From the assembly line to the repair shop, BMW's holistic approach to excellence sets them apart. In my latest article, I highlight their long-term focus on engineering quality, BMW's Certified Collision Repair Center (CCRC) program, their innovative repair techniques, and the parallels of a "no-compromise" culture that is a natural fit for us at Quality Collision Group.
The manufacturer is a champion of the ethos that a vehicle is only as good as its repairability.
Not many people realize how close BMW came to being swallowed up by Daimler-Benz at a legendary shareholder’s meeting during the Cold War. The date was 9 December, 1959, and it was only the intervention of Herbert Quandt, who increased his share in the company to 50% against the advice of his bankers, that saved BMW from extinction as a separate entity that night.
Today, his son Stefan owns 23.6% of the company, and his daughter Susanne Klatten owns 19.1%. That makes BMW an outlier in the premium car market even though it is publicly listed on the German stock exchange. Retaining a majority family ownership has allowed BMW to invest heavily in the company’s vision of building the “ultimate driving machine” without being at the mercy of strict sales goals.
Stringent repair-center certification process
In our business, that laser focus on quality and engineering has resulted in pioneering repair techniques like rivet bonding to replace structural pieces instead of welding. The goal is to have all the parts, techniques, and standards restore a vehicle to its pre-collision state, but we have even seen them restored to a superior state.
While you can’t uncrash a car, we can repair it to the rigorous standards set by the company and guaranteed by its collision repair-center certification process. With BMW putting extensive training programs and repair resources at technicians’ disposal, these frontline workers effectively become the standard-bearers for the company on the shop floor.
Building a Loyal Customer Base Through Repairability
For some manufacturers, collision repair certification programs began from a desire to boost parts sales. They may have realized they were not selling enough OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts and their solution was to create a certified program. ButBMW took a different approach. By going back to the concept that a vehicle is only as good as its repairability, it measures quality not just by manufacturer standards, but how well it can be maintained over time.
So, when a brand-new BMW rolls off the assembly line, its engineers have already considered how the vehicle will be repaired in the event of a collision.
To put this in context, a stigma can develop around a luxury car brand if they are difficult to repair — not because of poor build quality, but due to substandard third-party work after collisions. Every single car on the road needs to get worked on by a technician at some point, so BMW saw this as an opportunity. They required the use of OEM parts, trained technicians in BMW-specific repair techniques, and promoted this program within their dealer network.
Creating long-term satisfied customers
BMW also restricts sales of structural components to certified stores. This decision is effectively a promise to customers that the manufacturer will not allow third parties to attempt to repair its vehicles without the necessary advanced training. No wonder then that BMW owners tend to seek out certified repair centers after a collision.
We should not underestimate the effect of these standards on brand loyalty. As McKinsey put it: “Selling the next car to a satisfied customer is far more cost effective (and easier) than selling one to someone new to the brand.”
To back this up, the global consulting firm found that when buying a new car, people deemed the service experience more influential than their last purchase experience (53% versus 48%). That makes sense when you consider that consumers spend about 15 hours buying a new car but up to 50 hours having it serviced.
The Evolution of BMW'sCertified Collision Repair Program
The origins of BMW’s forward-thinking approach can be traced back to another nighttime meeting, though this one more low-key. The first program for the Certified Collision Repair Center (CCRC) network for BMW North America was born during a few dinners in California. Eventually, BMW North America required dealerships to own 51% of each certified center.
Unfortunately, that provision made it difficult for the program to grow. Years later, the director, Marcos Ehmann, opened certified repairs to independent facilities and it increased the number of shops qualified to repair BMWs to manufacturer specs — provided they were compliant with the stringent training requirements.
Any concerns about the integrity of the program were forgotten when the expansion ended up providing much better oversight of the stores at a granular level.
CCRC then hired the world’s largest non-listed organization in the field of testing, inspection, and certification — DEKRA — to audit all of the BMW’s repair centers. Today, they put eyes on tools, and inspect the technicians, the estimators, and the general managers for performance. DEKRA also literally checks the receipts —cross-checking that shops are buying genuine BMW parts, not shopping in the auto-parts aftermarket.
Largest provider in North America
That kind of no-compromise model is a natural fit for us at Quality Collision Group (QCG). As we expand our network, it never comes as a surprise when we learn that the shops that perform the highest-quality repairs are also BMW-certified. We know that certification is not handed out to everybody and it’s very difficult to keep.
One of our shops has even received a rating of 98% from DEKRA — one of the highest in the country. It’s a testament to the commitment of the sellers and the staff at that shop because if customers complain, BMW can remove a shop from the program. Put another way, there’s nowhere to hide when standards have been set this high.
Fostering a Sense of BrandLoyalty and Closeness
Many customers may be drawn to BMW for the dissimilar materials in the chassis composition — like deep-drawing steels and higher-strength materials — that gives their cars incredibly balanced handling, meaning the weight is equal on all four wheels. But then, if they are involved in a collision, their owner’s first thought is usually: “My car will never be the same.”
But bringing a vehicle back to its manufactured condition is exactly what BMW’s repair engineering is designed to achieve.Their engineers focus on the easiest way to restore the vehicle’s one-piece chassis feel after a collision through providing a comprehensive repair website for technicians. All procedures include pictures taken by professional photographers, allowing technicians to enlarge the visual guides for more detail on their tablets or computers.
BMW discourages printing the repair protocol because, typically during a production run, engineers receive feed back from the field and consequently update the procedures. They can change from week to week, or sometimes even day to day, in a demonstration of the company’s commitment to continuous improvement.
Personalization and Brand Loyalty
This kind of attention to detail is embedded from the beginning. During the estimating phase of repairs, the first thing estimators do is enter the vehicle ID number. BMW’s repair system then displays a color-correct image of that car, information about the original or current owner, and any customized vehicle specifications.
This makes the repair process feel personalized to the individual’s vehicle. Although the customer may not be present, the commitment to maintaining the “ultimate driving machine” is front and center throughout the process and consequently owners feel a sense of closeness to the brand. We have seen that they will travel as far as it takes to get to a certified center because of BMW’s dedication to maintain quality throughout a vehicle’s lifecycle.
Repairs Central to BMW’s Pioneering Spirit
When BMW North America adopted rivet bonding for structural repairs, like many innovations that rewrite the rules, there were skeptics. If structural pieces were welded during manufacture, why not weld them back now? The answer was welding exposed the vehicle to the risk of corrosion. The CCRC network wanted to build it back stronger to survive winters in the Northeast of the United States.
As technicians started using the technique, they realized it was an improvement on the original. It’s a classic example of how certified collision repairs are building on the company’s brand loyalty and the Quandt family legacy. In other words, the “ultimate driving machine”is not just about engineering prowess but keeping these vehicles on the road in premium condition.
About Quality Collision Group
As the growing national owner and operator of OEM-certified collision repair centers, QCG is on a mission to redefine an industry where safety and quality are never compromised.We take pride in ensuring every single customer’s vehicle is repaired to the manufacturer’s specifications, using new OE parts and with a focus on compliance and certifications. QCG is now represented in 10 states and is OE-certified with 30 vehicle manufacturers.
