Hot Takes from Frame & Mechanical “Who Pays for What?” Survey

by Alana Quartuccio

Four times a year, CRASH Network and Collision Advice collect data from collision repairers all around the nation via their “Who Pays for What?” Surveys. The information compiled via this FREE resource identifies trends which can help repairers understand they are not “the only one” asking for “not-included items.”

“Our goal has always been to help shops become aware of the not-included procedures they are doing or materials they are using and understand how often other shops are being compensated for them,” says Mike Anderson (Collision Advice), who encourages participation. The more these surveys are utilized, the more accurate the results.

One of the biggest takeaways from the recent survey is that more shops are billing for destructive weld testing; however, only 25 percent of those who bill for it are actually getting reimbursed for it, down 37 percent from two years ago. Those shops that said insurers “never” pay for this step rose from 32 percent two years ago to 44 percent in 2026.

The good news is that 10 years ago, more than 80 percent of shops across the board reported not ever having listed destructive weld testing on their estimates. Today, only 31 percent report not billing for this step, which largely indicates more shops are aware of the need to perform these tests despite struggling to be reimbursed.

“The lack of reimbursement for it causes me great concern,” Anderson laments. “It’s a process that needs to be performed for every type of weld being made on the vehicle.

“We need to wake up on this one,” he adds. “This is a non-negotiable procedure. Every OEM states that we need to do this, and for good reason. It is nearly impossible to tell if the welder settings are correct without first performing destructive test welds.”

Anderson pointed to concern regarding a decline in shops either “always” or “most of the time” getting reimbursement for the removal and installation of electrical components. Only 70 percent reported getting reimbursed for these procedures, down 3.4 percent since 2025.

“Out of all the procedures we ask about in this survey, this one should absolutely show 100 percent of shops are being paid for this when it is necessary and performed,” he stresses. “I am amazed and at a loss on how this has gone down, not up. I have to believe it is because we have newer or uneducated estimators on both sides of the industry: Shops that don’t know how to explain/justify the need for this and insurers who have not been property trained.

“Welding systems are typically 110 to 220 volts and also produce high levels of electromagnetic noise,” he continues. “So any conductor of electricity – such as electrical components – can work as an antenna, picking up the charge from the welder, which can destroy the electronics.”

The survey also revealed interesting total loss trends. Thirty-seven percent of those polled said they were reimbursed for the labor involved in erasing customer’s personal data (such as garage door codes, GPS data, synced cell phone information) from a vehicle. This figure was up three percent from 2025.

“Clearing the vehicle owner’s personal data is something we need to start thinking about for our customers,” Anderson encourages. “We need to be asking vehicle owners when their vehicle is a total loss if they would like us to erase this information.”

Seventy-five percent of shops reported being reimbursed “always” or “most of the time” for administrative time required to generate an estimate, valuation report or other paperwork associated with declaring a vehicle a total loss.

“More than 23 percent of all claims in 2025 resulted in a total loss,” observes Anderson. “Certainly, shops may agree to waive administrative fees for processing total losses as part of a direct repair agreement. But the percentage of shops saying they are paid for this fee all or most of the time has continued to rise from 46 percent in 2015 to 74 percent or more the past three years because the process has continued to become more complex. It can involve more tear-down, research of OEM procedures, unloading or loading the vehicle to/from a tow truck.

Anderson notes it will be interesting to see how AI can impact total loss processing by identifying total loss vehicles earlier in the process.

Repairers are encouraged to visit crashnetwork.com/collisionadvice for more information on upcoming surveys and to download the full report of the Frame and Mechanical Survey and other survey reports. Results from the July Body Labor survey are expected to be published this fall.

Want more? Check out the August 2026 issue of Hammer & Dolly!