Mitchell study: all vehicles are not treated equally in refinishing process

Feb. 3, 2011 — Mitchell International’s latest Industry Trends Report found that older and larger vehicles might receive fewer hourly additional paint operations compared to newer cars.

The report said vehicles a year old and newer might require more blend time than older vehicles.

"There is a good reason behind these differences in paint refinish estimate hours,” said Greg Horn, vice president of industry relations for Mitchell. “Larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks feature ample panels with enough area to allow shops to effectively blend the base color within the damaged panel."

The study also found that blend times were higher for European and Asian makes, when compared to U.S. manufacturers. The findings included estimates that involved masking for overspray.

Mitchell release_notess its industry reports quarterly. They evaluate trends, news and statistics. The newest report looks into whether vehicles are treated equally during the refinishing process according to data from one year of appraisals, along with vehicle type, age and origin.

Other report highlights, specifically from the fourth quarter of 2010:

• The average gross initial collision appraisal value dropped $137 from the same time in 2009, to $2,864;
• The average gross final collision appraisal value dropped $66 from the same time in 2009, to $2,935;
• The average cash value of vehicles appraised during the fourth quarter was $13,567, suggesting a recovery in used car values.

The full report is available at mitchell.com.