CHECKING FORHIDDEN DAMAGE:REDUCING EXTRANEOUS REPAIRS

Most estimates miss some damagethat repair technicians do not discoveruntil well underway into the work.Instead of only an estimate, you need toconsider a complete repair plan for eachcustomer who brings his or her car toyour shop. The goal should be thesatisfaction that comes with avehicle that returns to its owner inperfect working condition.

A COMPLETE REPAIR PLAN

WILL OUTLINE EVERY

PROBLEM THAT YOUR

CUSTOMER’S VEHICLE HAS,

EVEN IF THE ISSUES ARE

UNRELATED TO THE COLLISION

THAT BROUGHT YOUR

CUSTOMER TO YOUR DOOR.

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2

3

Documentall of thevehicle'sproblems

Diagnosticscans are amust to naildown everyproblem,before andafter repair

Everyvehicledeserves a100%teardown

4 5Measureeveryvehicle

Use OEMrepairdocumentsas yourblueprint foreveryvehicle

Follow this five-point plan toidentify and correct damage thatmay not be obvious at first glance.Your customers will appreciatethe extra attention to detail.

Document all of theproblems

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01 Document all of the problemsEven if the main problem is collision-related, documentall of the problems the vehicle has. Ask your customerto examine the car alongside you as you take detailednotes. Differentiate which problems are from thecollision and which are wear and tear issues. Takeplenty of photos. Photos provide powerful evidence tocustomers and create a visual blueprint for yourtechnicians as they repair the vehicle.

Measure everyvehicle

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02Measure every vehicleMany types of structural damage revealthemselves by measurements that do notconform to the manufacturer’s specifications.Measuring the vehicle will help you locateproblems that would otherwise be difficult todetect.

Every vehicle deservesa 100% teardown

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03 Every vehicle deserves a 100%teardownEven for the smallest jobs, tear down the vehiclecompletely to locate any hidden damage that youcould never find without such a teardown.Remember, your customer trusts you—the expert—to find all of the damage that needs to berepaired if the car is to be safe to drive.

Diagnostic scans are amust to nail down every

problem, before andafter repair

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04 Diagnostic scans are a must tonail down every problem,before and after repairBecause vehicles have intricate electronic systems,the only way you will be sure to find every problem isto perform a diagnostic scan.

After you finish the repairs, perform another scan tomake sure that all of the systems and sensors arereset and recalibrated properly. If the repair processitself changed the settings on one of the sensitiveelectrical components, you can locate the problem andrepair it before you send the car back to its owner.

Use OEM repairdocuments as yourblueprint for every

vehicle

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05 Use OEM repair documents asyour blueprint for every vehicleOEM repair documents outline the procedures youneed to follow to repair each vehicle that comes intoyour shop. Without this documentation, you relyupon guesswork. That’s not why your customersbring their cars to your shop. They depend upon youto follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to the letter.

AFTER YOUCREATE THE

REPAIR PLAN,FOLLOW IT.

After you create the repair plan and have informed your customerwhat you plan to do, make sure that your team of technicians

follows the plan so they can work quickly and efficiently to get aproperly-working vehicle back in the hands of its owner.

Grow your reputation quickly by sending your customers home withvehicles that work as well as the day they came off the assembly

line, and you’ll succeed in the auto repair business.

After You Create theRepair Plan, Follow It.

To find out more abouthigh-tech diagnosticscans contact asTechtoday888.486.1166

www.astech.com