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Monday, February 11, 2002
Tacoma
Inspections of vehicles repaired by auto body shops in the Puget Sound area reveal similar results to those in a California investigation. The ongoing investigation by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair shows that there is widespread billing fraud and repair defects in the auto body industry. California’s inspections reveal 43% of the cars inspected had evidence of fraud. In addition, about 13% of the repaired vehicles had structural issues that would indicate inadequate or defective repairs to car frames. These issues frequently are safety concerns that can render a vehicle unsafe to drive.
Stroud’s Auto Rebuild in Tacoma has been performing inspections for car owners from all over Western Washington that reveal problems exist in the industry here, too. Stroud’s is a licensed WreckCheck™ facility. They perform post-repair inspections for consumers who have had car repairs and are concerned about the quality of the repairs they received. These inspections detail any repairs that are inadequate and where the car was not returned to its pre-accident condition. Stroud’s has been discovering and documenting evidence of potential fraud and unsafe repairs with the vehicles they have inspected.
When asked about the California report on Herb Weisbaum’s consumer radio show recently and whether things like this are going on locally, Mike Harber, President of Stroud’s Auto Rebuild, said, "Yes, it is. The inspections customer’s have had us do for them reveal results similar to those in California."
The inspections Stroud’s offers also provide documentation for consumers filing claims for diminished value on their cars. Diminished value is the loss in resale value a vehicle suffers from being involved in an accident. This loss can still exist even when a car has been repaired to the best of human ability.
Legislators in California have acknowledged that the insurance industry has been applying downward pressure on what it is willing to pay for repairs by "steering" consumers to specific shops. The result, they say, is that the repair shops are "cutting corners" to still be able to make a profit.
Mike Harber echoes that analysis. "The insurance companies appear to be more concerned with their bottom line than with complying with the terms of the policies they sell. Most policies state that they will pay for the loss. Period. That means returning cars to their pre-accident condition. They don’t want to pay for what it really takes to properly repair cars, so cars aren’t being properly repaired."
Last month, Consumer Reports magazine focused on the problems across the country with improperly repaired cars being sold to unsuspecting consumers. The only current solution for the used car-buyer is having a vehicle inspected before the purchase. Stroud’s offers such inspections for a very reasonable fee.
For the consumer who has had a car repaired and wonders if it was done properly, the consumer should contact a trusted shop and have it inspected.
More information on the inspections Stroud’s offers is available by calling (253) 474-0709.
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