Subaru of America is the latest car company to launch an automaker- certified collision repair program, working with its dealerships as well as select independent body shops.
Subaru developed its plan with Wadsworth International, a consultancy in suburban Philadelphia that will administer the program. Wadsworth also provides administrative support to Jaguar Land Rover's collision certification program.
Subaru plans to expand its pilot program into a national network this year, certifying 400 body shops by 2019. The automaker has 630 U.S. franchises.
Various car companies certify body shops that meet the repair standards they set, recommending these facilities to vehicle owners. Some collision programs, notably Toyota's, are tightly controlled and open only to the company's dealerships. Other factory-certified programs are administered by third parties and include dealerships and independent shops.
Network neutrality
Subaru's program defines the relationship between the company and a certified shop as a "neutral partnership." Wadsworth will act as an extension of Subaru rather than an intermediary between the automaker and certified shops, the automaker says.
Aside from overseeing certification and compliance, Wadsworth will offer no services or equipment to the shops — a contrast to conventional third-party administrators.
Wadsworth has "no ulterior motive to push anything," says John Lancaster, Subaru of America's national wholesale parts manager. "We don't have to worry about somebody saying, 'Sign up for this, and I'll get you into the certification program.' "
Although the Subaru network will include independent body shops, Lancaster told Fixed Ops Journal that "our retailers [will] have the first shot, first opportunity, to get into this program when it officially launches."
Lancaster estimates that nearly one-third of U.S. Subaru dealerships operate their own collision repair centers. Subaru will expect independent facilities that join the certification program to work closely with the service departments of nearby Subaru dealerships, he adds.
Pilot takeoff
- Access to technology bulletins and training to work on Subaru vehicles
- Subaru-branded materials to market collision repair services
- A Subaru-branded online portal that enables customers to view the progress of repairs and pose feedback and questions
- A network of partner certified body shops for Subaru dealerships without their own collision repair facilities
Subaru's pilot collision repair program, which launched in March, has 30 locations, including 10 dealerships. They include a pair of Subaru stores in the Phoenix suburbs of Chandler and Gilbert, Ariz. Owner Richard Cvijanovich calls the certification program "a great touch point."
"There's a lot of people getting out of the collision business," Cvijanovich says. "I decided to go ahead and jump in full force."
Last year, Cvijanovich opened a 40,000- square-foot body shop called Autobahn Collision to serve his dealerships. He says he expects Subaru's certification of the shop to promote service customer retention at the dealerships and build better relations with auto insurers' direct repair programs.
To promote the Subaru program, Cvijanovich includes details about the collision center in owners' new-vehicle manuals and posts Subaru-branded materials in the shop. His dealerships acquaint customers with the shop's services at the point of sale.
The new shop is also certified by Porsche and Volvo, also sold by Cvijanovich. He says he expects the shop to get certifications soon from Tesla and Audi. The collision repair center accounts for about $400,000 in monthly revenue. Cvijanovich predicts that figure will increase to $1 million within the next year.
The shop can dispatch a fleet of trucks, along with a loaner car, to retrieve collision-damaged vehicles.
Estimators meet customers in the body shop's service area to review collision damage. The intake process at the shop mirrors that of a dealership's service drive.
‘Closing the circle'
To join the certified Subaru network, body shops must pay a $3,200 fee. Membership allows access to Subaru's technical information system online portal.
Qualifying shops must have gold-class certification from the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair and meet prescribed equipment standards. Subaru says it plans to add training programs for collision technicians through I-CAR.
Cvijanovich calls his dealerships' investment in the program money well spent.
"Closing the circle with the client from sales, service and collision is huge," he says. "Those certifications are the bridge, if you will, to successful customer experience. Because of the trusted relationship we have with people whenever they bang up their car, typically we're the first call."