April 27, 2011 — Body shops are the latest subject of the Edmunds.com series of "Confessions" articles, which "tap insider knowledge to protect automotive consumers against a wide range of automotive scams."
According to the three anonymous "industry insiders" quoted in the article, many body shops add unnecessary steps to the repair process, charge old parts the same price as new ones, and collaborate with insurance companies to add "back charges" that aren't covered by insurance to orders.
"Of every 10 body shops, three of them are unethical and five of them do mediocre work at best,” said one of the anonymous industry veterans quoted by Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com provides car pricing and other resources for automotive consumers, enthusiasts and industry insiders. Edmunds.com frequently publishes research on the automotive industry.
The "Confessions" article aims to help the automotive consumer choose a good body shop. It provides tips to "make sure customers are not getting ripped off on their auto body repairs." The tips include choosing the right shop, requesting a breakdown of the estimate, not participating in "save the deductible" promotions, asking whether the shop will use OEM, recycled or aftermarket parts, and not getting steered by insurance companies.
For an archive of Edmunds.com "Confessions" articles, click here.
