The number one question we’re asked at 3D Collision Centers is wondering how long will the repair take? It’s understandable that this would be one of the first things you’d want to know, especially when your car is in the shop. We wish you could give you an exact answer, but the truth of the matter is it all depends on what has to be repaired on your car. Small dents may only take a day while larger repair jobs can be well over a week. We’re about to discuss the auto repair industry averages and what you can expect.
The collision industry tracks anything that involved auto repairs. Every insurance company will measure everything from the time involved to average costs for repairs. They also track what is called “Length Of Rental,” or LOR for short, to see how long each customer will be in a rental car.
The results are in, showing that the length of rental is increasing. In fact, the average LOR is 12 days due to a variety of different reasons. The primary reason is that cars take longer to repair because all the computers and sensors need to be recalibrated. This is because of how advanced today’s vehicles are.
Average Car Repair Length
Below is a breakdown of the average cycle time for a variety of different repairs. In case you didn’t know, “cycle time” refers to how long it takes to repair your car. Note that the following are not 100% accurate, but are as close as you can get when your car is in the shop.
Windshield Replacement: 1 day
Bumper repair/replacement: 1 day
Minor Auto Body Work: 1-2 days
Paint Repair: 1-2 days
Replacement of internal parts: 1-2 weeks
Extensive damage to multiple parts (if not deemed a total loss): over 30 days
The Explanation of Length Of Rental or “LOR”
There are quite a few reasons why the length of rental is an average of 12 days, nearly 2 weeks. While some repairs are signifcantly shorter, cars with greater damage can take well over a week. However, the LOR is not based solely on the repair time. Length of rental also includes the time required for insurance adjusters to view the vehicle and approve any repairs that need to be done to your car. This is known as “claims frequency.” We explain that more a little further down.
There are some auto body shops might feel pressure from insurance companies to perform faster repairs to minimize the LOR. If they feel the pressure, they’ll be more likely to cut corners in the repair process to “save time.”
Why Auto Body Shops Cut Corners
What exactly does it mean when we say a repair shop will cut corners to “save time”? Here’s an example that can hopefully better explain what we mean:
Insurance companies wear two different faces: one they show you and the other they show the body shop. They know what an inconvenience it is for you to be without your car and want your vehicle repaired as quickly as possible. They are advocating on your behalf to the body shop. On the other hand, or the second face, they want to spend the least amount of money possible in the repair process. This means technicians could use repair parts that can cause more harm than good to your car because they are unaware of the complexity of today’s advanced vehicles.
Other Factors To Increased Length of Rental
Two other factors that can increase the length of rental have to do with how complex the repair is and claims frequency. Because of the complexity of car repair nowadays, technicians need extensive training to know how to repair a car properly following OEM repair procedures. These are the repair guidelines your car’s manufacturer releases that tells a technician exactly how to repair your vehicle make and model. They are the best repairs out there for your car and the safest. Most modern-day vehicles are equipped with advanced driving features, known as ADAS. The ADAS features in your car include blind-spot detection, lane departure assist, forward collision warning, and more. Repairing these is very complex and can require recalibration at the dealer, which also means a tow to and from the auto body shop.
Claims frequency is based on how often insurance adjusters have to calculate the repair estimate. Very rarely will the initial estimate be total repair bill, which why adjusters will frequently return to the shop to approve any repairs. There can be some resistance from the insurance company paying for specific repair procedures, which can delay the actual repair process. When this happens, the LOR increases more and more.
Who In Pennsylvania Can Repair My Car?
We at 3D Collision Centers know that Pennsylvania drivers are under enough stress dealing with the auto repair process. Let’s face it: driving a rental car is never the same as driving your own car. We are here to help with our team of highly skilled auto repair technicians who know the importance of following OEM repair procedures. In fact, our technicians are all I-CAR Gold Class certified, which is the highest level of certification an auto repair technician can receive.
We will work with you and your insurance company to make sure any question is answered and you have your car returned back to you in as little time as possible.
We have 7 different locations, conveniently located across Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties.
Feel free to give us a call at (877)-692-7776. For a list of the phone numbers for each of our 7 different locations and to schedule your free estimate, click here.
We look forward to hearing from you!
