Are We Going Forward or Backward?
by Charles Bryant, Collision Executive Director
It’s no secret that the modern vehicles on the roads today are basically what many people refer to as “rolling computers.” The reason for this is simple – almost everything in these vehicles is somehow computer controlled or operated.
If a pedestrian walks in front of one of these vehicles, the vehicle will automatically stop on its own to avoid hitting the pedestrian. If a driver fails to pay attention to the road and the vehicle were to veer off into a different lane, technology can jump in to steer the vehicle back into the correct lane. These are just two quick examples to get the point across, but this is amazing, period!
However, when such a vehicle is involved in a somewhat serious collision, it is extremely likely that many, most or possibly all of the related sensors that control these functions must be recalibrated. The old-fashioned body man who hasn’t been trained on how to deal with this technology simply doesn’t have a clue how to properly address this. This likely means that the vehicle will need to be towed to a dealer that employs trained technicians who can determine which sensors have been compromised and then recalibrate the sensors as needed. This can be a complicated task and must be performed by a technician who has been trained in how to deal with this type of problem, and such training is costly, to say the least.
We’ve heard that many insurers tell shops they’ll only pay a set amount for necessary repairs or refuse payment entirely by claiming the work is already covered under another operation.
This is just one quick example of what we are hearing about in relation to insurers attempting to limit what they will pay for or refuse to pay for altogether. Many of the issues we hear about are related to what’s required to safely and properly repair today’s modern vehicles that are coming into collision shops.
The problem is that these new operations are not like what collision shops experienced in the past when an insurer refused or limited what they’d pay for because these operations MUST be performed, or people’s lives could be at risk!
In the past, insurers and collision shops often played what I refer to as “Let’s Make a Deal,” where collision shops and insurance companies would go round and round on what the insurers would or would not pay for or often come to an agreement for a lesser amount than what the shop requested to perform the repairs in question. In the past and very often, certain collision shops would take the position that since the insurer refused to pay for an obviously needed operation, the shop simply would not perform that work.
Nowadays with modern vehicles coming into collision shops, including electric vehicles, the “Let’s Make a Deal” game should be off the table. Insurers should pay what is required to repair damaged vehicles back to a safe and proper operating condition as it was prior to the collision. The old-fashioned “Let’s Make a Deal” game should be finished. If it is needed or required, there should be no “Let’s Make a Deal” games played.
However, based on the hotline calls that are regularly coming in, that is not the case. We are still getting reports on certain issues like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this article.
Therefore, I am requesting members of the collision industry to be more diligent in reporting incidents when an insurer refuses to pay for a proper procedure altogether, attempts to limit payment to an amount that will not cover the actual cost of a safe and proper repair or refuses to pay for an operation that must be performed in order to repair a damaged vehicle safely and properly.
To get this type of improper activity addressed, plenty of documented cases are required. If anyone has an example of such activity and would like to share it so it can be documented, I can be reached on the AASP/NJ Hotline at (732) 803-1132 or via email at setlit4u@msn.com. Thank you in advance for reporting such activity.
See you at NORTHEAST® ‘26!
Want more? Check out the March 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive!