The four UK accident repair trade associations have set aside their differences to present a united front in the ongoing battle for improved bodyshop working terms.

The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association, Motor Vehicle Repairers Association, Retail Motor Industry Federation and Scottish Motor Trade Association are rallying behind the Body Repair Industry Campaign (BRIC), set up last year by independent repairers via the ABP repairer website (www.autobodyprojects.co.uk).

A BRIC spokesman said: “The four trade bodies have agreed to give their total support to the campaign. The body repair sector is in financial turmoil and our repair associations have agreed to work together to help find a way forward.”

The associations have contacted insurers with a view to setting up a meeting in autumn to discuss a range of issues, including contract terms and standard repair times.

They are also targeting estimating systems and in particular insurers' preference for manufacturers' times rather than times produced by the insurance-funded Thatcham Research Centre.

“It seems strange that insurers and repairers invest millions of pounds a year in Thatcham for them to produce times that hardly anyone uses,” said the spokesman. “Thatcham TTS is more consistent, transparent and provides a more representative approach to repairs than manufacturers' times.”