Northeastern August 2016 Issue by Autobody News

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 5 AUGUST 2016

www.autobodynews.com ww ww.autobodynews.com NACE | CARS Events in Anaheim

Autobody News is Expanding! see p. 4

Federal Officials Report Nation’s First Self-Driving Car Fatality After Florida Crash

The crash occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida, when a tractortrailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla, and the car failed to apply the brakes. The system appears to have been confused by a white trailer against a light sky. It is the first known fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle. In a statement from Tesla that was posted on the company’s blog Thursday (June 30), the automaker noted that the fatality was the first “in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated.”

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The first U.S. self-driving car fatality took place in May when the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system died in a collision with a truck in Florida, federal officials said on June 30. A crash that killed a driver in a Tesla Model S electric car in self-driving mode has called into question the safety of driverless vehicle technology. This week, federal officials announced the launch of a formal investigation into the accident.

Young Technicians Symposium Returns to NACE | CARS . . . . .p. 24 PPX Reps Plan to Drive Hundreds of Repair Shops’ Staff to NACE in Anaheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 26 MSO Symposium Announces Final Program, Adds Insurer Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 24 National Auto Body Council Members Team Up to Present Multiple Recycled Rides, First Responder Demos at NACE . . .p. 30 Assured Performance Hosts OEM Certification Symposium, Aug. 10-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 24 DEMOs Abound at NACE CARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 26 2017 Ford Super Duty®: “Drive the Future of Tough” Tour . . . . .p. 26 2-Day $35 NACE Expo Pass Includes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 24 Industry Panel to Discuss Importance of Pre- and Post-Repair Scans, Calibration/Recalibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 30 ASA Partners with the Auto Care Association to Present Young Auto Care Network Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 30

Agreement With Binghamton Auto Shop Over Sale of Salvaged Airbags Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that his office reached an agreement with Binghamton-based Don’s Automotive Mall, Inc. to resolve an investigation that revealed that the company was selling salvaged automobile airbags in violation of New York State law. The Southern Tier area automobile salvage company agreed that it would not sell any salvaged airbags without first complying with the law. New York requires anyone attempting to sell inflatable restraint systems salvaged from another vehicle to have it first certified according to standards established by a nationally recognized testing, engineering and research body approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles in consultation with the Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services. Currently there are no approved standards from the State of New York, rendering the sale of all salvaged airbags illegal. “Airbags are a critical piece of automotive safety equipment and can be the difference between life and

death in a car accident,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Today’s settlement will ensure that Don’s Automotive Mall complies with state law

and will prevent untested and potentia-lly hazardous safety equipment from being used in vehicles in New York State.” The Attorney General’s investigation revealed that Don’s Automotive sold dozens, if not hundreds, of airbags removed from salvaged automobiles to consumers and auto repair shops throughout the United States See Salvaged Airbags, Page 29

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REGIONAL 2016 Putnam Collision Advisory and Appreciation BBQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ABAC and Senator Blumenthal Stress the Importance of Safe Repairs at a Local Tech School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 ABRA Expands Glass Operations in Philadelphia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Alan’s Collision Center Invests $15,000 Annually In Technician Auto Body Repair Training . . 12 Arbitration Panel Rules in Favor of PA Body Shop Over Nationwide’s Claim of “Excessive” Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Caliber Acquires Seven Collision Care Auto Body Centers in PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Certified Collision Group™ Appoints Bob Cornelius Director of Business Development, Eastern Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Flame-broiled: Car Catches Fire Next to Total Auto Repair in Easton, MA . . . . . . . . 23 H&V Collision Center Teams Up With GEICO to Donate 3 Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lena Sbrogna, Owner of Sbrogna Auto Body in Shrewsbury, MA, Dies at 89 . . . . . . . . . 10 Monongahela, PA Man Arrested for 46 Tailgate Thefts in 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PA Auto Body Prepper Says He’s Owed Overtime Pay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Phillips - Fred Beans Reaches out to Employees & Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Sisk - ARA’s 73rd Annual Convention and Expo to be Held in Baltimore . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Soda Machine Blamed for Fire at Littlestown Body Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NACE | CARS Events in Anaheim 2017 Ford Super Duty®: “Drive the Future of Tough” Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 2-Day $35 NACE Expo Pass Includes . . . . . . 24 ASA Partners with the Auto Care Association to Present Young Auto Care Network Group . 30 Assured Performance Hosts OEM Certification Symposium, Aug. 10-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CAA Holds Two Meetings During NACE CARS . . 3 DEMOs Abound at NACE CARS . . . . . . . . . . 26 Industry Panel to Discuss Importance of Pre- and Post-Repair Scans, Calibration/ Recalibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 MSO Symposium Announces Final Program, Adds Insurer Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 National Auto Body Council Members Team Up to Present Multiple Recycled Rides, First Responder Demos at NACE . . . . . . . . . . . 30 PPX Reps Plan to Drive Hundreds of Repair Shops’ Staff to NACE in Anaheim . . . . . . . 26 Young Technicians Symposium, Powered by CARQUEST, Returns to NACE | CARS . . 24 COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Five Areas Where Shops Fail to be Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Attanasio - Industry Veteran Talks Candidly About Life as an MSO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Attanasio - Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly Enough Yet?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Attanasio - Mike’s Auto Body’s Training Program in Full Swing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Attanasio - The Student Returns as the Teacher at California's Contra Costa College . . . . . 34 Luehr - The Fastest Shops in the World! . . . . 18 Sisk - AAAS Handles Business and Promotes Education at Annual Conference . . . . . . . . 38 Sisk - What Does Photo Estimating Mean for the Collision Repair Industry? . . . . . . . 48 Yoswick - Retro News: ABRA's Expansion Plans, Tech Wages, Flat Fees for Repair, BMS v EMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 NATIONAL 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division Introduces 3M Total Automotive Sanding System. . . . 76 Allstate Reveals the Safest Cities for Drivers in 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Aluminum Auto Body Sheet—Is There Too Much Pessimism Around? . . . . . . . . . 66 ASA Joins Forces with NAPA Auto Parts . . . . 76 ASA Webinar Addresses Impact of U.S. DOL Overtime Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Auto Care Association Names Perrine New CFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Certified Collision Group™ Expands Management Team, Appoints Ernie Laky . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Chief Expands Its Distribution Network . . . . . 32 Collision Repair Education Foundation Issues Mid-Year Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Complete Demonstration Schedule Announced for NACE | CARS 2016 . . . . . 20 D.C. Lobbying Over Self-Driving Autos Revs Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Federal Insurance Office Adopts Methodology for Monitoring the Affordability of Auto Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Federal Officials Report Nation’s First Self-Driving Car Fatality After Florida Crash . . . . . . . . . . 1 I-CAR® Announces Launch of Production Management Prolevel® 2 Curriculum . . . . . 6 Lawyers at Burg and Brock Say Enactment of the Safe Rental Car Act is a Victory for Automotive Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Miller Introduces New Products, Special Summer Offers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 My Journey With Collision Repair and Women’s Industry Network . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Oregon DMV Rules Make State Ripe for Fraud, Auto Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Phillips - DCR Systems Creates Streamlined Process for Body Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Post-Collision Diagnostic Scan And Calibration Requirements For Honda And Acura Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Risks in Auto Repairs With Aftermarket Parts [Consumer Article] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Symach Announces New FixLine for Zenetec CSN in Barrie, ON . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Telsa CEO Elon Musk Says About ‘500,000 People Would Have Been Saved (Last Year) If Tesla’s Autopilot Was Universally Available’ . 4 Terence Crawford’s Trial Set for August 9 . . . 76

timate” to “how do I properly get the customer’s autho-rization under unusual circumstan-ces.” Friday, August 12th: 9:00 AM Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner, presentation and industry update, including: • Update on what is going on in the Department • Report on the labor rate survey regulation and how it will affect shops and the insurance company • Review steering regulation and how it will protect consumers • Discuss Crash Parts and how it is being enforced • Address the issues that might affect consumers in the auto body industry.

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Online Editor and Copywriter: Deana Cacus Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, David Brown, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Content/Special Media Specialist: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Abaris Training Resources, Inc. . . . 36 Acura of Westchester . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Amato Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Atlantic Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 77 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . . 5 Bald Hill Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Baystate Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Bergey’s Wholesale Parts . . . . . . . . 31 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . 62-63 Cadillac of Mahwah . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems. . 32 Central Avenue Chrysler-JeepDodge-Ram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 39 ChemSpec USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Cherry Hill Audi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Cherry Hill Porsche . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Cherry Hill Volkswagen. . . . . . . . . . 47 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Clay Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Colonial Automotive Group . . . . . . 25 Ditschman/Flemington Auto Group. 49 Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . 9 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . 28 ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . 24 Empire Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 46 Fitzgerald’s Lakeforest HyundaiSubaru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 74 Fred Beans Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Fuccillo Kia of Schenectady . . . . . . 55 Gary Rome Hyundai-Kia . . . . . . . . . 50 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 69 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 44 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-41 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 58 Infiniti of Norwood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Innovation Toyota-Scion . . . . . . . . . 42 Jeff D’Ambrosio Chrysler-JeepDodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts 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. ©2016 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News P.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Northeast

AUTOBODY NEWS IS EXPANDING TO ALL 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The California Autobody Association (CAA) will host two important meetings during the event for their hundreds of members... and everyone in the collision industry is encouraged to attend. Anyone registered to attend the NACE expo or training classes is eligible to attend these very timely meetings at no additional cost. Thursday, August 11th: 10:30 AM The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Panel: The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), along with the California Autobody Association and CCC, will answer any questions you have pertaining to the BAR. The issues that will be covered will range from “how to put the right paint and materials on your es-

Indexof Advertisers

Contents

CAA Holds Two Meetings During NACE CARS

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Koeppel VW-Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Long Automotive Group . . . . . . . . . 20 Lynnes Auto Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 73 Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City. . . . 45 Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Mercedes-Benz of West Chester . . 45 Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington . . . . 53 Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 60 Miracle System / Equipment Gateway, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers. 76 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 43 Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Polyvance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 67 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ProLine Tool & Supply . . . . . . . . . . 17 Providence Lacquer & Supply Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Reliable Automotive Equipment . . . 23 SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . 27 Security Dodge-Chrysler-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SEMA Trade Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Shop-Pro Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Sorbothane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Subaru of Morristown . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 66 Tasca Automotive Group . . . . . . . . 51 Toyota of Morristown . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 64 U-POL US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 VIP Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 68 Wagner Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Westbury Jeep-Chrysler-DodgeRam-SRT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Telsa CEO Elon Musk Says About ‘500,000 People Would Have Been Saved (Last Year) If Tesla’s Autopilot Was Universally Available’ by Fred Lambert, electrek

Following the news of the fatal accident in a Tesla Model S on Autopilot, which happened in May but only came to light last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims that about half of the approximately one million people who died in auto accidents last year would have been saved if the Tesla Autopilot was universally available. He made the comment in a somewhat strange email conversation with a retired journalist. Fortune Magazine published a weird article (www.for.tn/29VzODr) today trying to tie Tesla’s $2.3 billion secondary offering announced on May 18 with the recent fatal accident in a Model S on Autopilot. The author, Carol J. Loomis, highlights that Tesla didn’t publicly disclose the news of the crash, which occurred on May 7, until June 30, when NHTSA announced that it will be investigating the accident. Loomis, an 87 year-old financial journalist retired from Fortune in 2014 after a 60-year tenure at the publication, says that the crash should have been disclosed, as it is a “very

material fact” somehow relevant to the offering because “Tesla had marketed vigorously [the Autopilot] as safe and important to its customers” – implying that it is not? It’s true that Tesla didn’t make a

public affair of the accident, but it never does of any accident involving its vehicles and it did inform NHTSA of the crash after it occurred. The federal regulators didn’t launch an evaluation until last week. It wasn’t clear at the time if regulators would launch an investigation. Fortune reached out to Tesla for

AUTOBODY NEWS Will Be Distributed in 48 States by October For the first time in our history, Autobody News will be mailed to body shops in all 48 contiguous states.

Our Western Edition will be distributed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming in addition to California and Nevada, starting with our October issue.

Beginning with our September issue, Arizona and Utah will become part of our Southwest issue, joining Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Louisiana.

Also in September, our Northeast Edition will be expanded to include Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, joining New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Additionally, West Virginia will become part of our Southeast Edition.

We sincerely thank all of our readers, sponsors, and supporters, without whom there would be no reason to produce Autobody News, You have enabled our growth and success. We look forward to serving you as a bigger and better publication. 4 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

a comment on the assertion that the crash should have been considered material during the stock offering. Loomis says that a spokesperson pointed her to Tesla’s stock closing up the day following the announcement of the crash and the NHTSA evaluation, but then Elon Musk jumped in the email conversation. Loomis somehow didn’t disclose her side of the conversation, but published an excerpt of Musk’s response after he said that the event “is not material to the value of Tesla”: “Indeed, if anyone bothered to do the math (obviously, you did not) they would realize that of the over 1M auto deaths per year worldwide, approximately half a million people would have been saved if the Tesla autopilot was universally available. Please, take 5 mins and do the bloody math before

you write an article that misleads the public.” He clearly sounds irritated by the media’s response to the accident, which is understandable after reading a few misleading headlines. Musk is referring to the fact that the accident is the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated compared to about a fatality for approximately every 60 million miles globally. It’s not a perfect sample size, but it roughly indicates that driving with Tesla’s Autopilot is at the very least 50% safer than without. We published a summary of the fatal accident for a better understanding of the situation titled Understanding the fatal Tesla accident on Autopilot and the NHTSA probe. Update: Elon commented on the Fortune article via Twitter directly to the publication’s top editor: I think it’s noteworthy to add that Fortune is or was participating in the Koch brothers’ multi-million dollar PR offensive on electric vehicles by selling them sponsored articles in the magazine. We thank electrek for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

I-CAR® Announces Launch of Production Management Prolevel® 2 Curriculum I-CAR® has unveiled the second level of its new Production Management curriculum. Ten new courses have been launched that build knowledge in areas such as “Learning Culture,” talent, processes, controls and business skills. Individuals can register for Production Management courses online or by calling I-CAR Customer Care at (800) ICAR USA.

According to the company, all new ProLevel 2 courses, in addition to the ProLevel 1 courses launched in 2015, have now been configured to allow for more flexible access supporting customized learning paths. Training paths can now be tailored to the role-specific knowledge needs of collision repair professionals involved in shop-wide production processes, as well as for those responsible only for sub-elements of each process. The key to this new level of accessibility and flexibility is the increased number of classes collision repair professionals can take without prerequi-

sites. This creates more curriculum entry points for a variety of professionals such as shop owners, managers, estimators and technicians; professionals that don’t manage the entire production process, but who contribute to the process. Additionally, estimators can now apply Production Management courses to their ongoing Annual Training requirement. “This new curriculum will help keep collision repair professionals ahead of game as relates to complete, safe and quality repairs, and doing so in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” said I-CAR CEO and president John Van Alstyne. “Best practice production process skills and knowledge are now vitally important to the repair process, and our latest Production Management curriculum is designed to uniquely fulfill this need.” The newly launched ProLevel 2 curriculum includes the following courses:

■ Implementing a Learning Culture (PM201E01) ■ Hiring to Support Your Shop’s Learning Culture (PM205E01) ■ Developing New Talent (PM210V01) ■ Improving Your Shop’s Cycle Time Process (PM215E01) ■ Gaining Efficiencies Through Blue-

PA Auto Body Prepper Says He’s Owed Overtime Pay by The Pennsylvania Record

An auto body prepper is suing Marquis Auto Restorations LLC, Jim Klotz and Alan Lewenthal, employers, claiming violation of wage laws. Steven Marrazzo filed a complaint on May 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the defendants, alleging that they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment Collection Law. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he often worked more than 40 hours per week but was never properly compensated at an overtime rate and has suffered damages in the form of unpaid overtime compensation. The plaintiff holds the

defendants responsible because they allegedly deducted lunch periods from his pay although he rarely took lunch breaks and failed to pay him at the rate of one and one-half of his regular rate for all hours worked in excess of 40 per week. The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks an order prohibiting the defendants from continuing their illegal policy, compensation for all damages, legal fees, costs and expenses and any verdict in his favor to be molded by the court. He is represented by Ari R. Karpf of Karpf, Karpf & Cerutti PC in Bensalem. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-02503

We thank The Pennsylvania Record for reprint permission.

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printing (PM220E01) ■ Strengthening Your In-Process Quality Control (PM225E01) ■ Speaking the KPI Language (PM230E01) ■ Understanding Your Part in Profit and Loss (PM235E01) ■ Building Effective Vendor and Insurer Relationships (PM240E01) ■ Understanding the Cycle Time Process (GE001L01)

“The Production Management curriculum has been restructured to provide more accessibility to advance the knowledge and skills of every employee involved in the collision repair process,” said Josh McFarlin, I-CAR director of curriculum and product development. “Everyone in the shop has a role to play in managing production. Our Production Management training is meant to help each individual improve his or her own performance and better understand the roles of others in the production process, so the shop works as a team applying learning to advance the business.” Participants in the Production Management program will discover new approaches to efficiencies, critical thinking and problem solving that will be directly applicable to current job performance and career advancement.

Soda Machine Blamed for Fire at Littlestown Body Shop

The owner of a Littlestown, PA, body shop believes a soda machine sparked a fire that charred a wall of the business on July 7th.

The fire broke out at Toll House Auto Body, located at 4535 Baltimore Pike in Littlestown. Owner Dan Barr was on his way back to the building when he saw smoke rising outside of the building from the soda machine's cord, he said. He put out most of the flames with a fire extinguisher and then called the fire department to extinguish the rest and check the building. The fire burned part of the business's exterior siding. The soda machine company is coming to inspect the damage, Barr said. Littlestown Fire Department officials were not immediately available for comment. We thank The Evening Sun for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

H&V Collision Center Teams Up With GEICO to Donate Three Vehicles to Military Veteran Families

H&V Collision Center will team up with GEICO to provide three cars to military families during an August Tri-City ValleyCats game. The donation will take place at the ValleyCats game at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Saturday, August 6. The event will start at 4:30 p.m. and the reveal of the vehicles will take place during the game.

According to the company, H&V has supported a number of causes and organizations to support veterans in recent years and employs a number of veterans at the seven H&V facilities throughout the Capital Region and Hudson Valley. “We owe our veterans and their families our gratitude and thanks for providing us with the freedom we enjoy today. H&V is proud to join with GEICO

to provide vehicles to three deserving veterans and their families,” said H&V’s Vartan Jerian, Jr. “These donations show our veterans that their service is appreciated, respected and remembered. These are moving events, and H&V is honored to join with our partners to make these donations possible,” added Jerian. The donation process takes months.

H&V crews work with GEICO and other partners to select and refurbish vehicles to high standards before the donation. H&V Collision Center now operates seven locations in the Capital Region and upstate, including locations in Troy, Queensbury, Saratoga, Colonie, Kingston, Schenectady and Clifton Park. For more information, visit http:// handvcollision.com/.

Miller Electric Manufacturing Company, a worldwide manufacturer of arc welding and cutting equipment, has announced two new products as well as two special summer offers. Miller’s new split-leather welding jacket is made from pig split leather and sewn entirely with Kevlar thread. The jacket features an extended rear tail for additional protection, and a higher standup collar provides improved neck coverage. “Expandable leather is strategically placed for added mobility while mesh lining adds comfort,” a statement from the company read. The new 230 amp Multimatic™ 215 from Miller delivers all-in-one multiprocess capabilities for MIG, fluxcored, DC TIG and DC stick welding and welds up to 3/8-inch thick mild steel

in a single pass. According to the company, weighing in at just 38 pounds, the Multimatic 215 has a small footprint, making it a welcome addition to any

Weld settings can be fine-tuned further while in Auto-Set mode. In addition to the Build with Blue rebate program, Miller customers can take advantage of more rebate offers on machines with the Miller Summer Savings promotion. Through September 30, customers can purchase a select Miller welder and receive a rebate of up to $1000. Other Miller and Hobart products can be added to the purchase for an additional rebate of up to $200. The offer is valid only at authorized Miller distributors. Through September 30, 2016, Miller customers who purchase WeldMask auto-darkening goggles will receive a free pair of Classic MIG gloves. The new Weld-Mask from Miller features an extreme low-profile design

that allows welding operators access into spaces where the use of a traditional welding helmet would be limited. A tight-fitting eye covering blocks out light from the welding or cutting arc, and a flame-retardant head cover provides additional protection against UV/IR rays and light spatter. The Weld-Mask is available with shade numbers 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 and was designed for gas welding and cutting as well as light-duty MIG, TIG and stick welding. It is also usable under hard hats without the need for an adapter. “Miller understands what our customers need to complete their projects and explore new ones,” said Emily Mueller, product manager for Miller. For more information, visit https:// www.millerwelds.com/.

Miller Introduces New Products, Special Summer Offers

Miller Multimac

home garage or shop. The machine can be easily set up for multiple materials and weld processes using the color LCD interface, featuring Auto-Set™ Elite.

8 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

2016 Putnam Collision Advisory and Appreciation BBQ More than 200 visitors filled the parking lot of the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy as part of the annual Putnam Collision Advisory and Appreciation BBQ on June 16. Visitors from the auto body and

collision industry took advantage of multiple resources and was the informal style dinner to meet designed to bring an awarewith students and staff. According to ness of the talented students John Kennedy, department head at enrolled in the school prothe school, the picnic-style dinner is gram, which presently has a chance for the students to network an estimated 60-40 ratio bewith local auto body and tween male and female encollision businesses. rolled in the auto program, “This (school) has beKennedy said. The auto colcome a resource center for lision program presently has many businesses.” Kennedy a 90 to 95 percent placement said. rate. Kennedy said the stu- Nick Fontaine, of Lombard Equipment, stages a dents have a virtual reality demonstration of the new Spanesi touch computer We would like to thank The measuring system during the Putnam Collision Advisory computer program that, Republican for reprint perand Appreciation BBQ, at Thursday. Credit: Frederick Gore Visitors arrive at the Putnam Collision Advisory and coupled with a special pair mission. Appreciation BBQ Thursday. Credit: Frederick Gore of goggles, enables the students to “paint” cars without touching a real vehicle. The school has state-of-the-art equipment for the students to learn on, and that’s a huge benefit to employers lookSpringfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri Jerson Bravo, a senior at the Roger L. Putnam Vocational- ing for qualified and Lt. Norm Charest, pose with a refurbished Distinguished guests and faculty members pose with a Technical Academy, explains to visitors how a state-of-the- personnel, he said. police and fire call box that was restored by group of students from the Collision and Auto Shop during art computerized color matching system is used during the The apprecia- an unveiling of an old police and fire box during the Putnam students from the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Putnam Collision Advisory and Appreciation BBQ Thursday. tion BBQ is a Technical Academy Collision and Auto Shop. Collision Advisory and Appreciation BBQ. The box will be Credit: Frederick Gore joint effort of on display at the Police Academy. Credit: Frederick Gore Credit: Frederick Gore

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

Symach Announces New FixLine for Zenetec CSN in Barrie, ON

Symach has announced the integration of a FixLine conveyor system at Barrie, Ontario’s newest Zenetec CSN facility, marking the European company’s first large-scale body shop installation within the Canadian market. Located in South Barrie, Zenetec CSN’s new shop is estimated to perform 90 repairs per week. It will be fully automated with Symach’s FixLine conveyor system, which integrates the use of six robots “to guarantee a perfect performance for all the phases of the repair process, including body filler, primer, and paint.” The automation is expected to drastically reduce cycle time, offering customers an express service. The 28,000square-foot shop will include an automatic car wash with six independent stalls for detailing. Five bays for vehicle wraps, window tinting, and glass replacement will also be incorporated into the facility. “It all comes down to who can repair the vehicle faster while keeping quality and safety paramount and costs contained by reducing overall cycle time,” said William Monteith, vice president of Zenetec. The shop is slated to be fully operational by the beginning of 2017. For more information, visit www.symach.com.

Lena Sbrogna, Owner of Sbrogna Auto Body in Shrewsbury, MA, Dies at 89 Lena Sbrogna’s life was rooted deeply She continued to winter in Florida and in her faith and family. Born on April was a much beloved member of her 22, 1927 in Worcester, she was one of community; always up for a game of eight children of Italian immigrants poker and a dance, a night at the theFrancesco and Antoinetta atre, or being the emcee for (Santora) Flaminio. Raised the annual fashion show. in Worcester’s Italian neighShe was blessed with the borhood known as ‘Shrewsspecial friendship of Lenny bury Street,’ she married and Ginger Paulson, who Augustine “Gus’ Sbrogna looked after her as if she in 1946 in Our Lady of was their mother. Mount Carmel Church. While in Worcester, she Lena Sbrogna, And so, when the end was a faithful communidid come for Lena on Wed- Owner of Sbrogna cant at Our Lady of Mount Auto Body. nesday, June 29, at the DelCarmel, where she belonCredit: Heald & ray Medical Center in Floged to its Golden Ages Chiampa Funeral rida, tears were shed, yet group. Through the years, Directors smiles and memories conMt. Carmel was the center tinue to be shared. Lena has been re- of the Italian community where Lena united on the heavenly dance floor and Gus were familiar faces on the with Gus, where the music now dance floor at many of the annual never ends. She was 89. church functions at the cultural cenBehind every good man is a better on the parish grounds. True to her ter woman, and Lena was the woman Italian heritage, she loved to cook for behind the successful operation of family and friends and she enjoyed Sbrogna Auto Body. Together, they gardening, in particular her prized owned and operated the business of flower beds in both Worcester and over 40 years before they were af- Delray Beach. forded retirement in 1984. It was then Several years ago, Lena received they began sharing time between their the American Red Cross Local Hehomes in Delray Beach and Worces- roes Award for her efforts in saving a ter. Gus died in April 1986, and life young neighborhood boy from chokchanged, but it didn’t end for Lena. ing.

10 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

In heaven, Lena is rejoined with Gus and her siblings, Mary Rotondo, Patsy, Maurice, John and Frank Flaminio. Lena adored her family and treasured the time spent with them and the lifetime of memories. She leaves her son, Ralph F. Sbrogna and his wife, Debra of Boston; she was the much loved ‘Mama’ to her grandchildren Ralph F. ‘Chip’ Sbrogna and his partner, Susan O’Connor of Austin, Texas, Kristen A. Sbrogna-Christianson and her husband, Jon of Berkeley, California, Derek A. Sbrogna of Austin, Texas and Matthew A. Sbrogna of Boston and was the ‘Big Mama’ to her great grandchildren Wren and Wilder Christianson; she also leaves her sisters, Lucille DeSantis and Angela DeAngelis, both of Worcester; many nieces & nephews; great-nieces and great-nephews. Memorials in her name may be made to American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave, Waltham, MA 01701. We would like to thank Patch.com and Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors for reprint permission.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Monongahela, PA Man Arrested for 46 Tailgate Thefts in 2014 by Alyssa Choiniere, Herald-Standard

A Monongahela man was arraigned on July 8 for allegedly running a Craigslist business of selling tailgates stolen from trucks in three counties in 2014. Coby Andrew Trader, 40, told police in 2014 that he advertised tailgates for sale for all makes and models of pickup trucks and would steal tailgates based on potential buyers’ specifications, according to court documents. “Trader said that he would be contacted by a potential buyer for a tailgate, and when they asked him if he had a particular color and style ‘in stock,’ he would get their callback information and go out and steal a tailgate that matched what the buyer wanted, sometimes even getting the

right color,” police wrote in the affidavit. He told police he typically sold the tailgates for between $200 and $225. On one occasion, Trader allegedly stole a tailgate from someone who later contacted him about buying a tailgate to replace it. The alleged victim told police the new tailgate did not fit, but Trader refused to give him a refund. Police identified the rightful owner and returned it, court records indicate. Trader was brought in for questioning in 2014 after the owner of Roberts Auto Body in Carroll Township recognized his stolen tailgate on Craigslist. The owner arranged to meet with Trader to buy the tailgate under police surveillance. Police brought him in for questioning. In-

vestigators said the key the owner provided fit the stolen tailgate. At that time, Trader allegedly confessed to 12 tailgate thefts. He allegedly told police he stole them from trucks at locations including the West Penn Power Station and Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township, Washington County; N&N Auto Sales in Fallowfield Township, Washington County; and C Harper Ford in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. Carroll Township police chief Paul Brand gathered information from neighboring communities and found 46 tailgates were reported stolen between July and November of 2014. He said 34 of those thefts were reported within five miles of Trader’s residence. A man matching Trader’s description was allegedly observed on

surveillance footage removing tailgates at additional locations, including CHEMCO Systems in Forward Township, Allegheny County. No additional thefts were reported in the area after November 2014 when he was brought in for questioning, police said. Additional attempts to question Trader were unsuccessful until July 8, following an investigation between Carroll Township Police and the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Trader was charged with 46 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Mark Wilson on a $10,000 unsecured bond. We thank Herald-Standard for reprint permission.

Alan’s Collision Center Invests $15,000 Annually In Technician Auto Body Repair Training Alan’s Collision Center, an independent, single-owner Philadelphia auto body repair business, is investing $15,000 annually in technician training to ensure excellence in collision repair services for customers. The collision repair center sends its technical team to workshops and

courses around the country sponsored by I-CAR, Assured Performance Network, Mercedes-Benz, and other private trade schools for the industry.

Technicians are trained in advanced auto body repair for welding, paint, frame pulling, alignment, filler and restoration, and more. “We are committed to collision repair training for our technicians so we can exceed excellence in auto body repair and customer satisfaction,” said Jim Pfau, general manager of Alan’s Collision. “Technical training is our differentiator as an independent collision repair center. We remain focused on quality as the industry becomes more disrupted by consolidations, multi-shop operations and direct-repair programs.” Alan’s Collision Center, founded in 1975, is the only certified Mercedes-Benz collision repair center in Phila-delphia. Most recently, the business became the only Philadelphia

ASA Webinar Addresses Impact of DOL Overtime Rule

On June 15, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) held a webinar on the new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Overtime Rule. The rule updates the regulations governing which executive, administrative and professional employees are entitled to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime pay protections. Participants heard from Brian Farrington of Cowles & Thompson’s Employment Law Practice Group in Dallas on the rule’s impact and implications. Darrell Amberson, president

of operations at LaMettry’s Collision in Minneapolis, MN, and Ed Cushman, president of C&H Foreign Auto Repair in Spokane, WA, also presented. Following the presentations, the participants had the opportunity to engage in a question -and-answer session with panelists. The primary concerns consisted of variations in the rule’s implementation from state to state, the effects of commissions on the salary test, and the necessity of logging hours. Go to recording at https:// youtube/tpmBHLK9kPE.

12 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

auto body shop recognized by Ford for repair of the Ford aluminum F150. The NE Philadelphia collision center is a member of Assured Performance Network and is certified

and/or dealer recognized to repair a variety of other original equipment manufacturer vehicles including General Motors, Honda, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Nissan, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Toyota, and others.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

Lawyers at Burg and Brock Say Enactment of the Safe Rental Car Act is a Victory for Automotive Safety

According to an article published June 1 on Auto Rental News, car rental companies must now recall or repair defective vehicles before allowing their customers to drive them, thanks to a new law enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Endorsed by the family of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, who were the victims of an accident involving a rental car that was subject to a safety recall, the act is being hailed as a significant improvement in public safety standards. Commenting on the article, the Law Offices of Burg and Brock noted that granting the authority for the NHTSA to punish any rental car company that violates the act will likely result in the reduction of dangerous conditions for rental car drivers. The company noted that a variety of injury car collisions could possibly be avoided with the enactment of higher standards for rental car inspection. The personal injury law firm also stated that in the wake of a serious injury or wrongful death, families of victims are looking for justice and understanding. “That’s where skilled attorneys like the legal

team at the Law Offices of Burg and Brock can be of enormous help,” the law firm commented.

The Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2015 (“Safe Rental Car Act”) was part of Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, which passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and was signed into law by President Obama on December 4, 2015. “Handling over 5,000 accident cases, the Law offices of Burg and Brock recognize that the passing of the Safe Rental Car Act will only help us continue to provide the ideal results that our clients seek,” a statement from the company read.

14 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Certified Collision Group™ Appoints Bob Cornelius Director of Business Development, Eastern Region

Certified Collision Group™ (CCG), the Bruce Bares, CEO/president of Cercertifications and KPI-focused solu- tified Collision Group. “Ongoing adtions provider to the automotive colli- ditions to our executive management sion repair and insurance communities, team ensure CCG is on track to meet has announced the appointment of Bob or exceed our stated 2016 goal of Cornelius to the position of director of 130 DRP-centric, OE Certified rebusiness development, Eastern region. pair facilities. Bob’s addition clearly Mr. Cornelius has more than four signifies that commitment to our afdecades of experience wifiliates, insurance and venthin the insurance claims dor partners.” community in designing, “I look forward to implementing, managing bringing my experience to and refining DRP network the organization and assistprograms to drive customer ing in the mission to build satisfaction, cycle time, and a nationwide network of loss adjustment expense OE Certified repairers that (LAE) results. His extenare best prepared, long Bob Cornelius sive career includes local, term, to partner with insurregional and home office ers,” Cornelus stated. “Inmanagement roles within Colonial surers have significant concerns Penn, The Hartford, Ameriprise and around access to repair organizations USAA. and independent operators who have “We believe Bob’s extensive the necessary equipment, training knowledge, relationships, and prac- and OE Certifications to properly retical experience in designing, devel- pair claimant vehicles. I believe oping, deploying and managing CCG is well positioned to grow and national DRP programs—working deliver value to the industry at large side by side with quality repairers through a Proven Performance, OE across the nation—will serve CCG Certified platform, that benefits our well as we further develop our u- Affiliates, Insurer partners and their nique model across the U.S.,” stated mutual customers.”

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

Arbitration Panel Rules in Favor of PA Body Shop Over ationwide’s Claim of “Excessive” Fees by Stacey Phillips

After Nationwide Insurance filed a claim against a Pennsylvania body shop for charging “unreasonable and excessive fees,” a county arbitration panel in that state ruled in favor of the collision repair center in May. Nationwide filed the original complaint against Professionals Auto Body in October 2015 in Blair County, PA Court of Common Pleas. According to court documents, Nationwide was disputing a towing bill in the amount of $837.50, as well as the reasonableness of a daily storage fee of $75 per day. The costs also included a 25 percent markup fee on a towing charge, which amounted to $167.50. “It’s the cost of doing business and those costs have to be covered and passed on,” said Ron Perretta, who owns Professionals Auto Body as well as a full mechanical facility and KarPro Tire and Auto Center towing company in Altoona, PA. Professionals was represented by Jonathan Rose, an associate attorney at Forr, Stokan, Huff, Kormanski & Naugle in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Rose said the plaintiff’s amended

complaint failed to state any cause of action or any legal theory against the body shop. In May 2015, Debra Howard and Monica Devett were involved in an accident and according to court documents, Howard was at fault. Devett’s 2012 Chevrolet Malibu was towed to Altoona Emergency and then towed a second time by KarPro to Professionals Auto Body. Professionals paid the cost for both towing companies, which included a 911 response tow, recovery, debris removal, service fees and storage. Perretta said KarPro’s tow manager marked up the first tower’s invoice 25 percent, which came to $167.50. Before the vehicle was brought into the body shop for disassembly, Professionals asked Howard to come in and authorize the rates and charges. After disassembly, the vehicle was declared a total loss. Howard’s insurance company, Nationwide, paid all of the charges for the services provided. According to court documents, Nationwide alleged it made the payments only “under protest” and declared the charges unnecessary and asked that they be re-

16 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

funded. In the complaint against Professionals, the insurance company claimed that the costs were not agreed to by Howard or Nationwide and requested that certain charges, including the markup amount be refunded, which amounted to $837.50. “Nationwide wanted a breakdown of that sum probably with the idea that they would reimburse KarPro for the amount originally charged by Altoona Emergency but a denial of any markup,” said Rose. “All items were very reasonable and necessary charges,” said Perretta. “Our defense for the charges were simple and easily justified. We use our money for their benefit and deserve a markup.” In addition to staffing fees, Perretta said the body shop needs to cover a variety of other costs. These include maintaining secure lots that are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, paying for the liability of each vehicle from theft or damage, insurance and taxes on their property and costs associated with protecting the environment. “If [the] plaintiff believes it should not be responsible for the full

amount of the damage its insured has caused, plaintiff should seek restitution from its insured rather than demanding defendants rewrite their bill for damages caused by Plaintiff’s insured,” court documents stated. Rose said part of the theory that Nationwide was looking to proceed on was an unjust enrichment theory, which relies upon an implied contract. “They’re actually not permitted under the law to proceed under an implied contract theory where there is an express written contract,” he said. In this situation, Professionals had the customer sign a contract outlining the charges, including the rate per day so it wasn’t an issue. Otherwise, Rose said the insurance company does have the ability to come in and debate the rate. He stressed the importance of always maintaining good records. “My advice to shops that may be in a similar situation would be to make sure they always have documentation,” said Rose. “Be sure that they have signed contracts with their customers that indicate that they know what the charges are and that the procedures that are going to be done have been authorized by the customer.” The

case went to an arbitration panel consisting of three local attorneys that heard the case and a decision was made in favor of Professionals. Nationwide had a 30-day period to appeal for a de novo hearing before the court, but did not. “This is something that is definitely a problem for independent shops, shops that aren’t participating in direct repair programs who are accounting for their own costs and trying to make a reasonable profit,” said Rose. He said that shops need to know they can operate independently, although independent shops have to be prepared to defend all of their rates and charges as they would be setting those themselves based upon their costs, rather than simply utilizing whatever fee schedule is put in place by the insurance company. “They don’t have to be fully dependent on direct repair programs,” said Rose. He said that he is not condemning direct repair programs, but that a different business model of an independent shop is something also available to auto body repairers. Due to the design of today’s vehicles, Perretta said total losses,

ABRA Expands Glass Operations in Philadelphia

such as the one in this instance, have become considerably more common. “The costs associated with handling of total losses and claims has to be looked at,” said Perretta. “There’s a limit to the amount of these costs business can absorb.” Nationwide provided the following statement to Autobody News in regards to the claim and the decision by the arbitration panel: “Nationwide evaluates the facts and circumstances of each claim individually and pays for covered losses that are reasonable, claim-related and supported by documented evidence. Nationwide does not publicly discuss claims litigation.”

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ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a national damaged vehicle repair company, has announced the expansion of its auto glass operations in the Philadelphia market through the acquisition of Four Sons Auto Glass. The acquisition significantly expands ABRA’s auto glass service area into the central and southern portions of greater Philadelphia, and complements ABRA’s existing glass service operations in the northern Philadelphia suburbs and New Jersey. According to the company, with this latest expansion, ABRA’s auto glass division now operates in 14 markets across the country, in addition to ABRA’s portfolio of 337 auto collision repair centers in 24 states. ABRA has quickly increased its presence in the Philadelphia area since entering the market last year. President and chief executive officer Duane Rouse, said, “As a result of our standard processes and procedures and outstanding customer service, we have quickly become a trusted provider for collision and auto glass needs in the region. Today’s addition strengthens our footprint and better positions us to provide superior services to an even greater number of communities in and around Philadelphia.”

ABRA continuously seeks strategic opportunities to expand its auto glass operations to new service areas. Regarding the acquisition, ABRA’s Vice President of Auto Glass, Jim Richardson, said, “When it comes to expansion, we look for well-established brands with similar cultures and operational philosophies to our own, which allows us to quickly demonstrate our exceptional service model to new customers. Today’s acquisition fits that mold well, as we bring on a company with a strong reputation for quality workmanship and high integrity.” ABRA plans to continue expanding pursuant to its national growth strategy. ABRA is seeking opportunities to acquire collision repair centers and auto glass service businesses to integrate into its industry-leading operating system. Interested parties should contact Scott Gerling, vice president of corporate development (sgerling @abraauto.com or 763-585-6210).

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Lean Operations

The Fastest Shops in the World! with David Luehr

Even with loads of lean information being thrust at us for over two decades, our collision repair industry’s average cycle time is still hovering at just over ten days. This is just the average; some shops are running at close to 15 days or more while a small handful of innovative thinkers are able to produce repairs in only four days on average. Surprisingly, the fast and the slow shops are often very similar in many respects and face many of the same challenges. So why the huge difference in performance? There are no unfair advantages, just different thinking. In my consulting business, I am proud to say I get to work with some of the fastest shops in the world, and I promise you these guys are not necessarily smarter, or have bigger buildings or even better technicians. And if you think they are performing this well by delivering poor quality repairs, you would be deceiving yourself; they have just been able to overcome bad thinking. There are three primary differences I notice between good shops that are fast and good shops that are slow, and they are: damage appraisal, scheduling, and continuous workflow.

Damage Appraisal Blueprinting is critical to ensure an efficient repair process, and most fast shops are excellent at the blueprinting process of meticulous disassembly and damage analysis, but there is also a new animal that is quickly gaining popularity and may have even greater benefits than blueprinting in some cases. Vehicle Damage Appraisal, or “VDA” as it is called in the U.K., has become a necessary way of life in other parts of the world, and a handful of shops in the U.S. are adopting these methods to gain a competitive advantage and also reduce vehicle inventory around their shops. While there is a lot to know about performing a proper damage appraisal using this method, VDA essentially can be done on drivable cars where the customer is scheduled for an appraisal appointment that lasts approximately 45 minutes. The process begins by understanding the proper repair methods and utilizing OEM in-

David Luehr is the owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, LLC, a collision business consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 30 year veteran of the collision repair industry. David is an expert in Body Shop Operations and specializes in Lean, and Theory of Constraints methods. Email him at dluehr@msn.com

formation to do so. Cars are scanned for diagnostic trouble codes and minor disassembly is performed (with the customer in the waiting room) then safely reassembled. Assuming there are no safety concerns, the customer is put back in the car until all parts have arrived and they can schedule a date to immediately start the repairs. People first hearing of VDA are quick to discount its effectiveness, citing the many reasons it won’t work instead of trying it first. Blueprinting is still the popular choice, and understandably so for many fast shops, but nothing I have seen will reduce vehicle inventory and allow smaller jobs to fly through the shop as compared to what I have seen with VDA.

Scheduling The single biggest influence on a shop’s cycle time performance is quite simply inventory. Or, in other words, how many cars you have sitting around the shop that are not being worked on. Little’s Law states that cycle time performance is calculated by dividing the number of cars on your property by your average daily throughput. The fastest shops in the world are very familiar with this law and use scheduling practices that ensure that cars show up as they need them instead of sitting around collecting additional cycle time days and racking up the additional expense of managing these vehicles. Say you have no control over when people wreck their cars? Good point. It is nearly impossible to know exactly when tow-ins and non-drives come in. You can predict to some extent, but yes, it is impossible to know exactly. It is, however, quite possible to schedule most drivable cars which are typically a majority of your total workload. The fastest shops in the world take full advantage of bringing in the damaged vehicles and their pre-ordered parts right before they need them.

Continuous Workflow All of the world’s fastest shops place a tremendous emphasis on achieving what is called continuous workflow. The goal here is that once a damaged

18 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

vehicle is placed into production flow, it can be worked on continuously. No supplements, no missed or wrong parts, no stoppages! Sound like fantasyland? Ask the fastest shops in the world if it’s possible and see what they tell you. Clearly, continuous workflow is achieved by placing extreme emphasis on the previous two principals. You can’t continuously flow a vehicle that hasn’t been properly appraised, and you can’t flow a car when you have too much inventory causing it to sit there for several days waiting to be worked on. For many of the very fastest of the fast shops, technology has found its way into the shop. Proponents of this technology will tell you that continuous work flow is impossible if you can’t get fillers, primers, and paint to dry instantly. New gas catalytic drying robots are now being used to achieve this very thing in a minute or less, making continuous workflow

possible. Some of America’s most respected shops are now using this technology with amazing results. Cycle time improvement is not a fad; it is serious business. Improvements with cycle time can also mean improvements with customer loyalty, insurance relations, stress reduction, and profitability. No offense to the fastest shops in the world; like I said earlier, these guys are not necessarily smarter or more talented, but they do have the ability to continually challenge their beliefs and the many beliefs that are cast upon us by people in the industry who are more interested in maintaining the status quo than improving. I challenge you to move out of your comfort zone, challenge your beliefs, and try some things that could improve your business today! As always, I am here to help. To learn how you can increase your business potential, visit www .elitebodyshopsolutions.com

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Complete Demonstration Schedule Announced for NACE | CARS 2016 Following is the complete schedule for demonstrations during the Expo, taking place Thursday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 12 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. This year’s Expo features expanded OE involvement and demonstrations, such as those described below, on the latest products, materials & technology, and the latest solutions available to assist in business growth. These demonstrations provide a great opportunity to get hands-on experience with the newest technology, tools, and equipment.

Thursday, August 11 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 2017 Ford Super Duty®: “Drive the Future of Tough” Tour, Outdoor Expo 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. FederalMogul: Garage Gurus Technology Van Equipped with Product Samples and Interactive Demos, Outdoor Expo 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Apollo Sprayers: Spray Equipment-Paint Saving Demos, Booth 445 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ProLine Tool & Supply: Manual Lift/Moving Equipment Demos, Booth 653 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Pro Spot International, Inc.: Aluminum Welding,

Spot Welding, Rivet/Rivet Removal, Plastic Welding & Repair Demos, Booth 403 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.) Demo, F.R.E.E. Demo Area 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Autologic Diagnostics: Autologic Assist–the first and only cloud-based, vehicleconnected, fully integrated, aftermarket automotive diagnostics solution, Booth 782 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Spray/ Coating Demo: Rich Evans Spraying Vintage Flats, Outdoor Expo x Carbon Fiber: Damage Assessment and Repair Methods, I-CAR Stage 1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m. F-150 Apron Tube Replacement, I-CAR Stage 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Spray/Coating Demo: Rich Evans Spraying Vintage Flats, Outdoor Expo 3:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Remote Vehicle Diagnostics with Astech2, ICAR Stage

Friday, August 12 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Remote Vehicle Diagnostics with Astech2, I-CAR Stage 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Rivet Bonding Hands-On Skills Develop-

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ment (RVT01), Outdoor Expo 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 2017 Ford Super Duty®: “Drive the Future of Tough” Tour, Outdoor Expo 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Spray/Coating Demonstrations, Outdoor Expo 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. FederalMogul: Garage Gurus Technology Van Equipped with Product Samples and Interactive Demos, Outdoor Expo 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Apollo Sprayers: Spray Equipment-Paint Saving Demos, Booth 445 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ProLine Tool & Supply: Manual Lift/Moving Equipment Demos, Booth 653 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Pro Spot International, Inc.: Aluminum Welding, Spot Welding, Rivet/Rivet Removal, Plastic Welding & Repair Demos, Booth 403 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. MIG Brazing: Honda Accord B-Pillar Replacement, I-CAR Stage 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m. BMW “New 7 Series”: New Design, Technology, and Repairs, I-CAR Stage 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.), F.R.E.E. Demo Area 3:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Remote Vehicle Diagnostics with Astech2, I-

CAR Stage

Demo description details can be found by downloading the app. To download, search “NACE CARS” from within the app store. Additional advantages of purchasing a $35, two-day expo pass include: • Admission to the all-new industry-wide reception Wednesday evening, 6:30 pm–9:30 pm to kick-off the 2016 event–the Party on the Plaza, hosted by the OEM Collision Repair Roundtable • OEs will be displaying their latest technologies and offering free classes with an Expo Pass purchase how to repair their 2016 and 2017 vehicles • Custom and classic cars on display • Access to a beer garden with domestic, import, and craft brews • Live spray booths with daily demonstrations by the pros, including Rich Evans, television personality and custom automotive designer • Access to key information, including the BAR discussion and the CA Department of Insurance presentation covering key issues affecting repair shops.

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Collision Repair Education Foundation Issues Mid-Year Report

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) has issued a mid-year report highlighting developments within the first half of 2016.

Career Fairs To help connect collision students with industry employers and display the array of career opportunities students have within the industry, CREF organized and supported 10 high school and college collision career fairs throughout the country. Stu-

dents were able to distribute resumes and meet local employers. There are six career fairs planned for the fall, and the Foundation intends to track the events to report back their success to the industry. To assist those students who aren’t able to attend, CREF piloted the Collision Student Resume Database program, where collision students seeking full-time, part-time, or internship work could submit their contact information to

be included in a database provided to industry supporters.

Student Scholarships and Tool Grants Over $250,000 in high school senior and college collision student scholarships and tool grants were awarded this spring to help the future professionals of this industry with needed financial support for their technical education and/or provide them with the entrylevel tool sets they need in order to be successful when beginning their career.

Makeover Grant/New School Readiness Benchmark Program After hearing feedback from donors and members of the industry about an immediate need for entry-level staff, the Foundation created a new designation system for schools in which each school that applies for the Makeover grant will be given a Collision School Readiness Benchmark designation (Tier 1: Advanced, Tier 2: Proficient, or Tier 3: Developing). The designation will be determined by the school completing a collision program profile through the application, which includes tools/ equipment inventory, student contact

hours, continuing education hours, and more. CREF will work with those schools that apply and provide funding to help them advance in the tier program to assist in their ability to graduate students who will be productive upon employment.

Strategic Planning The CREF Board of Trustees is working together with the staff on multiyear strategic planning that includes enhancing work with schools as well as increasing efforts to speak with parents, guidance counselors, and students at a younger age.

Industry Reception at SEMA Join CREF the evening of Tuesday, November 1st during SEMA at their annual industry reception, where they will be awarding over $100,000 in school grants and student support. Chicagoland Speedway and additional Career Fairs This fall, CREF will be in Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Columbus continuing their career fairs in addition to planning events for 2017. Visit http://collision educationfoundation.org/

Flame-broiled: Car Catches Fire Next to Total Auto Repair in Easton, MA by Cody Shepard, The Enterprise of Brockton

A car caught fire on the back of a tow truck next to an auto body shop on June 25. Easton firefighters responded to Total Auto Repair at 278 Washington St. for a car fire around 3:20 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they found a car on the bed of a tow truck fully inflamed. “The vehicle caught fire and some of the truck was burning,” said Easton Fire Chief Kevin Partridge. On one side of the tow truck, another car on the ground began to catch fire, and the auto body shop was on the other side of the truck, Partridge said. “It was right near the building,” he said. “The outside of the building was burning, but they were able to extinguish the fire before it extended inside.” On June 27, firefighters still hadn’t determined the cause of the fire. Partridge said it wasn’t clear if the car had just been towed to the shop or how much damage the tow truck sustained. The inside of the building was not damaged. We would like to thank The Enterprise of Brockton for reprint permission.

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MSO Symposium Announces Final Program, Adds Insurer Panel The final program for the MSO Symposium to be held during NACE | CARS 2016 has been completed with the guidance of the MSO Advisory Board. Mike LeVasseur, director of corporate development, ABRA Auto Body & Glass, is once again master of ceremony for the Symposium. Executives representing MSO's, multi-location and single location collision repair executives, and insurance professionals are invited to attend this closed meeting. “This year's program was developed with a combination of input from the industry, guidance from an incredible group of leaders on the advisory board, and past history of the event,” said Mike LeVasseur. “Those who attended in the past will be impressed with the new program, while those attending for the first time will have a lot

to take in.” Vincent Romans, founding principal and managing partner of the Romans Group LLC, will open the program with an industry update. Vincent's insight and statistics will highlight MSO activity and impact on the collision repair industry. This year's MSO Symposium offers new content in a key segment. The Insurer Panel, moderated by Marcy Tieger, principal, Symphony Advisors, will cover topics including DRP strategy, evolution of self-managed programs, short and long-term plans to address certification, how insurers envision working with large MSO's, and telematics and how it is changing the insurance industry. “Understanding the insurance segment of the repair market is critical to business success,” said Tieger.

“This panel, along with the Q&A opportunities, will provide helpful insight for repair leaders and owners.” The MSO Symposium will also include an MSO Panel, an OE Panel, and a panel discussing collision repair around the world and how business models compare to those in the U.S. market. “There are many meetings and conferences throughout the year. This is the only event that is exclusive to the leaders in the collision repair industry,” said ASA president and executive director Dan Risley. “The advisory board has made a huge impact in developing content relative to the needs of these leaders. Some businesses are preparing for expansion through growth or acquisition while others are preparing for merger or divestiture. This symposium will provide infor-

dustry. Jim Cokonis, senior curriculum developer with CARQUEST Technical Institute and ASE Certified Master Technician with over 22 years of experience in the industry, will lead the 2016 Symposium. The CARQUEST Technical Institute will offer a scan tool diagnostic class that gives every technician the opportunity to be hands-on with their own scan tool. Using the latest vehicle simulator, CTI instructors will teach the students how to read and interpret scan data in as close to a live environment as is possible.

“ASA and CARS are very excited about this year’s installment of the Young Technicians Symposium,” said Donny Seyfer, chairman, ASA. “Our partners at CARQUEST Technical Institute have a really great program lined up for working technicians who are ready to make that next-level jump from

mation essential to understanding market conditions and preparing for the future, regardless of the size of the business.” The MSO Symposium will open at 12 p.m. on Thursday, August 11, with a private lunch followed by presentations and panels beginning at 1 p.m. The event will conclude with a private reception for attendees and sponsors at 6 p.m. Now in its 34th year, NACE | CARS 2016 will feature numerous opportunities for technical training, business education, demonstrations, networking and technology showcases for stakeholders, owners, managers and technicians in the collision and service repair industries. For more information, visit www .NACEexpo.com or www.CARSevent .com.

Young Technicians Symposium, Powered by CARQUEST, Returns to NACE | CARS

CARS, the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service, has announced the return of the Young Technicians Symposium (YTS), taking place on Friday, August 12 during NACE | CARS in Anaheim, California. In its third year, the Young Technicians Symposium brings together a group of promising technicians with at least two years of real world experience for a full day of intensive training. According to CARS, each year, the training is focused on utilizing the latest teaching techniques to accelerate the learning of this critical part of the in-

Assured Performance Hosts OEM Certification Symposium, Aug. 10-11

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 1:00 – 5:00 PM – Leveraging Your OEM Certification - Partner Presentations & Panel Discussions.

6:00 – 9:00 PM – OEM RoundTable Reception & Special Assured Performance Concert.

Thursday, August 11, 2016 8:00 – 12:00 PM – Leveraging Your OEM Certification - OEM Presentations & Panel Discussions.

Discussions will address strategies and insights to the future trends in OEM Certification and Automaker Consumer Awareness Education and Customer Referral Programs.

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2-Day $35 NACE Expo Pass Includes:

● Admission to the ALL NEW industry-wide reception Wednesday evening, 6:30 pm–9:30 pm to kickoff the 2016 event —the Party on the Plaza! Hosted by the OEM Collision Repair Roundtable, there will be cars, food, drink, music, and networking. ● More OEs than ever will be displaying their latest technologies and offering free classes with your Expo Pass on how to repair their 2016 and 2017 vehicles...including many classes that will happen for the first time ever ● Custom and classic cars on display ● Access to our beer garden with domestic, import and craft brews ● Live spray booths with daily demonstrations by the pros, including Rich Evans, television personality and custom automotive designer ● Access to KEY classes, including the BAR discussion of Alt-OEM issues and the CA Department of Insurance presentation covering key issues affecting repair shops

24 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

maintenance and light repair to diagnostician. Repair shop owners can reap great benefits by investing in their future, and CARS and CTI promise a program that is very affordable thanks to support from CTI.” For more information, visit http:// www.naceexpo.com/.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

PPX Reps Plan to Drive Hundreds of Repair Shops’ Staff to NACE CARS in Anaheim PPX Reps’ (Pacific Produx, Inc.) elite sales team for the automotive aftermarket has been hitting the streets and visiting with repair shop owners and managers throughout Southern California to personally invite them to attend NACE | CARS 2016 and visit the PPX Reps’ colocated booths. All attendees may visit them at the NACE | CARS Expo, taking place Thursday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 12 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. This year, PPX Reps has several leading automotive aftermarket compa-

nies represented at the show, including: ● Presta Products - Booth #346 ● Motorguard/Microflex - Booth #344 ● SEM Products - Booth #342 ● Mirka USA - Booth #338 ● Herkules/Vibac Tape - Booth #340 ● Anest Iwata/One Shot/EMM Specialties - Booth #915 “Since the NACE | CARS Expo will be in Anaheim, we want to make sure that our California customers are aware of this valuable opportunity for industry training and education that’s happening right in our backyard,” said

DEMOs Abound at NACE CARS

Demos provide opportunities to view the latest technology, tools, and equipment, with companies including: ● I-CAR, hosting a series of live welding, rivet bonding, and other repair demonstrations at the I-CAR stage on the expo floor and in the outdoor display area ● ProLine Tool and Supply, demonstrating their specialty lift products ● Pro Spot International, featuring a series of demonstrations, including spot welding, aluminum repair, riveting, rivet removal, and plastic welding ● First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.), providing demonstrations on how emergency response

personnel addresses vehicle accidents and how to safely remove victims ● Shop-Pro, once again providing a prep-booth for spray demonstrations showing waterborne technology, gun technology, and cleaning procedures ● Ford Motor Co., bringing their 2017 Super Duty for an exclusive opportunity to learn about and drive before it is available at local dealerships ● Toyota, bringing the Mirai, a hydrogen powered vehicle, for test rides ● Recycled Rides, giving away vehicles both days from the Central Stage ● Federal-Mogul will bring a Garage Gurus demonstration van

26 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Danny Votel, PPX Reps Regional Sales Manager, Southern California. With PPX Reps comprehensive distribution channel, networking in the West gives them the right connections to draw industry leading shops to this year’s Expo and Training. NACE | CARS Show Director Brian Nessen said, “Their excellent rapport with customers makes them a valuable resource for the extensive grassroots marketing campaign for NACE | CARS 2016.” All of the many grassroots market-

ing partners are working both digitally and on the street, spreading the message about NACE | CARS 2016. No other event offers this level and diversity of repair training while bringing together all facets of the automotive industry like NACE | CARS. Targeting business owners, management and technicians, this exposition and conference brings together all market segments for the latest and most comprehensive repair solutions, services, education, products and technology. Go to www.NACEexpo.com or www.CARSevent.com.

2017 Ford Super Duty®: “Drive the Future of Tough” Tour

NACE CARS offers an exclusive opportunity to drive the All-New 2017 Ford Super Duty before it’s available at local Ford Dealerships. The 2017 Ford Super Duty features a high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body, a fully boxed high-strength steel frame, and advanced technology. Make sure to enter the sweepstakes to win your very own at www.superdutydrive.com if you register online and attend, you will receive 10x the chances to win! 2017 Ford Super Duty will be available to drive:

■ Wed., Aug. 10 — Party on the Plaza ■ Thurs., Aug. 11 & Friday, Aug. 12 — Outdoor Demo (behind the Expo, Hall B)

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D.C. Lobbying Over Self-Driving Autos Revs Up by Keith Laing, Detroit News Washington Bureau

Ford, Volvo, Google, Uber and Lyft are stepping up their lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill as lawmakers begin to craft regulations for self-driving cars, and they have hired a former National Highway Transportation Safety Administration chief to be their frontman. The carmakers and tech companies have joined forces to form a lobby group called Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets in an effort to make sure regulations aren’t put in place that might suppress development efforts for autonomous vehicles. But some critics warn of a too-cozy relationship between the industry and regulators and say that rules must be sufficiently tough to keep the public safe. The industry group has tapped David Strickland, NHTSA administrator from 2010-14, to be the public face of the effort to steer Congress toward favorable regulations for selfdriving autos. Strickland said he accepted the position with the self-driving coalition

and eliminate the need for a driver to be behind the wheel when they are in motion was introduced last month in the state Senate. California has taken the opposite tack with a proposal that would require a licensed driver — and a steering wheel — to be in the car at all times. Strickland said the differing approaches between the two states shows the need for Congress to develop one set of federal rules for selfdriving cars. Strickland said the Self-Driving Coalition An autonomous Ford Fusion navigates the roads of the Mcity for Safer Streets wants Test Facility in Ann Arbor. Credit: Detroit News to ensure federal rules The former NHTSA chief pointed do not stifle the development of the out that multiple car and tech companies technology that will be used to power are moving forward with testing self- driverless vehicles. driving autos, and states like Michigan Most importantly, he said, they and California are beginning to craft want to make sure the eventual rules their own regulations. do not prohibit fully autonomous opA bill that would allow self-dri- eration of cars that may eventually be ving cars to be operated on any of built without steering wheels and foot Michigan’s 122,000 miles of roads pedals. because he believes the technology is ripe for widespread deployment in the near future and has the potential to save lives by sharply reducing the number of crashes on the nation’s roads.

28 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

“The concern for the coalition is our goal of full self-driving. That answers a lot of the problems we’ve tried to address with human error,” he said, pointing out that 94 percent of all car crashes involve mistakes made by drivers. “If you pull the driver back in, you’re not addressing human error,” Strickland said. The former NHTSA chief said he expects the process that results in federal regulations for self-driving autos to be a “collaborative” effort between his former agency and members of Congress, who have already begun hold hearings about the potential rewards and risks of the new technology. “My experience working with Congress (at NHTSA) is that they want to work with the oversight committees,” he said. “I don’t see it as an arms race. Traditionally, the conversation has been two responsible authorities who work to ensure there are no gaps in safety regulations.” NHTSA, automakers' relationship. Critics see Strickland’s involve-

ment in the self-driving coalition as evidence of a cozy relationship between NHTSA and car companies that has resulted in lax oversight of the auto industry. “The revolving door between NHTSA and industry has become an embarrassment to the agency and the administration,” John Simpson, privacy project director at the Santa Monica, California-based Consumer Watchdog group wrote in a letter to NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. Simpson asked Rosekind to promise not to lobby for auto companies that are pushing for self-driving cars for seven years after he leaves office at the end of the year. He noted, “including Strickland, four former agency officials are now leading the race for Google to develop self-driving robot cars without steering wheels and brake pedals so a human driver can take control. “The practice has become so commonplace that potential NHTSA employees must anticipate that a golden parachute will await them when they jump ship to land at an automotive or technology company,” Simpson wrote.

He said his organization “supports autonomous vehicle policies, such as those proposed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that require a driver behind a steering wheel and brake pedal capable of assuming control of the self-driving robot technology when something goes wrong. “Data from self-driving car developers show this is a key safety provision,” Simpson wrote. “For example, in a required disengagement report filed with the California DMV Google said its self-driving technology failed 341 times during the reporting period. The technology turned over control to the test driver 272 times because it couldn’t cope and the test driver intervened 69 times because they felt the situation was dangerous.” Confidence vs. real-world tests Missy Cummings, from Duke University’s autonomy and robotics lab, agrees that self-driving cars need to be tested in real-world road and weather conditions before they can be deployed on a large scale. “They need to go up to Minneapolis for a winter or Boston for a winter or Seattle,” said Cummings, who testified before Congress in March on the need for further testing

of autonomous vehicles. “I’m not saying I don’t think these cars should be on the road, but I don’t think they’re ready.” The members of the coalition that has been formed to lobby for favorable rules for self-driving autos in Washington have expressed full confidence in the emerging technology. “We believe fully autonomous vehicles will help people travel more safely and efficiently, as well as facilitate mobility for those currently unable to drive,” Ford said in a statement when the group was first launched in April. San Francisco-based Lyft added: “Eventually, the world will move to one where autonomous vehicles are a major mode of time transportation. They’ll increase accessibility, affordability — and importantly, improve safety.” Critics like Simpson and Cummings are not so sure, however. “If the Google car can perform flawlessly in the winter in Boston, good for them,” Cummings said. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Continued from Cover

Salvaged Airbags

without first having the equipment properly tested. In addition to refraining from such unlawful sales in the future, the company agreed to pay a $12,500 civil penalty to New York for the violation. The company also agreed to maintain records of any salvaged airbags for a period of three years. The investigation was handled by Assistant Attorney General Michael J. Danaher, Jr. from the Binghamton Regional Office under the supervision of James E. Shoemaker, Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Binghamton Regional Office and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Regional Affairs Marty Mack.

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NABC Members Team Up to Present Multiple Recycled Rides, First Responder Demos at NACE The National Auto Body Council (NABC) announces it has scheduled multiple opportunities at NACE | CARS Conference & Expo for repairers and others in the collision industry to personally experience the impact of its program initiatives and learn how they can collaborate with business partners to bring these community service programs into their local communities. NABC members will be teaming up with local Orange County, California nonprofit organizations and fire departments to showcase the Recycled Rides™ and First Responder Emergency Extrication (FREE™) programs. “All of us in the collision industry

benefit when these life-changing programs are implemented across the country. They are inspiring and rewarding and they exemplify the professionalism and integrity of collision professionals. We encourage NACE attendees to schedule time to attend these presentations and talk to us about how to become involved and make a difference for their businesses and in their communities,” said NABC Chairman Domenic Brusco. Recycled Rides - NACE Center Stage Thursday, August 11 at 11:30 AM Friday, August 12 at 1:00 PM Newly refurbished cars will be presented

to five local area veterans and families in need. Vehicles were donated by Hertz, Insurance Auto Auctions, State Farm, GEICO and Allstate, and repaired by MAACO-Lake Forest, Pacific Elite Collision, Platinum Collision Center, Fix Auto Tustin and Service King-Placentia. First Responder Emergency Extrication (FREE) – Back area of Expo Floor Thursday, August 11 at 10:00 AM. Friday, August 12 at 3:00 PM Accident scenes will be staged to provide first responders from the Anaheim Fire Department with hands-on training of extrication techniques specifically

suited for the intricacies of new materials and technology used in today’s vehicles. Late model cars for the extrication demos are donated by State Farm. “We appreciate the contributions and collaborative efforts of so many in our industry who have stepped up to help advance our mission,” said Chuck Sulkala, NABC Executive Director. “We look forward to more opportunities at NACE to meet, chat and share with even more individuals and organizations how they can introduce NABC program initiatives into their company and community programs.” NABC will be located at booth #374 at NACE | CARS Conference & Expo.

Industry Panel to Discuss Importance of Pre- and Post-Repair Scans, Calibration/Recalibration at NACE | CARS 2016

Mike Anderson, industry consultant and president/owner of Collision Advice, will lead a panel of OE and insurance representatives in a discussion about the need for pre- and post-repair scans, calibration/recalibration, and more. The intent is to reduce the friction between shops and insurers by educating the attendees about what does or does not need to be done and when. This first-ever roundtable program will take place during NACE | CARS 2016 in Anaheim Thursday, August 11, 9:30–11:00 a.m., followed by a 30-minute Q&A period, at the Central Stage on the Expo Floor. Anyone with an expo pass can attend this special panel discussion. “There is a lot of talk in the industry about whether or not it is necessary to scan every vehicle, pre- and post-re-

pair. Do we really need to perform a calibration on vehicles such as Toyota or Honda? And what if it is not even occupied? Are there parameters to these items?” said Mike Anderson, president/owner of Collision Advice. “Quite often the OEM’s tell us in their repair information that we need to do these things, however insurers do not always pay for this work, and shops sometimes wonder if it is really necessary. This panel discussion is intended to educate all parties in the collision repair industry.” “This is the first time the industry has had a panel comprised of this level of industry expertise and the largest collection of OEs to ever participate. NACE | CARS is proud to offer such a panel, and we are excited to be working with industry expert, Mike Anderson,

on bringing together this important topic and key players for discussion.” said Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director. “Shop owners will want to take part in this program as it directly affects their business.” Those participating on the panel as of press time include: Chris Toby, American Honda Motor Company, Inc.; Eric Mendoza, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.; Brian Wayne, FCA; John Eck, General Motors; Mark Allen,

Audi of America, Inc.; Mark Zoba, Nissan North America, Inc.; and Clint Marlow, Allstate. This special program will provide a frank discussion, with insight and an information exchange unique to NACE | CARS 2016. It offers shop owners, management, and technicians an opportunity to gain repair knowledge important to their businesses. No other event offers this level and diversity of repair programming.

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ASA Partners with the Auto Care Association to Present Young Auto Care Network Group

Hosted by NACE | CARS 2016 and organized by the Auto Care Association and Stone Fort Group, a Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) Meet-Up will take place on Thursday, August 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. YANG was formed in January 2014 and provides auto care professionals in their 20s and 30s with the opportunity to network with industry peers, enhance knowledge, and improve leadership capabilities. According to the Auto Care Association, YANG participants are future executive-level staffers of the auto care industry that see the value in establishing connections with other young professionals who will one day be business owners and key decision makers. “The YANG Advisory Council is extremely excited and honored to be holding a regional experience at the International Autobody Congress and

Exposition this August in Anaheim,” said Alena Van Cleave, chairman, YANG. “This event will afford the young members of NACE and the auto care industry an opportunity to connect with one another at a unique venue. We would like to thank NACE for offering to host this event and encourage everyone in the under-40 crowd to attend.” The schedule for the meet-up is as follows: 3 p.m.: Check-in at Registration for YANG Attendees, Visit NACE Expo and Demos 4 p.m.: Meet at NACE Central Stage 4:05 p.m.: Welcome Address 4:10 p.m.: Industry Leader Address with ASA Chairman Donny Seyfer 4:30 p.m.: Networking “ASA is very happy to partner with the Auto Care Association in hosting YANG,” said Donny Seyfer, chairman, ASA.”

30 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Chief Expands Its Distribution Network Chief has added two distributors to its sales and service network. New Orleans Equipment Company of Harahan, Louisiana will support customers in Louisiana and south central Mississippi while Collision Equip-

guns and more. New Orleans Equipment Company has been in the auto body business for more than 16 years. Owner Bernard Triche says Chief is a perfect fit for his company.

Chief, North America’s leading collision repair equipment manufacturer, has appointed two new distributors, New Orleans Equipment in Louisiana and Collision Equipment Experts in the Chicago area. Pictured is New Orleans Equipment owner (l to r) Bernard Triche, and Don Putney, president of Collision Equipment Experts

ment Experts, Inc., of Lake in the Hills, Illinois will cover the Chicago, central Illinois and western Indiana regions. Both companies will carry the full Chief line, including frame racks, benches, vehicle-anchoring systems, measuring systems, vehicle frame specifications, welders, rivet

“We share the same philosophy about customer support as Chief. We’re all about responding quickly to our customer’s needs, working hard to keep them up and running, and helping them understand their equipment so they can be as profitable as possible,” Triche said.

Don Putney, president of Collision Equipment Experts, has served the collision industry for more than 40 years. He was a body and paint technician, body shop manager and unibody repair instructor for I-CAR before co-founding Collision Equipment Experts in 2009. “This company wants to represent the best, and I really feel Chief is the leader in the industry for holding, anchoring, pulling and measuring equipment,” said Putney. “And we are the best in our area in customer service—from body shop design and layout, to spec’ing the proper equipment for a customer’s application, to providing the service and training to help them reduce costs and improve their productivity.” “We are really pleased to bring these two fine companies into the Chief distributor family,” said Bob Holland, director of collision sales in North and South America. “They are the kind of organizations you want on your front line. Because when it comes to total structural repair solutions— equipment, installation, training, vehicle repair data, technical support and plain no-nonsense advice—our distributor family is the embodiment of Chief to our end users.”

Caliber Acquires Seven Collision Care Auto Body Centers in PA

Seven Collision Care Auto Body Centers in the Philadelphia area have been acquired by Caliber Collision Centers. The acquisition adds Val Fichera, Collision Care’s CEO and Body Shop Business’ 2015 MSO Collision Repair Executive of the Year, as well as his management staff to the Caliber team and gives Caliber a significant presence in and around Philadelphia. “It’s exciting to take the next step with the Collision Care organization,” said Fichera. “When I took over the business more than 20 years ago, we were just one shop. I’ve been aggressive and we have grown rapidly since. Our whole team is looking forward to having even more success with the resources Caliber brings.” Fichera is joining the Caliber Collision team as the Northeast Director for PA, NJ and NY. The Collision Care acquisition represents the most recent sale of high-profile collision repair industry companies by FOCUS, including Keenan Auto Body, B&R Auto Body, Gladwin Paints, Kayfield Automotive Paint, Aquia Auto Parts and others.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

The Student Returns as the Teacher at California’s Contra Costa College by Ed Attanasio

Laura Salas graduated from Contra Costa College’s Automotive Collision Repair Technology Department six years ago, and now she is returning the favor by going back to the school as an instructor. The co-owner of Black Diamond Collision Center in Pittsburg, CA, Salas credits her favorite instructor and her highly supportive father for her progression within the collision repair industry. The instructor Salas is referring to is Peter Lock, her former teacher at Contra Costa College (CCC). “Mr. Lock taught me a lot about life and helped me to become a better person. He also gave me the knowledge I needed to be successful as a shop owner,” she said. “By graduating from the program at CCC, I was able to start this shop with my father, who has been in the trade for 30 years. Mr. Lock is an incredible teacher because he truly cares and he shows it. He gave us the resources to succeed. I wanted my welding certification and he helped to make it happen. I owe him a lot because he played a big role

in helping me to get to this point as an owner of a shop.” After going through a series of interviews and performing demonstrations for school officials, Salas

Laura Salas, co-owner of Black Diamond Collision Center in Pittsburg, CA, was recently hired as an instructor at Contra Costa College’s Auto Tech School, the same college from which she graduated in 2010

was recently hired as a Body and Refinishing instructor at CCC, a nationally-renowned automotive tech school located on campus in San

34 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Pablo, CA. With many of his former students flourishing at body shops all over the country and leading the collision industry in various roles as owners, managers, estimators, body techs and paint techs, lifelong tech instructor and department head Peter Lock retired from CCC after 36 years as a leader, mentor and educator who taught more than 3,500 students over the years. When Lock left the program, there was definitely a void, even though he is still involved on a parttime basis. Now, one of Lock’s star graduates is replacing him at CCC, and Salas couldn’t be happier. Peter Lock is also obviously delighted by the appointment. “Laura was one of my best students ever,” Lock said. “She always did the best she could do in classes, getting her welding certificates, and she was awarded over $10,000 in scholarships. She went on to owning her own business and now she has been chosen through a rigorous interviewing process to lead the CCC Collision program into the future. It is very

gratifying to have an alumnus of CCC come back to teach where she received her degree. All of us in the automotive technology department are looking forward to working with her.” Tiffany Silva, the owner of Accurate Auto Body in Richmond, CA is the president of the East Bay Chapter of the California Autobody Association as well as a member of CCC’s review board for the auto tech department. “I met Laura several times in the past, but was unsure if she would have the necessary skills needed to fill Peter’s position,” Silva said. “Laura’s interview for the position was amazing! Her teaching demonstration not only proved she has the skills needed to teach, but it impressed me tremendously. The welding demonstration she gave proved she had the knowledge and ability, and I believe she will be able to connect with the students and carry on this incredible program.” Salas will be starting her new role as a teacher at CCC this month, and although she’s a little nervous, she’s poised and prepared to take on

the challenge. “I have zero teaching experience, but attending the same program that I will now be teaching will help me a lot,” she said. “I received a lot of firsthand exposure from Mr. Lock, my fellow students and all of the other great people out in the collision industry who play a role at CCC. Much of what is learned there is still very fresh in my mind, so I am ready for this job.” Will Salas be able to still work at her shop while teaching at CCC? “Yes, although I realize I am going to be busy,” she said. “I will be teaching five hours, six days a week and then I will be working at the shop. My father will still be helping me and we have a good crew, so it will definitely work.” Becoming an instructor at CCC is a dream fulfilled, Salas explained. “My ultimate goal was to become a teacher at CCC, but I never thought it would happen. Now I know that it’s real, so I am really excited. This is a great industry and I’m proud to be a part of it as well as being a teacher now.”

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Auto Care Association Names Perrine New CFO

The Auto Care Association has an- served as manager, regional finance opnounced the appointment of Nathan erations, for the Special Olympics. Perrine as chief financial of“Nathan brings to our asficer (CFO). Perrine, who sociation extensive knowwill assume responsibilities ledge and experience in on July 18, most recently business accounting princiserved as vice president of fiples as well as organizanance and administration and tional and analytical skills, CFO of the American Coatnot only to oversee finanings Association in Washingcial operations, but also to ton, D.C. serve as a strategic business Nathan Perrine Prior to joining the Amepartner to the executive rican Coatings Association in 2011, Per- leadership team, segment communirine was CFO at Tate & Tryon, CPAs ties, managed organizations and the and Consultants. From 2001 to 2005, he professional staff,” said Bill Hanvey,

president and CEO, Auto Care Association. Perrine received his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Brigham Young University and his Master of Business of Administration degree from George Washington University. He is a certified public accountant and holds the Certified Global Management Accountant credential from the American Institute of CPAs as well as the Certified Association Executive credential from the American Society of Association Executives.

Certified Collision Group™ Expands Management Team, Appoints Ernie Laky

Ernie Laky provides more than 30 years of experience in creating, negotiating and growing strategic partnership relationships within the automotive repair industry, and will focus on the development of key vendor programs at CCG. Laky served as vice president of purchasing for nearly two decades. In that role, he negotiated and managed all U.S. vendor relationships. Prior to that, Laky was with Standard Motor Products, Inc. for nearly 14 years, where he held the positions of buyer, product manager, and business unit manager.

“Ernie’s extensive experience in vendor relationship management will significantly enhance the value proposition that CCG affiliates realize longterm,” said Bruce Bares, CEO and president of Certified Collision Group. “Industry providers know and respect Ernie, and his addition to our team will further our affiliates’ ability to compete within their markets through both Proven Performance and economies of scale.” “I look forward to providing my applied experience and knowledge to

CCG and assisting our coveted affiliates in reducing today’s heavy costs associated with training, equipment, certification and other operational expenses, so that they can remain competitive to the benefit of our insurance partners and consumers alike,” stated Laky. “I firmly believe that CCG is on the right path in very selectively on-boarding high performing, DRP-centric, OEM Certified repairers that consistently achieve the insurance communities’ KPI objectives.” For more information, visit www .certifiedcg.com.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

ABAC and Senator Blumenthal Stress the Importance of Safe Repairs at a Local Tech School A main part of the mission statement for the Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) is promoting safe and dependable auto repairs, and one of the many ways they do this is by supporting automotive programs at local tech schools. The importance of a proper collision repair curriculum was stressed on Wednesday, June 1 during a press conference at HC Wilcox Technical High School in Meriden, CT, where the ABAC and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) met with students.

Tony Ferraiolo of the ABAC and Senator Richard Blumenthal address the students at HC Wilcox Technical High School on June 1

Tony Ferraiolo, President of the ABAC, noted, “Connecticut’s technical schools are the foundation of this industry and the source of many of the best and brightest technicians in our industry. It is so important for the students to be trained properly because it gives them the ability to be productive from day one. The complexity of this industry makes it very interesting and challenging. These future technicians will be counted on to repair vehicles properly and safely for the consumers.” As part of its efforts to support the collision repair program at HC Wilcox, the ABAC donated an improperly repaired car to the school for students to learn from. The vehicle, purchased from a woman whose car was unsafely repaired through an insurance company’s concierge’s facility, was deemed unsafe to operate due to poor workmanship and the use of imitation parts. When the owner of the vehicle brought her car to an independent collision repair facility, the shop ruled the car a total loss because it was completely unsafe for the road.

The ABAC acquired the vehicle and donated it to the school to use as an educational tool, demonstrating how a seemingly safe vehicle could be dangerous and unfit to drive. According to Ferraiolo, “Poor and unsafe repairs often involve the use of imitation parts or repair procedures that do not conform to manufacturer specifications. The ABAC encourages the use of OEM factory parts and repair standards. Independent shops that do not have contractual agreements with insurance companies do not get pressured to cut corners or use imitation parts. Remember, in the state of CT, you have the right to have your vehicle repaired at the repair facility of your choice.” The ABAC donated the shoddily repaired vehicle to allow students to dissect the car to determine where imitation parts were used, where poor workmanship could be found, and where corners were cut. “We want the students to learn how to properly repair a vehicle,” Ferraiolo stressed. Addressing the students, Ferraiolo stated, “This vehicle behind us is an example of what happens when insurance companies get in the business of fixing cars. This car was repaired and returned to the customer supposedly completed and roadworthy. After it was inspected by an independent repair facility, it was deemed a total loss and completely unsafe for the road. Insurance companies should not interfere with our ability to perform a safe repair. Compromising safety just to save an insurance company a few dollars on claims is completely unacceptable. Cheaper is rarely better when you’re talking about the safety of an automobile. Cutting corners and using imitation parts may compromise safety when involved in a crash. We applaud Senator Blumenthal for fighting with us on this issue and raising awareness.” He continued by reminding attendees: “Your car, your choice. You cannot rely on an insurance company to take care of your repairs. Your life may depend on it. You need to bring your vehicle to a shop that you can trust.” Next, Senator Blumenthal ad-

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dressed attendees, thanking the ABAC and everyone involved for their generously significant donation. He boasted, “There is no body that is more important than our Vocational Tech schools. I brag about our Connecticut Vo-Tech

The ABAC donated $10,000 to CT Technical High Schools for supplies and materials

Schools literally everywhere I go, on the floor of the Senate or when I meet with people. They (the schools) provide real skills for real jobs. I’m being told that there are openings for jobs, but we don’t have people with the right skills. That’s why the Vo-Tech schools are so important to our economy.” Blumenthal also pointed out, “Consumers, whether purchasing, driving, or repairing their vehicle, deserve to have choice and reliability in every

step of vehicle ownership. I commend the Auto Body Association of Connecticut – a group that I have worked with for more than a decade on these issues – for continuing the fight in Connecticut and for their willingness to highlight for consumers the need to be proactive in choosing their repair shop and ensuring that all parts are certified.” Further expressing the ABAC’s commitment to education at CT trade schools, Ferraiolo presented a $10,000 donation to the HC Wilcox Technical High School to help support and enhance the automotive program and curriculum currently in place. He said, “The ABAC has been a devout supporter of the auto program and we hope to continue supporting the development of critical and necessary trade skills in the State of Connecticut.” Additional speakers at the press conference included the school’s principal, Joyce Mowry, as well as Dave Kapitulik, educational consultant for transportation technologies and key coordinator for the CT Technical High School system.

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 37

AAAS Handles Business and Promotes Education at Annual Conference by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On June 9-12, the Automotive Aftermarket Association Southeast (AAAS) hosted its 2016 Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Sandestin Resort Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin, FL. Randal Ward, President of AAAS, states, “This year’s event went very well. We had an increase in attendance from members from all four states, as well as sponsors and trade show participants from all over the country.” Beginning at the Chairman’s Welcome Reception on Thursday evening, attendees enjoyed the opportunity to meet, reunite and network with one another in the beautiful setting. The socializing continued on Friday morning with a deep sea fishing charter on the Gulf of Mexico, aboard the Relentless. Ward notes, “Our group had a wonderful day, and the anglers brought home beautiful red snappers and other terrific catches.” AAAS focused on business Friday afternoon with their Board of Directors meeting. During the meeting, the asso-

ciation elected officers, re-electing Jarrett Liles, of Connie Liles Auto Parts in Tallahassee, FL as Chairman. Keith West will serve as First Vice Chairman with Sid Dooley acting as Second Vice Chairman and Steve Kampwerth continuing to serve as Immediate Past Chair. Bill Lewis was elected Treasurer, and the chosen Directors include Liz

Randal Ward states, “AAAS is indeed fortunate to enjoy the volunteer leadership of this great group of automotive aftermarket professionals. Congratulations to each of these officers and directors!” During the Board meeting, AAAS Chairman Jarrett Liles appointed Donald Hall of Harrell & Hall Enterprises to the AAAS Employee Benefit Fund Board of Trustees. Regarding Hall who has been an active association member since 2009, Liles says, “Donald is a great supporter of our association and the industry. He is a natural leader in our association and will certainly serve our Employee Benefit Fund members well.” Hall is “pleased and proud (r to l) Liz Burleson-Barrett Big Moes Spring and Alignment to be asked to serve the assoposes with her husband Sonny Barrett before the Saturday ciation on this board. I think Evening Dinner Banque the health insurance program Burleson-Barrett, Clyde Darville, Jay is one of the most important services Galimore, Bob Greathouse, Steve our association offers, and I look forKean, Roger McCollum, Michael ward to contributing any way I can. We Morgan, Phil Payne, and Joe Ward. are loyal members, and we have bene-

38 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

fitted greatly from our participation in this particular program and from membership in the association in general.” Additionally, the AAAS Education Foundation (AAASEF) announced that 20 scholarships were awarded to member company employees and family members this year. Liz Burleson-Barrett, AAASEF Trustee, notes, “In the few short years of the Foundation’s existence, we have awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, and we now have five endowed scholarships. This program is performing a great service in assisting people furthering their educations and hopefully helping individuals prepare for a future in the aftermarket industry.” The Friday evening reception was a joint event between AAAS and the Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG). Liles states, “The AAAS and YANG Regional Meet Up was a great opportunity to share that knowledge and build relationships that will only strengthen our industry.” Following Liles’ Welcome and State of the Association Reports durSee AAAS Handles Business, Page 74

www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 39

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

Allstate Reveals the Safest Cities for Drivers in 2016 For the first time ever, Brownsville, Texas, is the safest-driving city on Allstate’s 12th annual America’s Best Drivers Report®. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found the July Fourth holiday is the deadliest day of the year on average for drivers. Based on Allstate Insurance Company claims data, the 2016 report measures vehicle collision frequency in America’s 200 largest cities to deter-

mine which cities have the safest drivers. The average driver in Brownsville, Texas experiences an auto collision every 14.6 years, which is 31.4 percent less often than the national average of every 10 years. “With millions of drivers hitting the roads nationwide during the July Fourth weekend, our report demonstrates the importance of always putting safety first,” said Glenn Shapiro, exec-

utive vice president of claims, Allstate. “The Best Drivers Report spotlights America’s safest cities as we continue to heighten awareness around increasing roadway collisions that have unfortunate consequences, such as rising fatalities and potentially higher insurance costs.”

National safety experts say drivers are now spending more time on the road and suffering more fatal collisions than in recent years. The U.S. Department of Transportation says that from March 2015 to February 2016, Americans drove 3.15 trillion miles, an increase of more than 3 percent over the previous 12 months and the largest year-to-year increase in over two decades. According to the National Safety Council, more than 38,000 roadway fatalities occurred last year, the highest count since 2008. Preventable human factors, like

drunk, distracted or drowsy driving; speeding; and failure to use safety features contribute to 94 percent of car crashes. IIHS says intoxication is a significant factor in Fourth of July crash fatalities, with 42 percent between 2010 and 2014 involving at least one driver with a blood-alcohol concentration over the legal driving limit of .08. “While July Fourth is consistently the deadliest day on the road, the toll of crash deaths goes on every day, all year long,” said Adrian Lund, president, IIHS. “If everyone buckles up, avoids distractions, obeys the speed limit and doesn’t drink and drive, we can make July Fourth and every day on the road a lot safer.” Each year, Allstate commends the cities that have the safest drivers on the report. The following are the top 10 safest driving cities, according to Allstate’s 2016 America’s Best Drivers Report: City & Overall Ranking Collision Likelihood Compared to National Average Average Years Between Collisions (National Average: 10) See Allstate, Page 50

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Social Media for Shops Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly Enough Yet? with Ed Attanasio

“I searched for you on my smartphone and some other shops came up.” “I couldn’t read your website from my cell phone, so I didn’t call you.” “I want to be able to call you quickly and going to your website is too timeconsuming.” Last year, I warned collision repairers about the onslaught of complete mobilization with my May column entitled “Are You Prepared for Google’s Mobilegeddon?” You can read it on our website, but the bottom line is, we’re now deep into the mobile age, and if you haven’t made your website mobile-friendly yet, you’re missing out in a big way.

more testing, according to Middendorf. “I recently analyzed the device data that we accumulate from all of our clients,” he said. “On the low end, 50% of all of this traffic originated from a mobile phone or a tablet. With some of our clients, that figure was closer to 80%. So we can safely say that at least half of their total traffic is coming from mobile devices, and we believe that number will keep going up.” Why are more and more people using their smartphones instead of laptops and desktop computers to access the internet? “Because the information is truly in your hand,” Middendorf said. “It’s all about the instant connection and speed. People are relying on their smartphones for their information more and more and making them a larger part of their daily lives.” Another factor that has made this mobilization rampant is the fact that the newer smartphones are more powerful and affordable. “If you have a 4G smartphone with basic Wi-Fi, it’s essentially a laptop in your hand,” he said. “These Peek Testing (www.peek.usertesting.com) provides a devices are getting faster, with service where you can easily have your website tested bigger screens and more feaon either a desktop computer or mobile device to gauge tures that make searches much how mobile-friendly you actually are easier.” In 2010, experts predicted that In addition to all of this mobilizamobile traffic would trump desktop intion, Google utilizes mobile-friendliternet usage by 2015, and it looks as ness as a ranking criterion for searches though the experts were 100% right on conducted on mobile phones. Websites the money. Mobile digital media usage that are mobile-friendly are given in this country is now significantly strong preferential treatment. This is higher at 51% compared to desktop at good overall because they offer con42%. sumers a much better user experience Luke Middendorf is an internet when viewing them on our mobile deexpert and the owner of WSI Connect, vices, Middendorf explained. a marketing agency that strives to deSo let’s say you haven’t made liver solutions–through digital maryour website mobile-friendly enoughketing–for a wide range of clients, -or at all–and you fear that people are including collision repair. By leveragnot finding you on their smartphones? ing various strategies and tools such as Well, that should be a concern, so we search engine optimization (SEO), onasked Middendorf what to do for those line pay-per-click advertising (PPC), shops that are late to the mobilization email marketing, social media, website party. design and optimization, Middendorf First, Middendorf suggests that is helping shops to achieve great things you take your smartphone and search online. for your website on the device. It’s a Part of any company’s success simple task, but it will reveal much. online involves testing, testing and Just pull up a browser on your mobile

44 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

phone and search for your shop’s name. “Notice that each result has ‘Mobile-friendly’ next to the meta description,” Middendorf said. “This indicates that Google considers that particular page to be mobile-friendly. However, even if you see that tag, it is

Google’s handy mobile-friendliness test is an excellent tool in order to check if each page on your website is mobile-friendly

still very important to test your site further so that you can ensure that your visitors have the best experience possible.” To drill a little deeper, Middendorf recommends three tools that will

help you to test the mobile-friendliness of your site.

Peek User Testing This is a service where you can enter your website and have it tested on either a desktop computer or mobile device by using www.peek.usertesting .com. For the purpose of this exercise, be certain to select “Test My Mobile Site” on this site, according to Middendorf. Once the user hits start, your test will be submitted to their community and a real person will record their experience as they navigate through your website on a mobile device. You may request up to three recordings each month, according to the company’s website. “I recommend getting a couple different recordings of your mobile device, and Peek User Testing will help you to do this,” Middendorf said. See Mobile-Friendly, Page 53

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Old School Know How

Industry Veteran Talks Candidly About Life as an MSO with Ed Attanasio

Frank Quadrato has 35 years of expeworking for us for almost 30 years. rience in the collision repair industry in His name is Dennis Cobb and he is northern California. He credits much of one of the most knowledgeable peowhat he learned about the inple I know in this industry. dustry to what took place at We have our own estimating Contra Costa College, where class and we’re always lookhe graduated from in 1986. ing to schools like UTI or After working for several inContra Costa College for dependent shops to learn people. Alternatively, maybe every facet of the industry, some of these candidates went to school somewhere Quadrato was hired by Cook’s Frank Quadrato else, but they have a backCollision 18 years ago, and has 35 years of today, his title at the MSO is ground with cars. They might experience in the Industry Relations. We renot necessarily even be mecollision repair cently sat down with Quadrato industry in northern chanically inclined, but if to ask him questions about California and is the they’re willing to learn and many of the hottest topics out Industry Relations they like cars, we will interliaison at Cook’s there in the industry right now. view those kids, and if they Collision think they have some talent, How do you train new techni- we will put them through our six-week cians and estimators at Cook’s estimating class. Part of the curriculum Collision? involves shadowing, where our students and new hires will watch a few We have our own program and of our veteran techs how they do rea gentleman who has been pairs and they shadow an estimator

Q: A:

46 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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

once a week. After the six week course, we put them into a shop and they work with a journeyman estimator. That’s how we’re helping to generate technicians and estimators ourselves. You have to grow them and train them yourself, because that way, you know that they’re fixing cars your way.

As a graduate of the collision Q: repair school at Contra Costa College, you know the value of edu-

cation and training in this industry, because you’re one of the school’s real success stories. Tell us about that and your journey.

With some of the students in their second year that have some knowledge about how to R & I (remove and install) a car, we can bring them into one of our shops and have them work with the other techs to learn their way of fixing cars. As far as estimators, the whole trade is now based on customer service. If you have a customer-oriented individual with some computer skills, that person can probably be a good estimator. You can teach them how to write an estimate, but they need some basic skills in order to succeed. Not everyone is suited for each role in a body shop, so finding the right people for the right job is essential.

Definitely. Contra Costa College has an excellent program, A: Have you been able to retain and their former director, Peter Lock, Q: people over the long term and really led the way there for decades how do you do it?

before semi-retiring a year ago. Today in this job, I am active at Contra Costa College, and each quarter, I will sit in on classes there and talk to the kids.

We lose people, we absolutely A: do. It’s the nature of the business right now, so we have to deal with

it. This is obviously a touchy subject and all I can say is we do whatever we can to retain our people. In some cases, it’s not all about the money. By empowering some of our younger techs and estimators, we’ve had some real success there. They’ve got so much room to grow and when they get in there, they see the opportunity. They’re just busy growing, so they’re not out there looking for another job or getting a job offer because they’re still growing and anxious to learn. So we give them that opportunity and it really pays off. You look at some of these kids making $14 an hour and they may say, “I can get a job making more somewhere else.” Well, you might, but guess what? In about a year, you’re going to be stuck at $14 an hour in some other job without real opportunity to advance. But as a tech, you can be making $50,000 to $60,000 annually in a few years if you’re good. You’ll never get that at another job. So to keep your people, you’ve got to have an internal system to promote and teach them skills and help them to grow. We have people that were answering a phone maybe five or six years ago and now they are running a shop, because we gave them responsibility and they

proved themselves at every level. If you’re an employee at Cook’s Collision, we are going to do whatever we can to help you in your career.

tionships with. I’m what you might call a “relations guy” because everything I do is based on establishing and maintaining relationships.

all of the insurers as well.

Cook’s Collision and I ran their Pine Street location in Sacramento. A year later, I became an area manager, handling several stores. We had four stores at the time and now we have 37. I worked for a few independent shops before that, where I had some good mentors who helped me. I’ve worked in pretty much every capacity in this industry. I was a body man, a painter, an estimator, a parts guy, I cleaned cars– did it all. I’ve done every job, and that helps me to manage people, because I’ve been there. Now, in Industry Relations, I work with our DRPs. I am the single contact person for all of our insurance relationships and it’s a role I really enjoy. I work closely with all of the insurance companies, our vendors and the dealerships that we have rela-

ufacturers’ specifications, and that dictates the way we fix them. In the end, it all comes down to doing a good job for the customer, and that’s our main priority. If any part isn’t 100% safe and correct for that particular vehicle, we won’t install it. It’s just that simple. I have never met anyone in this industry that said they wanted to make subpar repairs, and that includes

consumer. And the parts industry has changed a lot, too, with so many options now for body shops to choose from. Aluminum, the newer vehicles and the new repair techniques that come with them–those are also big changes, and the future will be bringing many more. It is an exciting industry right now and that’s why I love being in it!

What are the biggest changes Q: you’ve seen since you entered the industry more than 30 years ago?

You worked your way up at What is your feeling about the Collision too, correct? difference between OE and afQ: Cook’s Q: Without a doubt, it has to be the termarket or used parts? A: technology. Also, transparency Absolutely. When I started for is a big thing. This industry has been A: the company 18 years ago, I I don’t really have an opinion better and better when it comes to unnever thought we would be where we A: on that. We need to perform derstanding customer service and proare today. First, I was a manager for quality repairs based on the car manviding a better experience for the

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Southeast News

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@chasidyraesisk.com.

What Does Photo Estimating Mean for the Collision Repair Industry? with Chasidy Rae Sisk

Photo estimating is the newest hot topic in the collision repair industry, causing quite a stir after Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware passed laws allowing insurers to write estimates based on photos of vehicle damage submitted by the insured. Advocates of photo estimating praise its convenience while those in opposition are concerned about supplement increases and its impact on the reputation of collision repair facilities. So how does photo estimating impact shops, consumers and insurance companies? To find out what this new trend really entails, Autobody News spoke with CJ Przybyl, president of Snapsheet; Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS; Dan Risley, executive director of ASA National; and Tony Lombardozzi, president of CCRE. These industry leaders shared their perspectives on photo estimating to help shops understand how this will impact business going forward. The consensus on the benefits of photo estimating was that it offers convenience for consumers, providing “the option to get an estimate on their own time,” according to Przybyl. Schulenburg expanded on that idea, stating, “The perceived benefit from consumers is that it would increase convenience and reduce time spent going to a professional repair facility for a physical inspection. Many consumers, especially those in younger generations, are looking for mobile options that create increased efficiencies. While some claims settlement processes that avoid a physical inspection may appear to provide the advantage of convenience to consumers interested in settling their claim quickly, these same processes can lead to lower appraisals from insurance companies and claims settlements that don’t reflect the cost of repairs. The average consumer would likely be unaware of such deficiency until they entered into the repair process. Consumers are best served by a process that protects them with thorough diagnosis of damage at the onset of the claim and repair process.” Risley, whose past career with Allstate provides a global perspective on this conundrum, likened photo estimating to drive-in appraisals. “With a drivein estimate, they only write the damage they can see, and this can be more con-

venient for the customer, but a full estimate requires complete disassembly of the vehicle,” he said. “The key caveat is ensuring that the customer understands that the photo appraisal is a preliminary estimate and that their vehicle will require a full teardown for an accurate estimate.” When it comes to the drawbacks of photo estimating, Lombardozzi fears it could lead to a lessening of the actual cash value of the loss because a photo estimate prevents the ability to see actual damage, such as gaps and suspension. “We need a physical inspection to see the necessary repairs, and consumers can only recuperate the loss if they repair the vehicle, but they aren’t required to get it repaired and may refrain from doing so based on the belief that the damage is minimal and only cosmetic.” Schulenburg also expressed concerns over possible complications with the quality of settlements resulting from photo-based appraisals. “The process fails to account that consumers are generally unfamiliar with the damage evaluation process and what would represent a fair or comprehensive damage analysis. Further, physical inspections allow for customers to be notified if the damage incurred inhibits the safety of the vehicle or impacts vehicle functionality, something that one has less opportunity to address in a photo estimate.” As evidence of these safety concerns, Schulenburg referred to the 2015 repeal of a similar measure in Massachusetts that only remained in effect for 14 months. According to Schulenburg, the repeal was “Based on concerns that the process could result in inaccurate appraisals and provided a way around the MA requirement that vehicles with at least $1500 in damage were personally inspected by an appraiser.” Risley pointed out, “Photo estimating is less accurate than drive-in estimates, and in this case, a photo is worth a lot less than 1,000 words. There is a higher potential for fraud because consumers could potentially manipulate angles to take advantage of the system. If the consumer is not educated about the accuracy of photo estimating, it will likely create distrust if the shops estimate is significantly higher than the insurance companies’ estimate. It’s important to

48 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

educate the consumer on the front end so they understand the process and eliminate potential friction and confusion on the back end.” For Przybyl, the drawback lies in the fact that, “Photo estimating is a lot harder than it seems. Carriers may find huge gaps in their technology and the ability to service a customer when nobody is there in person. If photo estimations are not done timely with clear communication and proper metrics, it can be detrimental to a carrier.” Conversely, Przybyl observed that customers are demanding photo estimating because it is fast and simple. “A customer who is happy during a claim is less likely to churn,” he stated. “When carriers give their customers what they want, satisfaction goes up. Customers have accepted photo and virtual estimating much faster than carriers expected, so there is a lot of work to do to catch up! After producing over 250,000 photobased estimates, we have found that

photo estimating also adds huge operational benefits to insurance carriers. Our vehicles are regularly physically re-inspected by field inspectors and score 98% on accuracy. The reality is that if a car is not torn down, there is no difference between a photo inspection and an in-person inspection.” Looking at the impact on the insurance industry and consumers, Schulenburg believes that photo estimating “Certainly provides advantages that offer greater ability to mitigate claims costs and loss adjusting expenses. It also provides a greater advantage to limit damage identification with the hopes that the consumer elects not to repair the vehicle, and thus avoid fully indemnifying the insured loss. It also appears to offer the opportunity to take advantage of consumers’ limited scope of understanding of collision repair requirements in the first place, under the auspices of convenience.” Lombardozzi agreed, saying, “Pho-

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to estimates allow the insurer to underindemnify losses, and it will be used by consumers who want things easy and believe their insurance companies will take care of them.” Additionally, Lombardozzi sees this as a way for insurance companies to exert more control over repair payments. “If the shop finds more damage than the photo estimates, they’ll have to create a free supplement to identify necessary repairs, but this should have been done at the beginning of the process! Now, shops are doing the appraiser’s work at no charge, so it definitely gives the insurers more control over expenditures, but it will increase the number of supplements. Currently, we write supplements for 70% of jobs, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that go up to 100%. Insurance companies claim that photo estimating helps keep premiums down, but I haven’t seen any proof of that, and we all know the insurance industry wouldn’t spend the money to fight for this in legislation if it wasn’t benefitting them.” Risley agreed that the less accurate nature of photo estimates will create a “dynamic negative impact on supplements and will increase the number of days to repair a vehicle, leading to increased friction between shops and insurers.” Schulenburg shared some of the same concerns. “Aside from the dimin-

ished quality of initial settlements, which has the likelihood of increasing supplements, and confusion of the disparity between insurer and repairer damage analysis, photo estimating also opens the door to other more contentious settlement techniques,” he said. “Desk reviews are certainly another avenue that often couple with photo appraisals and increase friction in the process. It is much easier to deny necessary repair costs in an attempt to mitigate claims expenses when you are not face-to-face with the consumer or the repair facility conducting the repairs.” Continuing, Schulenburg noted, “Some major carriers have openly discussed in industry forums that information about an accident gleaned from a vehicle’s own systems, coupled with historic claims data, could potentially reduce the need for the traditional estimating process. It is our belief that the push for photo estimating and campaigns to repeal consumer protections offered by physical inspection requirements opens the door for settlement practices that produce much greater advantages to insurers interested in mitigating losses than they do to consumers in search of convenience.” Przybyl believes photo estimating is “A good thing, and it doesn’t really impact much for the collision repair facility. At the end of the day, they will re-

Continued from Page 42

9. Olathe, Kansas 19.6% less likely 12.4 10. Reno, Nevada 18.3% less likely 12.2

Allstate

1. Brownsville, Texas 31.4% less likely 14.6 2. Kansas City, Kansas 26.3% less likely 13.6 3. Madison, Wisconsin 24.7% less likely 13.3 4. Cape Coral, Florida 22.3% less likely 12.9 5. Boise, Idaho 22.1% less likely 12.8 6. Huntsville, Alabama 21.4% less likely 12.7 7. Port Saint Lucie, Florida 20.1% less likely 12.5 8. Wichita, Kansas 19.7% less likely 12.5

According to the company, Allstate’s America’s Best Drivers Report® is the result of an in-depth examination of company claims data to determine the likelihood that drivers in America’s 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. This year, Allstate actuaries analyzed property damage claims reported during the two-year period of January 2013 to December 2014. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determines the annual percentages. The report defines a collision as any auto crash resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate’s auto policies represent nearly 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.

50 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

ceive an accurate estimate and a car to repair. We have found that photo estimation does not impact the customer’s decision to repair the vehicle. In fact, most customers already have multiple estimates from repair facilities before they use the self-service photo option.” When it comes to supplements, Przybyl suggested, “The supplement process can be significantly expedited by utilizing photos and services like Snapsheet. If a facility submits photo documentation and invoices, they can get approvals immediately and significantly decrease the time to get paid for the repairs. Repair facilities can actually use photo estimating themselves, and companies like Snapsheet offer the service of performing total loss option and condition reports to help shops avoid extra work that is heavily scrutinized for quality by insurance carriers.” There is no debate that vehicles will, at times, require a physical inspection to ascertain the damage, and although these requirements vary by state, Przybyl confirmed, “Physical inspections are still required from time to time. Photo estimating enables carriers to have all of the information about that specific vehicle and repair in fewer than three days. From there, unique cases can eas-

ily be triaged to an in-person inspection as needed.” According to Risley, insurance companies will need to impose limitations on when photo estimates are allowed. “My understanding is that a triage process for photo estimating will trigger a systemic alert to require a physical inspection in certain cases, such as when the car is not drivable. Of course, there will be a learning curve, but the intention is not to make life miserable for the collision repair industry--they want to make things easier for the consumer. The key to making this transition work smoothly is educating consumers.” Educating consumers may seem difficult, but consumers are, after all, the reason photo estimating has become so trendy. Przybyl stated, “Consumers are demanding this method, and it just makes sense. Estimating by photos has been a standard practice for years in the industry; mobile technology just made it easier and involved the customer. With all the benefits of happier customers, lower cycle times, an optimized triage for every car, and the ability to provide estimates that are just as accurate as inperson inspections, it makes perfect sense that photo estimating is here to stay.”

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Mike’s Auto Body’s Training Program in Full Swing combines classroom instruction with hands-on training. A limited number of applicants To fill a growing need for new, fresh talent and to create the metal techni- were interviewed and selected to parcians and estimators of the future, ticipate in the company’s inaugural Mike’s Auto Body will soon be hold- six-month training session. The training their first graduation from its new ing curriculum is delivered within a training program at its Auto Damage condensed time frame that has been Assessment Center (ADAC) in Anti- expressly designed so that participants can enter the industry with a complete understanding of the collision repair process. After successfully completing the program, graduates will possess the skills and knowledge to physically perform entry-level, hands-on vehicle repairs, according to Brennan Rose, the company’s CEO. The six-month program provides a combination of class“For the past five years we room instruction and hands-on training, which involves achave been faced with the same tual vehicles challenge–finding talented och, CA. With a 10,000-square-foot technicians,” Rose explained. “Every facility dedicated to training the re- year, we threaten to break the mold and gion’s newest collision professionals, start over, but we never do it, because this 15-location MSO is proud of their the cost of creating and sustaining a program and currently looking for long-term, full-time training program new candidates to enter the industry is overwhelming for any small busiby completing its curriculum, which ness. Not only did we have to hire two by Ed Attanasio

full-time trainers and purchase tools and equipment, but allocating 10,000 square feet of production/classroom space is hard to justify.”

Mike’s Auto Body will soon be holding their first graduation from its new training program at its Auto Damage Assessment Center (ADAC) in Antioch, CA

Although the investment in starting the program was substantial, Brennan Rose is proud of what his company has already achieved. “As we close out our first class and see how far these four young men have

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come, I now know that this will be part of our business strategy and culture for years to come,” Rose said. “Not only are we building techs and estimators to help us grow in the future and giving them the necessary skills, we are also supporting our local community for those young folks who have no college ambitions.” David Wedding, the company’s business development manager as well as the program’s coordinator and head instructor, has played an integral role in the development of this program. “The students are going to learn every aspect of the industry–metal and plastic repairs; safety techniques; efficiency; panel removal and vehicle construction,” Wedding said. “They also have the luxury of using cars provided by LKQ, right in the same location as our training facility. These participants will also receive I-CAR training through Pro Level 1 and be Car-O-Liner certified when they graduate. After they complete this sixmonth program, they will be prepared for employment and ready to hit the ground running.” The instructors in the program are

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“By going through our program, they will be 100% prepared to excel.” Mike’s Auto Body is looking for the right people to embrace and take advantage of this opportunity, Dearlove stated. “We’re going to have top teachers training on the industry’s best cutting-edge equipment so that these students will be set up to succeed. We want to enable them to pursue a lifelong career in collision repair, and by committing to this program, they can achieve exactly that.” With many of its business partners onboard to provide assistance with their training program, Brennan Rose is The training curriculum is delivered within a condensed pleased and grateful. “I’d like time frame that has been expressly designed so that to take this opportunity to participants can enter the industry with a complete give a huge thank you to our understanding of the collision repair process local vendors who have been some of the most knowledgeable peo- supporting this program,” he said. ple in the collision industry, Mike’s “We could not accomplish this withAuto Body will have one of the best out the help of 3M, LKQ, Finishmastraining programs of its type in the ter, PPG, the Rose Family and PFC, country. just to name a few.” “This program is ideal for young For more information about this people who are just out of high program, contact either David Wedschool, the military or junior college,” ding at dwedding@mikesautobody Dane Dearlove, the company’s mar.com or Dane Dearlove at dane@mikes keting and sales manager, explained. autobody.com. highly experienced and certified in their respective fields of expertise to ensure this condensed program fully impacts the students. One of the instructors is Lupe Algood, a journeyman technician with more than 20 years in the industry. By tapping into

Continued from Page 44

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Google’s Mobile-friendliness Test Google’s handy mobile-friendliness test is simple to use. Input the page you would like to check and the tool will tell you if the page is mobile-friendly. It will also give you a preview of how the page will look on a mobile device and give you tips on how to make the page more mobile responsive.

Google’s Search Console For many of his clients, WSI Connect accesses a Mobile Usability report from Google in its Search Console. “This nifty tool lets you know if your entire site is mobile-friendly, not just

a single page,” he said. “It lets you know about common usability issues such as the presence of flash content that is incompatible with most mobile browsers, the absence of a viewport metatag to control site layout on mobile devices, hard-to-read fonts and clickable links that may be too close together. This allows us to see each individual page that may still have some issues. We can then drill down on the individual page to test them using Google’s mobile-friendly test.” So if you did not heed the warning about Mobilegeddon last year, fear not, because it may not be too late. Affordably and rather quickly, you can mobilize your website to become as mobile-friendly as you want it to be.

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Northeast Associations

ARA’s 73rd Annual Convention and Expo to be Held in Baltimore with Chasidy Rae Sisk

On October 26-29, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) will hold its 73rd Annual Convention and Exposition in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The event is expected to attract nearly 1000 automotive industry professionals from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Korea, Poland and several other countries, including automotive recycling business owners and managers, insurers, collision repair professionals, industry experts and press. Michael Wilson, CEO of ARA, states, “With the constant changes within our industry, it’s more important than ever to join associates from around the world at the premier event of the industry that excels with opportunities to learn of new products and services, experience outstanding educational sessions, and network with colleagues. This year’s convention promises top-notch speakers focusing on your daily bottom dollar as well as providing you with the tools needed to achieve long-term success. Owners, managers, sales teams, and staff will gain new ideas, tools and enthusiasm that they will carry back to your facilities. We are excited about the possibilities that the Baltimore location provides for professional automotive recyclers up and down the East Coast. As it becomes harder and harder to compete in today’s market, the ARA Convention and Exposition is an opportunity to learn about and secure the tools and services you need to succeed.” On-site registration will be open all day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Wednesday’s agenda includes an Affiliate Chapters meeting, Past Presidents’ luncheon and Board of Directors meeting. The evening will conclude with a Hospitality Suite. Thursday will commence with a Morning Hospitality Suite, while the Education and Scholarship Foundation Committees meet. At 9AM, the first of two keynote presentations will be held on “Economic and Scrap Commodities Market Report” and will be followed by a roundtable discussion on “Overcoming the Barriers/Roadblocks to Survive.” From 11AM until 3:30PM, spouses and guests can opt to enjoy lunch at Woodberry Kitchen, followed

by a tour of the Corradetti Glassblowing Studio where each participant will have a chance to create a glass pumpkin. At 1PM, there will be three sessions: “Marketplace,” “Precious Metals: Doom, Gloom, Eventual Boom,” and “Skip the Ad Agency and Get the Biggest Bang for Your Marketing Buck.” Attendees will also choose from three sessions at 2PM with the options being “Looking at Tomorrow’s Yard Management Systems: Dealing with the Complexity of Selling Parts in the Future,” “Put ARA’s Member Benefit Programs to Work for You!” and “Sales and Process Flow Maximization.” The last meeting of the afternoon will be an Annual Membership Meeting with Committee Reports, beginning at 3PM. From 5-9PM on Thursday, ARA will hold a Past Presidents’ Reception and Exposition Opening. The expo provides an opportunity for attendees to visit with the largest assortment of automotive recycling vendors under one roof, according to ARA. The expo floor will be open for ten hours during the weekend and is anticipated to be sold out with over 100 exhibiting companies. Thursday’s events will end with an ARA Hospitality Suite from 9PM to midnight. In addition to the ARA Morning Hospitality Suite on Friday, the Ladies of ARA (LARA) will hold a breakfast meeting to allow women in the automotive recycling industry to network with one another. Friday morning’s seminars include “A Look at the Cause/Effect of Commodity Sales on the Bottom Line,” “Leaning Recycling,” and “Safety First? Recycling Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Personal Responsibility” from 8:45-9:35AM. From 9:45-10:35AM, attendees can choose between “International Perspective on Automotive Recycling” and “The Power of Social Media.” The sessions available from 10:45-11:40Am include “Incorporate a Recall-Ready Culture into Your Business,” “Next Generation Automotive Recycling,” and “Three Things You Need to Do to Survive and Grow.” The morning concludes with a Keynote presentation entitled “Visionary Insight of the Vehicle Lifecycle.”

54 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

The expo floor will be open on Friday afternoon, and during that time, meetings for the CAR, PAC, Safety and Government Affairs Committees will also be held, as well as a Regional Directors meeting. Before Friday evening’s Hospitality Suite, ARA will hold its Awards Dinner and Presidential Gavel Ceremony. The theme is “The Fall Harvest” as ARA gathers to recognize industry leaders and pass the gavel to the association’s incoming president. Wilson notes, “One of the highlights of the program is when the Presidency of ARA is handed over to the incoming president. ARA’s structure is such that members of the Executive Committee are in line to succeed outgoing officers, from the Secretary to a Vice President, Treasurer and First Vice President. This succession planning allows for members to gain a firsthand education and knowledge of working with and for the association

and gaining a deeper understanding of the goals, the difficulties and the challenges facing the industry and the association.” Saturday’s first ever Technology Forum, entitled “Using Technology to Stay Competitive in the Automotive Recycling Business,” is a full-day series of meeting featuring hands-on and instructor training on the industry’s leading inventory management system software as Hollander discusses the uses of the Powerlink System Management tool. According to Wilson, “Attendees will also hear from CarPart, discussing the use of their toolbox such as adding images to help boost sales, new approaches to using eBay listings that may improve the efficiency of their business, and in these tight economic times, help boost sales. Other featured speakers will include Crush, an automotive recycling management system as well as Power-DB See ARA’s 73rd Annual, Page 59

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Oregon DMV Rules Make State Ripe for Fraud, Auto Theft by Nick Budnick, Portland Tribune

reau, says most state DMVs do more to verify ownership when transferring titles. “I’m going to give up the NICB and move out to Oregon and start buying and selling cars,” he quips. “That sounds like the Wild West out there.” Toner, for her part, says she wants to share her story to warn consumers,

Crystal Toner was aghast to find an empty carport outside her Southwest Portland condominium in March, her supposedly theft-proof Subaru missing. When she reported her car stolen, she received an even bigger surprise. Nearly two weeks earlier, her vehicle title had been transferred to someone else without her knowledge—fraudulently, according to police. Toner had unwittingly stumbled upon a section of Oregon law regulating vehicle ownership documents that, while unknown to many people, law enforcement officials have been concerned about for years. It’s easy for anyone Crystal Toner to persuade the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles to sign off noting that even after the theft was reon transferring a car title, with little or ported and her car located on a local no proof of ownership necessary. Oreused car lot – having been sold for gon works on the honor system, with $10,800 using the bogus title – it still applicants certifying an ownership could have been towed at any time, claim without having to provide the since the DMV wouldn’t give her the verified documentation necessary in title back without a court order. other types of property foreclosures. It’s “amazing to me that this is alArmed with an ill-gotten title lowed to exist,” Toner says of Oregon’s forked over by Oregon DMV, it’s often laws. “It is unjust beyond belief.” possible to get a car dealer to issue you Larry Purdy, chief of investigaa key to a car that in reality you don’t tions at Oregon DMV, says the agency own, law enforcement officials say. is well aware that the title process is A more common scenario is that open to fraud, especially through the the DMV is persuaded to issue a title “possessory lien” or mechanic’s lien based on bogus information, one that’s process. DMV essentially operates on then used to make a stolen car look le- the honor system, allowing anyone to gitimate while selling it at an auction. claim title to a car as long as they cerThe same trick also is used to “wash” tify they are owed money for services a title so it no longer warns potential related to it—such as a tow truck compurchasers that the car has been to- pany or an auto body shop. The pertaled or reconstructed. son filing the claim must certify— Members of Portland’s thriving sign a document stating—that they inauto-theft underworld and illegal tow formed the owner via registered mail, truck industry are well aware of the then waited 30 days, allowing the soft spot in Oregon DMV consumer owner to put in a claim before the veprotections, and it is “common prac- hicle is sold at an auction. tice” for people to use bogus DMV“We understand that it’s a flawed approved documents in an effort to process. There’s no doubt about that,” trick the police, says Kevin Demer, a Purdy says, conceding that people comMultnomah County Deputy District monly lie on the lien form when they Attorney who has handled high-pro- certify to have met DMV requirements. file cases involving auto theft and ilTo fix things, he says the Oregon legal tow trucks. While declining to Legislature would need to pass a new comment on Toner’s case, Demer says law balancing the interests of legitiif Oregon would adopt safeguards as mate businesses seeking to recover other states have done, consumers their losses, while not adding burdenwould be better protected. some requirements that lead to higher Frank Scafidi, a former FBI a- taxes. gent who now works for the insurer“It’s unfortunate that it’s not a funded National Insurance Crime Bu- difficult process to wade through,”

56 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Purdy says of the lien process used by scammers. “It takes a lot more work to do it right than it does to submit the fraudulent forms and walk out with a good title.” While people engaging in fraud to claim a car title are subject to class-A misdemeanors, cops and prosecutors rarely have the time to wade through the paper trail necessary to prove the low-level crime. But in Purdy’s experience, the applicants who certify to meeting the DMV requirements rarely do in reality. Toner got her Subaru back, but for weeks has been worried that it would be towed by the auto dealer who bought it. She breathed easier last week when Demer filed charges against the man alleged to have engaged in title fraud to obtain and sell her car, Omar Abu-Neel. Abu-Neel could not be reached for comment, but on Monday he pleaded not guilty in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Abu-Neel, 51, is not a stranger to law enforcement, having been arrested for prostitution. He was also investigated for odometer fraud in 2013, though prosecutors declined to

press charges. According to Detective Ken Yohe of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, who investigated Abu-Neel for changing an odometer to lead to a lower mileage, the man appears to make a living by buying cars at auctions and reselling them. Toner’s former partner of five years had given her the car more than 18 months ago, letting her change the title to her name. The two broke up a year ago. Her ex-partner, who could not be reached for comment, worked in auto sales and knows Abu Neel, according to Toner. Investigating how the Subaru changed hands, Portland Police Detective Mitch Hergert found evidence that the DMV accepted and processed a forged lien notice allegedly used by Abu-Neel to sell the car. The notice claimed the lien was based on debts from repairs made by a Portland auto dealership. The DMV also accepted an odometer form. Contacted by Hergert, the owner of the auto dealership—who had not been asked by the DMV to verify the lien— See Oregon DMV Rules, Page 64

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Shop Strategies

Stacey Phillips is the assistant editor at Autobody News magazine. She has more than 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications. She can be reached at sphillips@autobodynews.com.

with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR

Fred Beans Reaches out to Employees & Community While Running a Multi-Faceted Business When he was just 20 years old, Fred Beans purchased a gas station garage in Yardley, Pennsylvania. He eventually expanded it to include 12 employees. With a passion for the automobile industry, Beans sold the business and traveled to Doylestown, PA to begin building what is now the Fred Beans Group, which includes 18 dealerships, six CARSTAR collision repair centers along with a parts warehouse, an express lube and automotive accessories store, a towing company and a detail and accessory center. Autobody News reached out to Beans to find out more about his collision repair centers and the company’s involvement in the surrounding community.

Why did you decide to partner Q: with CARSTAR? I thought the body shop busiA: ness was something we’d like to grow but with the consolidations

going on in the industry I felt that we needed an affiliation with a more progressive business. We have always been associated with franchises and I thought CARSTAR would hold us to a higher accountability level. I was hoping they would help add more regimen and discipline to our collision repair shops. I also felt it would give the shops more accountability and help us grow our business. Now we have continuity and our shops have a similar look and feel. They wear the same uniform and all of the practices at the collision repair shops are the same. I think it’s going to help us get better and serve our customers better. I feel very good about the body shop business. It’s fun and it’s evolving. I don’t think I could go at it alone. I don’t think we had the internal support mechanism before. With CARSTAR, we can better serve our customers. Now we get to meet other people in the same

Maryland

You have built up your busiQ: ness over the years. Can you tell us what you attribute your success to?

I think my success comes from A: two things. One is the timeframe I was born in. I also attribute it

to having parents with good moral values and the fact that I was raised on a farm. Growing up on farm gives you a sense of pride and the feeling that there is something bigger than you are. A farmer is always working.

in the industry. There is also the measurement that insurance companies require from us. I think there is a lot of accountability in this business today and it is certainly becoming a more professional business. I think we’re going to continue to see a lot changes. We’ve already seen the addition of Uber, and more safety devices being implemented in vehicles. Now there is the introduction of driverless vehicles.

Three of your daughters currently work at Fred Beans. Can Q: you tell us about some of the unique features at your company that help contribute to its family feel?

What are some of the changes We really want it to be a place Q: you have witnessed since you A: where our team members feel first started Fred Beans? good about coming to work. It makes

One of the changes I have noticed is more professionalism

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Can you tell us about Fred Q: Bean’s involvement in the community?

Regarding the special responsibility that comes with financial success, I believe we have an obligation to give and an obligation to teach others to give. When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, we worked with other community leaders to adopt the towns of Bay-Waveland, Mississippi. The $113,000 we raised furnished the award-winning state-of-the-art daycare center built by the Bucks-Mont Katrina Relief Project. We’ve also contributed to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, where a gallery is named for the company; the Central Bucks Family YMCA; the Heritage Conservancy, which helps to preserve farmland in the community; and CB Cares, a nonprofit organization that serves as a catalyst by engaging, empowering and linking the various community sectors to create a healthier community with positive attitudes, behaviors and values. your advice to others Q: inWhatthe isindustry about the abil-

ity to stay competitive?

I think we have to listen and learn as many new practices as we can. I also think we need to learn about lean. These are all things I didn’t know anything about 20 years ago. I think it is a continuous journey. If you look at the body shop business from 1972 to 2000, I think it has changed, but gradually. I think as new technology is introduced, change is coming at a much faster pace today. There is a great book by Xu (Ian) Yang, the president of Intel. He said if you stood with your back to the ocean on the beach, eventually the water would be at your feet. I think that technology is compounding very quickly and there is much effort being put into the safety of the car such as ABS brakes, rear cameras, multiple air bags, etc. I like coming to work each day. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with my employees and our customers. It has always been my core belief that we are all just caretakers for future generations, and it is that which keeps me going. We are so fortunate to have so many nice customers and a great community in which to live and work.

Continued from Page 54

ARA’s 73rd Annual

productivity suite.” In addition to the expo reopening, Saturday afternoon will include Technical Advisory, Events Advisory and Gold Seal Committee meetings. Wilson says, “The Annual Convention and Exposition is an ideal opportunity for ARA member and non-members to network with fellow recyclers, gain more insight into what works and what doesn’t work in some businesses and perhaps find out why. It also allows recyclers the opportunity to open up and speak about their wish list, what they would like to see explained or introduced. It also gives those members who may not participate in some of ARA’s committees the opportunity to sit in on committee meetings and possibly find an opportunity to join one of them.”

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Hollander is the Premier sponsor for the event with Car-Part.com sponsoring the convention at a Platinum level. This year’s Gold sponsors are Copart and Brock Aftermarket Auto Parts. According to Wilson, “In the end, we hope that our members, exhibitors and other attendees can walk away feeling that not only have they learned something, but perhaps that they even shared some of their knowledge with other members and others in the industry. The market is changing - are you adapting to the shift? It is important to know how the automotive recycling industry is transforming to prepare and plan for the future. It is only through the shared learning process that we, as an industry and as individual recyclers, continue to grow.” For more information on ARA’s 73rd Annual Convention and Exposition, visit www.araexpo.org.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

Shop and Product Showcase 5 Areas Where Body Shops Fail to Be Green with Ed Attanasio

Everyone wants to be green, or at least believe that they are running a green shop that is playing by all the rules. But are body shop owners really willing to spend the time, money and effort to be as green as possible? And are they willing to hire an expert to get them there? Steven Schillinger, 67, is the president of GRC-Pirk and a worldrenowned registered environmental and electrical engineer, licensed to certify businesses subject to environmental regulations. Schillinger helps body shops to get energy efficient commercial building IRS 179D Tax Deductions that were established by the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005. GRC-Pirk Management in Reno, NV is a professional engineering and assessment company specializing in U.S. Clean Air & Clean Water Act regulatory compliance. Companies engage GRC-Pirk to develop and implement cost-effective environmental, health and safety records management. The company focuses on integrating compliance recordkeeping into business operation processes through “paperless” digital automation. Schillinger is a committee chair for the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), providing definitions for automotive shop compliance and sustainability, and has more than 40 years in this role. His company primarily works with body shops and sign companies because their operations are similar in many ways.

1.) They’re Skeptical: “Body shop owners are a suspicious group anyway, so when we tell them that they can make additional revenue rather than lose money by being green, they don’t believe it,” Schillinger said. “We can put the facts right in front of them and show them that it is not rocket science and some of them can see the light almost immediately. We try to put it all in non-technical language so that they won’t get baffled by the terminology and show them the numbers. But there are always those naysayers out there who don’t trust the government or the utilities, so they never act and end up leaving a ton of money (in the form of rebates) on the table. Not everything is too good to be true and this is one of

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

green,” Schillinger said. “It often relates to getting caught for dumping the wrong things through their drains. We will help these shops, because that’s what we do. But they should not wait until they get fined to act. Running a green shop needs to be an ongoing process that is continually refined. Putting these items on the backburner can backfire on shops, and it often does. As far as all of the money that is Steven Schillinger is the president of GRC-Pirk, a available to body shops consulting company that helps body shops get energy through energy rebates, the efficient commercial building IRS 179D Tax Deductions clock is running out. Starting that were established by the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) in 2020, the utility companies of 2005 aren’t going to run these prothose instances. After they finally degrams anymore. They may extend the cide to work with us to become a deadlines, but the fact is that these great greener business and they see the savopportunities aren’t going to be availings, they’re no longer skeptical.” able forever.”

2.) They Don’t Stay on the Green Path: “Being green eventually becomes a check box item at many shops, and that is unfortunate,” Schillinger said. “That means they start out with sincere intentions and then begin cutting corners and fall back into bad habits. For example, when shops get busy, they start improperly disposing of hazardous waste and the painters stop wearing respirators when they have cars backed up. Being green isn’t a start-and-stop thing, and to keep it in your shop’s culture, it has to be stressed and re-emphasized every day.”

3.) Improper Training: “If you don’t teach your personnel to make green practices an integral part of your daily production, it’s counterproductive in many ways,” he said. “Many shops only use their paint booths for curing cars and most of the painting actually takes place out on the shop floor. That’s an employee safety concern obviously, but the shop owners rarely enforce it, so it takes place every day in shops all over the country.” 4.) Waiting Too Long: “We hear from a lot of body shop owners who are a little frantic because they’re being fined by the EPA, OSHA or whatever organization is citing them for not being

60 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

5.) Do-It-Yourselfers: “We sit down

with body shops all the time and show them how to save a lot of money by cutting their energy usage in many ways,” Schillinger explained. “But when we tell them that we don’t work for free, their first instinct is that they can do it without our help. Body shop owners are self-made people and they know how to fix cars, but they also believe that they can do just about everything else on their own, including being green. But whenever we tell a body shop owner that his operation is not really as green as he thinks it is, they don’t like it. It’s a personal pride thing and it goes back to not knowing what they don’t know. I have 40 years of experience finding shops these energy rebates and other incentives, so we’re not shooting in the dark here. But some collision repairers, as well as health and safety managers and/or human resources people at the larger MSOs, still think they can navigate through this labyrinth themselves.”

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BMW of Bel Air Bel Air 844-581-2752 443-640-1234 Fax parts@bmwbelair.com

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62 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 63

Risks in Auto Repairs With Aftermarket Parts [Consumer Article] by Adam Graves, The Legal Examiner

The automotive aftermarket is big business—estimated by Autocare Association to be worth $273.4 billion in 2017—that includes manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, tools, equipment and accessories for vehicles, after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer. One aspect of the automotive aftermarket is non-OEM replacement parts. These are commonly available through auto parts stores like Advance, O’Reilly, NAPA, and also through used-parts dealers (“junkyards”), and auto body repair shops. The primary “advantage” of aftermarket parts is price—they are substantially less expensive than their OEM counterparts.

However, one must consider the real cost of choosing cheap replacement parts.

Insurance Companies Cutting Corners? Just last year, CNN reported that auto insurers were trying to take advantage of cheap prices by forcing repair shops to use aftermarket parts when repairing crash damage. Repair shops from some 36 states are joining a lawsuit against these insurance companies alleging the repairs forced by some insurance companies are dangerous. Continued from Page 56

Oregon DMV Rules

said “his company doesn’t know anything about this car, never had possession of the car and never did work on the car. ... The company name and the owner’s signature was forged on the form that were provided to DMV,” according to an affidavit filed by Demer. On March 1, the title allegedly se-

Buddy Caldwell, attorney general of Louisiana, has filed suit against State Farm insurance, saying its lowcost repair program could be dangerous for customers who get back on the road in vehicles that are not roadworthy. He said he fears thousands of Americans could be driving around in vehicles repaired with what he calls junkyard parts after seeking repairs from body shops recommended by their auto insurance companies who took their premiums and picked up the bill. The issue is a nationwide one, said John Eaves, the lead attorney for the body shops involved in the lawsuit. “It involves people from Maine to Mississippi to California. Every state in the Union has experienced the same sort of struggle here between the body shops trying to do the work the right way, and the insurance companies trying to cut corners and force them to use unsafe parts and unsafe methods on their cars,” he said.

OEMs Do Not Approve Ford Motor Company issued a 2010 press release regarding non-OEM parts which included the results of tests performed by Ford’s Material Composition and Computer Aided Engineering department comparing OEM bumper beams, bumper isolators, bumper brackets, and radiator supports to their aftermarket equivalents. These Ford tests found major differences between genuine Ford original equipment replacement parts and aftermarket copies. Ford found that non-OEM parts performed differently in crash tests because the aftermarket parts were not of like kind and quality as Ford’s original equipment cured by Abu-Neel was placed in the name of someone else who also was not required to provide the DMV with proof of an ownership interest. “Neither the certificate or the (odometer) form required notarization of any signatures, or the submittal of companion paperwork such as proof of compliance” with legal requirements, Demer wrote in the affidavit. We thank the Portland Tribune for reprint permission.

64 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

and certified replacement parts. Paul Massie, the powertrain and collision product marketing manager at Ford, said the tests “highlight the dangers of being penny-wise and

pound-foolish, as less-expensive copy parts could lead to much higher repair costs down the road. All drivers should be aware that copy parts can compromise both the safety performance and the long-term repair costs of your vehicle”.

Counterfeit Parts on the Rise To make matters even worse, consumers now have to worry about

counterfeit or knock-off parts making their way into the stream of commerce. These parts are often sold in branded packaging and carry brand markings, but are in fact cheaply made and potentially dangerous fakes. In June, Chinese police seized 33,000 counterfeit parts – worth almost US $750,000 – destined for sale in Australia. “While this seizure is shocking, sadly, it’s not uncommon, and using counterfeit parts, knowingly or otherwise, means you’re taking a huge risk,” he said in a statement. It offers a clear reminder to consumers that just because they see a branded box, bag or label they shouldn’t assume they’re buying a genuine part. The way to avoid safety concerns posed by fake parts is to ensure you or your repairer sources genuine replacement parts from the vehicle maker’s authorized supply chain. We thank The Legal Examiner for reprint permission.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 65

Aluminum Auto Body Sheet—Is There Too Much Pessimism Around? by Lloyd O’Carroll, CRU

Some in the North American marketplace have begun to question forecasts of large increases in aluminum auto body sheet (ABS). They argue that there have been no major announcements to follow on to the redesign of the F150. Without this momentum, no more are likely. We have even seen statements that Ford will switch the F150 back to steel when “it comes to its senses”. We believe this pessimism is unfounded for three reasons. First, the new ABS capacity coming on line over the next few years is already substantially committed and indeed contracted. Second, announcements of redesign by auto OEMs are not made in advance for competitive and marketing reasons (Ford chastised suppliers when early leaks occurred for the F150). Ford’s recent announcement on redesign of the Superduty (F250 & F350) only occurred less than a year before planned implementation. Hence, the lack of announcements for redesign for 2017 to 2020 models does not necessarily mean that they will not actually occur. Third

the redesign of vehicles is quite expensive for engineering costs. Therefore, a vehicle model, once designed, typically remains in place for 7-9 years with only annual cosmetic changes. (Sometimes there is a midcycle “refresh”- i.e. partial redesign for slow-selling models.) Consequen- tly, it is unrealistic to expect the success of the F150 to trigger redesigns of other models in just a few years. We would only expect those redesigns to occur over a longer period to coincide with the normal model redesign cycle; hence we expect most major redesigns towards aluminum to manifest only in the 2020-2025 period, when the pressure from rising CAFE standards will be at their greatest. We believe that the rapid growth of ABS in the next five years will be propelled more by the conversion to aluminum of closures (hoods, trunk lids, roofs, doors), commonly known as “hang on parts”). While adding alu-

minum closures to existing designs does not maximize the benefits of aluminum, it does still achieve substantial weight savings at a low engineering

cost. We understand that OEMs are aggressively seeking to convert closures to aluminum over the next 5 years; this will add significant volume as a result. The extent of the growth of ABS is also limited by capacity over the next several years. The vast bulk of ABS is used in exterior skin applica-

MARYLAND

Fitzgerald Subaru of Gaithersburg Gaithersburg (301) 670-4881 (301) 670-1595 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-6; Sat. 8-4 www.fitzmall.com MASSACHUSETTS

Long Automotive Group Framingham (800) 982-2298 (508) 879-1212 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5 tschube@longauto.com NEW JERSEY

Liberty Subaru

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! 66 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Emerson (888) 782-9493 (201) 261-3261 Fax

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tions. This requires wide coil with both outstanding surface quality and strength. The latter is achieved with heat-treatable alloys. This combination needs a rolling mill with those characteristics (usually a can sheet mill) plus a continuous heat-treatment line. This combination is only found with dedicated capacity - it takes time to add a heat-treat line and to convert a can stock mill into an ABS plant. Moreover, the rolling mills are not making the capital expenditures to convert capacity without guarantees (minimum volumes and prices) for a major portion of this capacity, which is why a lot of the growth expected in the remainder of this decade is already committed. CRU’s forecasts show that ABS demand in North America (both for closures and structures) will grow from 330,000 tonnes in 2015 to just over 1 million tonnes by 2020. The strong growth over the past two years in demand reflects the conversion to aluminum of the Ford F-150, but much of the growth in the next few years will come from the increased use of aluminum in closures.

NEW JERSEY

Miller Subaru

Lumberton (609) 261-7844 (609) 261-7843 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5 dseward@millertransgroup.com

Subaru of Morristown

Morristown (800) 541-1127 (973) 292-0872 Fax

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Over the long-term there is further upside to demand from new technology in the production of automotive sheet. The Alcoa/Arconic Micromill promises penetration for non-skin applications where the formability limitations of current aluminum alloys make it difficult to use aluminum. Specifically, the Micromill offers: ● Continuous cast, new higherstrength alloys, low-cost process ● 2x more formable than current aluminum alloys, 25-35% lighter than high-strength steel (HSS) ● Aimed at interior BIW applications vs HSS Some applications are on the F150 plus qualification orders are now being run for other applications. Capacity beyond the current mill in San Antonio will be needed in order to supply large volume. However, capacity can be added much quicker and cheaper than in conventional mills. While not in our base forecast, we could see capacity expansion announcements in the next 1-2 years. The prime driver for aluminum ABS demand growth in long term is the CAFE standards that rise relentlessly to 2025 from only 27.5 mpg in 2010 to 54.5 by 2025 (combined cars

and light trucks). The strategies that will be adopted to achieve these standards include: ● Better engines & transmissions - could achieve 50-60% of goal but quite expensive ● More diesel - Can help but bad consumer image, especially following the Volkswagen (VW) scandal, US refineries optimized for gasoline, not diesel, hence diesel fuel more expensive ● Hybrids - can help but expensive ● Electric vehicles which will grow over the very long term The use of diesels received a blow from the VW scandal, and consumer acceptance of diesels has likely been damaged. With limited availability and higher price for diesel versus gasoline in North America (unlike Europe), consumer acceptance could be a problem. We believe that mass reduction (lighter vehicles while retaining the size and features that consumers demand) will likely be critical to achievement of the CAFE. We believe that: ● Reduced mass reduces fuel consumption & CO2 emissions directly

● Generates further mass reductions/fuel by enabling smaller engines, wheels, brakes, etc. (multiplier effect) ● Lower center of gravity improves handling and safety ● Most importantly, allows larger vehicles that Americans want to buy! ● Additive to all other strategies ● Requirements - Lighter materials - Substantial engineering Among lightweight materials, we see: ● Carbon fiber & magnesium the lightest alternatives ● Only niche materials due to property limitations & very high cost ● Major winner - High Strength Steel (HSS) ● Major winner - Aluminum ● Loser - Mild Steel. In the aluminum vs. steel debate, we see the aluminum advantages as ● Lighter ● Stiffer - metallurgy + joining (adhesives); better ride & handling ● Safer - absorbs more energy in a crash ● Better corrosion resistance ● Outstanding surface quality ● Lower total production CO2 ● Challenges - Formability in some alloys

- Issues in bonding, forming, assembly, and recycling (segregation) - Strength in most alloys By 2025, we expect to see many vehicles redesigned as multi-material incorporating HSS and aluminum ABS with mild steel content dramatically reduced. The proportions are likely to vary significantly from vehicle to vehicle and from OEM to OEM. Light trucks and SUVs will contain the highest aluminum content. Larger and more expensive vehicles could have higher than average content in aluminum also while smaller, lower-end vehicles retain more mild steel. The one thing we know is that the CAFE standard in North America and emissions standards in the rest of the world will substantially change vehicle design from the status quo. For further information please refer to CRU’s Aluminum Rolled Products Market Outlook Service and CRU’s study “The Market Outlook for Aluminum Auto Body Sheet and Can Stock to 2025”. If you’d like to discuss this analysis further please contact Head of Aluminium at CRU, Paul.williams@cru group.com

Genuine Porsche Parts... Only The Best.

The Dealers Below are Genuine Porsche Parts Distributors.

MARYLAND

NEW JERSEY

N. VIRGINIA

Porsche Towson

Porsche of Cherry Hill

Porsche of Arlington

844-588-0145

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888-600-3538

Towson, Md

410-296-4852 Fax

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MASSACHUSETTS Porsche Norwell Norwell

781-261-5230

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Porsche of Princeton

Arlington

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Lawrenceville

609-945-1500 609-945-0501 Fax

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 67

My Journey With Collision Repair and Women’s Industry Network by Shannon Kresge

One year ago today, I was walking across the stage at my college graduation. Like most new graduates, I had no idea which path I was going to take. Sure, I had a nice shiny piece of paper that implied I was going to be a great marketing associate, but I wasn’t convinced. For starters, being an impactful member of a marketing team takes actually having a job, which, at the time, I was lacking.

(l to r) Shannon Kresge and WIN Key Note Speaker and Olympic Gymnast Shannon Miller

My mom’s unofficial nickname is the Craigslist Queen. She loves Craigslist. Her favorite weekend hobby is picking up random items off the side of the road, redoing them, and then selling them on the nifty site for a profit. Naturally, I commenced my job search by perusing the Marketing/PR tab on the Craigslist’s “help wanted” section. Like mother, like daughter, right? About a week into my job hunt, I came across a link: “Collision Center Seeking Marketing Representative.” Well, ‘Marketing Representative’ sounded fitting for me, but I knew nothing about cars. When I say nothing, I mean nothing! My only experience with a car up until that point was a hand-me-down station wagon my grandparents had passed down that died within six months. The closest thing I had come to collision repair was my father taking the toilet plunger out of our bathroom to try and get an old dent out of my driver side door. I sent my resume within ten minutes of seeing the post. It never concerned me that I had virtually no knowledge of the industry. I’d always been up for a challenge, and taking on this job would be just that: a challenge to learn something new. The only cri-

teria I had about where I began my career was this: Will I be marketing a product, service, or company that I would be comfortable personally endorsing? If I was going to be responsible for marketing a brand, it had to be one that I believed was actually helping its customers, not trying to rip them off. Checking off that main concern of working for a reputable company was easy with H&V. Fortunately for me—but unfortunately for him—my father is a frequent visitor to our Troy, NY facility. He has bad luck with opening car doors into random objects and playing bumper cars in the Dunkin Donuts drive through. So yes, his insurance may have increased, but in turn, he was able to ensure me that I would be working with a good company. Fast forward almost a year and I could not be happier with my decision to work in the Collision Repair Industry. I have been able to contribute greatly to our social media pages, website, customer and insurance company relationships, event planning and more! I have learned more than I ever thought I would know about cars and have a continuous urge to learn more. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to meet Petra Schroeder, the 2016 chair of Women’s Industry Network. If my newfound passion for the collision repair industry wasn’t solidified before, WIN definitely did the trick. WIN is a network of mostly women and some men in the male-dominated collision industry that provide support, encouragement, and opportunities for one another. My bosses at H&V Collision Center were on board from the start. In the beginning of May, I was sent down to Tampa, FL WIN’s Annual Conference as a first year attendee. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was determined to make as much out of this experience as I could. Here’s what I did: Upon arriving at the conference, I approached the first table I saw and introduced myself. I was only there for three days, so of course I wasn’t wasting any time meeting new people! This was the common theme every day during the conference. I made a point to sit with different people at all meals, trade business cards with virtually every attendee I spoke with, and make as many connections as I could. Another opportunity I took advan-

68 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

tage of was asking questions of all of the wonderful presenters. The conference is packed with informative seminars. Being the “Curious George” that I am, I stood up after almost every single presenter to ask additional ques-

tions. Not only did this benefit me, but it benefited others in the room. I was determined to come home with as much feedback as possible, and who better to get that from than seasoned professionals in the collision industry? Last, but not least, I took the time at my first WIN Conference to join their committees. In my opinion, the best way to take advantage of being part of a network is to become as involved as possible. I asked questions about the different committees and read the descriptions thoroughly. I then chose to be

part of four—yes, FOUR—committees. Okay, I may have gone overboard, but I recommend at least joining one or two. My mindset was to pick two committees that I was confident I could make an impact in and two committees that I thought I could learn new skills from. My experience at the WIN 2016 Educational Conference was indescribable. I was able to meet numerous other women and men who deal with the same pleasures and challenges that I go through every day in the workplace. WIN has refreshed my confidence, passion, and drive for greatness in my career. Needless to say, if the collision repair industry becomes your path like it has mine, WIN might be the right move for you!

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Historical Snapshot

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and 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.

ABRA’s Expansion Plans, Tech Wages, Flat Fees for Repair, BMS v EMS with John Yoswick

sation for technicians had risen 28 per20 years ago in the collision repair cent to $52,997 by the time the Colliindustry (August 1996) Repair Education Foundation had ABRA Auto Bodywith and Glass’s present Chasidy Raesion Sisk owners Rollie Benjamin and Tim conducted its most recent survey in Adelmann have purchases the interest 2013. But had wages held steady with of former shareholder Randy McPherinflation over that time, the 2013 averson. Under the new ownership, ABRA age would have been just over plans to sharpen its focus on expanding $56,000. Department of Labor estiacross the country, with a goal of 300- mates for 2015 wages for painters Chasidy Raeranged Sisk from a low of $32,000 in Neplus shops by the with end of the year 2000. – As reported in Auto Body Repair braska to a high of $61,000 in Virginia. News. ABRA was not the first and cerFor body technicians, Arkansas has the tainly not the last consolidator to make lowest state average for 2015 at just what turned out to be wildly-over-optimistic growth projections. ABRA didn’t pass the 300-shop mark until last year, Chasidy Rae Sisk 15 years later thanwith it anticipated. Adelmann is the company’s executive vice president for business development; Benjamin, the company’s founder, most recently served as a director on its board. McPherson went on to launch CARA Collision & Glass, another Minnesotawith Chasidy Rae Sisk based MSO that in mid-2000 locked the In 2001, Ron Ray was the executive director doors on its remaining 13 shops and of the I-CAR Education Foundation, which later was renamed the Collision Repair Education filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Associations Assembling Southeast News

Western Associations

Southwest Associations

Southeast Associations 15 years ago in the collision repair

Foundation. He is now an instructor at Nashville Auto-Diesel College in Tennessee

Sisk of $32,000, while Maryland had industry (August with 2001) Chasidy Raeshy

Technician wages are keeping up with the highest average of nearly $64,000. the cost of living – and shop employee benefits are also improving – accord10 years ago in the collision repair ing to the latest in an ongoing series of industry (August 2006) surveys by the I-CAR Education FounGive some thoughtful people who are dation. about the collision rewith Chasidy Raeknowledgeable Sisk Although there is a wide spread in pair industry a chance to shine up a technician annual incomes, the industry crystal ball and look into the future, and average for technicians over 20 years you’re likely to hear some interesting old is $41,268, Ron Ray, executive dithings. rector of the Foundation, reported at I“I think we might see someone CAR’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore. pilot a program where participating colwith Chasidy Rae Sisk “From 1995 to 1998, we saw about lision repair facilities will be given a a 11 percent increase in that average, standard flat fee to repair vehicles reand from 1998 to 2001 about another 9 gardless of the amount of damage,” said percent,” Ray said. “So it’s keeping up Dan Risley, executive director of the with the cost of living or inflation.” Society of Collision Repair Specialists The latest findings were based on (SCRS), when asked to look at where withabout Chasidy Raethe Sisk survey responses from 400 shops industry might be in five to 10 years. with an average of just under eight em“The thought behind that is that ployees. Ray said the top 10 percent of it would simplify the repair process, the nearly 1,900 technicians represented reduce cycle time and reduce overall in the survey had annual incomes of claims costs,” Risley said. “For examabout $72,000. with Chasidy Raeple, the repair facility wouldn't have Sisk – As reported in Autobody News, to spend the time and resources writAugust 2001. Ray left the Foundation ing and submitting supplements and in 2007 and is now an instructor at waiting for approvals.” Nashville Auto-Diesel College in Ten– As reported in Autobody News, nessee. The industry average compenAugust 2006. Risley went on to spend

five years working for Allstate before becoming executive director of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) in 2013. The capitation model he describes has been only on a limited basis in the United States. But insurers have more recently been experimenting with “predictive analytics,” combining data about the crash from the vehicle with historical claims data to potentially reduce the need for traditional estimating.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (August 2011) Fred Iantorno of the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) says the information providers’ failure to switch to the “BMS” standard for estimate data transfer rather than the older “EMS” standard means the industry is stuck still using the equivalent of 1990s cell phone technology. The EMS file includes every scrap of data included in an estimate; so if a shop, for example, orders parts elec-

tronically, the parts vendor receiving the parts list via the EMS file also gets information about the customer and his or her insurance. Because the newer BMS standard provides shops with more control over what data gets shared – thus making it easier to protect data privacy for customers, insurers and the shop itself – collision repair organizations have for years asked the information providers to enable shops to use BMS rather than EMS. At last month’s Collision Industry Conference (CIC), Jack Rozint of CCC Information Services said his company has implemented BMS in some limited instances. “There are some large collision groups that are using it to consolidate data, and there’s a couple paint company value-added programs that are using our implementation of BMS to get repairer data to support their 20 groups,” Rozint See Historical News, Page 73

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Post-Collision Diagnostic Scan And Calibration Requirements For Honda And Acura Vehicles It is the position of American Honda that all vehicles involved in a collision must have the following minimum diagnostic scans, inspections, and/or calibrations done to avoid improper repair: ● A preliminary diagnostic scan during the repair estimation phase to determine what Diagnostic Trouble Codes DTCs may be present, so proper repairs may be included. See Background On Scan Requirements paragraph for more information. ● A post repair diagnostic scan to confirm that no DTCs remain. - Any repair that requires disconnection of electrical components in order to perform the repair will require a post-repair diagnostic scan to confirm if the component is reconnected properly and functioning. - Damage that requires body parts replacement will always require a post-repair diagnostic scan. ● Some safety and driver assistive systems will require inspections, calibration, and/or aiming after collision or other body repairs. See page 2 for additional information. *A collision is defined as damage that exceeds minor outer panel cosmetic distortion.

Background On Scan Requirements Honda and Acura vehicles include numerous electronic control systems, including those that operate safety and driver assist systems. Most of these systems include onboard self-diagnostics that monitor the state of health and/or rationality of input and output circuits. When monitored circuit values fall outside predetermined thresholds, DTCs may be set in one or more electronic control unit (ECU). The mechanical forces encountered in a collision can damage electrical circuits and components in ways that are not easily diagnosed with visual inspection methods. Here are some other electronic control system self-diagnostic facts: ● The proliferation of electronic control systems has increased the number of potential DTCs beyond the point where a dashboard indicator can be installed and/or illuminated for every DTC. Dashboard indicators are intended for driver notification, not vehicle diagnostics. ● Therefore, the presence or absence of dashboard indicators/warning lights is not an acceptable method to

determine if post collision diagnostic scans are necessary. ● Many DTCs do not illuminate any dashboard indicators, but an electronic control system may still operate improperly or be completely inoperative. ● Because of the complexities of serial data networking, dashboard indicators that do illuminate may appear unrelated to the actual vehicle problem. ● Some self-diagnostics require multiple failures, or other criteria such as a number of drive cycles, to be met before illuminating any indicators. ● Low battery voltage and/or repair procedures may inadvertently set multiple DTCs. Clear the DTCs and determine which ones reset after battery voltage is stabilized.

American Honda Position Statement Diagnostic Recommendations The recommended way to accurately determine the post-collision status of all Honda and Acura vehicle electronic control systems is with the iHDS. ● The i-HDS has an “All DTC Check” feature that will scan available electronic control systems for DTCs in one operation. ● American Honda does not test other scan tools and cannot comment on their capabilities or accuracy. NOTE: Not all electronic control systems can be scanned using the iHDS. For example, Honda LaneWatch™ and earlier model air conditioning and climate control systems have self-contained diagnostics that are not accessible using the i-HDS. For systems such as these, refer to the published diagnostic procedures in the appropriate service information available on the Honda Independent Repair/ServiceExpress website: (techinfo .honda.com).

Inspection/Calibration/Aiming Requirements Safety and driver assistive systems that will require inspections, calibration, and/or aiming after collision or other body repairs include, but are not limited to the following:

After reconnecting the 12-volt battery: After collision repairs are complete and the battery is reconnected, some electrical systems may not operate properly. These may include, but are

72 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

not limited to the following: ● Navigation systems ● Engine idle speed learn ● Power window, power tailgate, moonroof, power sliding door position and/or pinch detection ● Keyless access and immobilizer/security systems Since the reset procedures vary by vehicle and system, enter the vehicle information into ServiceExpress and search the keyword “Reset”. This search will retrieve a list of reset procedures required after parts replacement and/or a battery disconnect. Some reset procedures can be done without special tools. Others may require scan tool software.

Front passenger’s seat weight sensor Inspections and calibration: These sensors control passenger’s front airbag operation and the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator based on the occupant’s weight. Like any scale, weight sensors are a precision device. ● The service information may refer to these sensors as the seat weight sensor (SWS) system or occupant detection system (ODS) depending on

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model and year. ● This inspection requires a scan tool to fully check the seat weight sensor's operation using the following criteria: - Empty front passenger seat weight to confirm the sensors can detect this condition - Seat weight with a known calibration weight amount if necessary ● This check must be done after any collision, regardless of damage even if no airbags deployed. ● The check confirms sensor operation and that no binding or damage exists in the relationship between the seat frame, weight sensors, and floor pan. ● Weight sensor calibration is also required when front passenger seat components have been removed or replaced. Refer to the service information for procedures.

Driver assistive system aiming: Some models use one or more of the following camera and/or radar based driver support systems that require software-based aiming and/or calibra-

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tion to ensure proper operation after certain components have been removed and/or replaced: ● Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) ● Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) ● Forward Collision Warning (FCW) ● Lane Departure Warning (LDW) ● Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) ● Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) ● Blind Spot Information (BSI) ● LaneWatch™ (Honda Only) ● Multi-View Camera System (MVCS - Acura Only) NOTE: Rearview (backup) cameras do not require any aiming procedures after removal or replacement unless the vehicle is also equipped with the Multi-View Camera System (MVCS). These procedures may require special tools and/or the i-HDS to complete. Refer to the service information for specific information. The chart below shows damage areas where driver assistive system

components may be located in close proximity. Collision damage in these areas should be given particular attention because certain repairs and/or parts replacement may require aiming procedures to be done.

must be purchased separately. To purchase i-HDS diagnostic software and/or a vehicle interface device do the following: 1. Access the Honda Independent Repair/ServiceExpress website:

How To Obtain Service Information, iHDS Diagnostic Software and Interface Hardware i-HDS software, as well as other service information, is available to independent repair facilities and others for use on laptop or desktop computer hardware. These may be purchased in three time intervals: 1 day, 30 days, and 365 days. NOTE: The i-HDS software requires the use of a Bosch MVCI or Denso DST-i vehicle communications interface (VCI) device between the vehicle and your computer, which

(techinfo.honda.com). 2. Click the link under the “Diagnostic Tools” heading (near middle of page). 3. Confirm your computer meets the system requirements and/or purchase a VCI device by clicking the link(s) under “Hardware”. 4. Click the link under “Software” to purchase i-HDS software and follow the directions.

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The Right Parts.

Continued from Page 70

Historical News

said. “To be frank, the majority of our customers are using applications on the other end – receiving the data from the shop – that are still using EMS, so all our systems still support EMS.” But Iantorno said it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation; those receiving data from shops, he said, won’t switch from EMS to BMS until the information providers enable shops to use BMS. Tony Passwater, chairman of CIC’s Data Privacy Committee said CCC, Mitchell International and Audatex should do what companies in other industries have done to push for a shift to new, better technologies. “They just need to say that as of a certain date, the EMS standard will be sunsetted, and that starting on that date, only the BMS standard will be supported,” Passwater said. – As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), August 22, 2011. Five years later, there has still only been limited implementation of the BMS standard while the 1990s EMS standard continues in wide use.

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Continued from Page 38

AAAS Handles Business

ing Saturday morning’s Business Meeting, John Grant of Grant Brothers Sales Ltd., delivered a compelling presentation packed with useful information about CRM tools that are available and commonly used in the aftermarket industry. He also presented data and analysis of many options and discussed their benefits in various scenarios. Next, “The Affordable Care Act, Compliance and the Far-Reaching Implications” was presented by Jeannie O’Malley, Compliance Director for Alliance Insurance Group. According to Ward, “She delivered a timely overview of key compliance issues to help members and attendees effectively comply with Healthcare Reform and avoid costly fees and penalties.” The morning’s last speaker was Courtney Hammer from the Auto Care Association who presented “Forward Focused: The Auto Care Career Initiative,” discussing the recruitment of millennials into the auto care industry, especially through the Auto Care Association’s interactive job board, autocarecareers.org, which promotes career opportunities for college students, recent graduates, tech schools and military veterans. Ward says, “The industry job board offers the industry at large an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections. Hammer also shard perspective and the importance of cultivating YANG, and attendees were enthused about the information they gained and the ability to use the Auto Care industry job board to recruit highly qualified employees. All of our speakers graciously gave of their time and answered many questions individually for our members and guests. The time members spent with our speakers and trade show representatives is hard to quantify; we feel it is invaluable.” On Saturday afternoon, AAAS members and other conference attendees enjoyed a round of golf at the beautiful Baytowne Raven Golf Course. The tournament serves as a fundraiser for AAASEF, and each player graciously donated to the scholarship fund. “The players had a perfect day on the greens and raised money for a fantastic cause,” Ward states. Saturday evening concluded with beachside dining at The Sky Room

where fishing and golf awards were presented. Liles thanked sponsors, members and guests for making the 2016 AAAS Conference and Trade Show such a success. Also, a special presentation honored retiring board member Bill Hamilton of Hamilton

Jay Galimore of Dorns Auto Parts won a Grizzly Cooler provided by Federated Insurance

Auto Parts in Birmingham, AL who served on the Board of Directors for more than 30 years. Liles says, “The exchange of ideas and information was great. We’ll do our best to get the speakers’ messages out to all of our members who couldn’t make it, but you can’t possibly replicate the exchanges that occurred during the weekend. Each of our speakers and trade show representatives spent a fantastic amount of time answering members’ specific questions about their area of expertise, and I believe the benefit to our members who attended was outstanding.” Ward agrees that the 2016 Conference was a huge success. “Attendees enjoyed their time, learned a lot and were able to discuss many issues with the speakers and trade show representatives. We believe the event was a great success!” AAAS attributes the success of the conference to three key factors: members’ support, their network of sponsors, and the industry’s best speakers. Ward states, “Our attendees are engaged and make the most of every opportunity presented. The time spent at the conference just scratches the surface of the impact this program has. These folks take the information they acquire and the relationships they build back to their businesses, creating a ripple effect felt throughout the association and the industry. We also have the best network of spon-

74 AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

sors and trade show representatives, the majority of which have been around for many years, and they support us generously throughout the year and really step up to make our conference a success. Finally, we engage top tier speakers with valuable, timely and relevant information to share.” Ward continues, “We are very fortunate to have such a unique and successful formula for our association and our annual conference. We find that, with such engaged members and sponsors, our guest speakers find our group captivating and, in turn, learn a lot about our association. They tend to stick around and gain a special appreciation for our members and AAAS. It is truly a win-win situation. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a location like Sandestin!” These type of association-sponsored events are designed to bring members together, provide networking opportunities and deliver the latest information about topics impacting their businesses and the aftermarket industry. Ward observes, “Through networking events and face-to-face contact, we are able to bring common issues faced by our membership

to light. When we see what types of challenges our members are facing, we then fine-tune our efforts and are able to find resources to help them navigate their challenges. This is a continuous and dynamic process. The Board of Directors and association staff are always looking for ways to connect our members and their changing needs with the resources in our industry to help them sustain and grow their businesses.” AAAS looks forward to this annual event and next year’s Annual Conference and Trade Show will be held June 8-11, 2017. Sponsors for the 2016 AAAS Conference and Trade Show included Federated Insurance, Merrill Lynch, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, CARQUEST, LKQ Corporation, York Risk Services, AAASEF, CMI LLC, Meadowbrook Insurance Group, N.A. Williams Company, Superior Financial Systems, Automotive Aftermarket Fund, Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Carlisle Medical, Morgan Stanley, Safety National, and many others.

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508-695-7131 Fax: 508-695-0321 M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-2pm

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NEW JERSEY Atlantic Volkswagen Egg Harbor Township

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 75

Terence Crawford’s Trial Set for August 9 by Wil Esco, SB Nation

Despite junior welterweight titlist Terence Crawford undergoing preparation for the biggest fight of his career against fellow titilist Viktor Postol on July 23, he still has a criminal case hanging over his head. That case stems from an incident in April where Crawford was accused of causing thousands of dollars in damages to a hydraulic lift after he forcibly removed his car from an auto body shop while allegedly refusing to pay an outstanding debt for a paint job. As reported by RingTV.com, Crawford’s criminal trial on several misdemeanor charges – including theft of services, criminal mischief, assault in the third degree, and trespassing – has been scheduled for August 9th. Crawford had originally been scheduled to begin trial the week of July 11, but was granted a continuance by a local judge. In a phone interview, Crawford’s attorney Steve Lefler had this to say about the status of the case: “He was charged with a couple of misdemeanors and I’m negotiating with the city attorney now. We’ll probably resolve something. If we

don’t, we have a trial set for August 9th, but I’m reasonably confident — I think the city attorney’s office is discovering the case isn’t as strong as they thought it was, so they’re (willing) to negotiate a little bit.” Lefler continued by saying that their side could end up reaching a private settlement with auto shop owner Michael Nelson, and that if they do, that could potentially change the priorities for the prosecutor’s office (insinuating that they may drop the criminal charges). “The city attorney’s office in Omaha doesn’t want to become a collection agency,” Lefler said. “So their position is we’re here to do justice. If this were a very serious case, it would be a felony. It wouldn’t be a misdemeanor. So I don’t want to say it falls in the ‘no-big-deal-category,’ but it’s pretty close. And if I am able to resolve the financial matter with (Nelson) then I don’t think the city attorney is going to care at all.” We’ll have to see if this issue becomes a noticeable distraction for Crawford, as he has his title unification fight on July 23 on PPV. We thank SB Nation for reprint permission.

ASA Joins Forces with NAPA Auto Parts

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has announced a new member benefit in cooperation with NAPA AUTO PARTS. According to the ASA, the purpose of their partnership with NAPA was to develop a membership benefit program aimed specifically at scan tools and subscription costs to access OE information. Due to the enormous popularity of Mopar’s TechAuthority Online program, NAPA has agreed to help offset the annual subscription cost for ASA members. Mopar’s TechAuthority offers diagnostic tools for 1981-and-latermodel Chrysler Group vehicles. It makes the same information that Chrysler Group dealerships rely on available to other service technicians and independent shops.

“NAPA has been supporting ASA through exhibiting and as one of the sponsors of the recently-launched ASA Regional Training Events,” said Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director. “Many of our members are NAPA AutoCare Centers, so this new program is a natural fit, and we’re excited to be working with NAPA.” There are more than 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS stores and 16,000 NAPA AutoCare Centers across the United States. “Thousands of ASA members support their local NAPA AUTO PARTS stores every day across the country,” said Dan Askey, NAPA president. “We recognize that and are committed to working with ASA to provide a benefit that membership will value and find meaningful.”

Advertise in our CLASSIFIED SECTION for $50 per column inch! Place an ad in our AUTOBODY MARKETPLACE section of Autobody News.

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3M Automotive Aftermarket Division Introduces 3M Total Automotive Sanding System

In February, 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division (AAD) announced a strategic collaboration with TTS Tooltechnic Systems AG & Co. KG, maker of Festool brand products, in order to provide customers in the global automotive collision repair industry with a new and comprehensive surface preparation and finishing system. 3M AAD is now introducing the first new solutions through the partnership. According to the company, the collaboration brings together 3M’s best-in-class abrasives, global sales and distribution capabilities with Festoolbranded premium power tools, dust extraction technologies and exceptional customer service to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of offerings to customers in the automotive aftermarket. The 3M Total Automotive Sanding System is engineered to support the continuing need for cleaner, safer, more efficient and profitable collision repair shops. “At 3M, we spend a tremendous amount of time studying the way collision repair shops run today, and how they could run in the future,” said Todd Bailey, marketing manager for 3M AAD. “We continually look at process

improvements, new standard operating procedures and new solutions for getting repairs done more quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality. The new 3M Total Automotive Sanding System is a reflection of that research and development, integrating our innovative abrasive products, advanced repair processes and new collaboration with Festool’s premium power tools. This system is a great example of the shop of the future, with mobile workcenters, a focus on dust extraction and the ability to deliver an excellent repair more productively, efficiently and cleaner than before.” The 3M Total Automotive Sanding System is designed and equipped for three specific areas of today’s collision shop: body repair, paint prep, and paint finishing. There are five systems offered. The Body Repair Set and the Paint Prep Set are available with recommended Festool pneumatic and electric products, accessories and 3M consumables, as well as dust extraction equipment. The Paint Finishing Set is available with Festool pneumatic products, accessories and 3M consumables. For more information, visit www .3Mcollision.com.

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www.autobodynews.com | AUGUST 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 77

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Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR

Stacey Phillips is the assistant editor at Autobody News magazine. She has more than 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications. She can be reached at sphillips@autobodynews.com.

DCR Systems Creates Streamlined Process for Body Shops When you walk into a collision repair nician to know everything about every shop powered by DCR Systems, it vehicle produced and all of their addoesn’t make a difference if you are in vanced systems. Ohio or Massachusetts. still find single technician is with You’ll Stacey Phillips - Instead, ASSISTANT Eno DITOR a progressive operation run in a non- responsible for everything on the retraditional way. pair side. “We can bring support team Established by Michael Giarmembers in and teach them a smaller rizzo, Jr. in December 2004, DCR handful of skills so they can add value Systems sets up accident reto our process in a relatively pair facilities for automotive short period of time,” said dealerships looking to outGiarrizzo. “Over time we source their operations. help them acquire more and (DCR stands for Diversified more skills.” Collision Repair.) The comGiarrizzo got his start in pany uses a process-focused the business working at the collision repair operating family body shop – JSI ColMichael Giarrizzo, Jr. model, developed by Giarlision Center. Eventually, the rizzo after many years of working in business expanded to include four lothe industry. cations in Northeastern Ohio. In 1999, Giarrizzo, the president and CEO the shops were acquired by Sterling of the Ohio-based business, said his Autobody Centers and two years later proprietary system eliminates many of Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings took the inefficiencies associated with auto over Sterling. Giarrizzo became COO body repairs. for the division and helped the busiIt is based on the principle of lean ness grow to 65 stores. manufacturing systems. Lean manuAfter spending practically his enfacturing, often referred to as “lean,” tire working career in the collision reis a systematic method for the elimi- pair business, Giarrizzo asked himself: nation of waste within a manufacturHow could we do things differently if ing system. we had the opportunity? “We operate each location within He got that opportunity in 2003, a process-centered environment that when he resigned from his position as standardizes and streamlines each proCOO of Sterling and decided to form cedure,” said Giarrizzo. “It doesn’t DCR Systems. mean it’s easier, it’s just more simple. His business now works closely It takes a lot of discipline and complete with dealerships to either build a brand team engagement to actually make it new collision center or convert their happen.” existing one. DCR Systems sets up After receiving a customer’s car, their entire operations, including purshops dedicate a lot of time, effort and chasing equipment, hiring employees, resources up front during the diagnostic managing payroll, and P&L. “Our process in order to uncover everything stores are all about replication,” said that could be a result of the accident. All Giarrizzo. Everything is consistent, of the parts, materials and equipment from the way the desks are set up to are collected and the steps to repair the the way tooling is positioned and disvehicle are lined up in a certain seplayed and the facilities are layed out. quence. Giarrizzo said this eliminates Currently, DCR Systems has set redundancy and simplifies the entire up eight locations, referred as “operatprocess. ing cells” in four different markets— Rather than the traditional mind- Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and set where a vehicle is assigned to a North Carolina. Each of the operating technician who is largely in control of cells are approximately 10,000 square the repair, employees work together, feet of production space and have 14including the entire production and 16 total employees. administration staff. “We partnered with DCR purely Giarrizzo realized that as vehicles to increase customer satisfaction,” said become more complex, it would be Jim Brown, president of Classic Auto virtually impossible for a single techGroup in Mentor, Ohio. “We wanted to

Body Shops Giving Back

eliminate the clog in the body shop— cars just didn’t move.” Jay McFarland, chief financial officer at Mike Johnson’s Hickory Toyota in Hickory, NC, also established a DCR collision center. “We were immediately impressed and excited by DCR’s process and quality. Partnering with DCR allows us to continue to take care of our customers at a very high level and to create customers for life by closing the customer service loop,” said McFarland.

velopment and attracting potential hires into the industry, especially students from vocational schools. He said the process not only helps in recruiting new employees, but assists in their development. “The biggest thing I see is employee quality of life because no single person in our operation or any of our operations is responsible for carrying the load; it’s a team environment so you’re using complementary skills and efforts to potentially remanufac-

During the course of a typical day, workers wear many different hats. “We try really hard to stay away from having specific roles where they have a primary responsibility, but instead train and cross-train a lot of people to be able to adapt and respond to where the work is dictating its needs,” said Giarrizzo. He said one of the main advantages of operating in a process-centered environment is that shops become more adaptable to the constantly evolving vehicles. “Every year, every make and model seems to advance at a pretty astounding pace and we’re able to put different standards and things in place at the right step in the process to accommodate that,” said Giarrizzo. By completely outfitting each cell with all of the tooling and equipment, there is no investment required by technicians. Giarrizzo said this makes it more conducive for employee de-

ture the vehicle.” His vision is to reinvent the collision repair industry by returning the body shop’s revenue stream to dealers seeking to retain loyal customers. “It’s a group of courageous people who have dared to do away with the status quo and do things because they made sense. They act without fear and with the belief that doing the right thing for the right reasons will ultimately pay out,” said Giarrizzo. For more information, contact Michael Giarrizzo Jr. at mgiarrizzo@ dcrsystems.net, or call DCR Systems at (888) DCR-9902.

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