I-CAR Platinum Technicians Deliver Quality and Safety For Vehicles Press Services

How Technician Training Affects the Quality of Your Collision Repair

Riverside, United States - October 30, 2026 / Royal Collision /

Riverside, California, October 30, 2026 — Royal Collision announced that its body technician and painter each hold I-CAR Platinum certification, the highest individual credential the collision repair training organization awards. According to I-CAR, just 48,980 technicians nationwide hold Platinum status. The shop says the figure points to a training gap that directly affects the quality of collision repair customers receive after an accident.

A Credential Earned by the Technician, Not the Shop

I-CAR Platinum is awarded to individual technicians. Earning it requires progressing through the organization's three ProLevel training stages. Maintaining it requires six continuing-education credits every year. The credential is separate from I-CAR Gold Class, a facility-wide designation the shop does not hold. Two Royal Collision technicians hold Platinum individually.

"A technician has to actually earn the credential," said Ryan Oeftering, owner of Royal Collision. "We have around 45 years of combined experience in the industry. Platinum confirms what that experience already tells us on the shop floor."

Why Training Matters More on Newer Vehicles

Later-model vehicles use high-strength steel and sensor-based safety systems. Both depend on manufacturer-specific repair procedures rather than shortcuts. A method that worked on an older vehicle can compromise a newer one's structural integrity, or leave a safety sensor out of calibration after the repair. The shop's estimators write every repair plan around OEM collision repair procedures before parts are ordered, and its technicians are trained to follow those procedures without deviation.

I-CAR's 2025 Impact Report also recorded 121,534 individuals trained industrywide that year, along with more than 1.9 million total course completions, a figure the organization says climbed 31 percent from the year before. The organization has framed the increase as evidence that more shops recognize training as a safety issue, not a credentialing exercise.

"More customers are asking who's actually working on their car before they book an estimate," Oeftering said. "That wasn't a common question a few years ago. Now it's one of the first things people want to know when they're comparing shops for collision repair in Riverside, CA after an accident."

A Reminder That Repair Shop Choice Belongs to the Customer

Royal Collision continues to advocate for customers throughout the insurance claims process. This service is offered regardless of which insurer is involved in the claim. California law lets drivers choose their own repair shop after a collision. The shop encourages customers to ask any facility whether the technician working on their vehicle holds an individual credential, rather than relying on the shop's marketing alone.

The shop holds no Direct Repair Program agreements with any insurer, keeping repair decisions independent of insurer cost arrangements. Every repair carries a Limited Lifetime Warranty, and the shop's technicians follow the same OEM auto body repair standards regardless of which insurance company is paying the claim.

Request Professional Collision Repair From a Trained Team

Riverside-area drivers who want their next repair handled by I-CAR Platinum-trained technicians can request professional collision repair directly from Royal Collision before authorizing any repair plan. The shop encourages anyone with questions about a current insurance claim, including whether a proposed repair plan follows OEM procedures, to contact them at (951) 276-4421 or ryan@royalcollisionriverside.com.

About Royal Collision

Royal Collision is an independently owned collision repair shop established in 2015. The shop performs OEM-spec collision repair in Riverside, CA, using OEM parts as standard practice and backs every repair with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. It holds no Direct Repair Program agreements with insurers, a structure that keeps repair decisions independent of insurer-driven cost arrangements. The company works with all insurance providers and serves Riverside-area drivers needing collision, structural, and post-repair inspection services.