II. Purpose

III.Quality Guidelines

IV. Availability / Delivery Guidelines

V. Purchase Guidelines

Over the past several decades, the collision repair industry has undergone significant changes. In particular, the quality, availability and purchase practices for parts has been challenged time and again.

"Parts" is a term used very loosely to define a lot of different things. For the purposes of clarification, for these draft guidelines we will refer to “parts” as to mean: all components, singularly or in groups, used in the collision repair of an automobile, regardless of whether or not these components are OE (original equipment manufactured) Non-OE (aftermarket, imitation, offshore, quality replacement part, etc.) or Salvage (LKQ, used, recycled, etc.).

Although the subject of parts is a sensitive and emotional one for many, quite frankly, the business issues are very simple. Quality parts are needed in a cost effective and timely manner with purchase practices that are acceptable to all market segments, regardless of the part's origin, i.e. OE, Non-OE or Salvage.

Market pressures have been perceived to dictate practices which are questioned by many. Therefore, the CIC Parts and Air Bags Committee was established to attempt to determine a set of “best business practices” which would promote the concept of a “level playing field” for all market segments to follow.

The committee set out to first and foremost determine if the perceptions about parts were real or not. Obviously, this was easier said than done. Due to the extreme sensitivity and emotional nature of this situation, it became readily obvious that depending on the market segment we were speaking with, the issues were perceived differently. In light of this, the committee settled on a strategy of creating a survey that would be acceptable to all market segments. This survey was created with input from virtually all market segments and then distributed by mail and handout, and by telephone inquiry.

The strategy then called for a compilation of the results of that survey into guidelines. Once again all segments of the industry were invited to participate and offer input into the development of these guidelines. Upon completion of the DRAFT guidelines, in typical fashion for CIC, they would be discussed, altered as needed, and then adopted and recommended for use in the everyday business of collision repair by all market segments.

Quality is a term that has been used in many fashions over the years. The definition of quality as it pertains to parts is a difficult one to determine because many agree with the age old adage “quality is truly in the eye of the beholder”. The CIC Parts And Air Bags Committee believes that to be untrue and that their is absolutely a need for the establishment of quality guidelines.

A. Original Equipment manufacturers should establish parameters for a parts fit, finish and durability and those parameters should be published.

B. All parts manufactured for use must meet those parameters in order to be considered a quality part.

C. All parts that have undergone testing to ensure their “quality” (meeting the standards established by the OE) should be certified by a third party entity.

D. In the event a part is determined to be of poor quality, the certifying entity must take responsibility for notifying ALL manufacturers of the quality issue.

E. All parts discovered to be of poor quality should be documented on the Part(s) Claim Form and immediately faxed to the supplier. An alternative supplier (i.e. OE, Non-OE or Salvage) should be utilized to cost effectively complete a timely repair.

F. All parts manufacturers must notify ALL their points of distribution that there is a quality issue and until it is resolved, all parts must be noted as De-certified until such time as deemed a quality part once again.

G. All distributors / suppliers must notify the manufacturers and certifying entity of a quality problem (this can be accomplished by forwarding a copy of the Parts Claim Form to them.(Sample form at the end of this document.

H. All information providers or parts data warehouses must be notified of a quality issue and must asterisk (*) or delete those parts from their information immediately until they are notified that the issue has been resolved.

I. All parts susceptible to Department of Transportation (DOT) or other certification MUST conform and be tested to meet those standards in order to be listed as a quality part.

J. All parts must carry a written warranty that equals or exceeds that of the established OE parameters.

K. All entities requiring the use of specific parts will be responsible for seeking reimbursement in the event a poor quality part is supplied.

L. All warranty claims for damaged or wrong parts must be made on a Parts Claim Form and returned via facsimile to the supplier.

M. All manufacturers and distributors must accept warranty claims within 48 hours and process credit requests within 10 business days.

N. Damaged, wrong or poor quality parts must be exchanged within 48 hours and returns must be picked up within 5 business days, or full refunds or credit must be given within 10 business days.

O. All damaged, wrong or poor quality parts to be returned must be in original packaging and free from paint, etc.

A. All parts data that is included in an automated estimating system must be available at that time or not included on the listing of available parts.

B. If a part is offered/listed on an estimate through an automated estimating system, the estimating system supplier must keep their systems up to date by staying current with supplier issues and by monitoring a phone or fax line in the event a part is determined to be of poor quality or not available.

C. All parts listed as “quality” must meet the approved guidelines.

D. All parts should not have to be sourced any more than one time from each supplier segment, i.e. OE, Non-OE or Salvage.

E. All parts must be delivered within two business days of the order (unless alternative arrangements are discussed or negotiated, i.e. back orders, etc.)

F. All parts should be delivered in a manner that provides prompt and quality service, i.e., company owned services.

G. All parts should be subject to inspection upon arrival to determine condition, etc. In the event of an issue, the parts return should be accepted immediately.

H. All suppliers suggested must adhere to these guidelines in order to be offered as a viable supplier of quality parts.

I. In the event of a delivery issue, all suppliers must notify the purchaser within 24 hours (one business day) of the order and discuss the issue.

A. All parts suppliers shall provide a “request for credit” form to the purchaser for completion. Upon completion and return, approval or denial shall be given within 10 business days or sooner.

B. All purchasers shall have the right to purchase through a company’s standard credit terms assuming there are no credit problems.

C. All suppliers shall accept a “company check” until credit has been requested or established.

D. Purchasers shall not be required to pay “Cash on Delivery” unless the parties previously agreed to it.

E. Credit practices offered shall be of a “standard” nature.

F. Credit or debit cards should be considered by suppliers.

G. All returns for poor quality, wrong or damaged parts shall be promptly handled and the accounts credited within 10 business days of receipt of a Parts Claim Form.

H. Any additional compensation (labor, etc.) shall be negotiated between supplier and purchaser and credited as agreed.

I. A purchaser should not have to obtain parts from any supplier not offering credit or mutually agreeable terms as suggested by these guidelines.

Shop Name ____________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip Code __________________________________________

Phone # ___________________

Fax # ______________________

Year _____________________

Make _____________________

Model _____________________

Part Name ________________________________

Part Number _______________________________

Invoice # _________________________________

Date Delivered _________________________

Current Date __________________________

Distributor Name _____________________________________

Distributor Address ____________________________________

Distributor Phone # ____________________________________

Distributor Fax # ______________________________________

Manufacturers Name (if known) __________________________

Reason for Return:___________________________________________

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