Almost 10 years ago, a group of private equity investors was looking for their next big investment. That’s when they discovered investing in my auto body shops would not only be their target but an investment that would continue to bring them money for years to come. They knew insurance companies would pay for the repairs to eliminate cash flow issues and there would never be a time where customer’s wouldn’t need collision repair. So, they struck a deal with three of the biggest body shops in the country. These shops had a presence across multiple regions, so it was no brainer for the investors. From there, they approached smaller shop owners who were on the way out of the business to acquire their shops in a method known as “consolidation.”
Fast forward to 2018: two of the biggest consolidators formed their own high production body shop chain that would have over 1,000 locations across the United States. Insurance companies found out about this purchase and wanted in on the action. They knew by sending more cars to the body shop chains, everyone would benefit.
Everyone except for you, the customers. We’re here to tell New Jersey drivers the real difference between high production body shop chains and independent body shops.
The Reality
Getting your car repaired is never an easy task. It’s an incredibly stressful time since you’re dealing with all the inconveniences that come when you’re without your car. Your insurance company knows this, which is why they promise to be your advocate when getting your car repaired. However, they also want to spend as little money as possible for the repair. As a result, they’ll put the pressure on the body shop to stick to an unrealistic deadline to repair your car within their allocated budget. What insurance companies don’t realize is car repair is extremely complex nowadays. It requires creating unique repair plans for every car and looking up the repair procedures laid out by your car’s manufacturer. If body shops are under tight deadlines, they’ll typically cut corners in the repair process to save both time and money. The best body shops will never cut corners because your safety is their number one priority.
No More Personalized Attention
Typically when you take your car to be repaired at an independent body shop, you feel valued and that your car repair is important. Taking your car to one of these high production body shop chains eliminates personalized attention. You’re no longer a person at these shops, but merely a number in line. It makes you wonder if the days of someone caring about your car repair a thing of the past? The answer is no. They’re not. It’s all about where you take your car that makes all the difference.
Faster Doesn’t Always Mean Better.
As mentioned above, national body shop chains (aka high production shops) are under a contract with insurance companies to perform fast repairs at a specific budget. As a result, these shops are notorious for sloppy repairs and incorrectness of the overall process. This is because they operate on the philosophy that faster repairs = more money from the insurance companies.
However, these high production body shops often have to buy back cars because of poorly performed repairs. The “repaired” vehicle is considered a total economic loss. This happens when the cost to repair the vehicle exceeds the overall value of the car. We wish we could say this only happens on rare occasions, but it happens more than you think. This is why we are writing this so you know the real difference between these shops.
Your Safety Is Our #1 Priority, Or Is It?
When an auto body shop cuts corners in the repair process in the name of saving time and money, they’re also putting your safety at risk. Your car’s manufacturer releases repair procedures known as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) repairs. OEM repairs instruct the technicians exactly how a repair should be done. The way cars are manufactured today means more complex repairs, which will take longer. The best body shops know to look up OEM repair procedures for your vehicle because they are the safest and highest quality. A body shop chain will often neglect these procedures and will perform the same type of repair for every car that comes into the shop.
Where In New Jersey Can I Take My Car To Be Repaired The Right Way?
You deserve to have a high-quality repair from a body shop that knows the importance of every aspect of collision repair. You want your car to perform well for as long as you have it. This is only going to happen if technicians repair your car the right way, which is the only way we repair cars here at Autotech.
We here at Autotech Collision Service have OEM Certifications with over a dozen different car manufacturers, including Honda’s OEM Certification and Acura’s Pro First OEM Certification. You can trust that our technicians know exactly what they are doing and will only repair your car exactly as the manufacturer instructs us to.
We have also been proudly serving Southern New Jersey for nearly 30 years and aren’t stopping anytime soon. Feel free to call us at (856)-232-1833.
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