The Association aims to provide quality and safety assurance to customers by assuring its member’s are qualified and their work meets its own high standards.
It does this first by screening prospective members to make sure panelbeaters have the correct equipment to realign a vehicle to manufacturers specification. These specifications have little or no tolerance and are essential for the cars safety features to function properly again if involved in another collision.
Auto refinishers need to also reinstate the manufacturers original finish to the vehicle and this requires heated paint booths and the correct dust and paint extraction systems. The inspection also takes into account workplace standards, and how clean and tidy the workshop is.
The Association also has a quality assurance disputes procedure. Customers who are unhappy with work done by an association member can apply to have their complaint adjudicated by a committee on how the dispute can best be resolved. Membership, and the prestige which goes with it, will be revoked from businesses who refuse to abide by a dispute recommendation or whose standards fall.
A dispute is any question relating to quality of workmanship of repairs carried out by a member of the Collision Repair Association, or any other matter which the Association deems to be a dispute, which is unable to be resolved by an agreement between the repairer and the owner of the vehicle on which the work has been carried out.
Our disputes procedure does not include matters:
- where the complaint is solely in respect of money – i.e., value for money
- in respect of repairs undertaken on a vehicle for a previous owner
- where the complaint involves restoration.
Any complaint or dispute must be made within twelve (12) months of completion of the work in question. All members must abide by their individual company warranty. The Disputes Mediation Procedure will be restricted to disputes affecting members of the Association.
