Feb. 10, 2021—An Automotive Service Association media briefing on Tuesday detailed the group's effort to put together a scanning compensation position statement.
ASA Collision Division director Mike Levasseur said the process to put together the statement has been going on for eight months and the division is up to its 11th version. The completed statement is intended to help body shops get paid for necessary operations in modern repairs.
"[The goal is to] reduce the friction that we have between the payers and repairers and smooth out the process through education," Lavasseur said, adding the division aims to have the statement finalized by the spring Collision Industry Conference meeting.
The statement, as read by Lavasseur, says it "acknowledges the act of scanning ... as a necessary and not included operation that is legitimately expressed" in both labor hours and dollar amounts.
It also says other procedures that are needed to address electronic system diagnostic codes "are considered additional operations and not included in the scanning operation."
Additionally, it covers prepping for scans, researching OEM procedures, advanced driver-assistance systems calibrations, test driving, and more as other legitimate non-included operations.
"This is really not new," Lavasseur said of compensation issues surrounding scanning, "but it's getting more complicated."
The statement will also define a number of scan tools and other equipment that's suitable for use, Lavasseur said.
He defined it as an "active document," noting that collision repairers, diagnostic companies, scan tool-makers, and others have given input. ASA is seeking further input from repairers through an online survey.
ASA president and executive director Ray Fisher underscored the need for such a statement by pointing out just how quickly vehicles in the U.S. are evolving.
He said that in the past year, the number of gasoline-powered vehicles dropped by 3.4 percentage points, while the number of hybrids, electric vehicles, and even diesel-powered vehicles increased.
"We're on the cusp of innovation not seen in decades," Fisher said.
