AutoClaims Direct was in Washington D.C. this past week receiving recognition for making the Inc. Magazine list of fastest growing private companies in America.  AutoClaims Direct ranked #1776  overall in all industries, and ranked #14 in Insurance nationwide. AutoClaims Direct also ranked #1 in Insurance in California.

AutoClaims Direct CEO Ernie Bray (left)  and Peggy Bray (right) of  AutoClaims Direct’s Board of Directors are pictured with Inc.’s publisher Whelan Mahoney (center) at the Washington D.C. awards.

In this article we found, a vehicle came crashing through an auto body shop in a strange chain of events. Check out this story.

According to a State Farm study, deer impact losses are up 18% this year! Click here for the story we found.

Here’s a recent account of some auto body repair labor rates in San Diego county.

In an article we found, Arizona is toughening the penalties for failure to have proof of auto insurance.

$500 + surcharges and court fees, for a first offense

$750 + surcharges and court fees, for a second offense

$1,000 + surcharges and court fees, for a third offense

Here’s a good example of damage to a vehicle ( in this case it’s a fender ) and notice how there is apron panel damage once the fender is removed right behind the rear tire. This is a basic example of why tear downs are needed to verify damage behind a panel. Many times adjusters will wonder why damage is not included on an initial estimate and how could an appraiser miss the damage. It is a policy at AutoClaims Direct that we don’t write for damage we can’t see. All damage must be verified.

In an article we found,  the CAA conducted a survey and they state the  results show CAPA parts are not as good as OEM. Here’s a link to the article.

Here’s a snapshot of two repair facilities very close to each other.  The labor rates have of late been varying quite a bit in our surveys.

Is Color Sand and Buff needed? It’s been a battle between insurers and auto repair shops for years. The purpose is to remove any “orange peel” look to the refinish. Most insurers will pay for the operation if it is needed but  won’t allow for it on most initial estimates. Many Insurers require shops to prove the operation is actually being done by having the field appraiser come back out and photograph the shop actually completing the operation.

In general, many Insurer’s argue that Color Sand and Buff would not be needed if the shop maintained a clean paint booth but in reality, no repair facility can reproduce sterile factory conditions.  So where does that leave the state of Color Sand and Buff?

As for field damage appraisers, we in the industry simply need only to  follow client guidelines and document all of the damage. If there is a noticeable “Orange Peel”, we simply need to document it and inform the Insurer of what we see. The issue is then handled between the shop and the Insurer.

In comparing vehicle inspection locations during this year vs. last year at this time, 6% more vehicles are being inspected at owner’s homes while there’s been a 2% drop of damaged vehicles being seen at repair shops. Do these trends indicate something?