SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Mitchell International has released the third quarter 2007 edition of its Industry Trends Report (ITR) that examines the relationship between aftermarket parts and supplements. ITR is Mitchell’s quarterly publication that highlights news items as well as industry statistics. This edition’s Quarterly Feature explores whether or not specifying aftermarket parts on initial estimates affects supplement frequency and the effect that this practice has on cycle times. The Feature also looks at the substitution rate of common aftermarket parts for OEM parts and investigates whether Certified Automotive Parts Association- (CAPA-) certified parts perform differently than non-CAPA parts. The study reviewed 500,000 aftermarket parts and an additional 145,815 CAPA-certified parts and factored in all supplement types. The study’s results indicate that supplements, regardless of reason, can add an average of 1.5 days to a repair’s cycle time. “Our study provides significant insights into exactly how cycle times are affected by supplements generated due to the use of aftermarket parts,” says Greg Horn, VP of industry relations, Mitchell International. “Because we sampled such a large data set and examined the results so carefully, we were able to gain an accurate view of how much the use of different part types affects supplements, and in turn, cycle times.” Other notes of interest in the current issue of Mitchell’s ITR include: • In Q2-2007, the average Property Damage appraised vehicle Actual Cash Value was $11,370, compared with Q2-2006's average of $11,696, an increase of a mere $34. • During Q2-2007, Mitchell reported that paint and materials average dollars per repair labor hours rose slightly, but the total cost of those materials as a percentage of the estimate dollars decreased slightly compared to Q2-2006. Complete content is available in the latest Industry Trends Report, which may be downloaded in PDF format by visiting www.mitchell.com.
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