Southeast Edition Florida Georgia Alabama Mississippi
28
YEARS
VOL. 1 ISSUE 2 APRIL 2010
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Florida Shop Owner’s Ongoing Slander Suit Against State Farm Began with Repair Procedure Disputes by Ed Attanasio, Special to Autobody News
What does a shop owner do when he’s up against the country’s largest auto insurer simply to get paid for work done, and then suffers what he sees as a slander campaign against him? For Ray Gunder, of Lakeland, FL, it started with saying ‘no’ to State Farm’s restrictions and it has escalated into a Federal Court case for defamatory statements and for interfering with a business relationship. “I can’t make State Farm stop slandering me by myself, but this great country we live in, and this fair legal system we have, can do something about it, and that’s why I’m counting on it,” Gunder told Autobody News.
Ray Gunder opened Gunder’s Auto Center in his hometown of Lakeland, Florida in 1969. It was a different world back then, but from the very first day, Gunder pledged that he would Ray Gunder is suing provide quality above State Farm for anything else. defamation and for interfering with his Over several business. decades, Gunder built his shop into a $3.3 million business employing 28 people. Things went well until about five years ago when Gunder said he ran smack into a roadblock called State Farm’s Service First program. See STATE FARM SUIT, Page 12
CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS
Supporters of Access to Repair Parts Act Testify in Favor of Exception to Design Patent Law Favored by Automakers The aftermarket industry showed up in force in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee March 22. The committee heard from consumer and industry advocates on why the “Access to Repair Parts Act” (H.R. 3059/S.1368)—legislation that would create a narrow exception in the U.S. design patent law for purposes of repair—would guarantee access to affordable alternative replacement parts and curb car companies’ attempts to monopolize the marketplace. The Quality Parts Coalition (QPC), founded by the aftermarket manufacturers and insurers, and claims to represent consumers, seniors, insurers, parts manufacturers and distributors and repairers, urged Congress to swiftly enact the “Access to Repair Parts Act.”
QPC argued that Americans are likely unaware of the “looming threat that could send the costs of car repair and insurance premiums soaring: a car company parts monopoly.” They cite the history of more than 60 years of alternative parts to repair their vehicles instead of more expensive OEM parts. Alternatives are as much as 26–50 percent less than OEM equivalents. This translates into an estimated $1.5 billion in savings, primarily for insurers, the OEMs argue. Auto companies have secured an increasing number of design patents on crash parts for cars (bumpers, fenders, hoods). When enforced, the patents give car companies control of the market for those parts. LKQ, for example, had to settle with Ford to provide crash parts for the F-150 last year. Insurers argue See ACCESS TO REPAIR ACT, Page 30
• Ray Gunder Takes on State Farm in Federal Court • Atlanta’s Collision Works Improves Productivity with PPG Help • Florida’s Autobody Collision Alliance Fills the Gaps • Greenway Automotive Group Manages $30 Million in Parts • Mississippi’s Larry King Looks Back on 44 Years in Business
Texas-based Col-Met Spray Booths ‘Refuses the Recession’
Sherwin-Williams’ Express Scratch Repair—A New Profit Center
3M’s New Dirt Trap System for Keeping Booths Clean and Productive
Is Waterborne the Only Solution to Low-VOC Requirements?
PPG’s Green Belt Program Improves Profit at Atlanta’s Largest Shop
Service, Service, Diagnostic Diiagnostic D and an d Mechanical M e ch aniccal al NEWS nd Mec echanical Mech ech ec hanical ca
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