September 2023 Northeast Edition

Length of Rental Decreases Year-Over-Year For First Time Since Start of Pandemic

Enterprise released Length of Rental (LOR) data for the second quarter of 2023, showing a 0.3-day decrease— from 17.7 days to 17.4—compared to the same quarter last year, the first dip in LOR year-over-year since the initial stages of the pandemic.

LORs was 9.6 days, compared to a gap of 9.0 days in Q2 2022. In the contiguous 48, the gap was 7.2 days between Georgia (20.5) and Iowa and North Dakota (both 13.1). In Q2 2022, this gap was 8.9 days between Louisiana and North Dakota.

Nassau County, NY, Collision Repair Shops, Owner Convicted of Tax Fraud

Jose Cardona, 45, of Oceanside, NY, was sentenced Aug. 2 for felony tax fraud related to his ownership and operation of two Nassau County collision repair shops, New York State officials announced.

In Nassau County State Supreme Court, Cardona was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation, after having already paid more than $700,000 in restitution.

Cardona’s two businesses previously pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud charges, and his wife, Veronica Cardona, 44, also of Oceanside, previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor false filing charge related to a fraudulent personal income tax return.

Cardona was the owner and

operator of two collision centers: No Limit Auto Body, Inc., also known as Perry’s Hub Auto Care, located at 10 Jerusalem Ave. in Hempstead, NY, and Henry Street Auto Body, Inc., also known as No Limit Auto Body II, located at 110 Henry St. in Freeport, NY.

A joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Auto Insurance Fraud Unit and the Department of Taxation and Finance (Tax Department) revealed Cardona and No Limit Auto Body collected but failed to remit to New York state more than $584,000 in sales taxes between June 2010 and May 2016, and that Cardona and Henry Street Auto Body collected but failed to

It was also a 1.5-day decrease from the first quarter of this year, when LOR was 18.7 days, which fits historical seasonal trending of a decrease from the first quarter to the second quarter. While positive, these results continue to reflect the new normal, as the LOR for the second quarter in 2021 was 13.2 days.

Alaska recorded the highest overall LOR in Q2 at 22.7 days, followed by Georgia (20.5), Colorado (20.2) and Louisiana (20.1).

Hawaii had the lowest LOR with 13.1 days. North Dakota and Iowa were next-lowest at 13.3 days each, with DC (13.5) and Nebraska (13.9) completing the states under 14 days.

Interestingly, the gap between the highest—Alaska—and lowest—Hawaii—

Only three states saw a yearover-year increase of a day or more: Minnesota (+1.4), New Mexico (+1.2), and Montana (+1.0). Eighteen additional states saw increases while five other states were flat.

Notably, 24 states, plus Washington, D.C., saw decreases. Rhode Island (-2.0), DC (-1.9) and Louisiana (-1.8) had the largest decreases.

John Yoswick, editor of the weekly CRASH Network newsletter, said: “We’re seeing a number of trends that could account for some—though not a lot—of decline in LOR, at least for now. Shops’ backlog of work tends to drop in the spring, and this year was no exception. The national

l CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

By Justin Backover WFMZ News

Tucked away right off Union Boulevard in Allentown, PA, is a new auto repair shop. It’s actually a new start-up, called Car-Up.

“Our shop will come to your home or work, pick your car up, service it and bring it back to you when it’s done,” said founder Larry Seibel He’s called the Lehigh Valley home for two decades and has spent his career starting tech companies.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Car-Up works through an app. Once you input your make and model, you can select the service you want or describe the issue you’re having. Then, you schedule a time and Car-up picks up your vehicle. You can also schedule a tow if needed.

“Like every good idea, my wife came up with it,” Seibel said. “A lot of people don’t really trust what’s happening with their car. So, when you go the repair shop, people try to sell you service and they don’t really

Columnist Abby Andrews: SCRS Executive Director Responds to Criticism of Right to Repair

Columnist Mike Anderson: Technical and Financial Considerations Related to Your Paint Department

Body Shop Owners Discuss Mentorship Programs Initiated with Support from Toby Chess 14

Abby Andrews

SCRS Executive Director Responds to Criticism of Right to Repair Pact Signed with Automakers 18

Index of Advertisers

Stacey Phillips

New Auto Repair Shop

explain it to you very well.”

Car-Up also updates you throughout the process through the app using live chat updates with pictures and video. Seibel worked with an app developer for around nine months on the app.

The business has only been fully running for about two weeks but he already has customers.

“Slowly but surely we’re getting some interested customers and they’re a little confused at first because this is so new,” Seibel said.

Currently Car-up serves a 10-mile radius around the shop, but Seibel hopes to expand.

“Right now my concentration is to make the customers of the Lehigh Valley as happy as possible, get their feedback and provide great service.”

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Tesla Gets Around Connecticut Direct Sales Ban With Loophole

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

Tesla appears to have found an effective loophole that would enable it to operate in Connecticut, which has taken a stance against the electric vehicle maker over the years through initiatives designed to block it from establishing a presence in the state.

Mohegan Sun, an entertainment destination operated by the Mohegan Tribe, revealed plans to introduce a Tesla Electric Vehicle Showroom, expected to debut in the fall within The Shops at Mohegan Sun. Per a press release, both locals and visitors to the area will have the opportunity to purchase a variety of Tesla models at the site. Visitors can also explore Tesla’s solar and storage products at the facility.

The partnership between Mohegan Sun and Tesla to operate a sales and delivery center on sovereign tribal land is a significant milestone, the first collaboration of its kind in Connecticut.

Jeff Hamilton, president and

general manager of Mohegan Sun, expressed his enthusiasm for the project.

“We’re really excited about this new Tesla EV Showroom opening this fall at Mohegan Sun,” Hamilton said. “This endeavor with Tesla marks an electrifying milestone in Mohegan Sun’s commitment to fostering impactful relationships, promoting environmental sustainability, and offering cuttingedge experiences for our millions of annual guests, each of which are core goals of Mohegan Sun and the Mohegan Tribe.”

As part of the collaboration, Tesla will work with Mohegan to integrate local talent into its workforce development programs. The initiative aims to provide opportunities for Mohegan Tribal members and Mohegan team members to acquire skills pertinent for the EV sector. Such initiatives could lead to career paths with Tesla.

The Tesla showroom will be located across from Todd English’s Tuscany, with deliveries taking place nearby at Sky Tower valet. Visitors will have the chance to test drive popular Tesla models around

the resort as well.

The deal bodes well for Tesla, considering the challenges it has faced in Connecticut in the past. Over the years, Tesla has attempted to launch several initiatives to support its customers in the state, but the company has met strong opposition from the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association (CARA). Hayden Reynolds, chairman of CARA, issued a statement about Tesla’s deal with Mohegan Sun.

“It is essential to strike a balance between respecting tribal sovereignty and maintaining a level playing field for all car dealerships in Connecticut,” Reynolds said, adding that while the association respects the tribe’s sovereignty, “we strongly believe that this does not change the discussion about Tesla and other EV manufacturers with direct-to-consumer sales, and we continue to oppose that model. Connecticut’s dealer franchise laws benefit consumers and provide a competitive marketplace.”

ASE

Instructor Training Conference a Huge Success

The 2023 ASE Instructor Training Conference, held in July in Concord, NC, welcomed hundreds of high school and college instructors from auto, truck and collision repair programs nationwide, where they had the opportunity to participate in a wide array of sessions conducted by the transportation industry’s leading trainers and instructors.

“This year’s instructor training conference was a huge success, from the instructional sessions to the networking opportunities to the informational resources that instructors can integrate into their automotive programs,” said Mike Coley, president of the ASE Education Foundation. “The attendees heard from experienced OE and aftermarket trainers, enjoyed a keynote speech by Eric Chester and learned about ‘Revving up Diversity in the Classroom’ from Bogi Lateiner.”

Hosted by the ASE Education Foundation, the four-day annual conference is the largest of its

kind. In addition to training and motivational sessions, attendees had time to network with their peers from across the country and share best practices.

Also on the agenda was Chester’s keynote speech, “Building Rockets That Fly: Ensuring the Success of our Graduates,” focused on ways to help graduates of automotive educational programs to succeed in their careers. In addition, Lateiner shared ways to enhance diversity in automotive programs with a standing-roomonly audience.

“Being together under one roof gave the attendees the opportunity to learn, interact and focus on the future,” said Coley.

“We want to thank the subject matter experts who shared their knowledge and expertise with the instructors and the conference sponsors who helped make this exceptional educational event possible.”

Source: ASE Education Foundation

Oct 31 - Nov 3

Booth #33036

Technical and Financial Considerations Related to Your Paint Department

Based on a question I received from an Autobody News reader, I’m going to focus my next couple of articles on refinish-related items I think you should know or think about.

For instance, as ADAS continues to become more prevalent, some automakers are saying an approved paint line needs to be used, because some paint products can affect the way blind spot monitors work behind a bumper. Nissan North America, for example, put out just this type of requirement for its ARIYA model. Similarly, Toyota put out a bulletin (CRIB #201) noting select 2023 Toyota and Lexus models use 77 Gigahertz (GHz) radar sensors, which require special refinish precautions that may mean the bumper cover cannot even be repainted.

less than $30, while in others it’s $50 or higher.

So I think it’s really important to

it may make more sense to using invoicing versus the multiple method. Paint materials profitability also

Average Paint Labor Hours Per Estimate in 2022

out a lot of calibration or other ADAS work—which is a growing portion of the total repair cost—paint materials may now account for 8% or 9% of your total sales. Or if you repair a lot of high-end luxury vehicles, your parts bills may be higher, also reducing the percentage of sales for your paint materials.

So while I’m not saying you shouldn’t still benchmark paint materials as a percentage of sales, I think it’s also important to monitor the average number of refinish labor hours per repair order. As the state-by-state averages for paint labor hours shown on the table demonstrate, there’s certainly a range for this. (The averages shown are for all insurance claims, both DRP and non-DRP combined.)

If you look at that data, you’ll see North Dakota is the lowest at 7.5 hours, and Rhode Island is the highest at 11.1 hours. Nationally, the average is 9.7 hours. But again, your mix of work can affect your average refinish hours per job. Are you doing more heavier hits or smaller jobs? Train wrecks versus dealership shipping damage or rental car parking lot damage?

So researching OEM repair procedures from a paint perspective is becoming very, very critical.

Now let’s talk about calculating reimbursement for paint materials. There continues to be two methods in our industry. There’s the traditional multiplier method, which is a set dollar rate multiplied by the number of refinish labor hours on the estimate or repair plan. If a job has 10 hours of paint labor and your material rate is, say, $40, you’re going to get $400 for paint materials. That’s still the most widely used method, but that’s changing.

Our “Who Pays for What?” surveys over the past several years have found a growing percentage of shops using an invoicing system for paint materials—at least some of the time. There are several ways to produce an invoice for materials: a paint company’s mixing scale, Mitchell’s Refinish Materials Calculator, PMC Logic, etc.

Which method makes the most sense for your shop may depend on your market. Paint material rates vary across the country. In some markets, the multiplier rate may be

understand there’s not a one sizefits-all approach. But as we see more three- or four-stage paint, or more “limited use toners”—which tend to be expensive and not widely used, so generally not stocked in shops—

requires writing solid repair plans, particularly if you are using the multiplier method. In the past, the benchmark was paint materials should account for about 10% of sales. But if you’re a shop that sublets

That’s why another method to monitor this is by average paint labor hours per $1,000 in sales. The goal for that is typically about 2.7 paint labor hours for each $1,000 in sales. I recently ran a graph**** from our portal where we track the performance of many shops we consult with, and over the eight months, they were averaging between 2.03 and 2.16 average refinish hours per $1,000 in sales, and just under 11 refinish hours per repair order.

One other thing to keep in mind: If you’re doing a lot of smaller jobs without a lot of refinish labor hours, you may need to set a minimum you collect for paint materials per job. If a customer only needs a mirror replacement, you may only get an hour of refinish time, but that one hour times your multiplier rate may not adequately cover the cost of the refinish materials needed.

In my next article, I will discuss what’s actually included in “materials,” both in the past versus what we see today, with more and more shops moving to itemize things on estimates and repair plans, including stock parts.

In 2022, the average number of refinish labor hours per repair order varied by state, but on a national basis the average was about 9.7

Data from a group of Collision Advice shop clients show they were averaging just below 11 refinish labor hours per repair order, and about two refinish labor hours per $1,000 in sales

“Our ‘Who Pays for What?’ surveys over the past several years have found a growing percentage of shops using an invoicing system for paint materials.”

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ASE Vouchers Available For EV Testing

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has made vouchers available for EV certification testing.

ASE previously announced the creation of Electric Vehicle Technician/ Shop Personnel Electrical Safety Standards, to minimize exposure to hazards and their associated impacts, developed in conjunction with vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket personnel and other electric industry subject matter experts. Visit www.ase. com/ev to see the standards.

In addition to the standards, ASE launched two tests in this series: the xEV Electrical Safety Awareness Certification (Level One), designed for anyone who may encounter an EV in the workplace, and the xEV Technician Electrical Safety Certification (Level Two), for professionals, technicians or specialists who have received training, have demonstrated skills and knowledge, and maintain a safe working area and use PPE. Automotive service professionals and shop owners who want to purchase ASE EV test vouchers for their employees can visit the myASE portal.

Source: ASE

More EV Charging Stations Coming To Pennsylvania

By Anthony Hennen The Center Square

Gov. Josh Shapiro said Aug. 14 that Pennsylvania will spend $34 million on dozens of projects in the commonwealth to build out charging stations for electric vehicles.

The money is part of a five-year, $172 million federal grant and the latest installment will support 54 projects in 35 counties.

State officials argued Pennsylvania is ahead of the curve.

“Because of Gov. Shapiro’s leadership and record of delivering for Pennsylvanians, we are among the first states distributing these funds that will provide travelers with options and confidence while also (benefiting) our environment,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “These new investments will create good paying jobs and allow Pennsylvanian residents, businesses and visitors to travel across the Commonwealth faster, cleaner and more reliably.”

The earliest projects, PennDOT officials said, could start by the end of the year. Before the projects can

break ground, they must complete a public process required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

The largest grants went to Applegreen Electric in Washington County for a charging hub ($1.2 million), a TravelCenters of America charging station in Erie County ($1.1 million), a TravelCenters of America charging station in Venango County ($1.1 million), and $1 million to Alnajukchahat Store in Luzerne County for a charging station.

Many of the announced projects were for companies like Sheetz, Wawa and Tesla.

The projects will create 216 charging ports near Pennsylvania’s interstates. As part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, the goal is to create “alternative fuel corridors,” concentrating EV charging stations along highly traveled roads. NEVI funding can only be used first to place stations within 50 miles of one another and less than 1 mile from an AFC exit.

Pennsylvania has 173 active direct current fast charging stations, totaling 822 charging

ports and another 1,249 active public Level 2 charging stations with 2,643 charging ports.

In PennDOT’s NEVI plan update, the agency estimated a new construction site for charging stations would require $600,000-$1 million in NEVI funds and $200,000$500,000 to upgrade charging stations to NEVI standards.

In March, PennDOT announced $62 million would come to the state for 2022 and 2023, with local governments, nonprofits and businesses all eligible to receive grants. Grant recipients must provide a minimum 20% match for the funds they receive to build out the charging stations. For fiscal year 2024, the commonwealth will get almost $37 million from the NEVI program.

The NEVI program was highly competitive in Pennsylvania. PennDOT received 271 applications totaling $165 million for the $34 million in federal money available.

Almost 43,000 battery electric vehicles are now registered in Pennsylvania as of 2022, an 82% increase from 2021, and 0.40% of all vehicles registered in the commonwealth.

Digital Innovations for the Mixing Room

Solutions recently launched for the PPG LINQ™ digital ecosystem are leading collision centers into a new era of refinish paint mixing that can significantly spark gains in key-to-key productivity. The PPG LINQ digital ecosystem is comprised of interconnected hardware, software and innovative services, using a cloud-based platform.

PPG VisualizID Software

The first of its kind in the industry, this advanced software enables technicians to compare 3D renderings of the retrieved colors and compare multiple “virtual sprayouts” in a matter of minutes. A sprayout can be compared from flash, flop or face angles, rotated in any direction and compared from “blend” and “edge” views.

Carl Garcia, owner of Carl’s Collision Center, Fall River, Massachusetts, is a huge fan of PPG LINQ digital tools, particularly since his workforce is primarily younger. “These kids today grew up with computers, with smartphones—it’s a totally different mentality. So we need to adapt to the changing workforce.”

PPG DIGIMATCHTM Spectrophotometer

This small spectrophotometer takes readings of a vehicle’s color from six imaging angles as well as six reflective angles to provide color and texture information—including effect pigment particle size.

The color reading is seamlessly loaded into PPG retrieval software to find color formulations providing the best match. The spectrophotometer’s readings work in concert with another PPG innovation to further enhance the ability to determine the best match—PPG VISUALIZID™ software.

“In the old days, we would have to do our own sprayouts to test the colors,” explains Garcia. “It would take us a minimum of 15 minutes for each car, sometimes over an hour. So instead of having to do sprayout cards, we are able to do a virtual sprayout.” Once satisfied with the match, the technician hits a button and sends the formula to another PPG innovation that Garcia’s operation has incorporated into their process—the PPG MOONWALK® system.

PPG MoonWalk Mixing System

This award-winning, automated paint mixing system is designed for use with the PPG ENVIROBASE® High Performance refinish system. “This is a great advantage for us,” says Garcia. “It’s 100% accurate. No waste. And it’s increased our efficiency by at least 15%.”

Echoing praise of automated mixing is Frank McClosky, owner of Frank’s Collision Center, operating six locations in the Houston, Texas, area. “We’re getting a highly accurate mix and color matches every time. This system is so precise, down to the hundredths of a gram. And we haven’t over-poured any product yet.”

For more information on the PPG LINQ digital ecosystem and MoonWalk automated mixing system, contact your local PPG distributor or PPG sales representative.

How new technologies from PPG are proving to save time, reduce waste and enhance color-matching accuracy.

Autobody News Remembers Friend and Writer Ed Attanasio

The team at Autobody News was heartbroken to learn our longtime writer and friend Ed Attanasio passed away July 18, 2023.

Barbara Davies, co-owner and CEO “I’ve known Ed since 2009. Ed met our publisher, Jeremy Hayhurst , at an industry event in 2009, and he became one of our regular writers right after that. He became one of our family.

“He [loved] all the people in this industry. It didn’t matter if he was interviewing the CEO of a major manufacturing company or the tech intern at a body shop. He gave everyone the same level of respect and importance, which came through in all his articles. The industry has lost someone very special that touched many lives.

“Ed was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He would always put the spotlight on others and never himself. He had a heart of gold.

were both invited to a day-long event hosted by a vendor in the industry. Rather than ‘talking shop,’ he was quick to enthusiastically discuss other interests we shared: movies, art, baseball. I ended up feeling like we knew a lot about each other in a short period of time—and I know many others had a similar experience with Ed.

“That’s why I thought his ‘Day Job/Night Job’ series for Autobody News was such a perfect fit for him, because while he talked to people

laughing and joking with him.

“Ed, although you are gone from my sight, you will forever occupy a special place in my heart. You will be missed. Rest in peace, Ed.”

Norm Morano, regional sales manager

“Ed was a bona fide renaissance man with so many talents and interests that ran the spectrum—from writing, to art, to baseball, to people, to living. Such a sweet man with a beautiful soul. He’ll be missed.”

Ed wrote for our publication since 2009, and over the years he covered a wide range of industry topics while always keeping a keen eye for the stories that highlighted the human element, particularly in his long-running Day Job/Night Job series.

Ed was a lot more than a journalist, however. He was a baseball historian, stand-up comedian and an animal lover, which he combined with one of his other many interests—art—to create the Pandemic Pet Project. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ed drew hundreds of people’s pets as sketches on Post-It notes, asking in return only a donation to a local animal shelter. His favorite rescue was Muttville in San Francisco, which specializes in finding homes for senior dogs.

Ed’s team members at Autobody News shared their memories.

“Ed had been to most of the ball parks in the U.S., but had never been to Petco Park in San Diego. I invited him to come down from San Francisco a few years ago for a game at Petco and he was like a kid in a candy store! His passion for baseball came through just as strongly as his passion for our industry.”

Stacey Phillips, columnist “I met Ed when I first started working at Autobody News in 2014. Ed was always a phone call away when I had a question about the industry or an article. When I started working from home and writing freelance articles, Ed was a tremendous support. I always admired how he enjoyed learning about other people and sharing their stories.

“Like everyone who knew him, I will miss Ed and appreciate how he always brought a smile to the faces of those around him. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.”

John Yoswick, columnist “I met Ed sometime in the 1990s when we were each writing for different collision industry publications and

about their work in the industry, he found ways to also get to know so much more about interesting aspects of their lives.

“While I probably crossed paths with Ed at industry events only once or twice a year in the 25+ years after we met, I’d more often open my email to find a recommendation for a documentary he’d just seen that he thought I’d like—and asking me for my latest finds.”

Joe Momber, regional sales manager “Ed was a gentleman with a soft soul and a huge heart. He spoke kind words and shared a smile that lit up any room or conference hall. I am extremely saddened and will miss

Abby Andrews, editor

“I learned a lot about the industry through editing Ed’s articles. He had a real knack for finding the little details that could make a topic go from ho-hum to interesting.

“When Ed started the Pandemic Pet Project in 2020, I sent him a picture of my dog, Pepper. The PostIt note sketch he sent back captured Pepper so perfectly---he was my ‘grumpy old man’ by that point. I lost Pepper to cancer in 2021. Out of a million pictures I had taken of him over the years, that sketch is one of the best.”

Our deepest condolences go out to Ed’s family and friends.

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ATI Welcomes New President

The Automotive Training Institute (ATI) is excited to announce Craig Montgomery as its new president.

Montgomery brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to ATI through his past 15 years as an executive in the logistics and automotive technology industries. Most recently, Montgomery was the chief revenue officer and general manager for Derive Systems, which develops engine software to increase the performance and fuel efficiency of corporate fleets.

ATI is excited to have Montgomery join the team and to partner with its members to continue to expand the vision created by Chubby and then grown by Richard of helping current and new members realize their full profit potential. Montgomery looks forward to expanding ATI’s service offerings to the membership and the launch of www.drivenadvantage. com through ATI for the automotive aftermarket.

Source: ATI

NJ Governor Moves To Implement EV Sales Mandate

By Christian Wade The Center Square

New Jersey will require car manufacturers to ramp up sales of electric vehicles leading to a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035 under new rules proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy

Murphy announced July 17 he has filed the Advanced Clean Cars II proposal with the Office of Administrative Law that would, if approved, require vehicle manufacturers to make zeroemission vehicles an increasing percentage of their new light-duty vehicle sales, ramping up to 100% of vehicle sales by 2035.

By doing so, New Jersey joins New York, California and the European Union in banning new gas vehicle sales by 2035.

Murphy called the move a “commitment to every New Jersey family and the air they breathe” and said it “recognizes that New Jersey is just one crucial piece of our global response to climate change.”

Murphy claims the new mandate won’t impose any obligations on consumers or car dealers and

provides “compliance flexibilities” for manufacturers, including a credit trading mechanism.

He has also signed New Jersey on to the Accelerating to Zero Coalition’s Zero Emission Vehicle Declaration, a global pact that will commit the state to a zero-emission vehicle future.

The Murphy administration says it has allocated $75 million to help meet demand for installation of EV charging stations at businesses, multi-unit residential buildings and public locations.

“As New Jersey continues experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change, we have the power and obligation to reduce its effects by limiting the emissions of climate pollutants,” Shawn M. LaTourette, the state’s environmental protection commissioner, said in a statement. “Through the adoption of zeroemissions vehicle standards, New Jersey can reduce its greatest source of climate damaging emissions, improve air quality and public health, and support a growing cleantech marketplace that will create even more green

jobs in New Jersey.”

New Jersey Republicans have criticized Murphy’s plans to adopt California’s stringent EV rules, arguing it will force the state’s consumers to buy expensive electric cars and impact energy supplies.

New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Steven Oroho, R-Sussex, labeled Murphy’s green energy plan “extreme, expensive and totally unrealistic.” He said many New Jersey households depend on cheaper used vehicles, and the proposed rules would dramatically increase prices as the state’s EV sales mandate reduces supply and increases demand.

“It seems the governor was serious when he said he wants to turn New Jersey into the California of the East Coast,” Oroho said in a recent statement. “Somebody should tell him that’s not a good thing when people and businesses are fleeing California in droves as the Golden State declines under liberal policy failures.”

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Stacey Phillips — Solving the Tech Shortage

Body Shop Owners Discuss Mentorship Programs Initiated with Support from Toby Chess

This is the second part of a twopart series. Check out the August 2023 issue of Autobody News or autobodynews.com to read about more shops in the program.

Toby Chess recalls planning a collision repair training day for about 80 high school students in Hawthorne, CA, 25 years ago. Since then, he’s had a passion for training young people and bringing them into the collision industry.

About two years ago, he was visiting a body shop and a newer employee was asked by his supervisor to sweep floors and do menial tasks.

“I asked his supervisor why he didn’t buy him some tools so he could feel part of the team,” said Chess, who ultimately bought tools for the budding technician. “The expression on his face was unbelievable.”

Fast forward to the present and Chess said shops are in the same predicament as they were when it comes to hiring and retaining staff.

“We all need technicians,” said Chess. “We’ve been talking about that for years but what are shops doing about it?”

Chess stresses the importance of keeping young people engaged and setting a career path for them.

“It’s critical to find ways to motivate these young people and keep them engaged or they won’t stay,” said Chess, who embarked on a project to encourage independent shop owners to initiate mentorship programs.

Chess supplies a set of tools to the helper and asks shop owners to provide toolboxes. He also shares best practices documents he created that the mentor and mentee can follow to help standardize the repair and can be used in conjunction with OEM repair procedures and proper personal protective equipment. These include repair planning, corrosion protection, bumper repair, vehicle measuring and glue tab dent repair.

“We have to take steps to give back to the industry and address the technician shortage,” said Chess. “Otherwise, nothing will change.”

As a long-term instructor with I-CAR for more than 25 years, Chess reached out to the organization about the program. I-CAR is offering support to his endeavors and working with him to amplify his efforts.

“I-CAR is proud to support the efforts of leaders in our industry, like Toby, who are making strides to foster a learning culture and growth

mindset in our shops—particularly with new technicians,” said Dara Goroff, I-CAR’s vice president of planning and industry talent programming. “It’s an exciting time to be a professional in collision repair and we want to highlight the purpose new technicians find within it when they’re presented with opportunities that contribute to a complete, safe and quality repair for the safety of their customers.”

Six shops in Southern California shared information about the support Chess has provided with their mentorship programs, supplying tools to mentees and training. Here is what the second three shop owners had to say.

European Motor Car Works

In the 1970s, Kye Yeung enrolled in an auto body and paint course at the local community college to repair his car and didn’t realize it would become a lifelong passion. He opened European Motor Car Works in Costa Mesa, CA, in 1975 when he was 20, just out of college.

involved in organizations such as the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). He has been part of both organizations for more 15 years.

Yeung met Chess and wellrespected shop owner March Taylor when they visited his facility in 2005.

When Taylor passed away, Chess asked if Yeung would like to take his place on the CIC Technical Committee.

“We went on to spearhead the SCRS Educational Committee and founded the Kool Tools of SEMA videos and presentations,” said Yeung. “We are lifelong friends and I have the greatest respect for him.”

Jim & Jack’s Collision Center

Jim & Jack’s Collision Center in El Segundo, CA, was established in 1967. Many of the employees at the family-owned and operated facility have been with the company for more than 15 years.

he said.

Kizirian has known Chess for 25 years.

“There isn’t anyone I have met who is so passionate about the industry and to help in any way possible,” said Kizirian. “Toby will always go the extra mile to help a friend or technician in need and I’m extremely fortunate to know him as a colleague and a friend!”

Marina Auto Body

Tom Williamson, owner of Marina Auto Body, operates three locations, Marina Del Rey, Inglewood and Huntington Beach, CA. The company has 49 employees and is a Lexus Authorized Collision Center as well as the collision center for Toyota of Huntington Beach and Lexus of Westminster.

He currently has 25 employees, many of whom are family members who have been with the company for more than 20 years; the longest is 39 years. These include his daughters Nichole and Jennifer, his son-in-law Mike Hubbard and grandson Connor Many of other employees have relatives who also work at the shop.

Yeung has put many processes in place to help hire and retain technicians. These include maintaining a healthy work environment, giving employee bonuses for referrals, offering top pay and the necessary tooling to perform tasks, and providing OEM training to allow constant growth.

“We keep them interested by diversifying what they do day-to-day,” said Yeung. “Having them work in different departments allows us to gauge where they are most proficient.”

He stresses the importance of the industry working together to address the technician shortage and getting

Richie Kizirian’s uncles, Jim and Jack, gave him opportunity to run the business in 2003 and implement innovative ideas.

“Customer service is our No. 1 priority,” said Kizirian. “We have serviced the South Bay communities for over 56 years and have become a household name to our clientele.”

The company has 18 OEM certifications and prides itself on having friendly management who ensure everyone feels like family.

Kizirian has taken many steps to hire and retain technicians. These include providing a clean work environment, investing in tools and OEM certifications, paying above market rate to ensure staff has financial stability and providing benefits such as paid vacations, health insurance and a 401K.

Kizirian said it is critical the industry supports local trade schools.

“Quality technicians are depleting and providing support to new talent is the only way to combat the shortage,”

Williamson acknowledges the challenge and expense of hiring, training and retaining technicians.

“We all know the industry is aging out,” he said. “The shortage of skilled labor has had a negative impact on all trades.”

To help meet the challenge, Williamson said he offers a good wage, benefits, clean, well-equipped shops and training.

He hired a recent tech, Brandon Candelaria, after meeting him at a local car show. The two discussed their mutual interest in Pontiacs and Williamson learned Candelaria was taking auto body classes at a community college. He asked him to come and work at Marina Auto Body and offered to compensate Candelaria for learning and supply him with tools as he continued to show growth.

“He is a future super star of the industry,” said Williamson.

Williamson is appreciative of the tools Chess supplied Candelaria. Throughout their long friendship, Williamson said Chess has always been available to share training and repair techniques.

“He has been supportive with trainees by supplying basic hand tools, training and encouragement for the trainee,” he said.

Pictured, left to right, are Kye Yeung, Connor Kelly and Mike Hubbard of European Motor Car Works.

Richie Kizirian, center, is pictured with Henry Mejia, left, and his son, Fernando, right, who joined Jim & Jack’s Collision Center in 2022 and is being mentored by his father to become a technician.

Brandon Candelaria, left, and Cyndi Osthus, right, Marina Auto Body manager.

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Deadliest Day For U.S. Drivers Is Aug. 7

Aug. 7 is the single deadliest day of the year to drive American roads, according to a new interactive crash map commissioned by Nextbase, the world’s leading dash cam brand.

The Nextbase Interactive Crash Map—which will debut Aug. 9 at nextbase.com/crash-map— brings to life the latest available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), allowing users to easily view fatal crash counts across the U.S. by locality (state, county, region) and time period (week, day, second), raising awareness of the dangers we all face when stepping into a vehicle.

“Our mission at Nextbase is to leverage information technology to make the world’s roads safer for everyone,” said Bryn Brooker, head of road safety for Nextbase. “The Nextbase Interactive Crash Map is a tool for data analysis and visualization that we hope will inspire more Americans to place greater focus and effort on safe driving.”

Nextbase’s analysis of the 39,500 crashes reported by

NHTSA during 2021 found 177 crashes occurred on Aug. 7, more than on any other day across all 12 months of that year. Although on-road dangers are frequently associated with major holidays and expected increases in drunk driving incidents, or with the treacherous conditions of winter snow and ice, five of the top 10 most deadly driving days on American roads occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the unofficial bookends of summer and the summer driving season. Drunk, drugged, distracted and drowsy driving and, of course, speeding are all major factors that contribute to car crashes across the U.S., and NHTSA estimates traffic fatalities rose once again in early 2022.

Source: Nextbase

NABC Recycled Rides Program Donates

Refurbished Vehicle To NY Iraq War Veteran

A deserving New York-area Iraq War veteran experienced a lifechanging event—the presentation of a vehicle to provide her with independence and the ability to

get to work at the WNY VA, attend college and service dog training— thanks to the National Auto Body Council™ (NABC) Recycled Rides® program along with GST BOCES and car donor GEICO.

The presentation took place on July 7 at the GST BOCES Coopers Campus in Painted Post, NY. The recipient was selected by WNY Heroes, Inc.

The auto body repair and

automotive technology classes at the GST BOCES Coopers campus worked together to repair the 2019 Honda Pilot donated by GEICO. Several local businesses contributed to the project, including WNY Heroes, Williams Honda, Empire Auto Parts, Liquidz Auto Body Supply, Dunning Auto Parts (NAPA), Firestone, Dent Ninja and BFTP. NABC Recycled Rides is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the NABC have donated more than 3,000 vehicles valued at some $42 million.

Source: NABC

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SCRS Executive Director Responds To Criticism of Right To Repair Pact Signed

With Automakers

By Abby Andrews Autobody News

On July 11, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), the Auto Service Association (ASA) and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation announced they had signed a “landmark agreement on automotive right to repair,” reaffirming a 2014 Memorandum of Understanding stating independent repair facilities shall have access to the same diagnostic and repair information automakers make available to authorized dealers.

Later that same day, the Auto Care Association (ACA) and CAR Coalition released statements criticizing the pact, calling it a “thinly veiled attempt to confuse lawmakers and drivers” from federal right to repair bills currently being considered by Congress, including the REPAIR and SMART acts.

“While the agreement purports to be relevant, all it does is affirm the 2014 MOU rather than implement a meaningful solution to preserve the entire automotive aftermarket and the competition and consumer choice that it creates,” ACA said in its statement.

dealers. The foundation of that agreement is the fact that we’re all working toward the same goal.

It wasn’t about replicating the 2014 agreement; it was about collaborative work between organizations that have built a trust all trying to accomplish the same thing.

Access to information, data, tools, equipment and procedures for collision repairers is critical in performing proper repairs. The agreement is an acknowledgment that we all believe—SCRS, ASA and the alliance and all the automakers it represents—that consumers deserve a safe, proper repair and that independent repair facilities should be and are able to access the information that’s necessary to do that.

I’m not sure I understand how or why any organization that claims to support right to repair would dismiss or oppose an agreement that reinforces that position. If we’re truly interested in or in favor of the right to repair, an agreement that enforces that independent repair facilities will continue to have access to the information they need to perform the repairs—the same diagnostics—this should be a good thing, and it’s odd that it’s not.

Q:Is the pact taking away focus from the REPAIR and SMART acts? Is it meant to be in place of or in addition to those laws, should they be passed?

opportunities with, in our opinion, an emphasis on upholding quality and safety standards, training, proper equipment, to perform repairs as designed by engineers. And the consumer choice has been more limited by proponents of other initiatives.

I’ll give you an example. The CAR Coalition is comprised of used and aftermarket parts groups, alternative parts sourcing platforms and insurance companies. All those groups, interestingly enough, have been waving this banner claiming to be in support of consumer choice and right to repair because independent businesses are being deprived of the information needed to fix the cars properly. But all of those companies have a financial interest in pushing consumers to the cheapest possible repair. Many of those businesses have also opposed initiatives that would hold repairers accountable to using the data already made available to them.

Again, our agreement is that independent repair facilities should continue to have access to the same diagnostics and repair information available to automakers’ dealers.

It’s a win for consumers, a win for the industry to affirm a commitment for that. We view it as a genuinely positive commitment for our members and their consumers.

Q: What is SCRS’ position on the REPAIR and SMART acts?

A: There are some concerns on our end, specifically around the proponents. The SMART Act is one [SCRS] has had conversations about in the past. We do not support it. We do believe in intellectual property rights. [The SMART Act] is not in consumers’ best interests for entities looking to create the cheapest possible option for safe and proper repairs, so we have not supported that.

Q: What is the response to the criticism the pact doesn’t address safety and security of the telematic data?

A:We specifically said telematics systems would not be used to circumvent the commitments made in the agreement, that automakers will provide access to diagnostic data to the extent it’s needed to complete a repair. The safety and security of that data is an obligation the automakers have in their compliance with safety standards.

On July 18, Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS, spoke about the criticism in an exclusive interview with Autobody News.

Q:What is the response to the ACA and CAR Coalition’s concerns about the pact?

A:Last week was an announcement between repairer organizations and automakers, who provide information and data necessary for repairs, that established independent repair facilities should have access to the same information available to

A:[The pact] is meant to be in recognition of our members’ needs. I can tell you the independent repair facilities we represent are not coming to SCRS saying they are struggling to gain access to tools or data needed to fix these vehicles correctly. What they are struggling with is downward pressure through insurance claims practices and others, that place challenges on them and their consumers and discourage the use, in many cases, of the available repair data.

It’s interesting because many of those proponents of the REPAIR Act don’t often act in the marketplace as if they support the use of OEM information in the process of repairs.

That’s part of the challenge here—you’ve got this scenario where automakers have really worked closely with SCRS and the independent collision repair community to develop repair

Q:ACA pointed out the pact is non-binding, doesn’t include some automakers, like Tesla, or compel any to join. What is the response to that?

A:It is an agreement. The nature of it, when you make public commitments, is that people are going to hold you accountable to them. It is true that agreement is between SCRS, ASA and the alliance, which has its direct members. SCRS only represents the collision group.

The agreement is not one we took lightly. It’s been under development. It’s one we all anticipate being held accountable to and one we all anticipate living up to as well.

I think the challenges of the authenticity of the agreement are just misguided to be frank. I certainly think that groups that truly believe there should be a right to repair for independent facilities should be championing it rather than casting aspersions at it.

Our interest as a representative of the collision repair group is to make sure our members have access to the information they need to perform those repairs properly. I would encourage talking to the alliance specifically about their concerns of safeguarding that information. It’s a pretty critical point of their conversations at the state level, making sure that info isn’t just open to anyone.

Relative to the SMART Act, there’s nothing in it that addresses safety concerns and that’s one of our biggest objections—vehicles are often one of a family’s biggest purchases, but the people who occupy it are irreplaceable. It’s important safety be prioritized in these conversations because consumers expect proper repairs, which are not a given. But to consumers, a collision repair should assure their vehicle is restored to the same condition as before that accident, and the safety systems will operate the same.

I think there’s just a lack of focus on how we restore the consumer, and much of the initiative is how we protect the companies that would otherwise benefit from consumers being pushed to cheaper, imitation parts.

Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS, is seen here speaking at an SCRS board meeting earlier this year.

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average backlog was 4.7 weeks in Q2 2023, down from 5.8 weeks the prior quarter.

“Prior to the pandemic, the typical second quarter decline in backlog was about three days. This year, the drop was almost eight days, and the percentage of shops that could schedule a job in two weeks or less increased 14 percentage points to 27%,” Yoswick continued. “While that is the highest percentage of shops with a ‘normal’ backlog since October of 2021, it is still far from the prepandemic second quarter average of 72 percent. Nearly half of all shops (46%) were still scheduling work four or more weeks into the future. That is a significant decline from 60% in the first quarter of this year, but also far from the typical 7% with that length of backlog pre-pandemic.”

According to PartsTrader’s Chief Innovation Officer Greg Horn, “The overall Q2 2023 measure of median plus two standard deviations of delivery days for all part types was actually lower overall in Q2 2023 compared to Q2 2022; several statelevel increases align with the LOR results. States that saw increases in overall LOR in Enterprise’s data, such

as Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Minnesota, also saw similar trends when comparing parts delivery days. Parts delays are still a significant factor in repair time and length of rental, and shops are making a great effort to schedule repairs for drivable vehicles to maximize shop throughput.”

It’s also important to consider the impact from the luxury segment, both ICE and EV.

Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell International, shared some insight: “Luxury make repair frequency increased nearly half a point to 13.28% of all repairable estimates in Q2 2023 compared to Q2 2022 (12.79%). On average, luxury vehicle estimates are written for nearly two additional labor hours (1.83) compared to common make vehicles, as well as an additional 1.3 replacement parts.”

Mandell also shared an important consideration about calibrations, which impact overall repair time: “The frequency of ADAS calibrations increased from 11.28% in Q2 2022 to 16.11% in Q2 2023.”

Drivable

For rentals associated with drivable repairs, LOR in Q2 2023 was 15.5 days, a 0.3-day increase. Alaska also had the highest drivable LOR in Q2 2023 at 18.8 days. Georgia (18.6),

Tennessee (17.8) and Louisiana (17.7) were the next-highest.

The lowest drivable LOR for was found in North Dakota (10.5), Hawaii (11.3), Iowa (11.6) and D.C. (11.8)

The highest year-over-year drivable increases were found in Minnesota (+1.6), Alaska (+1.5) and New Mexico (+1.2). Three other states (Washington, Arkansas and Utah) had increases of one day or more. A total of 39 states had drivable increases, with only three flat and eight states, plus D.C., showing drivable decreases.

Non-Drivable

LOR for non-drivable claims was 25.6, a 0.8-day decrease from Q2 2022.

Montana had the highest LOR at 36.0 days, a 3.1-day increase. Next highest was Alaska (35.4), followed by Colorado (32.2). All told, eight states had non-drivable LOR greater than 30 days, with six more states at 28 days or higher. Oregon (31.5) had the highest increase at 3.3 days.

Positively, only 13 states had non-drivable LOR increases, while 37 states plus D.C. had decreases. Compare this to Q2 2022, when every single state and D.C. had an increase of at least 1.2 days.

The lowest non-drivable LOR belonged to New York at 21.1 days, followed by D.C. (21.2), Iowa (21.6) and Nebraska (21.9).

Delaware had the highest decrease, down 3.4 days. Rhode Island (-3.2), D.C. (-2.5) and Indiana (-2.4) also saw significant decreases.

Yoswick also offered some insights from his latest survey regarding repair and supplement approval times: “From about 500 shops who responded to a CRASH Network survey in June, the average time those shops spend waiting for a supplement approval hit another record high in 2023, approaching times that are nearly double what they were pre-pandemic. Shops say they are waiting 4.9 days on average for an insurer to complete an in-shop inspection to approve repairs. Prior to 2020, that time was just 2.9 days. Wait times for a remote desk review—or ‘virtual inspections’—are averaging 4.3 days, almost two full days longer than the 2.4-day average reported in 2018.”

According to the CRASH Network results, shops cite approval times— along with some continued parts availability issues—as contributing to having more jobs at some stage in process, a factor that generally cuts into overall productivity.

Among the shops who shared data in CRASH Network’s June survey, the average shop had work in process (WIP) equal to 66% of their typical monthly volume. That’s down from the fourth quarter of 2022 when

shops’ WIP was averaging 78% of their monthly volume. But the average WIP is still higher than it was a year earlier when shops’ WIP averaged 59% of their typical monthly volume.

Total Loss

For rentals associated with total loss claims, LOR was 16.5 days, a 0.8-day decrease over Q2 2022.

While Alaska had the highest results at 25.3 days (+5.1 days), the next highest was Kentucky at 20.3 days, followed by Montana at 20.0 days.

D.C. had the lowest total loss LOR at 13.5 days, followed by Nebraska at 14.5 days.

Total Loss LOR varied greatly; excluding Alaska, the highest increases were Wyoming at +2.2 days and Maine at +2.1 days. Twenty states (less Aalaska) had an increase of 0.9days on average. However, 29 states plus D.C. had an average decrease of 1.6 days, with 17 states plus D.C. down an average of 2.2 days.

Summary

As the numbers show, the trend of

“predictable” seasonal LOR continues. The LOR decrease is positive, and many repairers are finding ways to anticipate and operate in the new normal. However, challenging market conditions remain, and overall LOR remains significantly higher than it was pre-pandemic.

Enterprise is committed to partnering with insurers, repairers and suppliers on all of the issues impacting repair times and LOR. Through foundational support provided by the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Enterprise is spearheading the Collision Engineering Program, designed to attract and develop entry-level talent to fill essential roles within the collision repair industry.

Enterprise is thrilled to expand its longtime partnership with Ford Motor Company, through its philanthropic arm, the Ford Fund, to expand the program and help address this ongoing industry challenge. For more information, visit www. beacollisionengineer.com.

Source: Enterprise

NABC Recycled Rides Presents Refurbished Vehicle To New York Veteran

On July 19, a deserving Smithtown, NY, veteran experienced a lifechanging event—the presentation of a vehicle to provide her independence and the ability to work and take care of her family— thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor GEICO and repair partner Bi-County Auto Body.

1981-1983. Crutchfield earned an honorable discharge in 1990 and completed her service with the rank of captain. During her service, Crutchfield earned an Army Service Ribbon and an Overseas Service Ribbon. She actively participates in Veteran Affairs, VA appointments, community services, food drives, pantry delivery and community fundraising.

The presentation was held at Bi-County Auto Body.

The recipient was Denise Crutchfield, who received a 2021 Honda CRV. She is a U.S. Army veteran, who served from 1980-1990 and was stationed in Germany from

NABC Recycled Rides is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the NABC have donated more than 3,000 vehicles valued at some $42 million.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation include 1-800 Charity Cars and Enterprise.

Source: NABC

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New Report Shows Full-Size Trucks Have Highest

Theft Rate

According to analysis by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry’s association dedicated to predicting, preventing and prosecuting insurance crime, vehicles with the highest theft rate last year were full-size pickups. These vehicles made up more than 25% of the thefts reported in 2022, a decrease from a high of 33% in 2021.

While vehicle theft rates have been soaring since the start of the pandemic, recovery rates have also risen. More than 85% of passenger vehicles reported stolen in 2022 were subsequently recovered by law enforcement or other means, with 34% recovered within a day of the vehicle being reported stolen.

“Approximately one motor vehicle is stolen every 32 seconds, which adds up to more than 1 million vehicles stolen last year,” said David J. Glawe, president and CEO of the NICB. “Vehicle theft disrupts lives, causes financial hardship, and undermines community safety. Addressing this problem is not just the responsibility of law enforcement agencies; it requires a partnership between vehicle

owners, community members, as well as federal, state and local governments.”

Vehicle theft rates for sedans, including Honda, Hyundai and Kia, followed those of full-size pickups, with recovery rates for Hyundais and Kias between 87% and 95%. Social media trends were a likely factor in their high theft rankings in 2022.

“There are some commonsense steps to keep cars from being stolen. First, remove valuables from the vehicle or lock them out of sight. Next, lock the doors, roll the windows all the way up, and don’t leave your keys or key fob in the car,” Glawe said.

Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles by 2022 Total Thefts

1. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size), 49,903

2. Ford Pickup (Full Size), 48,175

3. Honda Civic, 27,113

4. Honda Accord, 27,089

5. Hyundai Sonata, 21,707

6. Hyundai Elantra, 19,602

7. Kia Optima, 18,221

8. Toyota Camry, 17,094

9. GMC Pickup (Full Size), 16,622

10.Honda CR-V, 13,832

Source: NICB

Tesla To Open Sales and Service Center in Providence, RI

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

A former Stop & Shop location in Providence, RI, is expected to be transformed into a new Tesla service center and showroom. The upcoming facility is poised to become one of the largest Tesla locations in the area.

The impending arrival of the Tesla hub was announced by Paolino Properties, which owns the complex. The upcoming Tesla retail location will employ approximately 30 full-time staff.

Tesla’s first store in Rhode Island opened its doors in Warwick in July 2019. Tesla stores in nearby states are in Norwell, Dedham and Natick, MA, and Milford, CT, as noted in a report from The Providence Journal.

Per Rhode Island Energy, there are currently about 500 EV charging stations in the state. Tesla has deployed its rapid charging system, the Supercharger Network, at various

locations in the state as well.

Unlike traditional automakers that use a franchised dealership system, Tesla directly sells its vehicles to consumers. Initially, there were legal questions about this method in Rhode Island, but attorneys for the Division of Motor Vehicles confirmed its legality.

Following California’s lead, Rhode Island passed new emissions regulations banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington have also joined the initiative to phase out gas-powered vehicles by the same year.

By Bobby Ciarletta TapIntoRidgewood

In a lengthy Ridgewood, NJ, Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting that nearly went the full distance to 11 p.m., Les Dann, LLC’s application for variances to build a new auto shop facility was the subject of intense scrutiny from all parties present as discussions carried over from prior meetings.

The lawyer representing the Ridgewood Friends Meeting (Quakers) and the Friends Neighborhood Nursery School adjacent to the proposed auto shop posed a multitude of questions to cross-examine Michael Daniel, a CPA who owns Mountain View Auto Body of Ridgewood.

Mark Semeraro, the legal representative to Les Dann, LLC, also asked many of the similar kinds of questions to Daniel, his client, reviewing the changes and work done to Daniel’s property, its tenants, licenses and activities there, as well as physical features and conditions.

During this extensive procedure, one member of the public

bravely spoke out to express the community’s concern more with the future of the property, rather than its past or present state.

If the application goes through, Daniel explained, all work will occur inside the new, larger, consolidated 30,000-square-foot facility, as opposed to sometimes having vehicles disassembled outdoors. He also said residents will not see any disassembled vehicles from S. Broad Street if changes go through.

However, members of the village community and the board voiced their confusion as to why Daniel would apply for the expensive project if the claim that production and volume would only increase slightly from the current rate of approximately four and a half cars per day to six.

Daniel offered he can “sympathize” with people in the neighborhood for their concerns, but commented that factors like the amount of painting booths, as nearly every vehicle needs repainting, and his 15-mile radius for his customers will always limit the volume of vehicles coming in. He said the project will give his

business benefits in cost reduction and more safety and efficiency for his workers rather than a significant increase in production.

Daniel also claimed he has not received any complaints from the public about possible issues such as traffic, noise or odors. “We’re not here to be the bad guys,” Daniel offered, explaining previous owners kept bays open too, and that now his bays will be closed if the application is approved.

Throughout the public comment section at the end of the evening, many questions were objected to and unanswerable because they lacked relevancy to the board’s specific duty to ascertain whether the site in question is suitable for the proposed plans. Nonetheless, the Ridgewood community was heard.

Village residents demanded

whether Daniel’s business truly matches the “culture” of the neighborhood, or what “culture” means to him. He responded that it means his business is “well-kept, clean, maintained” and added the unique building will be in the Tudor style, notably the “only one in the country,” to look “appealing” and blend in with the surrounding community’s character.

Others divulged their concerns with tow trucks and flatbeds delivering vehicles, the potential of valuable car parts on the property to attract crime, paint vented into the air and high heat used to bake the vehicles, which Daniel also answered.

The former auto shop owner at the property is flying in from Montana to testify at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10.

BMW Is I-CAR Sustaining Partner

I-CAR announced July 21 that BMW of North America joined I-CAR’s Sustaining Partner Program, designed for partners to demonstrate advocacy and provide funding for I-CAR’s work executed across the industry, which have lessened the need for price increases in an era of high inflation.

The program was also established to provide partners access to the complete array of I-CAR’s relevant technical education and service resources and benefits OEM partners with talent engagement and cost mitigation for collision repair facilities adhering to network training requirements.

Sustaining partners help fund I-CAR curriculum and student fees in career and technical schools, which have become I-CAR fixed training sites; that funding exceeds $3 million since 2018. Sustaining partners also fund all Industry Training Alliance training credits since the end of 2019 for individuals who train with curriculum from approved Industry Training Alliance partners, amounting to significant savings plus the elimination of redundant training for those individuals and businesses.

Source: I-CAR

Convicted Of Tax Fraud

remit more than $117,000 in sales tax between June 2011 and November 2015.

Cardona previously pleaded guilty to one count each of third-degree criminal tax fraud and fourth-degree criminal tax fraud, both felonies.

Pursuant to his pleas, Cardona paid more than $700,000 in restitution to the Tax Department prior to being sentenced. On Aug. 2, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Meryl J. Berkowitz, Cardona was sentenced to six months in jail, followed by five years of probation.

In addition to sales tax fraud, Cardona and his wife were both charged with filing a false personal income tax return for 2011 and failing to file personal income tax returns for 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015— thereby underpaying more than $204,000 in personal income taxes.

Additionally, prosecutors previously charged No Limit employee Peter Bifolco with felony insurance fraud for adding additional damage to a car brought to the shop and then billing more than $3,000 in unnecessary repairs.

Veronica Cardona, Bifolco and

Jose Cardona’s two businesses previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced before Berkowitz in Nassau County. Henry Street Auto Body pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree tax fraud, and No Limit Auto Body pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree tax fraud and one count of first-degree falsifying business records, also felonies. Veronica Cardona pleaded guilty to one count of seconddegree offering a false instrument for filing, a misdemeanor, and Bifolco pleaded guilty to one count of fourthdegree criminal mischief, also a misdemeanor. The defendants were previously sentenced to a conditional discharge.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Acting New York Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Amanda Hiller announced Jose Cardona’s sentencing.

“When individuals and businesses line their pockets with tax money, they steal services and resources from New Yorkers,” said James. “Jose Cardona and his businesses took advantage of taxpayers and tried to cheat our state out of over half a million dollars. I thank DTF and Acting Commissioner Hiller for their partnership and coordination to address this crime and carry out

justice. My office will continue to protect New York taxpayers and ensure public resources are used for their intended purposes.”

“By fraudulently disregarding his tax obligations, Mr. Cardona violated the trust of his customers, deprived his own community of revenue needed for vital programs and services, and put other businesses at a competitive disadvantage,” said Hiller. “I thank the attorney general for her work on this case. We’ll continue to work with all levels of law enforcement to bring tax criminals to justice.”

This case was investigated by the Tax Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, and then referred to OAG for further investigation and prosecution.

The OAG thanks the Tax Department, New York State Department of Financial Services, National Insurance Crime Bureau and GEICO Insurance for their valuable assistance in this investigation.

Source: Office of the New York State Attorney General

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BPG Announces ADAS Calibration Division

To address the industry-wide need for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration in the automotive aftermarket, Burke Porter Group (BPG), a leading global supplier of OEM end-of-line testing solutions, on July 19 announced the creation of a new aftermarket business unit, expanding market opportunities for its ADAS calibration business.

Additionally, the company has appointed industry veteran Doug Kelly as president of the new division, to report to CEO Jeffrey Moss

An automotive and technology industry veteran of more than 20 years, Kelly will leverage his expertise as well as the company’s existing global OEM end-of-line leadership position, to establish strategic partnerships with key industry stakeholders in the ADAS market segment. As car manufacturers increasingly look to innovate with new technologies and safety features, the complexity and challenge of servicing them increases exponentially.

Source: Burke Porter Group

Mitchell Report Details Collision Claim and Repair Differences Between EVs, ICE Vehicles

Mitchell, an Enlyte company, on Aug. 10 announced the availability of its Q2 2023 report: Plugged-In: EV Collision Insights.

The report highlights a continued increase in electric vehicle (EV) repairable claims frequency, which rose to 1.49% in the U.S. and 2.64% in Canada last quarter. It also documents the differences in claims severity, post-accident drivability and collision repair when comparing EVs to automobiles powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE).

“Not surprisingly, claims severity for repairable EVs is outpacing that of ICE alternatives,” said Ryan Mandell , director of claims performance at Mitchell. “However, the most recent data shows that EVs are less likely than ICE vehicles to be non-drivable following an accident. Despite greater interconnectivity between components, they have fewer moving parts. So, unless an EV gets hit from behind, it has a higher likelihood of drivability.

Differences like these will have a dramatic effect on the auto insurance and collision repair markets, given the recent growth in EV adoption.”

According to Cox Automotive, U.S. EV sales broke another record in Q2, with nearly 300,000 battery-electric vehicles sold, an increase of 48.4% over Q2 2022. While adoption may be slowing in Canada, the International Energy Agency predicts global EV sales of 14 million in 2023 with new purchases accelerating in the second half of the year.

In addition to tracking general EV collision claim trends such as frequency and geographic distribution, this quarter’s report includes up-to-date statistics on how EVs differ from ICE automobiles when it comes to:

Claims Severity: Average severity for all EVs was $963 higher in the U.S. and $1,328 higher in Canada than ICE alternatives. Those cost differentials jumped to $1,589 and $1,600 respectively when looking at Tesla models only.

OEM Parts Utilization and Percentage of Parts Repaired: Most EV parts are provided directly from the manufacturer, with 90.75% of repairable EVs using OEM parts as compared to 66.50% for ICE automobiles, a difference of 24.25%. Additionally, EV repairs include a lower percentage of parts repaired versus replaced: 13.49% versus 19.20% for ICEpowered options.

Average Refinish Hours: Labor hours for paint refinishing can be 40% of the total labor time for an average repair order— making them a key driver of collision claim expenses. In Q2, refinish hours for EVs averaged 8.51 compared to 8.02 for ICE automobiles.

To download the latest Plugged-In: EV Collision Insights report, visit www.mitchell. com. You can also subscribe to future issues or access previous reports online at www.mitchell. com/plugged-in.

Source: Mitchell

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New Study Shows ‘Uncertain Road

A

new study,

“Auto

Insurance:

The Uncertain Road Ahead,” released July 19 by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), revealed insurance claims inflation has continued to rise faster than the underlying consumer price index (CPI), far outpacing increases in auto insurance premiums.

The combination of rapidly increasing overall economic inflation and claims inflation has driven up auto insurance losses and combined ratios.

“In addition to inflation trends, the private passenger auto insurance sector is also experiencing several other trends such as increased frequency and severity of claims cost, riskier driving behavior by the public, cost increases for medical and hospital services, and outsized growth in lawsuit verdicts and legal system abuses, that are negatively impacting and pressuring the industry with increased losses,” said Robert Passmore , department vice president for APCIA and coauthor of the paper.

For Auto Insurance Due To Inflation, Other Concerns

Key Data Findings

APCIA found that losses on underwriting in 2022 for private U.S. property casualty insurers were $25.6 billion, more than double the losses in 2021 and the worst result since 2011.

Private passenger auto insurance experienced the highest direct loss ratio among major lines of business at 80.2% (excluding loss adjustment expenses) in 2022, which represented an increase of 12.2 points from 2021 and 24.1 points from the low-water mark of pandemic-impacted 2020.

U.S. private passenger vehicle damage claim severity (i.e., the average cost per claim for property damage liability and collision) increased nearly 50% from 2018 to 2022, impacted by rising auto repair and labor costs, inflation and theft rates, among other things. Over the same period, average bodily injury claim severity increased 40%, reflecting an acceleration in medical inflation, legal system abuse and a sharp increase in deadly motor vehicle accidents.

Property casualty insurers’ premiums for personal auto increased just 6% for the year, far below the 24% rate of escalating losses.

accelerating from May’s 4.5% increase. It was the sixth-straight monthly increase.

“All indicators suggest elevated auto repair and replacement costs will stretch well into 2023 and potentially beyond,” said Passmore. “Medical inflation is also accelerating. Although insurers continue to monitor the situation closely, as claim costs continue to rise, insurers may be forced to pass these loss costs along to policyholders.

The Motor Vehicle Insurance CPI compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes a basket of goods and services auto insurers require to settle claims, and the June figure was up 6% year-over-year,

“Given the trends, insurers are strongly encouraging drivers to minimize their risk by avoiding risky driving behaviors that may result in a loss,” Passmore continued. “Insurers are also advocating for better infrastructure, including reliable supply chains for critical auto parts and safer roads, which should result in fewer accidents and lower claims costs that help keep insurance premiums affordable for consumers.”

Source: American Property Casualty Insurance Association

“Insurers are also advocating for better infrastructure, including reliable supply chains for critical auto parts and safer roads, which should result in fewer accidents and lower claims costs that help keep insurance premiums affordable for consumers.”

ROBERT PASSMORE DEPARTMENT VICE PRESIDENT FOR APCIA

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Polyvance Reduces Price of Online Courses

Polyvance announced the immediate price reduction of its two paid online training courses, allowing more people to gain valuable knowledge about plastic repair. The PR-03 Headlight Repair Course is now $29 and the EPR-01 Estimating Plastic Repair Course is now $49.

The PR-03 Headlight Repair Course demonstrates the repair of broken headlight tabs using the nitrogen plastic welding system. It is about an hour long and demonstrates eight unique repairs.

The EPR-01 Estimating Plastic Repair course is designed to educate estimators on assessing the repairability of the numerous plastic components found on today’s vehicles. The course is divided into four modules and takes around two hours to complete.

The PR-03 and EPR-01 are available on Polyvance’s LMS, alongside the company’s two free Polyvance University training courses. More information on all Polyvance’s online courses can be found at polyvance. tortal.net or by emailing training@ polyvance.com.

Source: Polyvance

Next-Gen Chevrolet Bolt Confirmed, Will Use Ultium Tech

By Dan Mihalascu InsideEVs

The popular and affordable Chevrolet Bolt will live to see another day, as General Motors CEO Mary Barra confirmed a next-generation version of the Bolt is in the works.

This is a major announcement for the company and for fans of affordable EVs. Barra said the upcoming Bolt EV will be based on GM’s Ultium battery and drive technology and will continue to deliver what customers have come to expect from the nameplate: great affordability, range and technology.

“Our customers love today’s Bolt. It has been delivering record sales and some of the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores in the industry,” Barra said. “It’s also an important source of conquest sales for the company and for Chevrolet. We will keep the momentum going by delivering a new Bolt…and we will execute it more quickly compared to an allnew program with significantly lower engineering expense and

capital investment by updating the vehicle with Ultium and Ultifi technologies and by applying our ‘winning with simplicity’ discipline.”

Adopting various Ultium and Ultifi technological advancements will help GM bring the popular model back “on an accelerated timeline.” The automaker did not provide a launch timetable, but said timing and specific details about the next-gen Bolt will be announced at a later date.

General Motors did not say whether the future Bolt will offer two body styles as the current model does—hatchback (Bolt EV) and crossover (Bolt EUV). It did, however, release a teaser photo that shows a portion of the nextgen Bolt’s tailgate featuring the new badge for the nameplate with stylized lettering, including a lightning bolt on the letter O.

The shape of the tail light can also be detected from the shape of the stamped panel, and it looks like the next Bolt will get lower-set horizontal lamps at the rear.

The forthcoming Bolt will join Chevrolet’s growing lineup of all-

electric vehicles, including three launching this year: Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV.

The official confirmation regarding the next-generation Chevy Bolt came after Barra in June hinted at the return of the Bolt entry-level EV in the near future.

“But, you know, Bolt is something that has built up a lot of loyalty and equity,” Barra said while speaking on NPR’s Marketplace podcast. “So I can’t say more because I don’t discuss future product programs. But, you know, it was primarily a move from second generation to third generation. But that’s [an] important vehicle in our portfolio.”

GM’s head honcho said the Ultium platform brings 40% lower battery costs compared to the second-generation battery used in the outgoing Bolt EV and EUV, which theoretically means the automaker could offer the next Bolt with a starting MSRP well below $30,000. The Bolt would therefore undercut the Equinox EV, expected to start around $30,000.

Honda Accord Shines, Other Midsize Cars Struggle in Rear-Seat Safety Test

The Honda Accord outperformed other midsize cars in the updated moderate overlap front crash test, earning a rare good rating in the new, challenging evaluation focused on rear-seat protection.

Among the other six midsize cars tested, the Subaru Outback earned an acceptable rating. The Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry were rated marginal. The Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5 and Volkswagen Jetta were rated poor.

“In most of the midsize cars we tested, the rear dummy slid forward, or ‘submarined,’ beneath the lap belt, causing it to ride up from the pelvis onto the abdomen and increasing the risk of internal injuries,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “In the three poorrated vehicles, measurements taken from the rear dummy also indicated likely injuries to the head or neck as well as to the chest.”

IIHS launched the updated moderate overlap front test last year after research showed in newer vehicles the risk of a fatal injury is now higher for belted occupants in the rear than for those in front. This is not because the rear seat

has become less safe. Rather, the front seat has become safer because of improved airbags and advanced seat belts that are rarely available in back. Even with these developments, the back seat remains the safest place for young children, who can be injured by an inflating front airbag.

To encourage manufacturers to improve rear-seat protection, the updated test adds a dummy in the back seat behind the driver. The driver dummy is the size of an average adult man. The rear dummy is the size of a small woman or 12-year-old child. IIHS researchers also developed new metrics that focus on the injuries most frequently seen in back-seat passengers.

For a vehicle to earn a good rating, there can’t be an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh, as recorded by the secondrow dummy. The dummy should remain correctly positioned during the crash without submarining. The head should also remain a safe distance from the front seatback and the rest of the vehicle interior, and the shoulder belt should remain on the shoulder, where it is most

effective. A pressure sensor on the rear dummy’s torso is used to check the shoulder belt position during the crash.

As in the original test, the structure of the occupant compartment must maintain adequate survival space for the driver, and measurements taken from the driver dummy shouldn’t show an excessive risk of injuries.

All seven midsize cars provided good protection in the front seat. However, measurements indicated a slightly higher risk of injuries to the right leg or foot of the driver in the good-rated Accord.

The Accord provided stellar protection in the back seat. Measurements taken from the rear dummy showed no heightened risk of injuries, and the rear restraints did a good job controlling the dummy’s motion.

In contrast, submarining was a problem for the poor-rated K5 and Sonata, while in the Jetta the rear passenger’s head came too close to the front seatback. In all three poorrated cars, measurements taken from the rear dummy indicated likely injuries to the head or neck

and chest and excessive belt forces. In the K5 and Sonata, the rear shoulder belt also moved off the shoulder toward the neck.

In both the marginal-rated Altima and Camry, the rear dummy submarined beneath the lap belt, and the shoulder belt moved off the shoulder toward the dummy’s neck. In the Altima, injury measurements also indicated a moderate risk of head or neck injuries for the rear passenger.

Measurements taken from the rear dummy in the acceptablerated Outback didn’t show any elevated injury risks. However, the dummy submarined beneath the lap belt, and its head came close to the front seatback during the crash, increasing the likelihood of abdominal and head injuries. After impact, the dummy’s head also slipped between the side curtain airbag and contacted the rear window door trim as the dummy rebounded.

Source: IIHS

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Cool Boss™ Releases Overhead Fans

Cool Boss™, a division of BendPak, expanded its product lineup beyond evaporative coolers with the new Tempest and Windstorm series of high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) industrial overhead fans, are designed to deliver optimized temperatures in large interior spaces while drastically reducing energy costs.

In commercial or industrial buildings, Cool Boss overhead fans create a more comfortable environment while maintaining low energy consumption. Running the fans counterclockwise in the summer provides the expected cooling effect. But it doesn’t stop there. In the winter, running the fans clockwise mixes heated air rising from below with cooler air sinking from above to provide an optimum temperature without running heaters as often—resulting in up to 30% energy savings.

Cool Boss HVLS fans are available in a range of sizes. Learn more at coolboss.com/large-hvlsindustrial-ceiling-fans or call (855) 2BE-COOL.

Source: Cool Boss

Car Insurance Rates Spike 17% in the First Half of 2023

The average annual cost of a car insurance policy surged $240 to $1,668 in the first six months of 2023, up from $1,428 in 2022. Prices will increase another 4% before the end of the year, according to Insurify’s latest auto insurance report. The report attributes these increases to insurers experiencing high losses as a result of soaring auto repair prices and the effects of climate change.

“Vehicle repair and maintenance costs have outpaced inflation and show no signs of slowing, leading insurers to increase auto insurance prices to keep up with the cost of higher claim payouts,” said Allie Feakins, Insurify’s senior vice president of insurance.

The report examines auto insurance price trends using Insurify’s own data of more than 79 million car insurance quotes, sourced directly from partnering insurance companies. It also reveals:

*Drivers are dropping coverage to keep car insurance costs affordable. The percentage of car insurance shoppers considering buying fullcoverage car insurance fell more than 50% in 2023, compared to 2022.

*Michigan still has the highest

auto insurance costs in the country, with an average policy costing $231 a month. Michigan drivers spend about 4.4% of their household income on car insurance—the highest proportion of any state.

*Car insurance prices have climbed the highest in New Mexico, Nevada and New Jersey, with an average 34% increase in costs within the last six months

*Major insurers are pulling out of Florida and California, citing devastating hurricanes and wildfires that have led to heightened catastrophe risk and a high number of expensive claims.

In addition to impacting home insurance rates, climate change is now beginning to be a greater concern for auto insurers. As a result, drivers in California and Florida will see fewer options for car insurance as insurers begin pulling out of the state.

“The frequency and severity of natural disasters have led to some geographical areas experiencing different types of weather events from what they’ve seen before,” said Betsy Stella, Insurify’s vice president of carrier management

and operations. “More vehicles are being caught and destroyed in fires and floods, and ice is sticking around longer, increasing the likelihood of collisions. This has led to auto insurers paying a higher number of—and a higher price for—customer claims.”

Claims are also more difficult and expensive to fulfill, as the price of auto parts continues to surge, with the consumer price index for motor vehicle maintenance and repair showing double-digit increases every month since September 2022.

Given the high cost of auto repair prices and impact of climate change, insurers have experienced recordbreaking losses over the last year. The property and casualty insurance sector posted a net combined ratio of 111.8% in 2022, and drivers will continue to see higher prices as they renew coverage.

“Given the lag between regulator approvals and actual rate increases, consumers can expect rates to increase over the next 12 to 18 months. It’s more important now than ever to comparison shop,” Feakins said.

Source: Insurify

New Study Shows Disproportionate Effect of Credit Scores on Auto Insurance Rates

Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released a new report July 31 detailing the impact of auto insurers’ use of consumer credit information on good drivers with only fair or poor credit scores. Across the country, consumers with poor credit annually pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars more for the basic auto insurance coverage mandated by state laws.

The full report is available at consumerfed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2023/07/OfficialCFA-Credit-Score_2023-FINALREPORT.pdf

Auto insurance must, by law, be purchased by drivers in every state except New Hampshire. Therefore, policymakers and regulators have a special responsibility to ensure coverage is available and affordable and consumers do not experience unfair discrimination.

Since the 1990s, auto insurance companies have used consumer credit information as a factor in setting insurance premiums. The use of credit information in insurance pricing

results in significant differences in the cost of auto insurance, even when comparing otherwise similar customers with clean driving records and no history of claims.

For consumers with fair and poor credit, insurance premiums are often unaffordable due to the heavy emphasis most insurers place on the reported credit history of their customers.

The study focused on the impact of the use of credit on the prices charged to Americans with safe driving histories.

While CFA maintains the results of its evaluation of the pricing data should lead to legislative and regulatory reform of the auto insurance industry, the central finding of the report lies with the numbers themselves.

Namely:

• American consumers with clean driving records and excellent credit pay an average annual auto insurance premium of $470 for state-mandated coverages. If those same consumers instead have fair credit, their average

premium increases to $701, even if their driving records are perfect. Good drivers with poor credit face even higher premiums, averaging $1,012 for basic coverage across the country.

• In percentage terms, consumers with fair credit pay premiums that average 49% higher than the premiums paid by consumers with excellent credit. Consumers with poor credit pay 115% more than consumers with excellent credit and 44% more than those with fair credit.

• As credit impacts are generally uniform statewide but in-state territorial rates vary widely, often by ZIP code or census tract, drivers with fair and poor credit in higher priced urban communities face minimum limits insurance premiums that are often more than a thousand dollars higher than their neighbors with excellent credit.

Because credit history correlates to race and income, raising premiums on drivers with lower credit disproportionately harms low-income consumers and people of color.

In CFA’s conclusion, it argues state policymakers should prohibit insurers from using credit information in setting auto insurance rates as California, Hawaii and Massachusetts do currently. This ban, however, must be accompanied by additional protections that test for and minimize unfair discrimination to ensure the disparities driven by the use of credit are not maintained by the replacement of credit information with other underwriting and pricing tools that lead to similar results.

Source: CFA

Leadership 2.0 Scholarship Recipient Announced

The Manufacturers’ Representative Council, a community of the Auto Care Association, has selected Tony Perry of Gantt-Thomas & Associates, Inc., to represent the Manufacturers’ Representatives at the highly-acclaimed University of the Aftermarket’s 2023-2024 Leadership 2.0 Program.

Leadership 2.0 is the premier post-graduate style leadership and business skills education program designed to promote the development of the next generation of auto care leaders. The Leadership 2.0 program will take place in summer 2023 and spring 2024.

Perry is the vice president of sales and business development at Gantt-Thomas & Associates, Inc., in Springfield, MO, where he started his career in sales as a manufacturers’ rep calling on farm and home stores, hardware distributors and buying groups in the MINK states. Since then, he has worked in sales and marketing management, sourcing and procurement for 33 years.

For more information, contact Mary Ieng, community liaison, at mary.ieng@autocare.org.

Source: Auto Care Association

Hyundai, Kia, Genesis Hit With Class-Action Suit Over Faulty Charging Ports

By Iulian Dnistran InsideEVs

Owners of all-electric vehicles sold by Hyundai, Kia and Genesis have filed a nationwide classaction lawsuit against the car manufacturers, claiming certain models feature defective charging ports that can lead to longer than advertised charging times or even a failure to charge, potentially leaving users stranded.

The suit was filed in late July with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and alleges the automakers advertised vehicle charging times between five to seven hours, depending on vehicle make, with the use of a Level 2 home charger.

However, the lawsuit says, in reality, vehicle charging ports frequently overheat in as little as 30 minutes, causing the charging session to unexpectedly and repeatedly fail.

As per the court filing, the affected vehicles are the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, Kia EV6 and

Genesis GV60.

“Not only do Hyundai, Kia and Genesis continue to sell vehicles that are clearly incapable of performing as advertised, they also issued a software patch which substantially worsens charging rates and widens the gap between what they promised and what they delivered,” said Steve Berman, managing partner at Hagens Berman and the attorney leading the case.

The filed complaint cites one plaintiff’s experience in which fully charging his 2023 IONIQ 5 takes 20 hours, at a 5% charge rate per hour.

An email sent to InsideEVs said in March, Hyundai issued a technical

service bulletin to address the issue, but the subsequent software update pushed to affected vehicles does little to alleviate the problem.

According to the complaint, the advertised charging amperage of 48 amps drops to 28 amps if overheating occurs, leading to much longer charging sessions than advertised.

“This so-called fix does nothing to address the real problem, which is that these vehicles were not manufactured to reliably charge at a rate even close to 48 amps. It’s unacceptable for Hyundai to put a Band-Aid on such a serious defect impeding the vehicle’s stated performance,” Berman said.

The lawsuit seeks to recover just compensation for vehicle owners and lessors, bringing claims of violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, violation of the California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, and violations of the applicable state consumer protection laws.

USDOT Proposes Updated Fuel Economy Standards

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on July 28 issued a proposal to update fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks. A 60-day public comment period will begin after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. As one of the range of options on which the agency is taking public comment, the preferred alternative in NHTSA’s proposal includes a 2% per year improvement in fuel efficiency for passenger cars, and a 4% per year improvement for light trucks, beginning in model year 2027 and ramping up through model year 2032, potentially reaching an average fleet fuel economy of 58 miles per gallon by 2032.

It also includes a 10% improvement per year for commercial pickup trucks and work vans (with gross vehicle weight ratings of more than 8,500 pounds and less than 14,001 pounds) beginning in model year 2030 and ramping up through model year 2035.

If finalized as proposed, the updated standards would save Americans hundreds of dollars at the pump, all while making America more energy secure and less reliant on foreign

oil. NHTSA estimates the combined benefits of its proposal exceed costs by more than $18 billion by:

• Saving consumers more than $50 billion on fuel over the vehicles’ lifetimes.

• Reducing U.S. dependence on oil by saving more than 88 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050.

• Preventing more than 900 million tons of CO2 emissions—the equivalent of taking more than 233 million vehicles off the road from 2022 through 2050.

NHTSA will engage with a broad set of stakeholders during the public comment period, including consumers, unions, automakers, states, environmental groups and others. The proposal would also drive fuel efficiency improvements for heavy-duty pickup trucks and work vans. “Better vehicle fuel efficiency means more money in Americans’ pockets and stronger energy security for the entire nation,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. NHTSA’s proposed fuel economy standards complement and align with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently proposed emissions standards for

similar vehicle fleets. NHTSA will coordinate with the EPA to optimize the effectiveness of its standards while minimizing compliance costs, consistent with applicable statutory factors. With the release of today’s proposal, NHTSA invites comments from all stakeholders on how this goal can be achieved. The proposed rule sets targets that are consistent with Congress’ direction to conserve fuel and promote American energy independence and American auto manufacturing, while providing flexibility to industry on how to achieve those targets. Though NHTSA does not take electric and other alternative fuels into account in setting the standards, manufacturers may use all available technologies—including advanced internal combustion engines, hybrid technologies and electric vehicles—for compliance.

The new proposal also supports the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to cutting costs for Americans and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in communities near freeways and other heavily trafficked roads, which are disproportionately low-income communities of color.

Since the lowest-income households spend nearly 20% of income on transportation fuels, which is three times the average U.S. household, this proposal is consistent with the administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice.

“CAFE standards have driven the auto industry to innovate in improving fuel economy in ways that benefit our nation and all Americans,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said. “The new standards we’re proposing today would advance our energy security, reduce harmful emissions, and save families and business owners money at the pump. That’s good news for everyone.”

The proposal also models a range of additional alternatives. NHTSA requests comment on the full range of standards from the no-action alternative to the most stringent alternative modeled, including comment on combinations of standards that may not be explicitly identified in the proposal.

Read the proposal here. For more information, please see NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy page.

Source: NHTSA

LKQ Corporation, through the LKQ Community Foundation, and TechForce Foundation have entered into a strategic partnership to support students pursuing a technical education and career as a professional transportation technician.

LKQ is concerned over the seriousness of the automotive and collision technician shortage and wants to be part of the solution. Currently there are five jobs available for every student graduating tech school.

LKQ has donated $50,000 to support TechForce Foundation’s charitable programs, including a nationwide public service campaign recognizing the value and importance of skilled technicians, its FutureTechs Rock and Techs Rock awards, and TechForce, the first of its kind, gamified online community of aspiring and working technician to find tech schools, scholarships, events, apprenticeships and jobs. TechForce inspires and supports students at all stages in their career journeys.

Source: LKQ Corporation

Date and Location For 2023 MSO Symposium Announced

MSO Symposium Advisory Board members have met several times over the past few months to discuss plans for the 12th annual MSO Symposium, a unique program providing executive-level information on current trends in the collision repair industry along with micro- and macro-economic impacts

Those interested in participating in the industry’s premier executive event should mark their calendars for this year’s conference, set to take place Oct. 30 in Las Vegas, the Monday of SEMA/AAPEX week at the Mirage Convention Center.

Similar to years past, the event’s agenda, timing and content is directed by industry leaders who voluntarily participate on the program’s advisory board.

“The MSO Symposium is the perfect place to meet the best and brightest of the collision industry. Whether it’s keeping up with industry trends, taking a forward look at where the business is headed, or simply networking with colleagues, the MSO Symposium is the place to be,” said David Black, corporate collision director at Dealer

Group, Body by Cochran.

This year’s event will begin at 9 a.m. PDT with coffee, networking and a sponsor showcase. Following is an informative program that

and future outlooks in the collision repair industry.

The one-day conference sessions conclude at 5:30 p.m. and an evening networking reception will directly follow.

For those interested in registering for the 2023 event, be advised attendance is limited and you must qualify to attend. Those able to attend this closed meeting include insurers, OEMs, multi-shop operators and single-location repair facilities with revenue exceeding $3 million in annual sales.

Early bird registration will open in August and will be available for a limited time. Sign up for the MSO Symposium’s e-communications to stay up to date with the latest event announcements and participation opportunities.

highlights important business trends involving the economy, private equity and industry consolidation, in addition to informative panel discussions

Equipment and service providers to the industry are also invited to attend the event via one of the limited sponsorship opportunities. Attendance by media personnel is available, but also limited. For more information, visit our website or contact us.

Source: MSO Symposium

“The MSO Symposium is the perfect place to meet the best and brightest of the collision industry. Whether it’s keeping up with industry trends, taking a forward look at where the business is headed, or simply networking with colleagues, the MSO Symposium is the place to be,”

DAVID BLACK

CORPORATE COLLISION

DIRECTOR

AT DEALER GROUP, BODY BY COCHRA

Gas Prices Are Stuck in Neutral, But For How Long?

By Andrew Gross AAA

The national average for a gallon of gas has been hovering around $3.82 for the past 10 days as of Aug. 10, a noteworthy length for price stability. This lack of price movement came despite an uptick in gas demand and rising oil prices approaching the mid$80s per barrel.

“We appear to be at a fork in the road when it comes to which direction gas prices will take—up or down,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “The summer heat that kept people home and suppressed refinery production has eased for now, so we have to look at the cost of oil to determine if the recent price climb is ending. More expensive oil will likely lead to higher prices, so stay tuned.”

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand jumped from 8.84 to 9.30 million b/d over the preceding week.

Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased from 219.1 to 216.4 million bbl. Higher demand, amid tighter supply, has helped to keep pump prices elevated. If gas demand remains high, alongside increasing oil prices, drivers should brace for increases in pump prices.

The Aug. 10 national average of $3.82 is 28 cents more than a month ago but 19 cents less than a year ago.

Since Aug. 3, these 10 states have seen the largest changes in their averages: Ohio (+13 cents), Arizona (+11 cents), Alaska (+7 cents), Florida (+7 cents), Wyoming (+6 cents), Idaho (+6 cents), California (+6 cents), Hawaii (+5 cents), Tennessee (+5 cents) and Kansas (+4 cents).

The nation’s top 10 most expensive markets: California ($5.09), Washington ($5.01), Hawaii ($4.77), Oregon ($4.67), Alaska ($4.46), Nevada ($4.34), Utah ($4.09), Illinois ($4.05), Idaho ($4.05) and Arizona ($3.99).

Source: AAA

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EPA Targeting Companies For Bypassing Vehicle Emission Controls

By Shirleen Guerra The Center Square

In the last two years, the Environmental Protection Agency has fined companies millions of dollars across the U.S. for installing illegal mechanisms that bypass vehicle emission controls known as “defeat devices.”

One manufacturer, Sinister Diesel, agreed on Aug. 1 to pay the $1 million after pleading guilty to conspiracy and the manufacturing and selling of illegal defeat devices over the last 10 years.

“More than 500,000 diesel pickup trucks in the United States—approximately 15% of U.S. diesel trucks that were originally certified with emissions controls—have been illegally deleted,” according to the EPA. They estimate that tampering with one heavy duty motor vehicle is equivalent to putting about 280 new vehicles

on the road.

In July, an Oregon company, Pure Addiction Diesel Performance LLC, was penalized more than $148,000 for violating the Clean Air Act. In the same month, a company in Alaska, Doyon Associated LLC, was fined $117,000 for the same violations.

“The manufacture, sale and installation of defeat devices is against the law,” Ed Kowalski, EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement and Compliance assurance director, said in a news release.

PARTS iD Inc. and PARTSiD LLC, based in New Jersey, paid a penalty of nearly $500,000 in October 2022 for selling devices across the country.

Some of the biggest fines were levied in 2022 in Michigan, where two companies— DieselOps LLC and Orion Diesel LLC—were fined $10 million for selling the same “diesel defeat” aftermarket devices.

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©2023 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

By Joey Klender Teslarati

Tesla is heading to court against former employees who joined rival automaker Rivian in a lawsuit claiming they breached nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) related to trade secrets.

On Aug. 2, the former Tesla and now Rivian employees attempted to have the suit thrown out via a summary adjudication ruling. However, a state court judge tentatively denied their request, so the lawsuit will be going forward.

The judge did grant the employees’ request for a ruling on Tesla’s claim they accessed company computers illegally to copy and steal important data, according to Bloomberg.

If that ruling is approved, it would allow the breach of contract issue and the claim Tesla made against Rivian that it violated California’s trade secret laws to head to a trial.

Tesla opened the lawsuit in late July 2020, stating it had seen an “alarming pattern” of poaching

employees and taking secrets.

Tesla stated in the complaint, “Misappropriating Tesla’s competitively useful confidential information when leaving Tesla for a new employer is obviously wrong and risky.”

It also claimed Rivian had hired at least 70 former employees, some of whom were “caught red-handed” stealing information related to technology and nextgen batteries.

Additionally, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview in 2020 that Rivian was “doing bad things, so we sued them.”

“It’s not cool to steal our IP, and for people to violate their confidentiality agreements,” Musk added.

The trial had stagnated to an extent in December 2021, when Judge Peter Manoukian said Tesla had 30 days to produce documents relevant to the suit.

The case has moved forward with these latest developments, although Rivian has denied any wrongdoing and claims the suit is Tesla’s attempt to derail competitors in the EV sector.

Donnelly, Parts Manager

Thieves Stealing More EV Charging Cables

By Enrico Punsalang InsideEVs

Electric vehicles are growing in number as more people buy electric cars and bikes. While you may be thinking your EV is safe from the hands of thieves, as the motor and batteries are concealed under layers of body work, and for cars, the batteries tend to be very heavy, think again. A report from NBC Los Angeles revealed EV charging cables are now the subject of theft.

The report cited the example of Bob Schneiderman, a recent victim of EV charging cord theft. According to the report, a thief in a hoodie and a mask walked up to his driveway, simply unplugged the cord from his car and wall socket, and took off on a bike.

As for why anyone would want to steal the charging cord of an EV, it turns out they’re expensive. It’s speculated thieves flip these charging cords on online selling platforms, or sell them for scrap, as these cables are full

of valuable copper wiring. This problem is expected to continue, as charging cords are extremely easy to reach, especially for folks who charge their cars outdoors.

Schneiderman had to fork out $2,700 to replace his lost cable.

With more than 1 million EVs in California alone, this is by no means a small matter. Unfortunately, there’s little the authorities can do to safeguard personal belongings, so the responsibility rests on owners’ shoulders. Owners should exercise caution where and when they charge their EV. If they have the luxury of a gated driveway or locked garage, they should charge their vehicle in there. Otherwise, invest in security accessories, such as a padlocked outdoor wall socket.

Nissan To Adopt North American Charging Standard For EVs

Nissan has reached an agreement with Tesla to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) beginning in 2025, providing Nissan customers even more choices when it comes to charging their electric vehicle.

Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to announce future product support for NACS.

From 2024, Nissan will make available a NACS charging adapter for Ariya models which are currently equipped with the Combined Charging System 1 (CCS1) for DC fast charging. This will enable customers to connect their vehicle’s charging port to NACS plugs at compatible chargers.

Starting in 2025, Nissan will begin offering EVs for the U.S. and Canadian markets with a NACS port. This will make charging on the Tesla Supercharger network seamless and convenient for drivers, significantly increasing the number of public fastcharging locations at which

Nissan EVs can be charged.

“Adopting the NACS standard underlines Nissan’s commitment to making electric mobility even more accessible as we follow our Ambition 2030 long-term vision of greater electrification,” said Jérémie Papin, chairperson, Nissan Americas. “We are happy to provide access to thousands more fast chargers for Nissan EV drivers, adding confidence and convenience when planning long-distance journeys.”

As part of Ambition 2030, Nissan is targeting more than 40% of its U.S. vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2030, with even more to be electrified. This includes two all-new, all-electric vehicles to be assembled at the Nissan plant in Canton, MI, beginning in late 2025.

More details on the rollout of Nissan’s NACS compatibility will be communicated at a later date.

Source: Nissan

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Increases At the Pump Slow, More Relief Could Be on the Way

By Andrew Gross AAA

The national average for a gallon of gas has continued its summer U-turn, but price increases have slowed and more relief could be on the way.

The national average increased by 11 cents since July 27 to $3.82 as of Aug. 3. Pump prices have primarily risen due to the price of oil, which was near $80 per barrel at the end of July, but has since softened recently.

“Last month’s extreme heat played a role in the recent spike in gas prices due to some refineries pulling back, but now operations are getting back to normal,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Coupled with tepid demand and declining oil prices, this may help take the steam out of the tight supply price jolts we’ve seen lately.”

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration

over the same week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 1.5 million bbl to 219.1 million bbl. Lower gas demand amid increasing supply will likely help to slow price increases in the days ahead.

The Aug. 3 national average of $3.82 is 29 cents more than a month ago and 34 cents less than a year ago.

Since July 27, these 10 states have seen the largest increases in their averages:  Nebraska (+25 cents), Iowa (+23 cents), Minnesota (+21 cents), Florida (+19 cents), Missouri (+18 cents), North Dakota (+18 cents), Oklahoma (+17 cents), South Dakota (+17 cents), New Mexico (+16 cents) and Alabama (+16 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive markets: Mississippi ($3.32), Louisiana ($3.43), Alabama ($3.45), Kentucky ($3.46), Ohio ($3.46), Tennessee ($3.48), Texas ($3.49), Arkansas ($3.49), South Carolina ($3.53)

We’ve Got Your Parts Covered

CONNECTICUT

Napoli Indoor Kia Milford

203-876-3331

(203) 876-3325 Fax

8am-6pm Mon-Fri

paulc@napolimotors.com

Gary Rome Kia Enfield

860-253-5095

(860) 265-2674 Fax

8am-7pm Mon-Thu

8am-5pm Fri; 8am-4pm Sat parts@garyromekia.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Kia of Attleboro

South Attleboro

508-761-9300

(508) 761-0768 Fax

8am-8pm Mon, Wed; 8am-5pm Tue, Thu, Fri 8am-4pm Sat frank@courtesyma.com www.courtesyma.com

Lev Kia of Framingham

Framingham

800-462-1014

(508) 626-1585 Fax

7:30am-6pm Mon-Fri

parts@levkia.com

MARYLAND

Bob Bell Kia Baltimore

800-638-4967

(410) 285-1376 Fax

7am-7pm Mon-Fri

7am-5pm Sat

smelson@bobbell.com

NEW JERSEY

Liberty Kia Ramsey

201-818-8995

(201) 783-8848 Fax

8am-5pm Mon-Sat

joel@libertykiaofnj.com www.libertykiaofnj.com

NEW YORK

Kia of Middletown

New Hampton

845-374-6575

(845) 374-4718 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri

8am-3pm Sat

nissankiaofmiddletownparts@yahoo.com www.kiaofmiddletown.com

Northstar Kia

Long Island City

(718) 683-5300

(718) 489-9889 Fax

M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm www.northstarkiany.com

Yonkers Kia

Yonkers

914-268-0279

(914) 652-7665 Fax 7:30am-8pm

PENNSYLVANIA

Brown Daub Kia

Easton

610-829-3020

(484) 546-0292 Fax

7am-5pm Mon-Fri

7am-3pm Sat

parts@browndaubkia.com www.browndaubkia.com

Kia of Coatesville

Coatesville

610-384-7700

(610) 384-2171 Fax

7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri

7:30am-4pm Sat

jkiernan@jimsipalakia.com www.kiaofcoatesville.com

Kia of West Chester West Chester

610-429-3500

(610) 429-0164 Fax

7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri 7:30am-4pm Sat

jkiernan@jimsipalakia.com www.kiaofwestchester.com

Outten Kia Hamburg

610-562-4166

(610) 562-9436 Fax 7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat

rwagner@outtencars.com www.outtenkia.com

VERMONT

Berlin City Kia Williston

800-684-5779

(303) 928-6905 Fax 6am-6pm Mon, Wed, Fri 6am-7pm Tue, Thu 7am-3pm Sat

ableau@berlincity.com

*Kia Genuine replacement parts sold but not installed by an Authorized Kia Dealer are covered for 12 months from purchase date, regardless of mileage, for the part only, and any labor charge is the consumer’s responsibility.

Genuine Kia Parts* are specifically manufactured from original engineering specs to ensure the same exceptional quality, performance and safety as when you first drove your Kia off the lot. Plus, they’re covered by our 12-month Replacement Parts Limited Warranty.

Tesla Driver Who Crashed Into Police Car Warned by Autopilot 150 Times: Report

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

On Feb. 27, 2021, a 2019 Tesla Model X reportedly on Autopilot crashed into a police vehicle at 54 mph. Five police offers who were conducting a routine traffic stop were injured, as was the driver who had been pulled over by the police. Reports indicated the driver of the Model X was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The injured police officers filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging the company has not done enough to address issues with its Autopilot driver-assist system, seeking damages between $1 million to $20 million for injuries and permanent disabilities.

An investigation by The Wall Street Journal retrieved footage from the 2019 Model X, showing the driver of the all-electric SUV received 150 warnings from Autopilot over a 34-minute time span prior to the crash, advising the driver to take control of the

vehicle.

The 2019 Model X is not equipped with an in-cabin camera, so the vehicle’s Autopilot driver monitoring system largely relied on whether torque could be detected on the steering wheel. Considering the 150 warnings that the driver received, it would appear the driver was able to apply just enough torque to the steering wheel to keep Autopilot active.

The allegedly intoxicated driver did eventually heed Autopilot’s advice after he received the 150th warning from the vehicle. At this point, however, the Tesla was only 2.5 seconds and 37 yards from the parked police vehicle. The WSJ noted Autopilot tried to stop the Model X, but the system seemed to have disengaged with the expectation the driver would take over.  Tesla has maintained the fault lies in the driver.

AUTOBODY

Genuine Lexus Parts

The Dealers Below Are Genuine Lexus Parts

MARYLAND

Audi Silver Spring Silver Spring

301.890.3015

800.288.6982

301.890.3748 Fax

M-F 7:30am-5pm wholesaless@mileone.com www.audisilverspring.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Audi Shrewsbury Shrewsbury

888.751.7214

508.581.5880

508.845.1642 Fax

M-F 7:30am-5pm audiwholesaleparts@mcgovernauto.com

NEW JERSEY

Audi Meadowlands North Bergen

201.408.2085

201.223.7842 Fax

M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-2pm jpooler@bbmcc.com

Bell Audi Edison 732.396.9630

732.396.9090 Fax

M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm dmcsorley@bellaudi.com

DCH Millburn Audi Maplewood

800.553.9250

973.762.2381 Fax

M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-4pm ddipalma@dchusa.com www.dchmillburnaudi.com

Ciocca Parts Warehouse Audi Flemington

800.221.1256

908.782.1795 Fax

M-F 7:30am-5pm

Sat 8am-12pm www.njparts.com

Paul Miller Audi

Parsippany

862.277.0009

973.575.5911 Fax

M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm www.paulmilleraudi.com

Audiparts@paulmiller.com

NEW YORK

Audi Southampton Southampton

631.204.2565

Tue-Sat 8am-5pm parts@audisouthampton.com www.audisouthampton.com

Biener Audi

Great Neck

516.487.0127

516.829.4821 Fax

M-F 8am-4:30pm Sat 8am-4pm www.bieneraudi.com alutchman@biener.com rfeyjoo@biener.com parts@biener.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Audi Devon Devon

610.263.7026

610.263.7027

610.688.1742 Fax

M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 9am-4pm

www.audidevon.com

bnawn@audidevon.com

wmohler@audidevon.com

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

Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers.

Audi Part Professionals are exper ts on collision par ts, replacement components and mechanical items.

General Motors on July 28 launched “Hands Free, Eyes On,” a consumer education program to encourage consumer confidence in the use of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) as part of GM’s larger commitment to the safe deployment of these technologies, like Super Cruise.

To avoid concern and confusion about the benefits of ADAS as they become more widely available, GM intends to give consumers more information so that they are informed, excited and confident in the technology.

“We know that to help achieve our vision of zero crashes, we must increase the adoption of ADAS and proactively highlight the benefits they offer,” said Scott Miller, GM vice president, Software Defined Vehicle and Operating System. “To increase usage, we must help drivers understand how currently available technologies, like Super Cruise, work and the responsibility drivers have when using ADAS features. We want customers to be assured of what we are doing to

safely deploy these technologies.”

The “Hands Free, Eyes On” program is designed to explain the current state of ADAS—from active safety to hands-free features like Super Cruise—available to customers, all of which require the driver’s constant attention to the road, versus fully autonomous driving which does not require driver intervention. With a handsfree enabled vehicle like one equipped with Super Cruise, the driver is responsible for the vehicle’s operation. That means their eyes need to be on the road at all times, even when their hands are free.

GM is committed to the safe deployment of current and future advanced driver assistance systems and believes part of this is helping consumers to understand their capabilities and how to properly use them.

GM will share free ADAS educational resources and best practices on GM.com and GM social channels. Content will be continuously updated.

Source: GM

Meriden

318 South Broad St.

203-935-0896

203-935-0895

203-440-9969 Fax

Norwood

391 Providence Hwy. 800-559-9210

781-762-9210

800-991-1009 Fax

Toyota Motor North America Selects CCC® Parts Technology

CCC Intelligent Solutions announced July 25 Toyota Motor North America will use CCC® Promote to support Toyota and Lexus dealers across the U.S. in their parts marketing efforts. CCC Promote enables parts suppliers to offer promotional pricing on parts to collision repairers as estimates are being written within the CCC ONE® platform. CCC estimating software is in use by more than 28,500 repairers and processes more than 26 million repair estimates annually.

“We are excited to offer our customers exceptional value on their parts purchases and our Toyota dealers the opportunity to capture more parts sales,” said Mark Nazario, vice president, Guest Experience and Retention, Toyota. “We’ll be able to help our dealers offer promotional pricing on critical collision parts at the moment when repair estimates are being generated. We are looking forward to working with CCC, a leader in collision estimation and parts procurement, and being able to utilize CCC’s Promote technology.”

CCC Promote offers suppliers a direct way to present promotional pricing early in the estimating process when replacement part decisions are being made. Prices can be customized by vehicle make, model, year or part type. CCC Promote is an integral component of CCC® Parts, the company’s parts e-commerce platform. The two can work together to automate and streamline the parts sourcing workflow from upfront promotional pricing to electronic price quotes, ordering, invoicing and the rebate settlement process with the supplier. CCC enables more than $13 billion in parts sales annually. CCC Parts integrates with leading DMS providers.

“We are proud to support Toyota as it expands its parts marketing strategy, reaching more collision repairers earlier in the decisionmaking process,” said Andreas Hecht, senior vice president, CCC Mobility. Learn more about CCC Promote at cccis.com/partssuppliers/.

Source: CCC Intelligent Solutions

Stellantis, Samsung SDI To Build 2nd Battery Plant in U.S.

By Christopher Smith InsideEVs

Four months after ceremoniously raising the first beam of steel on its new battery plant, partners Stellantis and Samsung SDI announced plans to build a second sprawling facility.

As with the first, it will be located in the U.S. Exactly where is still a mystery, but production won’t begin until 2027.

The companies officially signed a memorandum of understanding on the plant, pledging to build it as part of the StarPlus Energy joint venture, the $2.5-billion initiative announced by the partners in May 2022 to manufacture lithium-ion batteries at a new plant in Kokomo, IN. The second plant will target an annual production capacity of 34 gigawatt-hours (GWh), slightly more than the Kokomo facility, initially slated for 23 GWh but since bumped to 33 GWh.

A memorandum of understanding leaves considerable room for adjustment. As such,

there are very few details available and the bits known aren’t set in stone. It’s also unclear how much this new plant will cost, but as a reminder, the current project comes with a $2.5 billion price tag.

Stellantis is one of many brands currently investing heavily in EV battery production for North America, a key component in the conglomerate’s Dare Forward 2030 electrification plan. If everything pans out, half of new Stellantis-family vehicles sold in North America will be fully electric.

“This new facility will contribute to reaching our aggressive target to offer at least 25 new battery electric vehicles for the North American market by the end of the decade,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “We are continuing to add more capacity in the United States together with our great partner Samsung SDI and laying the next steps to reaching our carbon neutrality commitment by 2038.”

Sometimes, “slow and steady”

an option

CONNECTICUT

Lia Volkswagen Enfield

860-698-6890

Fax: 860-265-7840

M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-12pm aguimaraes@liacars.com

MARYLAND

Ourisman VW of Rockville Rockville

855-417-4511

Fax: 240-499-2488

M-F 8am-5:30pm; Sat 8am-5pm rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com www.rockvillevolkswagen.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Volkswagen of North Attleboro

North Attleboro

508-695-7131

Fax: 508-695-0321

M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm

kenr@driveavw.com

www.driveavw.com

NEW JERSEY

Ciocca Parts Warehouse Volkswagen

Flemington

800-221-1256

Fax: 908-782-1795

M-F 7:30am-5pm www.cioccaparts.com

Open Road Volkswagen of Bridgewater Bridgewater

908-685-1068

Fax: 908-685-1547

M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-3pm vwb.parts@openroad.com www.openroadvwparts.com

Paul Miller Volkswagen Bernardsville

908-360-1162

Fax: 908-766-6171

M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-4pm aaitchison@paulmiller.com www.paulmillervw.com

NEW YORK

Hudson Valley Volkswagen

Wappingers Falls

845-298-2365

Fax: 845-224-3686

M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-5pm billsantoro@thepremiercollection.com

Platinum Volkswagen Hicksville

516-822-4800

Fax: 516-822-4831

M-F 7:30am-5:30pm parts@platinumvw.com www.platinumvw.com

White Plains Volkswagen White Plains

914-909-1630

Fax: 914-372-7056

M-F 7:30am-5:30pm Sat 8:30am-4:30pm echavez@whiteplainsvw.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Ciocca Volkswagen Allentown

610-791-4177

Fax: 610-289-7016

M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-4pm cioccavwparts@cioccadealerships.com

Piazza Volkswagen of Langhorne

Langhorne

215-741-4100

Fax: 215-752-6621

M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-5pm www.piazzavw.com

langwholesale@piazzavw.com

“Volkswagen” and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. ©2023 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

7 Carmakers Partner To Launch New EV Charging Network in North America

By Dan Mihalascu InsideEVs

A new EV public charging network joint venture will be created in North America by seven major global automakers.

BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, MercedesBenz and Stellantis have joined forces to create “an unprecedented new charging network joint venture that will significantly expand access to high-powered charging in North America.”

The companies said they are aiming to install at least 30,000 highpowered charge points in urban and highway locations “to ensure customers can charge whenever and wherever they need.”

The seven automakers say their charging network will offer an elevated customer experience, reliability, high-powered charging capability, digital integration, appealing locations and various amenities while charging. The goal is for the stations to be powered solely by renewable energy.

The new charging stations will be accessible to all batterypowered electric vehicles from any automaker, as they will offer both Combined Charging System (CCS) and North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors.

The first charging stations of the asyet-unnamed network are scheduled to open in the U.S. in summer 2024 and in Canada at a later stage.

The new charging network promises to offer a seamless integration with participating automakers’ in-vehicle and inapp experiences. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology for a more userfriendly customer experience.

The coalition includes two automakers that have already announced they would equip their EVs with NACS connectors from 2025, General Motors and MercedesBenz Group. The others—BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Stellantis— said they would evaluate Tesla’s NACS connectors on their vehicles, but neither has committed to implementing the port on its EVs yet.

DELAWARE

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington Wilmington

302-995-5030

302-995-5033 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 5pm Sat 8am - 2pm parts@mbofwilmington.com www.mbofwilmington.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Mercedes-Benz of Burlington Burlington

833-768-5924

617-275-2182 Direct

781-229-1600 Main

M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm parts@mbob.com www.mbob.com

Mercedes-Benz of Hanover Hanover

781-924-4210

M-F 7:30am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm

mbhanoverparts@gp1auto.com

Smith Motor Sales of Haverhill, Inc

Haverhill

877-764-8462 Direct

877-SMITH MB

978-702-5020 Fax

M-F 8am-5pm

Mercedes-Benz of Goldens Bridge Goldens Bridge

914-232-8146

914-232-4770 Fax

M-F 8am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - 2pm achristiano@mercedesbenzgb.com www.mercedesbenzgb.com

Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown St. James

631-265-5339

631-265-8146 Fax

M-F 8am - 5pm Sat 8am - 4:30pm mlevantino@mbofsmithtown.com www.mbofsmithtown.com

Mercedes-Benz Atlantic City Pleasantville

609-645-9310

609-272-1535 Fax

M-F 8am - 6pm Sat 8am - 4pm bmorey@mbofatlanticcity.com

Mercedes-Benz of Newton Newton

800-842-0557

888-302-2369

973-383-1284 Fax

M-F 8am - 5pm realmercedesparts@mbofnewton.com

Mercedes-Benz of Paramus Paramus

888-30-PARTS

201-265-7808

201-483-2782 Fax

M-Th 7:30am - 7:30pm

F 7:30am - 5pm Sat 8am - 5pm parts@prestigemb.com

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington Fort Washington 267-419-1414

201-765-9760 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 5pm mbpartswholesale@yourmercedes.com

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester West Chester 484-313-1110

484-313-1002 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 5pm parts@mbofwestchester.com

Viti Mercedes-Benz Tiverton

800-544-5580

401-624-6181

401-624-4817 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 5pm eric@viti.com www.viti.com

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

Publisher Jeremy Hayhurst

General Manager

Barbara Davies

Editor Abby Andrews

Contributing Writers

Mike Anderson, Ed Attanasio, Stacey Phillips, Cole Strandberg, John Yoswick

Advertising Sales

Joe Momber, Norman Morano

Office Manager

Kelly Cashman

Digital Marketing Manager

Bryan Malinski

Art Director

Rodolfo Garcia

Senior Designer

Vicki Sitarz

Cityside Subaru

Belmont

(617) 826-5013

(617) 489-0733 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30 parts@citysidesubaru.com

Long Automotive Group

Framingham

(800) 982-2298

(508) 879-1212 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5

tschube@longauto.com

Metrowest Subaru LLC

Natick

(888) 456-2200

(508) 745-2004

(508) 647-1539 Fax

Mon.-Sat. 7-9 parts@metrowestsubaru.com

Think Genuine

Subaru Parts.

Belknap Subaru

Tilton

(800) 358-4029

(603) 729-1300

(603) 729-1301 Fax

Mon., Wed., Fri. 7:30-5

Tue., Thu. 7:30-7; Sat. 9-3 awright@belknapsubaru.com

Liberty Subaru Emerson

(888) 782-9493

(201) 261-3261 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-6

parts@libertysubaru.com www.libertysubaru.com

Kia Niro, Niro Hybrid SUVs Recalled Over Fire Risk

By David A. Wood CarComplaints.com

A Kia Niro hydraulic clutch actuator recall has been announced for more than 121,000 SUVs due to a risk of fires in 2017-2022 Kia Niro and 2018-2022 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles.

Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator and cause an engine compartment fire.

In January, Kia learned of a 2020 Kia Niro Hybrid owner who complained about an illuminated hybrid warning light. A dealership found thermal damage to the hydraulic clutch actuator connector and harness.

Another report came in, this time from a 2019 Niro Hybrid with an illuminated warning light and localized melting around the hydraulic clutch actuator connector.

As Kia expanded its investigation of the problem, another incident occurred to a

NISSAN

MARYLAND

Bob Bell Nissan Baltimore

800-638-4967

(410) 282-2432

(410) 285-1376 Fax

M-F 7-7, Sat. 8-5 smelson@bobbell com

MASSACHUSETTS

Boch Nissan Norwood

781-619-7270

(781) 619-7280 Fax

M-F 7-5, Sat. 7-4 rlindner@boch com

Dartmouth Nissan Dartmouth

508-996-3200

(508) 994-1997 Fax

M-F 7:30-6, Sat. 7:30-4 parts@dartmouthnissan com

MASSACHUSETTS

Nissan 24 Brockton

508-513-1816

(508) 513-1858 Fax

M-F 7:30-6, Sat. 7:30-4 parts@nissan24auto�com

Route 9 Nissan West Westboro

508-389-4300

parts@route9nissanauto com

NEW JERSEY

Lynnes Nissan Bloomfield

973-680-1234

(973) 429-3193 Fax

M-F 7:30-5, Sat. 7:30-2 csolis@lynnes com www lynnesnissan com

2018 Niro Hybrid which involved localized melting.

Kia and the supplier found corrosion on the printed circuit boards in the three Niro Hybrids, convincing both companies to hire a third-party engineering firm.

In July, Kia confirmed, “Evidence of fluid contamination on PCB [printed circuit board] potentially from external sources but no evidence of internal leaks or brake fluid on the printed circuit board, 2) contaminated PCB can cause an electrical short circuit, and 3) PCB short circuit can lead to a fire as confirmed by duplication testing.”

Kia expects to mail Niro hydraulic clutch actuator recall letters Sept. 29. Kia dealerships will replace the hydraulic clutch actuators as necessary, and install new fuses.

The new fuse has a different capacity to mitigate the risk of a fire caused by an electrical short-circuit.

Kia Niro and Kia Niro Hybrid owners may contact Kia at 800333-4542.

NEW YORK

Rockland Nissan Blauvelt

845-358-3670

(845) 358-6049 Fax

M-F 7:30-5:30, Sat. 8-4

ldesir@rocklandnissan com www rocklandnissan com

RHODE ISLAND

Stateline Nissan East Providence

401-572-3445

(401) 572-3665 Fax

M-F 7:30-6, Sat. 7:30-4 parts@statelinenissanauto com

THE FOLLOWING DEALERS PROUDLY STOCK GENUINE PARTS FOR YOUR NISSAN OR INFINITI REPAIRS.

THE FOLLOWING DEALERS PROUDLY STOCK GENUINE PARTS FOR YOUR NISSAN OR INFINITI REPAIRS.

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today!

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Quality Standards

GEARED DUAL- ACTION POLISHER

LIGHTWEIGHT, LOW PROFILE precision balanced design delivers superior control

RUBBERIZED DYNAGRIP delivers reduced vibration and increased insulation resulting in greater operator comfort and reduced fatigue

TOOL CAN RUN 5" OR 6" PADS

DUAL RUBBER SUPPORTS provide incredible stability when the machine is not in use

SINGLE-ACTION LOCK TRIGGER

ERGONOMICALLY-DESIGNED EXTENDED HANDLE for increased operator comfort during use

2 TOOLS - IN -1

#RespectTheFinish

Follow us on Instagram: @dynabrade_auto

Cuts like a rotary, finishes like a DA!

20' SWIVEL CORD

Model DB8

SEMA BOOTHS 12517 & 37055