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The Feds Will Have Rules for Self-Driving Cars in the Next 6 Months, Called “Aggressive and Ambitious” U.S. highway safety officials plan to take several steps this year to clear the way for autonomous vehicles—including those designed to operate without a driver—to hitEdition the streets in Northeastern large numbers. U.S. Transportation Secretary New York Secretary Maryland of Transportation Anthony Connecticut Delaware Foxx announced New Jersey theRhode movesIsland at the auto show, Pennsylvania Detroit Massachusetts part of an effort to Anthony Foxx remove the obstacles posed by current auto safety reg-
VOL. 6 ISSUE 12 FEBRUARY 2016
Google Seeks Help From Automakers For Its Autonomous Car Project
ulations, many of which were written The search engine giant’s autonomous more than 50 years ago. automobile, also known as the Google Foxx also announced that Presiself-driving car project, has been getdent Obama has proposed spending ting smarter and safer as the company nearly $4 billion on autonomous vehifurther develops it. However, seeing cle pilot projects as part of the presithat there is no such thing as too safe dent’s broader effort to upgrade the when it comes to the traffic, Google is country’s transportation infrastructure. seeking some help from traditional Foxx announced that he’s giving automobile manufacturers. the DOT six months to draft compre‘We are going to need a lot of hensive rules governing how auhelp, and In the next stages of our tonomous cars should be tested and project, we’re going to be partnering regulated. Thewww.autobodynews.com feds are also planning to more and more for sure,’ said head of fund new projects: President Obama’s Google’s self-driving car project and 2017 budget proposal includes nearly former Hyundai CEO John Krafcik at the Automotive News World ConSee Federal Rules, Page 24
gress. ‘We hope to work with many of you guys.’ This may also confirm previous reports that the search engine giant is partnering with reputable automaker Ford in making a self-driving car. Should the reported deal pushes through, reports claim that Ford would be developing the basic software as well as components, and Google, on the other hand, will be focusing on the car’s “smarts” while the manufacturing difficulties will be offloaded to a company that is expert on the field. According to a report submitted
In a statement on December 16, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said the agency’s main concern is “the
car crashes and improve the mobility of people who currently cannot drive. “Safety is our highest priority and primary motivator as we do this,” spokesman Johnny Luu wrote in an email. ”We’re gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully self-driving cars to help all of us who live here.” The proposal stems from a law, passed in 2012 by California legislators, ordering the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to issue rules for the testing and use of autonomous vehicles. The DMV already has completed testing rules that require experimental vehicles to be operated by trained test
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See Google Seeks Help, Page 18
California DMV Proposes Ban on Cars With No Drivers, All Vehicles to be Steerable, Google Objects
Midwestern Edition
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See California DMV Proposes, Page 22
The Guilt of the Self-Driving Car
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
California regulators, calling for caution on self-driving cars, on December 16 proposed rules that would sharply restrict their use on the state’s Illinois roads—and place an outright ban on Indianacars that travel Missouri “driverless” with no Iowa Nebraska humans onboard. Kansas North Under the proposal by Dakota the CaliKentucky Ohio fornia Department of Motor Vehicles, Michigan cars South all autonomous wouldDakota need a Minnesota steering wheel and pedalsWisconsin when operating on California’s public roads. Behind the controls, they would need a licensed driver with an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate” capable of taking control if something goes awry.
Google impact The rules, if finalized, could prompt technology companies such as Google, and automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, to look beyond California for their first deployment of self-driving cars. This summer, Google started testing its selfdriving cars in Austin, Texas, where a culture of businesswww.autobodynews.com friendly regulation could make it easier to introduce the technology to the public. In the December 16 statesafety of autonomous vehicles and the ment, Google decried the proposal, saysafety of the public who will share the ing California’s rules would hold back a road with these vehicles.” technology with the potential to prevent
Change Service Requested
by Gabe Nelson, Auto News
Whew! Made it home from the body shop before my owner found out.
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Contents
NATIONAL Allstate Ranks Safest Driving Cities, Kansas City Rates #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 AMI Launches Effort to Collect Industry-wide Training Info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Assured Performance: Thousands of Body Shops Achieve OEM Certification in ‘15. . 44 Bates Collision Centers in Texas Gifts Refurbished Vehicles to Two Moms During Season of Giving. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Behind-The-Scenes Tour of CAPA Parts Certification Vehicle Test Fit/VTF Process . 46 Body Shop in Spokane, WA Helps Mom with Trashed Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 California DMV Proposes Ban on Cars With No Drivers, All Vehicles to be Steerable, Google Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CAPA: ‘Sheet Metal Parts Protected from Corrosion’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 CCC Donates $4M in Software Subscriptions Through CREF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Cox Automotive Supports CREF’s 2016 Career Fairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 CREF Celebrates 25th Anniversary and Provides Updates for 2016. . . . . . . . . . 56 Daytona Toyota Scion Expansion Project Crosses Finish Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Driven Brands Information & Technology Officer Hired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FinishMaster Purchases ColorMaster Automotive Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Gerber Collision & Glass Opens Repair Location in NC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Google Seeks Help From Automakers For Its Autonomous Car Project . . . . . . . . . . 1 I-CAR® And National Auto Body Council Partner On NABC Membership Discount For Gold Class® Businesses. . . . . . . . . 14 Insurance Veteran Advises on What to Look for When Joining a DRP Program & Obtaining Garage Keepers Insurance . . 59 Insurers Brace for the Self-Driving Future, Fewer Accidents, KPMG Report: Insurers May Be First Casualties . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Lyft to Operate Self-Driving Cars After GM Invests $500M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 M-B Introduces ‘Magic Sky Control’ in New SLC Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 NASTF Committee Co-Chairs Appointed. . 39 New ‘Who Pays for What’ Survey Results Show Wide Range in ‘Certified’ Aluminum Labor Rates. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 NHTSA Fines BMW North America $40M for Failing to Meet Safety Requirements. . . 28 PBES 2016 Conference Registration Available in February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Reflexxion Automotive Aluminum Cowl Induction Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 SCRS Launches Bumper Prompt Decision Aide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Soundcore Acquires Three Alloy Wheel Franchises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Tesla Model S Auto-parking Needs No Driver In The Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Feds Will Have Rules for Self-Driving Cars in the Next 6 Months, Called “Aggressive and Ambitious” . . . . . . . . . . 1 VW Sales Stutter Makes Toyota, at 10.125 M, #1 Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lewisville, Texas-based Caliber Collision, which calls itself the largest collision-repair company in the country, intends to open six Jacksonville locations by the end of the year. Caliber Collision Centers filed for business licenses for two locations and a third is under concurrency review. The first two are at 13051 Beach Blvd. and 8320 Dames Point Crossing Blvd N., Building 100. The third is planned along Golden Wings Road in the Timuquana Commerce Center, across Roosevelt Boulevard from Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Caliber Collision VP of Operations Carl Deaton said the Beach Boulevard location would open in January. The location formerly was an American Carstar Auto Body Repair Experts. The Dames Point Crossing center in Arlington should open about Jan. 25, he said. “It was a vacant building. We are helping develop the area,” Deaton said. He said the locations average 17,000 to 20,000 square feet and employ 17 to 20 people. A concurrency application filed with the city shows an almost 17,000-
square-foot Caliber Collision on 2.36 acres at 7208-7216 Golden Wings Road. Deaton said that location would open late this year, probably in the fourth quarter, pending permitting. Caliber Collision is building that location. The company operates 353 repair centers in 13 states. The closest of its 20 Florida locations is in Palm Coast. Deaton said the company is entering the Jacksonville market because there is a demand for high-performing collision repair centers. Deaton said Caliber Collision started in the Florida market in September 2014. “I can say it’s a big investment,” he said of the company’s expansion plans. Deaton said Caliber Collision operates 20 centers in Florida and plans to increase that by at least 75 percent in 2016, which means another 15 locations. “We’re going to have a very big focus on Jacksonville,” he said, declining to say how many new centers will open in Northeast Florida in addition to the first six, citing competitive reasons. In addition to the first three, “there are plenty more in the pipeline,” he said. Thank you to Financial News & Daily Record for permission to reprint this article.
Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Assistant Editor: Stacey Phillips Online Editor: Victoria Antonelli Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Sales/Research Associate: Cass Heckel Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia
Serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2016 Adamantine Media LLC.
Abaris Training Resources, Inc. . . . . 6 Allstate Insurance Company. . . . . . 33 Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 59 Axalta Coating Services . . . . . . . 5, 23 BASF Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 55 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CarcoonAmerica Airflow Systems . 42 Carstar Automotive, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 7 CCC Information Services . . . . . . . 15 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Coggin Deland Honda . . . . . . . . . . 36 Crashmax Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Crown Automotive Group . . . . . . . . 27 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 46 FBS Distribution Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . 13 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 50 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 57 Gus Machado Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 H & S Autoshot Mfg. Co . . . . . . . . . 39 Hendrick Automotive Group . . . . . . . 9 Hendrick BMW/MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Hendrick Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Herkules Equipment Corporation. . 18 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 30-31 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 54 Jon Hall Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Kernersville Chrysler-DodgeJeep-Ram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Kia Motors America, Inc.. . . . . . . . . 19 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 53 Larson Electronics, LLC.. . . . . . . . . 26 Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 56 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 55 MOPAR Masters Guild . . . . . . . . . . 11 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 35 Nalley BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Nissan of Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 O’Brien Hyundai-Subaru-Mazda . . 38 Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . 54 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Radley Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Rick Case Automotive Group . . . . . 45 Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples. . . 14 Rick Hendrick Dodge-ChryslerJeep-Ram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Riverside Ford-Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . 39 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 60 Stateline Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram. 28 Subaru of Gwinnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 49 Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 U-POL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Urethane Supply Company . . . . . . 32 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Southeast
COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Body Shop Owner in NH Shapes a New Career as a Sculptor . . . . . . . . . 42 Attanasio - Marketing Dinosaurs That Should Be Extinct in 2016 . . . . . . . . . . 32 Attanasio - Up and Coming Painter Shines at SEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Phillips - American Honda Addresses the Importance of Properly Repairing a Vehicle During Industry Update . . . . . . 50 Phillips - Sharing Information Through the Mopar Masters Guild Has Lead to Business Success and Lifelong Friendships Among Members. . . . . . . . 10 Sisk - A Decade of WINning . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Sisk - WMABA Seeks Compromise on New VA Photo Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Yoswick - Automakers discuss labor times, share other insights at ‘OEM Summit’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
by Karen Brune Mathis, Financial News & Daily Record
Indexof Advertisers
REGIONAL ASA To Host February Training in Orlando, FL . 6 Caliber Collision opening six Jacksonville locations this year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Caliber Collision opening six Jacksonville locations this year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 GCIA Met on DEG; Plans Golf Tournament October 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Hyundai in AL Sued Over Allegedly Defective Sunroofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 North Carolina Awards Grant to Help Auto Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Orlando AREA Career Fair Set for March 10 . . 8 Phillips - Mitchell VP Predicts Parts Utilization on Average Estimate Will Decrease After Peaking in December; Enterprise Length of Rental Update With Virginia Staying Below 10-Day Mark for 5 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PPG Show Truck 2016 Tour Announced. . 44 Ross Collins Students in MS Convert Bus into Tonka Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sisk - Mike Causey Throws Hat in the Ring: 2016 North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sugar Hill City Council in GA Approves Auto Repair Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Caliber Collision Opening Six Jacksonville Locations in 2016
Autobody News Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com
www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 3
North Carolina Awards Grant to Help Auto Tech
The city of Marion was awarded a $40,000 state grant to help Auto Tech Collision Center move into the old Marion Equipment site on Rutherford Road, expand its operations and hire four new employees. In October, the Marion City Council approved the city applying for a state building reuse grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce on behalf of Auto Tech Collision Center, which plans to move from its current location in Nebo and take over the old Marion Equipment site. On December 14, Gov. Pat McCrory, Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla III and Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development Patricia Mitchell announced the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 15 grant requests totaling $3,039,244. The requests include commitments to create a total of 219 new jobs, according to a news release from the state. The RIA approved a total of 10 grants under the state’s Building Reuse program, inclding the $40,000 grant for the relocation of Auto Tech. “I am very excited for the opportunity that this grant creates for Auto Tech Collision Center,” said Mayor Steve Little. “This is one more example of how governments should operate to clear obstacles and allow a
small business to grow and provide more jobs.” Auto Tech Collision Center does various kinds of repair work for automobile bodies. This includes cars and trucks damaged in wrecks or from other kinds of damage, like hail. The employees work on antique cars, collision repairs and paint work. They fix shattered windows and install new glass. They also work on mechanical repairs that are related to collisions and frame repair too. The business is owned by David Hicks and Tanya Williams is the business manager. Furthermore, Hertz will have a car rental business at that location, Hicks and Williams said in October. Williams said she wanted to thank Steve Bush, executive director with the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, for bringing up the idea about the state grant in the first place. She hopes more local business owners can take advantage of this opportunity. “Lots of people seem interested in how we heard about it and the steps it took, so possibly they may apply in the future I guess,” she said. “I also had never even read a grant application before, but I was able to complete the pre-application myself.” We would like to thank The McDowell News for reprint permission.
PBES 2016 Conference Registration Available in February
Gerber Collision & Glass Opens Repair Location in NC
The Boyd Group Inc. announced the December 19, 2015 opening of a collision repair location in Charlotte, North Carolina. The center is located on a busy thoroughfare and in proximity to Interstate 85 and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It has served the community since 1972 and previously operated as Coffey’s Body Shop. “This center enhances our footprint in the Charlotte region by adding a central location to complement our three locations in the surrounding area,” said Tim O’Day, president and COO of the Boyd Group’s U.S. operations. “While helping us serve our customers and insurance partners in the region it also further secures our goal of growing our number of centers by six to 10 percent through single-location additions.” The Boyd Group is looking to add new collision repair locations to its existing network in Canada and the U.S. For information, contact Kim Allen at (847) 410-6003 or kim.allen@gerbercollision.com. For information about The Boyd Group, contact Stephen Boyd (204) 594-1776, stephen.boyd@ boydgroup.com.
The Paint, Body and Equipment Specialists (PBES) segment of the Auto Care Association announced on January 6 that it will hold its 2016 annual conference in Denver, Colorado on May 10-12. The 2016 conference theme is “Differentiate to Win.” The annual conference is a an opportunity for individuals and companies in all facets of the PBE industry to network and access educational resources. “Each year, we present our attendees with a new set of speakers, designed to challenge their business process and create opportunity for improvement,” said Keith Bell, committee chair, PBES. “This year, we are focused on building more networking in the conference and gearing our speakers to talk about Differentiating to Win.” The conference will be held at the Embassy Suites at the Denver Convention Center. Registration will open in late February.
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Sugar Hill City Council in GA Approves Shop
The Sugar Hill City Council approved design plans for an auto body repair and painting facility on Old Cumming Road in Georgia, according to a report by Karen Huppertz, AJC.com. There were 10 conditions placed on the rezoning application made by Doug Duffee. Huppertz reported that among these, restrictions will limit the use to auto body repair and painting only. Rezoning approval is required with any additional uses. In addition, Huppertz said that Duffee agreed to changes to answer concerns expressed by neighbors. These included a three-foot high landscape berm with a triple row of evergreen trees, as well as a safety fence around the detention pond. According to Huppertz’s report, further conditions require any specimen trees within 75 inches of the property line will be located with a tree protection plan prior to receiving a land disturbance permit.
Ross Collins Students in MS Convert Bus into Tonka Truck by Drew Kerekes, The Meridian Star
In his own words, after winning first place in the annual Meridian Christmas Parade the third straight year, Ross Collins Career and Technical Center Director Rob Smith said it’s going to be difficult to outdo this year’s effort. Students and faculty at the school converted an old school bus into a lifesized Tonka Truck, which was displayed in the parade and captured the gold for Ross Collins. It was a project that began several weeks prior to the
Tonka then: Original bus prior to being converted into the Tonka Truck. Credit: The Meridian Star
parade on the weekend of Dec. 5, with one of those weeks being taken off due to the Thanksgiving holidays.
IT OUT! ASACHECK To Host February Training in Orlando, information thatFL every
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The Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced a series of regional training programs for technicians, service writers, managers and shop owners. The first event will take place February 26-27 in Orlando, Florida, at the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel, with the support of ASA Florida. These events To advertise will take place on Friday and Saturday, bringing service repairSales trainingat: to the call Advertising technicians and service writers on Saturday800-699-8251 and a full-day management session dedicated to shop owners and e-mail: managers on Friday. advertising@autobodynews.com The management and service writer training is AMI-approved course www.autobodynews.com content. Topics for technicians include: ● 21st Century Cooling System Design ● Practical Electrical Testing ● Preparing to Service Connected Car Technology ● Brake Technology
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Topics service writers include: CALLfor Advertising Sales at: ● Lip Service (AMI approved) ● Winning Women Customers (AMI approved) A special owner/manager session advertising@autobodynews.com will be presented by Bob Greenwood, entitled “Profitability Secrets that Drawww.autobodynews.com matically Build Your Bottom Line”
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“We started three weeks before used to working on cars, but nothing (the parade),” Smith said. “There was this big. They really stepped up to the only two weeks of construction time. challenge. It’s at least twice as big as To go from a bus slated to go to the what we usually work with.” scrap metal pile to a Tonka Truck was quite a feat.” Ross Collins is an educational center serving the Meridian Public School District that prepares students for entrylevel to more advanced jobs in a wide range of occupations, including welding, engineering and continuing education. The truck, which sat proudly on display in front of the school last week, was a collaborative effort from several different classes at the school. Finished Tonka Truck converted from old Engineering students at the center Meridian Public School District school bus by designed the dump bed and several other Ross Collins students. Credit: The Meridian components, while the welding and fabStar rication classes deconstructed the bus and fabricated the metal components Smith said he was impressed with based on the engineering class’ designs. the group work that spanned across Automotive technician students did several different classes. work on the converted bus to make it “The whole school used it as a “road worthy,” while the school’s colli- project to come together and utilize all sion repair classes completed the paint of our skills — it was one giant problemjob on the new Tonka Truck. The car- solving project,” Smith said. “Industries pentry class pitched in by constructing a say that’s what people need to have: critbench in the back of truck to allow Santa ical thinking and problem-solving skills. Claus to have a seat during the parade. The bottom line is, it gets kids excited “I thought it turned out well, given about what they were doing.” the sizePromote of it,” collision teacher We would like to thank The Meridyour repair business with Mart an Murphree said. “My kids are ian Star for reprint permission. exclusive article featuring
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(AMI approved). body shop needs! “We recognize the need and demand for high-quality technical and Call for details! CALL 800-699-8251 management training at a local level. Our goal is to bring training to those markets 800-699-8251 where there is a pent up demand and Mail areas where ASASubscription state affiliates want a program to support their members,” stated Dan Risley, ASA president. “ASA regional events will have at least five programs in 2016. In addition to Orlando, they will take place in Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas (co-located Your Email for Our with AAPEX, partnering withRegister ASA), and Los Angeles. The programs will take place on Fridays (management training) and Saturdays (technical and service writer training), keeping shop downtime to a minimum while providing the most valuable and requested training for the region.” For information or to register, visit www.regonline.com/asaregionalRegister Your Email for Our training. ASA regional events is a series of 4 Times Monthly E-Newsletter training programs throughout North America that serve technicians, service writers, shop managers and owners in the service repair industry. They are produced for ASA by Stone Fort Group. For sponsorship or show information, contact ASA’s show management team at (832) 932-7868.
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Orlando AREA Career Fair Set for March 10
The Collision Repair Education Foundation’s (CREF) career fair for Orlando, FL has been set for Thursday, March 10 as the organization continues its efforts to bridge the gap between high school and college collision students and entry-level industry employment. The event will be taking place at the PPG Business Development Center in Kissimmee and industry companies seeking to meet greater Orlando area collision students are invited to participate. Over 250 local collision students The source for timely from seven schools have already information thatand every RSVP’d for the event sponsorship funds raised during this, and other cabody shop needs! reer events, are utilized by the Education Foundation to ensure high school CALL 800-699-8251 and college are graduating qualified and productive entry-level employees. “PPG is proud to support the Mail Subscription Collision Repair Education Foundation and their efforts to assist the future professionals of the industry,”
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said Domenic Brusco, PPG Automotive Refinish, senior manager, industry relations. “We look forward to hosting this career fair for the greater Orlando area collision students and help introduce them to collision industry employers.” CREF Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted, “We look forward to bringing our travelPromote your business with ing collision career fair to the greater an exclusive featuring Orlando market in article March and bring yourhundreds products or services. together of high school and college collision repair students and local industry employers. We would like to thank PPG for hosting this event and their continued support of the Education Foundation.” Call for details! Industry companies that are looking to meet entry-level collision students for800-699-8251 employment consideration during this event, should contact Brandon Eckenrode at 847-463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode @ed-foundation .org.
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Soundcore Acquires Three Alloy Wheel Franchises
Soundcore Capital Partners, LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, announced in January that it has completed three add-on acquisitions to its portfolio company Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists (AWRS), less than two months after purchasing the company. The acquisitions of the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Indianapolis AWRS franchises represent an additional $9 million in annual sales, serving nearly 800 dealers and auto repair shops. Norcross, GA-based Alloy provides on-site repair of cosmetic damage to alloy wheel cores, off-site remanufacturing of structurally damaged wheels, and OEM replacement parts through a retail network. Wheel repair accounts for more than $750 million in annual revenues in the U.S. “I’m very pleased to kick off this new era for the Company with the acquisition of three of the bestperforming businesses in the AWRS network,” said Rob Wheeley, newly appointed CEO of AWRS. “As we bring more operations under the AWRS corporate banner, we’re confident that we will be able to enhance both the service we deliver to customers and the financial performance of the business.”
GCIA Met on DEG; Plans Golf Tournament October 2
The Boyd Group Inc. announced the January 4 acquisition and opening on January 5 of two collision repair centers in Lafayette, Indiana. They previously operated as Twin City Collision Repair and have served the community for over 24 years. “We are very pleased to add these thriving centers to our 13 other locations in Indiana,” said Tim O’Day, president and COO of the Boyd Group’s U.S. operations. “They establish a presence in the central region of the state and are a great start to meeting our goal to grow single locations by six to 10 percent in 2016.” The Boyd Group is continuously looking to add new collision repair locations to its existing network in Canada and the U.S. Interested collision repair center owners are asked to contact Kim Allen, director of business development, at (847) 410-6003 or kim.allen@gerbercollision.com. For further information, contact Stephen Boyd, vice president, corporate development, (204) 594-1776 or stephen.boyd@boydgroup.com.
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Sharing Information Through the Mopar Masters Guild Has Lead to Business Success and Lifelong Friendships Among Members As told to Assistant Editor Stacey Phillips by Mopar Masters Guild members
In 1989, Chuck Hartle met Bart Cooper at a 20 group meeting in Dallas, Texas. Over the next four years the two developed a great friendship that changed their lives as parts managers forever. During this time, the pair developed the idea of forming a National Mopar Parts Managers Guild. In 1992, the tandem became a trio with the introduction of Cy Yates. The three parts managers continued to conceptualize the idea of developing a National Parts Managers Guild. This was the beginning of the Mopar Masters Guild (MMG), as we know it today. All three later served as president of the MMG. In February of 1993, the first annual Mopar Masters Guild meeting was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The small group met in conjunction with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention. This tradition still continues today and gives managers a platform to tackle business challenges together as well as interact with Mopar. Realizing how important guild, vendor and brand interaction is, the Mopar Masters Guild has expanded its communication throughout the years. The Mopar Masters Guild Magazine, website, vendor meetings and Mopar events all contribute to the sharing of knowledge — knowledge that is beneficial to all Chrysler brand dealers. Since the first meeting in 1993, the guild has been active in the development of many factory programs. Members say that not a day goes by that a Chrysler brand dealership does not use a program that the guild has played a role in. Over the past 24 years, some members have moved on to new adventures. Likewise, many Mopar employees have also come and gone. Members say the most important thing however, remains the concept started with the three guild founders – the concept of sharing information with others has made many members, better managers and people. Today with the addition of a forum available to all Chrysler brand dealership employees, the Mopar Masters Guild’s future continues to looks bright.
The guild is governed by its own bylaws established that same year and are led by elected officers serving twoyear terms. The guild was founded on the principles of sharing ideas and best practices with like-size dealers in a non-competitive environment. The initial membership was invited from Chrysler’s Mopar Masters Club, which was a dealer group representing the top 100 distributors of Mopar parts in the country. The group has evolved into an established collective voice with
part of a local guild for many years he said, “I wanted to be exposed to these other larger dealers from across the country to learn how they conducted business.”
Rick Cutaia, president of the MMG and parts manager for Rick Hendrick Dodge Jeep Chrysler Ram, in South Carolina. Cutaia said he joined the MMG in 2005 by mistake. “I had signed up for a Performance group and as it turns out it was the MMG meeting that year in Orlando – best mistake I have ever made!”
Susan McDaniel, secretarytreasurer for the MMG and parts director at Bill Luke Dealerships, in Phoenix, Arizona. McDaniel has been involved with the MMG since 2002. She said Gerry Oakes and Marvin Windham walked up to her and introduced themselves right away. “They alLaura Windham (Marvin Windham’s wife); Dan Hutton (Indianapolis, IN long-time member); Rick Monteiro ready knew all about my (Escondido, CA long-time member); Alan Yancey dealership [Bill Luke] and (Lawrenceville, GA long-time member); JD Ipsen (Salt made me feel very welcome Lake City, Utah newer member), Paul Allred (Charlotte, as did all of the other memNorth Carolina long-time member ); Susan McDaniel bers,” said McDaniel. “We (Phoenix, AZ current Secretar/Treasurer); Rick Cutaia (Charleston, South Carolina current President); Marvin always try to pay close attenWindham (Birmingham, AL long-time member); and tion to the new members and Blaine Turner at an NADA reception in San Francisco, make it a point to go up and CA in 2015 talk with them so that they Chrysler as well as a proven sounding feel part of the group instantly. That is board, helping vendors better their very important to us.” product offering to the automotive inShe said a lot of members have dustry. known each other for many years and From its inception, MMG has speak to each other on a daily basis funded its meetings, interactions with but they are always anxious to welvendors, the website and newsletter come new members. “Right before through supporting vendor’s membermy predecessor retired he said to me, ship dues. ‘make sure you get as involved with Today, Mopar Masters Guild’s Mopar Masters as you can; you will mission statement is: The exchange of learn so much and it will be well information by like-size dealers in a worth it. If you don’t do anything else, non-competitive environment. do this.’ He was right.” Autobody News asked the following six MMG members about their ex- Gerry Oakes, parts director for Baxter perience with the guild over the years. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, in Nebraska. Oakes is a charter member of the Paul Allred, parts director for Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, in South Mopar Masters Guild. When he reCarolina. ceived a call in 1992 from Chuck HarAllred has been part of the guild tle, who described his vision of the since 1992 after hearing about a couple MMG, Oakes said he decided that it of parts managers forming the guild at was a must to be involved. “Since NADA in New Orleans. After being 1993, I’ve been fortunate enough to be
10 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
involved with this great group of parts managers,” he said.
Andy Reed, vice president of MMG and parts director for Allen Samuels DCJ/Hyundai, in Waco, Texas. Reed has been a member of the MMG for seven years as a parts director. His store has been a member since day one. “The reason that we continue to be a part of the MMG is because the wealth of knowledge from the meetings is endless,” he said.
Marvin Windham, parts director for Benchmark Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, in Birmingham, Alabama. Windham’s first MMG meeting was in 1998 after being invited by another parts manager. “I had no idea of what to expect but was blown away at that first meeting,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to have not missed a meeting since.” Autobody News asked these MMG members about the organization that has become so important to them over the years.
What are some of the long-term Q: benefits that you have found from being part of the MMG? Allred: It has played a huge role in my success. I would say 80 percent of the way we conduct business goes back to some conversation with our group. Probably the greatest reward has been the development of lifetime friends.
Cutaia: Over the last 10 years, I have been able to learn so much from the experience of so many very talented people. I have been able to take my parts department to not just the next level but to the next stratosphere. Anytime I had any question there was always someone willing to answer.
McDaniel: Learning new ideas. We all pretty much have the same goals (to grow our business and prosper!) and the same problems even though each store is different. You can take away a little something different from each individual. These conversations really get the ‘wheels’ spinning. I can guarantee you, you will go back to your store with a different mind-set, more positive than before, excited to take on
www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 11
new challenges and make the necessary changes to do so. Not to mention the relationships you will build along with the support you will receive from your new friends.
Oakes: The benefits are endless. A new member could attend our meeting and not say one word and he/she would be able to walk away with ideas that would pay for the trip expenses tenfold. Of course, we want all members to participate and share their thoughts and ideas. Sharing our ideas is the cornerstone of the MMG. The MMG has really become a resource of knowledge for me over the past 23 years. Whenever I have a concern or an idea about my DMS, a business strategy, or my department employees, I always search out members of the guild for guidance. In every case, I receive their thoughts and ideas the same day.
Reed: You have a large group of friends that don’t feel threatened to share ideas and suggestions. All of the members are very knowledgeable and helpful!
Windham: I credit most of my personal success to ideas, processes and attitudes that I picked up in my asso-
ciation with the MMG. It is one of the two most important decisions I’ve ever made in business.
What goals do you hope to acQ: complish in the future as part of the MMG?
Allred: To continue to discuss and overcome the challenges of our changing business!
Cutaia: Having now served as president of the guild, I have accomplished most of my goals. Keeping the guild going for the next generation of parts managers is something I hope we can keep moving forward and to keep making us all better managers.
McDaniel: To create an even larger membership spectrum so that we can continue to grow stronger as a team and help each other to grow our businesses based on the knowledge we all share through our conversations as a group. Also, to continue to maintain our strong relationship with Mopar so that together we can ALL make this happen.
Oakes: Recently, I retired as parts di-
12 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
rector for my dealer group. However, I intend to do whatever possible to help the MMG continue to grow. I want all qualifying parts managers to experience what has been available to me through the MMG since 1993.
Reed: I hope to continue to gain knowledge and grow our business. With the MMG, I am able to learn different processes that work at different dealerships and I am able to implement them in my store. Being active in the MMG helps to keep us active and not allow our business to grow stagnant.
Windham: The business is changing rapidly and I believe only those that keep up and adapt will succeed. Our challenges are many but so are our opportunities. I hope to conquer the challenges and take full benefit of the opportunities with the help of my MMG association.
Is there anything else you Q: would like to share about the MMG?
Allred: It is the best thing I could have ever done for my career and personal
life. Our group has become a fraternal organization that has much to offer anyone that will pursue and become active in it.
Cataia: I can truly say that being a part of such a group of talented people who are willing to share has made me such a better manager. I honestly believe I would not have been as successful of a manager had I not accidently joined this marvelous group that challenged me to become better and think outside the box. I have also made some friendships that have become an important part of my life and I feel blessed to have met some not only very intelligent but also genuine people that I am proud to call my friends.
McDaniel: Please join today, if you have not already. We welcome new members and new ideas. Each and every one of us who have continued our membership throughout the years can honestly say that we would not be as successful and open-minded as we are today without our involvement in the Mopar Masters Guild.
Oakes: Without a doubt the friendships that have been made through the
MMG are priceless. My wife and I consider many among our closest friends.
Reed: From the very beginning of my membership of the MMG all of the members welcomed me and embraced me. I have always felt comfortable talking and sharing ideas at the meetings and training classes. It really is a great group of people that are open to sharing and listening to new people and ideas.
Windham: My wife and I have developed many lifelong friends with whom we will remain close, even when we get to that distant future with golf courses providing us with all our challenges. These people are an important part of our lives now and into the future. For more information about the Mopar Masters Guild and to join, contact Susan McDaniel (602) 336-1557; Rick Cutaia (843) 402-6782; Andy Reed (888) 250-1852; Paul Allred (803) 578-8099; Marvin Windham (205) 4584598; or Gerry Oakes (800) 642-1524. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC.
Driven Brands Information & Technology Officer Hired
Driven Brands, Inc. announced in January that Glenn Gonzalez is the company’s new VP, chief information & technology officer. In his new role, Gonzalez is responsible for leading the company’s information technology strategy and support ongoing business expansion across all the Driven Brands family of automotive companies. He will focus on integrating key IT platforms and processes, to move Driven Brands ahead as a full IT shared services organization. He will report to Driven Brands’ CFO Brian Nicholson. Gonzalez is a 20-year IT veteran, starting his service in the United States Marine Corps and continuing through leadership roles at Spirit Airlines, Carnival Corporation, and EMC., a global IT leader in enabling businesses to transform their operations and deliver information technology as a service (ITaaS). Gonzalez and his family will be relocating to in Charlotte, N.C. in the coming months.
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AMI Launches Effort to Collect Industry-wide Training Info As part of a major enhancement project, the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) announced on January 14 that it is launching an industry-wide initiative to collect training provider information. Once collected, AMI will maintain the information in a searchable database on its website, www.AMIonline .org. “For many years, the industry has been discussing the need for an easily accessible and current database of all industry training information,” said Jeff Peevy, AMI president. “As a nonprofit, we believe AMI is uniquely positioned to collect, offer and maintain this free searchable database as a service to the industry.” AMI encourages all technical and management training providers to participate in this initiative. The collection form is available at: http:// www.amionline.org/#AMi/training -provider “By having a central database that the entire industry can turn to when specific training needs arise can be a powerful tool,” said Sheri Hamilton, AAM, AMI chair and executive director of ASA-Midwest. AMIsource said the continuing eduThe for timely
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cation they offer helps automotive collision and service repair professionals improve their business management skills. In addition to providing business management classes, AMI offers the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) professional designation, which is the repair industry’s first business education accreditation. AMI courses concentrate on seven core areas of business management education: leadership, sales and marketing, operational management, financial management, personnel development and human resource management, risk management and IT management. AMI was established in 1989 to answer the demand for continuing education and industry-accepted recognition programs tailored specifically for the business needs of the automotive service industry. To date, AMI programs have attracted more than 246,000 enrollments throughout North America. AMI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational foundation, to which Promote tax-deductible contributions your business with can bean made. exclusive article featuring For information, contact AMI products at (817)your 514-2929 or visitor theservices. AMI website at www.AMIonline.org.
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www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 13
Mitchell VP Predicts Parts Utilization on Average Estimate Will Decrease After Peaking in December; Enterprise Length of Rental Update With Virginia Staying Below 10-Day Mark for 5 Years Highlights from Mitchell’s Industry Update by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
Every winter, Greg Horn, Mitchell’s vice president of industry relations, said that he begins monitoring the number of parts used during the average repair estimate. “Notably, the number of parts on the average estimate increases, usually by over 1.5 parts per estimate and total parts spending typically increases by more than $100,” he said during the company’s latest industry update presentation for the fourth quarter of 2015. Horn noted that parts utilization usually peaks in December and falls off in January onwards due to the increased number of accidents that time. He said it is due to poor road conditions and what he referred to as “drivers’ amnesia” when winter begins. In addition, Horn said that it is typical for total loss percentages to increase during the early winter and then fall off during more severe weather. Looking at parts usage during the third quarter of 2015, Horn said there is an overall decrease in the number of new parts used for a repairable car. New OEM parts were down from more than eight parts per estimate in the first quarter of 2012 to 7.33 parts in the third quarter of 2015.
Horn said that none of the alternate parts measured — aftermarket, remanufactured or recycled — increased during the same period. “What we’re seeing is more repair going on from that first quarter to the third quarter,” he said. He attributed it to parts prices increasing and labor rates staying flat. “You
compared to a year earlier, while fewer remanufactured parts are being used. “We’ve seen a lot of the remanufacturing facilities across the United States close down because it’s not as profitable as it used to be,” said Horn.
Length of Rental Continues to Increase Part of Mitchell’s industry report included statistics on Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s average Length of Rental (LOR) for repairable vehicles. Frank LaViola, assistant vice president of insurance replacement for Enterprise RentA-Car, said the U.S. average LOR increased in the third quarter of 2015 to 11.4 days overall. This is an increase of .4 days over the same time period the year before. “We continue to see a rise in Average Cost per estimate when Parts are Present such factors as claims frequency, miles driven and registered vehican devote more repair hours per part if the cles per licensed drivers,” said LaViola. cost is going up and the labor rate is stayHorn added that the overall severity ing flat,” he explained. and number of parts per estimate were staLooking ahead to changes in 2016, ble in Q3 2015 compared to 2014. “This Horn said that he forecasts the trend will suggests that the increase in total loss fremost likely continue. quency for the quarter is driving length of Overall, there is an increase in the rental,” said Horn. number of aftermarket parts being utilized In the southeast area of the United
States, Georgia was up one day at 11.8 and Tennessee and Alabama were both at 11.3 days, with Tennessee up .8 days and Alabama .1 days. North Carolina came in at 10.6 and Mississippi was 11.5. Virginia had an increase of .4 days to 9.9. LaViola said Virginia has stayed below the 10-day mark for the third quarter over the past five years. South Carolina was down .5 days to 11.0. LaViola said that it is expected that flood damage in the area will lead to major increases. “One of the challenges of catastrophic events has been the damage suffered by collision repairers,” he said. “When the repair community also is affected by these events, employees are left without the proper equipment to repair customers’ vehicles that have been affected.” He said the Collision Industry Foundation can be contacted for assistance or to give a donation: www.collisionindustryfoundation.com. In terms of DRP repairs, La Viola noted that the difference between DRP and non-DRP repairs is continuing to grow with DRP repairs dropping by 2.65 days. “This is due to processes in the DRP model that allow collision repair shops to begin repairs quicker than non-DRP shops,” he said. The industry report can be found on: http://www.mitchell.com/thought-leadership.
I-CAR® And National Auto Body Council Partner On NABC Membership Discount For Gold Class® Businesses by Robbie Hargett, legalnewsline.com
An Alabama man is suing Hyundai over claims the company’s panoramic sunroofs spontaneously shatter. Billy Glenn, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class-action lawsuit Dec. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Co., alleging unjust enrichment, breach of express and implied warranties, and violations of California’s consumer protection laws. In the mid-2000s, according to the suit, car manufacturers introduced a substantially larger style of “pano-ramic” sunroof that spans almost the entire roof of the vehicle. Though aesthetically pleasing, the suit claims, these sunroofs, which require the replacement of metal roofs with large plates of glass, pose significant engineering challenges. The suit states Hyundai has not met these demands, with more than 100 drivers having reported to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that their panoramic roofs spontaneously shattered. The suit claims Hyundai has known about the problem since at least October 2012, when the NHTSA investigated the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, prompting a par-
tial and limited recall. In December 2012, the Korean Automobile Testing & Research Institute also investigated the shattering of panoramic sunroofs of several manufacturers, including Hyundai, ultimately concluding these sunroofs were prone to spontaneous shattering at least in part due to ceramic tint used on the glass. Despite the company’s awareness, Hyundai has still not warned drivers, including Glenn and others in the class, about the risk of sunroof shattering, still sells the defective vehicles, and denies that the defect exists. Glenn and others in the class seek damages, restitution, interests, attorney fees, and other costs of the suit, together to exceed $5 million. They are represented by attorneys Eric H. Gibbs, Dylan Hughes and Steve Lopez of Gibbs Law Group in Oakland, California; by attorney Jason T. Dennett of Tousley Brain Stephens in Seattle; by attorneys Gregory F. Coleman, Lisa A. White, and Mark E. Silvey of Greg Coleman Law in Knoxville, Tennessee; by attorneys Shanon J. Carson and Eric Lechtzin of Berger & Montague in Philadelphia; and by attorney Paul C. Peel of Farris Bobango Branan in Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks to legalnewsline.com for permission to reprint this article.
14 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
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New ‘Who Pays for What’ Survey Results Show Wide Range in ‘Certified’ Aluminum Labor Rates It would be easy to say that the national average labor rate for aluminum repair being charged by OEM-certified shops is about $92 per hour, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story, according to newly-released findings from the quarterly “Who Pays for What?” survey series conducted by CRASH Network and Collision Advice. Nearly 800 shops participated in the quarterly “Who Pays for What?” survey this past October, and 130 of those shops that are certified by one or more of the automakers to repair aluminum vehicles reported their hourly rates for aluminum repair. Those labor rates spread over more than a $100 range. At the low-end of rates for structural aluminum repair, a small percentage of shops reported charging only a few dollars more per hour than their regular repair rates. Near the top, there are shops charging in excess of $145 an hour for certified structural aluminum repairs. The findings, available at http:// www.collisionadvice.com/survey, show hourly labor rates for structural and non-structural repairs (broken down by percentiles) for shops certified by nine OEM aluminum certification programs. The 75-page survey report also includes information on: what shops estimated they spent on equipment, training and facility changes to meet OEM alu-
minum repair certification requirements; mark-up rates reported by shops for sublet work such as glass, towing, etc.; and payment frequencies among the eight largest insurers for 29 different shop supply estimate line items, such as seam-sealer, panel bonding adhesive and weld-through primer. Also available on the website are survey findings and analysis of earlier “Who Pays for What?” quarterly surveys, which focused on “not-included” frame/mechanical operations, and “not-included” refinish operations. Reports include analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented. “I’m hearing from shops every week who say participating in the surveys is helping them improve their estimating and repair planning,” Mike Anderson of Collision Advice said. “This aluminum repair labor rate information is particularly interesting to me. We will continue this series of surveys in 2016 with four more surveys to help shops understand what’s happening in the industry.” Shops can visit http:// www.collisionadvice.com/survey to sign up to take the February survey. Shops participating in a survey receive results at no charge. For information, contact John Yoswick, jyoswick@spiritone.com, (503) 335-0393.
16 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Hyundai in AL Sued Over Allegedly Defective Sunroofs by Robbie Hargett, legalnewsline.com
An Alabama man is suing Hyundai over claims the company’s panoramic sunroofs spontaneously shatter. Billy Glenn, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a classaction lawsuit Dec. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Co., alleging unjust enrichment, breach of express and implied warranties, and violations of California’s consumer protection laws. In the mid-2000s, according to the suit, car manufacturers introduced a substantially larger style of “panoramic” sunroof that spans almost the entire roof of the vehicle. Though aesthetically pleasing, the suit claims, these sunroofs, which require the replacement of metal roofs with large plates of glass, pose significant engineering challenges. The suit states Hyundai has not met these demands, with more than 100 drivers having reported to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that their panoramic roofs spontaneously shattered. The suit claims Hyundai has known about the problem since at least October 2012, when the NHTSA investigated the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, prompting a par-
tial and limited recall. In December 2012, the Korean Automobile Testing & Research Institute also investigated the shattering of panoramic sunroofs of several manufacturers, including Hyundai, ultimately concluding these sunroofs were prone to spontaneous shattering at least in part due to ceramic tint used on the glass. Despite the company’s awareness, Hyundai has still not warned drivers, including Glenn and others in the class, about the risk of sunroof shattering, still sells the defective vehicles, and denies that the defect exists. Glenn and others in the class seek damages, restitution, interests, attorney fees, and other costs of the suit, together to exceed $5 million. They are represented by attorneys Eric H. Gibbs, Dylan Hughes and Steve Lopez of Gibbs Law Group in Oakland, California; by attorney Jason T. Dennett of Tousley Brain Stephens in Seattle; by attorneys Gregory F. Coleman, Lisa A. White, and Mark E. Silvey of Greg Coleman Law in Knoxville, Tennessee; by attorneys Shanon J. Carson and Eric Lechtzin of Berger & Montague in Philadelphia; and by attorney Paul C. Peel of Farris Bobango Branan in Memphis, Tennessee. Thank you to legalnewsline.com for permission to reprint this article.
www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 17
Daytona Toyota Scion Expansion Project Crosses Finish Line by Bob Koslow, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
More than three years of planning and construction are finally at an end for Gib Dannehower. The owner of Daytona Toyota Scion opened the dealership’s new vehicle body shop on December 21 near the intersection of Nova Road and International Speedway Boulevard. Later that week, he opened a new used car/truck sales center on the site. “The body shop is impressive. It’s really state-of-the-art. We can bring a vehicle inside and do all we need to do and never have to take it back outside until we are done. It’s under one roof,” Dannehower said. “I’m being told that Toyota will have other dealers come through here and look at this because of the way it flows.” The new facilities are at 966 W. International Speedway Blvd., a half mile south of the main dealership at 451 N. Nova Road. Dannehower bought the three-acre site for $1.6 million in late 2012. It was home to Daytona Lincoln Mercury for almost 40 years when the dealership closed in 2009. The property wraps around two sides of the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop on the northeast corner Continued from Cover
Google Seeks Help
to California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Google’s self-driving car had been in dangerous situations in a number of times, and there have also been instances wherein manual overrides were required. However, it’s important to note that such incidents have been slowly decreasing. There have been 13 incidents where one of Google’s self-driving cars would have made contact with another object if not without the control of a test driver. Director of the Google self-driving car project Chris Urmson wrote on Medium that he expects such instances to decline over time. Google’s engineers can replay such incidents to predict how the car would have been behaving through a simulator. All of the incidents, according to Google, are “driver-initiated disengagements,” wherein a manual passenger had to take control of the car. Google Says Self-Drivers Crash Less Frequently Eager to demonstrate its self-driving
of International Speedway Boulevard and Nova, one of the city’s busiest intersections. Dannehower tore down the old buildings and removed the property’s old concrete and asphalt surface in
The body shop/service center has some new equipment in addition to equipment being moved from the main dealership to the new building, said Steve Spiletic, collision center manager for Daytona Toyota. The relocation of the body shop, which is three times the size of the old body shop at the main dealership, will allow the service center at the main dealership to be expanded as well. “This is definitely the latest in collision centers in the region,” said Tim Lloyd, a regional collision consultant for Southeast Toyota Distributors. “It has the latest and greatest equipment products in the repair process. It’s a certified Toyota colliGib Dannehower, center, owner of Daytona sion center that facilitates the lean Toyota Scion, is joined by Jim Kowalak, left, production process to get cars reoperations manger, and Steve Spiletic, collision paired faster so customers are withcenter manager, at the dealership’s new sales out their cars for a shorter time and center and body shop. The facility opened Dec. its repairs are done right to factory 21 at 966 W. International Speedway Blvd. in specifications.” Daytona Beach. Credit: News-Journal/Bob The new body shop also meets Koslow Toyota’s Image USA II design stan2014. He has invested more than $6 dards that required dealers to renovate million in constructing and outfitting existing collision centers, Lloyd said, the two new buildings. The 30,000- adding, “Gib took it a step further by square-foot body shop/used vehicle building a new one.” sales center complex is creating apThe used car and truck sales center proximately 40 new jobs. is in a 5,000-square-foot building with a
vehicles are safe, Google says that its high-tech cars are involved in fewer crashes on average than vehicles with a driver behind the wheel. A study commissioned by Google and released by the Virginia Tech Transportation InstGoogitute shows, looked only at Google’s fleet of more than 50 self-driving cars, which has logged 1.3 million miles in Texas and California in self-driving mode. The test fleet has reported 17 crashes over the last six years, although none were the fault of the self-driving cars, Google said. After adjusting for severity and accounting for crashes not reported to police, the study estimated cars with drivers behind the wheel are involved in 4.2 crashes per million miles, versus 3.2 crashes per million miles for self-driving cars in autonomous mode. Crash rates for conventional vehicles at all severity levels were higher than self-driving crash rates, the study found. Another study released in October by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute compared crash rates among Google, See Google Seeks Help, Page 39
18 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
showroom for four to six vehicles. It also has offices for the sales staff, collision center staff and insurance partners. The showroom and lots will feature higher-end used cars for sale including Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, coupes, sedans and sport-utility vehicles. Dannehower expects to sell 40 to 50 used Lexus’s a month. The showroom faces south to maximize the exposure along International Speedway Boulevard, the city’s main east-west corridor between Interstate 95 and the beach. The property can display about 125 used vehicles for sale. The main dealership will still sell used cars, but all the used pick-up truck sales will initially be consolidated at the new sales center and displayed on the lot along Nova Road. Thank you to The Daytona Beach News-Journal for permission to reprint this article.
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Mike Causey Enters Primary for 2016 North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Race by Chasidy Rae Sisk
Collision repair industry professional and advocate, Mike Causey, has officially filed to run for Insurance Commissioner in North Carolina on the 2016 ballot. If Causey wins the Republican primary on March 15, he will advance to the general election, slated for November 8. He’s encouraging collision repair professionals to support his campaign; the appeal on his website stating, “We need to break the Commissioner’s iron-grip control over our outdated insurance department and modernize it to better serve North Carolina consumers. It’s time North Carolina had an Insurance Commissioner that doesn’t play politics and reflects the conservative values and principles of most North Carolinians.” As a small businessman with 25 years in the insurance industry, Causey identifies as a “man of the people,” claiming “it’s not about status or fame. I truly care about North Carolina and want to make a difference.” His campaign platform is geared towards increasing competition in North Carolina’s
insurance industry, reducing consumer frustration with insurance claims, making the Insurance Commissioner’s office more accessible to consumers, and reforming the outdated Rate Bureau. In regards to the lack of competition in North Carolina insurance industry, Causey explains that the “lack
Mike Causey announces candidacy for NC Insurance Commissioner
of competition drives insurance premiums higher and higher. As Insurance Commissioner, I will work to bring more insurance companies into NC and give all North Carolinians more choices and lower premium choices. Saving money on business insurance premiums and other insur-
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ance premiums will help.” When asked how he would reduce consumer frustrations with claims, Causey said he feels that the insurance industry needs to be more responsive and transparent in how they deal with consumers’ insurance claims. His plans include requiring insurers to respond as quickly as possible, but he would require a response within seven business days from the time the insurer receives the claim or complaint. Additionally, Causey says he “will work to simplify the language in insurance policies, to the extent legally possible, and implement Plain Talk Policies that will make it easier for consumers to understand their policies. Right now, insurance policies are more complicated than IRS forms, and they are very frustrating to most people.” Causey also feels it is imperative to make the Insurance Commissioner’s office more accessible to consumers by enhancing customer service. “We want to make it known to the public that any person with a concern or complaint will receive immediate help from the Department of Insurance staff, man-
ager or commissioner if necessary.” Currently, North Carolina is the only state that still has a Rate Bureau which stifles free enterprise and causes consumers to suffer by paying more for bad drivers. Since many insurance experts believe that completely dismantling the Rate Bureau in favor of a free market would be disruptive to insurance markets and possibly harm consumers. Causey suggested, “Having a twotier system with an opt-out provision for the Rate Bureau would provide an acceptable solution, a win-win situation. We’d begin by giving insurers an ‘opt-out’ choice to leave the Rate Bureau and set their own rates, subject to free market rules and oversight from the Insurance Commissioner. That would allow those insurance companies not under the Rate Bureau to offer more discounts, special services and options to the people of NC, like what is offered in other states. Those insurance companies that like the guarantees of the NC Rate Bureau could continue as they have been, but this approach would immediately increase competition and encourage more insurance companies to
enter the North Carolina marketplace.” By implementing these policies, which will give consumers more choices and better insurance discounts, Causey said consumers will see less of their incomes going to insurance companies. He stated that the motoring public of North Carolina deserve an Insurance Commissioner who is familiar with the hardships body shops and claimants face and who is willing to help them with their problems. An Insurance Commissioner with experience in the insurance industry and with fighting insurance companies at a legislative level to benefit consumers and repairers is what Mike Causey promises to bring to the office. He will stand up to big insurance companies to stop unfair trade practices and is willing to push for fair labor rates on par with mechanical labor rates. Causey promised to be just this type of Insurance Commissioner, if elected. When questioned about how his 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry would be beneficial in the office of Insurance Commissioner, Causey answered, “That experience gives me knowledge, understanding and insight into the collision repair process and the
insurance claims process. No Insurance Commissioner in NC has had the level of insurance industry experience, body shop knowledge and experience, and legislative experience working on behalf of collision repairers and consumers that I have. The current Insurance Commissioner is a lawyer as was his predecessors and those before him. The current NC Insurance Commissioner does not reflect the conservative values of the majority of voters in NC who have elected a Republican Governor and both houses of the General Assembly. Our insurance system in NC needs to be updated and modernized. Our Insurance Commissioner should represent the values North Carolinians believe in and expect to be reflected in the state government.” In 2012, Causey ran for the office of Insurance Commissioner, and although he was very successful in winning the primaries and securing the Republican party nomination, “the campaign fell short in the general election primarily due to a lack of funds.” The incumbent Democrat Insurance Commissioner had over $1.3 million and had no primary election; my campaign had less than $60,000 left after the primaries to go up against the
big money incumbent. In spite of the lopsided funding advantage, I won 55 out of 100 counties and won the votes on Election Day, but I lost the election due to early voting in the big cities promoted by the Obama campaign. The early voting definitely favored the Democrats. Out of 4.3 million total voters, I needed to turn around about than 80,000 voters to win. So lack of adequate funding appears to be a main factor in the 2012 loss,” he explained Causey knows that many collision repair industry professionals are so engrossed in their daily struggles that they simply don’t have time for politics or legislative involvement, but he stresses the importance of voting. Those interested in volunteering time to spread the word or to help with a campaign donation can visit www.nc4causey.com. He suggested, “Sharing the website on social media is a good way to get the word out, but most importantly, VOTE! Take your employees and family members to vote. Vote early or absentee ballot if you’re unavailable on Election Day. It’s time for a change!”
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CCC Donates $4M in Software Subscriptions Through CREF
Through a program with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), CCC Information Services Inc. surpassed more than $4 million in software subscription donations to collision repair schools in 2015. The schools that received the subscriptions completed the CREF’s Collision Repair School Solutions Survey, which provides data on schools and areas where support is needed. The CCC ONE® Estimating software package provided to schools by CCC includes digital imaging capabilities, access to tire and recall databases, Paintless Dent Repair, frame specifications and access to CCC ONE® Touch, CCC’s mobile estimating solution that enables users to write estimates right at the car. “The CREF is proud to once again partner with CCC Information Services to provide this invaluable opportunity for schools,” said Clark Plucinski, CREF Executive Director. ”It’s important that students can access and receive training on the technology and tools collision repairers use in their daily operations,” said Mary Jo Prigge, president,The services operations, source for CCC. timely
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Bates Collision Centers in Texas Gifts Refurbished Vehicles to Two Moms During Season of Giving
Employees at Bates Collision Center in Channelview, Texas said that finding meaning during the holiday season is not difficult. A week before Christmas, employees placed two big, red bows on top of two refurbished cars wrapped in white paper to benefit two Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start moms.
Lynn Ponce and her daughter Skyleen received a refurbished vehicle from Leila and Lee Bates, owner of Bates Collision in Texas
Employees begin working on the cars during the late summer. Community members donated items like six months of insurance, tires, gas cards, paint and interiors. The items help families get further down the road to independence. The two recipients were mothers Lynn Ponce from the HCDE Pugh Head Start Center (Baytown Bates location) and Emely Webster of the HCDE San Jacinto College North Head Start Center Continued from Cover
California DMV Proposes
drivers and to have a steering wheel when operated on public roads. The newest rules would effectively block the commercial deployment of “driverless” cars, which could function as robotic taxis that pick up passengers and drop them off at the destination of their choosing. Established car companies also are dreaming of such a capability, which could enable personal cars that drive themselves to faraway parking spaces as if guided by robotic valets. “Given the potential risks associated with deployment of such a new technology, [the] DMV believes that manufacturers need to obtain more experience in testing driverless vehicles on public roads prior to making this technology available to the general public,” the agency said. Under the proposal, autonomous cars would also need to meet new safety and performance requirements, with testing and certification by a thirdparty auditor. To get a three-year operating permit, manufacturers would need to submit regular reports on the safety
(Channevliew location). Both were nominated by their Head Start center managers for responsible parenting skills. Serving students, teachers, schools and communities throughout Harris County and Liberty County, HCDE is a local governmental organization. Partnering with Harris County school districts, HCDE maximizes local resources and respond to the needs of locallyelected school boards and education leaders. HCDE services include schoolbased therapy for students, afterschool programs, Head Start, educator training, adult education and programs to promote safe schools. The Bates tradition has brightened the future of 30 families so far, said Lee and Leila Bates, owners of Bates Collision Centers, established in 1990. “Even though this is our 17th year to present a car to a family, it never gets old,” said Leila. “This year is exceptionally special as we celebrate our 25th year in business and present our 30th car. We’ve seen these cars really make a difference in these families’ lives. They’ve been a hand-up, not a hand-out. It’s truly a win-win situation.” Head Start Senior Director Venetia Peacock has seen the difference the cars make in the lives of families committed to make the world a better place for their children.
“We continue to be grateful and thankful for this partnership,” Peacock said. “These events really help you realize what the season is all about, the giving.” Ponce, 25, said she dedicates her hours to studying to become a nurse so that she can provide a good future for her daughter. Her part-time job can’t provide the funds for a car, so she uses
Leila Bates from Bates Collision presented Lynn Ponce with a refurbished vehicle during the holiday season as part of the “Responsible Parent Award” they have participated in for the past 25 years
her father’s vehicle. Her young daughter, Skyleen Flores, is enrolled in the HCDE Pugh Head Start Center. Skyleen is an outgoing, smart student that enjoys going to school each day. “Her eagerness to learn amazes me in every way,” said Ponce. Through Head Start, Skyleen, 4, is learning to count and read socialization skills she will need to be successful in school.
“My daughter is my main priority, and I will continue to encourage her and support her in all her interests and commit myself to promoting my child’s education and dreams,” Ponce said. Webster is a single parent of two children Akili Vigier, 4, and Jah-Lisa Fox, a college student at San Jacinto College. Webster works at the college and also attends classes. She is actively involved in Head Start as president of the Parent Committee. She attends parent/teacher activities and is involved in the Head Start Policy Council leadership program. “Lack of transportation not only limits my capabilities to accept higherpaying positions, but it also serves as a barrier for me and my family to have a higher quality of life,” said Webster. Receiving a car, said Webster, will allow her to say “yes” when she is offered an opportunity. “I will elevate myself from having to depend on others to make trips to the grocery store or run simple errands,” she said. “I will be able to say yes to education and walk down that aisle with a degree in my hand. Thank you on behalf of myself and my children.” To learn more about the HCDE, visit www.hcde-texas.org. For more information about Bates Collision, visit www.batescc.com.
and usage of their self-driving cars. As of Dec. 3, the companies certified to test autonomous cars on California roads were automakers BMW, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla and Volkswagen Group; suppliers Bosch and Delphi; and Silicon Valley technology companies Google and Cruise Automation.
Safety debate Developers of self-driving cars have generally warned the DMV that strict rules could slow the rollout of a nascent technology, while some consumer groups have called for regulation to ensure that self-driving cars are safe. The agency has “admirably served as traffic cop,” John Simpson, director of the privacy project at Consumer Watchdog, said in a statement, calling the December 16 proposal a set of “reasonable limits to protect public safety.” The DMV scheduled meetings to solicit public comments on Jan. 28 in Sacramento and Feb. 2 in Los Angeles. Thank you to Auto News for permission to reprint this article.
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“This is an aggressive and ambitious embrace of automated driving,” says Bryant Walker Smith, an assistant professor at the University of $4 billion over 10 years for pilot proSouth Carolina School of Law and afgrams testing connected vehicle sys- www.autobodynews.com filiate scholar at the Center for Internet tems. and CHECK Society, who studies self-driving IT OUT! The news from Foxx’s DOT difvehicles. fers from the typical federal approach The DOT is looking at safety bento regulating cars. Historically, NHSTA efits self-driving cars could bring—the has been a reactive regulator: It lets the current human system comes with industry develop technology, then, more than 30,000 traffic deaths a once it knows what’s going on, creates year—but it’s been slow to take action. new rules addressing it (for example, The last official word from the Dethat everyone now needs airbags). partment of Transportation came in To advertise “You’re gonna see us shifting a little May 2013, in the form of a tentative call Advertising Sales at: bit,” Foxx says. In December, NHSTA policy encouraging states to allow testannounced plans to change crash safety ing800-699-8251 of the technology, but no more. standards, requiring the use of active There are two key points to Foxx’s e-mail: safety features to earn a perfect five- advertising@autobodynews.com announcement. First, the DOT plans to star rating. It’s a new way of encourag- www.autobodynews.com create model legislation, to encourage ing technology that’s leading us toward nationally consistent rules. Second, it’s fully autonomous cars, like forward pledging to be open to what the compacollision warnings and lane keeping nies actually making this technology features. think. It’s a step automakers and others States’ attempts to govern auworking on self-driving tech are likely tonomous technology has created a to welcome, because they’ve long worpatchwork of rules. Nevada, Califorby Our Readers! ried that states would do what the feds Be nia,Seen Michigan, Florida, and WashingAdvertising Sales have not, and create a patchwork of CALL ton, D.C. have adopted laws at: regulating rules and regulations that could hamhow self-driving car are tested and per development of the technology. sold. Not surprisingly, these rules are Continued from Cover
Federal Rules
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inconsistent. Nevada, for example, resays Audi spokesperson Brad Stertz. quires a special license and registraSean Walters, director of compliance tion, but that only applies to vehicles andPromote regulatory affairs at Daimler, your business with sold in the state. Florida’s law is which introduced article an autonomous 18an exclusive featuring mostly useless, saying the state “does wheeler last May, agrees: “National your products or services. not prohibit or specifically regulate the standards are critical to the trucking inThe source foroftimely testing or operation autonomous dustry, especially with respect to new information that every technology.” and innovative technologies.” body shop needs! That’s not a major problem right NHTSA recognizes that its toolnow. With so few vehicles going box is much larger than regulations Call for details! through testing in just a few places, and recalls. The DOT, though, can’t CALL 800-699-8251 automakers and others can take the just apply its rules to all 50 states au800-699-8251 time to figure out what rules they need tomatically. The feds control how cars toMail follow Subscription and where. But when the are made—they can require airbags technology is ready for customers, and seat belts, for example—but it’s that changes. No automaker wants to the states that regulate how vehicles build a car that has to meet 50 differbehave, through the power of traffic ent sets of rules or more. It’s a logistilaws. Self-driving cars blur that discal nightmare, and automakers are tinction—how they drive is a direct Register Yourresult Email for Ourmade. “Most of public about how much they want to of how they’re avoid it. the laws that will permit automated “The technology benefits for univehicles are going to be state laws,” formity fromwww.autobodynews.com state to state and between Foxx told WIRED Magazine in Nostates and the federal regulations,” vember.
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Industry Insight
—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.
Automakers Discuss Labor Times, Share Other Insights at ‘OEM Summit’ with John Yoswick
During a recent industry event at balancing it against the P-pages and inwhich automakers discussed some of cluded operations…you have the opthe complexities of making collision portunity to…say, ‘Hey, this is not an repairs to their new vehicles, a shop included operation. This is a separate with Ed Attanasio owner asked the OEMs a decidedly operation. We need to add this as a line more business than technical question: item.” Are you working to come up with reA number of automakers stressed alistic labor times for the repair operthe importance of looking up collision ations on these vehicles? repair procedures before every repair The answers across the board because they can sometimes change were a qualified with “no.” Ed Attanasioeven within a model year or between “I don’t necessarily come up with design changes. Chris Tobie, an inlabor times. That’s not my sphere of structional designer with American influence,” Mark Allen, a collision reHonda cited several examples. “The pair programs specialist with Audi of 2014 Odyssey has 1500 megapascal America said. steel in it, whereas previously the car Allen said his “sphere of influonly had 780 megapascal in it,” Tobie ence” includes working with insurers said. “Same thing with the CR-V: The EdtoAttanasio and information with providers educate 2014 CR-V the body stops at 780 them “on what is necessary and proper” megapascal; 2015, all of a sudden, the in terms of collision repair of Audi vesills and the front pillars are 1,500 hicles. Allen said at least six major auto megapascal. That totally changes the insurers have sent personnel to Audi way you approach the repair. So if you training facilities, but he acknowledged just say, ‘This looks like the repair I with Ed10Attanasio that not even all of the Top insurers did last week,’ it could be a very dando that. gerous assumption and a very unsafe Brandin Benson, a service engirepair.” neer with Mercedes-Benz USA’s prodHere are some of the other highuct technical support team said his lights from automaker presentations response was much like Allen’s, with during the day-long “OEM Collision the company offering workshops for Repair Technology Summit” organwith Stacey Phillips ASSISTANT EDITOR of Collision Reinsurers. ized- by the Society “We tell them here’s why we do pair Specialists: this and why it may take longer,” Ben■ Audi’s Allen said the mix of son said, noting that labor times are materials and diversity of “joining” established by the estimating database methodologies are more reasons that providers. researching the OEM repair procedures “We’re very sympathetic to the has become crucial. “We’re about to need, but we are bound to stay in our launch our Q7, and from its previous swim lanes, and labor times are quite a generation it lost 800 pounds,” Allen few swim lanes over,” General Motor’s said. “So there is 41 percent aluminum Mark Szlachta, concurred. “The pricontent to the vehicle, and the rest is a ority when repairing these vehicles mixture of high-strength and ultrashouldn’t be getting it done as quickly high-strength steel throughout the enas possible. The priority should be gettire body. You really have to know ting them done properly and as safely what you’re dealing with. [In terms of as possible to return them back to facjoining methods], adhesives are not tory specifications. The labor times, we just glue. They’re also corrosion prowould hope, would reflect that. But we tection. You can’t just go to Sears and don't have any control over those.” get the pop-rivets you used to fix But Allen said the labor times Grandpa’s lawn chair. You have to use issue is yet another reason that downthe right rivets and right rivet gun and loading the OEM repair procedures is right technique. It’s a challenge for us such an important first step in every reto make sure the industry is ready for pair. it.” “Here’s where the shop has an op■ Several of the automakers cauportunity,” Allen said. “If you’re using tioned against TIG welding aluminum, the OEM repair procedures, and you’re noting that the heat vaporizes the mag-
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nesium or other elements used for hardening the aluminum. “TIG welding is a wonderful way to weld, no question, but it’s not very friendly in the automotive market,” GM’s Szlachta said. Audi’s Allen concurred, saying TIG welding can reduce the tensile strength of the metal by 50 percent. “The frequency and energy being put into the material, and the electronics in the vehicle, never play well together as well,” Allen said. ■ Several of the automakers said the weakening of the metal from heating is why the OEM procedures often call for use of a backing plate when joining to restore the full strength of that area of the vehicle. Audi, for example, uses the same “T4” temper aluminum that some other automakers use, because it can be formed into complex shapes in the manufacturing process. But unlike Ford (among others) that use thicker grades of the material to improve its strength, Audi and some other automakers put their vehi-
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cles through an age (or bake) cycle during production to raise the aluminum to a “T6” temper which can be at least 50 percent stronger than T4. This allows them to maximize weight reductions by using even thinner grades of aluminum. That’s why they require the use of specialized welders and a backer to build the strength back into a repaired area. ■ Given the increasing complexity of collision repairs on some vehicles, how are the automakers ensuring their vehicles go to a shop equipped and trained to do the work? “It’s a challenge getting a customer to understand that they have a special vehicle, and it’s also a very awkward conversation [at the time of purchase],” Allen said. “It’s kind of saying, ‘Welcome your new child into the world, and by the way, meet its mortician.’ That doesn’t fly well in a sales scenario. So it’s a balancing act See Automakers Discuss, Page 33
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NHTSA Fines BMW North America $40M for Failing to Meet Safety Requirements
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) imposed a $40 million civil penalty and a series of performance requirements to automaker BMW North America for a series of violations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and NHTSA regulations. Under terms of a Consent Order issued to BMW, the company acknowledged that it violated requirements to issue a timely recall of vehicles that did not comply with minimum crash protection standards, to notify owners of recalls in a timely fashion, and to provide accurate information about its recalls to NHTSA. NHTSA imposed a $3 million civil penalty to BMW in 2012 for similar violations. “NHTSA has discovered multiple instances in which BMW failed its obligations to its customers, to the public and to safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The Consent Order NHTSA has issued not only penalizes this misconduct, it requires BMW to take a series of steps to remedy the practices and procedures that led to these violations.” The Consent Order resolves a NHTSA investigation into whether the
company failed to issue a recall within five days of learning that 2014 and 2015 Mini Cooper models failed to meet regulatory minimums for side-impact crash protection. In October 2014, a mini two-door hardtop Cooper failed a crash test designed to determine whether the vehicle met crash-protection minimums. The
duct. Under the Consent Order, BMW acknowledges that it failed to recall the noncompliant vehicles in a timely fashion. It also acknowledges additional violations discovered in NHTSA’s investigation, including failing in multiple recalls since its 2012 consent order to notify owners and dealers of recalls in a timely fashion and to provide required
“The company [BMW] must take this opportunity to reform its procedures and its culture to put safety where it belongs: at the top of its priority list.”
—NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind
company responded that the vehicle was listed with an incorrect weight and would pass the test if conducted at the proper weight rating, but agreed to conduct a recall to correct the incorrect weight rating on the vehicle’s Tire Information Placard and to conduct a voluntary service campaign, short of a recall, to add additional side-impact protection. In July 2015, NHTSA conducted a second crash test at the corrected weight rating on a vehicle with the additional side-impact protection, and the vehicle again failed. At that time, NHTSA learned that BMW had not launched the service campaign it had agreed to con-
28 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
quarterly recall completion reports on time. “The requirement to launch recalls and inform consumers in a timely fashion when a safety defect or noncompliance is discovered is fundamental to our system for protecting the traveling public. This is a must-do,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “For the second time in three years, BMW has been penalized for failing to meet that obligation. The company must take this opportunity to reform its procedures and its culture to put safety where it belongs: at the top of its priority list.” The order’s $40 million civil penalty
includes $10 million due in cash, a requirement that the company spend at least $10 million meeting the order’s performance obligations, and $20 million in deferred penalties that will come due if the company fails to comply with the Order or commits other safety violations. In addition to paying the civil penalties, BMW must: ● Retain a NHTSA-approved independent safety consultant to help the company develop best practices for complying with the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and NHTSA regulations and submit those best practices to NHTSA. ● Evaluate, under the independent consultant’s guidance, all safety or compliance-related issues under the company’s review and provide a monthly written report to NHTSA on those issues. ● Launch a pilot program to determine whether the company can use data analytics capabilities to detect emerging safety-related defect trends. ● Establish a plan to deter BMW dealers from selling new vehicles with unremedied safety defects, a requirement stemming from the fact that during NHTSA’s investigation, a NHTSA representative purchased a new vehicle with an open safety recall from a BMW dealer.
www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 29
Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. HO ND A AL AB A M A
FL O RIDA
FLOR ID A
GEO RG I A
Holman Honda of Ft. Lauderdale
Gwinnett Place Honda
F T. L A UDERDAL E
800-277-8836 678-957-5151
Freeway Honda
Classic Honda
B ir m in g h a m
O r l an do
800-987-0819 205-949-5460
888-893-4984 407-521-1115
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 greg_thomas@freewayhondaal.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 parts@classichonda.com
Jerry Damson Honda
Coggin Deland Honda
Hu n ts vi lle
D e l an d
800-264-1739 256-382-3759
800-758-0007 386-626-1811
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 8-4 Rkeel@damson.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 gbennett@cogginauto.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-4 robbutton@rickcase.com
Ed Morse Honda
South Motors Honda
FL O RI D A
AutoNation Honda Clearwater Cle a rwa t er
R i v i e ra Be a ch
800-232-1098 561-844-8089
888-792-7189 954-763-7157 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30 rguido@holmanauto.com
Rick Case Honda Davie
877-544-2249
M ia mi
888-418-3513 305-256-2240 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7 mfranceschi@southhonda.com
888-205-2564 727-530-1173
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 tonyrocha@edmorse.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5; Sun 10-3 santosr1@autonation.com
Headquarter Honda C l e r mo nt
Carey Paul Honda
AutoNation Honda Hollywood
800-497-2294 407-395-7374
770-985-1444
Ho lly wo o d
800-542-8121 954-964-8300 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-5 hernandeze@autonation.com
Braman Honda of Palm Beach
S ne ll vi ll e Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 gperkins@careypaul.com
Hendrick Honda Bradenton
Ed Voyles Honda
877-706-2021 941-752-2123
M ar i e tta
800-334-3719 770-933-5870 Direct
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-4 Kris.kitzman@hendrickauto.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 hondaparts@edvoyles.com
888-479-0695 561-966-5185
Hendrick Honda Daytona
Gerald Jones Honda
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4:30 parts@bramanhondapb.com
800-953-4402 386-252-2301
G re en a c re s
D a y to n a Be ach
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 Hondadaytonaparts@hendrickauto.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 gphwholesaleparts@hendrickauto.com
Honda Mall of Georgia Bu f ord /G win net t
678-318-3155 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 cdunlap@penskeautomotive.com
Milton Martin Honda Gain esv ille
770-534-0086 678-989-5473 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 robertthomas@mmhonda.com
Nalley Honda
GEOR GIA
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 pepe.guevara@headquarterhonda.com
B ra de n to n
Du lu t h
A ugus ta
800-733-2210 706-228-7040 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 tdunn@geraldjoneshonda.com
Un ion City
866-362-8034 770-306-4646 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-5 hondawp@nalleycars.com
Southern Motors Honda Savann ah
888-785-8387 912-925-1444 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 angela@southern-motors.com MI SS IS SI P P I
Patty Peck Honda Rid g elan d
800-748-8676 601-957-3400 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 pmartin@pattypeckhonda.com
AC U R A AL AB A M A
FL O RIDA
GEOR GIA
N O . CA RO L IN A
Jerry Damson Acura
Rick Case Acura
Nalley Acura
Flow Acura
Hu n t svil le
F o rt La u de rda l e
M ar i e tta
Win st on -Salem
800-264-1739 256-533-1345
800-876-1150 954-377-7688
800-899-7278 770-422-3138
800-489-3534 336-761-3682
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 8-4 Rkeel@damson.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rubenramos@rickcase.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 byoung@nalleycars.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-1 www.flowacura.com
Southern Motors Acura
Hendrick Acura
FL O RI D A
G EO RG IA
Acura of Orange Park
Jackson Acura
J ack so n vi ll e
R o swe l l
888-941-7278 904-777-1008
877-622-2871 678-259-9500
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-3 msweeney@acuraoforangepark.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-6 kmcmillan@jacksonacura.com
30 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
S ava n na h
Charlot te
800-347-0596 912-232-3222
800-768-6824 704-566-2288
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 Tim.johnson@acuraofsavannah.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 justin.taylor@hendrickauto.com
NO . C AR O LI N A
NO . CAR OL INA
TEN NE SS EE
V IR GIN I A
Apple Tree Honda
Vann York Automall
Bill Gatton Honda
As he v ille
High Point
Br is to l
800-476-9411 828-684-4400
336-841-6200 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3
800-868-4118 423-652-9545
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 appletreeparts@hotmail.com
Crown Honda Southpoint Du r ha m
855-893-8866 919-425-4711 Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-11; Fri 7-6 Sat 7-5; Sun 11-5 www.southpointhonda.com
Hendrick Honda Ch a r lo t t e
800-277-7271 704-552-1149 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 rob.thomas@hendrickauto.com
Leith Honda Ra le ig h
800-868-6970 919-790-8228 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5 parts@leithhonda.com
McKenney-Salinas Honda G as t on ia
888-703-7109 704-824-8844 x 624 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 parts@mshonda.com
Metro Honda I nd ian Trail
866-882-9542 704-220-1522 Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-6:30; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com
N O . CAR OL IN A
Leith Acura
SO . CAR OL INA
Breakaway Honda G re e n vi l l e
800-849-5056 864-234-6481 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 fmarshall@breakawayhonda.com
Midlands Honda C o l u m bi a
877-273-4442 803-691-8585
Hendrick Honda Woodbridge Woodb rid g e
703-690-7777
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-1 hondaparts@billgattonhonda.com
Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7-6 Sat 8-5; Sun 10-4
Wolfchase Honda
Valley Honda
Ba r tle t t
Stau n ton
800-982-7290 901-255-3780
800-277-0598 540-213-9016
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7 ekerr@wolfchasehonda.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-5 bwimer@myvalleyhonda.com
VIRGINIA
West Broad Honda
Colonial Honda
Rich m on d
C he ste r
800-446-0160 804-672-8811
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com
800-564-9836 804-414-1960
Piedmont Honda
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 rreese@i95honda.com
Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7:30-6:30; Fri 7:30-6; Sat 8-3; Sun 11-3 wbhonda@aol.com
A n de r so n
800-849-5057 864-375-2082 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 swhite@piedmontcars.com TE NNES SEE
Airport Honda Alcoa
800-264-4721 865-970-7792 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6:30; Sat 7:30-5 parts@airporthonda.com
AutoNation Honda West Knoxville
Duncan’s Hokie Honda C hr is tia n burg
800-979-9110 540-381-3200 Dept. Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30 Sat 8:00-5:00 rthompson@duncanauto.net
Hall Honda Vi rgi ni a Bea ch
800-482-9606 757-431-4329 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 fox@hallauto.com
K n ox v i l l e
800-824-1301 865-218-5461 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 rossd1@autonation.com
VI RG INIA
Radley Acura
Ca r y
F a l l s C hu rch
800-868-0082 919-657-0460
800-550-5035 703-824-5785
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4:30 parts@leithacura.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6:00; Sat 8-6; Sun 10-5 jimgraf@radleyauto.com
V IRGI NI A
Karen Radley Acura Wo od br id g e
800-355-2818 703-550-0205 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-3 coreythompson@radleyautogroup.com www.autobodynews.com | FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS 31
Media and Publicity for Shops Marketing Dinosaurs That Should Be Extinct in 2016 with Ed Attanasio
In all industries there are sworn-by emails getting a 0.12% response rate. marketing practices that will eventu- But, now the numbers have changed ally become archaic due to emerging dramatically, and in 2015 direct mail technologies andwith other Stacey factors. Like is pulling 3.7% response Phillips - ASSISTANTinEDITOR anything else, times change and things rate and many experts that were working 10-15 years ago are claim that email marno longer the best path to take. keting If you’re still driving a VW Thing, using VHS tapes and have a flip phone, you’re probably lost when it comes to the latest trends. Chances are, you’re also still doing direct mail and advertising in the Yellow Pages. If so, this column is a marketing wakeup call. Here are some marketing techniques that should be retired, right alongside the sea monkeys and liquid paper: is coming in at around 4–5%. Direct Mail: Looks at the numbers. In For lead generation, direct 2012, the Direct Marketing Associa- mail costs the sender roughly $19 per tion reported that an average response every customer acquired if using dirate for direct mail was 4.4% with rect mail, but with email marketing, it
Shop Strategies
costs $11 per new client.
The Yellow Pages: In 2013, I wrote a column declaring what everyone already knew—the Yellow Pages were dead or at least dying. But yesterday I looked at our YP directory here in San Francisco and there were more than 300 body shops still advertising there. I called one shop owner from the directory and he told me he’s spending roughly $1,800 annually to run a small display ad in the book, but he isn’t sure if it works. He keeps doing it, because he sees his competitors in there year after year. So here’s the 411-if you’re still buying ads or listings in any type of phone directory, you might as well go back to fixing cars
T C N I T X E
32 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.
with an old, rusted frame machine and revert back to using repair manuals again. Take that money and put it into things like email marketing, online ads, social media and new content for your web site or blog.
Phone Work: Shops work hard to keep their customers in the loop and connected during the repair process. That’s a great thing and an integral part to any customer service model, but you don’t need to do it all via voice calls anymore. The Millennials are much more comfortable communicating by texting or emailing, because they’re more efficient and save time. Experts say that if you want to build relationships with your customers live in their world and emulate their habits. Stats show that young people aren’t exactly psyched about the old personal phone call and if you have a teenager you’d probably agree. Some post-40 types may still desire a
voice call now and again, however so find out what they prefer and use that technique.
Spam: Spam filters are more sophisticated than ever and must be changing all the time to adapt to the tsunami of spam that grows at an incredible rate. But no matter how good spam filters get, some will invariably leak through. The problem is that even shops that properly tag their emails still could be inappropriately tagged as spam and discarded. In fact, your reader may never even know that the message was attempted at all, which is even more concerning. So, learn the ins and outs of how to avoid looking like spam. Here are some quick tips: Make sure the message in your subject line isn’t silly or ambiguous. Mailing to large batches of people at once will increase the odds of being tagged as spam, so break them up. Use a company-issued email address. Sending from a free email account like yahoo.com or gmail will increase the odds of getting tagged, so use a service like Constant Content or Mail Chimp. Avoid large images, intricate graphics and html code in your email and maybe most importantly
spell check everything carefully before you send out anything, because when filters see bad spelling they figure it’s spam.
Keyword-Heavy Content: Writing online content for web sites and blogs that is stuffed with keywords in lieu of worthy and useful information will fail. Five years ago, writers had to adhere to rules like use the company name three times in the opening paragraph, to the point where it became ludicrous and much of the content ended up being illegible. Search engines today will sniff out your keyword-heavy content without hesitation and ignore you. It used to be all about backlinks, but now it’s more about providing top quality content that your readers will be interested in.
Fake Testimonials/Ads: In the old days, you could misdirect a consumer with a bogus offer in order to direct them to your page, but that will not work anymore. Most people (even many seniors) have become online experts, so they can smell that it’s a rat before they move their mouse. In the same vein, fake (or hyped) customer
testimonials are easy to see through and that’s why companies such as Yelp and Angie’s List are losing viewership and users. Customer reviews are still important, but now you need to monitor them a little more carefully, because an obvious fake testimonial can negatively impact your shop. By getting these marketing monkeys off your back, you should be able to invest more money in social media—the hottest form of marketing you’ll find in 2016. If you’re still not onboard with it, just take a look at the numbers. Around the world, there are now more than 2 billion active social media users (growing at a steady pace of 25 percent a year). This means more people now regularly use social media than the entire populations of the United States and China, combined, based on data provided by LinkedIn. So, for those of you who still use a dial phone or root for the Montreal Expos, maybe the time is right to update your life and marketing techniques this year, because “...once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” –Stewart Brand.
Continued from Page 26
Automakers Discuss
for us.” Allen said Audi is using a website and working with insurers to help consumers find qualified shops. Szlachta said for the new Cadillac CT6, GM is following the lead of some other automakers and limiting the sale of certain structural parts – and access to vehicle measuring data – to only certified shops. ■ “The technician of yesterday doesn’t recognize that he shouldn’t go to work on just any car, based only on his experience,” Allen said in summarizing the need for shops to do more to prepare themselves for repairing complex vehicles. “The technician of tomorrow, based on his experience, recognizes not to work on a car until he has the proper training.”
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Southeast Associations
Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@chasidyraesisk.com.
WMABA Seeks Compromise on New VA Photo Bill with Chasidy Rae Sisk
On January 4, VA State Senator Richard transmitted digital imagery of the auStuart pre-filed legislation for VA Sentomobile; however, no insurer may reate Bill 193,whichwith wouldChasidy allow photos Raequire Siskan owner of an automobile to of damage incurred in a collision to be submit photographs, videos or elecused during the appraisal process. Altronically transmitted digital imagery though this bill does not seek to allow as a condition of an appraisal.” photo-only appraisals, unlike PA House While this language implies that a Bill 1638 that passed last month, indusphysical inspection would still be retry advocates fear that its passage poses quired, it also allows for the photo desk with Chasidy Raereview Sisk to be used as the final repair appotential risks to consumers and collision repair professionals in VA. praisal. Hendler said this verbiage could Jordan Hendler, executive direcallow insurers to “circumvent the law, tor of the Washington Metropolitan and it could cause potential safety conAuto Body Association (WMABA), cerns for consumers. If a consumer subcautioned, “If VA Senate Bill 193 passes mits photos for their claim and takes the with itChasidy Raecash Siskout claim without an actual inas it is currently written, could potentially pose a lot of problems for conspection, they likely won’t receive the sumers and shop owners; however, I can correct amount that fully represents the also see potential benefits for both parcar’s damage. Over 90 percent of estities, so WMABA is willing to work with mates written in VA require a supplestakeholders for the bill to craft lanment, so estimates are often wrong at with Chasidy Rae Sisk guage and work on the issues that pose covering the actual damage, and with a concern for the collision repair indusSenate Bill 193, the dollar amount diftry and consumers. Rather than stand in ference will only increase.” the way of progress, we’d like to negoIf this exception is passed into tiate a compromise that will appease all law, Hendler said that consumers may of the parties involved.” lose more money if they choose the In PA, House Bill 1638 is seek- cash out claim option than if someone with Ed Attanasio ing to remove language written in the physically inspected the vehicle. “The Appraisal Act and replace it with an appraisal based on a photo may show exception to allow photo-only ap- only $500 in damage, but the inpraisals, but this is not the case in VA. surer’s physical inspection may apVA Code 38.2-510, included in the praise the damage at $700, and then state’s Unfair Claims Practices law, the collision repair facility could diswould still require the appraisal of a cover that it will actually cost $2,500 with Ed Attanasio damaged vehicle to be based on a perto restore the vehicle to its pre-loss sonal inspection by a repairer or in- condition. This poses a potential for Promote your business with surance representative. consumers to lose more featuring money on an exclusive article VA Senate Bill 193 would then theiryour investment than or everservices. before. Adproducts add the following exception to the ditionally, the disparity between the The source timely current verbiage:for “Notwithstanding desk review and the collision repair information that Ed Attanasio the requirement with that anevery appraisal be facility’s final estimate could unfairly body needs! based upon shop a personal inspection, the make it appear that the shop is being repair facility or the insurer making dishonest; we foresee a plethora of Call for details! CALL 800-699-8251 the appraisal may prepare an initial, problems. No camera can take a 3D which may be the final, repair ap- picture, 800-699-8251 and until that happens, it is praisal on an automobile that has been impossible to believe that a photo can Mail Subscription damaged as a result of a covered loss accurately depict the damage incurred ThomasperFranklin either from thewith representative’s in a collision.” sonal inspection of the vehicle or from Although industry advocates fear photographs, videos or electronically that PA’s House Bill 1638 could in-
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While Hendler would prefer to stop the bill which could “open potential loopholes that would allow consumers and repairers to get hurt,” she also sees how Senate Bill 193 could offer benefits for both parties. The language requiring a physical inspection would not be removed from VA law, so WMABA’s concern is ensuring that the physical inspection takes precedence over the photos provided when writing an appraisal. Hendler has not yet had the opportunity to discuss this bill with Senator Stuart since it was introduced so recently, but she plans to collaborate with the group lobbying for State Bill 193 to ensure its wording poses minimal risks for consumers and repairers in VA. As the bill progresses, Hendler hopes to facilitate a compromise that will benefit all parties that could potentially be impacted. For more information, contact WMABA at (804) 789-9649 or visit: www.wmaba.com.
crease the amount of steering in their state, Hendler said that VA’s proposed bill could go either way. “Insurers could try to coerce consumers into taking their car to a certain shop, or consumers could insist on getting their vehicle repaired at their preferred facility after uploading photos of the damage. There are a lot of unknown factors when trying to make exceptions to a law that is already unclear.” Since insurers don’t treat supplement frequency as a major KPI when evaluating body shops in VA, Hendler has fewer concerns with this issue; however, she foresees more inaccuracies and possible arguments between shops and insurers regarding the need for supplements if the insurer does not perform a physical inspection. This also poses safety concerns for consumers if a shop feels its best interest is to repair only what’s shown in photos to avoid a conflict with the insurer.
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SEMA Show Goes On Up and Coming Painter Shines at SEMA
Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.
with Ed Attanasio
Adam Stone is one of the hottest the viable alternative, but jobs were quickly became less appealing, Stone emerging automotive painters in the hard to find even in the closest big said. “At first, I was making decent country today, especially he got town—Bakersfield. “I could only get money. I charged $50 per vehicle for with Edafter Attanasio three incredible creations in the 2015 work as a substitute teacher,” Stone pinstriping and the dealerships started SEMA show. With a car, a truck and a lining up. A lot of the jobs motorcycle on display in Las Vegas, started out at $50, but ended Stone’s work garnered accolades and up costing $250, because they positive reviews from major names would ask me to also paint like Gene Winfield, Rick Dore and the hood and the tailgate, etc. the cast of Overhaulin’ just to name a Pretty soon, I was making with Stacey Phillips - ASSISTANT EDITOR few. It was an exhilarating show for some serious money every Stone, 38, because his journey to sucday, so I knew then that my cess hasn’t exactly been a smooth teaching days were basically ride. over.” In fact, for several years it looked But, when the economy imlike Stone wouldn’t be able to get out ploded in 2008 and several of his hometown of Lindsay, CA, an local dealerships folded, Stone Adam Stone, 38, has been painting professionally for agricultural area with a population of had to re-invent himself or risk roughly a decade. For many years, he dreamt of getting a car in the SEMA show, but instead two cars and one around 12,000. While most of the peobeing painted into a corner. motorcycle were featured last November ple in Lindsay work in agriculture in “The pinstriping business fell one capacity or another, Adam wanted said. “The schools were passing out apart, so I decided maybe I should think to do something else, after seeing his pink slips and it just did not look like about painting complete cars,” Stone father toiling hard as a produce broker it was going to provide me with a explained. “The people at Lalanne’s for decades. good career. So, I started looking for Paint Supply helped me out, by setting “My Dad ran a local fruit & prosomething I could do that I like and me up with my first spray gun (an duce stand for 25 years on Cairns Cormaybe tap into my creative side.” ner in Lindsay,” Stone explained. “He So, Stone began teaching himself made a great living and was wellhow to do pin striping on cars—any known for having the best produce in car. Within six months, he was adept the area. He then began taking his at this detailed work and ready to start
Iwata) and pointing me in the right direction.” Gary Lalanne, the owner of Lalanne’s Paint Supply in Porterville, CA is a third-generation owner for this jobber that has been in business since 1921. He has seen Stone’s path to success from the very first days and is happy to see the painter’s recent acclaim. “Adam came in here the first time and I think he was a teenager then,” Lalanne said. “He was asking questions and we’re very technical here, so we helped him, just like we do with every customer. We’re not surprised to find out that he is doing well. Axalta is working with Adam now and he is gaining a lot of exposure through things like SEMA. He still comes in here and buys stuff now and again, so he has been a customer here for more than a decade.” Two major highlights in his artistic journey happened in 2009, when the
Media and Publicity for Shops Shop Strategies
aCompetitive Pricing aFree and fast delivery aKnowledgeable Wholesale Parts Staff Coggin Deland Honda Stone’s 1936 truck was displayed at Axalta’s booth at 2015 SEMA
knowledge of produce and became a broker selling to supermarkets and cold storages throughout North America. It was a good job and he supported his family, but I knew that I wanted to do something that would be more fulfilling and help to make a difference in some way.” A career as a teaching looked like
a little business on the side. “I started doing pinstripes on new vehicles for local new car dealerships,” he said. “During that time, they were taking the newer trucks and turning them into low riders. They liked my work, so the business started to grow.” As more and more dealerships requested his work, substitute teaching
36 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
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very first car that Stone painted completely, a 1974 Chevy Caprice, ended up in Lowrider magazine, followed by an introduction to Danny Galvez (aka “Danny D”), the well-known custom automotive painter and pinstriper who is a legend in the lowriding world.
you can rest assured that you won’t see any factory colors in the finished product. “I make all my colors, including the pearls, candies and toners,” he said. “When I talk to the paint supplier, I tell them don’t give me codes, because I don’t want a standard
His 1983 Lincoln Mark VI was a huge attraction at the Indasa booth at SEMA
“Meeting Danny was a big deal, because he started introducing me to some of the right people and gave me a lot of encouragement,” Stone said. “He is a very generous person and he’s a true artist in every way, because he is always about the work.” If you get a car painted by Stone,
color. That way, when you get a car, truck or SUV painted by me, you’re getting a custom, one-of-a-kind paint job, because I create them all myself.” Several positive things that come with success include the media exposure you get and the fact that companies are willing to sponsor you, according to
Stone. “I am now working with Axalta for my paint and INDASA is providing me with all of my tape, sand paper, abrasives and tools. It helps a lot, because when I am pinstriping, I use a ton of tape. When we’re done with a job, we often have a huge ball of used tape on the floor—the size of a big beach ball! On one truck I painted recently, we used more than 10 cases of tape.” Today, Stone Color Studio operates out of a 6,000 square foot facility with two employees. By attracting clients where money is not an issue, the business has been thriving. “We’re doing approximately 10 complete jobs and probably 20 smaller projects, adding graphics to other companies that are restoring vehicles. We also have some Arab customers and they’re willing to pay for premium work. We’re currently working on a 2003 Ferrari Spyder with a complete tribal paint job in black and charcoal custom colors and red trims.” How can Stone follow his success at SEMA? “I want to get more into painting hot rods, but I don’t want to forget my roots in pinstriping and lowriders either. SEMA opened some doors, no doubt, but now I just have to walk through them.”
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NASTF Committee Co-Chairs Appointed In their year-end meeting, the NASTF Board of Directors made the OEM and independent co-chair appointments to each of the six NASTF committees for 2016:
● Collision Committee: Gary Ledoux (American Honda) and Tim Morgan (Spanesi Americas) ● Communications Committee: Valerie Sullivan (American Honda) and Jessie Korosek (Equipment & Tool Institute) ● Education Committee: Jill Saunders (Toyota Motor Sales) and Rob Morrell (WORLDPAC) ● Equipment/Tools Committee: Kurt Immekus (VW/Audi) and Greg Potter (Equip & Tool Institute) ● Service Information Committee: Steve Douglas (Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers) and Dave Zwalina (Automotive One)
Continued from Page 18
Google Seeks Help
Delphi and Audi self-driving cars in 2013 and found they had a higher rate than for conventional cars. But that study noted the low volume of driverless miles – 1.2 million
● Vehicle Security Committee: Bob Stewart (General Motors) and Claude Hensley (Lock-Man Locksmith) In announcing these appointments, Allen Pennebaker, 2016 Chair of the NASTF Board of Directors, said “The various NASTF committees are where the work gets done and we are fortunate to have such a high quality of leadership again in 2016. Thank you to all our co-chairs for volunteering their time for NASTF and the industry.” Each of the six NASTF committees is directed to meet by conference call once each quarter and committee members have been notified of that schedule. That meeting schedule is posted publicly to the NASTF events calendar (www.nastf .org/events) and to each of the committee webpages (www.nastf.org/ committees), as well.
compared with 3 trillion miles driven annually on U.S. roads. In December, California proposed state regulations that would require all autonomous cars to have a steering wheel, throttle and brake pedals when operating on California’s public roads.
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National Associations
A Decade of WINning
with Chasidy Rae Sisk
As the Women’s Industry Network tions for its 2016 MIW Awards, which (WIN) approaches its 10th anniversary are designed to recognize women who in 2016, the association celebrates Rae a have with Chasidy Siskenriched the collision repair indecade of WINning with big plans for dustry through their leadership, vision the new year after enjoying a successand commitment to excellence. Nomful 2015. Denise Caspersen, Chair of inations must be submitted WIN, shared, “With the wrap-up of on the official nomina2015, our WIN membership drive has tion form and will be surpassed our goal of 450 members evaluated by an imwith a year-end close closer to 500 partial third-party, with Ed AttanasioSandra Herron, members.” WIN’s sponsorship drive is unfounding princiderway, and the association is already pal and owner of nearing its goal of $135,000 for 2016. MiddleEdge, Inc. WIN has released a call for nominaMIW Honorees tions to choose this year’s WIN Scholwill be recognized arship recipients,with and the association during the MIW Gala Ed Attanasio is now accepting nominees for this at WIN’s 2016 Educayear’s Most Influential Women (MIW) tional Conference and will Awards. receive a Tiffany’s crystal award and WIN offers scholarships as a way commemorative pin. MIW Honorees of supporting females with a desire to will also participate in a mentoring excel in the collision repair industry. program with scholarship recipients Ed Attanasio In addition to with receiving financial and other young women transitioning awards to assist with tuition, educafrom their education to their career. tional opportunities and enrichment The organization is gearing up for events, scholarship recipients will retheir 2016 Educational Conference, ceive a one-year membership to WIN and in light of the association’s 10th to further support their journey and anniversary, this year’s theme is provide community guidance as they “Power of the Past, Force of the Fuwith Thomas Franklin pursue their career goals. ture.” The 2016 Educational ConferFor high school students enrolled ence will feature the Gala Dinner in a secondary collision repair techduring which the MIW awards will be nology program who intend to condistributed, as well as the Annual tinue their education at a technical Scholarship Walk fundraiser. Program school or college, WIN awards five specifics have not yet been released, $1,000 scholarships based on applicabut WIN promises a “comprehensive with Ed Attanasio tion competitiveness and the complelineup of professional development tion of scholarship criteria. WIN’s programming.” Wendy Rogers, one College Student Tuition and Conferof WIN’s 2016 Conference co-chairs, ence Scholarship is awarded to five anticipates that this year’s event “will qualifying students enrolled in a postprovide a look back and forward at the secondary collision repair technology continuing opportunities for success of program, and in addition to receiving the Women’s Industry Network and its with Chasidy Rae Sisk $1,000 towards tuition and educational members.” expenses, recipients will be invited to The 2016 WIN Educational Conattend WIN’s 2016 Educational Conference will be held at the Tampa ference with the registration fee and Hilton in Tampa, FL on May 2-4, 2016. travel expenses covered. Caspersen noted, “The 2016 WIN EdScholarship recipients will also ucational Conference marks the 10th have the opportunity of being mentored year of successful collaborations with Thomas Franklin by one of this year’s MIW honorees. among WIN volunteers, members and Applications for both scholarships are sponsors. One of the early Educational available on WIN’s website and should Conferences was held in Orlando, so be sent to WIN Scholarship Committee, this 10th Anniversary is the perfect time to return to Florida and reflect on c/o Beverly Rook-Twibell, Safelite Sohow the WIN network has grown and lutions, 1820 N. Corrington Avenue, Kansas City, MO with 64120. Ed Attanasiobeen enriched during this decade.” WIN is also accepting nominaStay tuned to Autobody News for news
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Old School Know How
Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@chasidyraesisk.com. and updates on this event as it approaches! WIN has also recently released their annual call for applications from members interested in joining the organization’s diverse board of directors which is comprised of members from all segments of the collision repair industry, including repairers, shop owners, jobbers, suppliers, consultants, paint manufacturers, recyclers and insurers. Members from all segments of the industry are encouraged to apply as long as they are a current WIN member in good standing. WIN’s board of directors collaborate to promote the education, recruitment, retention and networking of women in the collision repair industry. During their monthly conference calls
and two annual in-person strategic planning sessions, these ladies decide upon the direction of the organization’s many initiatives, such as the annual Educational Conference, other industry events, scholarship awards and MIW awards. According to Petra Schroeder, WIN Vice Chair and co-chair of the Board Development/Nominating Committee, “Being a part of the WIN board is an outstanding way to shape the future of the collision repair industry. Participation allows members to not only contribute to the growth of the WIN organization, but also to contribute to their personal growth through leadership skills and industry relationships.” Application requirements and details are available at http://thewomens industrynetwork.ning.com/page/join -the-board, and the deadline for applications is February 29. New board members will begin at this year’s EdSee A Decade of WINning, Page 43
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Day Job/Night Job Body Shop Owner in NH Shapes a New Career as a Sculptor with Ed Attanasio
People change their careers every day, and, in some cases, it happens randomly and without warning. This was the case for John Lacz, 67, a former
John Lacz owned a body shop for 38 years, but his budding career as a sculptor allowed him to close his shop in 2010 and pursue a passion in art. This piece is called Cotton Candy
body shop owner who is now a nationally acclaimed sculptor with pieces in galleries that sell for as much as $9,000. Lacz’s career as a body shop owner wasn’t anything unusual— father moonlights fixing cars while his 10-year-old son learns the business. “I knew pretty quickly that working on cars was my passion,” Lacz said. “I wanted to learn as much about the trade as I could, so I worked for three different shops and built a few cars over a five-year period.” Then, in 1972 Lacz opened his own shop in Manchester, NH. The 22year-old put his name on the door (Lacz Body Shop) and assembled a crew of one. “It was just me at the beginning,” he said. “I focused on doing frame-off restorations, but we also did collision repair as well. At times, I would be working on four or five cars simulta-
Tear Drops by John Lacz
Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.
neously, and pretty soon my customer list started to grow.” One day, John’s wife Terry asked him to go out and find a piece of art to put in their flower garden at home. After searching high and low for a good piece of sculpture that would work in the cou-
ple’s back yard, Lacz made a snap decision that would change his life. “I couldn’t find anything out there that she liked” he said. “So I made something myself. I had never done anything like this before, but I knew how to paint the piece once I was done with it, so I gave it a shot.” After the sculpture was complete, Lacz painted it at his shop and pretty soon this one-time need became a parttime hobby and eventually a full-time job. His eye-catching wood sculptures and unique steel figures started gaining attention almost immediately. Lacz’s wood carvings vary from three feet to nine feet high and are finished with Sherwin-Williams chameleon-like multi-tone paints. “The pigments contain crystals grown to act like prisms and they actually change color based on light refraction, giving it that unique look,” Lacz said. “I really enjoy creating my own colors to make my sculptures
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one-of-a-kind.” Lacz’s metal sculptures are made of solid steel and are painted with automotive paint, so that they can survive the relentless winters in the East. However, not every art buyer uses the original Lacz the same way. “Clients are fascinated with the form, imagery and coloration John is
Phoenix Rising was sold to a collector for $6,000
creating,” Lee Forgosh of Art 3 Gallery in Manchester NH said, one of several art studios where Lacz’s creations are displayed. “He has sold major sculptural pieces to people with indoor gardens, but the form doesn’t have to be in a garden setting. The pieces stand on their own as true art.” As Lacz’s art career began to flourish, he started to move toward the exit signs of his body shop. “I began to think about getting out of this business and the art helped me to do it” Lacz said. “Several things all happened together that made the decision easier. My #1 employee had a heart attack right here at the shop, so I began to ask, why am I pushing myself so hard? I was 63 at the time and I could see that I was losing the passion for this industry. So, after 38 years in this industry, I stepped away in 2010. I realized that pursuing my passion for art was more important than money.” Today, Lacz is a full-time professional artist, living half the time in New Hampshire and the other half in Florida. Currently, he has pieces in five galleries between the four states. “I make a point of visiting all of the galleries at least twice during the year,” he said. “To see my work in
these fancy galleries is a rush every time.” Now instead of juggling DRPs and worried about his cycle times, Lacz is able to retreat to his studio and simply create, without the multiple headaches associated with owning any business, let alone a body shop. What does Lacz miss about owning a body shop? “I used to love the satisfaction I got after restoring a car and then seeing the owner when he saw the finished product,” Lacz said. “I get that same feeling when someone buys one of my pieces and puts it in their garden, living room or office. What I don’t miss are the insurance companies. Now as a sculpture, I don’t have to play their little games anymore. I can dictate my own rates with my sculptures and I don’t have to listen to some college kid about how I should do it!”
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A Decade of WINning
ucational Conference in May during which they will attend a new board member orientation. During the first quarter of 2016, WIN’s Industry Outreach Team will be mobile with appearances at CIC and CREF, plus the team will make their first appearance at the NORTHEAST Trade Show in March. Caspersen also reported, “As WIN grows, 2016 will be the year for technology as we have a goal of implementing a new association management software to better connect our members and provide great efficiencies to our all-hands-on-deck volunteers. WIN’s board of directors has also implemented a continuous strategic planning process, allowing our volunteers to keep track of WINning goals and be the Force of the Future for WIN.” For more information about WIN, visit http: //thewomensindustrynetwork .ning.com.
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Assured Performance: Thousands of Body Shops Achieve OEM Certification in 2015 Assured Performance Network, the country’s largest OEM Certified-Recognized Collision Repair Network, announced the achievement of major milestones for full national coverage. Over 2,000 shops have now reached “Certified” status which reflects that just 2/3 that have applied have been able to achieve the requirements. Regardless of this impressive achievement, still less than 10% of industry shops have been able to make the grade and become OEM Certified so far. The mission of Assured Performance Certification is to raise the industry’s technical repair capability and ensure each repair business has what is necessary to properly and safely repair new generation of vehicles. The collective goal of the OEM joint-effort body shop Certification program is to provide complete demographic and geographic coverage of the county providing a Certified Repair Provider in nearly every community. To become officially Certified and Recognized by multiple OEM is far beyond just checking a box. Achieving Assured Performance OEM CertificationRecognition is based upon meeting the industry’s most stringent and comprehensive business requirements including the tools, equipment, and training as required by the participating Automakers. Shops must illustrate proof of compliance for all program specifics, as well as pass an annual on-site audit conducted by an independent auditor.
The independent onsite audit provides proof and visual electronic documentation that shops possess and have use of the required tools and equipment, as well as the necessary training, and business and facility requirements. The electronic images and records are retained online, accessible to be viewed at all times, and reviewed and officially approved by the participating OEMs. The proof of compliance is updated annually through on-site re-audits. This is the most comprehensive and transparent process in the industry, and it is embraced by multiple OEMs because of its effectiveness in identifying the bestin-class, qualifying shops. The Assured Performance Certification Program statistics achieved through 2015 are: ● Nearly 3,500 shops have applied to become Certified-Recognized with just over 2,000 successfully making the grade so far. ● FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) has over 1,700 shops currently enrolled ● Ford currently has over 1,200 shops enrolled that meet the requirements to repair their new aluminum alloy F150 ● Nissan has over 1,200 body shops enrolled, but limits shop participation. ● Hyundai has over 1,000 total shops enrolled in just 3 months ● While less than 2/3 of shops applying have been able to achieve the elite “Certified” status, all shops are given the opportunity to participate in an optional Assured Performance “Business
Improvement Program” to assist the shops in attaining certification, compliance and higher levels of performance. ● Even though the Certification criteria includes extensive quality assurance requirements, the Assured Performance Certification is not a quality control program to avoid any implied or explicit warrants of the workmanship of the body shop that may lead to liability exposure to the OEMs and Certifying body. ● Further, the joint-effort OEM Certification program avoids parts purchases and product brand name mandates. To achieve the impressive results, the Assured Performance Certification program employs several unique strategies including enabling shops to participate in several OEM programs while only paying once for the certification, annually. The online application and annual onsite inspection processes are also used consistently by all of the participating Automakers. These aspects eliminate redundant effort by thousands of shops and hundreds of field inspectors to provide documented proof of compliance. Assured Performance also uses state-of-the-art technology to provide online processing, web applications,
and mobile apps for the shop’s documentation and for inspectors while onsite. Assured Performance also provides data management for ongoing selfmonitoring and performance tracking with KPI feedback. Additionally, Certified shops receive public awareness, press releases, marketing and promotional tools, micro-sites, rebates, and more as part of the overall benefits. “Our ability to achieve 7–10 times greater shop participation than other programs is a testament to our joint-effort strategic approach and commitment,” stated Assured Performance Chairman and CEO, Scott Biggs. “It takes complete National coverage to realistically offer consumers and insurers a certified repair provider anywhere and everywhere they might need one.” As the game-changing statistics illustrate, OEM certification has a massive foothold in the industry helping drive advanced repair capability. With complete demographic and geographic coverage of OEM Certification, now consumers and insurers have the ability to identify a certified body shop in nearly every community across the country.
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PPG Show Truck 2016 Tour Announced PPG Automotive Refinish revealed the 2016 appearance schedule of its 75-foot 2016 Freightliner Cascadia tractortrailer rig show truck. The truck, with its spectacular red, white and blue finish, will begin its national tour March 4 at the Goodguys 7th Spring Nationals in
The PPG show truck with driver Chad Hook
Scottsdale, Arizon, continue on to 16 stops across 12 states, and conclude October 6 with the “Cruisin’ the Coast” event in Biloxi, Mississippi. The appearances include car, truck and hot rod shows sponsored by the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association and other prominent automotive enthusiast groups.
The paint scheme, created by Steve Breakfield and his team at Motorhead Racing and Design Co., Charlotte, N.C., presents a unique design suggesting the stars and stripes of the American flag. Gerber Collision & Glass in Grand Rapids, Michigan painted the truck using premium PPG DELFLEET® Evolution products including F3995 Epoxy Primer, the FBC Basecoat System and F3921 2.1 VOC Clearcoat. Veteran PPG driver Chad Hook will guide the truck across the country in what will be his final tour. Truck and car fans are invited to visit the show truck wherever it stops. Events and appearances are subject to change.
Goodguys 11th Nashville Nationals May 13–15 / Nashville, Tenn.
Cruisin’ the Coast Oct 6–10 / Biloxi, Miss. For more about PPG Automotive Refinish products and the show truck’s appearances, call (800) 647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com.
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Behind-The-Scenes Tour of CAPA Parts Certification Vehicle Test Fit/VTF Process CAPA urges industry to visit CAPA test facilities and learn benefits of CAPA certified aftermarket parts by Autobody News Staff
Autobody News recently had the opportunity to learn how the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) certifies parts. This included visiting the 14,000-square-foot facility in Irvine, CA where automotive technicians conduct Vehicle Test Fits, a key CAPA cer-
CAPA developed the Vehicle Test Fit (VTF) in the mid-1990s to confirm the fit quality of the parts it certifies
tification requirement aftermarket parts must pass before they are introduced to the market as CAPA certified. Referred to as a “Test Fit Center,” the laboratory is operated by Intertek, CAPA’s thirdparty validator. “As CAPA’s validator, Intertek
evaluates the parts that manufacturers submit to CAPA for certification to confirm, or validate, that the parts comply with CAPA’s standards,” said Matt Philbin, Intertek Irvine’s department manager. “CAPA developed the Vehicle Test Fit (VTF) in the mid-1990s to confirm the fit quality of the parts it certifies,” said Debbie Klouser, director of operations for CAPA, based in Washington D.C. “The VTF has played the single most critical role in the industry’s acceptance of CAPA certified parts.” As a testing laboratory, Intertek is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 standards by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). Philbin said it is the international standard by which a laboratory’s commitment to quality is evaluated. “Intertek achieved this accreditation by demonstrating technical competence for testing with the operation and effectiveness of its laboratories,” he said. Three Intertek facilities currently perform CAPA program operations. In addition to the Irvine, CA location opened in June 2012, Intertek operates
46 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
a 22,000-square-foot Test Fit Center, located in Grand Rapids, MI. A third location, in Taipei, Taiwan, is primarily involved with factory and part inspections.
The VTF process is a key CAPA certification requirement aftermarket parts must pass before they are introduced to the market as CAPA certified
With its global headquarters in London, England, Intertek employs more than 38,000 people located in 1,000 laboratories and offices in more than 100 countries. In addition to automotive testing and services, Intertek also serves other industries including aerospace & defense, marine, chemicals, construction & engineering, energy & commodities, food &
healthcare, government & trade, and products & retail industries. Established in 1987, CAPA was the first and only independent certification program for replacement parts in the United States. Klouser said its formation was a result of collision repairers telling insurers that they were no longer satisfied with the quality of aftermarket parts that they had been using for insurance-based collision repairs. “The insurance industry responded by creating CAPA to develop standards for aftermarket parts in 1987,” she said. Currently, CAPA has standards for metal and plastic exterior crash parts, lighting, foam rubber, bumper parts, and radiators – CAPA’s latest standard issued in July 2015. “The foundation of CAPA’s standards is demonstrated comparability to the OEM service counterparts,” explained Klouser. “If the materials and construction techniques used to produce a CAPA-candidate part can be demonstrated to be comparable to those of the OEM service part, then the CAPA-candidate part will perform in a comparable manner to the OEM service part.”
CAPA has four main components to the certification process: 1) Manufacturer Approval: The process that a potential manufacturer must complete prior to submitting parts. It includes an audit of the factory by Intertek to find out if the manufacturer has a system that meets CAPA’s requirements, and confirm that system is followed. If approval is granted, a participant may produce and submit parts for certification.
2) Parts Certification: This includes material testing, Vehicle Test Fit, (VTF), fixture approval and Dimensional Inspection. For lighting parts, photometric testing is a CAPA certification requirement (see sidebar article). While CAPA certification is based on demonstrated comparability to the OEM service counterpart, a lighting part must also meet the requirements identified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108.
3) In-Factory Inspection: Once a part is certified, CAPA inspectors visit the manufacturers’ factories to confirm that they are complying with CAPA requirements. See Behind-The-Scenes, Page 48
Steps to CAPA Certification
Material Testing Before an aftermarket manufacturer begins making a part, they have to buy the OEM service part and reverse engineer it, meaning they take it apart to see how it was made/how it works in order to produce it. “Automotive manufacturers don’t need or use CAPA to do this,” said Klouser. “However, if a manufacturer wants to CAPA certify a part, CAPA standards identify the requirements for comparability to the OEM service part.” For material testing, this includes requirements for: ● Chemical Composition ● Thickness ● Mechanical Properties including tensile and yield strength ● Welds ● Adhesives ● Fasteners and Hardware
● Electrodeposition Primer (EDP) Performance – performance requirements include adhesion, brittleness, cure and humidity tests.
acceptance for the independent aftermarket – if the aftermarket part doesn’t fit properly, it won’t become CAPA certified until it does.”
Vehicle Test Fit CAPA made the Vehicle Test Fit (VTF) a certification requirement in 1999. First, the manufacturer sends CAPA-candidate parts to CAPA’s third party validator, Intertek. VTF technicians then test fit the aftermarket parts as well as the corresponding OEM service part to evaluate how well they fit on the car. CAPA noted that this is the sole test where the aftermarket part can actually be better than the OEM service part. “If the OEM doesn’t fit the vehicle, the aftermarket part is still required to pass the test,” said Klouser. “While a body shop may accept a poor fitting OEM part, there is typically not the same amount of
Photometric Testing of Lighting Parts All applicable CAPA parts sold in the United States must be compliant with US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, which requires that photometric testing must be performed with the lamp held in the in-vehicle position. CAPA initiated the Vehicle Dimensional Inspection (VDI) requirement to obtain the proper orientation of the lamp in the vehicle to assist CAPA manufacturers. When the VDI is completed by CAPA’s validator the manufacturer is provided with metrology data and CAD drawings so they can design and build their photometric fixture.
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Behind-The-Scenes
4) Marketplace Surveillance: This includes the CAPA Complaint Program and Marketplace Monitoring.
Process of Complaint Program CAPA encourages consumers, auto body shops, part distributors and insurers to provide input concerning the quality of CAPA parts. If a user of a CAPA part believes it may not meet CAPA’s standards, they may report it to CAPA online at www.CAPAcertified .org or by calling toll free 1-800-505CAPA(2272) 24/7.
Step 1 – Initiate Upon receipt of the complaint, CAPA contacts the complainant to review the complaint and potentially secure the part. Step 2 – Investigate If the complaint part undergoes what is referred to as a “COM VTF,” the complainant is sent a letter advising them of the VTF outcome.
Step 3 – Resolve
Lyft to Operate Self-Driving Cars After GM Invests $500M
Lyft, a ride-sharing service, announced on January 4 that GM invested $500 million in the company to assist with developing an on-demand network of self-driving cars and a series of short-term car rental hubs across the United States. In California, a law was recently passed that requires manufacturers to receive certification and pass certain cybersecurity thresholds before releasing a self-driving car. In addition, a licensed driver must also be behind the wheel of the car at all times, reported blackenterprise.com According to PitchBook, GM’s financial backing is the largest direct investment by an auto manufacturer into a ride-hailing company in the United States. With the rise of car services such as Uber and Lyft, auto manufacturing companies are working to adapt to the future of the car market industry. The services are expected to lead to a decrease in car ownership, reported Black Enterprise. Several car manufactures have also entered partnership deals with auto-related startup companies. GM’s president, Mary Barra, will also sit on the board of Lyft.
After the COM VTF is performed, regardless of the outcome, CAPA provides the manufacturer of the complaint part with a full report. Klouser said if a defect were observed, the manufacturer must identify and correct the problem that caused the defect. Potential results of the investigation include decertification of the part or part lot.
Process of Marketplace Monitoring This entails a quality check of CAPA parts in the marketplace. Any CAPA certified part may be selected for a Marketplace Monitoring (MM) VTF. The CAPA validator purchases new CAPA parts from parts distributors. The part then undergoes the MM VTF to confirm whether or not it passes, just as it had to when it originally achieved certification.
Future of CAPA Standards Klouser said since 1987, industry stakeholders have relied on CAPA’s standards and CAPA certification to identify high-quality alternatives to OEM service parts. “For many years, CAPA certification was only available for exterior sheet metal and plastic parts, but that began to change in 2002, when the CAPA lighting standard was released,”
she said. Since that time, CAPA has responded to industry requests for quality standards for bumpers and radiators. “In addition to developing standards for new part types, the CAPA Technical
Intertek's 14,000-square-foot facility in Irvine, CA where automotive technicians conduct ‘Vehicle Test Fits’
Committee is also charged with reviewing existing CAPA standards to assure the continued quality of CAPA certified parts,” said Klouser. CAPA encourages body shops, insurers and distributors to reach out to them to tour the CAPA test labs facilities and learn more about CAPA certification. All CAPA standards are available to the public on request via the CAPA website http://www.capacertified.org/ For more information about Intertek, visit www.intertek.com.
Cox Automotive Supports CREF’s 2016 Career Fairs
The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced a $25,000 sponsorship from Cox Automotive for the company’s participation in a number of 2016 collision career fairs the foundation is facilitating across the country. Through this first-time donation from Cox Automotive, their participation in these events will allow them to connect with collision students seeking entry-level employment. Cox Automotive will be specifically participating in the Houston, Denver, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, and Nashville career fairs scheduled to take place the first half of 2016. CREF Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted, “It is only through our industry supporters are we able to assist these schools, instructors, and students and ensure that their graduates are properly trained and prepared for industry employment.” For additional information on Cox Automotive, visit www.coxauto inc.com. Industry members interested in participating in the career fairs can view additional information online and contact Brandon Eckenrode at Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation .org or 847-463-5244.
FinishMaster Purchases ColorMaster Automotive Paint
FinishMaster, Inc., a distributor of paint and related products in the United States and subsidiary of Uni-Select Inc., a distributor of automotive products in Canada, announced on January 4 that it has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of ColorMaster Automotive Paint, Inc. This transaction was initially announced on December 28, 2015 and its consummation was subject to certain customary closing conditions, all of which have been satisfied. “We are happy to welcome more than 76 new team members to the FinishMaster family. Our combined efforts will accelerate growth in new geographic areas and maximize our service, product, and technical support to new and existing customers,” stated Steve Arndt, president and COO, FinishMaster. “This acquisition of a leading regional player in the automotive refinish sector is a key strategic addition to our portfolio,” said Henry Buckley, president and CEO of Uni-Select.
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American Honda Addresses the Importance of Properly Repairing a Vehicle During Industry Update by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
During a recent Guild 21 presentation, Chris Tobie and Gary Ledoux gave a Honda & Acura Collision Repair Industry support update. They both stressed the importance of learning the correct requirements and procedures to properly repair a vehicle. Chris Tobie, an Tobie, an InstrucInstructional tional Designer for Designer for the Collision Re-Think the Collision ReProject at Think Project at American Honda American Honda, focused on new body structure issues that have occurred since the last Guild 21 presentation in August, 2014, when he gave comprehensive overview about high strength steel repair. Due to changes in collision test requirements, American Honda has made significant body structural modifications to some of its vehicles. He used the example of a 2012-14 Honda CRV body that does not contain ultra high strength steel in comparison to a
2015 Honda CR-V body that incorporates 980 and 1,500 MPA steel. “This completely changes how you approach repairing the vehicle,” said Tobie. “It may look like the 2012, but you can’t repair it the same way.” He said it becomes very critical to use the company’s Body Repair News and body repair manual in order to properly repair these vehicles. “You have to make that part of the culture in your shop,” said Tobie. “Anybody that is unable or unwilling to do that, is going to create a potential liability for you.” Tobie noted that the new 2016 Honda Pilot uses a door stiffener ring, which employs similar technology to the 2014 Acura MDX and 2015 Acura TLX. As a result, the repair method is the same. “The reason this is important is we sell roughly 125,000 Pilots per year, versus about 50,000 MDXs,” he said. “There’s a much better chance that you are going to see a 2016 Pilot collision repair just because there are more of them out there.” Constructed of 1,500 MPA steel, the door stiffener ring must be repaired
as a single assembly if it is damaged. Multiple stampings are spot welded together at the factory. When installed, Tobie explained that there is no access to the factory joints so they cannot be repaired. He stressed the importance of not using MAG welding or MIG brazing as a substitute where the factory stampings are joined with spot welds. In November, the 2016 four-door Honda Civic sedan was introduced with significant body technology upgrades. Fifty-eight percent of the vehicle is constructed of high-strength steel. “It’s absolutely critical that when a car using this type of steel is hit, that the entire vehicle is measured using a 3D measuring system to find out what moved so you can correct all the damage,” he said.
Equipment Tobie then discussed the critical equipment necessary to repair Honda and Acura vehicles constructed of high strength steel and ultra high strength steel. These include a squeeze-type resistance spot welder, a pulse-controlled MIG welder, silicon bronze wire and
Bosch DS980J MAG wire or an equivalent. “The requirement is that the filler wire must have a tensile strength equal to or greater to the lowest tensile of the parts being welded,” explained Tobie. The supply of DS980J is no longer available in the United States and Canada. In some cases, when welding 590 and/or 780 MPa steel parts, such as some frame rails, Tobie said 120 ksi MAG welding wire may be used. “The only time you absolutely need the DS980J is if you have to do a plug weld on 980 to 980 MPa steel,” he said. “That almost never happens in our cars.” An announcement about a replacement for DS980J wire is coming soon. Collision Parts Tobie said collision parts availability can be a challenge for body shops. In response, Honda developed a parts review process, in cooperation with the Parts Division in Ohio and Japan, to analyze and resolve collision service parts availability issues. “We absolutely believe that in order to have complete and proper
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body repair, everybody should own that in the industry – from the dealer who sells the part to the shop that installs it to the manufacturer – we all have a piece in that.” He said information about these parts is widely available. Honda’s field staff of 10 Collision Select Marketing Managers are spread out across the country in support of this effort. Since December 2014, Honda has included a parts information bulletin in its parts catalog, which is linked to every part number that contains significant amounts of 980 or higher MPa steel. Each part is also tagged with an instruction sheet in up to 16 languages, so personnel will know that it has specific installation features and requires special handling. “Our mission is to educate the industry about the need for complete and proper body repairs,” said Tobie. The company embarked on an experiment to demonstrate how doing an improper repair on a vehicle will affect its future crash worthiness. Tobie explained that they used an Acura MDX and sectioned the one-piece door ring and incorrectly welded it back with MAG welding. Then a small overlap See American Honda, Page 52
ProFirst Certified Collision Repair Facilities
Gary Ledoux, administrator of the ProFirst certified program for American Honda, gave an overview of the ProFirst program during the Guild 21 presentation. The ProFirst program, which costs $2,700 per year per shop, now includes over 400 shops across the United States. Ledoux said there are a limited number of spots still available. Gary Ledoux, administrator of the “We want to have ProFirst certified enough shops so program for American Honda our Honda and Acura customers are served but not so many that they will be on top of one another.” Ledoux said that similar to other car manufacturers, Honda and Acura products are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. New
technology, such as collision avoidance and mitigation technologies, is evolving at an increasing pace. He stressed the importance of training technicians to use the correct tools and procedures and ensure they have access to current repair procedures. “It is extremely important to American Honda that Honda and Acura products are repaired correctly and completely at whatever body shop performs the work,” said Ledoux. Since there are only a small percentage of Honda and Acura dealers with body shops, he said Honda depends on the independent shops to do the majority of the collision work. “It is extremely important that ProFirst certified body shops reflect the Honda brand and the quality that Honda and Acura owners have come to expect,” he said.
Ledoux said that some of the benefits of the ProFirst program include: 1) increased recognition for body shops’ professionalism 2) helping promote customer confidence and loyalty. He said that he often hears from ProFirst shops that when customers see the ProFirst name outside their body shop chances are they are going to get the work. 3) Increased opportunity to reach more people 4) shops receive cost and time-saving tools to help make a better, faster repair. Qualifications for being a ProFirst shop include: 1) Has to have basic knowledge and skills with I-CAR gold class or VeriFacts VQ or Medallion shop. See ProFirst Certified, Page 52
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American Honda
test was conducted according to IIHS specifications. Afterwards, the results were analyzed. That car became part of the Acura MDX collision display at the NACE and SEMA shows in 2015. It will also be part of the display used at the AASP NJ Northeast show in March. Tobie said if a repair is completed utilizing the body repair manual procedures, the car will be extremely close to its original design strength. “If you repair it improperly, the car may not perform the way it was designed to during the next crash.”
Service Publications & Training Body Repair News publications are posted on Honda’s independent repair website (www.techinfo.honda.com) at no charge. They are available for six Acura models, nine Honda models, and two non-model-specific issues. The information covers body structure issues, welding/brazing procedures, airbag system and general electrical repair requirements/guidelines and driver support systems.
M-B Introduces ‘Magic Sky Control’ in New SLC Models
Mercedes-Benz has premiered the new Mercedes-Benz SLC, which will be available in the spring of 2016. A press release from Mercedes-Benz stated, “A feature that continues to be unique to the SLC is the panoramic vario-roof with Magic Sky Control—this glass roof is lightened or darkened at the touch of a button. This means that it provides an openair feeling at any time, but when required gives welcome shade under a hot sun.” The feature uses Research Frontiers SPD-SmartGlass technology, is a carry over from the SLC’s predecessor model, the SLK roadster. The SLK was originally introduced with Magic Sky Control in 2011. Joseph M. Harary, President and CEO of Research Frontiers, the company which invented the SPD-SmartGlass technology used in Daimler’s Magic Sky Control panoramic roofs, noted: “It is great to see Research Frontiers’ patented SPD-SmartGlass technology featured so prominently here at the Detroit Auto Show in a growing number of Mercedes-Benz vehicles,” including the Mercedes-Maybach S600, is available for viewing at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from January 11-24.
Shops that are part of the ProFirst program also receive the body repair manual and parts catalog for free. Changes have been made to the body repair manuals starting with the 2016 Honda Pilot. A Body Repair Basic manual contains all of the basic procedures that apply to multiple models in one location. Previously, this wasn’t offered in the United States. In addition, the Body Repair Manual contains all of the model-specific issues and instructions for the vehicle. Honda is developing a training program for I-CAR to deliver. Three courses were launched in early 2015 and deal with service information, high strength steel and restraints repair. More than 6,500 classes have already been attended online. The newest addition is HON14, a course on Honda and Acura electrical collision repair. ProFirst shops are required to complete the courses within 90 days of their release.
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ProFirst Certified
2) Honda and Acura Specific Training 3) Tools & Equipment requirements available on website: www.profirstinfo .honda.com 4) American Honda requests that shops have a CSI system and may use any existing commercial system. 5) They require the facility to be clean, professional and customerfocused As part of the company’s ProFirst program and in response to industry requests, Honda established a technical help line, which utilizes the VeriFacts Paint & Body Techline and the Ask I-CAR Repairability technical support tech line. “If repair questions cannot be answered at that level, VeriFacts and I-CAR personnel have direct access to re-
pair and technical professionals at American Honda,” said Ledoux. “One way or the other, a shop’s questions will be answered.” Ledoux cited some of the additional benefits of the ProFirst program, which include a plaque and exterior aluminum signage suitable for public display; free access to Honda and Acura parts catalogs; free access to Honda’s Service Express for repair information, as well as access to communications information. All ProFirst shops are listed on the Honda corporate shop locator at collision.honda.com, which has approximately 15,00018,000 hits on average per month. VeriFacts is Honda’s technology partner and provides collision repair network certification, verification and auditing services. For more information about the ProFirst program, visit http://profirstinfo.honda.com/.
Tesla Model S Auto-parking Needs No Driver In The Seat
Tesla Motors on Jan. 10 rolled out new software that will let some of its electric cars park in a garage or in perpendicular spaces without a driver behind the wheel. Owners of Model S and Model X sedans will be able to park them while standing outside the vehicle if it’s within 10 meters of a garage or narrow space, Tesla said. The cars can also be summoned from a parking spot, according to the company, which said the tools remain in a beta version. In cruise control mode, the car will now anticipate highway exits by slowing down if you have activated your turn signal, Tesla said. But the updated Autopilot driving system (7.1 software update)also put new limits on its hands-free operation. The function will now be restricted on residential roads or roads without a center divider, Tesla said, meaning that the car cannot drive faster than a maximum of the speed limit plus five miles per hour. Tesla’s Autopilot features lets cars change lanes with turn signals and parallel park. Tesla was one of the first companies to offer a hands-free steering system. Industry experts believe full autonomous operation may be available by 2020.
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Insurers Brace for the Self-Driving Future, Fewer Accidents, KPMG Report: Insurers May Be First Casualties As autonomous driving technology advances, perhaps the most notable benefit is the promise of a striking reduction in accidents, say reports in the New York Times. But fewer accidents could, according to a recent report, turn the entire auto insurance industry on its head. “We think that over the next 20 to 25 years, the number of accidents will fall by 80 percent,” said Jerry Albright, principal of actuarial and insurance risk practice at KPMG, the consulting firm that released the report. “From a consumer perspective, this is a very good thing. You’ll see improved safety, fewer deaths.” At Progressive’s investor relations meeting in 2013, John Curtiss, the company’s auto products development chief, said the industry had grown 90 percent over the previous 30 years, mostly because more vehicles were on the road. More recently, Mr. Albright said that most insurance companies had problems turning a profit over the last six years and that the changes autonomous vehicles would bring were sure to make profitability more elusive. At risk is the lifeblood of the industry—$200 billion in premiums that the insurers collect every year from policyholders, KPMG says. According to KPMG’s report, the insurance industry could contract by as much as 60 percent by 2040 as accident damage payouts and premiums fall.
Even Warren E. Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate owns GEICO, has said that widespread adoption of autonomous technology poses “a real threat” to the industry. “This technology will be disruptive to the insurance industry,” Mr. Albright said. “There will be winners, and there will be losers. There will be fewer companies than there are today. But the question is, Who will survive?” It could even result in fewer cars for companies to insure. A recent report from Barclays Capital said that autonomous technology would lead to a 40 percent decline in sales and a 60 percent drop in the number of cars on the road. Already, the changes are happening. Devices like automatic braking, adaptive cruise control (it adjusts the car’s speed to match that of the traffic ahead) and sensors that automatically keep the car from drifting outside a lane are available. And this does not include the fully autonomous cars that companies like Google and automakers have been testing for years. Insurance companies have, accordingly, been examining potential changes to the current business model. KPMG’s report envisions a future in which insurers will depend more on commercial accounts for revenue as companies offering ride-sharing and mobility on demand become more prevalent. Individual policyholders will decline as house-
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holds get by with one car, or no car at all. And as the cost of covering losses declines, so will the premiums insurers collect. “Currently, the personal auto sector accounts for almost $125 billion in loss costs,” the report said. “By 2040, we believe this sector could cover less than $50 billion in loss costs.” State Farm has been working with Ford, the University of Michigan Mobility Transformation Center and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, among others, to figure out how best to adapt to what’s coming. “Automated technology has been a major industry issue,” Chris Mullen, director of State Farm’s technology research program, said in a telephone interview. “It’s been what everyone is talking about, so as you can imagine, we have put quite a bit of focus on understanding it.” Part of that understanding, she said, had been accepting that the changes had already begun—and are happening faster than many experts had predicted several years ago. “A lot of what is disturbing the industry is the pace at which this technology is expected to come,” she said. “State Farm has responded to changes in our industry throughout our existence. Changes are coming again, and we’re investing the resources to understand how these changes will affect the industry.” Ms. Mullen said that the changes to
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which insurance companies had to respond in the past included the advent of seatbelts, collapsible steering columns and airbags. Those devices changed automotive safety, but not until car insurance had been around for a few decades. “This is not just about technology,” she said. “There are issues of behavior that need to be understood—how will people react to these new systems? Cybersecurity is another issue that’s been at the forefront of this.” Mr. Albright said that devising a strategy to face the new world of auto insurance would be as expensive for insurers as it was tricky. “It will take time and cost billions of dollars,” he said. “There’s enormous skepticism in the insurance industry about the pace that changes will come, but they’re going to come sooner than people think.” Part of the problem, Joe Schneider of KPMG pointed out, was that insurance companies rely on past behavior to predict the future. What happens when there is little experience to base decisions on? “The insurance industry is historically data-driven,” he said. “There’s been an actual person behind the wheel of every car for 100 years, and all of a sudden saying the rules are going to be different going forward, that’s a very difficult situation to wrap your head around.”
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Allstate Ranks Safest Driving Cities, Kansas City Rates #1 Climate scientists are warning that one of the strongest El Niños on record could bring unusually wet conditions to roads in much of the country. And while this added precipitation might result in mayhem in some places, the 2015 Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report reveals certain cities are safer than others when factoring rainy or snowy conditions into collision frequency. “Whether it’s packing up the family to drive to a friend’s house in another state, or traveling a few miles to open gifts at the in-laws, it’s important to stay extra vigilant on the roads this holiday season,” said Jim Ledder, vice president of auto claims, Allstate. “Auto collisions are already on the rise across the country, and combining that with an especially powerful El Niño makes Allstate’s ongoing efforts to keep drivers, their families and communities safe more important than ever.” Recently, the National Safety Council estimated the U.S. is on track for its deadliest driving year since 2007. In the first six months of 2015, NSC reported traffic deaths were up 14 percent from a year ago, and serious injuries were 30 percent higher
over the same period. While there are many factors that impact highway safety, an improving economy and lower gas prices have led to an increase in the number of miles being driven. The Federal Highway Administration’s latest Traffic Volume Trend Report says cumulative travel for 2015 is up by 3.5 percent. The September report is based on hourly traffic count data reported by the states, using data collected at approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide. Kansas City, KS, earned this year’s top spot, after also taking home the distinction for overall Safest Driving City when the report was released in September. Factoring in precipitation, Cape Coral, FL, and Brownsville, TX, came in second and third, respectively. The top 10 safest cities, when factoring in collision frequency and precipitation are summarized in the following table.
City Rank with Precipitation Factor—City—NOAA Average Precipitation (inches/year) Second Row: Average Years Between Collisions—Accident Likelihood (Compared to national average of every 10
years) 1—Kansas City, KS— 39.1—13.3—24.8 percent less likely 2—Cape Coral, FL— 55.9—12.7—21 percent less likely 3—Brownsville, TX 27.4—13.3—24.6 percent less likely 4—Boise, ID— 11.73—13.1—23.5 percent less likely 5—Madison, WI— 37.3—12.2—18.2 percent less likely 6—Huntsville, AL— 54.3—11.7—14.7 percent less likely 7—Fort Collins, CO— 15—12.7—21.1 percent less likely 8—Port Saint Lucie, FL— 63.7—11.3—11.8 percent less likely 9—Cary, NC— 47.4 —11.6—13.8 percent less likely 10—Montgomery, AL— 52.8—11.4—12.4 percent less likely
The report is based on Allstate claims data and ranks America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which have the safest drivers. The data uncovers how these cities rank when precipitation is a factor. These rankings are based on the expected driver performance given each city’s average annual precipitation as measured by NOAA.
VW Sales Stutter Makes Toyota, at 10.125 M, #1 Again
VW has said that it has delivered 9,930,600 units worldwide for the full year of 2015, down from a record 10.1 million in 2014. Volkswagen’s global deliveries were down 2 percent year-on-year, mainly due to a 5% decline of its Volkswagen passenger vehicle brand, and furthermore due to Volkswagen’s huge exposure to the flagging Chinese market. The dieselgate scandal did not help to improve this picture. As dieselgate developed only in the fourth quarter of 2015, the full impact of any lasting damages to the brand will be felt this year. With these numbers, Volkswagen conceded that again it fell short of regaining the title of World’s Largest Automaker, a crown the company has publicly coveted for many years. Reigning number one Toyota Motor Co. will publish its yearend data by the end of January, however, the company said last month that it expects the number to be 10.125 million units. General Motors will likely remain in third place. Original BMW Parts
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SCRS Launches Bumper Prompt Decision Aide On December 18, 2015, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) released an instructional aide to help with “Answering the CCC One Bumper Refinish Prompt.” Developed due to frequent, widespread reports of the refinish process being misrepresented when responding to system-generated questions, the Bumper Prompt Decision Aide was designed in hopes that a clearly defined decision making process will minimize confusion and alleviate the misuse of a greatly debated mechanism in the estimating system. Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS, called the prompt a “pretty exciting resource.” A prompt in the CCC One Estimating system asks, “Will the bumper be refinished in a separate procedure from the other panels?” If the response is “no,” the system will apply overlap deduction on the next refinished panel and will include the bumper cover in the 2.5 clear coat cap. If the answer is “yes,” the next refinished panel will be identified as the first major panel without overlap deduction and labor for the bumper cover refinish will not be included in the 2.5 clear coat cap. The appropriate response should be “yes” when a flex additive is utilized on plastic components and a separate
clear coat mix is produced, as is predominantly recommended by automotive refinish manufacturers. Unfortunately, because a selection of “no” results in a lower estimated value, the prompt is frequently answered inaccurately on insurance appraisals. Certain conditions, such as the bumper’s color and whether it’s in the paint booth at the same time as the rest of the vehicle, do no impact the appropriate response to the prompt. CCC provides several options for the estimating system’s configuration: no prompt, default to “yes,” or default to “no.” The system identifies a response of “no” with the symbol <> which indicates that the refinish operation will not be performed as a separate procedure from the other panels on the estimate. All estimating databases are intended for use only as a guide, so SCRS reminds collision repair professionals, “It is important to remember that the auto body professional performing the repairs is in the best position to thoroughly inspect, diagnose and identify the methodology and their unique cost of the vehicle damage repair.” For more information about SCRS, visit www.scrs.com.
Body Shop in Spokane, WA, Helps Mom with Trashed Car by Lindsay Nadrich, KREM.com
A local auto body shop stepped up to help a mom in need this holiday season. On December 22, KREM 2 told Stephanie Roderick’s story about a grinch who tried to steal her Christmas. Her car was stolen and gutted before it was finally returned to her.
Credit: KREM.com
“It’s horrible, it’s hard being a single mom and I’ve tried everything to make it by myself,” said Roderick. “This $500 is 90% of my rent money, so to face having to buy a new car or replace what I have it’s hard.” Thanks to City South Auto Body Center, she does not have to make that choice. Within ten minutes of airing the story, KREM 2 got a call from City South Auto Body. They offered to repair the car for free, and not for the publicity. We posted the act of kindness on our Facebook page, and it was many of our viewers who asked for the name of the shop responsible.
“The family that owns the car is kind of strapped this year like a lot of families are, we decided to take it in and give this family a good Christmas present,” said Elmer Smith of City South. Smith said they will replace the glass in two broken windows, replace her tires, and even re-key the locks. “Tires will be a big issue. We kind of looked at them and we just kind of made the determination that we should step up and go ahead and get new tires on it because it’s a family running in this thing and we want them to be as safe as possible,” said Smith. City South Auto Body Center will also replace the car seat stolen from inside the car. “There’s times that you know businesses have to step up and take the hit and take care of the community and this is one thing we’re doing, take care of the community and make sure the young lady that owns this car and her kids are safe on the road when it leaves here.” Roderick called KREM 2 on Wednesday in tears. She said she was overwhelmed by how generous the company is and said it is all more than she could have ever expected. Roderick received her car back in time for Christmas. We would like to thank KREM .com for reprint permission.
CREF Celebrates 25th Anniversary and Provides Updates for 2016 by Chasidy Rae Sisk
The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and as such, the organization has made a few changes as they move into 2016 in hopes of en-
couraging the support of more companies and individuals. First, CREF has revamped their Makeover Grant Program. “Instead of just asking schools to provide us with their $50,000 wish list of needed tools, equipment and supplies, the new Makeover Program will ask for a profile on the school in their ability to graduate qualified and productive collision students for the industry’s employment,” Brandon Eckenrode, director of development for CREF, explained. “Through the school’s application, they will be assigned to tiers that will designate them based on how equipped they are to gradu-
ate a quality student, and this list will be promoted to the industry to showcase which schools are doing well at this and who needs some help to bring them to another level.” CREF will also continue to promote job placement opportunities for recent graduates entering the collision repair industry, and Eckenrode reminded industry professionals, “Spring will be here sooner than we know it, and that is when many students will be traditionally graduating and looking for employment. We are in the process of gathering students’ resumes and contact information into a database that will be made available to our industry supporters this spring so they can view these students’ information for employment consideration.” Finally, registration has opened for CREF’s annual golf fundraiser which will take place this summer during NACE. Eckenrode encourages industry professionals to register only to show their support for CREF and the future of the collision repair industry.
56 FEBRUARY 2016 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
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Insurance Veteran Advises on What to Look for When Joining a DRP Program & Obtaining Garage Keepers Insurance by Stacey Phillips interviews and conducted presentations foot. A significant dependency on one as well as been a subject-matter expert customer or source of customers can Autobody News asked Gerald Cecil, for automotive businesses. become a problem, if not properly nevice president of sales and marketing Cecil recommended reviewing the gotiated,” he said. at Arrowhead Automotive Aftermar- DRP agreement with legal counsel as When asked about garage keepers ket, what to look for when joining a well as a business insurance provider. insurance, he said that most of those in Direct Repair Program (DRP). The He said the main advantage is that you auto service say they have garage keepKansas-based company provides busi- will be an informed negotiator before- ers insurance even though their deness insurance programs for automohand and if you scription or term for business insurance tive businesses. elect to accept the only describes only a portion of the “Our recommendation is to go terms, you have coverage typically purchased. Howinto any deal and especially a DRP done so in an in- ever, shopowners use their shorthand, with your eyes open and being aware formed way. “If calling their coverage “Garagekeepers” of the benefits as well as possible negchanges are com- as it is an important part of the insurative outcomes of partnering with a municated subse- ance package as it provides coverage carrier,” said Cecil, a 30-year insurance quently in a casual for the shop owners’ exposure for the veteran. “Too often the situation inmanner, be sure customer’s vehicle in their care, custody Gerald Cecil,vice volves all of the work business that you discuss and or control. president sales will be obtained or provided without understand the re“The bottom line for garage keepand marketing regard to the contractual obligations or quest and what it ers is that the shop owner work with at Arrowhead requirements such as: hold harmless, means to you and specialists,” said Cecil. By dealing with Automotive primary non contributory and waiver of the carrier with someone who is familiar with this area, Aftermarket subrogation as well as a request that the the DRP,” advised they can help manage the exposure and in Kansas shop owner provide primary coverage Cecil. “A casual re- explain the options in coverage availwhen providing a temporary replace- quest may not be the correct way to make able. “It is also important to work with ment vehicle or rental.” a change that could have a negative im- carriers and programs that have experiCecil has spent the last 25 years pact on your experience if you are as- enced claims folks who are accustomed focused on automotive businesses, in suming more risk or exposure than you to seeing the type of claims shop ownparticular those in auto service repair realized.” ers have,” said Cecil. and parts businesses. He developed the He stressed the importance of His firm provides guidance on strategic plan for the ASM Automotive DRP negotiations. “If the volume of how to purchase this type of insurance. Specialty Markets division of what was business is what you expect and the re- For more information, contact Gerald then Universal Underwriters. In addi- lationship is expected to be long-term, Cecil at 913-312-2808 or email Gcecil tion, he has written articles, provided you may as well get off on the right @arrowheadgrp.com.
CAPA: ‘Sheet Metal Parts Protected from Corrosion’
The Certified Automotive Parts Association says it requires all of its sheet metal parts such as hoods and fenders to be galvanized, even if the corresponding car company brand is not. Galvanization is the process of applying a layer of zinc over the sheet steel. The zinc coating protects the metal beneath it from corrosion and rust. Even if the zinc coating is scratched, the steel will continue to be protected by the remaining zinc. For replacement parts, the presence (or absence) of galvanization is significant because galvanization dramatically improves corrosion resistance, and subsequently, the life expectancy of parts. “Using a CAPA Certified sheet metal part is the only easy way to tell if a sheet metal part is made of galvanized material,” said Debbie Klouser, CAPA’s Director of Operations. “The yellow CAPA seal is your assurance that the part has been tested for galvanization as a part of the CAPA certification process.”
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