Close to a decade ago, a deal was made. A group of private equity investors discovered that there is money to be made by investing in auto body repair shops. The reason is repairs are generally paid for by insurance companies and that eliminates cash flow issues. From there, the investors went on a buying spree purchasing smalling body-shops looking to retire or leave the business. This was known as “consolidation” and it was time to acquire as many shops as possible.
Fast forward to last year, 2018: two of the biggest consolidators merged forming one giant body shop chain with over 1,000 locations across the nation. The power that came from this caught the attention of insurance companies who saw an opportunity to cut costs on repairs by feeding more cars to these chains. It is a win-win for the consolidators and the insurance companies, but not for the customers, and few body shops like to talk about it.
Here’s the reality: your insurance company knows you want your car back ASAP. However, the car’s today are extremely complex to repair. Having the same quick car repair from even just 5 years ago, corners get cut and your repair will be far from what it should be.
Lack Of Personalized Attention
When you take your car to be repaired at a high production body shop, you may experience a lack of personalized attention that you are likely to receive at an independent auto body shop. Each time you call the national chain shops, you get transferred to an 800 number where you end up talking to someone who isn’t even at the shop. Just a representative sitting at a desk who is actually not physically seeing your vehicle. Is that really someone or rather, a business you can trust? You’re no longer a customer, but merely a number.
The Problem
Aside from not having the personalized attention that you deserve at an auto body shop, these national chain body shops are notorious for lacking in quality and correctness of repairs. You’ll often see complaints stating how the repair looks sloppy and poorly done. These shops perform the same repair for your car, with no unique repair plan specifically for your vehicle and your vehicle only. They’ll often cut corners in the process to speed up the turnaround time so they get continued business from the insurance companies. After all, these chain body shops work on the philosophy of the faster the repair = more money from the Insurance companies. What you don’t see is how often these high production shops have to buy back cars because the repairs were so poorly done that the vehicle is rendered an economic total loss. This happens when the cost to fix the car again the right way exceeds the value of the car. This happens a lot, but very quietly.
When an auto body repair shop cuts corners on repairs, this means that they are also risking your safety. Your car’s manufacturer releases statements known as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Repair Procedures. These are guidelines set out by the manufacturer ensuring your vehicle is repaired precisely the way it’s meant to. Not only is this the highest quality of repair for your car, but it’s also the safest. Anything less and technicians can damage or potentially ruin the structural integrity of your car. Thus, making you that much more susceptible to being in an accident.
Typically at these chain body shops, you’ll see repairs done with a more affordable option known as “aftermarket parts.” Aftermarket parts are a knock-off, imitation parts that have not been tested for safety or accuracy. Let alone, and they haven’t been approved by the OEM manufacturer of your car. Anything less than OEM parts can reduce the value in your car. Also, it can cause the advanced safety features your vehicle is built with to no longer work properly.
Where In Pennsylvania and New Jersey Can I Take My Car To Be Repaired The Right Way?
We at Rocco’s Collison Centers know that you have many choices when it comes to choosing where to get your car repaired, especially in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey areas. Each one of our technicians has gone through extensive training and have received their certifications through I-CAR, PPG, and 3M. We follow OEM repair procedures and even work with insurance companies to ensure your vehicle is in the best hands with us.
This problem with high production body shops isn’t just here in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but across the country. We are writing about this because we feel you deserve the highest quality repair out there for your car. No substitutions. No short cuts. Only the best. We aim to show you why we are the best out there, which is why we are dedicated to giving you the best repair possible for your car!
We have 6 different locations across Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. We invite you to see for yourself why Rocco’s is the best out there! Feel free to give us a call at anytime at (888)-9-ROCCOS. Or to schedule an appointment or to call any of our locations directly, click here.
We look forward to hearing from you!
