Negotiating the non-included

Jan. 31, 2014
One of the commonly overlooked estimating items is the repair of adjacent panels after the removal of a damaged panel.

One of the commonly overlooked estimating items is the repair of adjacent panels after the removal of a damaged panel. For example, once a rear body panel is completely removed, the trunk floor will have to be repaired in order to fit the new panel. It’s also not uncommon for taillight pockets, rain gutters, troughs and sometimes even the frame rails to require some repair.

As I’ve noted in previous columns, you can use a four-question process when negotiating this or any non-included operation.

Question No. 1: Is it required to fully and properly repair the vehicle? It’s obvious when looking at the condition of these adjacent panels that it is. It’s virtually impossible to remove a welded panel without causing damage to the adjacent panels or attaching components.

Question No. 2: Is adjacent panel damage included in any other labor operation? All three of the major estimating system providers agree that it is not. The “labor exclusions” portion of the AudaExplore Database Reference Manual (Section 4-2), for example, clearly states that “repair labor does not include additional labor to repair the replaced panel and/or adjacent panels which may become distorted, burned or damaged by welding, drilling, grinding and straightening.”

Similarly, on page G39 the Motor Information Systems’ “Guide to Estimating” (which is the basis for the CCC Information Services’ estimating system), there’s a special notation about welding zones and adjacent panels. It says that labor operation times do not include time for repair of adjacent panels resulting from normal cutting, welding and grinding procedures.

And P4 of Mitchell International’s “Procedure Pages,” lists under “additions to labor times,” the repair of “parts adjacent to parts being replaced.”

f you don’t have copies of any of these documents from the Big Three estimating systems, you can download them at no charge from the “Get Educated” section of the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) website (visit ABRN.com/DEGweb). I recommend having printed copies handy for estimators or blueprinters. It will help them prepare better estimates and puts documentation in their hands that can help support those estimates if questioned.

In any case, it’s very clearly defined by all of the information providers that adjacent panel repair is necessary and is not included in any other labor operation.

Question No. 3: Do the estimating system providers provide a pre-determined time or calculation method for this procedure? Again, the answer is no.

“The amount of damage can vary considerably depending upon process and technique used by the servicing technician,” the note in the Motor “Guide to Estimating” states, for example. “Motor recommends these factors be considered before finalizing any repair cost estimates.”

That means it comes down to the fourth question in negotiation of any non-included procedure.

Question No. 4: What is it worth? Though repair of adjacent panel damage is clearly necessary, it is a judgment item. Although your experience (and that of your technicians) will help you know how much time the process is likely to take, you also can help justify your judgment times through some videotaped time studies within your shop.

Although I’ve focused here on the repair of the adjacent panels, there may be other non-included procedures and items as well. Refinishing may require blending into these adjacent panels (top and undersides). Time may be needed to match the look of factory seam sealers. Sound deadening pads are often included on these panels, and if damaged during removal of a panel, they will need to be repaired or replaced.

In short, damage to adjacent panels can add significant time to a repair, and these steps should be documented on your estimates.

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