Embracing Change? The Shift of Multibrand Car Workshops Towards Body Repair

Historically, multibrand car workshops primarily focused on periodic maintenance tasks such as oil changes, brake inspections, and tire replacements. These services catered to the routine upkeep of vehicles, ensuring their longevity and optimal performance. However, with advancements in vehicle technology and increased service period, the demand for these traditional maintenance services has seen a gradual decline.

Conversely, there has been a noticeable rise in the need for specialized body repair services. From minor dents and scratches to major collision repairs, modern vehicles require meticulous attention to their exterior integrity. Multibrand workshops are seizing this opportunity by expanding their capabilities to include comprehensive body repair services, thereby addressing a growing segment of the market.

Factors Driving the Shift

Several factors contribute to this notable shift towards body repair services:

1. Technological Advancements in Vehicles: Modern vehicles are equipped with advanced safety features and complex electronic systems. Repairing these components often need experts and trained manpower from respective brands which probably a gap at Multibrand workshops.

2. Changing Consumer Expectations: Today's car owners expect convenient, one-stop solutions for their automotive needs. However, over capacity OE workshops could not offer short or reasonable repair TAT hence multibrand workshop and organized chains are building their capacity to embrace this shift.

3. Economic Viability: Body repairs often yield higher profit margins compared to routine maintenance tasks. However, debates are ON regarding this subject on a bay occupancy timeliness between Body repairs vs Routine maintenance / repairs, but the higher ticket size and financial incentive encourages workshops to invest in their body repair capabilities and upgrading their facilities to accommodate advanced repair procedures.

4. Decrease in Routine Maintenance: As vehicles become more reliable and maintenance intervals lengthen, the frequency of routine servicing such as oil changes and filter replacements has decreased. Car owners now prioritize repairs necessitated by wear and tear over preventive maintenance.

This evolution not only enriches the automotive service ecosystem but also sets a precedent for future advancements in the industry. As workshops navigate this shift, they reinforce their role as pillars of reliability and expertise in the automotive repair landscape, however the big questions need to be addressed:

1. Body parts availability

2. Reliability of aftermarket parts considered to be OES or so-called imported parts

3. The insurer acknowledges this change and gives multibrand workshops a weightage that is comparable, if not equal,set a definite percentage that is acceptable to MBWs and organized multibrand chains.

4. Training, infrastructure and adaptation of SOPs by Multibrand workshops or Organized chains and have mechanism to keep on upgrading or sustaining it.

5. Technology adaptation to streamlined access of compliance, part catalogues and standard body repair and service rates to Multibrand workshops

6. Considering that the end customer is using their brand, how should OEMs see this and assist in seeing things through?

7. And foremost, the Organized Multibrand chains or MBWs. Are they ready to adopt and focused on setting SOPs, meeting the standardized norms by insurer and upskilling of tech force?

This calls for an independent organization or agency to work on standardizing the workshop procedure, establishing SOPs, finding gaps, skill mapping, upskilling the tech workforce while adhering to insurance requirements, and most importantly, improving the customer experience.

I would like to hear opinions on this crucial change and the above-mentioned questions from industry experts, multibrand workshop chains, and independent Multibrand worlshops.

#opinion #car user #car workshops