections of our website to see how our quality repairs have helped customers across the region.

The Edmunds article also mentions the issue of the wide use of non-manufacturer “aftermarket” parts that can be of lesser quality and lower the value of vehicles considerably:

Consumers also have to be alert to the terminology that shops and insurance companies use when they’re describing parts. Our experts talked about “imitation” parts, using the term to refer to parts that are made by aftermarket suppliers. The aftermarket industry says its products are built to industry standards and are as good as those produced by the OEMs. Your decision on which to use likely depends on the age of your car, the size of your wallet and the terms of your insurance policy. In any case, make sure you get your body shop to define its terms. Will it use OEM parts? Aftermarket? New? Used? Will it repair and reuse a part from your car?

Our customers know that Haury’s commits to using OEM parts whenever we can. Every day when we repair vehicles that have been repaired elsewhere, we see the difference between factory quality and the lower standards that imitation parts establish. Insurance companies try hard to enforce the use of aftermarket parts, but at Haury’s we work to make the strongest case possible for getting the quality you deserve.

Finally, Edmunds also touches on the hugely important topic of insurance influence in the collision repair industry. This is an area in which we are very outspoken — we believe it is wrong to allow people who have a financial interest in minimizing costs to control the features of your repair. That is why Haury’s is – and will continue to be – an independent shop.

When an insurance company is paying for repairs, Neal says it often tries to steer clients to its “preferred” list of body shops. Insurance companies control these collision repair facilities by promising them steady work in exchange for corner-cutting, according to the insiders we interviewed… All three experts agree that consumers place a lot of trust in their insurance companies to look out for their best interests. What most people don’t consider is that the insurance company is trying to cut costs to the bone while still retaining policy holders. “Consumers are at a disadvantage because they’re not knowledgeable about the services that they’re procuring.”

Edmunds agrees with us – collision repair independence is of paramount importance to ensure a quality job and integrity in dealings. We have more information on our website under the “Why Choose Haury’s” and “Insurance Info” headings on the dangers of choosing an insurance-contracted repair shop.

To learn more from the Edmunds article, including more information on what they look for in a body shop, or what to look for after you have had your car repaired, check out the article here.