Auto Body Collision Repair Ames IA

By Paul Bailey
3/1/2003

What's a quarter worth these days? No, I'm not asking the value of an American quarter dollar. I'm asking you to consider what you should be charging to replace a quarter panel. Are you charging enough for the amount of work involved in a good quality repair? A lot of shop owners and managers insist they get good time on their sheets, but the truth is that a lot of shop owners and managers are giving away more money than they're willing to even admit to themselves.

For years, I've wondered why insurance companies insist that shops use certain estimating guides and software - all the while frowning upon those who actually use the guides and software according to the included instructions. And why do shop owners spend money on estimating guides at the whim of insurers, only to be told how much they're allowed to charge for a repair? Billions of dollars worth of repair procedures are either performed free or not performed at all because such a small portion of the collision industry is willing to stand up for itself.

Let's start remedying that. Let's take a look at quarter panel replacement - and at what you should be charging for it.

Don't Work For Free
Let's talk about the free procedures many shops give away on the typical quarter panel replacement. I've been comparing the P-pages of three major information providers, and I've made a list of procedures that at least two of the three do not include in their recommended labor time for ...