BMW is considering expanding its formal Certified Collision Repair Centres network to independent auto body shops, according to a report by Repairer Driven News (RDN). Under the current system, to be BMW certified collision repair shops must be owned by a dealership (at least 51 percent), and audited for quality and equipment. While independent repair shops can be sponsored by a dealership to receive the same free training, they are not audited, owned by BMW, given financial support or part of a customer referral network like certified shops.
Now, according to the RDN report, the company has considered extending full-fledged membership to independents to provide BMW service nationwide. This has not yet been approved.
