General Motors‘ Customer Care and Aftersales division has announced it will launch a comprehensive collision certification program in 2018.
“Today’s certification programs have to evolve to keep up with the rapid-fire pace of technological innovation in the auto industry, especially in areas like safety systems,” said John Eck, collision manager, GM Customer Care and Aftersales. “Our new program is being designed to measure critical behaviors and procedures that will help ensure every collision repair is done to the highest standards, whether the work is done at a dealership, an independent body shop or by a multi-shop operator.”
GM says its new collision certification program will build on current training- and tool-focused programs, but it is much more comprehensive, adding standards for pre- and post-repair scanning, calibration and overall repair. In the development of the certification program, GM Customer Care and Aftersales is working closely with companies like Mitchell International and Enterprise Holdings, which share common goals of ensuring proper and quality repairs are taking place.
Last year, GM issued a position statement that all vehicles being assessed for collision damage repairs must be tested for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) during the repair estimation. In addition, the vehicle must be retested after all repairs are complete in order to verify the faults have been repaired and new faults have not been introduced during the course of repairs.
GM also is looking at ways to incorporate technologies like OnStar into the process, such as providing drivers with information on qualified collision repair facilities based on vehicle location and crash severity.
“With Automatic Crash Response, OnStar is typically the first to know an incident has occurred,” said Brian Hoglund, OnStar commercial experience director for GM. “Depending on the vehicle’s repair needs and driver’s well-being, OnStar has the ability to help streamline the repair process while making the experience more convenient for our customers.”
