“On the Road with Mike Anderson – Serving Up Collision Advice," driven by Autobody News, hosted its second live podcast March 10 from Wallace Collision Center in Bristol, TN.
The episode focused on the importance of safety inspections, and featured a live demonstration of how to inspect a Subaru steering column according to OEM repair procedures, as well as a discussion on how to hire the right technician to perform them and how the industry as a whole can come to a consensus on them.
Host Mike Anderson, owner of Collision Advice, was joined by John Baker, director of collision at Wallace Collision Center; Jayce Ketron, safety inspection technician at the shop; Bud Center, director of technical products and curriculum development for I-CAR; and Sheryl Driggers of Collision Advice.
The Importance of Safety Inspections
Anderson opened the discussion by sharing real-world examples of shops that completed safety inspections according to OEM procedures -- even though there were no DTCs or indicator lights on the dash – revealing damaged components like airbags and seat belts that wouldn’t have worked properly had the vehicle been in another crash, putting occupants’ lives at risk.
In the quarterly “Who Pays for What?” surveys Collision Advice conducts with CRASH Network, Anderson said 60% to 70% of body shops said they are not asking insurance carriers to get paid for conducting safety inspections because it’s “too much of a friction point.”
“Well, let me just tell you right now, ladies and gentlemen, an insurance company refusing to reimburse you for performing safety inspections does not remove you from the liability,” Anderson said.
Anderson asked Baker why Wallace Collision Center chose to make completing safety inspections Ketron’s full-time job.
Baker said he first learned about steering column inspections in a training session Anderson was hosting for Nissan. Shortly after, a Subaru auditor approached Baker about the Subaru-certified shop’s post-closure inspection procedures.
“It made me realize that at that time, we weren't preparing cars correctly because we weren't performing the procedure,” Baker said.
“It’s no different than sectioning in a quarter panel incorrectly in my view, and safety is our utmost concern,” Baker added. “We want to make sure when we return a vehicle to our customers, the car will operate as if it wasn't an accident.”
The shop started pulling repair procedures from multiple OEMs to identify the tools and equipment it needed. The next step was getting insurance carriers on board with paying for the inspections.
Baker said his shop set up a demonstration for local insurance representatives to educate them on what the shop was doing and why.
“Of course, we had some insurance carriers that still wanted to refuse to pay for them, and then some were more likely to understand why we were performing them and also pay,” Baker said. “It didn't happen overnight. It was a constant battle and we still have some of those battles today, but it just takes time and effort and consistency. An important thing is to make sure that your team is writing the inspection procedures the same way every time on the repair plan.”
Completing Safety Inspections
The broadcast focused on inspecting collapsible steering columns, specifically those manufactured by NSK for Asian manufacturers like Nissan and Subaru.
Anderson said he researched about 20 OEMs’ repair procedures, and most require steering columns to be inspected after a crash, whether it was a front, rear or side impact. He showed examples from Nissan and Subaru mandating inspection.
Anderson then brought in Ketron, who went over some of the tools he uses to perform safety inspections.
The first thing is a checklist the shop asks the customer to fill out, indicating what inside the vehicle is scratched or damaged that wasn’t before the crash.
A separate inspection checklist helps Ketron keep track of the steps he has to complete.
“If I was mid-inspection and had to leave for the weekend and then came back, this sheet will help identify exactly where I left off,” he said.
The shop takes pictures of components -- for instance, impact sensors or seat belts -- and adds repair order numbers to identify exactly which vehicle it is.
“It’s for documentation purposes,” Ketron said.
Turning to his equipment, Ketron showed a mechanical force gauge that can measure up to 1,000 N. The shop takes photos of the gauge with a piece of tape with the repair order written on it, to show insurance adjusters the reading goes with that specific vehicle.
Ketron showed the steering wheel puller he uses to prevent damaging the column. “It might take longer but it’s a lot safer,” he said.
The broadcast then turned to a Subaru Outback in Wallace Collision Center for a repair. Ketron went over why much of the interior had been removed. For instance, to inspect airbags, the headliner, dashboard and seats had to be removed.
Share Your Shop’s Experiences with Safety Inspections
About four years ago, I-CAR set up a link on its website to receive inquiries from shops about safety inspections, whether they thought they were unnecessary or if they were having a hard time getting paid by insurers for safety inspections.
Center said since then, I-CAR has only received inquiries from about 40 shops.
However, the other thing I-CAR received was feedback that the link to submit inquiries was hard to find.
It is now located on the I-CAR Repairability Technical Support (RTS) page, at rts.i-car.com/crn-1570.html.
“Let us know what type of challenges you’re having,” Center said.
Anderson said the industry needs to “blow up” the inquiry submission link.
“We need to step up our game in regard to safety inspections” in order to come to an industry-wide consensus on when they need to be performed, Anderson said. “Not performing them is not an option.”
I-CAR’s website also offers resources on OEM repair procedures, including position statements from automakers, technical documents and videos.
Finding the Right Technician to Perform Safety Inspections
About 200 shop owners -- all part of Anderson’s Spartan 300 performance group -- visited Wallace Collision Center to see how they implemented their dedicated safety inspection process.
“A lot of people said, ‘How do we find a Jayce?’” Anderson said.
Driggers said Collision Advice had Ketron complete a couple of behavioral assessments to create a benchmark for the type of technician who would fit well in that role.
Ketron’s results show he is detail-oriented and process driven.
“He’s considered a ‘precisionist,’” Driggers said. “He’s reliable and steady in situations where he is focused on processes.
“We're looking for someone who can also be supportive of the entire team when we're talking about the repair process, because it's not just a safety technician that's important, but it's everyone working together to make sure that this car is repaired safely and properly,” she added.
Viewer Questions
“On the Road with Mike Anderson – Serving Up Collision Advice” answers questions from viewers, both submitted before the show and in real-time during the broadcast. Anderson took time to answer several.
Viewer Ryan Clark asked it OEMs are making it any easier to do safety inspections of components like steering columns by using, for instance, a clear screen.
Anderson said some OEMs are trying to find better ways, but others aren’t aware the inspections can be cumbersome.
“Until we as an industry let them know that this is truly an issue, they think, ‘Why do we need to do it? We don't hear anything about it,’” Anderson said.
The Next ‘On the Road’ Episode
Anderson said the next episode of will be broadcast at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT April 7 from Minneapolis, where a panel of at least three consumers from different states who had bad repair experiences will share their stories and answer live questions from viewers.
The live broadcast will be available on Autobody News’ YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X channels, and will be able to be viewed on demand on YouTube.
Abby Andrews