I-CAR Gold Class certified body shop in Des Moines & Granger.
Gold Class is the industry's shorthand for: this shop trains every year, across every role, and is willing to be measured on it. Fewer than ten percent of U.S. collision shops hold the certification. Both Willis Collision locations carry it, and multiple Des Moines technicians also hold I-CAR Platinum.
What I-CAR Gold Class actually means.
The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) is the training body that the collision repair industry, OEMs, and insurance carriers all reference when they talk about "trained" technicians. Gold Class is the shop-level certification — it says every relevant role at the business has completed I-CAR's training requirements for that role in the past year:
- Estimators (the people who write your quote)
- Structural technicians (frame, unibody, welding)
- Non-structural technicians (panel work, bonding, mechanical disassembly)
- Refinish technicians (paint, color match, clear coat)
- Steel and aluminum welding qualifications, where the shop offers them
A shop has to re-earn the certification every year. It's not a plaque you hang and forget. Fewer than ten percent of U.S. body shops currently carry it, which is part of why the OEM certification programs and most national insurance Direct Repair Programs use Gold Class as a prerequisite or strong tie-breaker.
I-CAR Platinum: the individual level.
Where Gold Class is a shop credential, I-CAR Platinum is the individual technician credential. A technician earns Platinum by completing the advanced ProLevel training track for their specific role, and maintaining it through ongoing education. It's the highest individual designation I-CAR awards.
Multiple technicians at our Des Moines shop hold I-CAR Platinum in their roles. When we say a repair was done by a certified technician, that's typically what we mean.
Beyond I-CAR: our other certifications.
I-CAR is the industry training baseline. The OEM and insurance-network certifications stack on top of it, and tell you which specific vehicles a shop has been trained and equipped to repair to factory standard. At our Des Moines shop we currently hold:
- Assured Performance — the Collision Care Provider network used by most major insurance carriers as a quality screen
- OEM-certified by Honda — including Honda hybrids and Acura
- OEM-certified by Volvo — including Volvo hybrid and Recharge models
- OEM-certified by INFINITI / Nissan — including Nissan EV (Ariya) and hybrid models
- OEM-certified by GM — covering Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac (including LYRIQ and Escalade IQ)
- OEM-certified by Lexus — including the full Lexus hybrid lineup
- OEM-certified by Jaguar Land Rover — and we are the only JLR-certified collision shop in Iowa
- Ford aluminum repair capability — through an I-CAR-certified aluminum technician on staff
These certifications are about more than training. Each one carries equipment, materials, and procedural requirements set by the manufacturer — specific spot welders, structural-bonding adhesives, sectioning procedures, sensor recalibration tooling — and a shop has to meet all of them to be allowed to display the brand's certification.
Common questions.
I-CAR Gold Class is the highest collision repair training designation awarded by I-CAR. It recognizes shops where every relevant role completes continuously renewed training every year. Fewer than ten percent of U.S. collision shops hold it, and a shop has to re-earn it every year. It's the industry's shorthand for: this shop trains seriously.
Yes. Both of our shops — Des Moines and Granger — carry active I-CAR Gold Class certification. Our Des Moines shop also has multiple technicians who hold I-CAR Platinum, the highest individual training level.
Gold Class is a shop-level certification. Platinum is an individual technician-level certification. A Gold Class shop with multiple Platinum-level technicians indicates a shop investing in training above the baseline.
Related at Willis Collision
Bring it to a certified shop.
Send us a few photos and we'll come back with a real estimate within one business day. Both locations are I-CAR Gold Class certified.