The Automotive Service Association (ASA) Board of Directors has approved a policy position statement regarding OEM Repair Procedures. The association said the statement was initiated by ASA’s Collision Operations Committee in response to a consensus expressed among members and the independent auto repair community that, too often, they are not fairly compensated for their work.

ASA said this problem occurs when technicians must devote significant time to researching the proper OEM repair procedures for their customer’s vehicle, potentially extracting many hours of labor. This step is standard, necessary and critical to ensure that the repair is completed correctly. However, estimating databases do not account for this time as part of the repair process, ASA said.

ASA is looking to initiate an effort to make it standard practice for databases to factor in OEM repair procedures research time in their estimates. The statement reads as follows:

“ASA supports the research, application, and documentation of OEM repair procedures before, during, and after completing a repair. OEMs develop, test, and verify repair procedures to restore the safety and functionality of the repaired vehicle. Estimating databases do not currently account for the repairer’s time spent researching these procedures even though this step is necessary and critical to completing repairs properly and safely. Insurers should compensate repairers for the full labor expended. Insurers and information providers should commit to accounting for this labor upon OEMs’ publication of repair procedures.

Official OEM repair procedures change frequently. Additionally, the time required to research a repair procedure and apply it to a repair plan varies from vehicle to vehicle. Therefore, OEMs should provide clear and consistent access to repair information and procedures for all collision repair facilities, insurers, and consumers. OEM repair guidance should also reflect common goals of safety, quality, and cost effectiveness to benefit consumers.”