Colorado is well documented as one of the three states (Wyoming and Nebraska making up the other two) known as “Hail Alley”. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these states average seven to nine hail days per year.* Because of this designation, it’s understandable that there are associated industries that stand ready to process the claims and repair the damage caused by hail storms.

Terms NORMALLY associated with automotive hail damage claims and repair:

Insurance Agencies
Body Shops

Terms to be AVOIDED with automotive hail damage claims and repair:

Storm Chaser
Tents of ANY KIND
Dealerships
Door Hangers
Flyers

In light of the most recent hail storm here in Denver, the number of storm chasers and (surprisingly) well-known dealerships who have popped up and started advertising that they are in the hail business is not only surprising – but unbelievably dangerous to the consumer.

The problem with storm chasers and the tents they put up right after a storm is this: they exist only to get as much money from consumers as fast as they can. Tent conditions on an abandoned street corner come nowhere near being enough to handle the complexity of many hail cases. The lighting is sub-par. They may or may not have the correct tools to do the job correctly. And God forbid, if something goes wrong or was improperly dis- or reassembled – where will they be to make a claim? They take down their tents and go back to their day jobs in other states. The consumer is left holding the bag of a bad repair.

The problem with most dealerships – simply put – is this: they are NOT in the hail business. Instead, they partner with the above-mentioned storm chasers and put up a temporary station (maybe even a tent) to take advantage of the swell of insurance claim money that floods the market. If the damage requires a paint booth, more than a buff or in the worst cases a completely new roof – they do not have the correct equipment or skilled technicians to handle that work. Dealerships are in the car SALES business… an important fact to keep in mind.

And unfortunately, not all body shops are created equal either. Many treat PDR and hail repair as a seasonal side. They partner with insurance companies to move cars through as fast as possible and preying upon consumers who do not know that they’re being steered to the least expensive, most profitable solution for the INSURANCE company – not the insured.

Here at Nylund’s Collision Center, we have a FULL-TIME, established hail and paintless dent repair (PDR) DEPARTMENT with a consistent staff – and have for several years. From start to finish, we are – and always have been – in the hail repair business. You may rest assured that your vehicle will be repaired properly, and that we have ALL the right tools and skilled technicians to handle every issue that might come up. We only install the right glass for your vehicle. We only repair vehicles one way: the right way.

At Nylund’s Collision Center, if it’s not perfect… it’s not leaving.

*http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/hail/

The post Oh Hail No They Didn’t appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

Dear Members of the United States Congress,

I am writing this open letter to express my strong opposition to H.R. 1879 and S. 812, Promoting Automotive Repair Trade and Sales Act of 2017, also known as the PARTS Act. I am especially disappointed in U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and lead sponsors U.S. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), with original cosponsors Reps. Blake Farentold (R-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) who have put their names in support of this bill.

I am the current very proud owner of Nylund’s Collision Center located in Englewood, Colorado.

I oppose the Parts Act for the following reasons:

A. The language of the PARTS Act completely ignores the value of established patent law, specifically as it relates to the investment in design, manufacture and especially safety testing of vehicles that are built as an entire unit to work seamlessly with all other parts of the same vehicle.

B. The language of the PARTS Act suggests that it is against, or ignorant of the safety of the consumer who would – in an effort to save money – purchase parts that may appear to be “similar or the same in appearance to the component part”. Failure of an imitation part that appears to be the same after an accident could put the lives of the vehicle’s occupants at risk.

1. Appearing similar or same in appearance is not the same as being the same.
2. Aftermarket component parts are not subject to the same crashworthiness tests as OEM parts
3. Aftermarket component parts are manufactured, sold and certified as individual parts and have no collaborative data nor accountability to all associated parts of the vehicle which is designed to work together as a whole unit.

C. The PARTS Act is a blatant attempt to boost the profit margins of the insurance companies and their associated partners, lobbyists and the manufacturers and distributors of aftermarket parts.

1. Under the guise of protecting the consumer’s wallet, no consideration is offered to the actual costs of manufacture.
2. The only beneficiaries are those who stand to gain the most – and they are the insurance companies, manufacturers and distributors of aftermarket parts.

D. Accountability to safety is obfuscated by the pursuit of profits.

1. Who will oversee the manufacturers’ production and at what expense?
2. Where will the money come from to assure the consumer that aftermarket parts are in fact now identical to OEM parts?

The words, “Your Money or Your Life” used to be uttered by muggers in a dark alleyway. Today, they’re being uttered by members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, along with their posse of special interest lobbyists and associations. The consequences in the balance are the same now as they were then.

Please make this letter part of the record of any hearings on H.R. 1879 and/or S. 812.

I urge you to consider the value of life above the value of insurance company profits.

I urge you to vote against H.R. 1879 and S. 812 – and vote for the lives of the people who voted for you.

Note: I am calling upon my own state Senators & Congressmen (Cory Gardner and Michael Bennett / Jared Polis, Mike Coffman, Diana DeGette, Scott Tipton, Ken Buck, Ed Perlmutter and Doug Lamborn) to vote NO on H.R. 1879 and S. 812.

Resources:
Who Should Be Held Responsible?
We Fight Because #YourLivesMatter

Aftermarket-centered PARTS Act back for new Congress

An open letter to Langevin and Whitehouse

The post Open Letter to Congress appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

Today, we begin our multi-part series of the Nylund’s reply to the points made in the original article:

The original article starts by saying:

Auto body technicians see all sorts of damage from deep scratches to shredded panels on vehicles damaged in a collision or by vandals. The damage requires the use of new parts and materials to restore the vehicle to its original condition.

You’ve Outsourced and It Shows

In an article that suggests that aftermarket or third-party parts are just as good as OEM, we find no small irony that for all intents and purposes, it appears that even the authorship of the article appears to be… obviously “aftermarket”. 

It is our opinion, and that of many of our industry partners across the US, that NO BODY SHOP EXPERT could have written this article.  And while we find no issue with ghost-writing services in general – we do object when incorrect and ultimately unsafe information is presented as if it came from an industry expert.  There are far too many errors in the article to believe for a moment that an actual body shop owner (or technician, for that matter) actually wrote this article.

We agree that auto body techs see all sorts of damage.  We’ll also agree to the concept that said damage requires parts and materials to repair the vehicle to it’s “pre-accident” condition.  But that’s about all we are going to agree on, and in the interest of public safety – we’re setting the record straight as it relates to how – and WHY – we do what we do here at Nylund’s.

The original article states: Auto body technicians must source the necessary parts from a number of manufacturers, depending on cost and availability.

Technicians do not source parts.  Parts managers or office staff source parts.  Here at Nylund’s, we source from the manufacturer because OEM parts are the ONLY parts that are specifically patented to fit and perform to the original safety standards designed for your vehicle.

The original article goes on to say: Although technicians strive to save their clients time and money, it’s also important to obtain only the highest quality parts for the repairs.

There is an intrinsic conflict in this sentence.  Again, it’s not the technician’s role to save customers time or money.  But even if it were – that has nothing to do with obtaining only the highest quality parts for the repairs.  In most cases, it is not the customer’s money being spent to make the repair – it is the insurance company’s money.  And THAT is the real issue here. 

The only two entities that benefit from suggesting that aftermarket parts are as good as OEM are the makers of aftermarket parts – and the insurance companies.  The more money the insurance companies save by buying aftermarket parts means the more profit they make.  This, however, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with obtaining the highest quality parts for your vehicle’s repair.

In our next article, we’ll tackle the suggestion that aftermarket parts manufacturers “meet or exceed” quality metrics used by the original manufacturers.

The post Consumer Alert Aftermarket Parts – Nylund’s Response appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

Some would have you believe that one part (third party or aftermarket) is just as good as the other (original manufactured) part.  This is a fundamental point of disagreement that we have with many insurance companies.  Fact: original parts are designed, patented, tested and safety rated by the manufacturer to offer the very best, safest driving experience possible.  Aftermarket parts, by the very definition of being “replicas” – are not the same as OEM parts.  They are not safety rated or crash tested. And when it comes to the safety of our guests and their families, we simply will not cut corners.

We are the first to acknowledge that our fight on behalf of your safety usually takes more time than simply going with the cheapest parts as recommended by the insurance companies.  We often have to correct their estimates multiple times.  Each delay instituted by the insurance company’s desire to cut costs and compromise safety ends up delaying the overall repair.  But this much we know: this fight is worth it.  Your safety is on the line.

I’m Robert Grieve.  My wife Carol and I are the very proud owners of Nylund’s Collision Center.  We fight… because #YourLivesMatter.

The post We Fight Because #YourLivesMatter appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

It is with great pride, and much gratitude that we say thank you to our many guests in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for voting Nylund’s Collision Center the Best of the Best Body Shop 2015 via the Colorado Community Media.

We absolutely love what we do, and are committed to our ongoing pursuit of excellence in service and delivery of the amazing vehicles we are blessed to work on every day.

Here at Nylund’s… if it isn’t perfect – it isn’t leaving!

The post Best of the Best appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

You pay them every month from the time you’re 16 years old.  They tell you that you’re in good hands.  They assure you that you saved 15% or more in 15 minutes – and that you’ve made a good choice to insure with them.

Then the rains come down, and the floods come up… and the hail… the hail… the hail.  So you do what you’ve been trained to do – you call your insurance company and make a claim.  The adjuster comes out, looks at your vehicle and writes an estimate.  They write for the least expensive, often 3rd party or re-manufactured, ill fitting replacement parts.

The auto body shop you choose has everything to do with the quality of your repair.  If they are in some sort of partnership with the insurance companies, then they will likely put substandard parts into the repair of your vehicle.  If they cut corners in an effort to speed up the repair, those shortcuts could put your safety at risk – and will absolutely affect the resale value of your car.

WHEN SHOULD I CLAIM DIMINISHED VALUE?

It is almost always a wise decision to have a post-repair inspection after a collision repair IF YOU FIT THESE CRITERIA.  These inspections are performed by independent technicians, and reveal the quality of the repair.  Often such an inspection comes along with an estimate of diminished value of your vehicle.  Diminished value is defined as that portion of a damaged vehicle’s pre-loss value that has NOT been restored through the repair process.  Insurance companies do not tell their claimants about diminished value, but they ARE responsible to cover the difference in value (which is almost always thousands of dollars).

Consider this compelling video from our friends Mark’s Body Shop in Baltimore, MD:

Where do you go for a post-repair inspection?  There are many places.  Nylund’s Collision Center has always offered a free visual inspection for anyone wanting to check the quality of repairs performed at other shops.  And who do we refer our own guests to? We recommend the services of Auto Damage Experts, and David Smith. Ultimately, your safety is of paramount importance.  Secondarily, you are entitled to know if your repair was properly executed, and whether you are owed more money than the insurance company originally offered you.

The post Post Repair Inspections and Diminished Value appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

The post How Long Will It Take To Fix My Car? appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

Proud, Strong #NylundsDone

We’d love your comments, and to hear what you’d like to see in future commercials.

The post New Television Spot Hits The Airwaves appeared first on Nylunds Collision.

Safety and Value Are Sacrificed

If a repairer will sacrifice the quality of your repair without your knowledge by using non-original manufacturer’s parts, what other shortcuts are they willing to take for the sake of saving money for an insurance company?

Aftermarket parts are, by definition, reproductions.  They are imitations, copycats and reverse-engineered parts that are designed to accomplish only one goal: to offer an alternative “similar” part that are less expensive than OEM parts.  Their only purpose: to save money.

Ask yourself… ask your auto body shop… ask your insurance company: “Who is being saved money?  And at what cost?”  The answer is: aftermarket parts save money for the insurance companies.  They do not offer you a discount on your premiums – and in many cases, will raise your rates, sticking it to you not once – but twice.

As a consumer you should be informed, and have a full understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using aftermarket or reconditioned parts on your vehicle.  But that means that YOU will have to ask those questions, because the great majority of body shops will never tell that they are in a financial partnership with your insurance company.  They will not tell you that they’re using inferior, untested or ill-fitting parts.  Instead, they will put the proverbial “lipstick on a pig”, making everything look great – while your vehicle’s value… and possibly your very safety has been forever compromised.

The fact is, according to the law, the insurance companies are obligated to pay whatever it costs to repair your vehicle to it’s PRE-LOSS condition.  You have the right to insist upon the original, manufacturer’s parts – specifically designed for your vehicle’s safety and value.  It does not cost you more – you pay your deductible, and they must repair the vehicle properly.  Proper repair with inferior reproductions simply makes no sense… and it can cost you everything.

In the photo above, you will see an actual estimate provided to Nylund’s by a popular cut-rate insurance company.  Please notice that this estimate is for a brand-new, 2014 Lexus luxury SUV.  Every red arrow indicates where the insurance company has insisted upon ordering reconditioned (RECOND) and aftermarket (A/M) parts.  Of particular interest are the last two arrows where they are calling for an aftermarket radiator and an aftermarket condenser unit.  Remember: those are imitation parts that are NOT identical to the original parts provided by the manufacturer.  The use of those two parts will very likely void the warranty on all parts associated with the cooling system of the vehicle – potentially including the engine.

Should you allow those parts to be used in your vehicle’s repair, no matter what happens – you will never again be in a position to require the insurance company to replace them with OEM parts.  Your vehicle will absolutely be worth LESS when it comes time to trade it in or sell.  And in some cases, your very safety could be compromised.

Ask yourself: should you really be saving the insurance company money at YOUR expense?  Or should you insist, as we do here at Nylund’s, that the only correct way to repair a vehicle is to replace broken parts with original, manufacturer’s parts.

BREAKING NEWS: As this article was being written, a photo directly related to the use of substandard parts came across our Facebook stream.  CLICK HERE to view (Warning: Graphic Image)

The post Why Would Anybody Do This To You? appeared first on Nylunds Collision.