Belleville, Ill.--Brand preference can play a huge role in where customers decide to take their collision-damaged vehicle for repair. Many vehicle owners are extremely loyal not only to the brand they drive, but to the dealership where they purchased the vehicle, said Jerry Bruns, who has managed Auffenberg Body Shop for more than 25 years.
Owned by the Auffenberg Dealer Group, three-quarters of Auffenberg Body Shop's business is fed by its 10 stores that represent nine nameplates in the greater St. Louis area. Collectively, the dealer group sells more than 7,000 new and used Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Kia, Mazda, Ford, Chrysler, and Jeep vehicles a year, Bruns said.
The depth of this loyal customer base enables the shop to operate with greater independence from the influence of direct repair program (DRPs), he said, allowing them to place the interests of the customers' first.
Balancing all party interests
Unlike some operators who view the insurance company as their customer, Bruns said he acknowledges that the vehicle owner's interests must be at the forefront, then balanced with that of the collision repair facility and the insurer.
"Jamie Auffenberg's philosophy is that our loyalty is to the people who buy cars from us," Bruns said. "Some insurance companies don't recognize that these vehicle owners are somebody's customer, too." Interests of the shop and the insurer must be treated with equal respect, he added.
"We have to make sure all three of us are treated fairly," he said. "We're here to provide a service in a safe, economical way where a customer's vehicle doesn't depreciate in value."
Checks and balances for quality control
The rising cost to repair a collision-damaged vehicle, coupled with the insurance industry trying to take control of pricing, has produced a difficult climate to operate in, Bruns said.
"The amount of equipment and training dictates that we can't reduce prices," he said. This situation is making it difficult for many independent collision repairs to stay competitive.
"The fact we have people trained on specific models, it gives us a competitive advantage to repair it right the first time and get the job done faster," he said.
Four years ago, the shop began participating in Ford Motor Co.'s Certified Collision Repair Network (CCPN), Bruns said.
"They have a very rigid set of rules in order to become certified. Going through the process has made us a better shop." The main improvement occurred with quality control of the repair process, he said.
"There are constant quality-control checks during the repair that reduce problems with the final product," Bruns said, adding that technicians sign off on their portion of the repair after it's complete. "Any concerns are noted at that time," he said.
"The introduction of the process four years ago has got everybody double-checking their repairs," he said, adding that the final quality-control check is done by the estimator at the time of delivery. "If there's a problem at that time, we know where it occurred."
OE repair info, tools, and parts
"Cars are built now for the safety of passengers," Bruns said. That has led to component complexities dictating that technicians have access to OE repair information, tools, and parts, Bruns said. He pointed to a heavy hit on the rear quarter-panel of a '07 VW Eos convertible to illustrate his point.
The Eos has 16 sensors that allow the hard top to raise and lower into the trunk area, he said, most of which are magnetic. "If you don't have the right sequence of events, the top will not close or retract." Although the shop has access to VW's repair information, AllData proved to offer more on that particular repair, he said.
To properly complete the repair, many procedures require that a vehicle's computer system be reflashed to recognized replacement parts with electronic control modules, Bruns said, which can be performed at any of their dealerships.
When it comes to parts usage, he said he mainly uses OEM or recycled OEM parts, citing form, fit, and function as a main motivator.
Bruns said he's a strong believer in using recycled OEM parts in the repair process, especially on import vehicles. "A high-quality job can be achieved with recycled parts."
One of his main suppliers, B Auto Parts, uses an instant-messaging (IM) service to communicate with the shop, he said, pointing out that this arrangement has made ordering parts a breeze, much quicker than making a phone call or answering an e-mail.
When choosing suppliers to do business with, Bruns said integrity heavily weights the decision.
"The No. 1 thing I look for is integrity," he said. "When you deal with someone, you have to trust what they're telling you…. Good service is more important than the product they're selling."
For most new OEM parts, Bruns said he relies on the Auffenberg dealerships. "It's good to work with someone on your side," he said, "and get the parts you need the first time."
Nearby Weir Chevrolet in Red Bud supplies the shop with its GM parts, he said. "With Weir we can call in the morning and have the part after lunch." For Ford, the shop receives nightly shipments direct from Ford Motor Co.'s Evansville, Ind., parts depot, he added.
The shop sprays PPG from Cooper Color in its Spraybake downdraft booth, Bruns said, adding that they switched from another brand because Cooper Color's service was so good. Chris Keck, Bruns' sales representative from Cooper Color, is the main reason for that loyalty, he said, adding that inventory is replenished weekly.
Part of the CCRN program dictates that a shop use an electronic frame-measuring system, mainly for unibody repair, Bruns said. To handle that requirement, he said the shop purchased a Car-O-Liner frame rack and a Car-O-Soft Vision frame-measuring system that stores vehicle data from several manufacturers.
Maximizing space, time, and talent
The shop employs seven technicians who are assigned work depending on their specialty, Bruns said. "Some are better on VW or other brands," he said. "We parcel the work out to those who can do the best job."
To maximize space in the 6,400-square-foot shop, Bruns said he staggers his techs' shifts, starting them at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 8 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.
"It's not a big shop, so we have to utilize our space," he said. "To do that, we manage the time when people work." Trustworthy employees allow Bruns to use a staggered time schedule, he said, adding that he chose to adopt that schedule instead of buying a second paint booth.