Repair Planning Field Report V4

There is a general consensus in the industry that repair procedures are not used as often as they should be. As recently as 2020, Collision Advice’s ‘Who Pays for What?’ found that only 52% percent of repairers used OEM procedures most or all the time. In discussions with repair professionals, the most common reason given for not using OEM repair procedures is that performing research simply takes too long.

As part of our effort to contribute to safer repairs, OEC’s Advanced Repair Technologies team focused on making OEM procedures faster and easier to use. We did this to encourage increased usage of manufacturer repair procedures. As we’ve previously shown in Field Report V2, RepairLogic is more than twice as fast as historical processes.

With that knowledge, our team sought to learn whether these time savings are pushing repairers to research more often than before. In our survey, we asked repairers to self-report the percentage of jobs where they utilized repair procedures before joining RepairLogic and the percentage they’re using them on now. Across the board, average utilization of OEM repair procedures increased 20%.

These increases were most pronounced for shops that researched less than half the time as a baseline. Among these respondents, 56% reported a significant increase in research rate¹. While shops relatively new to OEM research saw the largest increases, shops that joined RepairLogic with better established research practices still improved their research rates. After switching platforms, shops were 66% more likely to become “best-in-class,” meaning they use repair procedures on at least 80% of jobs. From anecdotal discussions, this often stems from researching on even the simplest jobs, to double-check that they’re not missing any calibrations, one-time-use parts, or any other unexpected repair needs.

66% of shops are more likely to become “best-in-class”

Considering these findings, we’ve concluded that technology advancements can empower repairers to perform OEM research more often than before. Today, 61% of Collision Advice respondents report using OEM procedures on most or all repairs, which further demonstrates this improvement. The industry is shifting towards more regular OEM research, and OEC is playing a role in this transition.

1. Respondents were asked to report their frequency of procedure usage by selecting between five brackets with ranges of 20% each. The term ‘significant’ represents a movement from their pre-existing bracket into a higher bracket.

In the previous section, we discussed how RepairLogic has helped shops increase the frequency of OEM research, but frequency is only part of the equation — the depth of research is equally, if not more, important. When shops use only a single procedure for a repair, they’re likely to miss key aspects of the repair. In Field Report V2, we showed that when doing comprehensive research, shops regularly find calibrations and one-time-use parts they would have otherwise missed. This is just one example of why performing comprehensive repair research is vital to ensure safe and proper repair.

RepairLogic is designed to automate much of the repair planning process by bringing visibility to all additional linked procedures anytime a single procedure is added to the repair plan. The goal was to simplify comprehensive research and encourage repairers to move beyond simple “basic search” procedure utilization.

In our survey, repairers self-identified the depth of their procedure utilization before RepairLogic and the depth of research since switching. Of users who reported a baseline of using “basic search,” 37% reported evolving into comprehensive repair research and even repair planning after switching.

This improvement, along with minor improvements among those already conducting comprehensive repair research, has had drastic impacts on repair outcomes. 77% of survey respondents said they identified procedures and operations they would have otherwise missed when conducting research.

77% of survey respondents said they identified procedures and operations they would have otherwise missed when conducting research

When asked to expand on what kinds of additional procedures they were identifying, the results were surprising. Removal & installation procedures are the most commonly missed additional procedures identified. For example, when removing a rear quarter panel on a 2023 Ford Escape, you must also depower the supplemental restraint system and remove both the rear bumper and the exterior trim of the roof moulding. The graphic below shows the other top procedure types that repairers now identify more:

1. Removal and Installation
2. Calibrations and Relearn
3. One-time Use Parts
4. Inspections
5. Sectioning
6. Sacrificial Parts

The technician labour shortage is currently a widely discussed topic across the industry. In 2023, TechForce found there was a need for more than 31,000 new technicians in the collision industry. However, collision repair labour shortages go beyond just technicians: a 2021 Collision Advice survey found that at any given time, 19% of repair facilities need an estimator.

These shortages are primarily due to an aging labour base in which nearly 70% of collision repairers are over the age of 50 and are exacerbated by high turnover rates in the industry. The industry desperately needs more young repair professionals, but these individuals are typically new to the industry and require significant training. This training can carry incredibly high costs to shops, amounting to half of their annual pay or more, according to industry training consultant Paul Gage.

OEC’s Advanced Repair Technologies team sought to provide some relief in this area by making it easier to train new estimators. By simplifying the OEM research process, RepairLogic makes it much easier for new estimators to learn repair research.

Most repair professionals currently using RepairLogic agree that it does just that. 74% of survey respondents said that they feel it has simplified repair research for new estimators. Our internal platform data also supports this claim. As of July 2024, the average newly created RepairLogic user reached active status (repair plans created in 4 separate days) in under two weeks. These repairers, a mix of new and experienced repair professionals, are quickly getting up to speed across the board.

74% of new estimators agreed that RepairLogic has simplified repair research

The RepairLogic Repair Planning Platform simplifies OEM procedure research, ensuring students learn how to deliver safe, consistent, and high-quality vehicle repairs.

Joe Baker leads the Auto Collision Technology program at Metropolitan Community College (MCC), where 85 students are trained each quarter. The curriculum is rooted in preparing students to enter the workforce with the latest industry knowledge, focusing on proper OEM procedure usage for safe and accurate repairs.

Joe and his team of instructors are passionate about instilling these critical repair skills in every student, emphasizing the importance of following OEM repair procedures on every job. This approach helps ensure that students graduate with both technical skills and a strong foundation in safety and quality standards.

Before integrating RepairLogic into the curriculum, MCC relied on a procedure aggregator platform for training purposes. However, the platform often created confusion for both instructors and students. The system’s layout made it difficult to locate relevant procedures, and instructors frequently described feeling as though certain steps were “hidden” within the interface. This led to wasted time in both teaching and learning.

Additionally, the platform lacked a “save” feature, meaning students often had to re-search for the same procedures multiple times. Most concerningly, the system—originally designed for mechanical repairs—was missing vital information for collision repairs, leaving critical gaps in the training process.

During the IBIS USA Conference in 2022, Joe heard about RepairLogic and its potential to improve access to repair procedures. Joe decided to implement RepairLogic into MCC’s curriculum, hoping that it would address the issues his team and students encountered with their previous system.

Instructors immediately noticed how much easier it was to find procedures using RepairLogic. One instructor noted, “You click on the part of the car that you’re fixing, and it brings up everything you need.” The tool’s intuitive design reduced confusion and saved significant time in the classroom.

MCC students also found RepairLogic to be easier to use. After just one training session, students were able to use the system independently, needing minimal assistance from instructors. Joe observed that after a few uses, many students even became more proficient with the tool than the instructors. RepairLogic’s simplicity made it easier to train students. This benefit, Joe believes, will carry over into the shop environment, where less experienced trainers will find the system to be just as user-friendly.

Joe sees RepairLogic as more than just a teaching tool—a pathway to a safer and more skilled collision repair workforce. By giving students access to a platform that simplifies locating and following OEM procedures, Joe feels confident that he’s equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to repair vehicles the right way throughout their careers.

RepairLogic transformed the way MCC teaches collision repair. By simplifying the research process and ensuring students can easily find and follow OEM procedures, the tool makes the instructors’ jobs easier and helps students build confidence in their skills.

Joe Baker and his team believe RepairLogic is an invaluable resource for training the next generation of collision repair professionals, helping to create a safer and more efficient industry. As Joe puts it, “If you give young technicians the technology to learn how to properly repair a car, they will do it.”

OEC has worked with several trade schools including MCC. Across these trade schools, students have reported the following:

• 7.5/10 Average Rating for Ease of Use
• 8/10 Average Rating for Speed
• 8/10 Average Perceived Value for Schools
• 8.2/10 Average Likelihood to Recommend

Author: Karsten Rentner

Analysts: Zach Fairfield & Nicholas Gardner

Designer: Sandie Laba

Editors: Emily Vaeth, Dylan Richardson, Ari Scheller, & Bryan Coffelt