High Intent: Raising the Bar on Safe Repairs

by Alana Quartuccio

Safety is no accident.

Take a second to think about what that means and read it again.

Safety is NO accident.

Delivering a safe and properly repaired vehicle to a customer is an intention. A repair professional must intentionally and with purpose research OEM procedures, use OEM parts, recalibrate ADAS, perform safety inspections, and more. These methods are the only way to ensure a safe repair. Safety is not something one just arrives at…by accident.

“Repairers should have integrity with every repair they perform,” says Brian Bernard (Total Care Accident Repair; Raynham). Consumer education  – and industry education as a whole – regarding safe repairs top the list of priorities for the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA). Its Board members and leaders all share a passion for high standards when it comes to quality repairs.

With this in mind,  MABA recently launched the “Safety is No Accident” media campaign to help spread the word around the Commonwealth to legislators and the general public. Its intent? To help these stakeholders understand the importance of proper repairs and to make sure consumers understand the dire consequences that can be had when repairs are compromised by insurance-driven powers based on financial decisions.

It ultimately cheapens the repairs in more ways than one.

According to MABA Executive Director Lucky Papageorg, the inspiration to launch this campaign came from an ADALB meeting where a collision repair representative posed the following question to the insurance members in the room: “Would you pay for these things if it was your own daughter’s vehicle?”

“The question was met with dead silence,” he unveils.

From there, MABA developed a series of 10 questions to help vehicle owners understand what they should be looking for in a body shop. “They once said people got into an accident every seven years; that’s changed now due to ADAS and other factors and is even longer. Particularly, because the frequency of accidents is so low, collision repair is not something that people are accustomed to staying on top of. In my days of working in a shop, I’d always make it a point to remind customers to stop in and say hello, even when they did not have a need for our repair services. Developing a rapport is key.”

MABA’s campaign starts with consumer education. When an insurer’s reimbursement falls short of the true cost of modern repairs, some shops can feel pressure to cut corners, skip procedures or substitute parts. This not only sets a scary precedent – it can put consumers in a dangerous position if that vehicle does not perform the way it’s supposed to.

To help drivers protect themselves, MABA advises consumers ask a collision repair shop the following 10 questions before authorizing repairs:

1.  Will you repair my vehicle according to OEM (manufacturer) procedures – even if insurance doesn’t fully cover it?

2.  Are you an independent shop, or do you have a direct repair relationship with an insurance company?

3.  Do you have OEM certifications or I-CAR Gold Class status?

4.  Will you use OEM parts, aftermarket parts or recycled parts – and why?

5.  Do you perform required calibrations for safety systems like ADAS (cameras, sensors, braking)?

6.  Will you provide a detailed written repair plan and explain it to me?

7.  Do you have the proper equipment to repair today’s advanced materials (aluminum, high-strength steel, EVs)?

8.  Will you provide a written warranty on your repairs – and what does it cover?

9.  What happens if additional damage is found during the repair?

10.  Will you review the completed repairs with me before I take the vehicle home?

“Customers should recognize that not every body shop will be able to answer all of these questions the way they want them to, but those who answer eight out of the 10 are probably really good shops,” Bernard explains. “If a shop can’t answer more than one or two, if at all, that’s a sign that the shop needs help and consumers should probably avoid working with that shop.”

“Consumers are being misled,” expresses Jeff White (North Andover Auto Body). “They get a false sense of security when an insurer tells them they have a preferred shop to send them to. The term ‘preferred shop’ does not guarantee a proper repair. They assume that because the insurance company has a relationship with a shop, that the repairs will be done right – but that is not necessarily true. There are zero education requirements involved. Insurers are selecting these shops based on a financial agreement they made with the shop that is good for them.”

“This campaign is just as much geared toward body shops as it is consumers,” declares MABA President Matthew Ciaschini (Full Tilt Auto Body; West Hatfield). “For those shops who have not been staying informed or educated about proper repairs, this is a chance for them to step up and do better. If you know better, you have to do better. Our task at MABA is to protect customers. If we want to be properly compensated, we have to educate the customer. This list was derived from the need to arm customers with the right questions to ask the shop of their choice to protect them from the risks of using a shop of the insurer’s choice that may not be as qualified.”

Bernard stresses the importance of communication.

“I tell my customers we’ll pull OEM procedures, that we’ll ensure it’s repaired accurately according to the manufacturer specifications,” he relays. “We will make sure ADAS is working properly. When you tell your customers some of the specifics of how you will go about the repair, it builds trust. They want you to repair their car properly.”

“With today’s modern vehicles, even the simplest repair on a 2025 vehicle can create problems if not done right,” White insists. “With ADAS requirements, even fixing a scratch on a car could cause problems.”

MABA also wants repair shops all across the state to adhere to high standards as well.

“We want to encourage our member shops to be doing all the things the questions ask,” says Bernard. “We are a high caliber organization and we want the best repairers associated with MABA.”

White agrees. His shop’s website lists the 10 questions consumers should ask, and White took it one step further adding questions consumers should ask their insurance company before they choose a preferred shop. “There’s a button on my site geared to consumers that explains there are no education requirements for preferred shops. I’m not bashing those shops, but the shops in Massachusetts who have taken part in advanced education have done so voluntarily.”

“If you are in the repair business, you have to know what ADAS stands for,” White confirms. “If someone in a shop looks at you like a deer in headlights when you ask them about ADAS, you are in the wrong shop.”

Ciaschini says communication with customers at his shop is constant. They provide customers with as clear a scope as possible of what to expect in the repair and from their insurer, as soon as they book their appointment. “We will tell them upfront what we expect of their particular insurer and what may be required by their particular manufacturer. We’ll tell them if their insurer has a problem with a certain step; we will help them advocate for themselves to get the proper repair done. Every shop should be doing this and this list of 10 questions can help them with that.”

“The only way for consumers to know if a shop truly is the right one, is to ask the 10 questions and listen to how they are answered,” Papageorg advises. “It’s also important to determine who the shop views as their customer. Is it the owner of the vehicle? Or, if they are part of a direct repair program or referral with an insurer, does the shop seek to benefit the insurance company over the customer?”

“We’ve said for years that you can’t serve two masters,” offers Ciaschini. “You either serve the customer or the insurer. Those two entities are mutually exclusive, unfortunately.”

Shops who aspire to do things right also need to make sure they have the right customer. “I want to perform high quality work for customers who want high quality work,” Bernard adds. “If someone comes in and they don’t want an OEM accurate repair, and expect an inexpensive fast repair with compromised safety factors, I would directly send that customer to a competitor. If a customer is willing to compromise on safety, that customer is not for me. I won’t go against the principles I stand for.

“I want all of us in the association to aspire to do things that are the best for the customer,” he notes. “Our association should have the best repairers around.”

“Transparency is everything,” states White. “I don’t have a problem when customers ask me to show them how things are done. We demand a little more money; we stick to our door rate. We have to be able to prove what we do. It’s concerning to think some repairers don’t know welding terms or anything about ultra high-strength steel. We could make some serious mistakes on vehicles today that we wouldn’t have made in the ’80s because things were standard then. It was more forgiving. A lot of shops are not trying to do things wrong; they just don’t know better.”

“It boils down to having an educated customer,” observes Papageorg. “It’s buyer beware. It’s always a negative in my mind for any industry, not just the repair industry, when something creates a situation that is a race to the bottom line.”

When money comes before safety, it sets a dangerous precedent.

“Unfortunately, it’s become, ‘We don’t want the best; we want the lowest price’ and that is evident by the requirements in insurance program contracts,” he adds. “There are very few instances where shops have been removed from insurance programs; I am not saying it never happens, but it’s not frequent. Shops with low standards are being used to lower the bar. Those who don’t understand correct repair procedures are being used to set prevailing practices and rates.”

“Every shop should be educating their customer to the point that they are able to fight for what is the right repair for their car,” Ciaschini sums up.

More information about the “Safety is not accident” campaign can be found at massautobody.org/your-rights/things-you-should-know.

Want more? Check out the July 2026 issue of New England Automotive Report!