The Big Get Bigger
An updated look at the growing market control of the top ten auto insurers.

Shops Rate Insurers:
2010 Collision Repairer Satisfaction Index
Repairers rate the claims handling performance of the nation's 15 largest personal automobile insurers.  

  Archived CSI results for year  2005  2004  2003  2002   2001   2000

AZ Report Suggests Very Real Declines in Accident Frequency
Crash stats show staggering drop in number of collisions per mile.

Body Repair Prices, Auto Insurance and Inflation
Latest data and a look at both industries through post recession period.

Collision Repair Business Conditions: Q2 2011
Sales, overall, are still weak, but a return to historically average readings might not be all bad.

Industry Attendance Plans for NACE and SEMA 2011
Attendees, exhibitors tell their plans for this fall and rate last year's shows.

The Changing Profile of the Collision Repair Marketplace
Multiple location collision repair organizations that process more than $20 million in collision repair revenue annually- their ranking and market share.
   2011 Report
   2010 Report
   2009 Report
   2008 Report
   2006 Report

Shop Expenses Take Growing Bite from Declining Revenue
Latest government survey shows revenue falling faster than expenses.

Collision Severity Down for Third Straight Year
Data also shows claims frequency increases against long term downtrend.

U.S. Independent Repair Facility Population
Latest data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms anticipated decline in the number of independent repairers with payroll in 2008. Non-employers also decline.

Body Repair Prices, Auto Insurance and Inflation
Latest government data showing auto body prices begin to lag inflation.

Auto Body Employment Report: Decline Continues
April preliminary data shows further declines in total repair industry production.

The Top 25 Personal Auto Insurers in the Country
Latest data shows which auto insurers are growing market share.

Collision Repair Job Growth Prediction Revised Downward
Recession may have officially taken its toll on the prospect of growth in the collision repair industry, at least for the next decade.

US Driving Recession Recovering Faster than Previously Thought
New data indicates current recovery rate may be faster than previous recession.

Historical Comparison: When will Driving Return to Normal?
Comparing the current "driving recession" to previous events in 1973 and 1979. History suggests it may take a considerable length of time to return to pre-recessionary driving levels.

Estimating System Audits: Labor, Parts Changes 2009
When the three major estimating systems update their databases, do labor times change? How much? We run hundreds of estimates to find out.

OSHA: Recent Inspection Rate Nearly Double Late 1990s 
The rate of OSHA inspections has increased dramatically in recent years. Data shows that respiratory protection tops the list for fines and citations.

Collision Repair Wages Increasing, Industry Shrinking
We examine industry wage data for the past six years and focus on wages paid for estimators, painters and body repairers.

CCC's New Prompt: Why a Two-Tenths Deduction Costs Over $50 on an Estimate
An explanation of Pathways' new refinish calculations, and why that .2 deduction reduces your estimate by more than 8 or 9 dollars.

Estimating Systems Show Trend of Rising Labor Times on 2009 Models
We compare a sampling of estimates on all three systems to see how labor times are changing from one year to the next, and how much.

Labor Rates on a Regional Basis: 2009
Regional data appears to debunk the argument that labor rate differences don't really have much impact on overall repair costs.

Estimating Systems Audit: Changes After Data Updates
How much do labor and refinish allowances change after information providers update their systems with new models and model year updates? We ran over 400 estimates for comparison.

Estimating in Real Time: Estimate Hours vs. Clock Hours
We compare estimates created in the U.S. with estimates created under Australia's new estimating system based on actual repair times.

Smooth Switch to Waterborne- Paint System Comparison
The switch to waterborne is easier and cheaper than many feared.
Also a side by side comparison of the different waterborne paint systems available.

Manufacturer Repairability Changes Over the Years
Do manufacturers incorporate repairability concerns into new models as they evolve? Comparing repair times on today's models vs the same model thirteen years ago.

Estimating Systems Parts & Labor Changes Over the Years
What would you find if you compared parts prices and labor times on five identical repair estimates, using all three estimating systems, written more than 13 years apart?

Estimating Systems-  Usage and Repairer Satisfaction
These surveys look at repair facilities' use of estimating systems and their level of satisfaction with the systems they use. We ask repairers to rate accuracy of labor and parts information, timeliness of technical support and other factors.
2006 Report    2004 Report   2002 Report    2001 Report

Repair Facility Opinions of State Farm's New DRP Pilot
In this survey of repairers operating in State Farm's four test markets, just 12.5 percent of shops participating in the new pilot believe it will be better for their business. The Farm seems to favor working with the larger shops.

Repair Facility Opinions of State Farm Select Service
Shops all over the country give us their opinion of the new DRP program after they have now had a chance to work with it for several months.

Non-OEM Crash Parts Usage Report
An annual survey gauging repairers' use of and attitudes towards non-OEM parts. 2003 Survey  -  2002 Survey  -  2001 Survey

Repairer Attitudes: Cycle Time

Cycle time is certainly one of the newest "hot topics" in the collision repair industry, so we attempted to gauge just how "hot" this topic is to the repairers themselves.  We asked who's actually tracking cycle time, how often they measure it, who's improving it, and how.

Music video feature  by Mr. Rick "T-bone" Tuuri

Repairer Attitudes:  Shop Licensing

In the wake of New Jersey's enhanced licensing law, we figured it time to gauge repairers' opinions of licensing laws and the impact they have on both the quality of repairs and competition in the marketplace.

Study Shows High Internet Penetration; Low E-Commerce Participation
The most recent CollisionWeek fax survey shows high penetration of internet access for repairers at home and work. But, the use of the internet for conducting real parts and materials transactions is still in its infancy.

P-page Payment Frequencies: Top 10 U.S. Auto Insurers
We asked how often shops were paid by insurers for 20 commonly non-included items and services, such as fasteners and additional labor to fit non-OEM parts. The responses are broken down for each item both by insurance company and by payment frequency.

Repair Facility Survey: Employee Pay Plans and Pay
What's the average pay for a collision repair technician, a painter, or a helper? Survey details national averages for employee pay rates. Also included is pay plan types, productivity and CSI bonus frequencies.

Repair Facility Attitudes Survey:
Collision Repair Industry Consolidation
How do collision repair facilities view the impact of consolidation on their business? Do independent, single location shops feel under siege? Are shops looking to expand into multiple shop operations?
Survey results in 2001   Survey results in 2000

State Collision Repair Market Potentials
We look at the number of registered vehicles in each state compared to the number of repair facilities and estimate business levels state-by-state.