April 2021 Midwest Edition by Autobody News

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ASA Ohio Performance Leaders Gather Face-to-Face for First Meeting of 2021 by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Members of ASA Ohio’s Collision P erformance L eaders G roup ( CP L ) gathered Feb. 2 at the Ohio Auto K olor Training Center in Columbus, O , for this year’s first meeting. Attendees wore masks and followed social distancing protocols, and according to ASA Ohio Executive Director M a t t D ou gher, “ Considering the current pandemic climate, the meeting was very well attended by the leading independent collision shops in Central Ohio, and everyone behaved responsibly as we

tackled two topics that are vital to a running a successful shop.” Facilitated by Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, the meeting began with training and discussion on improving paint and material K P Is. Next, the group discussed how to construct and develop a solid budget to properly manage their collision shops. Anderson also provided some industry specific information related to O certification programs and training. “ Mike provided some great See ASA Ohio, Page 4

Auto Insurers See Greater Profitability, but Fewer Premiums by Ryan Smith, Insurance Business Magazine

rofitability impro ed in the . . private passenger auto insurance segment in the third quarter of 2020, although premium volume declined, according to a new report from A M B est . The loss ratio of private passenger auto insurers improved by 9.2 percentage points year-over-year to 57 .3%, according to the new Best’s Market Segment Report. The improvement was largely driven by a reduction in accidents due to a pandemic-induced reduction in the number of

cars on the roads and miles driven. Other prime factors were improvements that auto underwriters have made in recent years to enhance their focus on rate adequacy, improving auto repair management and making greater use of innovative measures, AM Best said. At the same time, the reduction of drivers on the road also led to a 1.7 % drop in direct premiums written through Q 3 compared to the same period in 2019. W ith the lower loss frequency, AM Best predicted a four percentage-point improvement See Fewer Premiums, Page 20

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AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 10 / Issue 7 / April 2021

Shops Stuck in the Middle in Battle Over OEM Vehicle Safety Inspections by John Yoswick

M ik e A nderson is convinced the vehicle safety inspection procedures called for by automakers in the OEM electronic service manuals as part of collision repair work have become the single biggest friction point in the industry. “ It’s not scanning. It’s not ‘ feather, prime and block.’ It’s these safety inspections,” said training and consultant Anderson, of Collision Advice. “ My heart bleeds for shops. There are some out there really trying to do the right thing. But they’re

An Illinois shop conducting safety inspections called for by the automaker found a broken dash carrier in a vehicle involved in a low-speed collision

getting stuck in the middle.” Anderson said virtually all of the automaker collision repair proSee Stuck in the Middle, Page 10

At Least 8,000 Autoworkers in Detroit Now Eligible to Get COVID-19 Vaccine by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Three’s autoworkers who live or work in Detroit can now get their COVID-19 vaccines. That means at least 8,000 union members working for Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will be eligible for the shots. Most of those workers work for two J eep plants in Detroit, others live in the city and work for other Stellantis facilities. Also thousands more manufacturing workers, even those who work for Ford Motor Co. and G eneral Motors, can also get the vaccine, provided they live in Detroit. Detroit Mayor M ik e D u gga n on March 2 expanded vaccine availability in the city to those in manufacturing. “ Manufacturing requires large numbers of employees to work in relatively close proximity to each other day after day,” Duggan said. “ So we felt it was important to prioritize them as a group to protect them, the public and our economy.”

The city will start by offering the shots to employees of Stellantis’ two J eep plants as well as to other autoworkers at the TCF Center downtown. The city is using either the fizer or oderna accines. t has not yet received any of the J ohnson & J ohnson shots that have just been approved. Detroit has received 106,000 oderna shots and 2 , 0 fizer shots. Any autoworker at the Detroit Three manufacturing plants can get a vaccine from the city, and there are no age restrictions, Duggan said. The only criteria is the autoworker must either live in Detroit or work in Detroit. “ If you live in the city, but work in Dearborn or W arren—or no matter where you live, but you work in Detroit—all you have to do is call the number and get your vaccine in a matter of days,” Duggan said. To schedule an appointment, autoworkers who match that criteria can call 313-230-0505. They will need to show proof of employSee 8,000 Autoworkers, Page 14

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CONTENTS REGIONAL

NATIONAL

Baker’s Collision Recognized by Ohio EPA for

3M Invests in asTech ........................................47

Progress .......................................................16 Early Morning Fire Destroys Auto Body Shop in Sedalia, MO ..............................................17 Fundraiser Started for Shop Owner Following Fire ...............................................12 Gerber Collision & Glass Acquires Two Repair Centers in Ohio ...............................................8 Illinois Bill Would Forbid Deviations from OEM Procedures ...........................................17 Michigan Business Leaders Predict Fast

www.autobodynews.com

AUTOBODY

Technician ....................................................46 ASA Ohio Performance Leaders Gather Face-to-Face for First Meeting of 2021 ...........1

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli, Gary Ledoux Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Norman Morano, Griffin Reinhard (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Serving Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2021 Adamantine Media LLC.

3M Automotive Aftermarket Division ................. 5

Kia of Lansing ................................................. 12

ABRA Auto Body Repair of America. ................ 21

Kia Wholesale Parts Dealers ............................ 43

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 41

Laurel Auto Group of Westmont ....................... 33

AutoNation Collision Part ................................. 13

Luther Bloomington Acura-Subaru .................. 35

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................ 45

Luther Kia of Bloomington ............................... 32

Car-O-Liner....................................................... 7

McGrath City Hyundai ..................................... 28

Certified Automotive Parts Association ............ 14

Midwest Parts Group..................................18-19

Classic BMW MINI........................................... 10

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers.......................... 44

Classic Chevrolet ............................................ 29

Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers ................. 40

Classifieds ...................................................... 46

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers ................30-31

Columbia Hyundai ........................................... 16

Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers............ 40

PPG Appoints Director .........................................8

Eagle Abrasives ................................................ 9

Patrick Hyundai............................................... 26

SEMA Challenges EPA’s Motorsports

Eckler’s Automotive ........................................ 17

SATA Dan-Am Company .................................. 15

Equalizer Industries, Inc .................................... 6

Sears Imported Autos, Inc ............................... 22

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 40

Shaheen Chevrolet Parts Warehouse ............... 27

Gandrud Parts Center...................................... 23

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes .............. 2

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................... 39

Spanesi Americas ........................................... 48

Hawkinson Kia ................................................ 20

Steck Manufacturing Company ......................... 8

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers .......24-25

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers...................... 44

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 47

The Porsche Exchange .................................... 32

Insta Finish .................................................... 11

The Sharpe Collection of Automobiles ............. 37

asTech Acquires adasThink ...............................27 At Least 8,000 Autoworkers in Detroit Now Eligible to Get COVID-19 Vaccine.....................1 Auto Insurers See Greater Profitability, but Fewer Premiums.............................................1 Catalytic Converter Thefts Skyrocketing Nationwide ...................................................45 CIF Announces Annual Donor Program ..............41

Work by September ........................................6

Cox Automotive Study Finds Car Buying Process Improved During COVID-19

Legislation to Stop Catalytic Converter Theft ...8

Pandemic .....................................................42

Nebraska Fire Destroys Classic Cars .................20

Crash Champions Picks Procurement Supplier ....4

New Grandmother Receives Refurbished Vehicle

Electric Vehicle Repair: No Room for Error .........40

from St. Louis Businesses ...............................6

ltedesco@autobodynews.com

Alex Goodemoot Named World Class

COVID-19 Recovery, Return to In-Person

Minnesota State Senator Introducing Updated

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Farmers Adds App Feature ................................20 Kentucky Auto Parts Maker Plans Expansion

COLUMNISTS Anderson - Nissan Launches ADAS Calibration Course ..........................................................26 Attanasio - Symach Invents Game-Changing Technology to Create the Shops of Tomorrow .....................................................36 Phillips - Benefits of In-Process Quality Control Technology Discussed by Lee Rush, Sherwin-Williams .........................28 Sisk - ASA Leaders Discuss Scanning, EVs, Data Access and Inaccurate Data ..................32 Yoswick - Artistic Auto Body Set for Expanding Electric Vehicle Population with Stand-Alone

in Morgantown ...............................................4 MI Automobile No-Fault Fee Schedule Provisions: A Review of Proposed Rules ........22

Regulations in Court......................................46 Shops Stuck in the Middle in Battle Over OEM Vehicle Safety Inspections.......................1 Toyota RAV4 Fires Originating at 12-Volt Batteries .......................................................47 Volvo Aims For All-EV by 2030...........................36 Why Car Accidents Increase After Daylight Saving Time Begins ........................................4

EV Center......................................................38 Kelly BMW ...................................................... 34 autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

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Kentucky Auto Parts Maker Plans Expansion in Morgantown by Steve Bittenbender, The Center Square

A Canadian-based plastics manufacturer has plans to hire people as the company expands production at a western entuc y plant. tratus lastics nternational plans to hire 0 people immediately at its facility in organtown, , about 2 miles northwest of owling reen. That’s according to a news release from o . A ndy B eshea r’ s office. The company already has employees at the plant, which ma es products for automoti e, industrial and consumer products. The ,000 s uare foot plant is both a production facility and warehouse. The automoti e industry is a ma or employer in entuc y. esides ehicle manufacturing facilities for he rolet, Ford and Toyota, the state is also home to more than 00 other automoti e related facilities. The businesses employ more than 0,000 full time wor ers. n a statement, eshear said tratus’ plans are a sign that en-

tuc y is building a strong economy. The significant increase in planned jobs since the company first announced this pro ect demonstrates entuc y’s strong

“The significant increase in planned jobs since the company first announced this project demonstrates Kentucky’s strong support for manufacturers and our ability to help companies grow quickly,” — Andy Beshear support for manufacturers and our ability to help companies grow uic ly, he said. ast eptember, the entuc y conomic e elopment Finance Authority ga e final appro al for a year incenti e program. tratus can recei e more than 2.2 million in tax incenti e if it hits in estment, payroll and obs targets. According to documents from FA, the company plans to in est 20. million. The a erage hourly wage for the new obs is 2 , including benefits.

Why Car Accidents Increase After Daylight Saving Time Begins by Aaron Widmar, The News Wheel

ow that arch is here again, aylight a ing Time returns to mo e your cloc s ahead one hour and force you to wa e up early. owe er, its effect on your life is far greater than robbing you of a much belo ed hour of sleep. ultiple studies ha e found aylight a ing Time actually affects e eryone’s safety, such as a . increase in wor place in uries and a significant rise in automoti e accidents, according to . . epartment of abor and ine afety and ealth Administration data. ere’s a loo at why aylight a ing Time is dangerous for dri ers. A 2 study by the ni ersity of ritish olumbia professor S t a nl ey Coren, leep eficit, Fatal Accidents and the pring hift to aylight a ing Time, noted a ump in traffic accidents the onday after springing cloc s ahead. t was based on data from , 0 . . traffic deaths that occurred between an .

ocal officials are excited about tratus’ plans. organtown ayor B il l y P hel p s said expanding existing companies is ital to growing the community.

An earlier study by oren found auto accidents were higher the wee following the onset of aylight a ing Time ersus the wee prior. As reported by the ew or aily ews, some critics belie e aylight a ing Time forces society into a state of chronic sleep depri ation, while others belie e the increase in traffic accidents is due to dar er morning commutes. ost people claim it ta es a wee for their bodies to ad ust to the change in schedule and sunlight, and experts li e irginia Tech Transportation nstitute’s Jeff Hic k m a n assert the cloc change results in fatigue and drowsy morning commutes. Thus, the result is an annual increase in car wrec s for the wor days following. n this day and age, we’re all wondering if aylight a ing Time is e en worth ha ing anymore. ntil it gets discontinued, be sure to get some extra sleep to adust yet again to the new schedule this month. We thank T he N ew s Wheel for reprint permission.

utler ounty udge xecuti e T im ot hy F l ener added the land and raw materials available in the county helped attract the company. Their decision to expand here four years later demonstrates that these assets are true ad antages for manufacturers, he said. We appreciate their renewed commitment to our community and loo forward to supporting their growth. We thank T he C enter Sq uare for reprint permission.

Continued from Cover

ASA Ohio tools that the participants will be able to implement and improve their profitability, ougher said. The group members were ery enthusiastic during and after the meeting e eryone was eager to implement the new procedures discussed to better their shop s and to impro e their budgeting practices to better manage their business. A A Ohio’s consists of a group of shop owners and their staffs from entral Ohio who want to impro e their mar et through continued education and networ ing. The group gathers three times each year, and their meetings are facilitated by Anderson.

Crash Champions Picks Procurement Supplier rash hampions, , an established leader in automoti e collision repair, announced arch it has selected O erall arts olutions, nc. O and O Technologies as its preferred parts procurement platform. nterprise wide implementation of the O Technology uite will allow rash hampions to le erage a standardized parts ordering solution to help accelerate the company’s growth in sales. Crash Champions has worked with OP S to achieve a successful implementation of its parts procurement tool. While rash hampions’ management system allows shops to manage repairs and accounts and communicate with all of their customers, the O suite of products provides online access to parts ordering, parts a ailability, order status updates, return processing, parts credit trac ing and deli ery notifications. Source: C rash C hampions

i e pro ides outstanding leadership and cutting edge industry nowledge that eeps the group focused on our goals, ougher said. ow into our second year, A A Ohio’s is coming into its own and will be successful for years to come, ougher continued. These e ents pro ide an a enue for shop owners to communicate and educate the industry in best practices. A A Ohio’s roup will next meet ay at the Ohio Auto olor Training enter. The third meeting of 202 is scheduled for Oct. 2. For more information about A A Ohio and its future e ents, isit asaohio.org.

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Michigan Business Leaders Predict Fast COVID-19 Recovery, Return to In-Person Work by September by Scott McClallen, The Center Square

An updated survey of Michigan’s business leaders reflects higher confidence in the state’s economic recovery in the next six to 12 months, with most anticipating employees will return to in-person work between J uly and September of 2021. Around 84% of respondents expect the state’s economy to remain the same or improve during the next six to 12 months, a sixpoint increase from the last survey. “ As vaccine distribution ramps up and economic confidence continues to expand, there’s reason to be optimistic about the future,” Business L eaders for Michigan P resident and CEO Jef f D onof rio said in a statement. “ Y et even with robust growth and continued federal stimulus funds, it could still take years for employment to recover to pre-pandemic levels.” The survey pinned the three most significant factors influencing Michigan’s future economic growth to be the speed and accep-

tance of vaccinations, the availability of federal stimulus dollars and employers’ projected future capital investment and employment.

The skyline of Grand Rapids, MI, at dusk. Credit: Shutterstock.com/Sean Pavone

The executives surveyed said they anticipate growth in business investment, with 88% predicting stable or expanded employment and 91% expecting steady or increasing capital investment. “ Despite this confidence, there’s still uncertainty around how quickly we can reach herd immunity, the impact of new COVID

New Grandmother Receives Refurbished Vehicle from St. Louis Businesses Maaco Hazelwood, Maaco K irkwood and Maaco St. L ouis, along with Auto W orld, K eystone, Sherwin W illiams and the Art Institute of St. L ouis all teamed up to refurbish a vehicle and donate it to a local woman whose daughter recently passed away. The massive donation will directly affect a new grandmother, whose grandson was born just weeks before her daughter’s passing. “ Our greater St. L ouis community has demonstrated incredible resolve during this challenging year, and it is because we all work together to support one another in times of need,” said M a rie Col a bel l o, owner, Maaco Hazelwood. “ W e’re thankful to have such wonderful small business partners in our community, who can help make initiatives like this come to life.” Maaco Hazelwood completed all body repairs to the car and also donated a car seat for

variants on the economy and the ability of government to support economic recovery,” Donofrio said. Nearly 55% of executives surveyed say at least half of their staff members are still working remotely, though 84% expect employees to return to in-person work by Q 3. W hile most employees are expected to return, remote work will also continue, with more than half of employers expecting to have greater than 10% of their workforce working remotely in the future. “ Michigan’s large employers are planning a return to in-person work,” Donofrio said. “ However, many are still evaluating remote work operations for some employees.” About 48% of business leaders expect the . . economy to improve during the coming year, with another 35% believing it will remain about the same. Much of the increased confidence is likely due to a growing number of Americans receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. In Israel, the P fizer-BioNTech vaccine is re-

ported to be 89% effective at preventing infections. Small Business Association of Michigan P resident B ria n Ca l l ey tweeted: “ G reat summary on how effective the P fizer vaccine is turning out to be in the real world: 1. Highly effective after just one dose ( 2 weeks after) 2. Highly effective in preventing transmission ( including asymptomatic) 3. Efficacy shown against B117 variant.” In Michigan, 1.8 million vaccines have been injected out of 2.4 million vaccines administered. Meanwhile, indoor dining at restaurants is limited to 25% capacity with a 10 p.m. curfew, while many other businesses have adapted to COVID-19 restrictions or pivoted to working from home, Calley wrote. We thank T he C enter Sq uare for reprint permission.

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the child; Maaco K irkwood and Maaco St. L ouis donated items to help support the newborn, including diapers, baby wipes, clothes and more. Auto W orld completed all the mechanical repairs on the vehicle; K eystone donated parts for the collision repairs on the car; Sherwin W illiams donated paint for the vehicle; and the Art Institute of St. L ouis donated the vehicle itself. “ This new grandmother is responsible for raising her grandson, so we hope a reliable vehicle along with the added donations will make this transition a little easier,” said Colabello. “ It was a pleasure to be a part of this donation to a very deserving family.” Maaco is committed to offering dri ers easy, affordable and reliable services that will turn the car they drive back into the car they love. Visit Maaco. com for more information.

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Minnesota State Senator Introducing Updated Legislation to Stop Catalytic Converter Theft As catalytic converter thefts impact increasing numbers of people, Minnesota State Sen. John M a rt y ( DFL -Roseville) is re-introducing legislation to prevent scrap metal dealers from buying catalytic converters from anyone other than an automobile repair shop, auto recycling business or a vehicle owner who demonstrates proof of ownership. In 2020, Marty introduced legislation to prevent such thefts. Although he was not given a hearing on the legislation, he continued working on the issue, discussing it with law enforcement, businesses, legislative colleagues and an ever-increasing number of victims. Now, he is trying again with legislation targeted at the thieves, Senate File 890. The House companion legislation will be chief authored by Rep. Ru t h Ric ha rdson. “ Catalytic converter theft is difficult to address because there are no identifying marks or serial numbers on con erters to lin specific con erters to specific cars, arty said. “ The ease of removing converters is so great that thieves can strike even in parking lots and cars parked on the

street in broad daylight. P olice report finding cars with multiple used con verters in the back seat, but cannot prove that the converters were stolen, so there is nothing they can do, and the ‘ owner’ of those converters can go and sell them with no conse uence. After multiple revisions, the legislation is taking a more targeted approach, proposing a law that would: • P rohibit anyone other than a licensed scrap metal dealer from buying used converters • P rohibit scrap dealers from buying catalytic converters from anyone other than a bona fide auto repair or auto recycling business—individuals who have used converters removed from their cars would be able to sell only if they provide proof of legitimate removal • Make it unlawful for an individual to possess a used converter, not attached to a car, unless the owner has documentation of legitimate removal and ownership—this would enable law enforcement to seize stolen converters, so victims of theft could work with police to show that the converters were stolen

•

P rohibit scrap dealers from paying cash for used converters “ No legislation will completely eliminate the problem, arty said. owe er, ma ing it more difficult for thieves to transport and sell stolen catalytic converters will help. It’s time for the legislature to step up and pre ent these crimes. Theft of catalytic converters from cars is a problem few people were familiar with until recently, but converter thefts have multiplied during each of the last few years. In J anuary, St. P aul reported more than twice as many converter thefts as a year earlier. The problem is growing because it is a quick way to obtain large amounts of cash. W ith a reciprocating saw, a thief can slip under a par ed car and cut off a catalytic converter in a couple of minutes or less. The converters contain several precious metals, giving them a market value that usually reaches $200 to $300 from a scrap buyer. Unfortunately, for the car owner, replacement costs often exceed $2,000 to $3,000. Source: The Oﬃce of Sen. John Marty

PPG Appoints Director P P G on March 2 announced John S t ep henson, current business controller, industrial coatings, has been promoted to director, acquisition integration. In this new global role, Stephenson reports to M ic ha el M c G a rry , P P G chairman and CEO. Stephenson is responsible for the overall integration of P P G acquisitions. He will work to prioritize and achieve project goals, plans and key actions; assure integration plans meet P P G ’s standards for operational excellence; and deliver strategic synergies. He will also serve as the integration leader for the recently announced Tikkurila acquisition, subject to close. Stephenson brings a proven track record in a wide range of business unit and functional roles, and has played leadership roles in a number of key P P G acquisitions. Since joining P P G in 1985, he has held finance leadership positions in all P P G industrial segment businesses and P P G ’s global architectural coatings business. Source: P P G

Gerber Collision & Glass Acquires Two Repair Centers in Ohio The Boyd G roup Inc. announced the acquisition of two collision repair centers in Ohio. These locations previously operated as Frankie & Dylan’s Complete Collision & Custom Repair, originating in Mentor in 1995 and expanding to Streetsboro in 2011.

Mentor is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Cleveland. More than 2 million visitors are attracted yearly to Headlands Beach State P ark in Mentor. Streetsboro is within the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area and located 20 miles northeast of Akron. Streetsboro’s direct access to well-traveled roadways has greatly contributed to the rapid growth of manufacturing, distribution, commer-

cial and residential development in the area. “ W e are eager to welcome these teams to the G erber family and build upon the stellar service provided by these repair centers, said K ev in B u rnet t , COO of G erber Collision & G lass. “ These acquisitions reinforce our commitment to expanding our brand and doing our very best to deliver an exceptional experience for customers and insurance partners. The Boyd G roup is continuously looking to add new collision repair locations to its existing network in Canada and the U.S. Interested collision repair center owners are asked to contact Ja son Hop e, vice president of business development and strategic projects, at ( 530) 7 7 4-3887 or jason. hope@ boydgroup.com. Source: T he Boy d G roup

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Riedel of Subaru of America reiterated the automaker’s stance. “ Every time,” Riedel said of when the inspections are required post-recedures he’s reviewed include a pairs. “ Even if you are in New Y ork variety of safety inspections a shop City and vehicles are just getting needs to do on vehicles involved in sideview mirrors clipped, you still a collision. These inspections can have to do it. W e will not deviate include checking seat belts, measur- from that procedure. W e are having ing the steering column, checking conversations with J apan to review supplemental restraint system con- that. But at this time, we need you to do it every single time.” Anderson said Subaru is hardly alone in this. He points to OEM procedures for the 2018 J eep Cherokee that state, “ If a vehicle is involved in a front-end collision, or the airbag has deployed, or both, the steering column must be replaced.” He shares examples of simThe broken dash carrier was discovered in a 2018 Silverado with only moderate damage ilar OEM safety inspection procedures called for by nectors, looking for damage to knee Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Audi, bolsters or seat components and oth- BMW , Fiat Chrysler and Hyundai. er procedures just to gain the access “ The OEM procedures for the needed to perform inspections. 2018 Chevrolet Silverado include “ These inspections will vary by four or fi e pages of things a shop is OEM and by the year and model of supposed to inspect if a vehicle is any the vehicle,” Anderson said. “ Some collision,” Anderson said. “ A shop inspections are required only if an owner sent me photos of a Silverado airbag deploys, but there often are he repaired, and when they removed inspections required even when air- the dash as part of the required safety bags don’t deploy.” inspections, sure enough, they found Continued from Cover

Stuck in the Middle

Anderson said. “ I asked them if it was because they were unaware of the need to do these procedures, if they thought they were smarter than the engineers and don’t think it was necessary, or if they’re just afraid it will create an issue with an insurance company. It was about onethird each.” Anderson said he’s not going to argue about whether the inspections are necessary or not. “ But I’m certainly not going to second-guess the OEM engineers who say they are,” he said. “ Every time we fix a car, we’re playing ussian roulette. If we don’t do these things, is it going to come back to haunt us? W e’re playing the odds. “ At the end of the day, if you don’t do it, and somebody gets hurt, you’re liable. Y ou can’t say, ‘ The insurer wouldn’t pay me.’ An insurance company refusing to pay you to do it does not remove you from the liability.” That said, Anderson also thinks insurance companies need to recognize the tough position they are putting shops in when they refuse to pay for necessary inspections.

cident in which the occupants were wearing seat belts. “ My only conclusion was their lower extremities were propelled forward into the lower dash, which absorbed the impact,” P aap said. “ W e have found several steering columns collapsed in what would seem like low-speed collisions. This is the reason the required inspections need to be done.” Anderson said another shop he works with has measured 43 steering columns in one automaker’s vehicles, as called for in its procedures following collisions. Of those, 11 had collapsed. “ That’s a 26% rate,” Anderson said. The friction arises because such inspections can potentially require a dozen or more labor hours. Shops doing the procedures can experience push-back from insurers. But there’s also some shops pushing back because the added labor can lead to vehicles being declared total losses. “ I recently got some shops really angry with me at some virtual meetings when I polled them why they weren’t doing the procedures,”

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“ It’s not fair, and it’s not right, for the shop or the consumer,” he said. “ Insurers need to step up and be part of the solution to this issue, not add to it.” Anderson said his goal in challenging shops on the safety inspections isn’t to make anyone angry or add to the friction, but to create awareness about the safety inspections and wor toward some resolution to the issue. He’d like to see automakers, shops and insurers come together to find ways to reduce the friction. He sees a number of things he thinks could help. First, automa ers could refine the safety inspection requirements by better defining when they are needed. Some call for some of the inspections only when there’s been an airbag deployment, which is helpful, Anderson believes. “ But others use such phrases as ‘ minor to moderate collision.’ I thin we need to get a better definition of what ualifies as a minor to moderate collision,’” Anderson said. As an example, he points to a definition the ational ighway Traffic afety Administration has developed of a “ minor crash” in relation to when child safety seats must be replaced. Some automakers may be headed in that direction. L ast summer, G eneral Motors said it was reviewing its published requirements for inspections it currently says must be completed “ after any collision.” Those procedures include inspection of the steering wheel and column, the instrument panel mounting points and brackets, and seat and

seat belt mounting points. “ W e recognize that the requirements and processes we had laid out… are extremely labor intensive and vehicle invasive,” G M’s John E c k said during an online industry meeting. One proposal Eck said was under consideration would establish

dure isn’t done, it should be noted in writing and signed by the insurer and customer as a sort of hold-harmless agreement. One automaker suggests noting inside the vehicle’s owner’s manual, where service and maintenance records are documented, if a procedure wasn’t done. Anderson said he understands legal reasons for this, but still has some concerns with it as a solution. “ If you don’t do it, and that customer sells that car to somebody else, they certainly didn’t waive their rights to that,” Anderson said. “ The hold-harmless would need to indemnify the repairer as long as that vehicle is on the road.” Anderson said he’s open to hearing from anyone who is interested in working on resolving the issue. He’d also like shops to help him compile data on what they do and do not find when conducting the safety inspections. “ I don’t know the solution, but if we get the right people in the room, including insurance companies and the OEMs, we could come up with some solutions that keep shops from being stuck in the middle,” Anderson said.

“My heart bleeds for shops. There are some out there really trying to do the right thing. But they’re getting stuck in the middle.” — Mike Anderson inspection requirements for each of four levels of collision severity, ranging from just visual inspections and diagnostic confirmation without any part removal for the most minor crashes involving no structural damage, up to the existing required procedures as part of repairs involving airbag deployment. “ Once we explain to the engineers the realities of what’s going on in the collision industry and the challenge that repairers are facing, the light bulb goes on and they get it,” Eck said. “ So far, everybody has been very understanding of the need to readdress this and see where we can make changes that will help repairers.” But like Subaru’s Riedel, Eck emphasized that prior to new procedures being finalized, ’s current post-collision inspection requirements remain in place. ntil then, nothing has changed, Eck said. Anderson said the automakers also could help by providing more of the “ why” behind the safety in-

Fundraiser Started for Shop Owner Following Fire After a de astating fire bro e out at Mason Auto Bod y and Mechanical Shop on L ake Road in Rocky River, OH, early Feb. 12, the owner is left to pick up the pieces. G a ry M a son has owned the shop for 47 years and relatives say he lost everything, from vintage cars to motorcycles and computers to fi e belo ed cats in the blaze. Mason reportedly has no

spection requirements. “ For example, one OEM told me they put a plastic bushing in the steering column that’s made to collapse under inertia forces,” he said about the requirement to measure the steering column. “ If so, let’s spell that out so everybody knows why the inspection is critical.”

insurance and suffered a stro e eight months ago, after another fire at his rental property, which was ruled accidental. A G oFundMe account is now set up for Mason, who was planning to eventually sell the garage for retirement. FOX 8 also learned the property was designated as a historical landmark in Ohio. We thank FO X 8 N ew s for reprint permission.

Anderson said a document from Toyota also offers another way automakers could provide more information and ustification for the inspections. It shows, for a list of replacement parts, the necessary procedures that must be completed and lists the possible negati e effects if that procedure isn’t done. “ The automaker spells out, ‘ If you don’t do x, then y will not work properly,” Anderson said. “ This is a very clear statement.” Some automakers suggest in their documentation if a called-for proce-

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Continued from Cover

8,000 Autoworkers ment such as a pay stub or company ID when they arrive at TCF for their appointment, Duggan said. In a show of solidarity March 2, AW ice resident Cindy E st ra da rolled up her sleeve and received a vaccine at the Detroit P olice Department as Duggan looked on. “ I am choosing today to get the accine and hope all the AW workers who feel comfortable with it will get the vaccine as well at the TCF Center,” Estrada said. The mayor said that all employees at the efferson orth Assem bly and the new Mack Assembly J eep plants will be vaccinated in a partnership between Stellantis and Ascension Medical G roup. Stellantis is administering vaccines at the FCA Family Health and W ellness Center. Employees will receive information on how to make an appointment. “ W e will be starting at the two J eep plants,” Duggan said. “ If you work at one of the two J eep plants, you can expect your company will provide vaccinations.” Stellantis’ employees will be given more detailed instructions on the program in the coming days. The company will contact workers at the J eep plants directly to schedule their appointments, the city said in a statement. A Stellantis spokeswoman said the automaker is pleased that Detroit is making vaccines available to manufacturing workers who live or work in the city. “ W e are partnering with Ascension Medical G roup to administer the vaccines for our employees at the company’s new health and wellness center in Detroit,” said Jodi T inson. “ Today’s announcement is an important step in protecting our employees and our communities, so we can return to the lives

we all want to live. W e look forward to working with other health departments to make vaccines available to the rest of our Stellantis employees following local distribution plans.” The city is also administering shots to employees at Ford supplier Flex-N-G ate and Stellantis supplier Dakkota, among others, Duggan said. In addition to Detroit, Boone County, IL , will provide Stellantis vaccines for employees at Belvidere Assembly, where the J eep Cherokee is built, the AW said. Stellantis recently secured shots through Illinois’ Boone County Health Department and already administered them to about a third of its workforce at Belvidere Assembly. These vaccines will be that group’s second dose. “ But this is only a start,” Estrada said. “ W e continue to work with the companies’ local, state, and federal health officials to secure ac cines for all working families that want to receive them.” Any other large manufacturer located in Detroit who wants on-site vaccinations should contact their liaison at Detroit at W ork, the mayor said. G M, which has Factory Z ERO in Detroit and Hamtramck, is in discussion with the city on the specifics for a vaccine program for its workers, a spokesman said. G M has said Factory Z ero, which is currently under construction, will employ 2,200 workers when production begins later this year. “ G M is pleased to learn of efforts to expand vaccine availability,” said D a v id Ca l dw el l , G M spokesman. “ W e have recently discussed this with the city, and look forward to working with them as soon as possible. W e’re encouraging employees to get the vaccine when and where it’s available, and we will inform our

employees as we gather more information.” Ford does not have any factories in the city, but it and G M likely have employees who live there and work at suburban plants. Neither Caldwell nor a spokeswoman for Ford pro ided figures for how many plant employees lived in Detroit. In reaction to the news, Ford spokeswoman K el l i F el k er said the health and safety of its workforce is top priority. “ W e are encouraging our employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine when they are eligible and if they are medically able to do so,” Felker said. “ Ford is working with government officials around the world to help ensure our employees have access to vaccines as they become available.” The automakers have said they were working with public health officials on accine a ailability and priority group determinations? in each state. In November, Ford ordered a dozen ultra-cold freezers to store the vaccines that require it. AW leaders and the etroit Three speak regularly to work

on a plan to get the vaccine to all 150,000 union members at the three carmakers. But they too are still waiting on various states, including ichigan, to offer more details on vaccine availability. Detroit’s move is a big step forward in protecting union members on the job, said Rory G a m bl e, AW president. “ By declaring manufacturing workers ‘ essential’ and protecting Detroit residents and Detroit workers through access to the vaccine, Mayor Duggan has taken major strides to protect AW members, their families and their communities,” G amble said in a statement. “ It’s essential that manufacturing workers have the ability to be vaccinated and help end the spread of this pandemic.” G amble said even with these vaccinations, all union members should continue to follow safety protocols in the plants. taff writer Christ ina Ha l l contributed to this report. We thank the D etroit Free P ress for reprint permission.

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Baker’s Collision Recognized by Ohio EPA for Staying on Cutting Edge of Environmental Progress by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Baker’ s C ol l ision R epair Special ists in ansfield, O , was recently recognized by the Ohio EP A for achieving its E3 ( Encouraging Environmental Excellence) Achievement L evel, obtained by “ completing pollution preventing activities that decreased emissions from painting operations, initiating activities in management commitment, employee involvement, energy efficiency, continuous improvement and recycling.” D eL ee P ow el l , president of Baker’s Collision, is proud of the accomplishment, which she views as “ acknowledgement that they recognize the efforts that we ha e put forth. “ W e are honored to be recognized for doing something that is good for our business and, in turn, good for our community and the environment,” P owell said. “ At Baker’s, we’ e always benefitted from being early adopters—we want to always be on the cutting edge, not the bleeding edge. Continuous improvement is in our DNA; we are open and embrace change.” Although the recognition is new, the environmental conscientiousness is not. Baker’s began this journey in 2008 when it went paperless. “ One year’s worth of RO’s occupied 15 file cabinet drawers, and each year, these had to be stored for seven years before they could be recycled. Now, they’re scanned,” P owell said. “ W e ha e more space since the file cabinets are no longer needed, and the process has impro ed efficiency since e eryone can access the files simultaneously online. Additionally, we save thousands of dollars each year that were previously spent on labor and supplies related to storing files. In 2010, P owell attended a eadership nlimited class where G ra nt M il l iron of Milliron Industries was speaking. “ G rant has been a great role model and mentor in our en ironmental efforts. is message that day was ‘ Recycling is just the right thing to do,’ and since our family business has always believed in doing the right things for the right reasons, we’ve recycled everything we can since that day,” she recalled. “ First, we try to reduce, then reuse, and lastly, we recycle.”

a er’s was the first business in ansfield to collaborate with Ohio Edison/First Energy to update the lighting fixtures in the ,000 s uare foot facility. The project cost more than $32,000, but it has “ allowed our business to save a projected 7 2,000 kW h and an estimated $5,000 in electricity costs annually,” P owell shared. We’ e since done two additional fixture upgrades and are currently using all L ED lighting which improves the work environment for employees. “ W e always meet or exceed the lighting requirements by OEMs for our certification programs that require proper lighting for the repairs to be able to be done completely and correctly the first time, she continued. “ W e continue to look at each use of energy and determine what we can do to impro e, such as new roofing, efficient heating systems, or whate er comes next.” W ith that mentality, it isn’t surprising P owell couldn’t resist answering the G reen Business Challenge issued by the City of Mansfield’s nergy fficiency rogram. “ The program’s motto is ‘ Small changes—BIG impact,’ and they provided a worksheet to calculate your score, along with helpful links for improving it. K im Hil dret h, the program coordinator, was very helpful, and does so much to help beautify our community,” P owell said. “ W hen Baker’s accepted the challenge, I recruited management to be involved. W e didn’t just embrace the concept--we used what we learned to take everything we’d previously been doing to the next level.” Next on the agenda for Baker’s Collision: transitioning from herwin Williams ltra 00 solvent-based paints to Sherwin-W illiams ltra Waterborne system. But there was a snag. “ W e were unable to spray this product in the downdraft spray booth we had at the production level we require,” P owell said. P owell applied for a grant from the Ohio Air Q uality Development Authority ( OAQ DA) in J une 2019, requesting one-third of the funds needed to purchase a new G armat 3000 series downdraft spray booth. “ By purchasing a new paint booth, designed to spray waterbase products, it will reduce the amount of VOCs being exhausted through

our booth filtering system by 0 , P owell explained to the OAQ DA. “ Our [ former] product contains 5 to 6 lbs. of VOCs per gallon, but the waterborne product produces only 1 lb. or less per gallon.” “ Baker’s received the grant from the OAQ DA and started the transition to waterborne on Oct. 1, 2019. It has been very successful,” P owell said. “ Our grant request and installing the booth is what brought us to the EP A’s attention, and it’s nice to know that the Ohio EP A is here to help small businesses.” W hile Baker’s has made many changes over the years to help safeguard the environment, “ the acti ities are not difficult, and neither is the implementation,” according to P owell. “ L ike many things, the biggest challenge is the mindset. If companies have the right mindset and truly want to adopt these policies, there are many resources to assist with accomplishing those goals.” P owell also recognizes employee buy-in is essential. “ At Baker’s, my greatest success story is the business culture,” she said. “ I could not have a

better team; they embrace our philosophies, which revolve around G od, family and then business. They want to contribute to our community being a great place to work and live, and that means taking all of the small steps that we can to improve the environment.” P owell continues exploring additional avenues to improve her business. “ W e’re currently focused on additional training and equipment purchases to work on the EVs that are here now and all those to come. Two certification programs are currently requiring additional items to maintain status, and as the OEMs become more selective on who they certify, we are positioning ourselves to repair these vehicles to their high standards—we want to be on that cutting edge.” “ I hope other shops and businesses will explore what they can do to help preserve and improve the environment,” P owell added. “ It’s a good business decision—and a good personal decision.” For more information on Baker’s Collision, visit www.bakerscollision.com.

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Early Morning Fire Destroys Auto Body Shop in Sedalia, MO An early arch fire in edalia, MO, destroyed a body shop and damaged neighboring buildings. Sedalia Fire Chief G reg Ha rrel l said in a news release the fire at the corner of E. Main Street and N. W ashington Avenue was called in around 4: 33 a.m. and crews arrived several minutes later.

Credit: KMIZ News

Harrell said four adjacent buildings were damaged in the blaze. The fire chief sadi ehi cles, a motorhome, two forklifts and a skid steer were destroyed in the fire. One resident reported seeing “ mushroom clouds” of smoke and fire ust after firefighters arri ed on scene.

o one was hurt in the fire, crews said. Crews said Martinez Bod y Shop burned to the ground in the fire. According to the press release, firefighters were able to put out the initial blaze in 20 minutes. The Martinez Body Shop owners can be reached at ( 660) 287 97 31. A saw fire crews at the scene just after 9 a.m., still dumping water on the smoldering building. Firefighters from the ettis ounty Fire P rotection District were called to the area as well. A Sedalia man whose family previously owned the building said the auto body had been a lumber mill for years and that it had burnt down in the 1950s. As of the morning of March , it’s unclear what started the fire. W orkers inside the building say they saw fire going up the sides and ceiling of the business when the fire alarm went off, arrell said in the release. We thank K MIZ N ew s for reprint permission.

Illinois Bill Would Forbid Deviations from OEM Procedures by Emmariah Holcomb, glassBYTEs.com

Illinois has a new piece of legislation that could impact the auto glass industry if passed. The bill, HB 3133, would amend the state’s current Insurance Code to expressly forbid insurers from requesting deviations from OEM repair procedures, except for parts or ADAS calibration tools. “ No insurer shall specify the use of repair procedures that are not in compliance with original equipment manufacturer directives for those parts in the repair of an insured’s motor vehicle, nor shall any repair facility or installer use repair procedures that are not in compliance with original equipment manufacturer

directives for those parts to repair a vehicle,” a portion of HB 3133 reads. The bill would also add the following to Section 155.29 of 215 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5: “ However, this subsection does not require the use of original equipment manufacturer repair parts or original equipment manufacturer advanced driver assistance system calibration tools that may be recommended in an original equipment manufacturer directive if the repair parts or calibration tools used are at least equal in like kind and quality and otherwise conform to original equipment manufacturer directives.” We thank gl assBY T E s.com for reprint permission.

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Nebraska Fire Destroys Classic Cars cars. He told local reporters the Olds has considerable sentimental value, since he’s owned it for 45 years and drove it to elope with his wife. That seems to be the only truly happy story of the incident since many other vehicles now either need a full restoration or are a complete loss. Images taken by local journalists show a burned C3 Corvette under debris as well as a RAM truck crushed by part of a brick wall on the exterior of the complex. According to Assistant Fire Chief Chris Jobe, the fire was fueled by about 1,500 gallons of oil on site, plus many tires and gasoline kept in the complex. When the first fire crews arrived, the roof of the building was already collapsing. The fire was so intense the cars’ windshields were melting, which only happens once temperatures reach at

by Steven Symes, Motorious

For six long hours on the night of Feb. 20, firefighters in Auburn, NE, battled a blaze that destroyed at least two dozen cars at dealership Auburn Auto, many of them classics.

Credit: News Channel Nebraska Central

And while those rides were either scorched or crushed as the building came apart in the inferno, not all were lost. Roger Henderson was grateful his 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible was moved out of the building before it was destroyed along with the other

Continued from Cover

Fewer Premiums in the segment’s combined ratio for 2020, from 94.4 to 98.8. At the start of last year, personal auto insurers had been benefiting from a couple of years of positive underwriting and operating performance momentum. This reflected the robust risk-adjusted capitalization of most writers and the positive impact of technology and data analytics on their underwriting, ratemaking and claims handling, AM Best said. These factors, along with the unexpectedly positive impact of COVID-19 on auto travel, improved the sector’s profitability significantly. Twenty-one insurers generated

more than $1 billion in private passenger auto direct premiums through the third quarter. However, for 10 of those 21, their topline premium showed a decline compared with the prior-year period. Three experienced premium growth of 1% or less, and most of the sector’s leading auto insurers offered premium discounts, rebates or refunds during the COVID-19 surge. U.S. roads are expected to remain less congested than normal for an indeterminate period in 2021, which could extend the favorable loss frequency trend, AM Best said. However, cars traveling at faster speeds on less congested roads can cause more serious accidents, increasing the severity of claims. We thank Insurance Business Magazine for reprint permission.

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least 2,600 degrees. Those conditions made fighting the blaze a difficult six hours. Other area fire departments responded and aided in efforts. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, per local reports. Auburn Auto’s building has been around since 1920 and is a fixture of the city’s downtown area. It was formerly a Ford dealership and other independent dealerships, so the community is feeling the loss. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames before they spread to other nearby buildings. We thank Motorious for reprint permission.

Your leading source for MIDWESTERN Collision Repair News! midwestern.autobodynews.com

Farmers Adds App Feature Farmers Insurance on March 9 announced the launch of CrashAssist, a new feature included within the Signal app that helps connect drivers with emergency services in the event of an accident and offers help in reporting a claim, if desired. The crash detection feature will be available via app update to all Signal customers by midMarch. Using the same phone sensors already in use by the Signal app, CrashAssist will deliver a push notification if a crash is detected. Customers will be prompted to confirm whether or not a crash occurred and if they are in need of emergency services. Drivers can also access additional support services including tips to document the crash, share their location, request roadside assistance or report a claim. For more information, visit Farmers.com/Signal. Source: Farmers Insurance

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MI Automobile No-Fault Fee Schedule Provisions: A Review of Proposed Rules no-fault fee schedules will be calculated based on provider setting and clientele:

by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services ( DIFS) has proposed new administrative rules to implement the medical fee schedules contained in Michigan’s automobile no-fault statute. The proposed rules address certain issues arising under the fee schedule, including: •

The Medicare fee schedules applicable to reimbursements • P roviders eligible for enhanced reimbursement amounts se of charge description masters, average provider charged amounts and regional averages • P rocedures for DIFS to collect information on provider charges • Facility accreditation procedures The Michigan fee schedule goes into effect uly 2, and will apply to charges for treatment and training rendered on or after that date. DIFS has stated the fee schedule provisions will apply to both “ new and existing claims” where treatment is rendered on or after J uly 2. About Michigan Automobile No-Fault Reform In J une 2019, Michigan enacted major reforms to its automobile nofault insurance law. P rovisions of the law have been phased in over time, including allowing policyholders to choose from various coverage options and benefit amounts in lieu of unlimited lifetime benefits, as well as the requirement that insurers institute use review programs relating to provider services. The next significant step in the reform law is the institution of medical fee schedules pertaining to provider reimbursement. The fee schedules will become effecti e uly 2. The newly proposed administrative rules, which DIFS issued in February, will guide implementation of the fee schedules. Overview of Michigan’s Statutory Fee Schedule Provisions Reimbursement under Michigan’s

•

Base Reimbursement: The fee schedule sets most provider reimbursements at a percentage markup over amounts payable by Medicare. • Enhanced Reimbursement: The fee schedule provides for enhanced reimbursements for qualifying providers. • No Applicable Medicare: In situations where Medicare does not provide an amount payable for a treatment, providers will receive a reimbursement at a reduced percentage of the amounts in their charge description masters in effect on an. 1, 2019. If a provider did not have a charge description master on that date, they will receive a reduced percentage of the “ average amount” the provider charged on J an. 1, 2019. In short, reimbursement rates are provided as a percentage of the amount payable under Medicare or, where there is no amount payable under Medicare, as a percentage of the provider’s charge description master or average charge for the treatment as of J an. 1, 2019. The Proposed Fee Schedule Rules Michigan’s proposed administrative rules largely address the above fee schedule provisions relating to provider reimbursement. The rules will do the following: efine the applicable edicare fee schedule • Establish procedures to determine which health care providers are entitled to enhanced reimbursement • Establish procedures for DIFS to collect information related to provider charges to calculate payment or reimbursement • Establish a methodology for adjusting provider charges using the medical care component of the consumer price index • Establish procedures for DIFS to administer accreditation requirements for neurological rehabilitation clinics The proposed rules are intended to

ensure greater reimbursement consistency, promote cost containment and reduce disputes between providers and insurers, according to the Regulatory Impact Statement ( RIS) and ost enefit Analysis accompa nying the proposed rules: “ The proposed rules help implement MCL 500.3157 , which was intended to contain costs pertaining to no-fault benefits. Toward that end, the pro cesses established by the proposed rules are intended to allow for consistency in reimbursement for nofault benefits without unnecessarily burdening healthcare providers or automobile insurers.” Next Steps for CCC The proposed rules are subject to DIFS’ full rulemaking process, including a public comment period. DIFS has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed rules for 9 a.m. March 26. The CCC Casualty team will participate in the March 26 call, and will continue to actively monitor and report on developments regarding the proposed rules throughout the rulemaking process. CCC will also continue to collaborate with cus-

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Regulatory monitoring is a focus area for , as it acti ely identifies, monitors and reports on changes to relevant laws, regulations and guidance. CCC also monitors fee schedule and other changes in the medical community to supplement client’s monitoring. Its goal is to help clients stay up to date on changes like the Michigan fee schedule provisions and proposed rules. Contact your CCC representative to learn more about how it is helping customers implement the fee schedules and rules. Source: C C C

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with Stacey Phillips

From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson is the president and owner of Collision Advice, a consulting company for the auto body/collision repair industry. For nearly 25 years, he was the owner of Wagonwork Collision Center, an OEM-certified, full-service auto body repair facility in Alexandria, VA.

Nissan Launches ADAS Calibration Course Advanced driver assistance system ( ADAS) calibrations are an increasingly important part of a safe and proper repair, and that may prove a challenge for collision shops that lack relevant training and equipment. For those ready for some OEM hands-on training, Nissan recently launched an ADAS calibration course. ust as some automa ers offer training on how to work with their particular aluminum structural components, ADAS and calibrations are just as important and unique to each automaker. Certainly, more shops are wanting to do a greater share of this work in-house because subletting it can add complications and negatively impact cycle time. Sometimes there are even concerns whether those doing the sublet work are doing it properly. I know shops are eager for more OEM training related to ADAS. W e surveyed nearly 400 shops last summer and found 7 4% would be interested in hands-on calibration training offered by an automa er. One respondent said after months of being holed up because of COVID, the training could be in Antarctica and he’d still want to go. Even among those who said they weren’t interested at the time, many said this was only a temporary view because of COVID concerns or because they’d taken a revenue hit last spring. shared my findings with some of my contacts at various automakers, and Nissan jumped right on it. I asked M a rk Z oba , manager of Nissan and F T ’s ertified ollision Repair Networks, if I could publish our conversation about his focus on O specific ad anced training. Full disclosure: My company worked with Nissan and asTech to adapt this training for the collision industry.

Tell me more about how Nissan views ADAS, and how important it is for shops to know how to repair this advanced technology.

ADAS is an important element of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility ( NIM) initiatives to deliver real benefits to dri ers. As a result, Nissan is pushing to make more ADAS technologies accessible to all of our vehicle owners. Safety Shield 360 is now standard across many models, and breakthrough technologies like P roP IL OT Assist 2.0 is debuting on our upcom-

ing electric crossover ARIY A. Shops, like our dealers, need O specific ad anced training to properly ensure that all safety and ADAS systems are functioning as designed. Thus, collision shops must be able to identify the systems present on a specific ehicle. ADAS components also may be disconnected or moved during the repair process, requiring a calibration. This is why a post-repair vehicle scan is also essential to help assess ADAS system functionality and resolve all diagnostic trouble codes.

Q: A:

ADAS training includes what shops need to know about paint thickness over sensors, for example, or calibration issues related to the unibody alignment and specs.

Q: A:

W hat does the training look li e Where is it offered

Although the collision industry offers many courses online, we felt that this needed to be hands-on training. It’s about 20% classroom training, but the majority is devoted to actually setting up and performing calibrations on real vehicles. W e originally thought the training needed to be three days given the amount of information. But we understand it’s difficult for techs to be out of the shop, so we wanted

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to condense the in-person training as much as possible. W e piloted the course and found we could get it down to two days, though they are two very full days. P art of what makes that possible is the pre-work that is required before the course. For those in the industry who said they wished there was more meat in OEM training programs, we deliver it with this class. Even before setting foot in the training center, students complete e-learning modules on navigating Nissan TechInfo for repair procedures, on understanding ADAS components, etc. They have to know how to use TechInfo before they show up. tudents wor on fi e new issan and INFINITI vehicles; each has been “ bugged” with an ADAS problem that needs to be diagnosed and resolved. Students rotate through the vehicles, working in pairs, do-

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Is this training the same that dealer technicians receive?

It is similar, but not exact. I invited Collision Advice and asTech to attend the hands-on ADAS and calibration training that Nissan currently offers to our dealerships’ service technicians. W e then worked together to “ translate” that training for the collision repair world. All of the calibration processes are the same, but Nissan wanted this training to focus on what collision techs encounter when working on Nissan and INFINITI vehicles after an accident. Our collision-tailored

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ing fi e hands on calibrations. Then each student has to do three calibrations by themselves to pass. There may be some students who may not pass this class. In fact, many that have taken the class have acknowledged that this is the most advanced and intense OEM training they have ever attended.

Q: A:

How has Nissan addressed COVID-related concerns?

I understand the concerns, and I also know shops need the information to work with our vehicles’ ADAS systems. Shops can’t just tell customers, “ Come back in a year and we’ll calibrate your vehicle’s systems then.” If shops are performing these operations, Nissan wants to help ensure they have the proper training within a safe environment for learning. Nissan has COVID-related controls, which everyone must follow. Nissan worked with asTech to create a dedicated training facility for the course in J acksonville, FL . There are just 10 students at a time, working with two instructors, within

a 3,000-square foot space, so social distancing isn’t a problem. Everyone wears a mask and gloves. Everyone gets their temperature taken in the morning before they enter the classroom, and everyone is using their own factory scan tool. That reminds me: One of the things we do in the class is let students scan ehicles first with their choice of aftermarket scan tool, then scan that same vehicle with the O T factory scan tool. eryone has their opinion on factory versus aftermarket scan tools. W e challenge them to compare the tools themselves, and students can see the results firsthand.

W ho is eligible to attend? Is the training required by Nissan or INFINITI?

The course is currently open to Nissan and INFINITI certified collision centers, and we’re working on a solution to make it available to the industry in the near future. W e’re prioritizing our certified shops, but we also want to help educate as many shops as possible.

It’s important to Nissan to help make sure our ehicles are fixed correctly. For our certified shops, the training is not required, although we strongly recommend it to shops that want to perform in-house calibrations. One thing I found interesting after we did the pilot class was that some shops said they wished they had sent both a technician and an estimator. It’s helpful for them both to experience firsthand how to use TechInfo and see what’s involved in the calibration processes. This can lead to writing a more complete initial estimate.

Q: A:

So how does a shop get more information or sign up?

Shops can contact my team at NNACollisionRepairNetwork@ nissan-usa.com for more information. For Nissan and INFINITI certified shops, support may also include help registering for the course. on certified shops will be added to our current waitlist, and we will contact them once we open up the course to the industry.

asTech Acquires adasThink Repairify, Inc. d/b/a asTech, a portfolio company of K inderhook Industries, L L C, announced Feb. 24 the acquisition of adasThink. adasThink retrieves information related to the ehicle specific ad anced dri er-assistance systems ( ADAS) and identifies re uired A A procedures and calibration based on labor operations in an automotive repair estimate. adasThink represents the 10th add-on acquisition for asTech and K inderhook’s 101st automotive-related transaction. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The adasThink technology le erages the ehicle identification number to properly identify the vehicle’s build information. W ithin the information, the technology identifies the A A on the vehicle impacted by the vehicle’s damage. Additionally, this technology identifies O calibration requirements and instructions. Source: asT ech

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with Stacey Phillips

Tips for Busy Body Shops

Stacey Phillips is an award-winning freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry. She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of “The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.” She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

with Stacey Phillips

Benefits of In-Process Quality Control Technology Discussed by Lee Rush, Sherwin-Williams One of the universal issues in the defects, comebacks, poor quality collision repair industry and a pain and missed opportunities. W ith the point on e ery production floor is a introduction of new technology, that with Stacey Phillips lack of in-process quality control, is starting to change. according to L ee Ru sh, manager In his presentation, he shared of business development for Sher- insight about the benefits of using win-W illiams® . quality technology to help identify “ In-process quality control has and correct issues throughout the reeluded this industry for years and pair process long before the final continues to do so today,” said Rush. inspection. “ Not only is it awith huge Victoria liability risk, Those who don’t incorporate Antonelli but it can cost every collision shop in-process quality validation can profit and sales. suffer greatly, said ush. This could mean poor Y elp reviews, restrictions put into place by insurance programs, an impact on the quality of employees hired and increased with Ed Attanasio liability for not performing a proper repair. Rush discussed the importance of validating in-process “ Q uality has a broad quality impact and many ramificaDuring a virtual presentation tions on your business,” said Rush. given as part of the Society of Col- “ By providing a process in which lision Repair with Specialists Gary( SCRS) Ledouxa repaired vehicle is returned to the Repairer Driven Education ( RDE) customer free of defects, safe and the Series, Rush discussed the impor- overall crashworthiness is restored, tance of validating in-process qual- it allows us to reduce and eliminate ity and explained how it differs from in-process quality delays.” quality control ( Q C) , typically done Rush said it also increases the in many shops across the country to- number of quality inspectors. day. with Stacey Phillips “ Instead of one or two people W hereas q ual ity control occurs in the business being responsible at the end of the repair cycle when for inspecting vehicles, everyone in the vehicle is inspected before being the business becomes a quality inreturned to the customer, Rush said spector,” he said. “ This can greatly in-process q ual ity v al id ation is live reduce the amount of time manageon the production floor, where ad- ment spends addressing and readjustments can be made throughout dressing quality delays.” the repair cycle.with Mike Anderson The key, said Rush, is to incorRush used the analogy of a porate digital tools that help achieve sports team where the coach gives these goals. an overview of the game and what This means moving away from went wrong. paper checklists and “ check the box” “ A review at the end of the game procedures, as well as electronic standoesn’t do anything to improve per- dard checklists that do not relate to the formance,” he explained. repair. Rush has spent more than 20 Shop owners and managers who years managing collision centers do incorporate technology to validate and MSOs and has extensive expe- in-process quality typically experirience in business center expansion ence numerous benefits. These could using lean and process-driven oper- include cost reductions, more consisations. tent repair quality, reduced vehicle Over his career, he has found comebacks, improved cycle time, reshops lacked the technology to mea- duced liability and overall customer sure the dollar value of in-process and employee satisfaction.

My SEMA

Shop Strategies

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Rush shared 10 best practices when implementing quality validation technology. The technology should: lectronically erify, alidate and measure quality from any device. Offer digital features that can be implemented at a low cost. a e high mobility and be simple to use so every employee can easily adopt. ommunicate to all employees in real-time to help them stay on task. a e the capability to increase the number of quality inspectors in the business. ro ide a uality chec and validation for each phase of the repair process prior to final inspection. a e robust reporting features that track performance so all failures can be resolved quickly, minimizing

Product Innovation

delays and improving on-time delivery. Focus on eliminating the major reasons for production delays including parts mistakes, supplements and in-process delays due to errors and defects. lectronically document the repair for all stakeholders, including the vehicle owner, insurance company, certified repair program, etc. apture photos and allow for an audit of the shop’s standard operating procedures ( SOP s) . We’re going to find that many of the O certification programs are going to be gravitating toward these expectations,” said Rush. p until recently, ush wasn’t aware of a method that was available to consistently and predictively measure the impact of in-process See Quality Control Technology, Page 44

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Historical Snapshot with John Yoswick

Associations Assembling with Chasidy Rae Sisk

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@gmail.com.

ASA Leaders Discuss Scanning, EVs, Data Access and Inaccurate Data confidence is at sta e. We Southeast sumer’s News work hard to gain the respect of our

On Feb. 9, the Automotive Service Association ( ASA) hosted a virtual media briefing with to discuss important Chasidy Rae topics related to ehicle electrifica tion and data accessibility. T ony M ol l a , vice president of industry relations for ASA, welcomed attendees and explained the purpose of the briefing. with Rae “ A new year has Chasidy begun, we’ve got the results of the 2020 election, and we’re in the transition, so we wanted to share with you issues that are ongoing, things that may be on

customers and can’t let that be torn Sisk down because of inaccurate reporting of information, not to mention the potential liability or assumed data breach that may have to be defended.” CARFAX was “ equally conSisk cerned about the breach and the information being incorrect” and reached out to Fisher to elaborate on its platform data functions and how it acquire its information. The

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the rise and challenges that we see company does not mine informacoming in the not-so-distant future,” tion from databases; information is with Chasidy Rae Sisk Molla said. pushed to it with explicit consent Molla acted as moderator for the from 2,000 different data sources, informative presentation. Speakers including shops, dealerships, municincluded Ra y F isher, AMAM, pres- ipalities and more. ident and executive director of ASA; According to Fisher, he and with Chasidy Rae Sisk Robert Redding, ASA’s W ashington CARFAX had a “ highly informaD.C. representative; M ik e L eV a stive conversation” which “ paved the seu r, collision division director for way to find out more about the prob ASA; and ASA’s mechanical division lem and get it fixed. director, T om P iip p o, AMAM. A A wants to find solutions Fisher ic ed things off by pro to industry problems. Someone who with Chasidy Rae Sisk viding an update on ASA’s recent claims to have authorization pushed communications with CARFAX af- inaccurate information to CARFAX , ter members reported consumer data and if that data was pushed out erregarding estimates written by inde- roneously, what other information pendent repairers, MSOs and dealer- could be provided that’s incorrect? ships had reached CARFAX , wheth- I’m really concerned about this and er the work waswith completed or not. determined to find the lea . We’ll Ed Attanasio “ Our purpose in bringing this keep moving forward and pushing to A FA ’s attention was to fix for an answer and also a solution,” a problem, not to bring attention to Fisher continued. a particular entity,” he said. “ This is L eVasseur then discussed manan important issue because the con- ufacturers’ continued trending to-

wards safety using autonomy. “ Our industry is challenged with these new technologies that require new procedures, equipment, knowledge and information that aren’t included within the current information platforms that we rely on when writing estimates,” he said. “ W hen it’s not there, it can cause issues. These procedures require time, equipment and training, so we thought it was important to define this standardized technology.” ADAS is at the top of that list, according to L eVasseur, though it’s been going on for a long time, mentioning the need for pre- and postscans. “ ADAS continues to be developed to assist drivers with autonomy and create safety. This isn’t really new, but it’s because more and more complicated.” L eVasseur shared the collision

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operations committee’s efforts to work with scan tool manufacturers, industry associations, OEMs, repairers, educators and consultants, including M ik e A nderson of Collision Advice, to look at various service procedures with safety as a priority. “ W e gathered and documented a lot of information, filtering through for commonalities to help identify the differences in standard ized technology.” Over the past eight months, the committee has been developing a scanning compensation position in an attempt to reduce friction between payers and repairers. L eVasseur hopes to ha e it finalized by the spring CIC, but he shared a sneak peek of the statement as currently written. In part, it states: “ The Automotive Service Association acknowledges the act of scanning a vehicle

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using a ualified scan tool as a necessary and not-included operation that is legitimately expressed on a repair order with either a fixed cost in labor hours and/or set dollar amounts.” The statement goes on to say all additional operations to fix the DTCs are considered separate operations, not to be included in the scanning operation. It also included definitions and a series of facts about scanning and ualified scan tools. “ I feel pretty good about where we’ve gone, and where we are right now,” L eVasseur said. “ The spirit of it is really coming into view.” ASA is still gathering information on this topic and invites industry professionals to complete its Industry Survey on Servicing Advanced Technologies at http: // survey.constantcontact.com/survey/ a07 ehkvxuezkkx140cc/a006kkzl n7 xi/questions Next, P iippo addressed the fact OEMs are increasing production of electric vehicles, referencing G M’s commitment to a 100% EV lineup by 2035.

“ Eight years ago, the government was trying to push the agenda, and vehicle manufacturers and the infrastructure just wasn’t there yet. Now, we not only have the normal OEMs working towards this, but there’s new entries to the market that will have their cars on the market pretty soon,” P iippo said. “ Right now, there’s more questions than answers, but we know there will be more to come for both collision and mechanical repairers: more technology, more tooling, more information. t becomes difficult all around ASA is staying on top of this and tell our members what they can do to be aggressive.” P iippo also expressed deep concerns about modifications made to vehicles equipped with ADAS increasing the burden of liability for shops. G iving the example of a pickup truc that is lifted with off road-

ing tires, he questioned what those modifications do to A A , camera alignment and adaptive cruise radars. “ Maybe you can ‘ adjust for that,’ but what documentation does the repairer have that authorizes the modifications As a repairer, if you reengineer outside the original specs, then you’re responsible for the changes and the liability that might go with it. “ W e need to educate the industry because this is a serious situation that involves safety and people’s

plained, “ Our job is to educate members of Congress and the Administration as to what matters to shops. W e do by speaking with one voice: both individually as an association and as part of numerous coalitions. “ This was critical in the past year to ensure that shops were categorized as essential and included in key stimulus proposals throughout the year.” P roviding an update on electric ehicle policy, edding noted . . Sen. Chu c k S c hu m er ( D-NY ) said at the end of 20 that the electrifi-

“By staying involved, we can ensure that our priorities for independent automotive repairers are taken care of,” — Robert Redding lives,” P iippo stressed. “ W ith any modification on a car or truc , we don’t ha e a surefire way to calibrate the system to the way it was originally designed. Shops may need to turn these jobs away until we can get better documentation from the OE or a validating testing source for these modifications we’ e got to be smart about this in the long run; we’ve got to protect ourselves.” The last topic P iippo broached was counterfeit OEM parts. These are branded with OEM names and logos; “ everything looks like it should be, but they’re really noc offs. ollision di ision has been dealing with this for years, but we’re seeing an increase in this on the mechanical side now,” P iippo said. “ Sometimes you catch it, sometimes you can’t, but we’ve been working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council so there’s more to come.” L astly, Molla introduced Redding, who began by explaining ASA tracks state legislations and regulations, in addition to federal legislation, and the association is very active in numerous small business and industry coalitions. “ By staying involved, we can ensure that our priorities for independent automotive repairers are taken care of,” Redding said. Alluding to the recent change to a Joe B iden administration and how it impacts the automotive repair industry’s top issues, Redding ex-

cation of the . . fleet would be a top priority once Democrats took the Senate. “ This has certainly become a priority in this first 00 days, and think we’re going to see it throughout the Biden administration and also the 117 th Congress. Some of this can be done without new legis-

lation,” Redding said. One of iden’s first executive orders pushes for clean and zero-emission vehicles to be used for all federal, state and local government fleets, and it also indicates a goal of developing a carbon pollution-free electricity sector no later than 2035. “ There’s a lot of pressure for EVs,” Redding said, noting that, in upcoming stimulus package proposals, “ we see we’re going to have additional proposals for funding for charging stations and investment in other infrastructure training for EVs.” The government’s focus on this is evidenced by the Climate 21 P roject, Biden’s plans to add 500,000 EV charging stations across the country, and the . . epartment of nergy’s loan programs which offer financing for pro ects across the energy sectors. “ W e’re going to see some dramatic EV incentives,” Redding predicted. ASA is also working on items specific to the automoti e and colliSee ASA Leaders, Page 42

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34 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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with Victoria Antonelli

Product Innovation

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

with Ed Attanasio

Symach Invents Game-Changing Technology to Create the Shops of Tomorrow Every year at SEMA, the industry W hen you sign on the dotted ing a new repair process, FixL ine, gets to see all the newest technolo- line with Symach, it’s like taking on which reduces the actual throughput gy, and if you’ve been in it for any a very sophisticated partner, because time inside the shop by 1.5 to two significant amount of time, youLedoux ha e they play a major role in literally ev- days, while eliminating three to four with Gary witnessed the development of new ery aspect of your production. hours in labor costs per repair. tools and equipment at a rapid rate. For 20 years, Symach has Symach’s FixL ine process is It’s no longer an evolution, but helped shops switch from conven- slashing cycle time like never before. more like an explosion! tional repair processes to an innova“ W e have developed a system tive lean process using leading-edge where it moves the car through the technology. process without interruption, as opOwner O sv a l do B erga gl io posed to the stop-and-start convenwith Stacey Phillips founded the company two decades tional way of fixing ehicles, erago to embark on a research project gaglio said. “ In your standard shop, that led to the development of the cycle time is four to six days and we DryTronic system, which uses cut- do the entire repair in one day.” ting-edge technology to dry automoEverything the company makes, tive paint. It was an immediate suc- including spray booths, drying rocess and today, body shops all over bots, lamps, shop lighting, with Mike Anderson the planet use it. paint mixing rooms and the FixL ine Owner Osvaldo Bergaglio’s company is well Symach’s DryTronic drying conveyor system, is designed and known for its products that have helped to take the collision repair industry into the robotic age technology allows automotive paint built using the highest quality comto cure in less than a minute. In ponents. All equipment is produced Innovators have always led 2002, Symach started the production at Symach’s headquarters and subthe way in every industry by taking of obo ry, its first robot for auto- sequently installed by the compachances and pursuing ideas others motive body shops, and developed a ny’s trained experts and followed by thought were outlandish. W hen Ed- quick new process to spray and dry on-site personalized training. ison unveiled the lightbulb, people called it a “ conspicuous failure.” When bicycles first hit the mar et, someone wrote they would doom the popularity of the wheel forever. And when the first cheeseburger was invented in 1934, one critic deAt Symach’s headquarters in Bologna, Italy, the company has manufactured more than 2,600 robots scribed it as “ bizarre” and predicted and more than 150 complete new automotive body shops with their Symach FixLine process the concept would flop. But, obviously, we now use every brand and type of automotive In 2016, Symach moved into its lightbulbs, ride bikes and eat cheese- paint, Symach P aint Application P ro- new 161,500-square foot factory in burgers in fact, did all three the cess ( SP AP ) . Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy. other day. Symach’s curing systems are Today, the company has more than For more than a decade, Symach well-known for being green and can 30 employees as part of its internain Bologna, Italy, has been producing reduce a shop’s energy consumption tional team, which includes installinnovative body shop solutions for by up to 90%. It reduces a vehicle’s ers, engineers and trainers. the collision repair industry. They actual time inside the shop by up to Once a body shop owner dedesign and manufacture everything 0 , and will significantly reduce cides to become a Symach shop, the they sell, rather than using third-par- an average of three to four hours in company manages the body shop ty companies to assemble packages labor cost per repair. conversion from a conventional proof tools and equipment. In 2010, Symach began featur- cess to the FixL ine process. Symach

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is more than a simple equipment manufacturer; it is a collision repair solution provider with a profound understanding and knowledge of the automotive collision repair process. Symach knows every shop is different, so ergaglio first analyzes the business before devising a custom solution based on the types of cars it repairs. “ W e break it down into four categories classic cars, prestige cars, reconditioning or fleets, ergaglio said. “ W e can work for any body shop or collision center in those categories, but they are completely different in some ways. Our approach is to look at the business model, look at their data and the activities in the shop. W e’ve developed some software that allows us to do the math and design the shop floor for optimum efficiency. If you want to get a glimpse into the future of the collision repair industry, all you have to do is look at what Symach is doing today. Currently, Symach has sold more than 2,600 robots and more than 150 complete new automotive body shops with the new Symach FixL ine process in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and North America, starting in 2015. Bergaglio and his team are passionate and driven to innovate and invent new products that can wow the industry and change the way we fix cars. “ W e unveiled seven new products this year and hope to continue at this pace,” he said. “ Everything we do is new and different and li e nothing else on the market. Once you are a Symach customer, you won’t be able to go back to the old ways. W e create technology that doesn’t follow trends; it begins new ones.”

Volvo Aims For All-EV by 2030 Volvo Cars aims for 50% of its global sales volume to consist of fully electric cars by 2025, with the rest hybrids, and by 2030, it plans for every car it sells to be pure electric. The future of Volvo Cars is elec-

tric and the new Volvo C40 Recharge is the latest manifestation of its commitment to a zero emission future. The C40 Recharge has all the benefits of an but with a lower and sleeker design. It is based on the

A ehicle platform and the first Volvo model in history designed as pure electric only. Following the introduction of the X C40 Recharge and now the C40 Recharge, Volvo Cars will roll out

several additional electric models in coming years. The C40 Recharge will go in production this fall and will be built in G hent, Belgium. Source: V ol v o C ars

36 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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with Erica Schroeder

Industry Insight with John Yoswick

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

Artistic Auto Body Set for Expanding Electric Vehicle Population with Stand-Alone EV Center

Shop Showcase

Count Artistic Auto Bod y among the you often have to remove much of shops geared up and ready for the the interior to disconnect certain coming wave of electric vehicles things. So there are lots of interior with Ed Attanasio parts that have to be taken out of the ( EVs) . car and stored. P reviously, all those “ That’s what we’re trying to do: anticipate where things are going, and try to get there before we have to,” shop owner T erry M ost u l said, standing outside the 21,000-square foot stand-alonewith EV center he’s esEd Attanasio tablished next to his company’s original shop in Tigard, OR. “ I like to be proactive rather than reactive.” He acknowledges some of his colleagues have questioned whether his investment in an EV-only Technician Kyle Liddane performs a structural repair on a Tesla Model 3 in one of the three center almost two years ago wasn’t with Ed Attanasio aluminum bays at Artistic Auto Body’s location premature, at best. But the growth in Tigard, OR of EV vehicles in Mostul’s P ortland area market, coupled with the parts were put on carts, and that’s nearly weekly automaker announce- just not a safe place to put seats and ments in recent months of new elec- trim, or the glass you may need to tric-powered models, indica- remove just to get door handles out.” with are Edan Attanasio The Artistic EV center includes tion he made the right move. “ I can already see that special- a large storage area of stacked and izing makes sense not only from labeled bins where such parts can be what we’re doing today, but certain- safely stored and kept clean. Damaged parts to be replaced ly as you look to the future,” Mostul are stored on carts near the parts desaid. li ery area all the Tigard location Artistic Auto Body’s two shop with Stacey Phillips locations had ample experience with parts are now delivered to the EV EVs prior to segmenting those ve- center, reducing truck and part conhicles to a stand-alone center. The gestion at its two other buildings company, which has had I-CAR to be mirror-matched as new parts G old Class designation for 18 years, are delivered. center offers holds a dozen automa ers’ certificawith Stacey Phillips The space the also enables Artistic to expedite retions including some from O s such as Audi, J aguar, Nissan and pairs by stocking some of the most common EV vehicle fasteners and Tesla that produce s. It’s that experience trying to in- other parts e en some bumpers, corporate EV repairs into the com- rebars and fenders that may not pany’s production that prompted be immediately available locally for with Stacey Phillips Mostul to think about segmenting it some models. P arts delays, though far less of an issue than they were in out. “ There’s a long list of things we the past, were another consideration learned that motivated this,” Mostul Mostul had in mind when adding the said. “ One of those things centers EV center. “ I just don’t like having an elecaround parts. Here we have space tric vehicle sitting outside in the wet and loading docks to receive all our with Stacey Phillips parts for this location, even the EV and the cold, even if covered in plasparts that arrive by semi truck. W e tic,” Mostul said. “ It’s bad for the have a couple golf carts with beds on battery. So having inside storage here the back where we can deliver parts in the EV center has been wonderful from here right to the technician, for keeping them much, much safer. And the customers love knowing the just in time. And when you take an EV apart, vehicles are stored inside too.”

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

Mostul said EV repair production also has a slightly different “ tempo” than work on other vehicles. There’s more involved in disassembly for blueprinting and more diagnostic work upfront, for example. For everyone involved in working on the ehicles estimators, technicians, parts staff and e en detailers there’s a learning cur e that only steepens if they’re working on EVs only occasionally amongst a regular flow of other ehicles, he said. The EV center allows those employees to specialize in those vehicles. “ W e started with a blueprinter, taking them out of the other building and saying, ‘ Y ou’re just going to focus on these vehicles,’” Mostul said. “ And the minute we did that, boom, things really started getting traction.” The center includes fi e stalls for blueprinting, allowing for a mid-tech to be disassembling one vehicle as an estimator prepares the paperwork for another. P arts and OEM procedure research can be completed on the other vehicles before they are moved to storage or into production.

Media and Publicity for Shops Shop Strategies

Body Shops Giving Back

Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA

Shop Strategies with Victoria Antonelli

Blueprinter Sophia Goodrich prepares an estimate on a Tesla in for repairs

All the cars can be fully charged via charging stations in that area, as well as connected to the automaker via a standalone W iFi network, separate from that used to run the business or to provide connectivity for customers. “ W e want to leave them there in that area until we are done with all those preliminary processes,” Mostul said. “ Having it separate allows us not to jeopardize accuracy by trying to maintain the same flow we use elsewhere in production.”

Scheduling of EVs is also done differently. “ Every incoming drivable job gets put on a list, and instead of scheduling by date, we’ll notify them when we have all the parts, and then bring them in for repairs,” Mostul said. “ That may mean an EV written later may jump ahead of one brought in earlier. But we keep in contact with our customers throughout the process.” W hile actual repair and paint work are currently done in the shop’s other buildings, that will change as the company plans to build the capability to do it within the EV center, Mostul said. W hile some of the company’s other mechanical work is done it in its other buildings, its lead mechanic, and its scanning and calibration work, are in the EV center. “ W e want to do as much as we can in-house, both so we can control it to make sure it’s done right, and also for cycle time, so we don’t have to take something to a dealership, which has extra days and costs associated with it,” Mostul said. The EV center’s charging stations are programmable, allowing charging to generally take place overnight, when energy rates are lower. All vehicles are fully charged the night before they are to be delivered. “ Because of how we’ve positioned ourselves, it’s not unusual to have someone come from 200 or 00 miles away ha e their car fixed here,” Mostul said. “ So it’s important we return the EV to them fully charged, and triple-checked to make sure everything is like new.” Mostul said he sees his company’s EV center as a logical step in the changing nature of the collision industry’s work. “ Being a body man is now so much than it used to be,” he said. “ A bigger and bigger portion of the bill is related to the work you do with a computer at the diagnostic rate. Y ou really need the right facility with people who are good at that. That’s what we’ve tried to build here.”

38 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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YOUNGSTOWN

800-752-1423 513-741-6735 513-741-3814 Fax

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Electric Vehicle Repair: No Room for Error by Gary Ledoux

Vehicle technology has seen some tremendous changes and developments in recent years, including the use of high-strength steels, aluminum and magnesium, along with ADAS systems and all the intricate technology that includes. And while the industry is still learning how to cope with that, we are on to the next horizon the fast-growing adoption of electric and electric-hybrid motive technology. Only a few years ago, car makers were more focused on different fuels, leaner-burning internal combustion engines ( ICE) and more exotic transmissions. Today, the trend is toward full and hybrid electric. In 2021, there are 7 5 fully-electric vehicles; in 2020, there were 59. Tesla is the name most people come up with when electric cars are discussed; they command a large share of the market and are top-ofmind in the electric car world. But most every legacy car manufacturer

has a dog in the hunt, and new technology brings with it new players, such as Rivian and L ucid. Driving the growth of this market is the expanding vehicle choice. Ford has an all-electric Mustang now available for order, and an all-electric F-150 truck will soon be here. G M recently announced an EV Hummer.

lower costs, will soon start to change the face of the American fleet. But who will work on these cars and how will technicians be trained and educated, especially those at independent mechanical garages and techs at collision repair shops? On a conventional ICE vehicle, a technician may get away with a slight jolt touching a wrong wire.

“We need to all get on the same page because with the new high-voltage electric vehicles, there is no room for error.” — Dirk Fuchs Another growth dri er is fleet adoption. Startup electric vehicle maker Rivian will produce an entire deli ery fleet for Amazon. P resident Joe B iden plans to replace all 645,000 government-run gas and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles, 35% of those belonging to the . . ostal er ice. And EV driving range is getting progressively longer. That, together with exhilarating performance and

On a high-voltage EV, touching the wrong wire at the wrong time could have serious consequences. According to D irk F u c hs, recently-appointed director of program services for I-CAR, it is one thing for a dealership technician to work on an electric vehicle all in one piece where proper procedures can be followed and all on-board appliances and switches are accessible and working.

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It is quite another thing to work on a piece of twisted metal where switches may not be accessible, or may not work, or loose or ripped “ hot” wires are exposed. During the most recent CIC virtual meeting, Fuchs, who has a degree in electrical engineering and has spent considerable time in Europe, explained the European model for training and educating technicians for working on electric vehicles. Autobod y N ew s followed up with an additional interview. To start, there are several social and cultural differences between urope and the . . which foster the dramatic differences in training, how it is delivered and how it is viewed. Typically, Fuchs explained, the European training model is not really training as such, but more an education. In Europe, they learn more about why the problem manifested and why the vehicle must be repaired in a certain way. n the . ., training is solution based diagnose a problem and fix it as uic ly as possible. n a pro-

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(952) 567-2197 Fax M-F 6:30-7 parts@edenprairienissan.com www.edenprairienissan.com

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40 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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work here e, or pped

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duction shop, time is money. Another cultural difference is how training/education for a technician is viewed. In Europe, shop owners don’t think twice about sending a technician off for 2 days of training at some remote location. The cost and production schedule are adjusted to allow for it. n the . ., getting a tech to any off site training is tough and is always an imposition on productivity. The biggest difference in training/education for technicians working on electric vehicles between the . . and urope is go ernment regulation. First, there is European regulation ECE R 100. This covers the most basic information concerning electric vehicles, and safety while working on them. Then, as a second step, every individual country in Europe has its own rules and regulations regarding technician certification for wor ing on electric vehicles. The strongest of these is G ermany, with its VDE 1000-10 regulation. For example, in G ermany, to be

fully certified to wor on electric ehicles, could be as much as a 3.5-year process for a technician, including a ery specific educational curriculum under the umbrella of an apprenticeship program, culminating in a 12day high oltage certification training with end of training final exam. European manufacturers rolling out their training programs under G erman regulations worldwide will affect collision repair technicians in the . . If you are a shop owner, at this point you are probably saying, “ I don’t want to train a guy for two years ust to wor on electric cars and I sure don’t need any more government regulation and interference in my business! ” Agreed. The reason all this training and education is mandated by the government is because the government covers medical costs if a technician is hurt on the job. “ W hen you go to an emergency medical facility in urope, the first thing they ask is if you are there because of a work-related accident or not,” Fuchs explained. “ If you are, treatment goes in one direction. If not,

treatment takes another direction.” So, the training/education mandates are at least ualified. But what about working on electric cars in the . . “ In my new position at I-CAR, our team is working with all car manufacturers to come up with a comprehensive training solution for safely repairing collision-damaged electric cars,” Fuchs said. “ G erman carma ers may thin . . training is way behind Europe, while other manufacturers may consider the . . approach adequate. “ At I-CAR, we have one goal: To ensure that every person in the collision repair industry has the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer. This includes EVs. “ W e need to all get on the same page because with the new high-voltage electric vehicles, there is no room for error.”

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CIF Announces Annual Donor Program The Collision Industry Foundation ( CIF) has launched a new initiative to recognize organizations and individuals who make tax-deductible donations annually in support of the CIF mission of assisting collision repair professionals impacted by catastrophic life-changing events. The “ CIF Annual onor rogram offers specific benefits to donors, depending on the level of support they wish to commit to for annual funding. CIF depends solely on the generosity of donations to conduct its work, and numerous donors within the industry provide funding year-over-year. Traditionally, the annual J anuary CIF G ala is the main driver of fundraising. This year, CIF was unable to host the gala, but donors have expressed their desire to continue supporting the organization. To become a CIF annual donor, visit www.collisionindustryfoundation.org or reach out now via email to collisionindustryfoundation@ gmail.com. Source: C IF

Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers.

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Regardless of the age of your customer’s Audi, Audi dealers have access to over 200,000 part numbers and are supported by a nationwide network of distribution centers to help ensure non-stocked parts are delivered the next day.

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Cox Automotive Study Finds Car Buying Process Improved During COVID-19 Pandemic Cox Automotive on Feb. 23 released its 11th annual Car Buyer J ourney Study. The extensive study is based on a survey of consumers who bought or leased a new or used vehicle and is designed to offer a detailed loo at the vehicle buying process in America, from start to finish. W hile the global COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted nearly every measure of life, the Car Buyer J ourney ( CBJ ) Study suggests the automobile buying process improved during the prolonged downturn. Both new- and used-vehicle buyers in 2020 report the process too less time and was more efficient than before. Overall, buyer satisfaction reached an all-time high in 2020. The Cox Automotive Car Buyer J ourney Study: P andemic Edition involved a survey of 3,016 shoppers who bought a vehicle between midMarch and September 2020 and used the internet during the buying process.

Identifying the consumers who were buying cars in 2020 is key to understanding the latest Car Buyer ourney tudy findings. The a erage vehicle buyer last year was 50 years old and had a reported income above $7 5,000. The above-average income was particularly true with new-vehicle buyers: 7 0% of new-car buyers in 2020 had incomes above $7 5,000. Conversely, the number of new-vehicle buyers with reported incomes below $7 5,000, at 30% in 2020, was down 3% from 2019, indicating that many lower-income buyers stayed out of the new-car market last year. In 2020, 30% of vehicle buyers were identified by the ox Automotive research team to be “ Straight Shooters,” a cohort of buyers more likely to be G en X or Baby Boomer suburbanites who are experienced at car buying and careful with finances. For comparison, in 2018, only 15% of vehicle buyers were in the Straight Shooter cohort. L ess expe-

Continued from Page 34

ued. “ W hat we’ve heard here today is that we must understand the importance of seeking out information, following documented procedures, using proper equipment, and we need to be serious about not compromising the integrity of what our professionals do every day. L ives depend on it, and I’m proud of what our folks do.” Fisher also announced ASA is collaborating with affiliates to host the A A nited 0 onference and Expo, April 30-May 1, a virtual experience that mimics in-person events. Registration will open in late March. “ It’s time to put our glasses on and focus on what’s important and move forward in a positive way,” Fisher concluded. “ W ith challenges, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity.” A replay of the media briefing can be accessed at https: //www. youtube.com/watch? v= RqJ sOMl W 0wo.

ASA Leaders sion repair industries. Referencing the Massachusetts Right to Repair referendum, set to go to trial in J uly, Redding anticipates there will be multiple parallel bills introduced this year related to the vehicle data access issue. W orking with the American Alliance of Vehicle Owners Rights, ASA plans to drop several bills relative to their wor to try to find a path for independent repairs to have access to vehicle data.” As the allotted time reached its end, Fisher noted, “ It’s really important, as an industry, that we understand the magnitude of the challenges we’re currently facing and what we’re looking at as an industry going forward. W e’re on the cusp of innovation not seen for decades, and all these issues are really important because they are real. “ Vehicle safety must be at the forefront of all repairs, both collision and mechanical,” Fisher contin-

For more information about ASA and its initiatives, visit asashop.org.

rienced, budget-conscious buyers tended to stay out of the market in 2020. In 2020, Purchase Motivation Shifted Vehicles buyers in 2020 were more likely to be motivated by “ want,” as opposed to “ need,” according to the CBJ Study. Many buyers in 2020 were motivated by attractive deals, whether they searched for them on their own or a dealer reached out with special offers. Importantly, 35% of buyers knew exactly what vehicle they wanted at the start of the car buying process, up from 29% in 2018. Nearly 60% of buyers considered both new and used vehicles in 2020, up from 53% in 2019. W ith a high level of buyer certainty, the amount of time spent actively shopping and buying dropped significantly in 2020, according to the study. Buyers reported spending an average of just over 13 hours in the entire process, from start to finish, down from nearly 15 hours in 2019. New-car buyers spent just over 11 hours on the necessary steps, everything from shopping and negotiating the deal to taking delivery of the new vehicle. The biggest time savings in 2020 was in the online shopping phase. The Pandemic Revolutionized the Purchase Process As dealers adapted their business due to COVID-19, consumers took advantage of a new digital experience. The overall vehicle-buying process was streamlined by proactive dealer outreach to in-market consumers and new digital retailing tools designed to dri e efficiency. As a result, the number of dealerships visited and the amount of time spent in dealerships dropped in 2020. One of the top steps added due to COVID-19 was test drive home delivery. Notably, an estimated 22% of vehicle buyers said they did not test drive a vehicle at the dealership; however, of the buyers who took a test drive, approximately 81% were satisfied with the process, the highest satisfaction rating for any step. According to the CBJ Study, as

the vehicle buying process becomes more efficient, satisfaction le els increase. “ Heavy Digital” buyers in the survey—those buyers who performed more than half the steps online—were more satisfied with the process than “ L ight Digital” buyers, who performed less than 20% of the vehicle-buying steps online. The Heavy Digital buyers reduced their time at the dealership by more than 40 minutes compared to L ight Digital buyers, with the biggest time savings delivered in negotiating price and signing paperwork, the two steps that have historically had the lowest satisfaction ratings. The study shows Heavy Digital buyers were also more likely than L ight Digital buyers to trust the deal they received. 2020 saw a sharp rise in the usage of what Cox Automotive researchers call “ New Form Online Retailers,” used-vehicle-only sales sites that include Carvana and Vroom. According to the study, approximately 17 % of car buyers visited a New Form Online Retailer during their buying process, a significant increase from in 20 and only 7 % in 2018. The CBJ Study demonstrates that online shopping continues to be a central activity in the car buyer’s journey, although decisive shoppers spent less time in this phase in 2020. Third-party websites are still the No. 1 destination for vehicle shoppers as they enter the process, with up to 7 9% of buyers noting they used a third-party site in 2020, generally unchanged from recent years. Autotrader and K elley Blue Book are among the most popular third-party sites, with 61% of new-vehicle buyers and 68% of used-vehicle buyers using one of these Cox Automotive sites. Visits to automakers’ websites and traditional dealership-run websites declined slightly in 2020 but remained important, with 24% and 52% of vehicle buyers visiting at some point, respectively. Source: C ox Automotiv e

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42 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Contact These Dealers For Your Kia Genuine Parts Needs ILLINOIS

MICHIGAN

Matteson (708) 720-8972 (708) 720-0657 Fax M, W, F 6am-5pm Tu, Th 6am-7pm; Sat 8am-2pm jmihas@hawkinsonnissankia.com www.hawkinsonnissan.com/ez-parts

Lansing (517) 393-5700 (517) 393-6767 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm mattr@lansingisyoung.com www.kiaoflansing.com

St. Peters (888) 816-9729 (636) 926-0683 Fax M-F 7am-6pm; Sat 7am-3pm bprinster@napleton.com pschnare@napleton.com www.midriverskia.com

Raymond Kia

MINNESOTA

Suntrup Kia

Hawkinson Kia

Antioch (847) 395-3600 (847) 838-7997 Fax M-F 7am-6pm; Sat 7am-2pm kweber@raymondchevrolet.com

KANSAS

Midwest Kia

Wichita (316) 652-2960 (316) 652-2992 Fax M-F 8am-6pm; Sat 8am-2pm wsturm@midwestkia.com

Kia of Lansing

Lupient Kia of Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park (800) 569-5735 (763) 424-9437 (763) 424-4631 Fax M-F 7am-6pm

MISSOURI Lou Fusz Kia

St. Louis (877) 221-4151 (314) 595-4942 Fax M, W, F 7am-8pm; Tu, Th 7am-6pm Sat 7:30am-4pm fuszkiaparts@fusz.com www.kia.fusz.com

Napleton’s Mid Rivers Kia

St. Louis (800) 727-8496 (314) 815-3060 Fax M-F 7am-5pm www.suntrupkiasouth.com

NO. DAKOTA

OHIO

Montrose Kia

Sheffield (440) 934-6699 (440) 934-5247 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm bgordon@gomontrose.com www.montrosekia.com

Waikem Kia

Massillon (800) 225-0281 x1447 (330) 478-0900 (330) 478-9957 Fax M 7:30am-8pm; Tu-F 7:30am-5:30pm Sat 8am-4pm mmiller@waikem.com www.waikem.com

Kia of Fargo

Fargo (800) 728-7601 (701) 282-5924 Fax M-F 7am-5:30pm; Sat 8am-5pm

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Continued from Page 28

Quality Control Technology quality failures and dollarize them. The failures may be related to paint, body work, mechanical, parts defects or detail and delivery. “ These are real issues that cause you profitability and impact your ability to produce additional revenue every day, every week and every month,” said Rush. “ W e’ve become desensitized to them; we accept them and tolerate them, saying that it’s just how we do business. owe er, it costs us profitability and additional revenues.” Today, it is estimated failures such as starts and stops, reworks, comebacks, reversals in production, etc., may represent a potential revenue constraint of 20% of a shop’s monthly revenue. “ W e know time is money, especially on the production floor, said Rush. “ Every minute of every day, we produce a product, or we don’t.” He stressed the importance of using quality technology to help reduce and eliminate in-process quali-

ty-related delays and defects. To help measure a shop’s success, Rush said the industry is now using a new key performance indicator ( K P I) – sales per labor hour sold. This is the total sales divided by the total labor hours sold. For example: $2.5 million in total sales, divided by 16,000 total labor hours sold equals $156.25. Once the impact and cost of in-process quality are understood, Rush said shops can then work toward eliminating waste and improving profitability. Rush highly recommends focusing a shop’s quality program on labor optimization to help dollarize the cost of failures and improve quality and outcomes for all parties involved in the claim. p until the early 2000s, we thought about quality as right or wrong it loo s good or doesn’t, it functions or doesn’t function,” said Rush. “ Now, we look at quality from the perspective of labor optimization.” Rush used the example of a shop bringing in $250,000 in monthly revenue. If there are 1.5 failures

per day per technician, and the shop has eight technicians, that equates to 12 failures per day. If you multiply that number by an average of 45 minutes per failure, it equals 540 minutes or nine hours of unproductive time per day. At $160 sales per labor hour, multiplied by nine hours, that is $1,440 in lost revenue per day at 100% technician efficiency. $1,440 in lost revenue per day multiplied by 12 working days equals $30,240 per month in missed re enue 2, 00 annually. ased on your labor efficiency, every dollar spent on in-process failures is a labor hour not spent generating new revenue,” he said. “ Y ou can begin to calculate what the cost is to your business due to in-process failures because they can be measured.” Rush advises shop management to implement a well defined set of individual or departmental responsibilities for each step of the repair process and then ensure employees know exactly what is expected of them. “ This is revolutionary for our

industry,” said Rush. “ This type of quality validation tech is a win for everyone, improving production and labor effecti eness, customer and employee satisfaction, profitability, cycle time and reducing liability.” For more information, email L eroy.v .rush@ sherwin.com. The presentation is part of the curriculum from Sherwin-W illiams’s A lus ni ersity, which focuses on education and the ability to deliver it when and where it is needed. The courses and workshops are designed around the company’s core ethos: “ labor optimization and connecting metrics for demonstratable improvement.” Visit www.ecoleanuniversity.com.

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Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Subaru Brooklyn Park (800) 343-6999 (763) 765-1462 (763) 765-1487 Fax Mon-Fri 7-6; Sat 8-4 bpsubaruparts@morries.com

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Willoughby Hills 440-585-9990 Parts (440) 347-9723 Fax M-F 7-6; Sat 7-3 classicmini.com

44 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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e of n for and and ility, y.”

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Catalytic Converter Thefts Skyrocketing Nationwide According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau ( NICB) , catalytic conerter thefts ha e seen a significant increase across the country since March 2020, the start of the global pandemic. “ Vehicle thefts, carjackings and break-ins are all crimes we’ve witnessed trending upward for several months, and now catalytic converter thefts are also on the rise,” said D a v id G l a w e, president and CEO of . We ha e seen a significant increase during the pandemic. It’s an opportunistic crime. “ As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.” A catalytic converter is a deice that loo s li e a small mu er along with the exhaust system. It is designed to convert the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by an engine into less harmful gasses. To do this, manufacturers use

platinum, palladium or rhodium. In recent years, the values of these precious metals have increased significantly. As of ecember, rhodium was valued at $14,500 per ounce, palladium at $2,336 per ounce and platinum at $1,061 per ounce. Typically, recyclers will pay $50 to $250 per catalytic converter. According to NICB’s Operations, Intelligence and Analytics study of reported thefts, there were 108 catalytic converter thefts per month on average in 2018, 282 average monthly thefts in 2019 and 1,203 average thefts per month in 2020. During this time period, the top fi e states for catalytic con erter thefts were California, Texas, Minnesota, North Carolina and Illinois. In 2020, there was a continual climb in thefts. J anuary had the fewest number of thefts at 652, but it continued to climb markedly throughout the year, with December having 2,347 thefts. As of the end of February, 18 states—Arkansas, G eorgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New Y ork, North Carolina, North Dakota,

Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and W est Virginia—are evaluating potential legislative actions to curb the theft problem. “ Removing a catalytic converter takes only minutes using some basic, readily-available, battery-operated tools from a local hardware store,” said G lawe. “ And for the vehicle owner, it’s costly due to the loss of wor , finding and paying for alter nate transportation and then paying anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to get your ehicle fixed. The NICB recommends vehicle owners: • Install a catalytic converter anti-theft device. These are available from various manufacturers and can provide a level of security from theft. ar fleet ehicles in an en closed and secured area that is well lit, locked and alarmed. • P ark personal vehicles in a garage. If not possible and vehicles must be parked in a driveway, consider installing motion sensor security lights. W hile lights may not provide complete security, it may make

some thieves think twice, making them leave the area and your vehicle untouched. • Call local law enforcement and your insurer should you become the victim of a catalytic converter theft. In some cases, this theft is covered by insurance. The optional comprehensive portion of your insurance policy, the portion that covers damage caused to your vehicle not caused by accident, covers this kind of loss. However, the owner will be responsible for paying the deductible. If your deductible is $1,000 and the cost to repair the damage costs $1,000 or maybe a few hundred dollars more, dri ers may not opt to file a claim. The NICB advises drivers to contact their insurer to report the theft and determine the best course of action. Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL -NICB ( 800-835-6422) or submitting a form on the website. Source: N IC B

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THE FIRST REPAIR. Illinois

Laurel BMW of Westmont

Westmont 630-230-2890 Direct Wholesale M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-3pm www.laurelbmw.com

Indiana

Basney BMW

South Bend 800-274-8504 574-273-5075 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm parts@basneyimports.com www.basneybmw.com

Kentucky

BMW of Louisville

Louisville 502-499-4552 502-499-4476 Fax M-Sat 8am-5pm bmwparts@louisvillebmw.com

Ohio

BMW of Cincinnati North Cincinnati 513-782-1130 M-F 8am-6pm partsbmw@jakesweeney.com

Michigan

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BMW of Okemos

Okemos 517-853-2803 517-853-2660 Fax M-F 8am-6pm mbedard@serraautocampus.com

Autohaus BMW

St. Louis 888-811-6199 314-880-8428 Fax M-F 7am-6pm brian.ﬁscher@bmwautohaus.com

Sharpe BMW

Grand Rapids 888-708-1359 616-452-1101 Fax M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-1pm tmosier@thesharpecollection.com www.sharpebmw.com

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Goodemoot Named World Class Technician A l ex G oodem oot , regional manager for N.A. W illiams, has been selected a W orld Class Technician. This prestigious honor was bestowed upon G oodemoot by the Auto Care Association and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence ( ASE) . The Auto Care Association and ASE work together to recognize professional technicians who have tested and obtained A certification in 22 specialty areas to earn W orld Class Technician status. There are an estimated 87 9,000 technicians in the . ., and approximately 2 0,000 of those techs are A certified. G oodemoot was one of only 42 individuals to earn W orld Class Technician recognition for 2021. He holds ASE Master certifications as an automobile technician, medium/heavy duty technician, collision technician and under car specialist, along with advanced level L 1 and L 2 certifications. Source: N .A. Wil l iams

SEMA Challenges EPA’s Motorsports Regulations in Court by SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

A filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit between the . . n ironmental P rotection Agency ( EP A) and G ear Box Z . Inc. ( G BZ ) arguing against EP A’s contention that the Clean Air Act ( CAA) does not allow a motor vehicle to be converted into a racing vehicle used solely for competition. The A first pursued this controversial interpretation of the CAA as part of a 2015 draft rulemaking, but it quickly withdrew the provision following a huge, SEMA-led public outcry. In the G BZ litigation, however, the EP A again maintains that once a ehicle has been certified as a street vehicle, it cannot be converted into a racing vehicle, even if that vehicle is trailered to the track and is never driven on public roads. In its brief, SEMA argues the Clean Air Act does not apply to certified ehicles used exclusi ely on the track. SEMA states “ the agency’s interpretation breaks from the plain language of the

CAA, the legislative history and EP A’s regulations and guidance.” SEMA notes the EP A’s position contradicts its longstanding guidance and regulations and has previously stated it “ has no inter-

est in vehicles that begin their existence as normal, A certified production vehicles used on public roads and are then permanently converted to sanctioned competition-use only vehicles.” In response to the EP A’s efforts to regulate race parts, members of Congress introduced

SEMA-sponsored legislation to confirm what had already been understood for the previous 45 years, that the Clean Air Act did not apply to ehicles modified for racing use only. The “ Recognizing the P rotection of Motorsports Act” ( RP M Act) is bipartisan legislation to clarify it is legal to make emissions-related changes to a street vehicle for the purpose of converting it into a dedicated race car. t also confirms it is legal to produce, market and install racing equipment. SEMA continues to work tirelessly to pass this important legislation to counter EP A overreach. The G BZ case is before the . . istrict ourt for the istrict of Arizona. The court has agreed to take up the issue after the EP A has responded to SEMA’s amicus brief. A will continue to fight the A’s flawed interpretation in court while urging the . . ongress to end the debate by enacting the RP M Act. Source: SE MA

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46 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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3M Invests in asTech

Toyota RAV4 Fires Originating at 12-Volt Batteries by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

Toyota A fires are under investigation after the government received complaints alleging noncrash fires occurred where the 2 volt batteries are located. The 12V battery B+ terminals may be experiencing electrical shorts to the frames that hold the batteries in place in 2013-2018 Toyota A s. This will cause a complete loss of electrical power as the RAV4 stalls, possibly resulting in a fire. The National Highway Traffic afety Administration TSA) said seven RAV4 vehicles caught fire while dri ing and four s burned while par ed with the ignitions off. t was confirmed the ma ority of fires originated from the 12-volt batteries. The driver of a 2013 Toyota RAV4 said the vehicle went up in flames as he was trying to get fuel at a gas station. The driver says the RAV4 shut down as he was turning into a gas station, but he got the RAV4 restarted and made it to the pump.

He went into the store to prepay for the fuel, filled the A and tried to start it. “ [ C] alled my wife to get a tow truck to have it removed from the gas station, then went into station to tell attendant the situation. W hile exiting the store I noticed sparks and glowing embers dropping to the ground from inside the left front wheel area. “ I turned back and asked the station attendant for a fire extinguisher, returned to car, with 5-lb. extinguisher, hood would not release, so sprayed extinguisher up under wheel, around hood cracks, and by this time the head light had a hole where the flames were shooting out, so sprayed fire repellent into the hole. “ After about 10 sec extinguisher was empty. Told gas station attendant to call fire department as the vehicle was going up in flames. And according to the driver of a 2015 Toyota RAV4: “ I was driving on the interstate entrance ramp when the battery died but then I was able

to start it back and drove just a short distance when the hood started smoking. I pulled over and turned the motor off and raised the hood, and the battery was on fire. The battery and electrical system burned.” NHTSA said some of the s had been repaired after prior front-end collision damage, and the government also believes some of the batteries may not have been installed properly. However, safety regulators claim the overall number of vehicle fire allegations with the battery as the area of origin is larger than in other similar vehicles. The investigation includes nearly 1.9 million model year 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4s. CarComplaints.com will update its website with results of the A fires in estigation. We thank C arC ompl aints.com for reprint permission.

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3M Company on Feb. 23 announced a strategic investment in Repairify, Inc. d/b/a asTech, a leading provider of remote diagnostic solutions, calibration services and key programming solutions to the automotive aftermarket industry. The strategic investment from 3M will help Repairify further expand and accelerate its proprietary tools, technology and ser ice offerings across the Americas and Europe. Terms and conditions of the investment were ept confidential and future collaboration will be announced at a later date. “ The 3M Ventures strategic investment in Repairify enables us to accelerate our solutions and offerings across the entire automotive ecosystem,” said Cris Hollingsworth, president of Repairify, Inc. “ W e seek to make strategic investments that will advance our innovation and growth,” said Ben W right, director, 3M Ventures. Source: 3 M

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440-734-9375 440-686-3426 Fax Mon-Fri 8am - 6pm

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FOR YOUR COLLISION JOB. autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

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TOUCH

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