A redo isn't just a "comeback job." It's an action or oversight that causes someone to do something he or she would not ordinarily need to do.
If you ask anyone in our industry what a "redo" is, more than likely the resounding response will be a "comeback job." That's why I ask a technician who is performing an unnecessary task "What caused this preventable situation to occur?" And "What impact will this redo have on cycle time?" By recognizing the two types of redos, we can make revisions to our habits and from there reduce those comebacks.
There are the most obvious kinds of comebacks that will fall into the "legitimate" and "non-legitimate" categories. The legitimate types, which are generally beyond our control, include:
- A customer returning to have back-ordered parts installed;
- Being asked to correct damage that is not accident related. This is a result of the lack of pre-inspection documentation;
- Parts failure or unacceptability of aftermarket parts;
- Repairing new parts from transportation damage;
- Unrealistic color match demands by customer, such as when the vehicle is viewed under un-natural light conditions;
- Unknown worn or damaged suspension parts creating an unalignable condition;
- Aged and/or out of round tires causing vehicle pulling problems;
- Glass installation damage done by the nsurance company's glass installer;
- Parts suppliers mistakes.
And then there are the non-legitimate, self-inflicted types that are preventable:
- Body panel alignment not acceptable to customer;
- Wind noise/water leaks;
- Unacceptable finish work (wavy or contour-mapping);
- Inaccurate structural correction, causing vehicle wheel alignment to be compromised;
- Dirt in paint;
- Paint overspray on vehicle;
- Any one of several features not being checked for working condition, such as lights, windshield washer fluid level and air-conditioning;
- A painter has to mix paint and clean equipment a second time because the painter was not given all the parts to be trimmed the first time;
- Water sanding residue cleanup.
- Then there are the types of redos that are often not recognized and that can be viewed as more subjective. This when someone is performing a task because another person did not do something they should have done.
- A technician does not notify the front office personnel about an aspect of the repair (i.e. not informing them that a vehicle must be jump-started because the battery does not hold a charge). Early in the repair process the customer should be notified requesting permission to replace the battery.
- A technician is doing repairs out of sequence, such as not measuring vehicle for possible movement, causing unnecessary wasted time attempting to fit parts, only to be forced to make correction after parts do not properly fit.
- Not thoroughly examining a parts order before repairs are started, checking for wrong, missing or damaged parts.
- No vehicle staging by estimator, sharing with production manager or technician what was discussed with customer about repairs.
- Not returning tools to where they belong, causing someone to waste time looking for the tool.
- Doing structural repairs before parts have arrived, having to remount and make "clean-up" corrections in order to get parts to properly fit.
- A technician does not read work order, leading to an operation not being done.
- Improper application methods (not following manufacturers recommended procedures).
Redos, whether trivial or not, will have a negative impact on customer satisfaction and affect the morale of both technicians and management. As we have seen from some of the examples, redos can lead toward management and technician inefficiencies, causing additional unnecessary work. When the seemingly endless redos are grouped together, it can have a significant impact on the productivity of the shop and reduce monthly sales potential. Material consumption increases and there can be unnecessary stall and equipment tie-up. Redos spill over and make it more difficult to effectively schedule the workload.
Can we fix it all? Probably not. But recognizing these oversights and making identifiable efforts towards reducing them is a start.
