Mitchell International recently published its 2020 Third Quarter Industry Trends Report. It highlights several items including an increase in calibrations, vehicle scanning and data-driven trends that impact the property and casualty industry.
According to Ryan Mandell, Mitchell International claims performance director – auto physical damage unit, diagnostic scanning has become a critical step in the auto glass repair and replacement process. Mandell said it should be the first and last step in the process, this is because repairers are “now more routinely performing pre- and post-scans.”
“Just two years ago, less than 10% of vehicles were scanned. Fast forward to Q2 2020 and nearly 50% of vehicles repaired include a charge on the estimate for Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) scanning, Mandell said. “With rapid advancements in vehicle complexity and the prevalence of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) diagnostic scanning ‘will be necessary for a complete and safe repair,’ according to the Collision Industry Conference.”
Mitchell’s report highlights 2018-20 vehicle model years receive calibrations at more than double the rate of 2015-17 vehicles. The newest vehicles also take longer to repair with the average cycle time for 2018-20 drivable vehicles averaging 11.15 days compared to 10.67 days for 2015-17 drivable vehicles, according to the report.
“While these differences cannot all be attributed to the increased need for calibration, which certainly plays a role and is evident when examining the average cost of calibrations,” said Mandell.
According to the report, the average calibration cost for 2018-20 model year vehicles is $215.81. Meanwhile, the average cost for 2015-17 model year vehicles was $187.47, according to Mitchell International’s report.
“The desire to reduce cycle time and improve cost effectiveness for insurance carriers as well as profitability for repairers has resulted in Mitchell’s continued investment in diagnostic tools,” said Mandell.
To read the full report, click here.
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