The road really is a dangerous place and there are tons of accidents everyday. Not only do these accidents cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to vehicles, but also they cost drivers thousands in health bills. While a driver might be able to change a tire or change his own oil, it is probably safe to assume that he can’t rebuild a bumper, replace a broken windshield, or straighten out a tweaked frame. And, this is where collision repair centers come in handy. Well, with the number of accidents on the rise more and more car manufacturers are getting into the collision repair industry, which is completely changing the collision game.
Subaru Getting Into The Collision Repair Field
In fact, several car manufactures have already jumped into the collision repair game and Subaru was the latest to do so as well. The Subaru automaker company is working in conjunction with Wadsworth International to institute a collision certification program. The car company plans on expanding this program and taking it to a national level, as they want to certify 400 different body shops by the year of 2019. The manufacture already has 630 US based franchises
How is this beneficial for manufacturers? Well, when most individuals wreck their vehicles they usually consult the original equipment manufacturer for repairs or repair advice. So, this gives car manufacturers the unique ability to recommend their own repair centers. There are some car manufacturers that only offer their collision repair services to their specific makes and models. For instance, Toyota is one of these manufacturers that tightly control their collision programs. That isn’t the case with Subaru, as they offer certified programs to third parties and independent shops.
Subaru has actually defined their programs and relationship with certified shop as a neutral partnership. Wadsworth job in the whole process is to act as an extension of Subaru. They will not only be responsible for overseeing certifications and compliances of these shops, but they will help develop a contrast with conventional third party administrators. That being said, Wadsworth will not be offering services or equipment to these shops. So, it will be completely up to these shops and their workers to make sure they are staying with the regulations that are set. Just remember any driver looking for a collision center can always go online and put in the proper research.
The reason that Wadsworth will not be pushing equipment and services off on these shops is because they don’t want them to feel like they have ulterior motives. For instance, they don’t want these shops to feel like they have to purchase services and equipment for them just in order to gain access to these collision programs. Even though Subaru will offer these programs to independent body shops, it will be the Subaru retailers who will have the first opportunity to take advantage of these programs when they actually do hit the market.
It is estimated that when these programs are launched nearly a third of the US Subaru dealerships will have their own collision repair centers. Once the independent shops sign up for the program and register with Subaru they will be required to work in close conjunction with the official Subaru service departments.
