How the 2024 Election Might Affect the Collision Repair Industry
by Brian Bradley Autobody News
The election of Donald Trump to a second presidency and the coming shift in party control for at least one chamber of Congress will impact the collision repair industry.
namely the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-MexicoCanada Agreement.
To make sense of the shifting regulatory climate, Autobody News spoke to Bob Redding, president of The Redding Firm, a Washington, D.C.based lobbying group. In his capacity,
Though it’s tough to say exactly how the election will bring specific changes in areas like tariffs, federal right to repair efforts, and auto insurance premiums, it’s safe to assume the new political landscape will alter electric vehicle (EV) mandates and relax the overall regulatory environment.
Further, trade officials in Trump’s first administration prioritized the automotive industry, negotiating new bilateral, protective automotive regulations with countries including South Korea, Mexico and Canada in various free trade agreements,
Redding is the head lobbyist for the Automotive Service Association (ASA).
Redding shared his insights on what a Trump presidency, GOP Senate, and potentially a Republican House, could mean for the collision repair industry.
We’ve seen two recent rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, one in September and another Nov. 7. Combined with the election results, what could this mean for the collision repair industry?
By Brian Bradley Autobody News
Control and transmittal of vehicle diagnostic data to independent repair shops in Maine could soon be managed by an independent licensing board, a new state agency, or through a “no-board model,” participants pitched during the latest meeting of the Maine Automotive Right to Repair Working Group, held Oct. 30.
Section 2 of the August-enacted law requires the right to repair working group, overseen by the state attorney general’s office, to recommend legislation to establish an “entity” to ensure cyber-secure access to vehicle-generated data for car owners and independent repair shops for maintenance, diagnostic and repair purposes.
Per the law, legislative recommendations due in February
VIVE Collision Expands to 50 Locations with New Connecticut Facility
VIVE Collision announced the addition of its 50th location, Bryon’s Auto Body Powered by VIVE, located in Newington, CT, a significant step in the company’s mission to reshape the collision repair industry through cutting-edge technology and a people-first approach.
“As we welcome our 50th location to the VIVE family, I’m filled with immense pride and gratitude for our team’s unwavering dedication and talent,” said co-founder and CEO
The staff of VIVE Collision’s 50th location in Newington, CT.
Credit: Shutterstock.
Mike Anderson
Collision Repairers Looking for More than Just Parts Discounts, Find Multiple Systems a Time-Suck 30
Abby Andrews New Doan Group Franchise Brings Insurance Appraisals to Northern New England 26
Possible Strikes Still Threatening to Rattle Collision Repair Parts Supply Chain 8
Brian Bradley
Decision-Makers Pitch Ways to Govern Maine’s Forthcoming Right-to-Repair Provisions 1
How the 2024 Election Might Affect the Collision Repair Industry 1
Rhode Island Law Will End Auto Insurance Premium Hikes for Widows 11
Elizabeth Crumbly WrenchWay, ASE Merge Products to Improve Industry Accessibility for WouldBe Techs 10
3M, Axalta Announce Collaboration on New Training for Collision Industry 20
DEKRA Introduces QCARE to Help Collision Repairers Manage Assets, OEM Certifications 34
REGIONAL NEWS
MAACA to Unite Pennsylvania Auto Service Providers 52
Beans Acquires 3 Dealerships, Collision Center from Freysinger Automotive 55
College Students Win National Award for Restored 1948 Tucker 46
Leona Scott
CollisionRight Maintains Acquired Shops’ Local Identities While Updating Operations 24
Four Ways to Engage, Retain Apprentices in Your Auto Body Shop 16
Ben Shimkus Automotive Parts Supply Chain Withstands Port Strike 40
NEK Collision Repair in Vermont Expands Shop, Builds Out New-Age Tech 32
Scholarship America Makes Pitch to Close Collision Repair Talent Gap 33
John Yoswick
CIC Discusses Outdated Term ‘Set-Up and Measure,’ Cyber Security Risks for Shops 6
Collision Shop Owners Share Positive Changes They’ve Made to Their Businesses 4
Suits Related to Non-OEM Parts, Insurers Suing Shops, Crash Reports See Court
22
Index of Advertisers
Appoints Digital Transformation Manager 55
Collision Shop Owners Share Positive Changes They’ve Made To Their Businesses
by John Yoswick Autobody News
As the industry continues to evolve, shop owners are adapting by making change changes to their business. During a recent “collision industry roundtable,” a handful of shop owners talked about what they’ve changed within their company — and why — within the last year or two, and how those changes have played out.
Kena Dacus, co-owner with her husband Chris of Dacus Auto Body in McPherson, KS, said it’s been just over two years since they switched the shop’s compensation plan from commission to hourly.
“That high-production, commission environment was not really creating the culture we were looking for,” Dacus said. “Our technicians weren’t as focused on high-quality, OEM repairs [as we wanted]. And it was really difficult to recruit entry-level technicians because the technicians that we had really weren’t interested in taking time to help us grow some of this younger talent.”
They converted each technician’s prior year income into a 40-hour work week wage so none of them were going to earn less. At the same time, they shifted production into more segments, with vehicles moving through the different departments.
“When you have an entry-level technician, or even someone who has some automotive experience, but maybe not in collision, they can still be really valuable in different
to bring in some other talent, maybe even some from other industries, who can just work in one department and get really efficient there and then grow their skills.”
She said the shop has about 20 employees, and the change was not without challenges.
“For some technicians, it wasn’t the environment that they wanted to work in, so we did lose a couple,” she said of the transition. “But to be quite honest, those were the technicians that we had a hard time getting them to see the importance of following OEM procedures and doing quality work. So while it was scary to go through, I think it turned out for the best, ultimately.”
Starting a Stand-Alone Calibration Company
Mike Daniel, who owns three Mountain View Autobody Shops in New Jersey, in the past year bought another building in which to open a stand-alone ADAS calibration center. All three of his shops — two of which are a couple miles apart, the third about 45 minutes away — now feed cars into that center.
“I started up another LLC to do that business under,” Daniel said. “We have both DRPs and OEM certifications, so I’m fortunate to get the work through the DRPs, but fight the DRPs on the OEM side. For example, a certain insurance company said they would only pay [a certain amount] for calibrations if
departments without having to be valuable in every department,” Dacus said. “We’re able to recruit mechanics now. Mechanics actually work really well in disassembly and reassembly. And what we’re finding is we don’t need a whole shop full of A-level technicians at this point. We only need a couple because we’re able
I did them under the Mountain View label. But for whatever reason, if I have a [separate] company that owns the calibration equipment, and we sublet the work to that company, they would pay me the invoice with markup. So it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. We purchased adasThink to help us capture all the
calibrations a car may need. It isn’t perfect, but at least it’s better than not having anything at all.”
Smaller Shop Sees Big Changes
Andy Grundman has been working on succession planning with his father.
“Pat’s Body Shop has been in business since 1953, and was passed along until my father took over, and he’s now passed the business on to me,” Grundman said of his fiveemployee shop in Wausau, WI.
He’s now working to train a new manager to handle more of the dayto-day operations at the business, and has been doing some technician training through the Wisconsin Automotive & Truck Education Association and Northcentral Technical College “to help give back to the industry a little bit.”
“We’ve also recently started using EagleMMS [for materials invoicing] and RepairLogic [to research OEM repair procedures] to help make sure we actually get paid for what we’re doing,” Grundman said. “I also recently had our website revamped, and I’m in talks right now with Phoenix Solutions Group, which specializes in body shop marketing and online presence.”
Scheduled Estimates, Collecting Co-Pays
Micah Strom, co-owner of Modern Collision Repair in Bainbridge Island, WA, said it’s now been just over a year since he switched to a four-day workweek.
“It helps with employee retention and acquisition, and our customer base loves it, the fact we’re giving employees more time off,” he said.
As he talked about in a panel discussion at a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) earlier this year, he’s heard about different ways shops structure their four-day workweeks for employees, but he kept it simple. Employees work four 10-hour days, and the entire shop is closed on Fridays, giving everyone three-day
weekends.
“When COVID started, we quit doing estimates on Fridays and basically finished up what we had in the shop, so when we decided to shut down completely on Fridays, it was actually really easy at that point,” he said in that presentation. “The customers get the cars back on Thursday, so that’s worked very well
“Mechanics
actually work really well in disassembly and reassembly. And what we’re finding is we don’t need a whole shop full of A-level technicians at this point.”
for us.”
“We also shut down for lunch like a doctor’s office, with everyone having lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.,” Strom said. “It’s much easier than staggering lunches. If you’re trying to stagger when employees are here, someone might not know what’s going on with a file if a customer calls in. So we just decide to all be here at the same time, and all be gone at the same time.”
Strom said he started doing estimates by appointment only in 2020 when the pandemic started, but has stuck with that.
“It has worked out really well for our shop,” he said. “It gives you the time to be with the customer if they have questions. You can get everything taken care of on it rather than having them back-to-back or not knowing when the next one is showing up.”
The company has 23 employees between its collision shop, separate mechanical shop, rental car business and detail shop. Strom has chosen not to be a direct repair shop for any insurance company.
“We don’t work for them; we work for customers,” he said. “A couple years ago, we started collecting the short-pays from the customer. That starts right from the beginning, when the customer walks in with an estimate, explaining to them what the differences are between our shop and other shops that are out there, explaining to them that we actually follow the OEM procedures. I’m not going to fix a car how an insurance company wants it fixed. It all comes down to educating the customer. I haven’t really noticed any change in our capture rate from estimates to a repair.”
Micah Strom said his shop hasn’t seen a decline in its capture rate since collecting insurer short-pays from customers
KENA DACUS DACUS AUTO BODY, MCPHERSON, KS
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CIC Discusses Outdated Term ‘Set-Up and Measure,’ Cyber Security Risks For Shops
by John Yoswick Autobody News
With more than 140,000 people, about 1,400 vehicles and more than 2,400 exhibiting companies filling 1.2 million square feet inside and outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, there’s a lot vying for SEMA attendees’ attention.
But for collision repairers, there were key meetings and training sessions throughout the event, held Nov. 5-8, that drew them — at least temporarily — from the trade show itself.
The Collision Industry Conference (CIC), for example, regularly holds one of its quarterly meetings during SEMA week, which it did this year on Nov. 5. Cyber protection was the focus of a presentation by the Data Access, Privacy and Security Committee, offering real-world best practices to avoid having digital systems hacked or becoming a victim of ransomware.
a sudden they tell you that you need to spend money.”
Kennedy said he equates it to having your doctor say your cholesterol is high, yet you don’t want to pay a monthly gym fee. “’I feel pretty good and nothing bad has happened yet, so I’ll just do it on my own,’” Kennedy said some people think. “That’s kind of a failure point.”
He said a cybersecurity expert can help identify areas of vulnerability within your company. “A lot of shops don’t realize that all these scan tools they have in the shop are all running on Wi-Fi,” he said. “How many of their employees are running on the same Wi-Fi? How many of them are also on these social media sites or the shopping sites that happen to be controlled by a communist country? That’s where the real risk comes in.
“That’s why I think it’s more important that you have a security expert that comes in, assesses your individual shop, your weaknesses, your strong points, and sets a plan
Shaughn Kennedy of Spark Underwriters said threat assessment and cyber insurance are among the key steps businesses of all sizes should consider.
“First, you have to realize that most standard business insurance policies out there exclude cyber,” said Kennedy, whose company focuses on the automotive repair industry. “So you actually have to have that coverage added back in through an endorsement or a stand-alone cyber policy.
“People ask me: How much cyber [insurance coverage] do I need? Well, insurance is there to pick the pieces up when something bad happens,” Kennedy continued. “The more important thing is proactively having a cybersecurity expert come in and assess your systems. Then the hardest thing for some people is to actually listen to them because all of
the topics on the agenda at CIC in Las Vegas. The Emerging Technologies Committee continued its discussion — started at a CIC earlier this year — of issues related to low voltage control systems, this time focusing on pure battery electric vehicles.
separate operations.”
He and the committee then showed how the process and equipment used to anchor, measure and pull vehicles has evolved significantly over decades, looking today nothing like the process — and the amount of time — required in the past.
And while developing and maintaining written definitions for the terminology in the industry isn’t always the most compelling content at CIC, the work of the Definitions Committee helps with communication within the industry — and can be key in negotiations and conflicts within the industry.
At CIC in Vegas, the committee received thumbs-up approval from the body for adopting about 30 definitions related to vehicle safety system calibration terms based on the work of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Those definitions, for example, differentiate between dynamic and static calibration procedures, define a half dozen different target types and two types of reflectors, and offer examples of what can be included in a “calibration report.”
“Traveling around the country visiting shops, one of the things that was disturbing was that frame machines are one of the largest investments that a shop owner makes, yet for some reason, it doesn’t seem to be a profit center in a lot of the shops that I visited,” Yeung said. “The reason I know that is a lot of frame machines are just packed away in the corner with 2 feet of dust on them. I don’t know if they purchased them just to participate in a program, or initially they were sold with the idea that it would do a better repair. But when it came down to get compensated for what was involved
“First, you have to realize that most standard business insurance policies out there exclude cyber.”
SHAUGHN KENNEDY
SPARK UNDERWRITERS
for you, and that you actually listen to them. That’s more important than the insurance itself.”
Kennedy said it’s also important to really understand the cyber policy you buy.
“Your insurance has a lot of fine print about what your obligation is under that contract,” he said. “If it specifically lists certain things, like you agreed that you’d have multifactor authentication, things like that, and you didn’t do it, then you put yourself in jeopardy where you may actually have a claim denied because you didn’t uphold your part of the contract. And a lot of times people don’t go through that policy enough, or your agent doesn’t explain it to you, and then there is a jeopardy there.”
Finding Common Language on Calibrations
Vehicle technology was also among
The definitions will be incorporated into CIC’s existing glossary of industry terms, available at the CIC website. Anyone in the industry can submit suggestions for changes or additions to the definitions included in the glossary.
Moving Away From ‘Set-Up and Measure’
Also during CIC in Las Vegas, California shop owner Kye Yeung, who co-chairs a new Repair Processes and Procedures Committee, said he’s stopped using the term “set-up and measure” within his shop.
“When I opened my business in 1975, a lot of things were handwritten, and I think the terminology ‘set-up and pull’ or ‘set-up and measure’ was just us being lazy,” Yeung said during the committee’s presentation. “It was just a term so we didn’t have to do a lot of writing. And unfortunately that term is still used today, yet they’re two
to do the repair properly, maybe the technicians felt — and this is just my opinion — that maybe they weren’t compensated fairly for whatever this [process] was, and decided that if they had a way around it, they would just do it the way they needed to do it.”
Yeung said that’s why his shop has stopped using the “set-up” term. “It’s been antiquated. It doesn’t really say much. There’s no definition of it what’s really included and what’s not,” Yeung said. “What we do as far as dealing with cars that have structural damage is we ‘mount and calibrate to a frame bench for structural alignment and/or structural parts replacement.’”
As appropriate, he said, they add the term “OEM-approved frame machine.”
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) said earlier this year that it plans to conduct a study of structural set-up and measure, similar to its 2022 study of blend refinish labor times, which helped lead all three estimating systems to reexamine their formulas for that procedure and add more flexibility to their systems related to blending.
Several hundred SEMA attendees spent part of their time in Las Vegas at the Collision Industry Conference
Trent Tinsley, right, moderated a CIC panel discussion on cyber security that included, from left, Shaughn Kennedy of Spark Underwriters and Jim Dye of Body by Cochran
Possible Strikes Still Threatening To Rattle Collision Repair Parts Supply Chain
By Abby Andrews Autobody News
As collision repairers deal with the “double whammy” of both part prices and the number needed to finish a job continuing their steady increases, looming strikes at East Coast ports and a German union threaten to add to their woes in 2025 by increasing delivery times.
Greg Horn, chief information officer for PartsTrader, spoke to Autobody News about the company’s latest parts delivery trend report, ahead of its official release Nov. 5, the first day of the 2024 SEMA Show.
Horn said there are two trends contributing to the increase in prices for remanufactured alloy wheels.
One, the wheels are getting larger. “Seventeen (inches) used to be the standard wheel on SUVs. Now you’re seeing 18-, 19-inch wheels. More material has to be removed by the reconditioning technicians,” Horn said. And two, there’s a shortage of technicians qualified to work on those wheels.
“When people in the insurance and collision repair industries talk about inflation, they usually talk about it on a part-level basis, so it’s a double whammy for this industry,” Horn said. “It’s the number of parts as well as each one of those parts going up in price.
“And that’s the cumulative effect, because parts are the biggest portion of a repairable estimate,” he said. “Labor is a close second.”
Median Part Delivery Days
The Q3 2024 report shows the average number of parts quoted per job has increased from 5.3 in 2020 to 7.4 in 2024 for passenger cars, and from 4.5 to 6.3 parts in trucks and SUVs.
“We’re seeing the proliferation of accident avoidance systems, the bumper sensors,” Horn said. “That’s really what’s fueling the increase in the number of parts for both passenger cars and SUVs.”
Meanwhile, the average part price by part type shows new OEM parts —which steadily make up 70% to 80% of parts used on a typical job, whether the vehicle make is domestic, Asian or European — has increased from $432 in 2020 to $579 in 2024.
In the same timeframe, aftermarket parts’ average price increased from $260 to a current average of $316, though that is down from its peak of $330 in Q1 2023.
Remanufactured parts — mostly alloy wheels — had the largest average price increase over the past four years, spiking from $289 to $468. More than $60 of that increase came in the last year alone, the largest increase year-over-year of any part type.
the date [the strike would begin], so those shipments were diverted to the West Coast,” Horn said. “They had to be trucked, so there’s a delay in getting them to the distribution centers.”
Aftermarket parts aren’t as susceptible to spikes in delivery days, Horn said, because suppliers tend to keep a lot in stock.
Even if the port strike had a greater effect on aftermarket parts, Horn said the median delivery days are always driven by OEM parts.
“They’re still the biggest portion of the estimate. They are still the biggest potential for an outlier, because it’s a trim piece,” he said.
Price-matched parts – when a dealership sells an OEM part at a loss to either match the aftermarket alternative or undersell another dealership in the hopes of winning a shop’s regular business – had a median of six delivery days, more than double that of aftermarket parts.
Horn said that tells him body shops are willing to wait the extra days to get an OEM-quality part at a lower price to protect their margins.
are no possibilities of human error,” Horn said.
Automated gate checks also cut down on the chances of smuggling everything from counterfeit watches to knockoff drugs.
“That is actually quite common,” Horn said.
Automating that task affects, on average, about 25 people’s jobs at a port the size of the Port of New Jersey, Horn said, so it’s a “small percentage of workers,” but the union is concerned automation will further spread to other parts of the process.
Strikes could also affect automakers. In the U.S., the UAW is threatening walkouts at Stellantis facilities, as the company struggles to address declining sales, high frequencies of warranty claims, and its obligation in the contract it signed in 2023 with the UAW to reopen the Belvidere, IL, assembly plant. This could lead to disruptions in the supply of collision parts for Stellantis vehicles.
On the bright side, the median number of days needed to receive all parts for a job is declining – down to 9.4 in Q3 2024 — despite a brief interruption at several U.S. ports in early October and severe weather events.
PartsTrader looks at both the simple average and the median plus two standard deviations, which better takes into account the “outliers” – for instance, when nine out of 10 parts arrive in a day and a half, but the 10th is backordered.
The median has been steadily decreasing since October 2023, when the UAW struck against the Big Three, driving it up to 14.8 days.
“[UAW President] Shawn Fain is a brilliant tactician,” Horn said. “He took the minimum amount of people to do these wildcat strikes at part distribution centers, knowing that was the area that the vehicle owner, as well as the franchise dealer, would feel the biggest pain. And you see that spike in in OEM parts. Now it’s down to 9.4 days, which is great.”
Horn said that was the effect analysts were expecting on aftermarket parts when the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) struck in early October, but advance planning minimized it. Those parts averaged 2.5 delivery days in Q3 2024.
“It was well known that Oct. 1 was
Parts Delivery Challenges Ahead Potential
strikes could disrupt the parts supply chain.
The ILA strike at 10 East and Gulf coast ports temporarily ended with a contract extension, but it could resume Jan. 15, 2025, if negotiations to finalize a new contract fall through.
“There has been no movement on the biggest sticking point, which is the pledge for no further automation,” Horn said.
The strike was initiated after an Alabama port violated the union agreement by implementing automated gate checks to inspect cargo and confirm the bill of lading matches the contents.
“Ports are a big security threat to the U.S. in general, so automated gate checks are more secure. There
In Germany, Volkswagen’s announcement that it is considering closing factories there for the first time in its history, citing high energy and labor costs, has sparked tension with the IG Metall union.
The union has threatened a strike at all German VW factories if any plants are closed, and is demanding the reinstatement of a 35-year job guarantee recently eliminated by Volkswagen.
Horn said VW produces a lot of parts in Mexico, but the bigger potential threat for collision repairers in the U.S. is that IG Metall has a history of “sympathy strikes,” which could halt parts production for other German automakers like MercedesBenz and BMW.
“I lived in Germany, and IG pretty much shut down production to argue for a 37.5-hour work week ages ago. And they brought most production to a standstill,” Horn said. The report said the situation in Germany “remains tense.”
A forklift driver moves racks of Jeep Cherokee body side panels at the FCA U.S. Sterling Stamping Plant in Michigan.
Connectors in Collision Repair: What Every Technician Needs to Know
In collision repair, precision and quality matter at every stage. Among the critical components are automotive pigtail connectors, which play an essential role in restoring a vehicle’s electrical systems. These small but vital parts ensure that everything from airbags to headlights functions at peak performance. When you understand how to select and source the right connectors, you save time, reduce costs, and improve repair outcomes. Here’s everything you need to know about choosing the ideal connector for your next repair.
Why Connectors are Vital in Collision Repair
After a collision, the integrity of a vehicle’s electrical system can be compromised, making reliable automotive connectors, sometimes called pigtails, essential for restoring proper function. They connect various components within the car’s wiring harness, including sensors, lights, and control modules, to maintain proper functionality and safety. A damaged or unreliable connector can jeopardize these systems, putting repair quality and safety at risk. This makes choosing high-quality connectors an important step for any repair technician looking to complete repairs with confidence.
The Challenge of Finding the Right Connector
Finding the right replacement connector is a common challenge for repair shops, with so many makes, models, and connector types on the market. Some shops may use generic parts, but an improper fit can compromise safety and repair quality. FindPigtails.com simplifies this process, offering over 350,000 connectors and multiple search options so you can quickly find the right match. You can search by keyword, VIN, make/model/year, pin count, or even upload a photo of the connector you need. Our reverse image search automatically identifies the exact part, streamlining your search so you can focus on getting the job done right.
● Comprehensive Database: Over 350,000 connectors to cover a wide range of makes and models.
● Flexible Search Options: Search by keyword, VIN, make/ model/year, or pin count.
● Reverse Image Search: Upload a photo of the connector, and our system automatically identifies the correct part.
● Pigtail Pros Support: Expert help is available via text, phone, and live chat to answer any questions.
The Value of a Trusted Connector Specialist
Partnering with a trusted connector provider can significantly impact your repair efficiency and quality. Look for providers with deep industry knowledge, rigorous quality standards, and a vast catalog that ensures you’ll always find what you need. FindPigtails.com stands out as a trusted resource, offering connectors that meet or exceed OEM specifications, so you can be confident in every repair.
Our Pigtail Smart App and intuitive search tools help technicians on the job quickly locate specific connectors. With live support from our knowledgeable Pigtail Pros, assistance is just a text, phone call,
or chat away. Working with a reliable source like FindPigtails.com means you get the parts you need with speed and accuracy, avoiding the trial and error that can delay repairs.
Repair vs. Replacement: A Cost-Saving Approach
Repairing individual connectors is often more cost-effective and practical than replacing entire harnesses, which can be costly and labor-intensive. Sourcing high-quality connectors lets you restore functionality without extensive modifications, making this approach both economical and efficient. FindPigtails.com carries a wide selection of connectors across makes and models, allowing you to replace only what’s needed while keeping repairs high-quality and budget-friendly. This approach reduces your repair cycle time and enhances productivity in your shop
Supporting Repair Specialists with Powerful Tools
At FindPigtails.com, we make connector sourcing simple with tools like our Pigtail Smart App. With search options by keyword, vehicle details, or image, we give technicians quick access to exactly what they need. Our customer support team, accessible via chat, text, or phone, provides on-demand assistance, ensuring you have expert help throughout the process.
For readers from Autobody News, we’ve set up a special page with an exclusive offer. Visit our Autobody News page to see how we can help make your next repair even smoother.
Trust FindPigtails.com for Quality Repairs
In collision repair, reliable connectors are key to completing quality work. FindPigtails.com provides the tools, selection, and support to make every repair seamless and effective. Visit us to discover the difference our products and expertise can bring to your next project.
WrenchWay, ASE Merge Products To Improve Industry Accessibility For Would-Be Techs
By Elizabeth Crumbly Autobody News
Through an innovative partnership, two industry innovators are seeking to up the ante when it comes to connecting schools with professional partners and upping the quality of auto body education in high schools and postsecondary institutions.
Each organization brings varied existing online infrastructure to the table. WrenchWay’s School Assist program is a platform that connects schools with industry support, and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence’s (ASE) Adopt a School program puts schools in proximity with those looking to hire. Their combination on the School Assist platform means a bigger user base and more reach across the industry.
“WrenchWay had this really cool online platform for doing the same things (as the Adopt a School program),” ASE CEO Dave Johnson told Autobody News. “We thought, ‘We need to get together.’ I will admit, it started out as me saying, ‘I hate those guys!” because they were doing these things that I thought ASE should have been doing. But hey, if you can’t beat them, join them.”
What the Partnership Means
It was this line of thinking that led WrenchWay to want to make sure its platform was accessible to more users. Access is free for schools:
instructors can post shadow and tool donation requests, internships and ask for class speakers. Industry members like shops and dealerships can post donations like extra engines that might otherwise be scrapped.
“It’s not a complicated process, but what’s complicated is getting everyone onto one platform. That is key to what we wanted to do with WW and ASE,” explained WrenchWay co-founder Mark Wilson. “We feel strongly that for industry to properly
support schools, you have to get everyone to one place … There needs to be kind of a hub for that to happen.”
The ASE online presence wasn’t as strong as WrenchWay’s, according to Johnson, which was part of the reason the organization decided to combine its focus with WrenchWay. Earlier this year, the two organizations met and began grinding out partnership points.
The joint effort will do several things for the platform:
• It ups the program’s centralized aspect for industry partners.
• It’s a place for the ASE’s Education Foundation to invite its 2,000-plus ASE accredited schools to participate, although all schools, even non-accredited ones, will still be allowed to participate for free.
• It allows the platform to offer a lower price point for industry partners like shops and dealers. The current option, which is $1,800 yearly, provides access to School Assist, along with a job board recruiting tools and best practices. The partnership will bring about a lower pricing tier of $750 per year for those who want access only to School Assist.
• It’s an opportunity for WrenchWay and ASE to build out additional programs together.
The fact that the platform is still free for schools and caters to institutions not accredited with ASE means lots of accessibility for smaller programs, Wilson said. Some schools don’t even have auto body programs, he said, but the platform is in place to make sure general tech education teachers can tout it as a career.
And it’s a time-saver for industry partners, too.
“We can save you a ton of time on making sure the schools in your area — you have access to them and their requests,” Wilson said. “Just the time savings to create those relationships but then also manage them every new year and new semester easily covers that cost.”
Ongoing Updates
Recent tweaks and updates have made School Assist more accessible for users. A mobile app lets users flip between individual and organizational views. Shops can also record assists — the instances in which they’ve helped schools — slightly differently now, Wilson pointed out. Assist documentation can now remain open for addition of more information until a school decides to close it out. Other improvements like quick links and dashboards for schools have made
user experience more streamlined, he said.
Moving forward, there’s room for growth as the merge progresses. WrenchWay CEO Jay Goninen sees that fact as par for the course as the platform develops.
“There are a lot of things that you assume are just automatically going to click or take off, and then, once
you build it, you identify those points where you thought something was going to go a certain way and didn’t, you really can fine tune and tweak things, and I think our team has done a really, really good job at that,” he said.
Industry Accessibility
The companies plan to continue platform buildout, welcoming audience feedback along the way, Wilson said. They’re also working together on the Voice of Technician Survey and Report, along with a technician pay tool, in which auto body techs can enter their actual pay amounts for industry research. Joint events and webinars and an online community are in the works, too.
The platform development though, is a key focus in making the industry accessible for the next generation, though, Goninen said.
“Core to our mission as a company, which I think ASE works alongside of us very well with, is to promote and improve technician careers,” he explained. “And the more that we can stoke the fire for any student who is looking to get into our industry, the better our industry is. I think there are a lot of students who have the desire to get into our industry but don’t have the program that gets them exposure to what it is that we do.”
www.autobodynews.com
Rhode Island Law Will End Auto Insurance Premium Hikes For Widows
By Brian Bradley Autobody News
In January, Rhode Island will join a handful of other states that ban car insurance companies from treating widows and widowers differently that married people.
The new law will cover policies written, delivered or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
“It is good legislation,” said Lou Tedeschi of the Southern New England Independent Automobile Dealers Association in an email to Autobody News.. “Insurance companies should not be able to discriminate against anything that has to do with age or marital status.”
State law already prohibits companies from penalizing any insured drivers aged 65 and older solely because of age, and bans companies from failing to renew agreements solely because the covered person is 65 years or older. Signed into law by Democratic Gov. Dan McKee on May 31, S. 2269 will make Rhode Island one of at least six total states that ban discriminatory car insurance practices against widowed persons.
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts and Maryland
currently ban the practice.
Texas Appleseed, a justice advocacy group, in August reportedly called for its state to follow suit, according to Houston Fox 26. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) as recently as September 2022 called for Ohio to follow suit, according to the Akron (OH) Beacon Journal.
company “quickly notified” her that her car insurance would increase by $450 a year after informing the company of her husband’s death.
“Everyone who has experienced loss knows how devastating it is to deal with the practical matters and expenses and the uncertainly of a major life change on top of the heavy emotional toll of the grieving process,” Lawson said in a statement. “Adding an additional expense to the lives of those mourning a loved one is unnecessary and unfair.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rhode Island Senate Majority Whip Valarie Lawson, a Democrat, became aware of the apparent disparate insurance treatment for widows through a constituent whose husband died, according to a press release from the senator’s office.
The constituent’s car insurance
A 2015 Consumer Federation of America (CFA) study found that four of six reviewed major insurers — GEICO, Farmers, Progressive and Liberty Mutual — raised rates on state-mandated liability coverage for widows by an average of 20%.
The same study found that Nationwide “sometimes” increased rates for widows, and that State Farm did not adjust its rates because of marital status.
The research pulled quotes for minimum liability insurance across 10 U.S. cities, holding constant all car,
driver and insurance characteristics except for marital status.
The review found that Farmers, Progressive, Nationwide and Liberty Mutual “always” charged single, separated and divorced drivers the same price, with the annual premium “almost always” higher than the premium it charged married people.
The legislation’s Rhode Island House sponsor, Democratic Rep. Arthur Handy, said he experienced one of those price hikes firsthand after his wife passed away in 2021.
“Marital status is one of many, many factors insurance companies weigh when they decide what their risk is to insure a driver. But a person doesn’t become a bigger risk as a result of losing their spouse,” Handy said in a statement. “Besides being baseless, it’s just callous to add higher insurance rates to the heavy burdens of those who are grieving their spouses.”
A:Lower interest rates are going to help everybody from a single shop owner to investment groups, I think, that are working not only in the collision space, but also the mechanical space. We represent both. Even though the mechanical partners have lagged behind collision on consolidation and MSO movement, it is there.
We’re seeing more and more of it — more interest from single shops, and hearing more interest in activity in M&A. So with the trends we’re on now, certainly the ingredients would be encouraging. I think this is going to impact a lot of different segments, not just the M&A piece.
The Federal Trade Commission, structure of the board and appointments and direction, that’s going to be a big change.
But I think it’s encouraging for small business. We did not take an official position [on the election]. We have people on both sides.
But I would say a majority of our folks would certainly recognize the [potential of a coming] shift in tax policy, banking policy and competition policy. And if the House keeps trending and does fold into Republican leaders controlling the House, I think you’re going to see an impact on auto policy that’s significant. And it won’t just be in the M&A space.
Q:Trump has criticized EV incentive programs in the recent past. What do you think a Trump presidency means for EV mandates, as well as the internal combustion engine (ICE) market?
A:I think we have to look back even at this Congress and the dissatisfaction amongst many Republicans in the House — and I’m speaking for them, but I’m saying we’ve heard them say it to us, in meetings and publicly — dissatisfaction with the amount of federal funding that’s gone into incentives and charging stations, for example.
They have a lot of questions about
that. We’ve even run up against it in EV training efforts in trying to get more funding in that space. Not opposition to auto technician training, but opposition to narrow EV training. We’ve got a lot of shops, particularly in rural areas, that may not have had the volume of EV training, EV cars in their shops.
And even up to today, a university town might have half a million people. So, access is what we’ve been worried about.
We’ve had a couple of pilot projects in Colorado and California on EV training. But it’s a funding issue. Paying for these things is hard, and the only way to do it is a public-private partnership. So that impact and the lack of focus on the EV piece amongst particularly many House Republicans, I think now will be incentivized. So, we’ll see.
Federal appointments are going to be critical. If you look at not just the FTC, but you look from our perspective at U.S. DOT. I don’t know who [Trump’s] going to pick. I don’t have an inside track on that. But I know that some of the names that have been thrown around are conservatives who are not advocates of huge federal subsidies in the EV space.
And I think you could see a real directional change in that area, not just in the House of Representatives and the Senate, but also with whoever’s appointed to run the DOT, I think it’s going to be big.
A:Q:What could the next Senate bring for the industry?
[Texas Republican Sen.] Ted Cruz will chair the [Senate Commerce] Committee. And we know Sen. Cruz. He’s been very helpful to us. He’s pro-small business. I can’t imagine a scenario where Sen. Cruz, who now will be Chairman Cruz, is seeking more federal regulation of shops or more federal incentives in the space. I just don’t see it.
Now, some lobbyists may be able to sell that, but I don’t think I can. So, I don’t see that. I think that what we’re watching for is what they’ll do in the auto safety space from our perspective.
We like inspection. We like state programs in the vehicle inspections space. We like states having a lot of rights relative to vehicle safety inspection.
But the federal government certainly has a role in that and what that should look like and any incentives in that area for states that want to do it. That includes post-repair inspections, programs like in New Mexico, where it’s on resale, the vehicle has to have a post-repair inspection after a collision.
I think it’s going to be very different
[in the Senate]. I was surprised at the Pennsylvania Senate seat flipping.
But I’d be surprised if one of the first things out of the box is broad auto policy. When it comes up, I do think it would be in the EV space, but I don’t see a broad automotive emphasis, which we could’ve had under Democratic control.
And in the House, I don’t think so either. We don’t know who’s going to be chairman, but if you look at the mix of potential chairs, I don’t see that as a priority.
Q:
What about federal right to repair legislation? Some view it as favorable to small business and mom-and-pops in collision repair. Do you think there could be pushes to get those efforts off the ground?
A:We talked some about this within ASA this week, after the election with our executive committee informally. But we have an agreement with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and with Society of Collision Repair Specialists to address the vehicle data access issue.
And we are still working on implementation for the agreement we signed in July 2023. That will be very important for ASA implementation of the agreement, making sure that our shops have access to the data they need.
We like exhausting an industry agreement or an industry process if it’s possible, and it’s not always possible. But that’s always our first choice. If it doesn’t work, you go to Congress, or on this issue, right to repair, in Massachusetts and Maine, you have laws.
What we’re trying to avoid is any activity on this at the state level that will wind right back up where we’ve been with the insurer-repairer-consumer relationship, with it regulated with the authorization being at the state level, a 50-state checkerboard footprint of regulation. And that’s a hit and miss.
A:Q:How might other regulations be affected by the election?
But even not knowing who will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee or the subcommittees — because that does matter, the committee leadership — I still don’t see the administration encouraging any legislative effort within their own party that dramatically expands the role of the federal government, particularly at the Federal Trade Commission.
Certainly, [car] dealers have taken their share of hits from the current Federal Trade Commission in the regulatory space. I just don’t see, from a direction perspective, that continuing. I may be wrong, but I don’t see that.
One of the things that has concerned us, because we were victims of it, independent repair shops, collision and mechanical, after the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, in the service information regulation, the U.S. EPA in a Clean Air Act Amendment said emissions data must be given to independent repair shops, collision and mechanical, across the board, and that repair shops should get the same service information that franchise car dealers got. The Department of Commerce released further rulemaking on data access. Well, the OEs dumped all the info at Commerce.
They were understaffed, didn’t have the funding, and had no clue what they were doing. It was a complete failure. We met with the U.S. EPA. They reversed that policy. It took years to get this new law into a regulatory space that worked, which are the websites that you go to now, the OE websites, are a product of that 1990 Clean Air Act amendment. So, the federal government regulating this and disseminating our data or what we need to repair cars is risky.
And I’m going to be very surprised if we see the House or the Senate, particularly the Senate, going full bore to expand the number of personnel, funding and authority of the Federal Trade Commission to run these kind of programs.
For legislation and laws that are too aggressive and can try and cap out what you as a collision shop owner charge for storage fees, if your storage fee is too high — this is our view — then the consumer or the insurer should tell you, “That’s too high,” and not the government. Then, it’s up to the shop what they want to do.
But controlling prices at shops is not something we want the federal government involved in. And that was clear in our pre-meeting with the panelists, clear from our members over the years and our leadership that these capped storage fees -- in Oklahoma that was proposed, and that legislation could come up again, even though it died this next year -- that is something that we just don’t support.
We think that’s too much of government.
If we go too far on the Federal Trade Commission as a police officer under, whether “Joe Shop Owner” gets data or information from a third-party provider or the OEs or whatever, then that’s a little too much interference.
Q:Trade officials during Trump’s first term prioritized the auto industry, negotiating new bilateral trade rules and imposing more restrictive tariffs. What do you expect to see in the trade landscape under a second Trump term?
Bob Redding.
A:I think it’s anybody’s guess right now. There’s no U.S. trade representative yet. Bob Lighthizer [under Trump’s first administration] did a fantastic job.
I thought, for Trump’s first appointee, he was experienced. I’m not sure how much. He was involved in steel [litigation before serving as USTR], and I think he had some other clients where he had a lot of interaction with the [U.S. International Trade Commission] and other entities.
I’m just a big fan of theirs. Also, President Trump’s first chair of economic advisors, Gary Cohn, was one of the most inclusive senior staff people at the White House I’ve ever seen.
Where they brought small teams in — not always the same industries in the room — they might have five people from different sectors running things by them that might not be not be a priority for the industry, but had some impact. So, I was impressed with those administration appointments last time.
The establishment of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is a big deal. They have a serious chairperson there with [Republican] Congressman [John] Molinar of Michigan.
He’s a serious person, very smart, very educated and works well with
the ranking member. There are a lot of members from both parties that are very focused on the China piece.
I can’t imagine a scenario where the Congress doesn’t, as a majority, support what the president tries to do on China. That would be a surprise. Could we see, I mean, China is focused on specifically in the automotive context.
Q:Pundits have raised the possibility that Chinese cars, including EVs and autonomous vehicles, could be exported more to the U.S. in the future. Do you expect automotive trade with China to be a focus area in the trade conservation?
A: If you go back to the U.S.-Canada-Mexico agreement, some of the positions that USTR put on the table that were not accepted, really, I think, are precursors towards a willingness for an aggressive protectionist approach.
I think it’s going to be a very different approach. As you know, [current USTR] Ambassador [Katherine] Tai has been less assertive on trade agreements and certainly that’s just a really different approach than what Ambassador Lighthizer did or others, even going back to [former USTR] Mickey Cantor with Bill Clinton, who was very aggressive in the space, a Democratic USTR. But it’s going to be
different.
I don’t know who [Trump’s] going to pick. He certainly has some good choices out there, including former deputies that may have an interest.
Q:
In September, Trump tweeted that auto insurance rates were up 73% and he would cut them in half once he gets into office. Obviously, that can’t be a clean guarantee for every auto insurance holder. But is there any change that such a rate cut at least progresses toward being a reality, in the case of, say, deflation, or a deregulated supply chain?
A: I hope he does. I mean, my insurance rates are up. They’re certainly going to have a very, very different antitrust division at the Justice Department, a very, very different attorney general.
So, in the FTC piece, you’re going to have a lot of different federal policies. But as you know, the bulk of the regulation of these companies is at the state level. And despite having those major insurers that we focus on at various conferences and symposiums, there are a lot of small companies out there.
They’re small, local and state entities. And that is going to be a really hard job. And, you know, we have a
mix of insurance commissioners, a lot that were in the industry or going to the industry when they leave, as well as consumer activists.
That’s a tough job [to rein in insurance rates].
It’s hard. But it is, as you know, in many states, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida and California, insurance rates are high.
Q:
Do you have anything else to add?
A: I think that generally, we are going to see some very probusiness initiatives.
I do think auto will be in the line of things that Capitol Hill addresses relative to the EV piece. I think you’ll see legislation introduced out of the box.
I think this applies to any industry sector: Whatever administrative agency that they follow, whatever cabinet official, but not just that — all the way down to Schedule C’s — I think the Trump administration has been working early, diligently, on the personnel piece, gathering names and gathering policy ideas, and I think it will be a much more hit-the-groundrunning, versus last time when it was slow getting people in place, slow getting appointments to the Senate. I think it will be very different this time.
must address the future entity’s ability to monitor vehicle manufacturer compliance with standards adopted by that entity, to craft and oversee policies for evolving use and availability of vehicle-generated data, and to draft rules to enforce standards for data ownership and transmission.
It isn’t contemplated that the entity itself will host vehicle data, but it could have some rulemaking authority, Maine Chief Deputy Attorney General Christopher Taub said during the meeting.
For example, the entity could issue a rule stating that no car manufacturer is required to release vehicle data unless the receiver has proper credentials, he said.
“We don’t envision the entity being the gatekeeper of the information,” Taub said.
The entity could, however, operate similarly to a state medical licensing board, which in Maine operates as a quasi-governmental agency with authority to issue regulations, investigate patient complaints, take corrective action and refer the matter to the state attorney general’s office for further action if necessary, Taub
said.
“All of these licensing boards are regulatory,” he added. “They have rulemaking authority; they have enforcement authority; they have investigatory authority; they can serve subpoenas in a lot of cases.”
Christina Moylan, chief of the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Maine Attorney General,
said she envisioned repairers or consumers would bring data-access complaints to the attorney general’s office in cases where a car ostensibly cannot be repaired for various reasons. The entity could assist, according to Moylan, in discerning whether the failure to transfer data to repairers or consumers stems from a legitimate technical issue or something more minor.
Outside of a licensing board, a second option for the entity is to take the form of a “more traditional” state agency to be housed within an overarching department like the Department of Public Safety, Department of Administrative and Financial Services, or the Department of the Secretary of State, Taub noted.
Tesla Director of Service Engineering Brian Boggs pitched the third model.
A “no-board model” would save taxpayers the most money, Boggs said, proposing the deletion of the law’s Section 2 altogether.
Eliminating this language would remove the requirement to establish an entity to ensure cyber-secure access to vehicle data for car owners and independent repairers, as well as craft and enforce policies toward that end.
Moylan said an independent entity incorporating expertise from auto manufacturers, aftermarket parts manufacturers and distributors, independent repairers and others would give a “much more balanced and fair approach” to discerning the validity of complaints.
“The concept of the independent entity with combined expertise from all sides of the issue is going to give us a much more balanced and fair approach to figuring out whether
there is an enforcement issue,” she said.
Later, Moylan said she didn’t “want to suggest” the Maine attorney general’s office would deny the working group if it agreed the best way to implement Maine’s forthcoming right-to-repair standards is to split from the independent entity concept and take another tact.
“So long as the enforcer has … some balanced information that we could use, one mechanism could be to actually beef up some of the substantive provisions of the law, and that might help give us some guardrails and parameters that would help us,” she said. “We would need that balanced expertise. Maybe there’s another way to do it.”
Meeting participants also discussed the possibility of legislation during the next legislature starting in January that would prevent the independent entity’s formation.
“The legislature is free to do whatever they want with this” law, Taub said. “They could repeal it completely; they could get rid of the independent entity part of it. This is a law like any other law in the state, so the legislature is free to do what it wants. This past session, there was a bill that, among other things, would have repealed the independent entity provision. That did not prevail.”
Collision Wholesale Parts
Four Ways To Engage, Retain Apprentices in Your Auto Body Shop
By Leona Scott Autobody News
Here are four practical ways Oklahoma and Texas auto body shops are teaming up with local vocational schools, offering flexible schedules, providing mentorship and focusing on hands-on learning to help shops build a strong, skilled workforce for the future.
As the collision repair industry faces an aging workforce, recruiting the next generation of skilled technicians is crucial for the longevity of auto body shops.
Shop owners like Brian Davis of Davis Paint & Collision Auto Centers in Oklahoma City, OK, and Body Shop Manager Joey Walker of Huffines Chevrolet Plano Collision Center in Plano, TX, are paving the way by embracing apprenticeships and creating opportunities for students to enter the field. Both Davis and Walker have decades of experience and recognize that nurturing talent early on ensures a steady pipeline of skilled workers.
Here are four practical ways to hire apprentices and work around student schedules, helping auto body shops build a sustainable future workforce.
Collaborate with Vocational Schools
One of the most effective ways to recruit apprentices is by building strong relationships with local vocational or technical schools. With more than 30 years in the industry, Davis has made this a cornerstone of his approach. He actively engages with schools by visiting classrooms, hosting lunchand-learn sessions, and even judging at SkillsUSA competitions. These interactions allow shop owners to identify promising students early in their education. Davis emphasized connecting with teachers to understand which students are committed and driven.
“The biggest advantage of working with vo-tech schools is that we get to vet the students while they are in school,” Davis said.
He often starts students with entry-level work, such as detailing cars, and as they gain more experience, they transition into more complex roles. This process allows students to grow within the company, creating a strong sense of loyalty and job satisfaction.
Walker, who manages an auto body shop in Frisco, TX, shared a similar sentiment.
“Everyone who works here has come well recommended from the school,” Walker explained. By working closely with collision programs, he can identify students who are skilled and passionate about the industry.
Offer Flexible Scheduling Flexibility is key when working with student apprentices. Many young adults balance their education with part-time jobs, so offering adaptable work schedules is essential.
Walker has embraced this by allowing students to work around their school commitments. He recalled a paint prepper who works in the shop three days a week, scheduling his hours around his classes.
“We need to be more flexible if we’re going to be prepared with personnel,” Walker said. This willingness to accommodate students’ schedules allows them to gain valuable hands-on experience without sacrificing their education.
Davis has also mastered the art of flexible scheduling, often working with 17-, 18- and 19-yearold students who are still becoming young professionals. He typically pairs students with an experienced A tech, allowing them to learn while gradually increasing their responsibilities over two to three years. This approach benefits the
student and ensures they are fully prepared to transition into full-time roles upon graduation.
Create Mentorship Opportunities
Mentorship is vital in helping students transition from the classroom to the shop floor. Both Davis and Walker stressed the importance of pairing young apprentices with experienced technicians.
Davis highlighted the need for mentorship, noting that many students still develop individually.
“You’re not just turning out technicians; they could be a team lead, an estimator, a painter, a prepper — there are many possibilities,” he explained.
By pairing students with seasoned professionals, shop owners can ensure apprentices learn technical skills and develop soft skills, such as patience, communication and leadership. These mentorship opportunities foster a sense of belonging and commitment, leading to higher retention rates.
In Davis’ shop, 40-45% of students stay on after their apprenticeships, and many return after brief absences because of the strong support system they experienced during their training.
Walker has witnessed similar benefits. He has seen multiple generations of technicians work side by side, including a body technician and his son. This family atmosphere extends beyond blood relations, as Walker treats every apprentice as part of his shop’s “family.” This inclusive environment helps retain young talent and builds a strong team culture.
Invest in Hands-On Learning
Davis and Walker agree that hands-on experience is critical to
developing skilled technicians. While classroom education is important, practical application in a real-world setting is where students truly hone their abilities.
Davis works closely with instructors to ensure students are gaining the right skills. “I tell the instructors, don’t focus so much on welding — focus on disassembling a car,” he said, emphasizing the need for practical, hands-on tasks.
Davis’ shop also organizes field trips to give students a sense of what working in a shop is really like. These trips help bridge the gap between theory and practice, allowing students to become comfortable with the shop environment before they start their apprenticeships.
Walker has seen firsthand how hands-on learning benefits students, especially during busy seasons like after the Texas State Fair, when his shop experiences a surge in business. He ensures students get ample opportunity to engage in meaningful work, helping them grow their skills and confidence in real-world scenarios. Involving students and apprentices in your auto body shop is not just about filling immediate vacancies — it’s about building a sustainable workforce that will keep your business thriving for years.
By collaborating with vocational schools, offering flexible scheduling, creating mentorship opportunities and investing in hands-on learning, shop owners can cultivate a new generation of skilled technicians passionate about the industry.
As Davis put it, “We are breeding our own by hiring students and apprentices,” ensuring the next generation is prepared to take the reins in the collision repair industry.
Brian Davis
Joey Walker
‘Axalta Nimbus’ Cloud-Based Platform To Increase Refinish Customers’ Productivity
By Stacey Phillips Ronak Autobody News
Axalta recently announced the launch of Axalta Nimbus, the company’s cloud-based global customer experience platform for refinish customers. The application was introduced at the Automechanika Frankfurt Show in September, held in Frankfurt, Germany.
super proud to announce the new Axalta innovation that will help our customers all over the world perform better every single day and in every single repair,” said Patricia Morschel, vice president of marketing and commercial operations at Axalta, during the application’s launch at Automechanika.
At the show, Morschel talked about the company’s passion for helping customers perform better by innovating and bringing to market high-efficiency products that help customers save time, materials and energy.
She then walked conference attendees through the seven main parts of Axalta’s offerings and shared how Axalta Nimbus is unique.
from these digital processes, starting with the four basic modules: Axalta Nimbus Catalog, Axalta Nimbus Color, Axalta Nimbus Academy and Axalta Nimbus Support. As a business evolves, it can add more modules.
First, refinishers scan the color with Axalta Irus Scan, the newly launched, next-generation spectrophotometer. Second, they match the color using Axalta Nimbus Color, the platform that leverages proprietary algorithms to find, sort and return accurate color formulas.
Then, Macpherson said it’s time to mix with Axalta Irus Mix, which enables users to work more efficiently, profitably and sustainably.
Axalta Nimbus works with Axalta paint systems and is available in 23 languages, connecting teams regardless of their location.
“Axalta Nimbus seamlessly connects the entire body shop team to all of Axalta’s tools and resources in a single platform to improve efficiency, enhance productivity, boost performance and maximize profitability,” said Logan Macpherson, Axalta’s customer experience apps director, global refinish, who led the project team that created the application.
The cloud-based application connects to Axalta’s seven main offerings: product catalog (Axalta Nimbus Catalog), color retrieval (Axalta Nimbus Color), product ordering (Axalta Nimbus Store), inventory management (Axalta Nimbus Stock), training resources (Axalta Nimbus Academy), comprehensive business insights (Axalta Nimbus Insights), and support (Axalta Nimbus Support).
“Axalta Nimbus enables our customers to do business smarter,” said Troy Weaver, president of global refinish at Axalta. “This industryleading technology was designed based on the end-to-end process of how our customers work and reaffirms our commitment to not only be a leading coatings manufacturer but also a business partner dedicated to helping our customers improve productivity and profitability through technology and innovation. We are very proud of Axalta Nimbus and look forward to the impact it has in the market.”
“I am extremely excited and
“The cloud-based platform allows our customers to connect with the Axalta products and services in real time,” she said. “The system was designed with the user in mind to be very intuitive and easy to navigate, so users can seamlessly move from one application to the other.”
“For 160 years, Axalta Coating Systems has been leading the market globally and is very much renowned for their high-performance products and advanced technology,” said Michael Collie journalist who spent much of his career specializing in the automotive industry and was the emcee for Axalta Nimbus’s launch at Automechanika.
“Axalta’s innovation extends beyond refinish products and services,” he said. “They aim to allow clients’ businesses to work smarter, which is something we all have to do.”
Axalta demonstrated the application during the show, and attendees had the opportunity to take part in a hands-on experience.
Axalta Nimbus is a culmination of four years of hard work, said Macpherson, who set up the dedicated team responsible for developing the strategy behind the application.
“Leading the team was incredibly rewarding,” noted Macpherson. “They worked tirelessly to create something that we know will have a real impact.”
Because Axalta Nimbus is completely modular, Macpherson said shops of all sizes can benefit
“It is easy to use with an intuitive user interface for increased efficiency and customizable capabilities based on business need,” he added. “This allows skilled refinishers to do other, more productive tasks.”
Macpherson explained that Axalta Nimbus powers the company’s three-step Axalta Irus digital color management process: Scan – Match – Mix.
“It not only helps us to be closer to our 80,000 customers in approximately 120 countries, but it also enables our customers to work smarter,” said Macpherson.
The system will go live in North America and Europe in early 2025 and later be rolled out in Asia Pacific and Latin America.
For more information, visit axalta. com/nimbus.
Logan Macpherson, Axalta’s customer experience apps director, global refinish, and Patricia Morschel, Axalta’s vice president of marketing and commercial operations, at the application’s launch at Automechanika.
Michael Collie, a TV and radio journalist and the emcee for Axalta Nimbus’s launch at Automechanika with Patricia Morschel, Axalta’s vice president of marketing and commercial operations.
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340 Mystic Ave., Medford, MA 02155 nmedeiros@vwmedford.com
Wellesley Volkswagen
231 Linden St., Wellesley, MA 02482
Ph: 800-228-8344 / Fx: 781-237-6024
Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 7:30-4
wellesleyvwparts@aol.com
Contact: Dan Bettencourt / Wholesale Parts Manager
• Daily shipping available throughout New England and the Northeast
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Nissan
Ph: 781-395-3025 Fx: 781-475-5063 104 Mystic Ave. Medford, MA 02155 Hours: M-F 7:30-5 Sat 8-4
North End Mazda
747 Chase Rd. (Rte.13) Lunenburg, MA 01462
Ph: 800-322-1241 Fx: 978-582-9841
Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 Sat 8-4
225 State Rd., Dartmouth, MA 02747
Toll Free: 888-240-2773
Parts Dir: 508-997-2919 Fx: 508-730-6578
jdelcolle@buycolonialhonda.com
www.hondapartswholesaledirect.com
Cityside Subaru
790 Pleasant St., Belmont, MA 02478
Ph: 617-826-5013 / Fx: 617-489-0733
Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4
Hours: M-Th 7-7; F 7-5:30; Sat 8-4:30 Colonial Honda of Dartmouth parts@citysidesubaru.com
Colonial Cadillac of Woburn www.buycolonialcadillac.com
171 Great Rd., Acton, MA 01720
Ph: 978-263-3994 / Fx: 978-263-8587
Hours: M-F 7-5; Sat 8-4
Colonial Chevrolet parts@colonialchevrolet.com
Colonial South Chevrolet
361 State St., Dartmouth, MA 02747
Ph: 508-997-6711 / Fx: 508-979-1219
Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4
parts@colonialsouthchevrolet.com
Colonial West Chevrolet
314 John Fitch Hwy., Fitchburg, MA 01420
Ph: 978-503-7480 / Fx: 978-345-1152
Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4
3M, Axalta Announce Collaboration on New Training For Collision Industry
by Stacey Phillips Ronak Autobody News
3M and Axalta announced a collaboration to introduce a new training content series for the collision repair industry focused on automotive refinishing.
“It is meant to focus on the best practices of process optimization possible for an impactful enhancement to the body shop process around the themes of productivity, efficiency, quality, as well as safety and sustainability,” explained Corey Munn, 3M’s Automotive Aftermarket global commercial director.
“It was a natural fit to work together on this initiative. We wanted to work together to share our insights and guidance to any body shop looking to improve their operations in an accessible format,” said Patricia Morschel, vice president of marketing and commercial operations at Axalta. “With the current labor shortages and challenges of attracting and retaining talent, it’s important to continue to provide resources to body shops to ensure the industry’s long-term viability.”
About a year ago, 3M and Axalta discussed the importance of helping the industry understand the proper repair process in a constantly changing environment.
As leaders in training and education, both companies recognized their synergies and decided to collaborate to tackle the challenge together and help drive the industry forward.
An essential aspect of the program was to ensure it was process-based and not product-focused.
“This initiative is not about selling more products,” noted Munn. “We truly wanted to bring together competencies, capabilities and shared values to address the real needs of our industry and help body shops understand how they can optimize their processes.”
He said the output of the collaboration reflects the best in refinish process expertise. 3M and Axalta brought together application engineers with decades of refinish process experience to share
fundamental refinish practices and methodologies.
“With the breadth and depth of refinish knowledge that both companies possess, our teams codeveloped the content based on proven processes,” said Morschel, adding, “These modules are designed to be brand agnostic, so no matter which products are being used, the overarching takeaways can be implemented to help improve efficiency and increase consistency while reducing errors.”
“For the past several years, we have heard more than ever from our mutual customers that their body shops are challenged to maintain the same levels of productivity, efficiency and quality as ever,” said Munn. “Today, it takes longer to do a repair, and it’s a more complex process.”
As a result, the training series was designed to help address these challenges. The companies took a unique approach when creating the program.
“Historically, a lot of training has been centered around the appropriate use of specific products,” said Munn. “This training is specifically based on the underlying processes.”
The objective was to provide understanding and education around common refinish practices irrespective of the products used.
Five co-branded training modules are being developed to help technicians and shops improve their understanding of repair process practices and, ultimately, have greater operational outcomes.
The modules, which range from five to 10 minutes, will include practices that shop leaders and technicians can implement to optimize the refinish process. The first three are planned to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. Two additional modules will be available in the first quarter of 2025.
The content will be accessible through both organizations’ learning management system platforms, which include the 3M Academy and Axalta Academy.
There is no cost associated with the education, which is available to all industry stakeholders, whether or not they are using 3M or Axalta products.
“As a steward of the industry, it’s important that we challenge ourselves as to how are we helping to look after the most pressing needs and challenges of the industry,” noted Munn. “It’s no secret that there is a significant need in the industry for skills development, specifically around the growing shortage of skilled labor.”
The process-based modules are intended to support the technical advancement and career growth of collision refinish technicians.
and body shops will take this content and apply it.”
“Between Axalta and 3M, we share over 300 years of industry expertise,”
Munn said that to preserve the industry, everyone must come together to ensure a vehicle is returned to its pre-accident condition as productively and efficiently as possible, while adhering to OEM repair procedures.
“I’m very proud of this collaboration that is truly focused on advancing the industry,” said Munn. “I’m excited to see how technicians
said Morschel. “It’s our responsibility to continue to pass that knowledge along to the next generation of refinish professionals. Our vision for this joint initiative is to set a new standard for how knowledge is shared throughout the industry.”
For more information about the training modules, visit: axaltalearning. netdimensions.com/index-sso.html or 3MCollision.com/Learn.
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Suits Related To Non-OEM Parts, Insurers Suing Shops, Crash Reports See Court Activity
By John Yoswick Autobody News
There was recent activity in five industry-related lawsuits as they proceed through the process in U.S federal courts around the country.
The Florida Supreme Court in September ruled that GEICO cannot sue an auto glass company in that state under the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act (FMVRA). Glassco, Inc., had originally sued the insurer over what it called “deeply discounted” reimbursement for insurance claims. GEICO countersued, alleging Glassco would have insured customers assign rights to all insurance payments for repairs without informing the customers what services would be needed.
“GEICO concedes that it is not a ‘customer’ under the statute’s definition of the term.”
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT OPINION
A federal appeals court ruling in the case asked the Florida Supreme Court whether the FMVRA gives an insurer the right to sue the shop for failure to provide a written estimate. That court now has answered “no” to that question, saying the law in question focuses almost exclusively on the interactions between a “repair shop and the person who presents the car for repair.” It mentions insurers only once, relative to prohibiting substitution of used parts for new without notifying the insurer.
“GEICO concedes that it is not a ‘customer’ under the statute’s definition of the term,” the opinion said, and the FMVRA only gives a shop’s customer the right to sue. Glassco may have violated the FMVRA, the court said, but that doesn’t give GEICO a cause of action.
The ruling also said violations under FMVRA do not necessarily render “a subsequent repair invoice entirely void,” the other issue the appeals court posed to the Florida Supreme Court. The case now returns to the appeals court.
Dealer Group Gets Its Management System Data
Any body shop that has struggled
to get a copy of its data from an estimating or management system provider when switching to another provider may appreciate that a federal judge in Georgia has ordered the dealership management system firm CDK Global to provide four Asbury Automotive Group dealerships with their data as those dealerships prepare to switch from CDK to the Tekion dealership management system.
information on an accident report “to persons it knew were acquiring the information for marketing purposes,” violating the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
State law requires filing of a police report after any accident involving an injury or property damage exceeding $1,000.
Although Durham claimed she was contacted only by an attorney who allegedly obtained her
Asbury, which has used CDK’s system for more than a dozen years, has said it plans to switch all of its dealerships over to Tekion by 2027.
“CDK’s intent has become quite clear, that it intends to quash its competitor, Tekion, and force Asbury to stay on CDK’s platform by holding [Asbury’s] data hostage in direct violation of the parties’ agreement,” Asbury’s lawsuit alleged.
CDK countersued, accusing Asbury of using software to improperly collect its information stored within CDK’s platform, and saying if Asbury had wanted its data, it needed to switch its customer status with CDK in advance, foregoing special pricing and other perks it had in its current agreement.
Consumers Sue Over Release of Accident Reports
In late September, a North Carolina federal judge said the City of Charlotte violated federal privacy law by making car accident reports public in a way that law firms could use the disclosed data for marketing purposes, granting summary judgment and certification to a class of drivers. The city plans to appeal the ruling.
Heather Durham sued the city, saying its police department improperly disclosed her personal
this past summer, a week before the trial was set to again, Repairify agreed to settle the portion of the lawsuit related to two of the patents when the court found the documents Repairify produced did not establish the company owned those two patents. In light of the new document, Repairify is now asking the court to reverse its dismissal related to those two patents.
Counter Suit Against GM Can Continue
Also recently, a federal judge in Michigan denied General Motors’ motion to dismiss an aftermarket parts retailer’s claim that the automaker was behind a government raid of its warehouses. GM is suing Quality Collision Parts for patent infringement, saying the company sells non-OEM parts that violate GM’s design patents.
information through the accident report, others who could potentially be part of the class action say they were contacted by body shops that had similarly obtained accident report information.
New Documents May Revive Lawsuit
In a possible turnaround in another lawsuit, Repairify, parent company of asTech, told a federal court in Texas that its new counsel has identified a document it says unequivocally demonstrates the company’s rights to patents it argues were violated by LKQ Corporation subsidiary Keystone Automotive, doing business as Elitek Vehicle Services.
Repairify had sued LKQ related to violations of three patents, but
Quality Collision Parts earlier this year counter sued, challenging the validity of the patents and arguing GM “has unclean hands in the way it pursued whatever patent rights it had before the present case started.” Its tortious interference counter suit says GM used “false or misleading allegations” to “improperly influence the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a raid on Quality Collision’s warehouses.”
While dismissing some claims in Quality Collision’s counter suit, Judge Denise Hood allowed the tortious interference allegation to stand, saying Quality Collision had adequately stated a claim that GM had known in advance about the raid, cooperated with the government, and knew it would be disruptive to Quality Collision’s business and would help the automaker with its planned design patent infringement lawsuit.
In seeking to dismiss the counter suit, GM’s filing stated Quality Collision’s “delusional allegations are not grounded in reality.”
CollisionRight Maintains Acquired Shops’ Local Identities While Updating Operations
By Leona Scott Autobody News
As one of the fastest-growing companies in the collision repair industry, CollisionRight has captured attention by expanding to 100 locations in just four years. Under the leadership of CEO Rich Harrison, the Ohio-based company has achieved rapid growth through a combination of strategic acquisitions, operational efficiency and a focus on maintaining the local identity of its acquired brands.
we’re now positioned for continued expansion into other states.”
The strategy is far from complete. Harrison noted CollisionRight plans to triple its footprint over five years.
“We aim to expand in the 10 states we’re already in and are looking at opportunities in Virginia as our 11th state and elsewhere. Achieving critical mass and density is key for profitability and scale,” Harrison said, adding that the focus will be on acquiring more shops while maintaining a strong emphasis on recruiting top talent.
In an interview with Autobody News, Harrison shared the strategies that fueled CollisionRight’s rise, the importance of preserving the unique histories of local shops, and how the company plans to navigate the challenges of further expansion.
A Strategic Vision for Rapid Expansion
When Harrison founded CollisionRight in late 2019, he had the benefit of extensive experience in the automotive industry. “I spent over 20 years in the auto glass sector.” he said. “I recognized collision repair was a highly fragmented field, ripe for consolidation.”
His timing was opportune — though the COVID-19 pandemic created widespread uncertainty across industries, Harrison saw it as an opportunity. “The pandemic was a gift for us,” he said. “It gave us time to plan, grow strategically, and acquire shops at a pace that might not have been possible otherwise.”
Key to CollisionRight’s growth was starting in markets like Ohio that, at the time, had less competitive intensity from national consolidators than in other parts of the country like Texas and California.
Harrison’s merger and acquisition background also played a pivotal role. “We had a clear focus: invest in collision repair shops in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, like Erie, PA, and Flint, MI,” said Harrison. “This model has worked exceptionally well for us, and
Maintaining Local Identity in a Consolidating Industry
One of CollisionRight’s distinguishing features is its commitment to preserving the local identity of the shops it acquires.
“I love local branding,” Harrison said. “Some of the shops we’ve acquired have been around for 75 years, some even up to 100 years. These are neighborhood shops with strong reputations and repeat business and referrals deeply rooted in their communities.”
The commitment to local identity also maintains the trust and relationships these shops have fostered over the decades. CollisionRight integrates acquired shops into its common operational platform while allowing them to retain their names and customer relationships.
“It’s a delicate balance,” Harrison said. “We want to modernize and streamline operations, but we also want to honor the history that makes these shops unique. That’s why we rely on systems like CCC to help us manage operations while respecting the local heritage of each shop.”
Navigating Workforce and Culture Challenges
As CollisionRight expands, scaling workforce management has become a central challenge. “When we had four shops, it was easier to manage the workforce and maintain a cohesive
culture,” Harrison said. “Now, with 101 shops, keeping everyone engaged is a bigger task.”
To address this, Harrison emphasized the importance of leadership and employee engagement.
“If people are engaged, they give 30% more discretionary effort at work,” he said. “My vision is to provide the best possible customer experience and make our shops the best places to work.”
To ensure this, CollisionRight conducts regular employee surveys -six-minute questionnaires employees can complete on their phones -- to gauge satisfaction and areas for improvement. The surveys are a quick and effective way to make sure they’re staying in touch with the needs of their team members.
Creating a strong company culture across such a diverse network also requires intentional leadership. “It comes down to great leadership at every level,” Harrison said. “Leaders at our shops need to understand the company’s vision and make it their own while maintaining the unique culture of their local market.”
Leading the Way in Technological Advancements
Beyond growth and culture, Harrison sees technological innovation as a key differentiator for CollisionRight. The collision repair industry is rapidly evolving, especially with the increasing need for vehicle calibration and scanning.
“Calibration is huge for us,” Harrison said. “We want to ensure vehicles are scanned and calibrated properly. That’s why we’ve set up 360ALIGN, our mobile fleet that provides calibration services for our shops.”
CollisionRight performs scans on more than 90% of repair claims, a critical step in ensuring high-quality repairs.
“As we continue to expand, investing in new technology will be pivotal,” Harrison said. “The industry is moving towards more sophisticated diagnostics, and we want to lead the charge in that area.”
CollisionRight’s success is about growing responsibly, preserving the unique identities of the shops it acquires, and staying ahead of the curve in a constantly changing industry. With a clear vision for the future, the company seems well-positioned to continue its upward trajectory while staying true to its local roots.
860.651.3393 860.658.6801 Fax
860.651.3747
860.658.6210 Fax
fmanauto.com
Audi of East Hartford
Connecticut Blvd. East Hartford, CT 06108
860.282.0191
860.290.6355 Fax
EHAudiParts@hoffmanauto.com M-F 7-5:30 Sat 7:30-3:30
860. 274.547 1
860 274.0671 Fax
M-F 7am-5:30pm Sat 7:30am-3:30pm 133 Schraffts Drive Waterbury, CT 06795
860.447.5090
860.447.5099
Nlaudiparts@hoffmanauto.com
New Doan Group Franchise Brings Insurance Appraisals To Northern New England
By Abby Andrews Autobody News
Cassandra Caravella, an experienced auto appraiser with deep familial ties in the insurance industry, is the owner of a new franchise with The Doan Group in the northern New England regions of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
For more than 40 years, The Doan Group has been working in the appraisal industry. It has grown to include all lines of business —“anything you could damage,” said Executive Vice President Roger Crowley — and currently has about 750 appraisers across the U.S.
For auto damage claims, the company works with collision repair shops, from the initial estimate to any supplements, ensuring all state laws and regulations are followed.
“There’s a lot of different nuances within states,” Crowley said.
In July 2020, The Doan Group was acquired by Woodland Capital Holdings. Since then, the company has tripled in size. Crowley said it aims to be 100% franchisee-owned by the end of 2025.
Caravella hails from a family of insurance appraisal professionals. Her father, Dominick Caravella, is
a franchise owner in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Cassandra Caravella has more than five years of experience as an auto appraiser, and three years as a co-owner of The Doan Group’s franchises in Connecticut and Virginia.
When she decided to open her
Caravella has prior experience with in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The Doan Group’s appraisers are mostly hired by an insurance company or, less frequently, a thirdparty administrator, to work as a liaison between them and the body shop.
new office in New England, Caravella quickly learned the new states’ regulations. Vermont, for instance, requires adjusters to hold an auto appraiser license to handle both the appraisal and the claim, a regulation
It’s important for appraisers to communicate well with the shop, Caravella said, and to thoroughly review estimates and any supplements to agree on a repair process and what it will cost.
“One of the things we do very well is we have that local-level appraiser that goes out and builds that relationship with shops,” Crowley said. “We want to be able to work with shops, not against shops, to make it easier for the customer between the insurance company and the body shop, to make sure that those customers are being serviced timely, accurately and fairly.”
Caravella said owning a Doan franchise “offers a unique blend of professional success and personal
fulfillment.” Her prior experience in a Doan franchise family instilled a strong belief in the business model, which, she said, “not only fosters financial growth but also supports family values.”
As a mom, Caravella said those values were one of the most important factors in her decision to become a franchise owner with The Doan Group, as it allows her to build a business while being present in her family’s life.
Caravella said it is also a good experience for her older son, who will soon be 12, and has taken to heart how hard she and her fiancée work to run the franchise.
“It’s been nice to hear him say he wants to follow in our footsteps,” she said.
Crowley said The Doan Group is looking for more franchisees like Caravella to build at the local level and one day hand over the reins to the next generation. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit doan.com/franchise-opportunities/ become-a-doan-franchise-owner/ Carriers with claims in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont can reach Caravella and her team at their main office at cassandra.caravella@doan. com and 860-960-0409.
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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
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
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
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
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dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs.
Nucar Honda of Norwood Norwood
833-319-6270
781-619-6791
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5 bh-wholesale@boch com
LIA Honda Northampton Northampton
800-369-7889
413-587-2900
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-3 dstanisewski@liacars com
Clinton Honda
Annandale
877-657-2787
Dept Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-2 abdulc@clintonhonda com
Honda of Turnersville Turnersville
800-883-0002
856-516-6262
Dept Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4 mbivario@penskeautomotive com
Hudson Honda
West New York
866-483-6917
201-868-9500
Dept Hours: M-Sat 8-5 mdasilva@hudsonhonda�com
Acura Turnersville Turnersville
888-883-2884
856-516-6060
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 7:30-4:30 sbaptist@penskeautomotive com
Autosport Acura
Denville
973-361-3117
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Bill Vince’s Bridgewater Acura
Bridgewater
908-704-0307
Dept� Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 mattn@bridgewateracura com
Madison Honda Madison 800-648-0293
973-822-1710
Dept Hours: M-Thu 7-7; Fri 7-6; Sat 7-5; Sun 8-4 jay madisonhonda@gmail com
Route 22 Honda Hillside 973-705-9100
Dept Hours: M-Sat 8-5 rt22hondaparts@route22honda com
Scott Honda of Vineland Vineland 800-893-3030
856-692-4449
Dept Hours: M-F 6:30-5 parts@scotthondavineland com
Dept Hours: M-Thur 8-8; Fri 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 parts@idehonda com
Elite Acura Maple Shade
856-722-9600
Dept Hours: M-Sat 7:30-6 bmartinsen@eliteacura com
Open Road Acura of East Brunswick East Brunswick
732-238-0777
732-238-5466
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Open Road Acura of Wayne Wayne
973-696-5151
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Lamacchia Honda Syracuse 315-471-7278
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 parts@lamacchiahonda com
Lia Honda of Albany Albany
518-438-4555
Dept Hours: M-Th 7-6; F 7-5:30; Sat 8-5 mluciano@liacars com
Lia Honda of Brewster Brewster 845-278-4177
Dept� Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-4 cpaulson@liacars com
Lia Honda of Williamsville Williamsville/Buffalo 877-659-2672
716-632-3800
Dept Hours: M & W 7:30-7; Tu & Thur 7:30-6 Fri 7:30-5; Sat 8-5:30 mmiller@liacars com
Ray Laks Honda Orchard Park 716-824-7852
Dept Hours: M, Tu, Th 8-8; W, F 8-6; Sat 8-5 jmaybee@raylaks com
Acura of Westchester Westchester 914-834-8887
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 8-4; Sun 9-4 acura parts@yahoo com
Advantage Acura Saint James 631-366-6000 631-366-4114
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 juang@aagny net
Curry Acura Scarsdale 800-725-2877 914-472-7406
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Baierl Honda Wexford
818-332-7351
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802 Honda Berlin
802-223-9700
Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-Noon hondaparts@802cars com
Paragon Acura Woodside 718-507-3990
Dept Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5; Sun 9-4 parts@paragonacura com
Baierl Acura Wexford 800-246-7457 724-935-0800
Dept Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 cameronegerter@baierl com
Davis Acura Langhorne 267-296-1000 215-943-7000
Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 frankp@davisacura com
Collision Repairers Looking for More than Just Parts Discounts, Find Multiple Systems a Time-Suck
As I mentioned in previous columns, I’ve conducted more than a dozen meetings bringing together collision repairers with regional wholesale parts managers for one of the automakers. The key goal: to give both sides of the parts purchase transaction a better understanding of each other’s perspective, and a clearer understanding of how the parts processes work between all the various stakeholders.
In the most recent of those columns, I shared some of what collision repairers said loud and clear about what they are looking for in a best-in-class OEM wholesale parts vendor. When they decide who to buy parts from, what are the most important considerations? The list invariably included:
• Acceptance of electronic parts orders.
• Good inventory. Getting the right part quickly can be just as — or even more — valuable to a shop as
the discount.
• Knowledgeable, helpful staff.
• Accurate ETAs. Shops said some vendors receiving electronic
parts orders may not input the actual estimated time of arrival. The system may default to an ETA of the next day, when in fact that has not
been researched and verified by the parts vendor. As I said in my previous column, it is critical that wholesale parts departments understand that collision repairers make decisions based on parts availability. These decisions impact the shop’s employees and customers, their relationships with insurers, their productivity and their bottom line. Accurate communication is critical. If it were possible, shops would love to have the ability to know the part availability at the warehouse.
• Ability to scrub parts order by VIN.
• Prompt pick-up of returns and processing of credits. If parts are returned because the vehicle turned out to be a total loss, and the vendor can’t accept the returns without a parts return fee, shops said they can bill the insurer for that parts return fee.
• Email confirmation of orders received.
• Full and complete orders,
One shop owner told Mike why it took him 50 minutes to order a headlight due to having to use multiple parts ordering systems.
with no “orphan lines.” Let’s say a body shop orders eight parts, but the dealership sends them nine, perhaps because of a supersession. If the shop is electronically ordering parts, and electronically receiving invoices, there’s not a place for that orphan line to go. Tell the shop you’re sending an extra part so they can update the estimating system and have a place to receive all the items in that order. Again, it all comes down to great communication.
• Consistent delivery windows. Having drivers arrive at the shop within consistent windows of time each day helps shops plan production. I’ll discuss the issue of shops that have inefficiencies and fail to perform 100% disassembly leading to multiple parts orders in a future article.
• Accuracy of order fulfillment and billing. Most shops said they would like to receive credits back in 48 hours or less.
• It would be great whenever possible to have parts invoiced in sequential order to match the shop purchase order in the management system.
• Shops say it would be useful if a vendor can provide a monthly report showing their percentage of return parts for the month
(excluding core charges).
And yes, a “fair discount” always made the list. But I assure you, in meeting after meeting, among shop representatives from all types of shops, all around the country, “fair discount” was never the first expectation mentioned, not ever considered the No. 1 demand. It was usually the fifth, sixth or seventh thing that made it to the list.
The best discount in the world doesn’t matter, for example, if the part is wrong or it takes forever to get the part. I’m sure there are parts vendors reading this and thinking, “Mike, you don’t understand. All my shop clients care about is price or discount.” I promise we will address this in a future article.
Lastly, for any insurers or automakers reading this: Shops are just as frustrated as parts vendors at having to use multiple platforms to order parts. I’ll go into this more in a future column, but here’s a not-uncommon scenario one shop owner recently shared with me about the wasted time these multiple parts systems add to what should be a simple process.
Step 1: He wrote an estimate for a job that was going to require four parts, including a headlight. His estimating system’s parts locating
system — we’ll call it Parts System 1 — showed available parts, and he selected parts from that list.
Step 2: As a direct repair shop for an insurer that requires the use of another parts system — we’ll call it Parts System 2 — he dumped the estimate into that system and waited for bids to come back. For the headlight alone, that system found 45 options, so he went through that list to find the best options.
Step 3: Back in the estimating system, he deleted the previous headlight and entered the one from Parts System 2. By that time — which happened to be the following morning — the estimating system had refreshed its system and so presented new headlight options, including one that was less expensive. He went back into Parts System 2 to document why he was choosing the headlight from Parts System 1.
Step 4: He then scrubbed the estimate for compliance, and that report has its own parts search that has nothing to do with the Parts System 1 search. That identified a headlight that’s even cheaper, so once again he deleted the headlight and added the latest one found, again documenting within the systems why all these choices were
Spin the Wheel.
being made.
Step 5: With the estimate written to comply with insurer requirements, he then sent the estimate to Parts System 3, one that’s required for the relevant automaker’s certification program. That system identified new OEM parts that match all the pricing on the earlier parts found, but to accurately reflect what is being done to the vehicle, he has to delete all the previous parts found and reenter all the price-matched parts from Parts System 3.
Fifty minutes later, he said, he could finally order the parts. In that amount of time, he said, he could have blueprinted another job. This scenario happened every single day. This is ridiculous. We need to work together on a solution.
I hope at least one person in the insurance industry will reach out to me to better understand the impact of this and how much this delays things for shops and customers. We are stepping over $100 bills to pick up pennies. There is a better way. Next time: I’ll share what shop owners should understand about what makes them a good customer for a dealerships’ parts department, and what shops and their parts suppliers can do together to each improve their business.
NEK Collision Repair in Vermont Expands Shop, Builds Out New-Age Tech
By Ben Shimkus Autobody News
NEK Collision Repair, a 30-year-old service center in Lyndonville, VT, is gearing up for a major expansion of its facilities. It is one of three collision centers in the state’s northeast region.
The business currently operates out of an 8,000-square-foot building. Permits submitted to the city’s Development Review Board
“immediately” after the construction’s completion.
ADAS technologies are designed to enhance vehicle safety by automating or improving specific tasks, like switching lanes, monitoring blind spots or parallel parking. In a collision repair center, ADAS recalibration maintains a new car’s intended safety functions after an accident.
But Ling said the new tech has made collision repair more difficult.
detailed a plan to add another 4,725 square feet to the shop. The new construction would also add Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration tech to the facility.
John Ling, NEK Collision’s owner since 2019, told Autobody News he would also hire a new employee
Many small shops are struggling to make technological investments and educate their staff on the system’s recalibration. He also said technicians are struggling because manufacturers lack transparency regarding repair protocols.
“With cars getting so technical, a
lot of small body shops don’t want to make the continuous investments it’s going to take to keep up with the technology [of new cars],” Ling said.
“A lot of owners have been running their shop for 40 or 50 years, and they know they’re getting close to retirement. They’re not making these investments, and they’re closing down early.”
efforts, the fix may send the car back to the Toyota dealership.
Tech-based fixes have ballooned costs for repair shops and drivers across the U.S. According to the latest Consumer Price Index, car insurance rates have skyrocketed by 16.3% in the past year. Nationwide, vehicle insurance inflation has outpaced all other categories measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the same time, overall economic inflation rose by just 2.4%.
Ling detailed an example. His shop is currently fixing a 2020 Toyota Tundra pickup that jackknifed while towing a trailer. The pickup needed a repair on the rear quarter panel.
During the fix, Ling said he didn’t touch the blind-spot monitor, but the vehicle displays a repair warning for the safety tech in the dashboard.
“Where is the problem?” Ling asked. He said that despite his best
The high costs have sprung local regulators into action.
Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulations (DFR) has asked collision repair shops to complete surveys, hoping to temper the expanding costs in the state.
However, Ling said vehicle repair costs would remain high if OEMs continued to launch highcost safety tech. After his latest investment, he said his shop would be well-equipped for the expensive repairs.
“There is no such thing as a simple repair anymore,” he said. “It’s going to be a real struggle for body shops, especially in small communities, to keep up with educating and learning the differences with those technologies.”
Scholarship America Makes Pitch To Close Collision Repair Talent Gap
by Ben Shimkus Autobody News
The collision repair industry could soon be facing a deep workforce shortage. While experts expect the industry to grow in the short and long term, shop owners have expressed concerns about a need for more skilled labor, particularly with more vehicles deploying tech-based features like advanced driver-assisted systems (ADAS) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).
Recent studies by CCC Intelligent Solutions said the shortages are hitting collision shop’s bottom lines. The study found a 4.9% year-over-year wage increase, partially due to a shorter availability of workers. Individual shops are already spotting the education gaps between younger technicians and the current strains in the repair industry.
“This is going to be a real struggle for the industry, to keep and get people that are willing to learn new technology,” John Ling , the owner of NEK Collision Repair in Lyndonville, VT, told Autobody News. “It’s always been a hands-on work industry, and now it’s going to
be a technical industry.”
However, Scholarship America believes it has a solution.
The Minnesota-based organization, which started in 1958, has awarded more than $5 billion of scholarships to more than 3.1 million students across the U.S. since its inception. Scholarship America works with member companies, offering students from diverse backgrounds
between $5,000 to $20,000.
The organization made its pitch to auto manufacturers and vehicle maintenance companies in a recent blog post for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). The organization explained that targeted scholarships can help businesses train future technicians, upskill existing employees, and establish a philanthropic presence in their communities.
programs aimed at historically underfunded groups could provide a pathway into the automotive workforce while alleviating some burdens of student loans.
For private businesses, Scholarship America hopes the upfront costs of early-career investment could alleviate the financial hardships associated with wage inflation and worker shortages.
financial rewards to limit the high costs of higher education. The organization has worked with manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Toyota on previous projects. During their four-year programs, students in Toyota’s program received scholarship rewards
“Investing in educational support like scholarships for your employees can have a two-fold benefit: you’re assuring new members of the workforce that they can continue to grow, learn, and develop on the job,” explained Claire Berge Schmidt , associate vice president of marketing for Scholarship America. “And, by supporting them as they complete certifications, acquire new skills and move up the career ladder, you’re also upskilling your own workforce.”
Many students, particularly those from low-income families and historically marginalized communities, face the tough choice of taking on debt or working fulltime jobs alongside their studies, Schmidt explained. Scholarship
“In addition, by creating scholarships for employees’ families, you’re also providing a benefit that can help them as they move further into their career and as their own kids grow up,” Schmidt added. “No other benefit keeps on giving quite like a scholarship program.”
More than 3.4 million students are expected to graduate from American high schools each year between 2025 and 2028, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. According to Scholarship America, the hope is that automotive companies at all levels will recognize the benefits of supporting future technicians, help close the skills gap and give back to the communities that support their business.
DEKRA Introduces QCARE To Help Collision Repairers Manage Assets, OEM Certifications
By Stacey Phillips Ronak Autobody News
With body shops placing greater emphasis on obtaining OEM certifications, collision repairers can feel overwhelmed when deciding which program is the best fit for their facility. Those who are already OEM certified may find it challenging to
manually collect the information, while trying to complete timeconsuming reporting with valuable resources.
“This can be highly inefficient and costly,” said Gabriel Morley, vice president of DEKRA North America.
Morley said DEKRA was committed to finding a solution to address the challenges of pursuing
manage the programs they are part of. At the same time, shops often
OEM certification. Working with its partners and the industry, the
company created DEKRA QCARE (Quality Compliance and Risk Evaluation).
The cloud-based platform was designed to assist independent repairers and MSOs in proactively streamlining the management of their assets and certified networks. Morley said QCARE connects OEMs, repairers and other valuable third-
the ability to track compliance against both internal and external standards, streamline asset and training management and enhance an organization’s field operations.
Morley said the product aligns with DEKRA’s core values around safety and standards.
“As a safety and standards company, we leveraged our expertise to bring more real-time verification and processes to our partners and provide an opportunity to repurpose important resources like valuable team members who spent a lot of time with spreadsheets trying to stay compliant,” he said.
party partners.
“QCARE can help with holistic network management, facility and asset management, mergers and acquisitions, and OEM certification and compliance,” explained Morley. “It also was designed to leverage
Whether it’s an independent shop owner deciding which program is the best fit or an MSO that needs traceability throughout two to 2,000 shops, Morley said QCARE brings everyone together so less time is spent on managing program participation and more time can be dedicated to customers and proper repairs.
“Challenges with redundancy, cost and a lack of transparency and insight
in the collision repair industry with the current way of administrating a certified network often make it hard for programs to scale,” said Morley. “There is also a level of liability for 364 days after a single yearly audit is complete.”
He said QCARE tracks and manages the critical elements that contribute to compliance, such as assets, tools, people and training.
Features include connecting valuable industry partners, self-service capabilities to reduce costs and delays associated with traditional IT development, and the ability to improve operations. QCARE also provides customizable reports and configurable program tracking so that organizations can build upon QCARE’s functionality.
DEKRA was established in 1924 when an industrialist named Hugo Stinnes came up with the idea of creating a voluntary technical monitoring service for motor vehicles.
The following year, the Deutsche Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein (German Motor Vehicle Monitoring Association) was founded and soon became known as “DEKRA.”
The company has grown to include about 49,000 employees worldwide and assists more than 500,000 customers in 60 countries on five continents.
Initially, Morley said attention was focused on technical safety, primarily in the automotive sector.
DEKRA has since expanded its activities into many diverse aspects of daily life “on the road, at work and at home,” all focused on safety.
For nearly 100 years, Morley said, DEKRA has been committed to ensuring people’s safety in all of life situations. What started in 1925 with the technical monitoring of
personnel management services, as well as testing and certification of analog and digital products and systems.
With more than 500 services offered, Morley said DEKRA assists in transforming sustainable management.
“Through the company’s commitment to cybersecurity and the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), DEKRA is helping to build trust in new technologies and to master the related challenges, such as future mobility,” noted Morley.
motor vehicles today comprises a wide range of services, notably for inspecting, testing and certifying vehicles, products, processes and facilities, as well as initial and further training.
The company’s portfolio includes vehicle inspections, expert appraisal reports, industrial and building inspections, advisory, training and
Morley said DEKRA has long supported OEMs in the testing and building of automobiles.
“Through this experience, the company has helped develop and verify OEM programs in collision, service and sales,” he explained. “Today, we provide various support from technology, audit and personnel services, as well as strategic consulting.”
Morley acknowledged that everyone’s business is different.
“As a result, the company has been cognizant of providing flexibility to QCARE and a feature-rich environment that can be adapted to many market variations,” he said. “However, solutions need to be affordable if we want to see adoption,
so we’ve been very mindful of balancing cost with value.”
Working alongside its partners, DEKRA provides self-assessment opportunities to help clients make better-informed decisions about certification pursuit, repair quality improvement and shop operations. Future goals include continuing to support partners with a strong foundation and expanding DEKRA’s connected industry partners, which include equipment, paint and distributors. In addition, Morley said DEKRA’s 2025 plans include helping to move certification programs from the expectations of tools and training to more qualitative standards and insights. Additionally, the company will shift its focus to incoming regulatory standards like supply chain risk management, environmental, and information security.
During the 2024 SEMA Show, Morley took part in a panel discussion focused on OEM Audit Tips/Tricks. Christian Ruecker, vice president of mobility sales at DEKRA North America, took part in the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) IDEAS Collide Showcase to discuss “Sustainability’s Role in Every Layer of Collision Repair.”
For more information about DEKRA QCARE, email Gabriel Morley at gabriel.morley@dekra.com.
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Automotive Parts Supply Chain Withstands Port Strike
by Ben Shimkus Autobody News
Catastrophic weather and union strikes put the automotive parts industry on edge, but fears of temporary inflation in the collision repair segment seem to have been avoided.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents port workers along the eastern U.S. coastline, initiated a strike Oct. 1, halting work for 50,000 members and stalling operations at 14 major ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. The strike came as regional hubs grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and prepared for Hurricane Milton.
These concurrent events alarmed automotive analysts. European manufacturers ship vehicle parts to the East Coast, and a prolonged strike could have impacted parts availability across the segment, raising prices for repair shops and customers. The automotive parts industry had already been dealing with inflationary pressures for years due to supply chain disruptions, severe weather patterns and the workforce’s return after COVID-19 shutdowns.
“The timing for the strike couldn’t
have happened at a worse time [for automotive parts]. Right when there were ships bound for the East Coast, the storm was shutting down ports proactively,” said Greg Horn, chief industry relations officer at PartsTrader. “We dodged a bullet here. It could have been a very devastating strike for the U.S. economy in general.”
Fortunately for the automotive parts industry, the strike ended after three days, with a temporary deal between the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance. The agreement, which will last until January 2025, has helped prevent further supply disruptions. According to Horn, prices have remained stable despite the turbulence.
PartsTrader operates an online marketplace that connects repair shops with parts suppliers, streamlining the process of sourcing and purchasing components. The platform optimizes repairs and improves cost efficiency by allowing businesses to compare prices and availability in real time.
Horn explained that PartsTrader tracks two key metrics to assess market health: the number of quotes per part and delivery timelines. By analyzing these data points, the
company can diagnose potential disruptions and evaluate the impact of events like the ILA strike. However, he noted that advanced rerouting and sufficient stock levels helped suppliers avoid significant delays, minimizing the strike’s effect on parts availability.
In preparation for the strike, suppliers rerouted dozens of cargo ships from the East Coast to the West Coast in mid-September. Ports on the West Coast, which had been operating at 70% capacity, absorbed the increased load, reaching 80% capacity without major delays.
“I think the takeaway is the suppliers had enough advanced notice. They altered their plan. They had enough stock already that it is a non-event,” Horn said. “So, good news all around.”
Horn attributed the suppliers’ preparedness to investments made following the COVID-19 lockdowns and past union contract disputes. Asian manufacturers had planned shipments well in advance of strikes proposed by the ILA’s sister union, the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union (ILWU), representing West Coast port employees. Meanwhile, American
manufacturers streamlined their distribution networks before the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike in 2023. While the limited impact from the
“I think the takeaway is the suppliers had enough advanced
notice. They altered their plan. They had enough stock
already that it is a non-event,”
HORN
initial strike shows that automotive supply chains are more robust than initially anticipated, Horn warned the union’s contract runs out in January. The ILA’s three-month agreement increased union wages by 61.5%, but negotiators remain divided over major disagreements that could send port workers away again in January. Mediators are hammering out disagreements over port automation and health care benefits.
“It isn’t over yet,” Horn said. “There is still a possibility that they won’t come to an agreement and they go on strike again after the 15th of January. It ain’t over until it’s over.”
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Winner Automotive Group Acquires Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, DE
Winner Automotive Group announced the acquisition of Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, DE. The dealership has been renamed Winner Chevrolet.
Diver Chevrolet has built a long-standing reputation for quality, reliability and community involvement. With this acquisition, Winner Automotive Group will bring its innovative and customercentric approach to the Chevrolet brand, offering customers an expanded range of vehicle options, services and financing solutions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Diver Chevrolet into the Winner Automotive Group family. This acquisition aligns with our vision of offering customers a comprehensive automotive experience and we are grateful for the support of the Diver family and team that has built such a solid foundation for our future success,” said Michael Hynansky of Winner Automotive Group. “Diver Chevrolet has a storied
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Penn College Students Win National Award For Restored 1948 Tucker
A 1948 Tucker, restored by students at Pennsylvania College of Technology, recently earned the prestigious First Junior Award at the Antique Automobile Club of America’s (AACA) Eastern Division National Fall Meet. The award recognizes the Tucker as the best in its class for limited production and prototype vehicles judged for the first time.
The project, led by students from the college’s automotive restoration program, involved significant cosmetic and engine repairs, with a focus on restoring the car’s authenticity.
“We had to do bodywork on both of the quarter panels, and lots of hoses and hose clamps were put onto the engine,” said Roy Klinger, co-department head of collision repair at Penn College. The students also repainted several parts to match the original color scheme.
The vehicle, Tucker No. 1013, is one of only 51 ever produced by the Tucker Automobile Corp. in 1948. Known as the “Car of Tomorrow,” the Tucker boasted innovative features such as a
rear-mounted engine, a cyclops headlight that turned with the wheels, and advanced safety features like a padded dashboard. Despite its groundbreaking design, the company went bankrupt in 1949, shortly after production began.
The students worked on the Tucker for about six weeks, making it ready for the AACA competition. Among the team members was Ty Tucker, the great-great-grandson of Preston Tucker, the car’s original designer.
Luke Stitt, a collision repair student who helped work on the vehicle and president of the Penn College Classic Cruisers club, called working on the Tucker a “priceless experience.”
“Words truly can’t describe how grateful and proud we all are to have been able to accept such a prestigious award,” Stitt said. “We have all gotten to know this vehicle inside and out with the number of hours we put into it preparing for the event. We got to see how certain aspects of Preston Tucker’s design, along with his safety features, are incorporated
into modern-day vehicles. This was an experience we all will never forget.”
The Tucker is owned by the William E. Swigart Jr. Antique Automobile Museum, which has a long-standing partnership with Penn College, offering students access to its extensive collection of vintage cars. “I’m over the moon with the work that they do,” said Patricia Swigart, president of the museum. “You can see their enthusiasm.”
The AACA Eastern Division National Fall Meet is one of the country’s largest antique automobile shows, attracting participants and spectators from across the nation. Penn College students have been involved in the event for two consecutive years, assisting with the auction and other activities.
Ali L. Lorson, assistant dean of transportation technologies at Penn College, praised the students’ dedication and skill. “This success not only recognizes their hard work but also highlights the invaluable experiences provided by the Swigart Museum,” she said.
Vartan Jerian Jr. “This milestone exemplifies our growth and the strength of our mission to revive the industry with high-quality, peoplefirst collision repair.”
The new facility, located at 172 Kelsey St., spans approximately 14,000 square feet and is VIVE Collision’s fourth location in Connecticut. Known for its customercentric services, VIVE Collision aims to bring the same level of excellence to the Newington community by offering high-quality repairs and transparent communication throughout the repair process.
VIVE Collision’s leadership team consists of industry experts with decades of experience in all aspects of collision repair. VIVE’s strategy includes investing heavily in continuous training for staff, and ensuring technicians are equipped with the latest tools, equipment, and technology.
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DePaula Chevrolet ALBANY
800-727-8357
518-489-0184 Fax
M-F 7:30 - 6; Sat 8 - 5 parts@depaula.com
East Syracuse Chevy EAST SYRACUSE
315-437-5464
315-437-0878 Fax
M-F 7:30 - 5; Sat 8 - 3 partsdept@esyrchevy.com
West Herr Chevrolet ORCHARD PARK
716-662-7707
716-688-5519 Fax
M-F 7:30 - 5; Sat 8 - 4 sgraham@westherr.com
Pennsylvania
Greencastle Chevrolet
GREENCASTLE
717-597-2131
717-597-6932 Fax
M-F 8 - 5; Sat 8-3 jsnyder@greencastlechevy.com bmoats@greencastlechevy.com
Tom Hesser Chevrolet SCRANTON
800-435-9586
570-558-3677
570-342-8645 Fax
M-F 8 - 5; Sat 8 - 2 mhanson@tomhesser.com
Extensive Wholesale Parts Inventory
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781-261-5230
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NEW JERSEY
Porsche Monmouth West Long Branch, NJ
732-483-8560 M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4:30 avacchiano@penskeautomotive.com
NEW YORK
gbraden@nielsenford.com .nielsenf nfford c .com i l
Porsche Huntington Huntington Station, NY
631-424-1310
631-272-1805 Fax
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Porsche Manhattan New York, NY
347-226-3913
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CONNECTICUT
Lia Volkswagen Enfield
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MARYLAND
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Nucar VW of Norwood Norwood
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NEW JERSEY
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Empire Auto Parts announced Jesse Kyles and Jamaal Medford as the inaugural recipients of $2,000 scholarships from its Empire Auto Parts Scholarship Fund, created earlier this year as part of Empireís celebration of Black History Month and administered by the TechForce Foundation.
Medford is from New York and is currently enrolled in a one-year program at Universal Technical Institute in Long Beach, CA. Medford served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 15 years and is now transitioning toward a civilian career in a fast-paced, challenging industry. Collision repair fits the bill for Medford given the rapidly evolving nature of todayís vehicles.
Kyles is enrolled at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Memphis while also working at ATA Collisions. He has been fascinated by cars his whole life and has an ambition to run his own collision repair facility one day.
Tisha Edwards Gives Keynote Speech At Maryland
Auto’s Women’s Conference
Maryland Auto Insurance hosted its third annual Women’s Conference for female insurance professionals on Oct. 16. Tisha Edwards, secretary of appointments for the Governor’s Office, was the keynote speaker, while Acting Maryland Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant provided opening remarks.
Edwards spoke about her professional journey and about the state of women in leadership in Maryland.
“At this stage in my career, the thing that I am most focused on is elevating and supporting women in leadership,” she said. “I do believe that women will save the world. I am so excited that Maryland Auto sees women leadership as a priority.”
Grant noted that women are well represented in the industry and play important leadership roles. She shared that she bases her leadership philosophy on the lyrics from a Michael Franti song, “Don’t complicate it, keep it simple, just work hard and be nice to people.”
She also talked about the challenges facing the insurance industry.
“Gov. Wes Moore’s goals are to make Maryland safer, more affordable, more competitive and a state that continues to serve,” Grant said. “I think that the insurance industry plays a critical role in helping our businesses and communities reach that goal. Insurance is a rapidly evolving industry and as a state agency, we have to be thinking about keeping up with skills, expertise and technology.”
The event, held in Linthicum, celebrated women in the insurance industry and was planned and executed by female team members at Maryland Auto. Sessions provided developmental opportunities beyond insurancerelated topics, including a panel on female leadership, women’s health awareness and wealth and estate planning.
Speakers included Ayana Johnson, Esq., who
presented “Estate Planning: Protecting your Family & Building Wealth;” Sue Rogan, The CASH Campaign of Maryland, who presented “Build Your Financial Future;” and a panel on Female Leadership and Professional Development with Celiane Boston, owner of CBF & I Agency, Mariana Fernandez, owner of Highland Insurance Group, and Suzanne Thompson, vice president/advisor at PSA Insurance & Financial Services. In addition, Katelyn Todd from Medstar Health gave a presentation on women’s health and breast cancer awareness as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
After more than a decade apart, Pennsylvania’s two largest automotive service groups, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Pennsylvania (AASPPA) and the Mid-Atlantic Auto Care Alliance (MAACA), have reunited to enhance resources, advocacy and support for automotive professionals statewide.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, AASPPA members will integrate into the MAACA network, gaining access to a broader suite of benefits, including enhanced training, industry events and a strengthened voice in legislative advocacy.
“This is a monumental step forward,” said Bret Fadely, president of AASP-PA. “By aligning with MAACA, we’re ensuring our members receive the best possible support, whether through enhanced training programs, chapter activities, or communitybuilding events. Our industry is evolving quickly, and we must remain unified and proactive. This collaboration will allow us to do
that effectively while strengthening our voice at the legislative level. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”
“I am incredibly proud to have worked alongside the exceptional leaders of AASP-PA and MAACA over the past year to facilitate this landmark unification,” said Sheri Hamilton, executive director of the Auto Care Alliance. “Bringing these two dedicated organizations back together after more than a decade not only strengthens our community but also renews our collective commitment to supporting independent automotive service professionals in Pennsylvania.”
With AASP-PA officially dissolving Dec. 31 — the same day the national AASP is set to dissolve — the collaborative decision signifies a shared commitment to supporting automotive professionals amidst industry shifts. The merger will allow members access to MAACA’s annual events, such as
T.O.O.L.S. and Super Saturday, as well as specialized programs for mechanical, collision, and towing divisions.
“This partnership strengthens our collective ability to serve the needs of independent automotive professionals across the region,” said David Wagner, president of MAACA, noting the organization’s mission remains to elevate industry standards and foster growth opportunities.
Members transitioning from AASP-PA can join now and receive extended membership through 2025 for $430, with additional benefits and resources to be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on the merger and joining MAACA, visit www.midatlanticaca.org.
The Automotive Recyclers Association announced Vince Edivan has assumed the role of executive director, taking the helm at ARA’s recent 81st Annual Convention and Exposition in Reno, NV. The move follows a year-long period of transition during which executive director responsibilities were passed to Edivan from professional automotive recycler and ARA Past President Sandy Blalock, who was hired as ARA executive director in 2018 and continues to manage several automotive recycling organizations at the state level.
Edivan joined ARA in 2019 in a member relations capacity and has worked to build a strong rapport with automotive recyclers, industry vendors and stakeholders throughout the country. He has enjoyed a diverse career in the automotive and recycling industries, starting as an ASEcertified mechanic.
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Serving Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher.
DataTouch announced the commercial release of “P-Pages AI,” an artificial intelligence (AI) technology offered to collision repair shops to efficiently convert estimates received in a PDF format from external appraisal sources into a sharable digital format based on CIECA Standards. It was designed to correctly interpret and apply the existing Collision Estimating Guide (CEG) Procedure Pages (P-Pages) for each estimating system.
In just a few seconds, P-Pages AI generates an updated electronic estimate that identifies the “not included” operations and costs per the P-Pages that are frequently overlooked by the appraisal source. The P-Pages AI estimate also identifies the section within the CEG P-Pages that documents the operation required to complete the repair for each crash part.
For more information about DataTouch and P-Pages AI, visit www.datatouch.us.
Fred Beans Acquires 3 Dealerships, Collision Center from Freysinger Automotive
Fred Beans Automotive Group expanded its presence in Mechanicsburg, PA, by acquiring three dealerships and an auto body shop from Freysinger Automotive, effective Oct. 28.
The acquisition brings Freysinger’s GMC/Buick, Hyundai and Mazda dealerships under the Fred Beans name and rebrands Freysinger’s Body Shop as CARSTAR Fred Beans New Cumberland.
The sale marks a significant shift for both companies, each with deep-rooted family histories and a legacy of customer service and community engagement.
“We knew the Fred Beans Automotive Group was the right steward for our company, community and employees,” said Garry Freysinger, who, alongside his brother Tom, has led Freysinger Automotive, a family business founded by their grandfather in 1924.
Both Fred Beans and Freysinger Automotive share a unique history, beginning with family entrepreneurs who opened gas
stations nearly a century apart.
“As soon as I met Fred, he reminded me of my grandfather,” Garry Freysinger said, adding the alignment of values and familyoriented leadership made the decision to sell easier.
Fred Beans expressed a commitment to honoring Freysinger’s community presence while building on its foundations.
“We understand and appreciate the pride the Freysingers have in these Mechanicsburg dealerships and in serving this broader community,” Beans said. “We look forward to preserving and building on their exceptional foundation and established relationships to benefit employees, customers and surrounding partners.”
With this acquisition, the Fred Beans Automotive Group now includes 30 dealerships offering more than 21 brands, along with eight CARSTAR collision centers, two AutoExpress quick-service locations, four AutoRent locations, and the country’s largest dealerowned parts operation. This addition introduces Buick as a new
brand under Fred Beans’ umbrella.
According to Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of Fred Beans Automotive Group, this growth also means an expanded customer loyalty program through the AutoRewards Club.
“Our growth means an even bigger selection of vehicles for our Fred Beans customers,” said Gilbert, who now serves as the dealer principal of the newly acquired dealerships.
AkzoNobel announced Rochelle Schuette has been appointed digital transformation manager for its North America Vehicle Refinish business unit.
Schuette joined AkzoNobel in 2019 and has made significant contributions to AkzoNobel’s digital offering, particularly as it pertains to the customer digital journey. Her primary focus to date has been Carbeat, AkzoNobel’s patented, intuitive production workflow dashboard.
In her expanded role, Schuette will continue to champion Carbeat, as well as AkzoNobel’s digital color management system, MIXIT. In addition to her existing responsibilities, Schuette will lead the rollout and ongoing support of AkzoNobel’s newest digital offering, Refinish+, a platform developed to help body shops and collision repair centers improve business performance by streamlining processes and enhancing efficiencies.
