Spray Tech, there is no doubt the insurance industry practices unofficial price fixing. The first company I worked for, and was trained by said they had three basic rules;

1) Treat the customer fairly
2) Treat the repair shop fairly
3) Treat the insurance company fairly

I try to adhere to this practice, but I know most adjusters look at the competitive side and try to 'beat' the body shop. Our labor rates are probably the cheapest in the country. Because of this, I try to keep my materials rate as high as I can without making my customers (insurance companies) upset.

I also know that Mitchell's system doesn't include nub time so I try to include this on the estimate as well. Pathway's and ADP usually include nub time in it's paint labor. Using the old time guide as a comparison, I don't think the actual times have changed, but newer cars tend to use more or different processes.

Another issue is the training of insurance company personal in the use of the computerized programs. Training on these systems is minimal at best, and is commonly less than that. Many operations the shop is entitled to isn't included as the 'P pages' suggest they are. This usually comes from 'old guard' insurance people who don't understand the newer systems.