I-CAR Classes
I-CAR Class Agenda
Feather, Prime and Block Time Study Launched
Mike Anderson, founder of collisionadvice.com and chairman of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Estimating Sub-Committee is hoping that shops across the country will get involved in a time study he is launching in conjunction with ASA to document the labor hours required for feather, prime and block operations.
“I am attempting to collect over 2,000 time studies to document and provide research data in regard to feather, prime and block,” says Anderson. He is requesting that shops consider completing and submitting a minimum of three study forms to document the actual labor time spent on the operations of feather, prime and block, also known as “fill, sand and feather,” or “prep repairs for paint”, or otherwise referred to as “The Gap.”
“It is critically important that the times that are documented are real clock times and not guesstimates,” said Anderson who is looking to document the times required to complete the operations, not the materials used.
For shops interested in participating, Anderson has posted a form online for shops to download and complete. In addition to the forms, he is requesting that participating shops also submit four photos to document the operations including:
A photo of the damage (i.e. dent) prior to repairs
A photo of the damaged area after body filler or metal work but prior to feather edging or priming
A photo of the repaired area after it has feather edged, prior to applying primer
A photo of the repaired area after it has been primed
Photos should be zipped into a single file, if possible, and submitted to Anderson through www.wetransfer.com at email address mike@collisionadvice.com.