Ford Motor Company recently updated all of its collision position statements, clarifying its stance on the use of non-OEM parts and designating pre- and post-repair scanning “required,” among other changes. All 11 updated Ford and Lincoln collision position statements, released Oct. 1, are available to all repairers in several locations:· www.fordcrashparts.com
· www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com
· www.motorcraftservice.com
· www.oem1stop.com
The updates benefit collision repairers, Mcinnes said, as they “bring everything up to date, remove any ambiguity, try to make the language clear, explain why we take the position we take when it comes to specific repairs, and give them that peace of mind that they understand what needs to be done.” The collision position statements lend credibility to repair documentation, helping shops get paid by insurers for required parts and procedures.
CCC Intelligent Solutions: During his presentation at the recent CIECA conference, Kyle Krumlauf of CCC Intelligent Solutions pointed to several other trends impacting the industry. Consumers continue to take on more of the cost of repairs by increasing the deductibles on their auto insurance coverage. “You see almost a 6% decline in $500 deductibles, and almost a 6% increase in $1,000 deductibles,” just since 2021, Krumlauf said. About 2% of repairable claims in the second quarter of this year involved a deductible of $2,000 or more, twice the percentage of the same period in 2021. He credited a small rise in zero-deductible claims to policy features like diminishing deductibles for drivers who go multiple years without claims.
BASF has entered into an agreement to sell a majority stake in its coatings business — which includes automotive refinish products, as well as OEM coatings and surface treatments for metal, plastic, and glass — to global investment firm Carlyle, in partnership with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), valued at $8.9 billion. BASF said it will retain a 40% equity stake and will receive pre-tax cash proceeds of about $6.7 billion when the sale closes, expected to happen in the second quarter of next year. The sale follows BASF’s December 2023 announcement to transform its agriculture, battery materials, and coatings units into autonomous businesses, a structural shift aimed at boosting earnings. The transaction, together with the already closed sale of its decorative paints business to Sherwin-Williams, values BASF’s entire Coatings division at $10.1 billion. BASF Coatings operates in Europe, North America, South America, and the Asia Pacific, and generated sales of about $4.4 billion in 2024. The companies ensured a continuity in business for BASF’s customers.
