The experts at Thatcham Research believe a major storm is brewing in the accident repair industry as repair costs threaten to spiral out of control. The accident research organisation is now calling on vehicle manufacturers to urgently engage with the repair industry to halt this possibility.

Thatcham say the average repair bill has risen by 32% in the last three years. As any bodyshop will testify this is not down to increased repairer margins and can largely be attributed to new technology mounting new repair challenges and adding to parts replacement cost. In particular, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is seen as a major issue.

Other factors contributing to rising costs are things such as the reparability of parts such as headlamps, increasing complexity of vehicle materials and technology and the rising cost of spare parts. Windscreen replacement costs are also causing concern.

Thomas Hudd, Operations Manager at the Thatcham Research Repair Technology Centre said, “The rising use of a mix of new materials in modern cars is leading to more intrusive repairs. This means that where we were once able to partially replace a panel, we now need to replace it in its entirety. This is especially true of aluminium panels, which are challenging the repair industry as it is stiffer and harder to reshape than steel.”

Thatcham say that this complexity creates a further challenge for bodyshops in attracting high calibre individuals, with the right skillsets, who see the repair industry as a career destination. They point out that technical expertise in diagnostics and calibration has become as vital as expertise in repairing and refinishing the physical hardware of a car.