Car Crafters continued to gain popularity through great customer and insurance relations, dedicated employees working efficiently, and obtaining the newest available equipment to insure the best repairs.
Then in February of 2007 the company outgrew its bulging doors and moved into a beautiful, purpose-built, repair facility on Montano Road in Albuquerque. The new facility is excellent for business and allows for a more efficient, professional repair process. The lobby is comfortably furnished with complimentary Java Joe’s coffee and Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Geico, Farmers, and Progressive insurance adjusters are onsite including Enterprise Rental office for the convenience of customers during the repair process.
The “discovery bay” at Car Crafters is one of the business’s most important components to their successful and timely repairs. In the discovery bay all vehicles are meticulously disassembled and estimated to get all supplemental damage on the initial estimate. Instead of conducting a run-of-the-mill visual damage appraisal, the team at Car Crafters runs vehicles through an x-ray estimate where their Velocity Frame Measurer can see any and all damage.
This process eliminates multiple parts orders due to unseen damage in a visual estimate and repeating the administration cycle. This process is much more advanced than removing bumper covers, as additional parts or sheet metal is carefully removed to view all structural and mechanical damage as well. This “upfront focus” is one of the primary reasons for Car Crafters’ reduction in cycle time and increase in safe, quality and profitable repairs.
“I think that the only way to lead the market is through great cycle time,” said Guthrie.
According to Guthrie, insurers are looking for perfect repairs, done yesterday, and 100 percent CSI, and which ever shop can get the closest to that is the shop winning their DRP work.
On top of the Velocity Laser Frame Measuring System in the Discovery Bay, Car Crafters also uses Car Bench and Chief frame racks, 6 Garmat paint booths, Rotary Vehicle Lifts, Lincoln, Miller and Car-O-Liner Welders, and PPG’s ICI Aquabase waterborne paints in their shop.
“We provide the safest repairs possible, as quick as we can,” said Guthrie. He also said there seems to be a correlation between speed of repairs and CSI.
According to Guthrie, a repairers best chance at pleasing the customer is to “under-promise and over-deliver.”
Car Crafters has 8 DRP relationships with major insurers, and Guthrie believes that no matter what your personal feelings are about DRP relationships, they are where the industry is headed.
“DRPs are the future of our industry,” said Guthrie. He feels insurers are looking for cost, quality and speed from repairers.
Car Crafters is also heavily involved in their local community, from sponsoring events at the Rio Grande Zoo to Cancer Awareness events in the month of October. Car Crafters also has put on 16 local car shows this year and sponsors several local sports teams and bands.
Almost half of the business’s 52 employees have been with the team for 15 to 28 years, according to Guthrie.
“I am so blessed to have the employees I do,” said Guthrie.
Assistant Paint Shop Manager Chuck Corriz and Estimator Dan Crosley are just two of a handful of employees who have been with Car Crafters for over 20 years. Technician and Frame Specialist Carl Peet has been at Car Crafters for 26 years and also works as an I-CAR trainer. According to Guthrie, Peet has been awarded a Technician of the Year award and also trains a variety of classes at Car Crafters.
Car Crafters has also teamed up with Horizon Auto Glass to offer continuing education courses for insurers at their shop. The classes are free and allow insurers to become collision and glass certified in New Mexico.
The employees at Car Crafters form one big family, evident through their long and close ties with the business. Guthrie is always willing to try new things in order to make his business bigger and better, and his business model has definitely paid off. Car Crafters has been I-CAR Gold Class Certified since 1991 and ASE Blue Seal since 1999.
Car Crafters
600 Montano Rd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
(505) 881-8889
www.carcrafters.com
