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AUTOBODYNEWS.COM
Vol. 9 / Issue 5 / August 2018
Can Immigrant-Owned Businesses Survive Rezoning in the Bronx?
Honor Thy Father: The Story of Frog Hollow Collision
by Nina Roberts, Documented NY
by Ed Attanasio
“I have a mortgage to pay and a kid in college,” says Pavel Lopez, the founder of Flatcode Communications in the Bronx. Lopez’s business specializes in outfitting all types of taxis—from yellow cabs to Ubers—with electronic devices like GPSs, meters and cameras. Lopez has been building up his business in a Jerome Avenue garage for over a decade, but now feels it’s in limbo due to the street’s recent rezoning. In late March, the City Council
approved a plan to rezone a two-mile commercial stretch of Jerome Avenue north of Yankee Stadium and several of its offshoot streets. It could easily displace hundreds of immigrant-owned small businesses that have been in operation for decades; most are renters in commercial spaces. Bustling Mexican grocery stores, “farmacias,” fruit stands, Yemeni bodegas, barber shops, botanicas, fabric shops, halal butchers, eateries owned by immigrants from the Dominican Republic to See Bronx Rezoning, Page 10
VW Exploding Sunroof Class-Action Lawsuit Is Partially Dismissed by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com
A Volkswagen exploding sunroof class-action lawsuit is hanging on after the automaker filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. Plaintiff Rosaura Deras filed the lawsuit on behalf of consumers who purchased or leased in California any of the following vehicles equipped with factory-installed sunroofs: • 2005-2017 Volkswagen Jetta • 2015-2017 Volkswagen Golf
At Autobody News, we often get requests for coverage on shops. Every once in a while, a request will stand out for one reason or another. Recently, we received a heartfelt email from the son of the owner of Frog Hollow Collision in Bethpage, NY, that definitely got our attention. “I read your publication every time it comes into the shop,” Anthony DeMieri, Jr. wrote. “My father has been in this shop since 1977
• 2007-2016 Volkswagen Eos
• 2006-2009 Volkswagen Rabbit • 2012-2017 Volkswagen Passat
• 2004-2006 Volkswagen Touareg • 2011-2017 Volkswagen Touareg • 2008 Volkswagen R32
when he came in here as a 17-yearold kid. He worked his way up and eventually was able to buy the company in 2000. He is now passing it See Honor Thy Father, Page 16
INTRODUCING A NEW COLUMN!
Auto Body Attorney
• 2006-2015 Volkswagen GTI • 2009-2010 Volkswagen CC
(l to r) Peter DeMieri, Anthony, Sr., Anthony III and Anthony, Jr. at Frog Hollow Collision at Bethpage in Long Island, NY
with Bruce Roistacher
See page 48 in this issue.
Subaru Customers Now Get Virtual Visibility While Car Is in for Collision Repairs by Denis Flierl, Torque News
Subaru customers now have access to virtual visibility when they get their car repaired in a body shop. Here’s how Subaru’s new program benefits consumers.
See VW Exploding Sunroof, Page 4
2019 Subaru Forester
Subaru of America is the latest automaker to launch a certified collision repair program, working with its dealerships as well as select independent body shops, that will make getting your car repaired after a collision easier. While Subaru vehicles
like the 2019 Subaru Forester get new safety technology, customers will still be involved in accidents. According to a report by Automotive News, Subaru unveiled its new plan developed with Wadsworth International, a consultancy in suburban Philadelphia that will administer the program. Subaru isn’t the first automaker to do this, as Wadsworth also provides administrative support to Jaguar Land Rover’s collision certification program. Subaru plans to expand its pilot collision repair program into a national network this year, certifying 400 body shops by 2019. Subaru of America has 630 dealerships in the US. What are the benefits for Subaru customers? According to the reports, the inSee Virtual Visibility, Page 4
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