Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018 - F22

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
 Owners can watch crashed
cars get fixed in real time I PAGE 24 I

CERTIFIED STRATEGY

 Subaru expects dealers, independent body shops to work together

ALEX KWANTEN
foj@autonews.com

ubaru of America is the latest car
company to launch an automakercertified 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

PAGE 22

JUNE 2018

Subaru says it will certify dealership and
independent body shops in its network.

Crash course
Subaru's certified collision repair
program includes these features for
participating body shops and their
customers.
 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
Source: Subaru of America

to work closely with the service departments of
nearby Subaru dealerships, he adds.

Pilot takeoff
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 40,000square-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." 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - June 2018