On the Line: Repair Efficiency Washington DC

7/15/2008 4:54:37 PM

Whenever trade magazine writers discuss repair efficiency, it’s quite apparent to me that those writers, insurance people and others really haven’t been “on the line.” I say this because I constantly read that we the owners and managers don’t know how to schedule and do the work uninterrupted.

First, how many databases and dealer parts departments really have a grasp on all the non-included clips, fasteners, etc. that usually break? And they do, constantly. All they are is plastic attached to more plastic!

Second, the parts departments’ breakdowns don’t even show exactly where these clips go, which exact ones fit each area, etc. And so what do we get when we order some or all (usually the wrong ones), and how would we know if they’re the wrong clips if the job hasn’t been scheduled into production yet? A three-day repair doesn’t offer enough time to tear into the job and wait for the right clips. So what we find constantly is someone else’s repair with missing and broken clips because the standard has become, “Let it go as long as it looks OK.” Well, that’s not our standard.

Third, since the insurance companies and their reps have never fixed a car in their lives, they believe it when you writers say that we repairers don’t work efficiently enough. That’s just plain bull. If anything, I micro-manage  maybe too much on a daily...