Toronto, Ontario — August 20, 2019 — More than nine-in-10 collision repair owners who participated a recent survey indicated that they considered OEM repair procedures to be practical from a business standpoint.
While the survey is indicative of a growing consensus within Canada’s collision community that OEM procedures should be sacrosanct, support for their use was most prevalent among those respondents who worked for businesses with certifications from OEMs.
No respondents who worked at OEM-certified facilities considered the process to be ineffective, while one-in-five respondents from uncertified businesses indicated they did.
Even among those collision repairers who did view OEM procedures as vital, there was some criticism of the material provided by manufacturers being entirely reliable.
One respondent cited practical barriers to following procedures to the letter.
“There are times the OEM mandates certain materials such as adhesives that the dealer doesn’t have a part number for or access to. In that case, we use a generic version. Also, some cars have outer quarter panel specific sleeves that are not available in a timely manner so we use traditional weld methods to not hold up a car for months. Often these issues are because the dealers are not up to speed on what the OEM requests in their repair procedures.”
Another highlighted certain inaccuracies in the written instructions.
“Some OEM Repair procedures are sometimes outdated and don’t include practices–like spot welding with an OEM approved spot welder. The OEM repair procedure wants a plug weld with a MIG welder.”
For more on this story, check back later this month, Collision Repair magazine speaks with a lawyer and auto repair legal specialist for his insights on the possible legal ramifications of not following OEM procedures.
| Some OEM Repair Procedures are sometimes outdated and don’t include practises like spot welding with an OEM approved spot welder. The OEM repair procedure wants a plug weld with a mig welder. | Anonymous |
| we have been told numerous times that since they are paying Insurance procedures over ride OEM procedures. | Anonymous |
| There are times the OEM mandates certain materials such as adhesives that the dealer doesnât have a part number for or access to. In that case we use a generic version. Also some cars have outer quarter panel specific sleeves that are not available in a timely manner so we use traditional weld methods to not hold up a car for months.
Often these issues are because the dealers are not up to speed on what the OEM requests in their repair procedures. |
