Getting the Right Fix On Record  

by Alana Quartuccio

The message should be pretty clear: To ensure the safety of consumers, vehicles must be repaired safely, properly and according to OEM specifications. It may feel like this mantra is on constant repeat, but unfortunately, there’s a reason this message has to be spun like a broken record: Too many collision repair professionals are apparently still not hearing the message.

With news outlets reporting a rise in ADAS-related lawsuits – and of course we can’t forget the media that surrounded the John Eagle case not all that long ago – these are serious reminders that we must continue to drive home the fact that OEM repair procedures must be followed. There is no alternative.

It all begins and ends with documentation. 

“People aren’t pulling OEM procedures and following them,” Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA) puts it bluntly. “It’s crazy to me to think that repairers have the instructions they need, but they don’t use them.”

Insurance company pressure may be a likely cause, according to Burton. “I think insurance companies tend to label shops who use OEM repair procedures as ‘problem shops’ or consider them to be ‘difficult to deal with’ or as ‘the expensive one.’” He believes insurance companies will see the shops following procedures as “the ones on the outskirts, but really the shops who are not fixing cars according to OEM repair procedures should be the ones considered on the outskirts.” 

And the information is accessible, but as Burton points out, it can be a lengthy process at times. 

“I was writing an estimate on a BMW i4 in need of structural repair, and it took all day to research all the documents. Sometimes the databases don’t have everything included, so you have to manually enter in a lot of items. That really is a process in itself. Disassembling the vehicle, re-scanning it, re-measuring it, pre-aligning, pre-washing it, and then reviewing all the labor procedures, cataloging the parts, bubble wrap parts and organizing everything can take a couple of days.

“I don’t think people realize how much is involved in that and the time that it takes,” Burton observes. Just because the shop down the street has five star reviews doesn’t mean they are fixing cars correctly. “Fixing cars on the cheap can get five star reviews too.”

Really, the only way for consumers to know if shops are fixing cars right is by the documentation they can provide to back it up. 

“Having the documentation that will outline and support the OEM procedures is what will differentiate you as the professional shop that knows what needs to happen to fix that car correctly,” shares Jason Scharton (3M). Consumers are smart enough to know that your shop is the right place to go when they see documentation in support of what is needed to return their car to pre-accident condition. 

Accessibility to repair procedures should not be an issue at all. 

“Every repair procedure is available,” stresses Mark Allen (Audi of America). “You may have to pay for them, but you can get them any day, week or month of the year. The easiest way to access them is through OEM1Stop. Every OEM that participates in the collision roundtable provides links. All you have to do is click and follow it through.” 

OEM1Stop is definitely the place to go to refer back to all OEM procedures, according to Danny Gredinberg (Database Enhancement Gateway). 

“When using repair information from third-party information providers, it’s absolutely critical to always confirm the origin of the repair information making sure it’s the latest document available from the OEM source as third-party information may be outdated, incorrect or not applicable to the specific VIN in question,” Gredinberg recommends. Repairers can’t rely on estimating systems alone, he says, and recommends leveraging articles and position statements available from the OEMs through OEM1Stop, I-CAR RTS and information providers who supply such documents. He also recommends verifying procedures through Alldata, RepairLogic, Sun Collision, etc. 

For some, it can be a case of “bad habits being passed down,” Burton suggests, regarding why properly following procedures just doesn’t click for some. Perhaps, some have an old school mentality of thinking “this is the way we’ve done it for 20 years, or they just have not been taught properly” and don’t know that they need to adapt. 

ADAS has surely been growing over the past decade, but it’s most certainly not new. 

“Audi vehicles have had automatic braking from 2016 on,” reports Allen, alluding to the fact that collision repairers should have some familiarity with these systems, but ultimately “if you are not looking up the procedures, you are going to get bad results.” 

Adhesives have been involved in repairs for at least 30 years but have been taking more of a front seat since the turn of the century, Scharton explains. “Twenty five years ago, we were looking at maybe an average of about 30 linear feet of adhesives in an average body. Now, we’re looking at about 400 linear feet per average vehicle. So, it’s over 10 times as much.” 

Using adhesive repair as an example, Allen explains the necessity for following what Audi outlines in its repair procedures. “In our repair procedures, we call out what adhesive you should use for putting the proper joint back. When the car is built in a production facility at the manufacturer’s factory, there are different requirements than a repair facility will have repairing the vehicle following a crash, so you may not be able to get the same joint as did the factory. But by following the repair procedure, you will get the same quality of joint, just with a different methodology.” 

Repair problems arise when shops “don’t read or follow both the OEM repair procedures and the adhesive manufacturer’s directions for use,” according to Scharton. Actually taking the time to read and follow would largely eliminate the issues with certain repairs. “If they don’t follow what the procedures say, we wind up with problems relating to what adhesive they use, if they need to use adhesive at all, because there are many times when it’s not needed. There’s also figuring out where the adhesive goes, surface preparation and determining whether enough adhesive is used. Those are the main issues that would come from not following the instructions.”

 Because insurers are known to push back when it comes to necessary procedures, having documentation to back up every step is key in getting the consumer on board with what their vehicle manufacturer recommends. 

“It’s not right,” Burton laments regarding third-party pushback. His repair facility has been balance-billing customers now more than ever. “The insurance company should pay to restore the vehicle to its pre-loss condition based on the OEM procedures. They see these things as recommended and not required or ‘nobody else does that.’ The insurance adjusters shouldn’t be in the position to negotiate claims because they don’t know what it takes to repair a car. They aren’t trained. Many are totalling cars due to lack of knowledge, and I believe it’s due to lack of training. They don’t attend OEM training, so they don’t know what needs to be done. It’s a cost issue.” 

The good news is that consumers will get on board when they are shown what is needed to get their car repaired properly. “Once you email the consumer the documentation showing what their vehicle manufacturer requires and that their insurance is disregarding it, they will understand,” he says.

“If you have the documentation, whether it’s printed out or saved digitally, that proper documentation is going to lay out all the materials and tools that you are going to need in a step-by-step process,” shares Scharton. “All that should be used in developing the repair plan which feeds the estimate and ultimately the final bill. That is how you are going to get reimbursed. You’ve got all that documentation. There’s no question as to where it comes from. It is proof of what has to be done. That is going to give you credibility to negotiate with the third-party payer as well as educate the customer.” 

What it all comes down to is the fact that the days of thinking of cars can just be taken apart and put back together as seen in the movies back in the day are long over. “I remember a scene in the movie Better Off Dead where the main character rebuilds a 1967 Camaro with the owner’s manual,” Allen recalls. “They were using the repair procedures back then, but the point is that it just is not that simplistic anymore. You need to know how to hone your craft.”

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