Southeast Edition Florida Georgia Alabama Mississippi
30
YEARS
VOL. 2 ISSUE 7 SEPTEMBER 2011
www.autobodynews.com ww ww.autobodynews.com
Ford Releases video showing differential performance between OE and A/M parts. Questions whether airbags would deploy correctly. See Ford and ABPA, Page 25
ABPA counters with their own video demonstration showing neglible differences in airbag deployment at low & high speed collision. See Ford and ABPA, Page 25
Toby Chess clarifies the origin of the parts discussed in his CIC presentation this July. He says repairers should post images of parts, whether A/M or OE, that don’t fit correctly on a blog site.. See Hey Toby Column, Page 32
Russell Thrall III
Greg Coccaro
Anthony J. Mamo
North State v. Progressive—What the NY Supreme Court’s Recent Decision Might Mean for Your Business by Anthony J. Mamo, Jr., Attorney
When I first met Greg Coccaro, the owner of North State Custom in Bedford Hills, New York, I was immediately struck by his passion for his business, his customers and his
industry. But it was his frustration with the inequities inherent in his chosen field that truly captured my attention. I listened as Greg explained to me what a DRP was, how his labor rate was determined by See North State v. Progressive, Page 27
Mike Condon
Autobody News Congratulates the Collision Industry’s Most Influential Women of 2011, Thanks to AkzoNobel Doug Craig
George Avery
The Debate about Industry Standards at CIC
See John Yoswick Column, Page 28
We were thrilled to have our own Barbara Davies, General Manager and co-owner of Autobody News, selected as one of the five most influential women in the collision industry in 2011. We know what she does and how hard she works. Pictured with Barbara (l to r, right photo) are Sharon Mazanec, Jennifer Justice-Hayley, Susanna Gotsch and Michelle Rolls.
With NACE and CARS in Orlando a little over a month away ... we wanted to know more about the keynote speaker, social media guru Chris Brogan... See NACE Crowds, Page 14
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ontario, Ca. Permit No. 1
NACE 2011 in Orlando! SPECIAL PRICING $15 Expo Pass > $335 Super Pass DON’T MISS OUT ON THE SAVINGS!
FOR AUTOBODY NEWS N READERS. Show Your Support for AUTOBODY NEWS by Registering on our website!
Go G o tto o www.autobodynews.com and select the NACE banner and register for NACE 2011 in Orlando!
For the first time in 7 YEARS , the world’s collision event is headed east! Join the automotive service & repair industry at the only event that is specifically designed and created for YOU. As the flagship event of ASRW, NACE constantly evolves with the industry to meet your ever-changing business needs, continues to invest in the industry it serves, and is a must attend event for anyone in the automotive service & repair industry. And this year…
IT’S ALL ROLLED INTO ONE: World class exhibits // Unmatched education & training you won’t find anywhere else Live on-floor demonstrations // Opening general session // Welcome reception // ASRW Town Hall ASRW Industry Forum // Association Leadership Summit // Networking Events Vehicle Display Featuring the Muscle Car Network of Florida Co-Located With: Held During:
ASRW 2011 // ORLANDO, FL USA THE PREMIER EVENT DEDICATED TO THE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE & REPAIR INDUSTRIES Exhibits: October 6–8 // Conference: 5–8 // Orange County Convention Center
www.ASRWEVENTS.com 2 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Contents Minivans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2011 GCIA Annual Invitational Golf
CollisionLink Represents ‘Inevitable Change’
ABRA Expands Repair Center Operations
CREF and CCC Name Five Student
Alabama Governor Signs Bill Raising Penalty
Domestics More Popular Among Auto
ASRW Partners with Muscle Car Network
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Makes $11,000
Car-Mart Continues to Expand, Opens 9th
Ford Minivans Not Subject to Recall,
Central Florida Increases Charging Stations,
Ford Partners Azure on F-Series Plug
Florida Auto Collision Alliance Holds First-Ever
Ford Releases Another Crash Test Video
in Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 for Driving Without Liability Insurance . . 8 of Florida at Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Store in AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Awaits Influx of Electric Cars . . . . . . . . . 4 Statewide Convention and Expo . . . . . . 10
Florida Auto Collision Alliance Jacksonville
Chapter Holds 13th Annual Golf Tournament. 8
Says Major Parts Dealer . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Scholarship Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Thieves Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Donation to CREF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Infrequent Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 in Hybrids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Comparing OEM to Aftermarket Crash Parts, ABPA Responds with its own
Crash Test Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Florida Collision Repair School to Receive
Ford Will Recall 1.22 M Trucks, Fuel
GA Not Spending on Drivers Ed . . . . . . . . . 9
GM Has No Recall on its Tahoe and
Mini-Makeover at NACE 2011 . . . . . . . . 6
Gainesville, FL, Officials Talk of Increased
Stop-Sign Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tank Straps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Yukon SUVs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
GM Recalls Over 16K Cars. . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Green Guides Workshop Will be at
Honda to Recall 1.5M CRVs, Elements,
Mercedes to Add Fifth Model at AL Factory . 6
I-CAR Offers New Course on Electronics
September GCIA Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Nissan Leaf Electric Car Now Available in
FL, GA, AL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Accords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Damage Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Lincoln Electric Acquires Torchmate Parent. 20
Toyota to Reduce Energy Costs at MS Plant. 9
LKQ Corporation Reports 23% Increased
COLUMNISTS
Mercedes’ Internal Plan to Become World’s
Attanasio, GFS - Trial by Fire: Indianapolis Body Shop Turns a Potential Tragedy into a Win-Win with a State-of-the-Art GFS Paint Booth . 13
Attanasio, Mattei--Brown Auto Body Values
2nd Qtr, Record Reveue . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Top Premium Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mitchell Releases Industry Trends Report
for Q3 of 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mitsubishi Back to Profitability . . . . . . . . . 37
Mattei’s Rotary Vane Compressor . . . . . . 19
NACE/CARS Program Expected to Draw
Evans - This Year’s Entry for the SEMA
NHTSA Investigates BMW for Potential
Franklin - Long or Short Ad—Which is Best?. 12
North State v. Progressive—What the NY
Chess - Confusion over Certified Parts at CIC. 32 Pinewood Derby 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Insurance Insider - Ridiculous DRP Requirements? Guess Why They’re Asking . . . . . . . . . 16
Larger Crowds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Rollaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Supreme Court’s Recent Decision Might
Mean for Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Weaver - Is It ‘Change Is a Good Thing’ or ‘It’s
Repairer-Driven Education at SEMA Gets
Yoswick - CIC, Consultant, Seeking Views
Toyota-Tesla RAV4 Electric to be Built in
Good That Things Change’?. . . . . . . . . 21
on Industry Repair Standards . . . . . . . . 28
NATIONAL
BK Listings: Marketing Automotive Businesses
Through Innovative Listings . . . . . . . . . 17
CAPA Tracker Enables A/M Part Tracing
Regardless of Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chrysler Recalls Up To 370,000 2008
Support from PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ontario, Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Truck Driver Behavior Now Trackable with
New Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Vehicle Safety Bill With Data Collection Relevant to Repairers Introduced in
U.S. Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Will Auto Industry Be Dragged Down by
Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Assistant Editor: Erica Schroeder Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, Stefan Gesterkamp, John Yoswick, Lee Amaradio, Toby Chess, Mike Causey, Dan Espersen, Tom McGee, Jeff Webster, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman (800) 699-8251 Sales Assistant: Kristy Navarro Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia
Indexof Advertisers
Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Economic Turmoil? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Southeast
REGIONAL
Serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and adjacent metro areas, Autobody News is a monthly publication for the auto body industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2011 Adamantine Media LLC.
Autobody News
Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 721-0253 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com
Arrigo Dodge-Jeep-Chrysler. . . . . . 14 Autoland Scientech. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 BASF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Bill Penney Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 BK Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 37 CARS Cooperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Crash-Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Crystal Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Delray Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Don Mealey Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 24 Don Reid Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Equalizer Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers FL, GA, AL, MS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Galloway Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Garmat USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Global Finishing Solutions . . . . . . . 12 Global PDR Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . 24 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 36 Gus Machado Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Honda Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 36 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 33 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Management Success . . . . . . . . . . 16
Mattei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mazda Wholesale Parts . . . . . . . . . 32 Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 NACE / CARS Registration . . . . . . . . 2 Nalley BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Nissan Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 39 NRD Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Palmers Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Safety Regulation Strategies . . . . . 22 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 15 SEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Serra Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Southtowne Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . 32 SprayZone.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Star-A-Liner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Subaru of Gwinnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 37 Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 35 VIM Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 3
Green Guides Workshop Will be at September GCIA Meeting
GRC-Pirk Management will present a first-of-its kind “Green Guides” workshop for owners and managers in the automotive service and collision repair business at the Georgia Collision Industry Association meeting in September. The workshop describes why greenwashing seems to be the new craze and why some shops find Green hype to be a convenient, yet dangerous advertising tool. And, why many collision repair shops are so anxious to create positive public opinion as an environmentally-friendly business that they are willing to grasp at any option. The meeting will take place on Thursday, September 22nd and will start at 6:30 pm at MAADA Headquarters. Please RSVP to howard@gcia.org. Visit gacollisionindustry.wordpress.com for more information.
www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!
Car-Mart Continues to Expand, Opens 9th Store in AL
Continuing its expansion, America’s Car-Mart broadened its buy-here, pay-here dealership footprint in Alabama. The newest rooftop is located in Albertville, AL, raising Car-Mart’s total in the state to nine. Car-Mart now has 108 dealerships spread through Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. “Car-Mart has tremendous growth opportunities especially in states like Alabama. Albertville is our ninth location in Alabama, a state that has potential much like our home state of Arkansas, where we have 37 dealerships,” explained William “Hank” Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Car-Mart. Henderson added the Albertville dealership will be managed by Brad Martin, “who is very excited to lead our efforts at this great new Car-Mart location.” Elaborating more on the company’s future, chief financial officer Jeff Williams reiterated Car-Mart anticipates opening new lots at an approximate 10-percent annual rate.
Central Florida Increases Charging Stations, Awaits Influx of Electric Cars
In the past year, Central Florida has become one of the top spots in the country where electric-vehicle drivers can more easily find a place to plug in and juice up their batteries. Dozens of new charging stations have been installed in five counties, creating a network stretching from Eustis to Orlando and from Kissimmee to Daytona Beach, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Of the state’s 70 charging stations, 46 are in Central Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Energy and Coulomb Technologies. Most are free, though some have a fee. “Orlando is now one of the most electric-vehicle-ready communities in the state,” said Tim Trudell of Orlando Utilities Commission. The utility company already has stations in its visitor-parking lot and in front of Orlando City Hall. Winter Garden installed four free stations in June, and Eustis added five stations in March. And the list is growing. Winter Park plans to open six charging stations by September, city officials said. Drivers in that city already can juice up at the Best Western Mt. Vernon Inn on Orlando Avenue. Most of these charging stations
have popped up because the cities they reside in were paid for from ChargePoint America, a $37 million program funded through the U.S. Department of Energy. The plan is to install thousands of stations in 10 regions across the country, including Central Florida, to prepare for the release of more electric cars by automakers this year. Orlando was the first in the country to get a charging station through the program. Central Florida is slated to receive a total of 300 stations on private and public property. Each station costs about $8,500, and communities are reimbursed through the program. The chargers are built and provided by Coulomb Technologies of San Jose, CA, which also is sponsoring the program. Proponents say it’s time to put in place a network of charging stations as auto manufacturers begin selling their electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the area—including the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Who would buy an electric car if there’s no place to fuel up on the road? asked Helda Rodriguez, of NovaCharge in Tampa, an administrator for the ChargePoint America program in Orlando.
4 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
ABRA Expands Repair Center Operations in Mississippi
ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a Minnesota-based damaged vehicle repair company, announced July 13 the opening of a new repair center in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The facility, located at 7532 Craft-Goodman Frontage Road, will increase the total number of ABRA repair centers to 107 in 12 states. Tim Adelmann, ABRA’s Executive Vice President of Business Development says, “ABRA built this repair center to meet the growing needs of vehicle owners and our insurance partners in the community of Olive Branch. ABRA’s long-term plan is to make it convenient for consumers to find a state-of-the-art ABRA repair center no matter where they happen to live or work.” The repair center will eventually staff more than 20 new employees and is equipped with all the latest technology to maintain high standards and assure top quality repairs. The repair center is one of ABRA’s newest prototype models consisting of more than 13,000 square feet and offers collision repair along with glass repair and replacement services with free mobile service to home or work.
Nissan Leaf Electric Car Now Available in FL, GA, AL
Drivers in Florida and Georgia will be able to start ordering the new Nissan Leaf electric car on July 25—but only if they were among the 20,000 who made $99 deposits during a fall online reservation period, according to reports made by The Florida Times-Union. Nissan has sold 4,000 of the allelectric sedans since February in its first market phase in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington State. Now the ordering process opens to consumers with reservations in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama. The Leaf is an all-electric car with 48 lithium-ion battery modules, giving it an estimated 100-mile range.
Search:
Autobody News on Facebook
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 5
Florida Collision Repair School to Receive Mini-Makeover at NACE 2011 The Collision Repair Education Foundation will be presenting Lake Technical Center of Eustis, FL with a “Mini-Makeover” during the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) Thursday, October 6th in Orlando, FL. Lake Technical Center was the only school in Florida that applied for the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2010 $50,000 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant. Due to the school’s proximity to NACE in Orlando, the Education Foundation has been gathering industry supporters/donors to fulfill portions of the school’s $50,000 wish list that they provided as part of the grant application. School instructors, administration and their collision students will be on hand during a presentation at NACE to showcase how the MiniMakeover donors have benefited the school’s collision program. The presentation will take place from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. in the ASRW Media Center located inside the Orange County Convention Center’s West Building. Scott Kruger, Executive Director of the Collision Repair Education
Foundation, said, “Lake Technical Center was one of 52 schools nationwide that applied for the Foundation’s 2010 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant and the only school in the state of Florida to apply. As industry professionals from across the country will be gathering in Orlando for NACE this fall, we thought it would be a great opportunity to not only highlight the Makeover grant program, but also help this local school through the support of our donors and supporters. We invite industry professionals attending NACE and ASRW to attend the presentation to hear how Lake Technical Center’s collision program has benefited through the support of industry donations and to learn how to get involved with helping schools in your local area.” Lake Technical Center Director Diane W. Culpepper, PhD said, “Our sincere thanks to the Collision Repair Education Foundation for all their support for Lake Technical Center and our Auto Collision and Repair program. As our school budget continues to be cut, it is amazing to see business and industry step up to ensure that our
Mercedes to Add Fifth Model at AL Factory
Daimler AG will add a fifth Mercedes-Benz model at its U.S. assembly plant near Tuscaloosa, AL, company sources told Automotive News Europe. The model will be a variant of the Mercedes M-class crossover with a coupelike roofline. Production will likely start as soon as 2015, the sources said. The new M-class body style will be positioned against the BMW X6 built in Spartanburg, S.C., and likely will be called MLC. Mercedes is adding the M-class variant as part of a $2 billion investment in the Alabama site that was unveiled on July 25. That project will pave the way for C-class production while providing tooling for new generations of the R class and G class as well as a redesigned M class that went into production this week. An expanded M-class lineup would fit with Mercedes’ original vision for the factory before the first M class was built in Alabama 14 years ago. Executives said then the “M” designation would eventually represent a family of vehicles beyond the inaugural SUV. To date, the M’s variations have been primarily engine options.
Mercedes has a precedent for charting product plans more than four years out. In 2009, the company announced its intention to build the C class in Alabama—starting in 2014. A Mercedes spokesman declined to comment on future product plans, nor on how much Tuscaloosa’s capacity and headcount will be increased in the future. Production at the plant is already close to its 160,000-unit annual capacity, and the factory employs 2,800 people. Mercedes’ internal development code for the new M-class variant is C166. Mercedes is battling German rival BMW for the title of best-selling luxury brand in the United States, following an 11-year reign by Toyota’s Lexus. Through June, BMW sold 113,705 of its namesake vehicles in the United States. Mercedes, not counting its Sprinter commercial vans, had 110,926 sales. Lexus, hampered by the March earthquake in Japan, sold 88,010 vehicles. Last year, BMW globally sold 46,404 units of the X6 and 102,178 of its sibling model, the X5, also built in Spartanburg.
6 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
students learn in the best environment possible. We couldn’t do it without you!” “Giving back to the collision repair industry is a major focus of NACE each year and we’re happy to ‘pay it forward’ and provide a forum for such a worthwhile event,” said Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive. “We look forward to hosting this deserving school and celebrating the generosity of the industry.” The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant debuted in 2009 when Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School (Jefferson Hills, PA) was chosen as the recipient of the award. In addition to Steel Center AVTS receiving $80,000 from the award, the schools that applied for the 2009 grant still benefited from the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover program. In total, the 35 schools each received an average of $5,000 in products, supplies and equipment for a total value over $175,000. Every school that applied for the grant received at least one item to benefit their
students and collision program. In 2010, the award went to Bridgerland Applied Technology College (Logan, UT). Through the generous support of industry members, Bridgerland’s collision program is on track to receive over $100,000 in donated tools, equipment and supplies. School collision programs can download the Makeover application from the Education Foundation’s website at www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org, which must be postmarked by Aug. 31, 2011. The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant and other collision student and school support opportunities provided by the Collision Repair Education Foundation are made possible through industry donations. Companies and individuals interested in getting involved with the Foundation and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry can contact Foundation Associate Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode, at (847) 4635244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@edfoundation.org.
with our Genuine Ford Parts When it comes to Ford Genuine Parts, go with a winning team. Use Genuine Ford Parts for your customers late model Ford, es. Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. You're always guaranteed that they will fit right the first time, every time. Take it to the End Zone.
Call your local Authorizedd Ford Wholesaler today!
Ranger 2011
These dealers are Genuine Ford Parts wholesale specialists.
Armstrong Ford
FL O R IDA
Don Reid Ford
HOMESTEAD
MAITL AND/OR L A N D O
partssales@armstrongcars.com www.armstrongcars.com
M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 www.donreidford.com www.fordparts.com/donreidford
305-248-7031 305-242-6336 Fax
Bartow Ford Co. BARTOW
863-533-0425 863-533-7758 Fax
www.fordparts.com/bartowford
Bill Currie Ford Lincoln TAMPA
800-752-8203 800-844-2455 Fax parts@billcurrie.com www.billcurrie.com
407-644-5111 407-645-4971 Fax
Greenway Ford
Sam Galloway Ford Lincoln F O RT M Y E RS
888-578-8883 239-274-2420 Fax
sdonaldson@gallowayauto.com www.fordparts.com/samgallowayparts
GE O R G IA
Bobby Jones Ford Lincoln AU G US TA
706-738-8000 706-261-8004 Fax
jessicabussey@bobbyjonesford.com www.fordparts.com/bobbyjonesford
ORL AN D O
800-773-5078 407-515-6454 Fax
www.greenwaypartscenter.com
Mike Davidson Ford JACKSON V I L L E
904-725-3060 904-724-0418 Fax
dlutins@mikedavidson.com
Make us your one-stop shop today! www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 7
Florida Auto Collision Alliance Jacksonville Chapter Holds 13th Annual Golf Tournament by FACA
The Florida Auto Collision Alliance's (FACA) Jacksonville Chapter held their 13th annual golf outing at Flem-
ing Island Golf Course on May 26. The event was a huge winner for the group and another opportunity for owners, managers, support staff, insurance adjusters and vendors to build new relationships and rekindle old ones. FACA’s generous vendors were particularly noteworthy participants
and stocked the entire course with the very best food and drink. FACA did an outstanding job with prize giveaways and ensured everything ran smoothly. The tee time was only delayed by 15 minutes—not bad when you consider that more than 150 golfers had to be checked in and assigned golf carts before putting could begin. A big surprise was ex-NFL player Jeff Lageman defending the 16th hole, challenging all that came through to raise money for charity. In the end, all went well and everyone had a great time and is looking forward to next year’s event. FACA issued a big thank you to Steve Carey, Cathy Mills and Dave McBroom for all their efforts.
Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.
write us! publisher@autobodynews.com
8 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Alabama Governor Signs Bill Raising Penalty for Driving Without Liability Insurance
Alabama drivers are facing stiffer penalties for failing to have liability insurance under a bill recently signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley, according to Insurance Journal. In 2001, state lawmakers required all state drivers to carry motor vehicle liability coverage. However, drivers purchasing or renewing a tag didn’t have to show proof of insurance, but could instead sign a document attesting to the fact they had the coverage. Under the new law, persons found to be driving without carrying liability coverage must pay a $200 fee and show current proof of insurance. Any subsequent failure to have the coverage results in a $400 fine and a four month suspension of their car registration. The only exception is for first time offenders who have the coverage but did not produce the necessary proof of insurance when stopped by a police officer. In those cases, the person must report to the local tag office and provide proof of coverage, in which case the ticket will be dismissed. The state’s current liability cover-
age minimums are 25/50/25/: $25,000 for death or bodily injury sustained by one person, $50,000 to cover fatalities or bodily injuries suffered by two or more people, and $25,000 for damages or destruction to another’s property. The law does exempt some vehicles such as government vehicles, trailers, cars covered under a dealer’s blanket coverage, and self-insured motor pools with 25 or more vehicles. In addition to the fines and other changes to the motor vehicle liability law, lawmakers also set up a process whereby state and county officials have instant access to a driver’s information through an electronic database by 2013. The Alabama Insurance Institute estimated that between 25 and 28 percent of all state drivers fail to carry the mandatory liability insurance. The Alabama Advisory Council for Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance has been charged with establishing the regulations for the database. The council is made up of state Department of Insurance members, officials from the state’s Department of Public Safety, and representatives from various auto insurers.
GA Not Spending on Drivers Ed
A state audit shows that millions of dollars in traffic fees collected for driver’s education courses across Georgia isn’t being spent on helping teens learn how to drive. The audit released August 3 shows that since 2009, the state has raised $32 million for driver’s education as part of Joshua’s Law but hasn’t spent a dime of the money on those programs. Of the $52 million raised since the law was passed in 2005, just $8 million has gone to driver’s education. The audit found that the lack of funding has caused at least three high schools to shut down their programs. Joshua’s law requires 16-yearolds to pass a driver’s education course to get a license and adds a 5 percent surcharge on traffic tickets to pay for the classes.
Search:
Autobody News on Facebook
Toyota to Reduce Energy Costs at MS Plant
Toyota is trying to cut back on its electric bill these days—not just for cost savings but for the environmental benefits, according to Automotive News. Environmental managers at Toyota’s North American plants are pulling back the automaker’s energy consumption as a means of reducing both air and water emissions in their bid to become greener manufacturers. “Power generation consumes a lot of resources,” Kevin Butt, chief environmental officer at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., commented after speaking at an industry gathering here today. “The less demand we can make on utility companies, the less environmental impact we will have.” The automaker’s newest assembly plant in Tupelo, MS, which begins production in October, will be what Butt calls “completely steamless.” Auto plants heat water to create steam in order to control humidity precisely in their paint processes. Instead, Tupelo will use a new paint system that features high-pressure paint atomizers that make plantwide steam creation unnecessary. The technology will mean that Toyota does not have to use electricity for steam generation.
The Tupelo plant, which will build the Toyota Corolla sedan, will also be about one-fourth smaller than other Toyota plants. The company has made aisles narrower, the assembly line shorter and work areas closer together than in other plants. “That means less power to heat the plant and less to air condition the plant,” Butt said. “It means less transportation inside the plant and less power to run conveyers through the plant.” Butt said that cutting power use and other environmental efforts are saving Toyota about $26 million a year.
2011 GCIA Annual Invitational Golf Tournament
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 for the 15th Annual GCIA Invitational Golf Tournament. A great, fun day of golf and fellowship at the Trophy Club of Atlanta in Alpharetta, GA. Download the information flier which includes the registration form, directions to the club, and Sponsorship signup form at gacollision.wordpress.com.
Gainesville, FL, Officials Talk of Increased Stop-Sign Theft
Officials in Gainesville, FL, have a message for residents and visitors. Please stop stealing stop signs. Since Jan. 1, the city has replaced 52 stops signs taken from 14 locations around the city. Officials say one location has been hit four or five times. City officials say it costs about $100 to replace a stop sign. With classes set to resume soon at the University of Florida, city officials are concerned about the possibility of an increased number of accidents. Visitors may not be aware of intersections that are supposed to be controlled by stop signs. Stealing a stop sign is a felony under Florida law.
Promote your business with an exclusive article featuring your products or services.
CALL: Joe Momber for details!
800-699-8251
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 9
Florida Auto Collision Alliance Holds First-Ever Statewide Convention and Expo by FACA
The Florida Auto Collision Alliance (FACA) held its first-ever statewide convention and industry exposition May 19 to 21 at the Villas of Grand Cypress in Orlando, FL.
Vendors, technicians, managers and owners of repair centers across the state came together to examine best practices, new products,and efficient alternatives to conventional shop-management and supplychain systems.
The Florida Collision Repair Summit was held in conjunction with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS)’s Improving Workshop Efficiency seminar. The co-sponsored program focused on the implementation of “lean” production practices designed to eliminate wasteful processes in body shop management. The event drew in approximately 30 attendees in the classes, and 26 vendors set-up on the expo floor for the weekend, according to Cathy Mills, FACA’s executive director. “The Summit was an excellent opportunity to network with peers, learn new skills, share expertise, and explore emerging products and services in the collision repair industry,” said Mills. The event began at 8 A.M. Thursday, May 19, with the SCRS seminar, “Improving Workshop Efficiency: Lean Production Applied to Collision Repair.” The class was led by Steve
10 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Feltovich, manager of business consulting services for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. Steve’s presentation covered the origins of lean production, how to apply lean principles to run a shop more efficiently, and
how to maximize production, profitability and customer loyalty. FACA’s statewide vendor exposition also began May 19, running from noon until late in the evening. Also open to SCRS and FACA attendees in the same facility was a casual evening reception that served as a relaxing meet-and-mingle event for SCRS and FACA attendees. “The reception held on Thursday evening after the lean class was also a huge success,” said Mills. “It was a great opportunity for us all to rekindle old associations and develop new business relationships.”
The reception took place outside the expo hall on a two-tiered veranda overlooking the golf course and featured a buffet, live music and a beverage bar. May 20 started with a wide variety of informational seminars. The expo hall remained open all day, allowing for attendees to visit during breaks and dinner. First up was the Aftermarket Parts Forum, presented by Jack Gillis, executive director of the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). Jack provided an update on the work being done by CAPA to
improve the quality of aftermarket parts and ensure that collision re-
pairers have a quality alternative. He also revealed the results of CAPA studies showing poor quality and potentially dangerous parts and
showed a video on the crash testing behind the new CAPA bumper standard. Frank discussion and an informative question-and-answer session highlighted the presentation. Also participating in the forum were representatives from LKQ and Insignia. The second morning session on May 20 featured George Hogan, business development manager for DuPont. George gave an inspiring presentation on “Improving Estimating Accuracy and Efficiency.” George emphasized the importance of increasing sales by reducing cycle time through the use of evidence and documentation, by lowering the number
and dollar amount of supplements and, ultimately, producing better throughput. After lunch, Heather Turnbull of The Rubin Group, a highly respected Florida-based lobbying firm, presented methods to build professional rapport with legislators and help influence legislation. Often, she said, legislators are not fully informed about both sides of a given issue, and critical legislation can be swayed simply by presenting another point of view. Heather discussed recent Florida legislative actions and described in detail the failed commercial-deregulation bill that would have directly affected the collision repair industry. G.B. Outlaw closed the show with an inspirational and motivational clinic on improving performance to sustain profitable growth. With nearly 30 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, process improvement, business management, and sales and organizational development, Outlaw described how to help stakeholders develop concrete skills, strategies and solutions to improve team morale and performance.
After dinner, Cathy Mills drew the winner of the “bingo card”—the vendor-stamped card designed to encourage participation in the expo. Joe Bassett from Brumos Motor Cars in Jacksonville was the lucky winner and took home a beautiful flat-screen television. After a full two days of classes, forums and the vendor exposition, 23 golfers headed out May 21 for a few holes on the beautiful Grand Cypress links. It was a great occasion for the shop owners, managers and Summit
sponsors to close out the expo. Afterwards several players enjoyed lunch together in the club house before heading home. Not only designed to inform and entertain FACA and SCRS members,
the Summit was also an opportunity for vendors to show their support and develop their markets. Twenty-six vendors set up shop in the expo hall adjacent to the meeting rooms and offered information, product samples and live demonstrations. Products and services ranged from businessmanagement and information systems to paint and materials, and from car-rental services to auto parts and shop equipment. The expo remained open all day throughout the event, allowing attendees to browse the vendor displays during breaks and meals. “I was approached by many of our vendors thanking FACA for a successful convention,” said Mills. “They told me the Summit was well worth the time and commitment and led to a number of new business leads.” FACA is planning for more events like the Collision Repair Summit, along with more informal educational and informational opportunities in a number of locations around the state. Visit www.FACAFL.com for more information.
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 11
On Creative Marketing
Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has written numerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses. He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at tbfranklin@aol.com. See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin
Long or Short Ad—Which is Best? with Thomas Franklin
If you’ve ever received a long sales letter, you may have wondered why it was four or more pages long—and who would expect you to read it all? In the days before the Internet, e-mail and Twitter, snail-mail marketing often included these long sales letters. At that time, statistics proved that recipients who read these long letters were often the ones who bought the product. My wife’s ex-husband was an ad copywriter who made a nice living from writing long ad copy, but no more. Today we’ve entered the era of the short message. Twitter is a prime example. Ad copy must be 140 characters or less. Most advertisers no longer believe people will read long copy. The assumption is most people have a very short attention span and a message must be fast, brief and dramatic to capture viewer interest and attention. Institutional advertising might lead a shop owner to think all an ad
has to do is have an attention grabbing image displaying the company name and product. Nothing could be farther from the truth. National corporate products have large advertising budgets and often simply try to keep the product name in front of the public eye. A gigantic billboard may have a huge photo of an attractive person drinking that company’s beverage and the company name might be so small you could miss it if you didn’t look closely. The thinking behind this is that repetitive viewings will encourage sales of the product. Unless you have very deep pockets, don’t even think about advertising like this. But one aspect of this kind of ad is very accurate: Repetitive viewing can result in a prospect trying or buying the product. The question is: what is the best media to use to convey that brief, repetitive message?
12 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
A good start is to think about where you can put a brief message so that it will be seen over and over. One obvious place is a lighted window sign if you have a window that can be seen from a street or road. If not, the entrance to your driveway may front on a road or street where you can put up a changeable sign. A hotel near me that has entertainment and a lounge has a high, lighted sign that can be seen from the freeway. The sign always has a joke or a humorous quote plus an invite to their lounge. When traffic backs up, it’s inevitable that most drivers will read the sign, out of boredom if nothing else. A changing message is the key to getting readership. If you have a website or Facebook page or even a Twitter account, these are obvious places to run a continuously changing message. Even a cheap, weeklychanging classified ad can be
effective. And of course, if you can afford it, radio and TV are ideal for this kind of advertising. Most ad sites are not very adaptable to a changing message. Bench ads, bus ads, print ads, flyers and business cards generally contain long-term messages. Nevertheless, the brief, easy to read and understand message is still a good choice. This often comes out in the form of a slogan. A good rule of thumb is to challenge the reader with an apparent contradiction: “Can cheap auto body repair also be high quality? Call us to find out!” “Can the dent or damage on your car be fixed while you wait? Call us to find out!” If someone is reading a short ad, time, speed and cost are sure to be high priorities for him or her. Your tougher job is selling them on coming in once they call. It’s also important to not forget See Long or Short, Page 15
Trial by Fire: Indianapolis Body Shop Turns a Potential Tragedy into a Win-Win with a State-of-the-Art GFS Paint Booth by Ed Attanasio
Sometimes a negative, even tragic, event can lead to a positive outcome. When a serious fire hit Collision Solutions in Indianapolis, IN, and destroyed its paint booth, management took the opportunity to make lemonade from lemons. The fire offered the owners a chance to rearrange the shop’s layout and take the leap into the world of waterborne. Instead of being paralyzed by the devastation, the shop bought a new cuttingedge ECO Expert paint booth from Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) and converted one of their locations to waterborne paint before any restrictions mandated it. As a result, Collision Solutions was soon turning out amazing paint jobs and their crew quickly became fully comfortable with waterborne and the numerous benefits offered by their new GFS paint booth. “We took a couple of the prep stations and replaced all of the old equipment with GFS equipment after looking at several companies. We went with GFS based on what people out there in the industry were telling us about the company and its track record. Owner Aaron Clark, 40, is a second generation body shop owner whose parents operated a shop more than three decades ago. “I started working in our family’s shop when I was 16 and worked my way up from porter to technician,” Clark told Autobody News. “In 1994, my partner and I opened our own shop in friendly competition with my parents’ company. It was a very successful operation that eventually grew into a two-location business in the Indianapolis area.” In 1998, Clark sold his interest in the two shops and returned to work at his parent’s shop. By working harder and smarter, Clark starting adding new locations. “We’ve grown and currently have five stores in Metro Indianapolis with 75 employees. We fix 500--600 vehicles every month.” Today, Collision Solutions is an $11-$12 million business maintaining several DRPs. Clark is the current Chairman of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), and has served the organization on its Board of Directors for the past five years. Clark’s relationship with GFS– which bills itself as “the world’s leading provider of technologically advanced capital equipment solutions for the finishing industry” — started almost immediately after the
SHOP & PRODUCT SHOWCASE Collision Solutions Corporate Headquarters Location: Indianapolis, IN
Telephone: 317-787-8366 www.collisionsolutions.com Company At A Glance... Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 75
In Business Since: 1978 DRP Programs: 10
Number of Locations: Five
Combined Production Space: 88,000 square feet (combined) After a fire destroyed their old paint booth, Collision Solutions bought a new cutting-edge ECO Expert paint booth from Global Finishing Systems (GFS) and converted the location to waterborne paint before any restrictions mandated it
fire that nearly devastated the business. “We were in the process of changing over to waterborne anyway, so it was important for us to get a paint booth that was going to treat us well while using the waterborne finishes and that’s why we went with the GFS ECO Expert booth,” Clark said. “We put the four corner tower blowers in it and installed a double prep deck adjacent to the paint booth. We took the opportunity to move the booth to a better location and connect it to a mix room and installed additional overhead doors in the building to create a better flow through our paint department. Even though it was definitely a tragedy when our old paint booth caught fire, we have used it to get better equipment and improve our operation overall.” Clark says he wants to be able to buy a paint booth and then forget about it for a very long time. “we would like to enjoy 30 years of service out of this type of equipment and expect to see that from this GFS booth. We’re very excited to be working with GFS. This is our first GFS piece of equipment and by using it side-by- side with the other equipment we’re still using at our other locations, we can see that it performs better than the other equipment we’ve had. No question about it. We wanted a paint booth with all of the latest technology that’s currently available and the ECO Expert is exactly that. Everything is computerized and has all the features we were looking for.”
The process of installing the ECO Expert booth was painless and the power savings are considerable, Clark said. “Our rep, Don Putney of Indiana Booth Associates, installed it completely in October of 2009. Price-wise, GFS was very competitive, but we were more focused on all of the other things we were getting from the company. We were interested in the Variable Speed Drive (VSD) motors and the digital panel and the corner blowers we installed are totally controlled by the digital panel. Also, a big plus is that the booth pulls less electricity. We’ve seen an overall drop in our electrical bills, because the VSD motors pull less juice.” The GFS ECO Expert has been the real instrument in getting Collision Solutions up and running with waterborne. “We have never sprayed with solvent in that booth. We converted the first day we got the ECO Expert and we’re happy we did,” says Clark. “We’re not in an area where we have to use it by law, but we have five stores and since we were installing this new paint booth, we decided to spray waterborne to conduct my own internal testing. We’re still using solvent primarily at my other four stores, but by looking at the profitability and the performance, we will be converting another store at some point, definitely. It’s a better and safer product and if it’s being used at the OE level (for new vehicles), so it should be used by the collision industry.”
Collision Solutions has grown into a $11-12 million business with five stores in Metro Indianapolis that repair 500-600 vehicles every month
Aaron Clark is a second-generation shop owner and the Chairman of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS)
Global Finishing Solutions Phone: (877) 658-7900 email: autorefinishsales@globalfinishing.com website: www.globalfinishing.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 13
NACE/CARS Program Expected to Draw Larger Crowds The keynote speaker for NACE’s Opening General Session will be Social Media Guru Chris Brogan. Brogan will headline the Opening General Session at ASRW 2011, Thurs., Oct. 6, from 8:30 A.M.–10 A.M. Brogan is a noted author and journalist; he is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Trust Agents, and a featured monthly columnist at Entrepreneur Magazine. Brogan’s blog, chrisbrogan.com, is also in the Top 5 of the Advertising Age Power 150. Brogan is a marketing consultant and frequent speaker Chris Brogan about social media marketing who educates businesses and organizations on how social software aligns with their strategies. He is the president and CEO of Human Business Works, an education and community company. Brogan’s keynote presentation will focus on small business solutions, sales, lead generation and specific
strategies—all as they relate to the use and implementation of social media. “We carefully selected Chris Brogan this year and feel his presentation will be a highlight of ASRW,” stated Ron Pyle, ASA president. “Attendees can expect an entertaining and engaging presentation and also to walk away with ideas and solutions they can easily implement as soon as they get home.” “Technology and the advent of social media in particular have changed the way we all do business, so we feel Chris Brogan is not only a timely choice for this year’s keynote presentation, but an extremely relevant one," said Harry Hall, DuPont North America Sales Manager—Refinish. “Brogan has become a leader in his field through his innate use of technology and connecting it to business, which parallels DuPont Performance Coatings’ philosophy of innovation as a leader in the collision repair industry.” BASF Back as Exhibitor BASF has also committed to a pres-
14 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
ence at the NACE show for the first time since 2008. “NACE is the premier event for the collision repair industry and we understand how important it is to represent the BASF brand among this core audience who uses BASF products,” said Chuck Soeder, vice president, BASF Automotive Refinish. “We look forward to supporting the industry by exhibiting at ASRW this October.” BASF can be found in booth N1413 at the ASRW Expo. BASF’s Felicia Funchess will also be leading two sessions entitled, “Creating a Positive Work Environment” and “Leading Change,” throughout the week’s industry education sessions. The shows’ sessions will cover a broad range of subjects including management tips and tricks, technical information, legal and HR advice, and women’s professional development. Eric Schmitz with KPA, an exEric Schmitz
pert compliance company on safety, environmental, and human resources (HR), will lead a session titled “What to Do When an Inspector Knocks on Your Door.” KPA’s environmental, health and safety services help to reduce accidents and associated costs while ensuring companies are in compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations. Autobody News columnist Tom McGee with ALLDATA will lead an information sesssion titled “Stop Guessing and Start Knowing.” Personal development speaker and lifestyle guru Richard Flint will Tom McGee also be speaking again this year. He will lead sessions entitled “The Power of Change” and “Wanted: Leaders That Lead!” His leadership session will touch on the Top 6 roadblocks that prevent leaders from being successful and how to remove them, how to interpret the redefinition of Leader, Leadership and
Company, how to break down the 6 Secret “must haves” for being an effective leader, examining the 5 support beams that connect Leaders to their people, and identifying the mindblowing insights into working with the 3 personality types leaders are confronted with daily. Cory King with the law firm of Fine, Boggs & Perkins LLP, who has spoken at several California Autobody Association meetings over the years, will lead legal advice sessions entitled “Survival Skills for Today’s Employer: HR Best Practices” and “Survival Skills for Today’s Employer: Compliance with Wage/Hour Laws.” The events, which have consistently tracked ahead of last year’s expos, are expected to draw in larger crowds than usual thanks to this year’s new east coast location. Tickets for the Opening General Session are included in the purchase of a Super Pass or may be purchased online for $35 after the early-bird deadline of Aug. 9. For more information about the expos please visit www.naceexpo.com.
Toyota-Tesla RAV4 Electric to be Built in Ontario, Canada
Toyota and Tesla Motors confirmed August 5 that their jointly-developed RAV4 electric vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. in Woodstock, Ontario beginning in 2012. “The Tesla-Toyota joint development team has agreed that building the vehicle at the Woodstock plant on the same line as the gasoline-powered RAV4, will streamline and simplify the production process and guarantee the highest level of quality control,” said Ray Tanguay, TMMC Chairman, who hosted Canadian officials at the plant today and thanked them for their support. “This is a great example of Toyota's determination to collaborate with companies with leading edge technology.” As previously announced, Toyota will pay Tesla approximately $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gear box and power electronics for the RAV4 EV. Tesla will build the electric powertrains at its production facility in Palo Alto, California and then ship them to TMMC for final assembly into the vehicle. The RAV4 EV will be sold at U.S. Toyota dealers.
Continued from Page 12
Long or Short
that a picture is often worth a thousand words. But even if you have the space for a picture, choosing the right one can be a difficult task. It’s generally best to just illustrate the message in some way. An image suggesting speed, like a race track pit crew, could work. Or just an illustration of a clock with wings. Shop owners like to show a picture of their shop, but this is unlikely to motivate a prospect to come in for repairs. And this raises the most important aspect of the message. It absolutely has to motivate the prospect to respond. There MUST be a demand for action: “Call us to find out!” “Come in for a free estimate.” “Come find out how cheap we can be!” As good as repetitive short ads may be, there’s nothing like a great repetitive slogan. “You’re in good hands with Allstate,” has been around forever. Even if you totally disagree with the slogan, you know that most people recognize it. That’s the kind of recognition you want to build with a slogan about your shop. Brief but
powerful may seem like a contradiction in terms, but if you can create it, it can do great things for your business.
Mitsubishi Back to Profitability
Mitsubishi returns to profit with $55 million in quarterly net income. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. returned to profit in the three months ended June 30, aided by selling more vehicles in North America, Europe and Asia. The automaker posted net income of 4.3 billion yen ($55.5 million) in the three months ended June 30, compared with a loss of 11.8 billion yen a year earlier, it said in a statement. The maker of the i-MiEV electric car raised its half-year profit to break even, from a loss of 10 billion yen announced on June 13. The automaker expects its retail sales in the six months to Sept. 30 to be at 518,000 units, up 8,000 units from its earlier forecast.
Search:
Autobody News on Facebook
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 15
Inside Insurance
The Insider is a corporate-level executive with a Top 10 auto insurer in the U.S.. Got a comment or question you’d like to see him address in a future column? Email him at Auto.Insurance.Insider@gmail.com
Ridiculous DRP Requirements? Guess Why They’re Asking with The Insurance Insider
In a previous column, I offered some of my thoughts on the decision of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) to make the Farmers Insurance “Circle of Dependability” (COD) agreement public, and to question some of the requirements of that direct repair program agreement. In doing so, SCRS said that “the industry is often disadvantaged by restriction of communication from participants of these program.” I am little confused as to where the disadvantage lies? Okay, I am very confused. Explain to me the disadvantage. What would the advantage be if there were no restrictions? Shops should be deciding what is best for their individual business. That decision shouldn’t be predicated upon whether or not your competitor thinks it’s a good idea to participate. While SCRS makes a lot of good points in their press release, this is one it needs
to reconsider. Go ahead and publish all of the major insurance carriers direct repair program agreements and see what it changes. Would it really improve the industry or help shops? That said, here are a few more of my thoughts—some of which may surprise you—from an insurer’s perspective on the COD agreement and SCRS’s concerns about it. The agreement states that Farmers has the right to inspect a shop’s books to validate and audit files to ensure proper payment and compliance with the program requirements. Why insurers continue to infuse themselves into the body shop’s business in this way is beyond me. It’s wrong and they have no business inspecting your books. If SCRS wants to take a stand on an issue, this is an easy one. But association’s comments on this section of the agreement have me wondering, “Where’s the beef?” If you are going
16 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
to call someone out, take a stand. Lead the way. Insurers will continue to ask and demand more until shops say ‘no.’ And here’s a news flash: If you aren’t following the guidelines, insurers don’t need to look at your books to find out. They have other ways of obtaining the same information. If you are committing fraud, they aren’t going to casually walk into your shop and ask to inspect the books. They will probably have their legal team subpoenaing your records. There’s no need for this clause, and it just shows they will continue to make demands until the industry says, “Enough.” The COD agreement also says participating shops will conduct background checks on all employees and not employ convicted felons. SCRS is dead-on with its assessment: This is the most ridiculous clause I’ve ever read. Doesn’t everyone know that statistics show that nine out of 10 con-
victed felons prefer to work for a body shop? Just joking. Please don’t send any (more) hate mail. But seriously, the audacity of Farmers to prohibit shops from having a convicted felon on staff is troubling from many perspectives. I’m not advocating the hiring of mass-murderers or anything of the sort. But the fact is in some states you could be a convicted felony simply as a result of a DUI judgment. This isn’t a valid reason to not be considered for a job at a professional collision repair facility. Of course a shop should be concerned and do its due diligence before hiring anyone who has been convicted of a felony. But Farmers should remove this clause from the agreement unless of course they would like to subject their staff to the same scrutiny. In fact, how do you know it isn’t a See DRP Requirements, Page 24
BK Listings: Marketing Automotive Businesses Through Innovative Listings BK Listings, an internet marketing company that provides industry-specific listings to businesses in the automotive industry, has expanded its services to include everything automotive. BK Listings was founded in early 2010 and is headquartered in Dearborn, MI. The company started with 3 employees; a web designer, a programmer, and Owner and Founder Bradley Brennan. Brennan started BK Listings to offer industry specific and content rich profiles to businesses in the automotive industry and to offer customers an easier way to find the best shops in their area. BK Listings foGavin Crawford, cuses exclusively Web Designer on the automotive service industry—their motto is “anything and everything automotive.” “You could never include the type of information you can with us on a Google or Yellow Page ad.
They’re too general and don’t let your customers see what they need to see,” said Brennan. BK Listings allows automotive businesses to list the industry-specific information customers searching for this type of business want to see, such as which insurance companies the shop has a Direct Repair relationship with and a complete list of Alyssa Koslowsky, services provided Marketer that distinguish the shop from the competition. All of this information is searchable by users on BK Listings, so if a shop offers a certain service that people in their area want, customers will be able to search for that service and find that shop with ease. Customers can create a free login with BK Listings that will allow them to upload information about what needs to be repaired on their vehicle. This information then becomes available to shops with advanced pro-
files and they can bid on these jobs, allowing the customer to make an informed decision when choosing a shop and allowing the shop to find additional work in their area. “This addition to the site is rela-
tively new but we are really excited about its potential,” said Brennan. Customers can also submit information about a job they had done at a shop as well as shop reviews. BK Listings has expanded since
A mock listing was created for Autobody News
Visit Our Website: www.bklistings.com
Email all inquiries to: admin@bklistings.com
We offer basic and advanced profiles • Include your shop in prospective customers’ search results Industry-specific advanced profiles that are fully customizable!
A Direct Comparison of How Much More a BK Listing Ad Offers
BK Listings-“Advanced” Profile • • • • • • • • •
Name Address Phone Number Website Up to 10 pictures and graphics 1 Slogan 1 Link to your website Priority Placement Direct Repair Statuses • $49
per month
• Additional services you provide such as loaners, detailing, alignments, part sales, etc. • Certifications • Average turnaround time • Promotions • Normal and special business hours • Extra space for unique features • Ability to view and bid on jobs (submitted by customers) in your area!!
$39 per month with code (BK50) Offer ends (12/31/11)
Yellow Pages - “Platinum” Status • • • • •
1 Graphic 1 Slogan 1 Link to your website Priority Placement Basic Shop Information o Name o Address o Phone number o Website • General information o Whatever information you can squeeze into a couple lines
$176 per month
www.bklistings.com • admin@bklistings.com www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 17
their founding to include listings for automotive service businesses beyond just collision repair shops, like mechanical, customization, and wheel & tire. They have also increased their staff; expanding to include three programmers, a graphic designer, a writer, and a marketer. “We are currently building a section for buying and selling automobiles to help offer another marketing solution to our dealership friends, and we plan on facilitating automotive part sales in the future,” said Brennan. BK Listings offers two types of profiles, basic and advanced. They differ in the amount of information provided about the business and the way they are searched by users. BK Listings has over 30,000 body shops listed with basic profiles. Advanced profiles, once set up, will always come before basic profiles in search results and will always display more information, so shops fortunate enough to be one of few signed up with advanced profiles in their area will enjoy increased visibility in all searches by local users. “We have decades of experience in the collision industry and know ex-
actly what shops are looking for; we know what customers want and we know how to bring business in. Our goal is to provide a service that allows the best shops to find the customers
The request an estimate form available for potential customers to fill out and have shops bid on their job
they need to survive and succeed,” said Brennan, “The collision industry is just now beginning to aggressively pursue internet marketing; we want to be at the forefront of that movement. We have the best interests of the shops
WHOLESALE PARTS HOURS: HOURS Mon. - Fri.: 7am - 6pm
Sat.: 8am - 4pm 3000 S. Federal Hwy. Delray Beach, FL 33483
Toll Free: Wholesale Direct: Wholesale Fax: Ask for Chuck, Mike, Donald, Edwin, Paul
in mind, and we believe together we can improve the industry as a whole.” John Germain, owner of E & F Auto in Melvindale, Michigan, has had a listing on BK Listings for a short pe-
• Experienced Certified Parts Professionals • Large Inventory to Serve You • Fast, Courteous, Competent Service is Our #1 Goal • “Collision Link”
866-576-5983 561-526-5351 561-526-5364 delrayhondaparts@vtaig.com www.delrayhonda.com
18 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
riod of time but has already seen a positive response from the listing. “It is easy to use and makes our company more visible. We already had a website in place but the additional traffic helps with our online
marketing,” said Germain. BK Listings is currently running a promotional deal for their members; if a member refers another shop to sign up, BK Listings will send the member a check for $100. All members have to do is tell a friend to sign their shop up, if they stay on for at least 3 months, BK Listings will send the check. There is no limit on the amount of shops members can refer for this deal. Shops should email BK Listings notifying them of the referral (see below). “We have done our best to pull in every shop in America, but through the process there is the chance we missed a couple,” said Brennan. “It is very easy to add your shop if you don’t already have a basic profile listed, you can submit a request on the website or email us directly and we will add it for you.” Questions can be directed to admin@bklistings.com or bradleybrennan1@gmail.com. “I want to develop a personal relationship with every shop that is interested; we can only succeed by working together,” said Brennan. Please visit www.bklistings.com for more information.
Brown Auto Body Values Mattei’s Rotary Vane Compressor by Ed Attanasio
Dana Cooper, the owner of Brown Auto Body, a busy, modest-size shop located in southwest Iowa, has been in the collision industry for more than three decades. Cooper knows the value of reliable equipment and he’s convinced there’s no more important need in a shop than having a reliable air compressor. Not only is it critical for his painting needs but he depends on it for air tools needed to maintain his cycle times. That’s why Cooper was so pleased when his Keystone rep introduced him to Mattei compressors for the first time late last year. “With a machine like an air compressor, I want to be able to buy it and never worry about it ever again. We’re fixing 30-40 cars per month here, and it’s just another thing I don’t want to have to think about. We’ve had this Mattei unit for about seven months now, and they’ve been very good about keeping us on the right maintenance schedule. I know this is important. If my air compressor goes down, we’re dead in the water. Almost everything from buffers to paint guns depends on air. It would be like trying to fix vehicles without paint or techs—that’s how important it is to have a good air compressor that won’t quit or need service all the time.” Darrin Cook, General Manager for Keystone Automotive Industries Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska has worked for Keystone for more than 22 years, so he’s seen (and heard) his share of air compressors of all brands, sizes and styles. It’s not just a lot of hot air when Cook enthusiastically lauds the quality and performance of Mattei’s rotary vane compressors. “We’ve been marketing the Mattei compressors for more than a year now and they’re super quiet, while using less energy and producing more air,” Cook said. “These Mattei units are smaller than the other brands we’ve sold before, so they also take up less space. Pricewise, they’re also in the ballpark. You’re getting a quality product, so you might be spending a little more with these Mattei compressors, but in the long run these machines will last you longer. In the past, the compressors I encountered worked hard but wore down pretty quickly. These rotary vane compressors from Mattei don’t work as hard, so they last longer, and they put out more air. They say ‘Get your last compressor, get a Mattei’ and after
SHOP & PRODUCT SHOWCASE Brown Body Shop Location: Atlantic, IA
Telephone: 712-243-4610 www.brownautobody.com Company At A Glance... Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: Three In Business Since: 1980 DRP Programs: Zero
Number of Locations: One
Combined Production Space: 4,000 square feet
It’s a small yet talented crew at Brown Auto Body, consisting of (from left) Owner Dana Cooper, Tech Doug Towne and Tech Dan Schriver
working with them for a while now, I believe it.” Mattei’s machines have been in use worldwide for industrial and automotive applications for almost a century. The company was founded by Enea Mattei, an Italian engineer, when he became fascinated by the then relatively minor compressed air industry in 1919. After 15 years of research and innovation, Mattei invented the world’s first portable air compressor and, after embracing a series of technological advances, Mattei became one of the leaders in compressed air worldwide. The company solidified their role as a pioneer in the industry. Mattei started manufacturing rotary vane compressors in 1958, and have gained popularity with body shops within the last decade because they’re efficient, durable and maybe most importantly—quiet. Cooper started out as a tech and later purchased Brown Auto Body after he had been working for 20 years, he explained. “The original owner, Pete Brown, wanted to get out, so I bought the shop and took it over in 2000. Owning and running a shop has been a ton of work, but we’ve been staying busy, even during the recession and average $2,000–$3,000 per repair without any DRPs. I’ve got two techs and an office manager working part-time, so it’s a lean operation. We serve Atlantic, Iowa (6,800 population) and some of surrounding areas, competing with about three other shops in this area.”
Cooper has been pleasantly surprised with his compressor, partially because of the fact that he wasn’t familiar with Mattei until Darrin Cook at Keystone introduced him to the company and its line of rotary vane compressors. “Darrin gave me Mattei’s literature and we researched them online to find out a little more. At around the same time, one of my friends purchased an Americanmade compressor, and I realized that it was a lot noisier and doesn’t put out quite as much cfm as my Mattei does.” After doing his homework, Cooper made the move to Mattei and he hasn’t had any regrets. “We bought Mattei’s 11 kilowatt unit,” he said. “We tested it by sandblasting a car and it performed really well. It gained psi the whole time and we didn’t have to stop to interrupt the job. And it’s so quiet! That’s a big plus. I can now stand right next to it while it’s running and still actually talk on the phone. Our old compressor was in our paint mixing room. It was so loud in there we had to scream to have a conversation—it was terrible. It was starting to leak oil and was beginning to worry about it, so we purchased it just in time. They come with a 10-year warranty and designed for 100,000 hours of use, although many go way past that, from what we’ve heard.” Cooper is looking forward to not hearing, or not hearing about, his Mattei compressor for a good long time.
Brown Auto Body in Atlantic, Iowa fixes 30–40 cars per month without any DRPs
The shop’s old air compressor was loud and starting to leak oil, so Owner Dana Copper researched Mattei and made the move to the company’s rotary vane compressors
Mattei Compressors, Inc. Phone: (410) 521-7020 email: info@matteicomp.com website: www.matteicomp.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 19
Service, Service, Diagnostic Di Diagnostic gnostic and an d Mechanical M e chanical ch aniccal al NEWS nd Mec echanical Mech ech ec hanical ca
www.autobodynews.com
Autobody News
Ford Partners Azure on FSeries Plug in Hybrids
FLORIDA • GEORGIA • ALABAMA • MISSISSIPPI
Ford Will Recall 1.22 M Trucks, Fuel Tank Straps
Ford and Canadian-based Azure Dynamics plan to convert the largest of its F-Series models into plug-in hybrids, starting with the F-550 and later adding the F-450 and F-350 models. The trucks would operate in electric-only mode at low speeds while also reducing fuel consumption at higher speeds in hybrid mode. Anticipated range on battery power, overall fuel efficiency and pricing details have not been released. Marketing is aimed at commercial fleet buyers sensitive to the rise in fuel prices.
Ford told the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration it will recall 1.22 million trucks to replace fuel tank straps subject to corrosion.The recall includes these units: —Ford F-150 from 1997 through 2004 —Ford F-250 with GVW of less than 8,500 pounds from 1997 through 1999 —Lincoln Blackwood from 2002 and 2003 model years. NHTSA said the trucks were manufactured from June 20, 1995 through Aug. 4, 2004. The flaw could cause dropped fuel tanks and fire hazards.
Lincoln Electric Acquires Torchmate Parent
GM Recalls Over 16K Cars
Lincoln Electric Holdings, announced Aug. 12 that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Applied Robotics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of CNC cutting tables and accessories in North America. Applied Robotics, known in the welding industry by its brand name, Torchmate, has headquarters and manufacturing facilities based in Reno, NV. Torchmate (www.torchmate.com) offers a wide selection of CNC plasma and oxyfuel cutting tables to medium-sized fabricators.
Chrysler Recalls Up To 370,000 2008 Minivans
GM said Aug. 12 it is recalling 16,198 Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse cars in the United States and Canada to address sensor and power steering problems. There are 11,905 2012 Impalas recalled to check the power steering hose. The hose, if misrouted, could be damaged and spray fluid onto hot engine parts to create a potential for a fire. GM also said it is recalling 4,293 2012 LaCrosses to reprogram the electronic brake control module because an incorrect calibration may cause the electronic stability system to improperly detect a sensor malfunction and fail to illuminate a warning light.
NHTSA Investigates BMW for Potential Rollaways
Chrysler is recalling nearly 370,000 2008 Grand Voyager, Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles for a possible heating and air conditioning problem that could inadvertently trigger the air bag, the second related recall in nine months. NHTSA said condensation from the heating and air conditioner could leak onto a sensor module. This could lead to activation of a warning light and inadvertent deployment of the air bag. There was a recall last November to replace a heating and cooling drain tube in those model vehicles to eliminate potential condensation.
U.S. safety regulators have opened an investigation into about 120,000 BMW 7series cars regarding shifting into park not engaging, with roll away. NHTSA said it has opened a preliminary probe of the BMW cars from 2002–2008 after receiving a complaint that a 2006 model rolled away after the consumer parked and exited the vehicle. Reports involving similarly equipped cars also describing roll-away incidents were submitted by BMW. A BMW spokesman said the automaker is cooperating with the NHTSA and is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue.
American Honda is bringing back approximately 1.5 million vehicles to update the software that controls the automatic transmission. Included are 4-cylinder Accords from 2005 through 2010, the CR-V from
2007 through 2010, and the Element 2005 through 2008. Honda believes the automatic transmission secondary shaft bearing can be damaged if the transmission is quickly shifted.
Honda to Recall 1.5M CRVs, Elements, Accords
20 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
September 2011
I-CAR Offers New Course on Electronics Damage Analysis I-CAR has premiered several online training programs in 2011, including its newest course, Basic Electronics Damage Analysis (DAM13e). By taking this course, individuals will learn how to effectively communicate at every level of the damage analysis process, identify the basic requirements for a circuit and how circuit values are measured, as well as what other parts of a circuit are designed to do. This course provides an understanding of how electrical systems are designed to work and what can be done when these systems are damaged. Information on how to recognize collision damage to wiring, the possibilities for repair, and the tools and steps required when troubleshooting an electrical circuit problem are also covered in this course. Joyce Kasmer, I-CAR Director of Business Development said, “Understanding how to effectively communicate throughout the entire repair process lends to more accurate damage assessments, which can result in reduced cycle times and higher customer satisfaction. This online course will be beneficial to collision repair professionals who are interested in learning about specific procedures re-
lated to electronics damage analysis and how to effectively interact with vehicle owners, repair facilities, and insurance companies.” This course meets I-CAR® ProLevel™ or annual training requirements for the Estimator and Auto Physical Damage Appraiser roles and satisfies the Basic Electrical knowledge area within the I-CAR® Professional Development Program™. Once an online training course has begun, an individual has thirty days to complete the course and can re-access it an unlimited number of times until it has been completed. After completion of the course, the individual will have access to course materials for reference by logging in to their account. Information and registration for this course can be found on the ICAR website (www.i-car.com) or by contacting I-CAR Customer Care at 800-422-7872.
Advances in transportation research are increasing interest in putting cameras and sensors in and on work trucks. Scientists are using a strategy that combines tightly controlled simulator driving, closely monitored runs on closed tracks and scrutiny of working truckers on revenue runs to help researchers translate observations about driver behavior. With simulators, a computer vision system can tell where a driver is looking.Adriver’s eye position is one of the most readily quantifiable factors in truck-safety as a computer can now determine a driver’s level of fatigue.
A NTHSA team cleared GM from the need to bring back more than 266,000 2007 Chevy Tahoes and GMC Yukons. The concern was chrome plating on interior door handles that could peel or separate from the plastic base material. De-lamination could result in a sharp edge and pose a risk of laceration.“The resultant population group had a total of 746 complaint reports with 309 injury incidents and 43,619 unique VIN regular warranty claims over a combined 451,745 vehicle population,” NHTSA said in a report.
Truck Driver Behavior Now Trackable with New Tech
www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!
GM Has No Recall on its Tahoe and Yukon SUVs
Ford Minivans Not Subject to Recall, Infrequent Issue NHTSA previously said the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey from 2004 through 2007 might have defective automatic transmission control modules, but now says “below defect trend.” Tests found 200 potential prob-
lems out of population of 125,865, for a failure rate of 0.16 percent. The concern was water running down onto the cowling under the hood and dripping onto the PCM, causing a stall and the transmission to shift badly.
Gonzo’s Toolbox
This is a new story by Scott “Gonzo” Weaver as posted on his website, www.gonzostoolbox.com. Gonzo has been serving the Tulsa area at Superior Auto Electric for over 27 years. See his book “Hey Look! I Found The Loose Nut”, which provides a Good Laugh for Mechanics of Any Age. The book is available at amazon.com. Contact Gonzo at Gonzosae@aol.com.
Is It ‘Change Is a Good Thing’ or ‘It’s Good That Things Change’? with Gonzo Weaver
A body shop dropped off a 2005 Nissan Titan XE for a trailer light problem. It was hit in the rear and had folded the bumper under the body. This particular body shop I have known for years, and they pride themselves on doing a top notch repair on every vehicle that they are associated with. This truck was being a problem though. All the systems were working except for the trailer turn signal lights. To be thorough, they went back through each and every part that they had replaced or disturbed. They found nothing, not a thing—2 days of checking it out led to a dead end. That’s where I came into the picture. As always, the first thing I want to see is the wiring diagram. You know, I’ve always said change is a good thing, this time, I should rephrase that to—it’s a good thing that “things change”—and I hope this does real soon, because, this was
about the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s not the first time I have ran across trailer lights going through computer systems but it’s the first time I ran across only the trailer turn signals running thru the BCM (body control module) not the trailer park lights, not trailer brakes—nope, just the turn signals. Right there on the print, plain as day, R-trailer turn and L-trailer turn, oh please—what were you dudes thinking? (Referring to the engineers) What was the reasoning behind this? I checked the rear wiring and all the circuits involved along the underside of the truck, all of which were in impeccable condition. I couldn’t help but stare at that BCM on the wiring diagram. I said to myself, “You mean to tell me I’m going to have to change an expensive BCM just for trailer lights? Come on, guys.” (Engineers)
The BCM is attached to brackets just above the gas pedal. Once I managed to get into position to see the BCM, I moved the wire harness out of the way to get a better look at it. All of which looked great. Another glance at the print showed that pin 51 and 52 were the trailer turn signal wires, one yellow/black and the other green/black. Using a test light I checked the leads output signal directly at the BCM connector. I was so glad to see the test light flashing with the turn signals, what a relief! At least it’s not the BCM, it’s wiring in between the BCM and the rear connector. Another long stare at the print with my head under the dash, all wedged in between the driver’s seat and my feet dangling out the door, one hand holding the wiring harness out of the way, flash light by my right ear, the test light and the wiring dia-
gram all getting cramped in what little space that’s provided; but I still couldn’t see the problem. Since I already checked the wiring running into the truck and the signal was coming out of the BCM I had to be close, real close. I was starting to understand why the body shop spent two days looking for the problem and couldn’t find it. I knew what I had to do—start hand tracing the two leads again from start to finish—one-more-time. At this point anything would be better than spending another minute “sardined” in this truck. As I moved my arm out of the way and was about to slide out from under the dash I noticed right where I had my hand holding the harness out of the way were two small in line fuse holders, almost opaque in color right on the green/black and the yelSee Change, Page 24
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 21
ASRW Partners with Muscle Car Network of Florida at Expo
ASRW announced a new partnership for 2011 with the Muscle Car Network of Florida. The Muscle Car Network plans to display approximately 80 vehicles on the ASRW show floor at ASRW, during the expo. The display includes rare, exotic and hot rod vehicles, which belong to members of the network. Additionally, the Muscle Car Network plans to make a donation to a local automotive charity Saturday, Oct. 8, to further education and training for the next generation of automotive service and repair professionals. “Our audience has a true passion for automobiles, and we know they’ll appreciate this collection of vehicles. We’re pleased to be partnered with this group, and to have something new and exciting to offer at the show this year,” said Ron Pyle, ASA president. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to give back to the local Orlando-area community, in appreciation of our time there.” “This is a win-win for everyone involved. We’re excited for the opportunity to show off our ‘pride and joy’ to the industry professionals who attend ASRW,” says J.R. Goodman, Muscle Car Network director.
E S ALLE SA LLE E O H O W WH S
PART S
CREF and CCC Name Five Student Scholarship Winners
The Collision Repair Education Foundation and CCC Information Services named five exceptional students as winners of the CCC Michael Salvatore Memorial Student Repair Technician Scholarship, renamed to honor the memory of longtime CCC team member Michael Salvatore. The CCC Michael Salvatore Memorial Student Repair Technician Scholarship awards scholarships to students currently enrolled at eligible technical schools throughout the country. The award recipients use the scholarship funds to reduce the balances on tuition loans or to reimburse tuition costs that accumulated during their education. Each student will receive a scholarship award in the amount of $5,000. The 2011 winners are: ● Manuel Aguilar, UTI (Sacramento, CA) ● Nabil Assad, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA) ● Isaac Hostetter, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA) ● Ian Hilner, Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA) ● Michael Releford, Sowela Technical Community College (Lake Charles, LA.)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Makes $11,000 Donation to CREF
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the first rental car brand to receive the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s Industry Leadership Circle donor designation through its $11,000 donation to the organization in 2011. This donation will support annual student scholarships, school grants, and the recently created Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant. “Our partnership with the collision repair industry has been a key to our success over the years,” said Bruce Clifton, vice president-insurance replacement for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “We are happy to assist the efforts of the Collision Repair Education Foundation to identify and develop the next generation of industry leaders.” Collision Repair Education Foundation Executive Director Scott Kruger added, “Thanks to Enterprise Rent-A-Car for supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation and joining our efforts in supporting collision repair school programs and their students. “The Industry Leadership Circle includes a wide cross-section of the entire collision repair inter-industry and we are pleased to have Enterprise as the first rental car company in the Circle.”
Domestics More Popular Among Auto Thieves Now
For the first time since 2002, NICB discovered thieves preferred domestic nameplates over foreign brands, as indicated by the list of the 10 most stolen vehicles in the U.S. Among the top 10, Ford took three spots, Dodge held two and Chevrolet held one, while the remaining four were held by Honda, Toyota and Acura. However, the top three positions continue to be held by Honda and Toyota models, a trend that NICB said has been consistent since 2000. According to an examination of vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center in 2010, the most stolen vehicles in the nation were— 1994 Honda Accord—1995 Honda Civic—1991 Toyota Camry—1999 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)—1997 Ford F150 Series/Pickup—2004 Dodge Ram—2000 Dodge Caravan— 1994 Acura Integra—2002 Ford Explorer—1999 Ford Taurus. NICB says certain older cars and trucks are popular with thieves because of the value of their parts — but many are not insured against theft. Whereas newer, more expensive and insured vehicles are often stolen to be resold intact with counterfeit VINs or shipped out of the country.
• 130+ Years Combined Parts Experience • $450,000 Inventory • Same Day Service for Orders Placed by 3pm Hours: M-F 7am - 6pm Sat 8am - 4pm
www.billpenneytoyota.com
“Let The Penney Team Save You Some $$ Dollars $$”
Parts Hotline: 800-844-5799 Fax: 256-890-8229 256-837-1991 email: partsdept@BillPenneyToyota.com 4808 University Dr. NW • Huntsville, AL 35816 22 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Visit Us at: NACE Booth N1210 SEMA Booth 11068
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 23
Continued from Page 16
DRP Requirements
convicted felon from Farmers inspecting your books? What if that person happens to be an unscrupulous individual who just hasn’t been caught yet? You could potentially have a convicted-but-rehabilitated Farmers staff member remove you from the COD program because you have a similar ex-con on staff. How’s that for irony? I’ve seen just as many thieves wearing white-collar shirts as those wearing blue-collar shirts. Insurers have no business telling you who you can or can’t hire. Shops should be judged on the product and service they deliver, and not based on arbi-
trary and unjustified requirements. All that said, I hope you aren’t missing the overarching theme of my view of Farmers’ (or any insurer’s) DRP requirements: Quit whining. Quit saying it’s not fair. It’s like raising kids. Even the best kids will continue to misbehave until there is a consequence for their actions. You can threaten to ground them, tell them it’s their last chance, or insinuate a good old-fashioned butt-whuppin’ is acomin,’ but if you don’t follow through, the antics will continue. Until the insurers hear ‘no,’ they will only continue to ask for more, whether that more is “reasonable” or not. “The Insider” is is a corporatelevel executive with a Top 10 auto in-
surer in the U.S. who wishes to remain anonymous. This column reflects solely the opinion of The Insider as it offers an unvarnished look at various issues impacting the collision industry. Got a comment or question you’d like to see him address in a future column? Email him at Auto.Insurance.Insider@gmail.com. Or, leave a comment on the article in the Insider’s column section at autobodynews.com. To see the Farmers COD agreement referenced in the column, it can be found at www.autobodynews.com by searching “Farmers COD” So can the link to the SCRS press release about the agreement. Search “SCRS Farmers agreement.”
Will Auto Industry Be Dragged Down by Economic Turmoil?
Auto body shops are aware that there’s a close correlation between new auto sales and the number of repairable vehicles on the road, but will auto sales be dragged down by recent market and economic gyrations? Writing in Auto Remarketing, Joe Overby has reported that dark economic clouds seem logical given the economic and fiscal fiascos of recent weeks—the U.S. credit down-
grade and the stock market swooning, along with the debt-ceiling crisis. But the impact on auto sales might not be as bad as one might expect. According to Kelley Blue Book analyst Alec Gutierrez, it’s too early to tell how much consumer confidence will drop from the near-2,000-point stock-market decline, and it doesn’t seem there will be any prolonged or
overwhelming impacts to auto buying. In the fourth quarter, KBB projects a lift in sales and production. “At Kelley Blue Book, we think the recent drop in the stock market (close to 2,000 points since July 21) will definitely influence consumer confidence, which is highly correlated to overall vehicle sales. However, exactly to what deSee Economic Turmoil, Page 39
Continued from Page 21
Change
low/black wires leading away from the BCM. AHA! THERE IT IS! Two in line 10 amp fuses to the trailer lights, Wowser!!! Fixed, done, works perfectly. The prints did not show any fuses in the circuits, it only showed the wiring leading from end to end. Unbelievable, no wonder the body shop couldn’t find the problem. I even missed it until I moved my hand out of the way and knew the correct wire colors. It’s not the sort of thing I’d expect to find— factory fuse holders in-line with the BCM—but there they were, you can be guaranteed that I made a note about this one. I won’t forget next time. It doesn’t help that the prints were wrong, and it doesn’t help that the manufacturer ran the trailer turn signals leads thru the BCM, so I guess I can officially change my status from “change is a good thing” to “good thing it changes” now do me a favor there engineers; Change it!
DON MEALEY CHEVROLET CHEVROL LET L T
DELIVERS! • Extensive Inventory • Experienced Wholesale Specialists Call our Parts Department Today!
407.656.9418 352.394.6176 352.242.9726 FAX
THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY IN PAINTLESS
• Genuine GM G Parts • One-Stop-Shop • Free Delivery Parts Department Hours: Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm; Sat. 8am - 4pm
DENT
14138 West Hwy. 50 Clermont, FL, 34711-8011
REPAIR • We aid in growing your customer base • Industry leader in regards to quality, customer service and professionalism • Our industry exclusive 360o repair plan aids your shop with estimates, sales, quality control, supplements and deliveries
www.donmealeyschevrolet.com
Our Customers, Our Friends 24 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Global PDR rance is not just Insu are e Approved, w de Recommen d!
For more information please visit:
www.globalpdr.com
1-877-GLBL-PDR e-mail: info@globalpdr.com
Ford Releases Another Crash Test Video Comparing OEM to Aftermarket Crash Parts, ABPA Responds with its own Crash Test Video Ford released their second comparative tests of Genuine Ford structural steel collision parts versus aftermarket counterparts on their Youtube account on August 8. The video is described as showing a “parts comparison performance of genuine Ford parts vs. aftermaket collision parts using computer aided simulation tests, crash sled tests, and actual vehicle crash tests data. In all cases, genuine Ford parts perform as designed. Aftermarket parts performance leads to questions of doubt concerning proper air bag deployment.” The video is hosted by Ford Repairability Engineer Larry Coan. Coan also describes Ford’s own version of the “sawzall test,” which they recreated following its publicity since last year’s CIC meeting, where a Sawzall is used to cut into aftermarket and OEM bumper beams. The test has been duplicated numerous times and depicts the difference in difficulty between cutting through an OEM bumper beam versus an aftermarket bumper beam.
The test has been called into question by several aftermarket parts advocates, the groups call the test “unscientific” and question whether it provides a true measure of how a part will perform in a crash, however the intent is not to show whether cutting a support member more easily means it will fail, but rather that the materials are different. In the video Coan states that Ford’s saw test yielded similar results to others depicted over the past year. (See also Toby Chess’ column this issue.) Ford’s comparative tests were done with 05–09 Mustang and 08-09 Focus Bumper Beams, 06–08 F-150 bumper brackets and 04–07 F-150 radiator supports, and 05–09 Mustang bumper absorbers and isolators. Initial comparisons showed that part construction and weight were noticeably different between OEM and aftermarket parts. Crash simulations between parts also showed a large difference between impact reactions. Repair costs
were made “by some car companies that airbag timing is affected by using comparable aftermarket components.” The ABPA goes on to say that, “the high-speed crash data also shows the aftermarket- and the car companyequipped cars both delivering occupant safety well within the federal safety standards, with the car outfitted with non-branded car company parts actually delivering slightly better occupant protection as measured across 11 key injury criteria.” “In low-speed crash tests presented in the video, an aftermarket bumper reinforcement bar outperforms an equivalent car-company branded part, effectively absorbing impact without deployment of airbags while sustaining less damage that results in a $200 lower repair estimate.” “Time and again the aftermarket industry has demonstrated the safety and quality of its products, yet some car companies seem determined to
following such crashes also revealed a difference between damage sustained from crashes where OEM and aftermarket parts were used.
ABPA Responds with Own Video The Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) responded to Ford’s video by releasing their own video and press release detailing some of their own crash test results. According to the group, the video of their crash tests illustrates the safety and quality of aftermarket auto parts. The video, which is available on the ABPA website at www.autobpa.com, showcases actual high- and low-speed crash tests. According to the ABPA, side-byside video taken during a high-speed crash test illustrates the simultaneous airbag deployment (down to the millisecond) for two 2006 Toyota Corollas, one outfitted with an aftermarket bumper reinforcement bar and the other a car company equivalent. The group uses this set of crash tests to claim that false assertions
See Ford ABPA, Page 26
We are the #1 Parts Wholesale Dealer in Georgia!! Your Premiere Dealership for Genuine Genuine Subaru Parts and Accessories
è Order Using Collision Link è Most Comprehensive Parts Collection in Atlanta! è Visit our Subaru Parts eStore! è Wholesale Specialist On Call!
www.subaruofgwinnett.com è HOURS: Monday - Friday 8:00 am—6:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am—4:00 pm
Subaru Parts Direct Line: 678-584-7245 of Gwinnett Toll Free: 800-584-8727 2920 920 Satellite 92 Sat atellite te Blvd. Blv lvd. è Dulut D Duluth, tth h, GA 3009 30096 9
Parts Fax: F
678-584-7246 678 584 7246
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 25
Continued from Page 25
Ford ABPA
counter scientific facts with fearmongering,” said Co-Chair of the ABPA Legislation and Regulation Committee Eileen Sottile. “OEs cannot credibly argue that only their branded parts can provide safety, especially when it comes to components that play a very small role in crash energy management. If car company safety systems cannot handle a wide range of real world crash conditions and material differences in minor replacement parts then they are not robustly engineered and as such are a significant threat to the consumers.” “Rather than relentlessly smearing our industry in an attempt to gain a competitive business advantage on replacement parts, our biggest corporate critics would do well to focus on reducing their own recalls and delivering high-quality, robustly engineered products for the motoring public.” Ford’s crash test video can be viewed at www.autobodynews.com.
Repairer-Driven Education at SEMA Gets Support from PPG
For the second consecutive year, PPG Automotive Refinish has demonstrated support of collision industry education programs through their involvement with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) hosted Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. PPG will contribute course content with a program led by Jim Berkey and Mark Mueller entitled Load Leveling - The hidden enabler for shop performance. “All of us at PPG are excited about helping promote education to the collision repair community with SCRS this fall,” said John Parran, director, marketing, PPG Automotive Refinish. “Education is a key part of the value-added services we deliver to our customer base, and it is an honor to be a part of the growing and unique opportunity SCRS has put together with RDE. Last year we saw great value for the industry from our involvement, and it was an easy decision to continue our support in 2011.” PPG will also co-host the much anticipated Afterburner evening event with SCRS on November 3rd. Visit www.semashow.com/specialevents.
Mercedes’ Internal Plan to Become World’s Top Premium Brand Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has said the company’s Mercedes-Benz brand will challenge rival German premium brands BMW and Audi for the position as the world’s best-selling and most profitable luxury carmaker. In a rallying call to employeees, Zetsche confessed that Mercedes is being outpaced by rivals, but said: “Our competitors’ success should provide us with additional motivation.” Zetsche issued the challenge in a letter to Daimler employees, writing: “Some of our competitors are now growing faster and more profitably than we are. Granted, those are just snapshots in time and should not be overestimated. After all, many of our best new products are yet to come.” Zetsche adds: “In the long run we can’t be content to be in a ‘solid second’ or even ‘third’ place: We are
Daimler – we should be far ahead of the pack! And if that requires something that we don’t currently have, then we’ll identify and develop it.” Zetsche ends the letter by saying: “Enjoy your summer and refill your tanks. Because in the second half of this year we’re going to continue to play some hard offense!”
Mercedes lags rivals Luxury car makers are enjoying booming sales, fuelled by growing wealth in China and a rebound in the United States, but Mercedes’ growth is lagging its German rivals. In the first six months, Mercedes car brand global sales increased 9.7 percent to 610,531. BMW brand sales grew 17.8 percent to 689,861, while Audi saw sales rise by 17.7 percent to 652,970.
LKQ Corporation Reports 23% Increased 2nd Qtr, Record Reveue LKQ Corporation reported a 23 percent increase in second quarter income to $46.7 million on record revenue of $759.7 million, a 29 percent increase over the second quarter 2010. “All of the operating groups performed well during the quarter,” stated
Robert Wagman, President and CoChief Executive Officer of LKQ Corporation. “Alternative parts usage continues to grow, our fill rates are at historical highs, and we continue to see strong insurance support,” Wagman said.
SERRA MAZDA Making M ak king a Difference Difference • Tickets over $100 00 Free Overnight Freight • Parts on COD • Overnight Via Noble • Interstate Billing
2011 Equus
Tameron... One Way, the Right Way
Parts Dept.: Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm Sat. 7:30am - 2pm
Tameron, your trusted automotive wholesale parts supplier, is now delivering Genuine Hyundai replacement parts to your area. Call, Fax or Email Your Order Today!
Parts Line: Toll Free: Fax Line:
205-661-5878 888-448-7278 205-661-5879
1503 Gadsden Hwy., Trussville, AL 35235
Parts Mgr.: Casey Cargo - caseyc@serramazda.com
www.serramazda.com 26 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Please call your salesman for details! www.tameronhyundai.com Parts Department:
1-800-467-0699 205-443-7651 Direct 205-443-7656 Fax
1595 Montgomery Highway • Birmingham, AL 35216
Continued from Cover
North State v. Progressive
someone other than himself and what the practice of “steering” had done to his and other businesses like his. Having spent nearly 20 years litigating for and against insurance companies, I was aware of the power an insurance company can exert. However as Greg explained to me the realities of the collision repair industry, I was admittedly shocked by what I heard.
The Case of North State v. Progressive Insurance In 2007, as attorney for North State Custom, I commenced a lawsuit against Progressive Insurance alleging that Progressive engaged in deceptive business practices and interference with North State’s business and customers. The case has survived two motions to dismiss, two appeals and a separate action brought by Progressive against North State resulting in two separate jury trials. (For a summary of the Progressive v. North State saga see autobodynews.com, Cocarro Case Takes a Wide Turn...). While the
case against Progressive has not yet been resolved and in fact we expect a jury trial to be held sometime next year, a recent court ruling in the matter has significant impact for the industry as a whole.
I. Backround: The State of the Law in New York In New York, as in most states, the insurance industry has been able to lobby state legislatures to enact “toothless” insurance laws that claim to regulate the insurance industry without actually doing so. As a result, most insurance companies believe, and rightfully so, that they can exploit the law with impunity and bully insured’s into having their cars repaired by captive and tightly controlled repair shops. Fortunately, most states including New York, also have little known but effective consumer protection laws designed to protect consumers from improper corporate behavior. New York’s “toothless” insurance statute is called Insurance Law Section 2610, known as the “anti-steering law.” It states that not only do consumers have an absolute right to select
the repair shop of their choice, but that an insurance company may not recommend a repair shop without a consumer request to do so. Of course, nowhere does this “anti-steering law” provide for a remedy to a consumer when the statute is violated. Rather, the law gives the power to raise a violation only to the Attorney General or the Department of Insurance, and not the consumer or his chosen repair shop. New York’s Consumer Protection Law can be found within the state’s General Business Law and specifically at section 349. The law was originally enacted to protect consumers from unscrupulous business practices but has been expanded to include any consumer oriented conduct that is materially misleading which causes harm to a party. Thus, it is here, where the interests of large corporations overlaps with the interests of small businesses, that the legal battle between insurers and independent repair shops is taking shape.
II. Progressive’s motion to dismiss In our lawsuit we alleged that Progressive, as one of the largest auto-
mobile insurance companies in the country, used intimidation, threats, disparaging statements and direct lies about North State in order to force North State’s customers and others similarly situated into using Progressive’s network of direct repair shops and that these actions caused harm to North State. In other words, that Progressive purposefully and improperly misled and deceived customers about both North State and its own repair shops for their economic gain and to North States economic detriment. At the close of the discovery phase in the case, Progressive moved the court for a dismissal. It did so by making two divergent but significant arguments. First, Progressive argued that its actions in connection with the way it “offered” its Direct Repair Program was not misleading or deceptive. Second, Progressive argued that even if the way it offered its direct repair program was misleading and deceptive, New York’s Insurance Law did not allow a consumer or a repair shop such as North State to bring such See North State v. Progressive, Page 38
DID you know you can… GET your Autobody News by e-mail newsletter twice a month? SEE local collision news from other regions of the country? READ and link to past columns for all our regular columnists?
It’s easy and it’s free Register your e-mail for our FREE twice monthly e-newsletter Information provided is completely confidential and will not be shared or sold. Name Shop Street Address or P.O. Box City
State
Title E-mail
Fax your forms back to 760-721-0253
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 27
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.
CIC, Consultant, Seeking Views on Industry Repair Standards with John Yoswick
The skittishness among some in the industry about how formalized repair standards may be developed or implemented was evident during discussion at the most recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC). At the meeting, the CIC-formed Repair Standards Advisory Committee offered an update on its work, including the hiring of a consultant to build a business case for the development and implementation of formalized standards. Russ Thrall, publisher of CollisionWeek and a past CIC chairman and who co-chairs the advisory committee, said the goal of the consultant’s work is to present a report by November about what consensus exists within the industry about standards and a possible new organization to oversee the development and implementation of standards. Thrall said that as of mid-July,
the committee had raised $26,600 of the $60,000 it needs in sponsorships for the consultant’s work and the development of an industry forum on the topic in November. More than 50 percent of the 21 sponsors to date are collision repair businesses, 38 percent are suppliers and less than 5 percent are insurers. Mike Condon, whose consulting firm has been hired by the committee, said he has conducted about 10 of the 40 interviews—about half with repairers and half with those in other segments of the industry—that he anticipates doing to prepare the report for the committee. That report, he said, will examine if there is support for the idea of a standard-setting body, and if so, how that body could be structured and funded. As part of the research, Condon also will examine standard-setting entities in other industries and in the collision repair in-
Nalley BMW
Need Parts?
www.nalleybmw.com
(800) 622-2021
Our parts department is always ready to help you out with our original BMW parts & accessories.
Large original BMW parts inventory BMW trained technicians Service when you need it Free express delivery service to the southeast region. Open 7 days a week: M-F 7:30am - 7pm Sat-Sun 7am - 5pm
dustry in other countries. He said he is also looking at what various segments of the industry view as “deal-breakers” in the concept. “We want to flesh those out so we don’t go down a path that ultimately will not work,” Condon said. Speaking for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP), Aaron Schulenburg of SCRS said the two groups “believe standards are both necessary and a good thing,” but have concerns about the approach the CIC committee is taking. “Our members believe there are standards that exist today,” Schulenburg said. “They view the (automaker) recommendations and procedures as the standard. That standard is not followed every day because while that’s the overwhelming view of repairers, not every industry segment recognizes
that or agrees with that statement. And some of those other industry segments and participants who don’t necessarily support that as the standard are involved in this activity and committee, and that is cause for concern.” Thrall said those opinions are part of what Condon’s research is designed to capture, and that the associations’ volunteer leadership are among those slated for interviews. While some CIC participants at the July meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, raised questions or concerns about the consultant’s research process or the questions being asked in interviews, Rollie Benjamin, CEO of ABRA Auto Body & Glass, called that “micromanaging the process.” “I trust Russell, I trust Mike. I think they will do a good job,” Benjamin said. “I think they’ll come out with the information we need to make a good decision on whether we move
PALMERS TOYOTA
al na n rigiiin n y Ori k Onl ck air Pic p ep R t ex N r ur ou Y r or Fo
! TOYOTA PARTS • We deliver in our own trucks to NW. Florida, S. Alabama and SE. Mississippi • Call up til 5:30pm for next day delivery • Courteous, professional parts people with integrity to help you • Better service + better prices = faster turn time and more profit for you
Nalley BMW 1606 Church St., Decatur, GA 30033 www.nalleybmw.com
Parts Manager: Gary Lazenby Toll Free: (800) 622.2021 (404) 297.9134 Fax
28 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm Sat. 8am - 4pm
Wayne Nettles 2010 Tundra www.palmersairporttoyota.com
Parts Manager
wnettles@palmersairporttoyota.com
Call Us Today! Direct Wholesale
800-874-2777
800-475-9091 FAX to Wholesale Desk Direct Local 251-639-9970
470 Schillinger Road • Mobile, AL 36695
forward or not. Let’s let these guys do their job.” Scott Biggs of Assured Performance Network, who also is part of the leadership of the committee, said he understands that the standards issue may be “threatening to so many different organizations because it is such an enormous issue.” But he said those with concerns should understand that opposing viewpoints are held and being voiced even among those leading the effort. “There isn’t even general consensus within the executive committee,” Biggs said. “I can tell you that’s what Mike’s charter is: to see what people’s opinions are.” Dale Delmege, another former CIC chairman who has been asked by the committee to raise the additional $33,000 needed for the project, urged repairers to donate $100 per facility (insurers and vendor sponsors are also being sought) for the effort. Delmege said he sees the consultant’s work has having no bias toward shops, insurers or automakers. He also said his research of the repair standards program in the United Kingdom indicates it has been positive for the industry.
“They transformed their industry—about an hour and 15 minutes before regulators ‘helped them’ do so,” Delmege said. “Those people over there are pretty happy about where they got to.”
State Farm, others offer updates In other news and discussion at CIC in Salt Lake City: ● George Avery of State Farm said the insurer is continuing to work on an electronic parts ordering system it will require its Select Service shops to use. “The repairer will continue to have a choice on who they buy parts from, and they will have control over which parts they buy, regardless of the price,” Avery said. “We are not interested in purchasing parts. What we’re interested in is helping the industry smooth out the process. We believe in quality, efficiency and competitive price. As you know, we have a scorecard that we use to evaluate performance across the board in those three categories. So that’s why we think the repairer is the best person to make the choice on parts.” ● Doug Craig, collision repair manager for Chrysler, said Chrysler,
Ford and some other automakers are working to “commonize where we can” some of their “approaches to different repairs.” He said Chrysler also will be moving away from “recommendations” to instead offer much more specific “requirements on what process, procedure and/or components... should be used in a repair.” ● The National Auto Body Council said because 20 percent of all collision and mechanical repair technicians are Hispanic, it will soon be release a Spanish glossary of collision industry terms. The glossary, which will be downloadable and searchable, was funded in part by a grant from AASP. ● The CIC Insurer-Repairer Relations Committee released a draft of what the committee is compiling as elements of the “most beneficial and productive repairer-insurer relationships.” Those elements—11 of them in the current draft, some of which apply to non-direct repair program shops as well – include an explicit outline of the key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure shop performance; consistency between corporate and field employees regard-
ing the selection and retention of DRP shops; an unbiased dispute resolution process with a designated point of contact to resolve issues “free of the fear or reprisal’: communication to the consumer about the relationship between insurer and shop; and a streamlined electronic communication process between repairer and shop. ● I-CAR’s Jeff Peevy said 11 percent of shops in the United State have achieved the “Gold Class Professionals” designation, and another 20 percent are involved in some level of consistent technician training. But 69 percent of shops, he said, have no consistent training for technicians “yet they claim to do collision repairs.” He urged more insurers to require their DRP shops to maintain the Gold Class designation. “If you do not require training of those shops that are doing repairs for you, you need to consider the rapid changes (in vehicle design and materials),” Peevy said. “You cannot properly repair a new car accidentally any more. You just can’t do it.”
Largest Parts Inventory in Central Florida Parts Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 5:30 pm; Saturday 8 am - 4 pm
Fax:
407.645-4971
Call Us Today!
407. 64 644.5111 Ken Adams Parts Director
F-250 Lariat ‘11 F
www.donreidford.com d idf www.fordparts.com/donreidford
1875 SOUTH ORLANDO AVE. AVE – MAITLAND, MAITLAND FL 32751 www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 29
CollisionLink Represents ‘Inevitable Change’ Says Major Parts Dealer by Ed Attanasio
Back when Galpin Motors’ Parts Manager Butch Lemen was 12 years old, he worked with his father in the aircraft parts industry, some time before the advent of personal computers. Computers are now indispensible in parts departments and body shops worldwide. But, although many body shops have embraced the software and the Internet methods, there are still a ton of shops out there that are reluctant to accept what Lemen calls, “the inevitable.” Lemen is a strong advocate for CollisionLink, the Internet-based electronic parts ordering system designed by OEConnection for OEM parts dealerships and body shops. By using the system, shops can save time and money while including more original factory parts in their repairs. CollisionLink’s price comparison feature is currently used by shops of all sizes, from little independent facilities all the way to large chains. Lemen manages a multi-million dollar wholesale parts operation at Galpin Motors in North Hills, Calif.
With 75 employees in his department and selling parts for the 10 brands they represent (Ford, Lincoln, Subaru, Mazda, Honda, Volvo, Jaguar, AstonMartin, Lotus and Spyker), Lemen values the time-saving aspect associated with using CollisionLink.
waiting for a response. All of the correspondence through CollisionLink is handled via e-mails, and our parts people will call once we receive the order. It’s a streamlined process and allows shops to go on with the other multiple tasks that happen every day in your average body shop.” Lemen says he has seen CollisionLink work time after time in helping him to get orders and assist shops in getting OE parts on more repairs without paying more than From left, Galpin Motors Sales Rep Joe Jotikasthira; Sales Rep Gerthe aftermarket. ardo Sanchez; Warehouse Manager Tom Thompson; Ford Motor Co. Rep Anne Tran-Malone; Assistant Warehouse Manager Istvan Gerlei; “It’s a conduit for Wholesale Parts Manager Butch Lemen and Sales Rep Javier Gonzalez electronic parts orreceive yet another award for hitting top numbers year after year dering, but many “CollisionLink makes us more body shops are still in the habit of orefficient and can save time for the dering parts over the phone or via FAX. We can assist the body shops by shops that participate,” Lemen exproviding parts with better fit and finplained. “It frees up the shops’ time, because they don’t have to make ish while delivering the parts quickly phone calls searching for a part and/or and improving cycle times.”
GALLOWAY MAZDA Right Parts. Right People. Right Prices.
• High Quality Genuine OEM Parts • Knowledgeable Staff • Competitive Prices • Free Local Delivery
Parts Dept.: Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm Sat. 8am - 4pm
Call Us Today! Local: Toll Free:
239-454-5500
877-872-1232
Fax:
239-274-2460
2320 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907
www.parkwayfamilymazda.com www.samgallowaymazda.com 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Lemen recognized the importance of this system more than a year ago when Galpin starting offering it, but now he wants his shop customers to see the light as well. “We’ve been an advocate for CollisionLink for awhile now and we do have customers who use it and like it and we’re trying to get more shops up and running with it on a daily basis, so that we can put some more OE parts into their hands. We have roughly 30 shops currently signed up with CollisionLink, and they tend to be shops that are computersavvy and already using the Internet as a tool to improve their business. The computer age isn’t the future anymore, we’re right in the middle of it, and still, many of my customers don’t even have computers in their shops yet.” Once his shop customers take the leap of faith and embrace CollisionLink, it quickly becomes a daily part of their lives, Lemen reasons. But, getting them to take that first step can be difficult. “It’s getting people to accept a change, it’s just that simple. Change comes along no matter what, but the old days of going through catalogs and writing
down part numbers is tedious and no longer efficient. Now, if you went into these forward-thinking shops and told them they had to go back to using those books, they might beat you up. They were reluctant a few years back, but now they can’t do business without the computers and systems like CollisionLink. It’s just a matter of accepting the change
By utilizing CollisionLink, Galpin’s customers can incorporate more factory parts into their estimates without paying more than the aftermarket
and seeing a new way of doing things, in order to make their shops more efficient and profitable.” Using CollisionLink is easy and most people can be proficient at it within just several days, Lemen said. “The majority of the body shop management systems out there right now
contain all the parts pricing already. When the insurance company tells the shop ‘you need to use this aftermarket part to save money,’ that’s when CollisionLink steps in. Once their estimate is approved by the insurance company, they send it to us electronically and we call it the “1-2-3 Go,” because it’s just three steps, push a button and it’s done. Getting good at using it is a matter of repetition, just like anything else. To make it easier, I’ll send one of our reps to the shop and he’ll go through the training, both on-site and over the phone, with CollisionLink’s staff. It normally takes 15–30 minutes to learn the system and how to use it.” Once his customer sends him the invoice, Lemen and his staff can go through it and identify the parts to make certain they are correct for the repair. “Once I get the order, I simply open the file, import the file and push one button and everything else happens automatically. Once we’ve determined that it’s accurate, we can call the body shop and discuss the pricing or other options, for example.” If Galpin can meet or beat the aftermarket, it can obviously benefit both his operation and the body shop
involved, he said. “We can beat the aftermarket prices in many cases. We’re going up against the aftermarket and the used parts industry as well. For example, we received an estimate earlier today and within less than two hours, it was processed. We were able to meet or beat the aftermarket on 14 parts on the invoice and the shop bought them
Owner Maurice Starrantino (left) and Assistant Manager Jesse Elizondo at Autoworld Collision in Valencia are using CollisionLink with great success to identify and purchase OE parts and get them into more of their repairs
all. Our overall conversion rate for June was 71%, so, that’s significant.” One of Galpin’s customers using CollisionLink is Autoworld Collision in Valencia, California, a 14-year-old shop owned by Maurice Starrantino. “We’ve been using CollisionLink for at least a year, and it’s been a Godsend.
By using it, we’re able to provide our customers with OE parts where we couldn’t before. These manufacturers want to incorporate factory parts in our repairs, and this is the best way to do it. On some items such as hoods, fenders, bumpers and many sheet metal parts, Galpin can match or beat the aftermarket parts a majority of the time, depending on the brand and the repair. CollisionLink is easy-to-use and now a part of our daily operations, so we definitely rely on it and value it.” CollisionLink software operates on PCs from Windows XP on up and is completely free to body shops. It can only be used to order OEM parts. It can be used with all of the leading systems already being used by most body shops, including Mitchell UltraMate Advanced Estimating System, CCC One Total Repair Platform, CCC Pathways Estimating Solution and Audatex. If a shop has another system, CollisionLink’s reps can help them to get it set up. Galpin Motors 15505 Roscoe Blvd. North Hills, California 91343 (800) 256-6219 www.galpin.com
DID YOU KNOW ITS FEDERAL LAW THAT YOUR SHOP NOW BE EPA COMPLIANT?
SZ
IS YOUR COLLISION CENTER
EPA COMPLIANT?
SPRAYZONE.NET SPRAY BOOTH MANUFACTURING REFINISHING TECHNOLOGIES
WATERBORNE TECHNOLOGIES JETDRY EXPRESS | MIXING ROOM | PREP-STATION
JETDRY EXPRESS
MIXING ZONE PREP-STATION OZONE
www.SprayZone.net
FOR MORE INFO ON OUR INNOVATIVE PRODUCT LINE PLEASE CALL :
1-800-466-1260
A.Q.M.D. Rule 1477 Approved Lownox Burner – Ready to Install www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 31
Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Welding specialist, and former salvage yard operator. Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his charitable works, worthy causes, and magic tricks. He can be reached at tcspeedster@yahoo.com
Hey Toby! with Toby Chess
Confusion over Certified Parts at CIC This July I did a presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Salt Lake City on the need for OEM data prior to estimating and repairing today’s cars. I also included some additional discussion and presented examples of bumper reinforcements. I received a letter from a CAPA spokesperson stating that my demonstration “caused members of the collision repair industry to believe, mistakenly, that the part used in your demonstration was CAPA-certified.” I think that it is important that I give readers an accurate account of what really happened. I want to make this clear. I am not against the use of quality aftermarket parts in the collision repair process, but I am very much against being told to use substandard parts and then assuming all of the risks for their use. A couple of months ago, a shop in the Midwest received an estimate
from a major insurance company calling for a certified front bumper reinforcement for a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The shop had ordered from the A/M supplier a certified frontbumper reinforcement, but they received a non certified front bumper reinforcement. The shop’s tech did the right thing—he compared the damaged OE part to the A/M part and showed it to the owner. The was a considerable weight difference between the two parts. He ordered an OE part and sent the A/M part to me. I purchased a new part and compared them. I found that A/M was not like, kind and quality. About the same time, I received a bumper reinforcement made by Diamond Standard for a 2003 to 2008 Toyota Corolla that was certified by NSF. Again, I compared the two. This was an OE part and it was extremely difficult to distinguish between the
two parts. I thought that it was necessary to ship both sets of bumpers reinforcements to the CIC audience, so I sent all four parts to Salt Lake City. While I was boxing up the parts, I had an A/M reinforcement sitting outside for the past year (I live in LA and we do not get much rain) and I decided to throw it away. I cut it in half and what I saw turned my stomach. The entire inside of the reinforcement was filled with rust. I included this part in my demonstration. In my presentation, I never mentioned CAPA or NSF, but a member of the audience stated that the front bumper from Diamond Standard was certified and I corrected my statement. I also thanked the Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) for the effort in making sure that the parts they sell can be traced. I think that is important for you to see what I pre-
sented so you can understand why I made this subject matter part of my presentation. Let’s look at the Diamond Standard and OE front bumper reinforcements.
I proceeded to take a piece of metal out of both parts to check the metal strength with a metal analyzer from Europe (Bor-On).
The Diamond Standard part had a reading of 36.1 which translate to Ultra High Strength Steel.
Give your customers what they deserve... The Best.
HYUNDAI
Genuine Mazda parts are specifically designed, engineered and tested for Mazda vehicles. Customers and repair professionals prefer the quality and satisfaction that only comes from genuine Mazda parts.
7665 Highway 85 South, Riverdale, GA 30274
Mazda 3 ‘11
Free Delivery to All of the Southeast Large Inventory • Helpful Staff • Great Prices
www.southtowneatlanta.com Service Dept. Hours:
Monday - Friday Saturday
8:00am - 6:00pm 8:00am - 4:00pm
770-473-8730
Call for Assistance Today! Fax: 770-471-6835
FLORIDA
ALABAMA
Sam Galloway Mazda
Dean McCrary Mazda
Serra Mazda
Fort Myers
Mobile
Birmingham
877-872-1232 239-454-5500
800-304-3326
205-661-5878 888-448-7278 Toll Free
Fax 251-300-3433
Mon - Fri 7:30-6 mazdaparts@deanmccrary.com Mon - Fri 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 bpfaff@gallowayauto.com www.samgallowaymazda.com
Fax 239-274-2460
Fax 205-661-5879 Mon - Fri 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-2 caseyc@serramazda.com www.serramazda.com
Order your Genuine Mazda Parts from one of these parts specialists in your area. 32 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
eral safety crash standards. Let’s look at the A/M reinforcement with the rust. The reading of the OE part was 48.1 which translates to Ultra High Strength Steel. Both parts were ultra high strength steel, but the OE part had a higher strength. Also the OE had a series of ribs stamped into back side whereas the A/M did not. I put both parts on a table at the CIC meeting and asked the audience to look at them and select the OE part. About half of the people misidentified the A/M part as the OE. A shop owner, who sits of the CAPA technical committee, told me that the OE part was not an original equipment part, but a replacement part and I should not be calling it an OE part (the only OE part comes on the car). The letter I received from CAPA states the “CAPA has yet to see any reinforcement bars or bumper parts that meet CAPA certification standards.” A representative from a OE manufacturer stated that the OE high strength was probably needed to pass the fed-
Let’s look at the A/M Hyundai Sonata Reinforcement.
The part had some sort of finish on the inside end of the rail, but bare steel on the rest of the inside of the rail. I asked a CIC participant “what does rust do to the part?” His response was that the part was weakened. You don’t have to be an engineer to understand that if the strength of the steel has deteriorted, it will perform in different way. The strength category of this steel was high strength-low alloy (slightly higher in strength than mild steel), where as the OE part was ultra high strength steel.
The OE part is on the top and A/M is on the bottom. I asked another CIC participant to feel the weight difference, which was considerable, and she picked the OE because it was heavier. I compared the thickness of both parts and you can see that there was a significant difference. My question to everyone is this— If the OEMs can make a part that will meet safety standards with a lesser
Aftermarket—.93MM / High Strength Steel
OE—1.42MM / Ultra High Strength Steel
Aftermarket—27.7 / High Strength Steel
See Certified Parts Confusion, Page 37
See these Hyundai dealers below for all your collision parts needs!
Hyundai Sonata 2011
QUALITY IS ALL WE THINK ABOUT. THAT AND QUALITY.
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
Crown Hyundai
Wilson Hyundai
S A I N T PE T E R S B U R G
JACKSON
800-262-5540
800-486-6871
727-527-5250 727-525-6830 Fax
601-914-4200 601-914-4292 Fax
Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm Sat 8am - 1pm abranca@crowncars.com
Mon-Fri 7am - 6pm parts@wilsonautos.com
GEORGIA
SouthTowne Hyundai R I V E R DA L E
770-473-8730 770-471-6835 Fax Mon-Fri 8am - 6pm Sat 8am - 4pm www.southtowneatlanta.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 33
Custom Corner
Rich Evans is the owner of Huntington Beach Bodyworks and an award winning painter and fabricator. He offers workshops in repair and customization at his facility to share his unique talents. For contacts and design samples visit www.huntingtonbeachbodyworks.com
This Year’s Entry for the SEMA Pinewood Derby 2011 with Rich Evans
Specially crafted, uniquely designed pinewood cars, built by a talented class of hot rodders, are featured in the HRIA Builders Challenge race held on July 29 in Long Beach, CA. These creations will be on display at the SEMA Show before being placed on eBay for auction.
Some readers will remember that last year I built a Pinewood Derby model car, raced it at SEMA, and took second place. I told myself last year that this year I was going to really stay within the traditional Pinewood Derby build using a single block of wood. A ‘Celebrity Pinewood Derby’ build is what they were calling it. It’s all about having fun and auctioning off the cars to benefit Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp. I’m all about charities and fundraising and whatever I can do to give back. This year I decided to get creative and came up with a pretty cool design. There are rules in Pinewood Derby racing and building and so “maximum weight limit of this car cannot exceed 24 ounces, overall length shall not exceed 8˝ , overall width of the car shall not exceed 2.75˝ including wheels. The car must have approximately 3/8˝ clearance underneath the body of the car, the car must have 4 wheels, all cars must display at least one HRIA decal on the car.” The organizers provide a basic pinewood car kit including a block of wood, 4 wheels, and two axles. “The only required component is a piece of the wood block which must be visible on the car. You are not required to use any wheels or axles provided. Any materials may be used for the body of your car.” So that’s cool, but for me,
for a Pinewood derby build, I want to stay traditional and use a hand tool to carve it out. To me that’s the fun of building a pinewood derby car. Last year I lost by like one inch, so I’ve got this crazy idea that I’m going to bring. I’m sure I’m going to raise a lot of commotion on “no, you can’t do this, or can’t do that” but I just read the rules and I don’t see anything about this. It says no rules (except the following), so I’ve got this idea where I’m going to have a pair of headlights that extend out. So the whole idea behind that is when I’m up behind the starting gate, the post is going to come up in the middle of the car and I’m already going to have a 6 inch lead. So I’m going to use the old school way of building this, I’m going to bring this car all the way up to 24 ounces, as it is laid out in the rules. So what I’m doing is carving out the basic silhouette of the body, and then I’m going to buy myself some lead weight, and with this car I’m going to make it more of a flat, roadster style. You know, kind of create my own body and have fun with it, utilize that complete piece of wood. Obviously the piece of wood itself doesn’t weigh 24 oz. so I’m going to add lead underneath the car. I carved it out and melt the lead into it and get it to where I’m at about 23 ounces, leaving about an ounce for the paint, additional hardware, and wheels. I’m going come as close to that 24 oz. as I can. If I go over 24 ounces I can always drill some weight out. For the
Register Your Email for Our
Free Monthly Newsletter at www.autobodynews.com 34 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
capsule I’m going to take half of a deep sea fishing weight cut in half. I sanded it down and used a 08115 body panel adhesive, which sticks to wood, plastic, metal, aluminum, lead, anything. It has a 24hour dry period, but you can accelerate it with a heat gun. For my headlights, I’m going to use a manual antennae that collapses (and extends). I found one with a nice little round knob on it that looks like a chrome headlight. I’ve got everything carved out, I’ve got my antennaes ready to go, I’m
going to go back to the 08115 3M panel bond and I’m going to glue those antennaes in. I run that panel bond around the lead so it fills in some of the gaps. Then I sand it with 80 grit, and give it a good 3 or 4 coats of my preferred PCL Primer. I let it dry, then guide coat it, sand it with some 150 grit, re-guide coat it, and hit it with 400 grit dry. I don’t want any moisture to get into the wood. Then sealer and base. The PCL Primer I’m using is the 901 Poly Prime High Build and I’m shooting that with a SATA spray
gun with a 1.9 tip. I’m also using a 3M Respirator, I’m not putting on the full paint suit because I’m only painting an 8 inch by 2 inch piece of wood. So, what am I going to do for the wheels? I’ve located some .0937 x .1875
tle more time on the wheels, but right now I’ve got to finish and make sure I have a car to race. So after gluing all the washers together and the bearings in. I’m using a stainless steel rod cut up to make axles about the size of a
x .0937 stainless steel precision bearings. Now I’ve got to hunt down wheels and I’m running out of time because I’m going out of town. I find a washer that this bearing will fit into. I want a bigger wheel so it doesn’t have to turn as much to get moving. I’m using a washer so there’s less drag when the car’s going down the track. The less contact with the track, the less drag you’re going to have. (Think train wheel.) I use the 08115 Panel Bond and glue the bearing in, gluing two washers together. Next year I’ll spend a lit-
nail. I’m need spacers to keep the wheels away from the body so I’m going to use heat-shrink tubing. On the very end I use a Staples’ push pin for a hubcap because they’re chrome. I’m going to glue those in also with the 08115 3M panel bond, and let that dry. Then I’ll have the wheels ready to put on after I’ve completed my paint. After sealing it, I put a black base on it, I’ve got a my Rich Evans logo for brand awareness. It also gives the car a finished look. I’m just going with black, I’m not doing any two-tone or
any heavy graphics. Plain and simple, the car looks cool, it’s coming out the way I want it to. The best features on it are the headlights and the stainless steel washers, just like a poor boy build, but, we’ll see how it performs. The day of the race I’m going to be in Canada so I’m sending a buddy down there to race it. Now I know some people will say “oh, you can’t do that, (with the headlights)” but when there are “no rules, except...” You have to push the limits to come up with a new design for anything. So, this year the Rich Evans entry is going to do it. Next year it might be in the rule books that you can’t, but this year I’m going to innovate. I guarantee next year, if it’s not ruled out, other people will be doing it too. My design philosophy is to pay attention, learn something new, try to better yourself at what you do. Just have fun at what you’re doing. That’s what I do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small or big project. I’m always taking on a design challenge. I honestly think I’ve never worked a day in my life. I’m just having fun. Mine and other design creations will be on display at the HRIA booth during the 2011 SEMA Show, No-
vember 1–4, in Las Vegas, before being placed on eBay for public auction. All of the proceeds from the auction will go to the Childhelp and Victory Junction Camp children’s charities. So what can be better? Guys look into this, bid on the cars, help these charities out, and we’ll have another article for you next year on this. Hopefully next year This year I was out of the country to go build a car in five days in Canada. So I was just glad to be able to get this in for a good cause and also take a little time away from real cars and have fun with the Pinewood Derby. Thanks to all my sponsors, I can’t build cars without you: 3M, SATA Guns, HRIA Pinewood builders, and every other builder out there that took time to take this challenge on, thank you. Visit me at Richevansdesigns. com also like my Facebook page Rich Evans Designs if you want to follow my week to week projects. Also visit HuntingtonBeachBodyWorks.com and watch for my new wheels coming out. UPDATE: Rich’s car took 2nd place in the HRIA Builder’s Challenge on July 29. First place went to Street Vizions.
Finish it like a Masterpiece È NEVER COMPROMISE. USE GENUINE MERCEDES-BENZ PARTS.
THESE DEALERS ARE MERCEDES-BENZ GENUINE PARTS SPECIALISTS.
< C Class 2011
F L O R I DA
ALABAMA
Brumos Motor Cars Jacksonville
Crown Automobile Mercedes-Benz
8 0 0-7 2 6- 91 50
Hoover
904-725-2923 Fax
8 00 -4 7 6-4 6 69
M-F 7:00am - 7:00pm
205-402-2243 Fax
MBparts@brumos.com
M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm
www.brumos.com
mhooks@crownautomobile.com mtramell@crownautomobile.com www.crownautomobile.com
THESE DEALERS ARE GENUINE WHOLESALE PARTS SPECIALISTS. AL ABAMA
Bill Penney Toyota
Palmers Toyota
256-890-8229 Fax
800-475-9091 Fax
HUNTSVILLE
256-837-1111
Mon. - Fri. 7am - 6pm Sat. 8am - 4pm www.billpenneytoyota.com/parts
MOBILE
800-874-2777
Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 6pm; Sat. 8am - 4pm wnettles@palmersairporttoyota.com www.palmersairporttoyota.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 35
CAPA Tracker Enables A/M Part Tracing Regardless of Source
The CAPA TRACKER provides collision repairers with the ability to trace any CAPA Certified part, regardless of who sold it to them. Developed over 7 years ago, the program was in direct response to collision repairer concern that if a potential safety-related problem was discovered with a CAPA Certified part that they’ve installed, how could they easily address it. This repairer driven program keeps the shops in control, protects the privacy of their own personal part usage, and most importantly, enables them to be totally responsive to their customers should a part problem be identified after the repair has been completed. The program tracks the unique number on every part used for a specific repair. In the event of a safety problem, CAPA can immediately notify the specific repairer who used the part and also provide the means to identify any irregularities with a number referenced by a repairer and prevent counterfeit CAPA Certified parts in the market. Currently, repairers can privately register their part usage by internet, fax or mail. CAPA is working with shops to identify the types of tracking tools that would best suit their individual needs, such as an automatic recording system which will involve ‘wanding’ the parts.
Vehicle Safety Bill With Data Collection Relevant to Repairers Introduced in U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W.V., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Sen. Mark Pryor, DArk., have introduced a bill in the Senate titled the Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011. The bill touches on several issues relevant to the collision industry, including broadening the authority of the secretary of transportation to: ● Conduct motor vehicle safety research, development, and testing programs and activities, including new and emerging technologies that impact or may impact motor vehicle safety, ● Collect and analyze all types of motor vehicle and highway safety data and related information to determine the relationship between motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment performance characteristics. The legislation requires that the U.S. DOT conduct a study of crash data collection and report, after one year, to a Senate Committee and to the House Committee on the quality of data collected through the National Automotive Sampling System, including the Special Crash Investigations Program. The administrator of NHTSA will then conduct a comprehensive review of the data elements collected from each crash
to determine if additional data should be collected. This review will include input from interested parties, including suppliers, automakers, safety advocates, the medical community and research organizations. Another section, titled “NHTSA Electronics, Software and Engineering Expertise,” discusses efforts to further explore green methods, including a council to research the inclusion of emerging lightweight plastic and composite technologies in motor vehicles to increase fuel efficiency, lower emissions, meet fuel economy standards, and enhance passenger motor vehicle safety through continued use of the administration’s Plastic and Composite Intensive Vehicle Safety Roadmap. Finally, the bill requires that “Vehicle Event Data Recorders” include information regarding vehicle data recorders and privacy provisions specifications. Beginning with model year 2015, new passenger motor vehicles sold in the United States are to be equipped with a vehicle event data recorder. The language includes that any data in an event data recorder, regardless of when the passenger motor vehicle in which it is installed was manufactured, is the property of the
OUR PARTS IN THE T R AINE D H A N DS O F A P RO F E S SI O N A L
GM Parts Finish Second to None.
Together it
’s a Masterpiece!
Florida
Don Mealey Chevrolet
407-656-9418 CLERMONT
FLORIDA
Delray Honda
352-242-9726 Fax
Delray Beach
M-F 7:30 am - 6:00 pm Sat 8:00 am - 12:00 pm www.donmealeychevrolet.com
866-576-5983 561-526-5351 Direct 561-526-5364 Fax M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 www.delrayhonda.com
36 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
owner or lessee of the passenger motor vehicle in which the data recorder is installed. It also states that data recorded or transmitted by such a data recorder may not be retrieved by a person other than the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle unless: ● a court authorizes retrieval of the information in furtherance of a legal proceeding, ● the owner or lessee consents to the retrieval of the information for any purpose, including the purpose of diagnosing, servicing or repairing the motor vehicle, ● the information is retrieved pursuant to an investigation or inspection authorized under section 30166 of title 49, United States Code, and the personally identifiable information of the owner, lessee or driver of the vehicle and the vehicle identification number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved information, ● or the information is retrieved for the purpose of determining the need for, or facilitating, emergency medical response in response to a motor vehicle crash. To view the full text of this bill, visit ASA’s legislative website at www.TakingTheHill.com.
Continued from Page 33
Certified Parts Confusion
OE—40.7 / Ultra High Strength Steel
strength material, don’t you think that they would? As the strength of the steel increases, so does the cost. You be the judge. I have a few more questions— Why do repairers have to be the beta testers for these substandard parts? Are the repairers being compensated for their time and expense in testing these parts? Are repairers being penalized for greater cycle times for installing the parts, taking off the parts, sending the parts back and ordering different parts? I have been told by a number of shops that a particular national insurer will not allow a shop to substitute an OE
part for the aftermarket part even though the OE has priced matched the aftermarket price. WHY? What can repairers do? Next month, you will be able to post on Facebook-type blog any aftermarket or OE parts that do not fit, have poor quality or are not of like, kind, and quality. You are probably already taking pictures of these parts, so it will be a snap to add them to the blog page. More to come in the next issue of Autobody News.
Advertise in our CLASSIFIED SECTION for $50 per column inch! Place an ad in our Autobody Marketplace section of Autobody News.
And get a FREE On-line Ad!
800-699-8251 kmangum@autobodynews.com
Mitchell Releases Industry Trends Report for Q3 of 2011 Mitchell International released their third quarter Industry Trends Report this month; the report focused on gas prices and their affect on car-buying and car value trends. This issue also discusses how volatile and sustained high fuel prices are impacting insurance claims beyond a reduction in miles driven. Vice president of industry relations for Mitchell International Greg Horn talks about the role gas prices play in resale values of vehicles from fuel-efficient to so-called gas guzzlers. “Fuel efficient vehicles tend to rise more quickly and reliably in value during periods of high gas prices than gas guzzlers, which fall in value,” Horn said in the report. The insurance and collision repair industries need the accuracy of a true market survey method for valuing a total loss because constantly fluctuating fuel prices move too fast, with too great an impact, for slower traditional ‘book value’ valuations to accurately reflect the true actual cash value of total loss vehicles.” Other valuable points of interest
in the current issue of Mitchell’s ITR include: Mitchell’s Q2-2011 data reflect an initial average gross Collision appraisal value of $2,761-$90 less than this same period last year. However, applying the indicated development factor of 9% suggests a final Q22011 average gross collision appraisal value of $3,008. The average Actual Cash Value (ACV) of vehicles appraised for Collision losses during Q2-2011 was $13,705-an increase of $500 over the same period last year. In Q2-2011, the average gross appraisal value for Comprehensive coverage estimates processed through Mitchell servers was $2,854-comBMW Parts paredOriginal to $2,625 in Q2-2010. Applying North C the prescribed development factor of 1% for this data set produces an inbmwusa.com (800) 56 crease in the adjusted value to $2,883reflecting the strong storm season BMW Parts claims. North C with Original many hail For more information about Mitchell, visit www.mitchell.com. bmwusa.com To view the entire report please (800) 56 visit www.autobodynews.com.
www.nc
www.nc
Original BMW Parts
bmwusa.com
The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! GEORGIA
Subaru of Gwinnett Duluth (678) 584-7245 (678) 584-7246 Fax Mon.-Fri. 8:00-6:00 Sat. 8:00-4:00 www.subaruofgwinnett.com
Original BMW Parts
bmwusa.com
North C
www.nc
(800) 56
North C
www.nc
(800) 56
Original Thought #78
You only get one chance at the first repair.
• Original BMW Parts & Accessories Georgia
Alabama
Decatur (800) 622-2021 (404) 297-9134 Fax M-Fri. 7:30 am - 7 pm Sat.-Sun. 7 am - 5 pm
Mobile (251) 544-2853 (251) 544-2870 (251) 476-2584 Fax We offer 30% off list
Nalley BMW
www.nalleybmw.com
BMW of Mobile
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 37
Continued from Page 27
North State v. Progressive
an action. Thus the court was forced to make three separate but intertwined decisions: First, did Progressive act improperly? Second, if they did act improperly, were those actions of the kind contemplated by the Consumer Protection Law? And third, if Progressive acted improperly and those improper actions violated the consumer protection law, did the fact that those actions also violate the Insurance Law matter? As explained below, the court disagreed with each of Progressive’s arguments and denied Progressive’s motion to dismiss. (Dennis Artese, Esq., of the firm of Anderson, Kill & Olick, authored the legal papers submitted on behalf of North State and the decision issued by the court could not have been possible without the immense effort and dedication of Mr. Artese and the Anderson, Kill & Olick firm.)
III. Did Progressive act improperly in violation of the Consumer Protection Law? In response to this question, North State submitted evidence obtained from its customers that Progressive used deceptive and misleading tactics in order to bully consumers into having their cars repaired at its DRP shops. This evidence included testimony from North State customers chronicling the lies and misrepresentations made by Progressive’s employees about North State. North State also relied upon similar cases where Insurance Companies had been found guilty of violating New York’s Consumer Protection Laws as well as on the decision in the matter entitled MVB Collision v. Allstate, where a Federal Court found that actions such as disparaging statements, intentionally declaring vehicles a total loss and “steering” were deceptive practices as contemplated by the Consumer Protection Statute. (Here a special thank you and expression of appreciation must go out to the owners of Mid-Island Collision in Long Island, New York, as well as to their Counsel, for ob-
WANT EVERY JOB TO BE A BANG-UP JOB?
taining this extremely important decision.) After viewing the evidence submitted by both sides, the court held: “North State has submitted evidence that Progressive employees made disparaging, untrue statements to its insured’s concerning North State, in connection with the DRP, that caused Plaintiff to lose customers and that such evidence of misrepresentations, made in connection with its DRP, an established program involving billions of dollars and thousands of consumer-insured’s was sufficient to violate the consumer protection statute”. Thus having dispensed with the question of whether Progressive’s acts could be deemed deceptive and misleading in violation of the Consumer Protection Law, and answering that question with a resounding ‘YES,’ the court turned to the question of whether North State had a right to make such a claim at all. IV. Are North State’s claims barred by the Insurance Law? As stated above, Progressive predictably relied upon the argument that
North State’s consumer protection action was simply a veiled “steering” claim which was barred by New York’s Insurance Law. This argument has been made by insurance companies in nearly every jurisdiction (see the California “Hughes v. Progressive” case at www.autobodynews. com) and in fact Progressive had been successful in making this same argument in New York in another matter involving MVB Collision. (See MVB Collision v. Progressive, Nassau County, New York). After viewing all of the evidence submitted in this case however, the court disagreed with Progressive and held that because an insurer’s misrepresentations to its insured’s as part of a broad DRP is enough to violate the consumer protection laws, the fact that those misrepresentations also violate the Insurance Law does not stop the collision repairer from being allowed to bring an action against the insurance company. The court again looked to the MVB Collision v. Allstate case for guidance when it wrote: “With respect to the argument that the plaintiff’s cause of action was really a disguised
Genuine Porsche Parts... Only The Best.
These dealers are Genuine VW Parts Wholesale Specialists. Georgia Cayman 2011
Dwight Harrison Volkswagen SNELLVILLE
1-800-541-9342
These Select Dealers Have The Parts You Need.
FAX: 678-836-1104
We Participate in CollisionLink M-F 8am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4pm
vwparts@dhvw.com www.dwightharrison.com
FLORIDA
Brumos Porsche Jacksonville
800-726-9155 904-725-0358 Fax M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm parts@brumosporsche.com brumos.com
WE WANT TO BE YOUR SOURCE FOR REAL VOLKSWAGEN PARTS. With your skill and our parts, every collision repair will be a bang-up job. And that will add up to more repeat business for both of us. Call your order in today. 38 SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
steering claim, the Allstate Court held: Here, by contrast, there is evidence of a free-standing claim of deceptiveness’ that simply happens to overlap’ with a claim under the Insurance Law. The alleged scheme to dissuade Allstate insured’s from going to Mid Island involved not only steering but also, inter alia, alleged defamatory comments. Thus, because plaintiff’s § 349 claim merely happens to overlap’ with provisions of New York Insurance Law, it is not an improper attempt to circumvent the lack of a private right of action under the Insurance Law.”
II. What does it all mean? So what does the North State case, MVB v. Allstate and Hughes v. Progressive mean for the collision repair industry today? First, the cases show that individual repair shops and the industry as a whole now have a means to combat the illegal steering practices so long a staple of the insurance industry. By asserting your rights as a consumer under your state’s consumer protection laws, you as a business now have the means to stop improper steering as
soon as you become aware of the practice. While lawsuits can be expensive, the costs of a suit pale in comparison to the amount of business that a shop loses at the hands of illegal steering. Further, now that the precedents are being set, attorneys in your state will be much more willing to bring an action on your behalf which should bring litigation costs down as well. Second, but perhaps even more critical is the fact that as a result of these and other lawsuits, there are now a growing number of legal precedents that are establishing exactly what constitutes improper, deceptive and illegal steering activities in the insurer-collision repairer relationship. For example, the court in the North State case took great pains to define what it considered “improper conduct” to be and looked to the earlier MVB Collision case for help in crafting its definition. The practice is called “setting and defining precedent” and it is the way in which our laws and our society develop over time. Thus, cases like North State v. Progressive and MVB Collision v. Allstate are actually helping to define what it is an insurance company can
and cannot do when interacting with a collision repair business and the importance of these and other cases like them cannot be overstated. In the end, the conflict between the independent repairer and the insurance industry will of course continue. However, the legal precedents now set by North State v. Progressive and other matters are working toward establishing the legal and practical boundaries within which an insurance company may conduct itself. Anthony J. Mamo is an attorney practicing in Westchester County New York. He specializes in litigation on behalf of individuals and small businesses particularly in the collision repair industry. He has been involved with the representation of North State Custom since 2005. He may be contacted by email at Mamolawfirm.com or by phone at (914) 631-5050.
Search:
Autobody News on Facebook
AUTOBODY MARKETPLACE
ER K C RA C Y L PO Search:
Autobody News on Facebook
Economic Turmoil
gree consumer confidence will drop remains uncertain,” he explained. “The plunge in the market is an emotional reaction to the S&P credit downgrade. Although the recent market drop has been a rather severe correction, the Dow still remains higher than when it steeply dropped in 2008, so we do not think it will have a long-term or significant impact to consumer confidence as it relates to auto purchasing,” Gutierrez continued. Explaining the purchase delays in more detail, he went on to note that because of the inventory and incentive dearth in the auto industry, consumers are holding off on buying. These shoppers may just stick it out a bit longer. “In the short-term, this new decline in consumer confidence may cause even more shoppers to delay their purchases for the next several weeks/months, as they wait for the market to stabilize. Kelley Blue Book expects that auto sales and production will increase when Japanese automaker production increases in 4Q,” Gutierrez said. Likewise, over at TrueCar.com, analyst Jesse Toprak offered what may be some reassurance. He emphasized that conditions are ideal for consumers to make vehicle purchases. Genuine Nissan and Infiniti OEM Wholesale Parts are superbly crafted to strict quality standards. The following dealers proudly stock genuine parts. Call your local distributor today!
Waterborne Wax and Grease Remover SINCE 1985
Available from YOUR local Jobber or CALL: 973.335.2828 FAX: 973.402.7222 polycracker@netscape.com
Continued from Page 24
Shift into Genuine Nissan and Infiniti OEM Parts
2011 Juke
FLORIDA
Coral Springs Nissan CORAL SPRINGS
954-752-9595 954-753-3226 Fax
M-Sat. 7-7; Sun. 9:30-4
nissanparts@coralspringsautomall.com
Gainesville Nissan GAINESVILLE
888-786-0076 352-371-7101 Fax M-F 8-6; Sat. 8-5
stacyc@gainesvillenissan.com www.gainesvillenissan.com
Call or e-mail now for rates: 800-699-8251 or kmangum@autobodynews.com www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 39
Precise fit and finish, easy installation and a limited warranty direct from KIA — all genuine advantages of genuine KIA parts. Your local KIA retailer has all the parts you need. Phil Smith Kia Lighthouse Point
888-327-5072
(954) 545-7231 Fax M-F 7:30-6, Sat 8-2 www.philsmithkia.com
GEORGIA
Kia of Conyers Conyers
770-879-9060 M-F 7:30-6, Sat 8-2
ALABAMA
Dean McCrary Kia Mobile
800-304-3326
(251) 471-3159 Fax
FLORIDA
Century Kia Tampa
800-250-8864
(813) 873-8319 Fax
FREE Delivery Parts delivered by Autoway
Courtesy Kia
877-646-8080
www.brandonkia.com State-wide FREE delivery Add’l 5% off 1st in-house order or 7% off 1st internet order M-F 8-6, Sat 8-5
M-F 7:30-6 Ray@deanmccrary.com
Deland Kia Deland
386-734-7800
(386) 822-9278 Fax parts@delandkia.net www.delandkia.net FREE Local Delivery
Kia of Orange Park Jacksonville
877-674-0211
(904) 674-0221 Fax
M-F 7-7, Sat 8-4 dcarr@kiaoforangepark.net
Napleton Kia Riviera Beach
561-296-0000
(561) 296-8292 Fax
M-F 7:30-5:30, Sat 8-1 www.rivierabeachkia.com
MISSISSIPPI
Wilson Auto Group Flowood
866-944-1114
(601) 914-4291 Fax
parts@wilsonkia.com www.wilsonautogroup.com