Originally Posted by not_a_charger
No, that's not what I said, or what I meant. What I meant was the scenarios you were describing were going to happen at hack shops and by guys doing hillbilly work, not that any shop that isn't OE-certified are hacks. No quality collision repair shop is going to try to circumvent OE repair procedures by fixing a car that the OE says they shouldn't be fixing. I know plenty of shops that aren't OE certified that do great work. I also know that none of them is going to try to do structural repairs on a vehicle that the OE won't sell them the parts for. They don't want the liability involved if something goes wrong. Like it or not, OE certifications are the future in collision repair.

As far as used structural parts, those are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. For example, used quarter panels were an every day occurrence 20 years ago. Now? With vehicle construction and assembly techniques the factories are using, it's become virtually impossible to put a used quarter panel on most cars...at least, impossible to do it correctly. shruggy

OE certified shops typically do charge higher labor rates, sure, at least on the cars that they are OE certified to fix. It costs a lot of money in facility and equipment upgrades and technician training to be OE certified.


You are working in an entirely different universe than I see. Since when does a car manufacturer have any say over a car's repair that they are not directly involved in? Your 'higher rate' at certified body repair shops will create it's own opportunities for others to step in. And I will say again; As long as there are salvage yards, there will be used parts available. Or do you think that the OEs will seek to control what parts they can sell?

I am not seeking to promote anything here, just opening up your eyes to what the rest of the world is doing. The OEs do not have the power to deny anyone the ability to repair anything. They can only deny some of the best possible parts available for a repair. But if you think for a single minute that their denying parts to someone will cause them to abandon that repair.......well, good luck with that.

Your OE's stance on those parts have more to do with control than with concern over a properly repaired vehicle. How else have they demonstrated any concern on that subject? But they have certainly demonstrated their desire to control the ability of anyone other than themselves to work on YOUR vehicle. This is just another step in the same light of the origin of this thread. The OEs have given up on earning our repair business. They cannot compete. So they are trying new ways to FORCE us into their 'stealerships'.

Master, again and still