Smaller, lighter vehicles with improved horsepower complicate repairs

Greg Horn ABRN auto body repair collision repair Corporate Average Fuel Economy CAFÉ The Obama administration's recent change to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will have a profound impact on the collision repair industry. In late 2009, President Obama announced an aggressive mandate requiring that all new cars and trucks achieve 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016. This is an average of 39 mpg for cars and 30 mpg for trucks. It cuts four years from the previous regulation timetable. Although this change will significantly affect vehicle construction, particularly vehicle size, it snuck under the radar and went unnoticed by many.

There's another significant change that also needs to be brought to the forefront because it, too, will have a far-reaching effect on the industry – the cutthroat horsepower race among vehicles on U.S. roads.

Horsepower has come a long way in a short time. When I worked at a detailing shop in high school, I had the privilege of detailing several exotic cars. I've always been a James Bond fan, so when an Aston Martin DB5 came into the shop, I wanted to be the first to volunteer to work on this beauty.

I opened the owner's manual to find where the well-hidden hood release was, and in the process, found something else I'll never forget – a welcome letter to the lucky owner of the vehicle. It so eloquently began, "Dear Sir, you have just purchased one of the world's fastest motor cars." Wow, what a sentence. Looking at performance figures of the 1960s, it was one of the quickest and most expensive cars on the market.

The world has changed much since the DB5 starred in Goldfinger. Today's consumers (even those desiring economy cars) wouldn't stand for the performance of the top-selling small car of the 1960s, the VW Beetle. With a 0-to-60 time of 23 seconds and a top speed of 72 mph, many drivers likely consider them a fun way to take a trip down memory lane, but I suspect many wouldn't darken the VW's doors for everyday use on roads today.

Motorists now expect sprightly performance from economy cars, and carmakers are stepping up. Believe it or not, a Honda Civic can outaccelerate the Aston Martin DB5. Can you imagine James Bond driving a Honda Civic? Even the unsuspecting 2006 Civic Si can outperform my favorite muscle car, the iconic 1965 Pontiac GTO. The recorded time for the GTO was 0 to 60 in 7.0 seconds and a quarter mile time of 15.8 seconds. The stock 2006 Honda Civic Si comes in at 6.2 seconds with a quarter mile of 14.7 seconds.

Complicating repairs

How does this impact collision repairers? First, many advanced mechanical components are needed to work in synch to squeeze performance out of four-cylinder engines. Computer-controlled valve timing, transmissions and throttles complicate repairs when impact intrudes on the engine compartment.

Second, these cars are lightweight, with the weight reduction coming from the smaller, lighter components that, unfortunately, tend to be destroyed in moderate impacts. Surrounding structures sacrifice themselves to protect the passenger compartment, which is great for occupant safety, but not good for repairability because, in most situations where this occurs, the car can't be economically repaired.

Many vehicles in the latest car magazines fall into this category. Just scan the pages and you'll see they are full of what were called econoboxes in the 1980s, but are now slippery wedges that are surprisingly quick. Looking at the front end of these sleek vehicles, the low-slung, wind-cheating designs make them easily capable of driving under the back bumper of SUVs and trucks. That kind of impact will take out two xenon headlamps, an alloy hood, two fenders, the air conditioner condenser, radiator and the alloy core support, while also deploying the two front airbags, which will destroy the dash panel and windshield. Most 3-year-old small cars sustaining that type of damage aren't going to end up in the shop for repair, will they?

The folks at American Honda recognized this trend and are offering collision impact kits, which help make front-end repairs more cost effective. Kits include a front bumper cover, front bumper beam, front bumper absorber, right and left fenders, right and left headlights, hood, SRS unit, driver's airbag and driver's pretensioner seat belt. Buying those parts individually could cost more than $3,000 at the manufacturer's suggested prices. However, purchasing the parts in the kit is significantly less – about $2,000. This savings could mean the difference between a total loss and a repair.

Other small car makers have not yet launched similar programs. The other OEMs need to follow Honda's lead so there's more than just one company offering solutions to reduce economic total losses. There's no reason not to because there are so many benefits to repairing cars. Shops get more work, owners (who may be upside down on the loan) get to keep their cars, and OEMs sell more parts.

In the past, many OEMs believed they benefited from an owner completely wrecking a car, but in today's new car sales market and credit crunch, can they be so sure? There are several steps you should take when a borderline total comes into your shop:

1. Understand the state regulation for totals. You need to know how an insurance company makes the decision.

2. Find the realistic salvage value of that particular car and proactively educate the insurance company about the facts.

3. Work with your OEM parts suppliers, too, and understand if there are additional discounts available through their competitive crash parts program. It may make the difference between them selling many parts or not selling any.

Also, as members of the collision repair industry, you can work with the OEMs to make this situation better. Join your local shop organizations and work with them to leverage the power of their experience to make your voice heard.