The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) and Association of Global Automakers (AGA) have declared that all “post-collision vehicle repairs” must follow OEM repair procedures.
The statement said that OEM repair procedures follow service and structural engineering practices that have been tested by the manufacturers through crash simulation, actual crash testing and real-world validation of repair methodology. The statement also noted that following such procedures is as important as ever, given evolving vehicle technology.
“There was a time when a basic understanding of autobody repair would allow a repairer to fix nine out of 10 vehicles that come into a shop. That time has passed,” said Wayne Weikel, AAM Senior Director. “If a collision shop is going to fix the cars of today, they cannot use the repair procedures of yesterday. The only way to repair today’s vehicle is by following the OEM recommended repair procedures on every repair.”
“An automaker’s top priority is its customers’ safety, as is safeguarding the overall health of the motor vehicle fleet utilising our nation’s shared roadways every day,” the joint statement declared.