The story starts with a staff appraiser saying that he is about to depart on a 2.5 hour (one way) drive to see a damaged vehicle. It seems stupid in this modern day to drive for five hours to examine some damage to a drivable car. My question now becomes: “Don’t you trust the shop to image the damage so you can make a judgment remotely?” 

The answer seems obvious but here is where it gets stupid. The shop has no digital camera or computer. The shop doesn’t even have a fax!

Now I am not saying that the guy cannot paint cars. I am not saying that he does not have proper equipment. But don’t you think how he runs the office would be a good indicator? 

Do you really have confidence that if your family vehicle got into a wreck in his town, you would trust him to do the repair properly and safely? Would you have confidence that he has the latest training in panel repair involving today’s materials? Do you think his MIG welder (if he has one) would have been used frequently enough to be remembered where it was stored and how to use it?

I think there is a need for shops that do cosmetic repairs. They are fully qualified to unbolt a damaged panel and bolt on a replacement panel. They are good enough to fit that panel properly, prepare it to be painted and even spray dangerous materials on it to match the colour to the rest of the vehicle. Beyond that I have my doubts. When safety issues are involved I have my doubts.

That is why we need accreditation. The public does not understand the difference between licensed and qualified. Only we do. Only we can define it properly so that all parties are served professionally.

I do not want to see a legislated solution to this issue. I do not want to see government step in to tell us what it takes in the area of qualifications to properly bond panels together once a vehicle disassembles itself on the Trans-Canada Highway. I want us to tell each other first, the insurance industry next and then the public what it takes to be recognized as a professional in our trade.

Those are the reasons I have thrown my support into the effort to create a Canadian Accreditation Program. I believe in us. We are the ones that should stand together to set standards for ourselves. We should be the ones that voluntarily step up to the plate and state what training is required to keep current.

We need to make defining lines between categories of services offered so that there are no mistakes made. And not least, we should be the ones that are recognized in many ways (including our compensation) for the commitment, caring and investment we have made in our profession. We are the ones that need to define who’s driving.