After “frequent and widespread reports of misrepresentations” on a CCC ONE bumper refinish question, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) created a flowchart in 2015 to help shops and adjustors answer correctly. SCRS sent an email on the topic Friday and put together a “Quick Tip” video with Collision Advice and the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) as a reminder for the industry.

The question is: “Will the bumper be refinished in a separate procedure from the other panels?”

If you answer yes, that means you’re going to mix clear coat using a flex additive in a separate procedure, said DEG Administrator Danny Gredinberg.

Answering no means you won’t be mixing a separate batch of clear coat and a major overlap reduction taken will be added to the estimate, Gredinberg said in the “Quick Tip” video. SCRS added that choosing “no” will result in overlap deductions on additional panels with refinish and will include the bumper cover in the 2.5 clear coat cap. 

He added that repairers should always consult their paint manufacturer on which version of clear coat should be applied on flexible parts, such as a bumper, especially for warranty purposes.

Flexible parts must be able to deform when “bumped” and resist chipping and cracking, according to SCRS, which requires flexible additives combined with the undercoats and clear coats.

Identifying whether the question was answered with “yes” or “no” will be evident when reviewing the repair plan. For “yes,” it will read, “<>   Repl (Part Name) (Part Number) (Qty) (Price $) (Labor) (Paint)” under the “Front bumper and grille” section. For “no,” there will be an overlap deduction on the first major panel, Gredinberg said.

The question isn’t meant to determine if the bumper will be taken off of the vehicle.

Click on the flyer, or scan the QR code for a full-size version.

An example of the confusion caused by the question is provided in DEG Inquiry 5321.

The inquirer stated, “CCC offers a choice when refinishing any bumper cover (will it be refinished as a separate procedure?), yes or no. Allstate has taken the position that the answer should be no. This is a .6 refinish deduction and a .2 major overlap deduction on all Allstate bumper claims if any other part or area of the car is being refinished. With material allowance deduction depending on labor rates it’s about $60 deduction per repair, This is on ALL makes and models. I contacted CCC and they say Allstate is wrong, the question is basically on or off the car.”

The answer from MOTOR stated, in part, “According to the ‘Guide to Estimating,’ page G36, ‘any component clear coated as a separate procedure,’ is not included. If the bumper cover requires a different clear coat mix because of flex additives, a separate procedure is required. This holds true for the majority of flexible components and recommended refinishing techniques.”

For example, a Montana collision repairer’s 2015 interpretation of the prompt was finally accepted by Nationwide subsidiary Allied after what seems like an insurer refusal that tried to have it both ways on CCC guidelines.

Images

Featured image credit: Smederevac/iStock

Flyer and CCC One screenshot courtesy of SCRS