Oct. 2, 2014—The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is calling on insurance carriers to help create an industry-wide solution for expected refinish times on damaged panels (blend within/zone refinish), times that have constantly been reduced for repair shops in recent years.
“Reducing the refinish times (blend within/zone refinish) on repaired panels without any supporting documentation is ‘arbitrary’ and likely is a result of lack of knowledge and information,” ASA president Dan Risley said in a release.
Risley has sent letters to the top-10 insurance carriers, requesting each company’s stance in regard to the reduction of refinish time on a repaired panel, and he calls for each firm’s participation in building a solution.
“This is a call to action for the entire industry,” Risley said in the ASA release. “It presents the perfect opportunity for all the industry stakeholders to work together, because it is the right thing to do. Repair facilities should be reimbursed for the labor and materials necessary to complete a safe, proper and quality repair.”
A copy of the letter sent to insurers is available for viewing online.
The ASA has also released a flyer to help better educate industry professionals on this issue. That can also be found online.
