The "Who Pays for What?" survey has been asking about the "not-included" repair operation since its first year in 2015.

A "Who Pays for What?" survey found insurers are pushing back on higher labor rates meant to cover added expenses to repair aluminum.

‘Who Pays’ Survey Finds Shops Increasingly Billing, Being Paid for Seat Belt Inspections

PublishedJuly 7, 2023

The percentage of shops getting paid for the labor involved in inspecting seat belts and their associated components has more than tripled since the question about it first began to appear annually in the “Who Pays for What?” survey series in 2016.

This not-included repair operation---for which every OEM has a very specific procedure---is a necessary and required part of a safe collision repair, said Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, adding he will not be satisfied until 100% of shops are performing it.

“I know I have been saying this for years, but of the 100-plus

More Auto Body Shops Being Paid for Diagnostic Test Drives Before Repairs

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published Dec. 6, 2022

While test driving a vehicle after repairs has long been a fairly standard practice---even before some ADAS calibrations made it a requirement---more auto body shops are billing for the time spent on this procedure, and the number of shops recognizing the need to perform a diagnostic test drive some vehicle prior to repairs is also growing.

Those were among the findings of one of the quarterly ...

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: What You’re Missing by Not Researching Battery Disconnect and Reconnect Procedures

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published Nov. 8, 2022

During a recent collision industry seminar I was teaching, I asked if there were any technicians in the class, and several people raised their hands.

I asked them: “If I walked into your shop, and asked you if you research the procedures in the OEM repair manual before you disconnect a battery, what would you say?”

It’s a question I’d like you to consider right now as you start reading this

More Shops Being Paid For Clearing A Driver’s Personal Data From A Total Loss Vehicle; Latest ‘Who Pays’ Survey Now Open Through October

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
PublishedOct. 04, 2022

Phone synching with a vehicle results in it becoming almost the equivalent of a cell phone on wheels – so shops are increasingly offering to erase all that personal data for a customer whose vehicle has been declared a total loss.

A “Who Pays for What?” survey of U.S. shops this past summer found that more than one-third (35 percent) said they are paid always or most of the time by

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Collision Repair Shops Play Vital Role in Helping Reduce Vehicle-Related Deaths

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
PublishedJul. 05, 2022

I read a sobering article in The Washington Post recently that I think offers some insights into where vehicle technology is likely headed.

The article featured an interview with Jeffrey Michael, who spent three decades at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and is now at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and

‘Who Pays for What?’ Surveys Shed Light on Not-Included Items Auto Body Shops are Charging, Getting Paid For

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
PublishedApril 6, 2022

Trainer and consultant Mike Anderson’s idea wasn’t new, but his implementation of it has had some significant impact for the industry.

In 2015, Anderson, of Collision Advice, wanted to resurrect a type of report he remembered finding helpful years earlier when he still owned a pair of auto body shops in Virginia.

“For many years when I owned my shops, I looked forward to a report one of the industry publications produced

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Destructive Weld Testing a Crucial Step You Should Be Paid to Perform

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published Mar. 08, 2022

One of the few discouraging statistics for me from the “Who Pays for What?” surveys we’ve been conducting since 2015 involves destructive testing of welds.

Last year, more than 40% of collision repair shops ...

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Auto Body Shops Can Take Control of Credit Card Processing Fees

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published October 1, 2021

It came as no surprise to me our “Who Pays for What?” surveys have found the vast majority (95%) of collision repair businesses accept payment from customers by credit card.

All of us as consumers have become accustomed to the convenience of using credit cards, and enjoying the rewards---cash back, travel points, etc.---we can receive by paying our bills with them.

But have you stopped to look recently at what it’s costing

Collision Repair Work on Commercial Vans Offers Lucrative Opportunity

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published August 11, 2021

Almost two in five auto body shops---38%---say they routinely work on commercial vans such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster, according to a recent industry survey.

And while more than half of shops say those vehicles take a little longer to repair than typical passenger vehicles, the higher average labor rates shops are getting to repair them make an attractive business proposition.

About a quarter of 470 collision repair shops surveyed

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Use Tech to Kick ‘Timesuckers’ Out of Your Collision Repair Shop

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published June 29, 2021

I was writing an email to one of my collision repair clients recently, and used Google to try to find a different term for “waste of time.”

One of the results that popped up was “timesucker,” defined as “an activity to which one devotes a lot of time that might be better or more productively spent doing other things.” Spending time on something that doesn’t create value for you.

There’s actually a noun for that.

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: More Best Practices to Make the Most of the ‘Parts’ Portion of Your Business

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published August 3, 2020

In a previous column, I shared some best practices shops can use to improve their parts-related processes and profits. Here a few more.

Best Practice: Check the OEM information.

You might presume that checking OEM collision repair information for each repair is something related to just procedures. But

From the Desk of Mike Anderson: Making the Most of the ‘Parts’ Portion of Your Business

Written by Mike Anderson, Autobody News
Published July 8, 2020

Parts consistently make up 40% of total repair order dollars, so it’s well worth it for shop owners to pay careful attention to the role parts play within their business.

This month, I wanted to share the first of two columns outlaying some best practices related to parts I think could improve your shop’s operations and bottom line.

Best Practice: Make sure you’re accurately tracking your parts profitability.

As almost

Survey Results: Labor Rates, When Shops Get Paid for Supplies

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published March 6, 2017

Automaker repair procedures and position statements have a clear and positive effect for repairers looking to get reimbursed for “not-included” items.

That was among the findings of a recent “Who Pays for What?” survey, four questionnaires a year conducted by Collision Advice and CRASH Network. Each of the quarterly surveys focuses on a different aspect of collision repair, asking shops about which “not-included” procedures they bill for, and about how frequently each of the largest auto insurers pays for those

Anderson shows NORTHEAST Shops How His “Who Pays for What?” Surveys Can Help

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published April 08, 2016

About 37 percent of shop who bill for “masking the vehicle for priming” say they get paid by insurers for this operation “always” or “most of the time” – yet about an equal percentage of shops say they have never asked to be paid for this not-included operation.

That’s one of the survey findings that Mike Anderson told attendees at the NORTHEAST trade show in New Jersey in March that he was most surprised about as he continues to conduct a series of four different “Who Pays for What?” surveys

New Survey Results Show ‘Who Pays for What’ in Terms of Frame/Mechanical Procedures

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published September 22, 2015

Just under 61 percent of shops surveyed said they are paid "always" or "most of the time" for removing coatings from pinchwelds prior to mounting the vehicle on a frame machine when it is required for the repair.

But industry trainer and consultant Mike Anderson said that percentage, from the latest "Who Pays for What?" survey results available now, isn’t high enough.

"In my opinion, that 61 percent should be 100 percent," said Anderson, president of Collision Advice and creator

Surveys show ‘who pays for what’ in terms of ‘not-included’ procedures

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published July 1, 2015

Fully one-third of collision repair shops nationwide said they have never asked to be paid for “masking the engine compartment” when this “not-included” procedure has been necessary as part of a repair, yet another one-third of shops who do seek to be paid for it say they receive that payment “always” or “most of the time.”

That finding is just one of hundreds revealed in a survey conducted recently by Collision Advice, which is also launching a new survey this month.

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