Staying on top of changes made to the “P-pages,” or estimating guides, is important for estimators wanting to prepare complete repair plans that capture all labor and procedures involved in restoring a vehicle to pre-loss condition.
That’s why the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Estimating and Repair Planning Committee regularly points out recent changes that have been made.
At the first CIC of 2025, held in January in Palm Springs, CA, the committee focused on some of the changes made in 2024 to the MOTOR Information Systems’ Guide to Estimating. MOTOR is the developer of the underlying database used by the CCC Intelligent Solutions estimating system.
In looking at the guide, which is accessible within the CCC system or available for download at the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) website, sections with changes are identified with a yellow star, and the new or revised text itself is blue:
Committee member Aaron Schulenburg of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists said the guide, for example, has a new section on stainless steel, noting “cosmetic repair to panels and paintless dent repair techniques are an acceptable method for repairing cosmetic panel damage,” but “OEM repair guidelines should be followed.”
The guide now indicates repair times in the system include just one test fit of a component. Motor clarified in its “estimate work time premise” that a “second or subsequent fitment of a component to the vehicle, for any reason (including verification of dimensional accuracy or adjacent part alignment)” is not included.
The change follows MOTOR’s response to a DEG inquiry, which stated, “If more than one component installation is required for a specific repair plan, an on-the-spot evaluation should be used for the number of fitments beyond the first one required to perform the repair.”
That section of the guide now also states labor times do not include “capping [or] covering electrical connectors and fluid lines (of all types) to prevent contamination.”
Committee member Phillip Gallimore of MB Collision Group in Southern California said just as MOTOR has said flash or wait times between material applications are not included in refinish times, the company also has addressed wait times for other drying or curing operations.
Back in 2018, MOTOR responded to a DEG inquiry about automaker procedures that call for a vehicle to sit undisturbed on a bench or jigs after structural parts have been rivet-bonded, saying such wait time for drying or curing is not considered in MOTOR labor times. Last year, that was added to the Guide to Estimating, which now states, “MOTOR estimated work times are for the actual time that the technician spends on the physical procedure required to complete repairs of the damage.”
Committee member Erin Solis of Square One Systems said the guide now also notes that not just materials but also “consumable product costs” are on the not-included list.
“You’ve got belts for your sanders, you’ve got drill bits, you’ve got welding tips, all of those kinds of consumables,” she said.
“I think people get caught up in what they perceive as a consumable,” Schulenburg added. “They perceive that it’s only a material that’s added to the vehicle and not necessarily some of these other components. I think it is easy for people to have a conception that a drill bit is the same as the drill. It’s not. The drill is the tool; the drill bit is the consumable that’s used on the tool.”
The committee also noted neither Solera (Audatex) nor Mitchell made changes to their P-pages or estimating guide in 2024.
John Yoswick