Autobody News January 2011 Southeast Edition

Southeast Edition Florida Georgia Alabama Mississippi

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Toyota Bulletin Recommends Against Aftermarket, Rebuilt, and Salvage Parts Toyota USA has announced in a Collision Repair Information Bulletin (CRIB), that it not only has concerns about non-OEM structural components, but also doubts about exterior sheet metal parts that are usually considered “cosmetic” parts.

Toyota is taking an aggressive position against the use of alternative replacement parts for Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Calling automotive safety and performance systems “sensitive,” and citing a lack of testing to determine alternative parts’ effect on vehicle safety, Toyota is recommending against the use of alternative parts, including aftermarket,

rebuilt and salvage.

“In light of several parts tests that have recently been conducted on untested structural aftermarket parts by collision repair professionals, Toyota has become increasingly concerned with how the use of untested imitation parts could potentially effect vehicle structure, airbag deployment and ultimately occupant safety,” said Roger Foss, National Field Support Manager, Toyota Customer Services.

“To help ensure shops and consumers are aware of the potential risks that may be associated with repairing a vehicle using parts that may be See Toyota Recommends OEM., Page 16

2010 Year in Review—Words Spoken Signal Issues the Industry will Address in 2011

by John Yoswick

Looking for a preview of what lies ahead for the collision repair industry? Look no further than some key statements made in 2010 that likely will continue to reverberate in 2011.

With these changes, it will become quickly and increasingly more apparent which business are prepared through training to address the increasing complexity of repair…and (which) businesses have failed and continue to fail to prepare themselves for the future. By not selecting a Gold Class business, the

consumer is unknowingly accepting the risk of having repairs completed by under-trained workers.

—John Edelen Now-retired ICAR CEO John Edelen last summer unveiled ICAR’s new “Professional Development Program” and revised John Edelen requirements for its “Platinum Individual” and “Gold Class” recognition programs, promisSee 2010: Year in Review, Page 12

VOL. 1 ISSUE 11 JANUARY 2011

GREG COCCARO ‘NOT GUILTY’ AGAIN of Fraud Charges Filed by Progressive

A six-person New York jury found Greg Coccaro, owner of North State Custom in Westchester, N.Y., not guilty of civil insurance fraud—for the second time—on Dec. 15. The case was originally brought by Progressive Insurance in 2005 in a dispute over the repair of a badly damaged Mercedes which was fixed at Coccaro’s Mercedes-certified shop. Progressive alleged that the shop inflated the charges to make the car a total loss, and that both the shop and the insured received payment for the vehicle’s repairs.

In 2005, the customer, a handicapped professor from Columbia University, asked Coccaro to repair her 6-month-old 2004 Mercedes E320 that she had rolled down an embankment and crashed into a pile of rocks. Progressive Insurance wrote an on-site initial estimate of $7,142. Once the car was taken to Coccaro’s shop—which was not a Progressive DRP (Coccaro has no DRPs)—he found far more damage in addition to mistakes on the original estimate. According to Coccaro, Progressive eventually wrote another estimate for $26,804, then a third one for $18,000, and then another. All told there were some 10 estimates done. Coccaro’s final, carefully documented, invoice for the full repair came in at $34,091.

That’s when it really got interesting... continued on page 15

Also in this issue... Toyota Recommends OEM . . .p. 1

NABC Establishes Inter-Industry Initiative . . . . . . . . . .p. 33 Chief Partners with Collision Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 7 Huge Cost of Mismatched Bumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 14 Airbag Fraud Becoming More Prevalent . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 18 SCRS Affiliate Groups Help Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 26

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Contents Nationwide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Alabama Retains Insurance Chief, Gets New

Causey - An Insurance Adjuster’s Tips for

Auto Shredder Purchased for Georgia

Schroeder - Jeff’s Auto Body Repair in

News Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Recycling Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Drunk Driving Arrests Up, Fatalities Down

Consumer Insurance Claims . . . . . . . . 23

Austin, TX, Steers Clear of Direct Repair

Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

in Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Weaver - Who’s on First When What Can’t

Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Yoswick - 2010 Year in Review—Words

Florida Auto Vet Gets Toyota Dealership . . . 5 Ford investing $600M, hiring 1,800 at

Louisville, KY, SUV plant. . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Georgia Collision Industry Association

Wraps Up 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Georgia Insurers, Incoming Commissioner

Plan Fraud Crackdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Insurers

Get to Second? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Spoken Signal Issues the Industry will

Address in ‘11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Yoswick - SCRS Affiliate Groups Help

Members with Industry Issues . . . . . . . 26

NATIONAL

Allstate Pays Gunder’s PMCLogic-Calculated

Paint Materials Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

in Uninsured Driver Cases . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chief Automotive Technologies Partners

Donates Recycled Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Collision Repair Executive Webcast

Georgia’s Sports & Imports Collision Man to Open Florida’s First all Green

Car Lot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

with Collision Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Welcomes CAPA’s Jack Gillis and a

Discussion on Aftermarket Parts . . . . . 13

PPG Conducts Lean Six Sigma Training

Ford Fiesta, Mini Cars, See Slow Sales,

S.C. Pre-files Legislation Reflecting NCOIL

Huge Cost of Mismatched Bumpers: When

Safety Advocates Advocate Restructuring

International Auto Glass Safety (AGRSS)

for Toyota in Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Model Parts Act. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 of Alabama Licensing Program . . . . . . . 6

Texas Driver Records Now Available

Compacts Dominate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Bumpers Don’t Line Up . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Conference Meets Success in

Chicago, Ill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

NABC Establishes Inter-Industry In-Language

Out of New Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

NHTSA Proposes Mandatory Backup

TN Senator Advises VW to Keep Union

COLUMNISTS

Attanasio - Airbag Fraud Becoming More

Initiative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Arrigo Dodge-Jeep-Chrysler . . 21

Drunk Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Attanasio - Rich Evans’ Academy Becomes

Toyota Bulletin Recommends Against

Attanasio, Garmat - Van Tuyl Dealership

U.S. Wants Tougher Repair Rules on Rental

Aftermarket, Rebuilt, and Salvage Parts . 1

Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Autoland Scientech . . . . . . . . . 16

Maroone Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge 9

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers. 25

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Nalley BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Bill Penney Toyota. . . . . . . . . . 27

Crown Automobile Company . . 5

Stop Searching for “Hard to find” Parts

Group Acquires Garmat Paint Booths

Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 721-0253 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Dec. 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

AGAIN of Fraud Charges Filed by

Reality at Ohio Technical College . . . . . 28

Autobody News

Chassis Liner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Nissan Leaf Officially On Sale in U.S.

Ray LaHood Fights Loophole Favoring

Progressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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. ©2010 Adamantine Media LLC.

Cameras in New Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Prevalent, Experts Say . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Attanasio - Greg Coccaro ‘NOT GUILTY’

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Editorial Assistant: 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 Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman (800) 699-8251 Sales Assistant: Kristy Mangum Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Indexof Advertisers

FL Shops Join CCAR’s ‘GreenLink Shop’

Southeast

REGIONAL

Mazda Wholesale Parts. . . . . . 22 Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Nimnicht Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 4

Delray Acura / Hyundai . . . . . . 14

Nissan Wholesale Parts Dealers 30

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers

Savannah Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . 6

Equalizer Industries. . . . . . . . . . 8

FL, GA, AL, MS . . . . . . . . . . 32

Galloway Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Garmat USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Palmers Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Scorpion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . 18

Taylor BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . 21

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers 19

Honda Wholesale Parts Dealers 25

VIM Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Gus Machado Ford . . . . . . . . . 20

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers 13

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts

Unique Concepts . . . . . . . . . . 10

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts

Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Insurers in Uninsured Driver Cases The Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled in favor of insurance companies in two cases involving how much people injured in car wrecks should get under uninsured motorists coverage.

At issue was whether the two injured persons were entitled to receive more money under their uninsured motorist coverage to help cover their unpaid medical expenses, or if their insurance companies were entitled to reduce the amount of coverage by the payments made under the insurance policies of the drivers responsible for the wrecks.

In their 5-2 ruling in the similar cases, the state’s high court reversed the Georgia Court of Appeals.

The first appeal—State Farm Insurance Co. v. Adams—involved an accident in which Randolph Adams was treated at Grady Hospital for a fractured skull, brain injury, dental damage and back, neck and leg injuries, according to briefs filed in the case. Adams filed a claim for personal injuries and economic damages, including the cost of his treatment at Grady.

The person who hit Adams carried $25,000 in insurance with Nationwide, which paid $15,782.34 to Adams and his attorney and $9,217.66 directly to Grady to satisfy the hospital lien for Adams’ unpaid medical bills.

Adams, who claimed his medical bills totaled more than $40,000, then sought compensation under his own policy with State Farm, with which he had a maximum of $100,000 in “uninsured motorist” coverage. Such coverage is designed to protect someone who is injured in a car wreck when the other party has no insurance or is “underinsured.”

A dispute arose, however, when State Farm reduced Adams’ reimbursement by the entire $25,000 paid by Nationwide, including not only the near $16,000 Nationwide had paid Adams, but also the $9,000 plus it had paid Grady. Adams then sued State Farm, arguing that State Farm was not entitled to a credit for Nationwide’s payment of Grady’s lien.

The trial court ruled in the insurance company’s favor, finding that the payment by Nationwide to Grady did not qualify as a reduction of the liability coverage that would trigger additional uninsured motorist coverage by State Farm. On appeal, the Georgia Court of Appeals initially upheld the lower court’s decision. But on reconsideration, it reversed the lower court’s decision and ruled in favor of Adams.

In the Georgia Supreme Courts

decision, written by Justice Harold Melton, the majority has reversed the Court of Appeals, finding that the “clear language” of Georgia law “mandates that payment of a hospital lien should not be subtracted from a tortfeasor’s [person who caused the wreck] total liability coverage to determine the underinsured coverage of an insured who has been injured in an accident.”

State law “recognizes that a hospital is entitled to directly bill the patient for its services and to rely solely on the patient to pay for medical services rendered,” the majority opinion says.

In the second case—American International South Insurance Co. v Floyd—the Supreme Court ruled similarly as the issues were the same.

In 2005, Donna Floyd was in a car crash in which she lost consciousness and suffered a concussion and other injuries. The person who hit her had $25,000 in liability coverage through United Automobile Insurance Co. Floyd had $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage under a policy she had purchased from American International South Insurance Co. Floyd settled with the other driver for the maximum $25,000 in liability coverage. She then sought coverage from her own UM carrier in the amount of $23,189.60 – the difference between the underinsured driver’s maximum coverage and the amount she still owed Atlanta Medical Center where she was treated.

Her insurance company denied the claim because her UM policy limit of $25,000 did not exceed the other driver’s policy limit of $25,000.

As in Adams’ case, Floyd sued, and the trial court ruled in the insurance company’s favor. Floyd appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed the decision, ruling in her favor by finding that the policy limits under the other party’s liability insurance had to be reduced by the amount of the unpaid hospital lien, thereby increasing American International’s exposure.

But, the “Court of Appeals erred,” Justice Melton wrote in the Supreme Court’s majority opinion. For all the reasons set forth in the Adams decision, the majority found that Floyd’s unpaid hospital lien does not reduce United Automobile’s coverage or concomitantly increase American International’s uninsured motorist coverage.

Insurance Journal sourced this from Supreme Court records.

4 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Georgia Insurers, Incoming Commissioner Plan Fraud Crackdown The Associated Press is reporting that Georgia’s insurance industry is teaming up with state authorities to launch an ambitious effort to crack down on the rising number of insurance fraud cases.

Incoming Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, who takes office in January, said this week he plans to beef up the department’s fraud unit and hire a former prosecutor who can help build criminal cases against fraudsters.

Also, insurance executives announced a new campaign to encourage residents to turn in people who stage fake car accidents or file other false claims. The campaign is putting up 10 billboards across the state that say “Insurance Fraud Costs Everyone’’ and urge residents to report cases by calling 1-800-TELNICB. “We can’t do it by ourselves,’’ said FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Lamkin, whose agency helped coordinate the billboard campaign.

“It takes a combined effort and combined partnership to address this issue.’’

It’s part of an effort to curb the number of fraudulent claims in Georgia, which officials say can add

hundreds of dollars to annual premiums of Georgia policy holders. The number of questionable claims in Georgia has swelled from about 2,1000 claims in 2007 to more than 2,700 in 2009.

Curt Jester of the National Insurance Crime Bureau said he hopes the effort will attract tips from the public rather than relying on law enforcement officials and industry executives.

The industry has also helped train more than 100 police officers on insurance fraud techniques, said Walter Swett, a Nationwide investigator who is also a past president of the Georgia chapter of the International Association of Special Investigation Units.

Hudgens, a Republican who replaces outgoing Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, likened the billboard campaign to a neighborhood watch program.

“Anything we can do to reduce fraud, we’re all the beneficiary of that, because your premiums will go down,’’ Hudgens said. “And the more bad guys we put in jail, the more convictions we get, that will be a disincentive to people who want to perpetuate fraud.’’

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Florida Auto Veteran Gets Toyota Dealership Orangeburg’s Toyota dealership is under new ownership.

Reggie Vaughn, a 27-year automotive business veteran, purchased Toyota of Orangeburg/Scion Nov. 18 according to reports made by the Times and Democrat.

“It was a great opportunity,” Vaughn said. “It is a good market that has been doing well.”

Vaughn said customers can expect nothing but improved and high-quality customer service at the dealership. Currently, the dealership employs about 31 and Vaughn said there are hopes of future growth and expansion.

“We are going to look to be the best corporate citizen in Orangeburg,” Vaughn said, noting he has always put a strong emphasis on community service. He and his wife will call Orangeburg their home. “I have asked all associates to find ways to reach out to the community and to be a part of the community. I believe strongly in that. It gives the people who work with you a sense of pride of ownership not only in the dealership but for the community.”

Vaughn said if the community prospers, so does the dealership.

“We want to add value to our customers, to our community and to ourselves,” he said, noting he desires

to build a “family atmosphere.”

The dealership will remain Toyota of Orangeburg-Scion though it will now be owned by Orangeburg Motor Sales Inc. Vaughn said he has worked with Southeast Toyota of Deerfield Beach, Fla., for the past 17 years holding a number of positions including regional sales trainer, vice president of customer service, district sales manager as well as leading the dealership developer program.

“I was looking for an opportunity like this,” he said. “My wife and I had talked about moving to the Carolinas and this opportunity came along and we said, ‘Hey, this might be our opportunity.’”

In August 2005, Bob Richards Auto Group purchased Whatley Toyota on Broughton Street, seeing the growth of the Toyota line. Whatley purchased the dealership in November 1997 from Jim Covington. At the time, it was selling about 50 to 60 cars a month. The dealership is ranked among the top Toyota stores in market share-penetration in the Southeast.

Dealership hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The dealership is closed on Sunday.

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New Insurance News Service The Alabama Insurance Information Service (AIIS), a not-for-profit, non-

lobbying trade association has been established by 18 insurance companies to provide news and information to the public.

AIIS is based in Montgomery and plans to work primarily through the state’s news media about issues relating to auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, flood and earthquake insurance, workers, compensation and consumer safety information, according to AIIS Executive Director David Colmans.

Colmans said the Alabama group will be modeled after similar industry groups in other states. The Alabama service is an expansion of the Georgia Insurance Information Service, for which Colmans is also executive director.

“There are a number of insurance trade associations in the Southeast including in the states of Georgia, South and North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana,” he said.

Colmans said AIIS will work with several affiliated industry organizations including the Insurance Information Institute; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; the Institute for Business and Home Safety; the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes; the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and others.

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Incumbent Alabama Commissioner of Insurance Jim L. Ridling will continue in that role in the new administration of Governor-elect Robert Bentley. Ridling has served as commissioner since 2008.

“Jim Ridling is a respected insurance professional with many years of valuable experience. It is important that we have an insurance commissioner with an in-depth understanding of the industry and its impact on the daily lives of virtually all Alabamians. I look forward to working with Commissioner Ridling to resolve insurance issues that are so important to our citizens,” said Bentley in a press statement.

Ridling’s insurance career began in 1967 with Fireman’s Fund Insurance as a management trainee. He rose to become executive vice president of that insurer’s U.S. branch operations, leaving to become president and chief executive officer of Southern Guaranty, an insurance company headquartered in Montgomery. He was named chairman soon after and held that position until retirement in 2003.

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1800 Montgomery Highway S. - Hoover, AL 35244 www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

Safety Advocates Advocate Restructuring of Alabama Licensing Program The recent deaths of four Jefferson County teenagers in three wrecks reinforced what safety experts said they already knew — Alabama is a dangerous place for young drivers.

According to reports made by the Birmingham News, a 2008 study by Allstate Insurance ranked the state the second most dangerous in the country for teen drivers, just behind Mississippi. Of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, the BirminghamHoover area was the fifth deadliest for those drivers, the study showed.

That same year, 8.8 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in Alabama were age 19 or under and 22 percent were younger than 25, according to the 2008 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts published by the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety.

Making driving safe for teenagers, and everyone who shares the roads with them, requires proper training, careful choice of vehicles, and — just maybe — once again changing state driver’s license laws, safety advocates said.

“The single most important factor is the time spent behind the wheel. So

many of the cases we review cite driver inexperience as a contributing cause,” said Richard Burleson, director of the Alabama Child Death Review System.

Vehicular deaths account for about half of all preventable deaths for Alabamians under 18, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Driver inexperience is cited as the cause in about 25 percent of those deaths.

It takes about 50,000 miles or 10 years of driving to become proficient, said Marty Spellicy, director of the Alabama Traffic Safety Center at the University of Montevallo.

Spellicy said it is important for parents to take their children out for driving practice at night and in bad weather, experiences they won’t get in driver’s education classes.

Parents, he said, must also decide what conditions their child is capable of driving in even after he or she has a license.

“Don’t just abide by what the state rules are,” Spellicy said. “It’s not hard to get that piece of plastic. Parents need to take responsibility.”

To curtail Alabama’s teen driver

Hammermills International has announced the commissioning of a 74inch auto shredder at Oconee Metal Recycling’s scrap recycling plant in Covington, Ga. The complete design, fabrication and installation of the shredder is being handled by Hammermills International as a turnkey project.

The project included a 74-inch x 60-inch shredder, an in-feed conveyor, a downstream plant, as well as all the hydraulics, motors and controls.

According to a Hammermills release, the shredder is based on a Metpro International design that features a patent pending hydraulic squeezebox. Hammermills International supplies shredders, shredder wear parts, downstream ferrous and nonferrous systems, turnkey installation and removal of plants, production diagnostics as well as operational, environmental and design consulting services.

Hammermills International affiliate companies include Osborn Engineering, A.W.C. Services and Nevada Shredder Consulting.

In Florida, a new car dealership is opening and the owner hopes to change the way you think about electric cars, according to reports made

by WFIE Channel 14 News.

Richard Nimphie, knows his cars. “The first car I sold was a 1973 Buick,” Nimphie said. “And it got a whopping 8.7 miles-per-gallon.”

After 37 years of being in the car business, he’s opening a new dealership at a time when others have closed their doors. He said that the guilt of wanting to be green, while selling gas guzzler vehicles, got to him. So in three weeks, Nimphie will open Florida’s first all electric car dealership in St. Petersburg.

Nimphie’s already sold 12 Wheego Life electric cars. Scott McIntyre is waiting for his. He loved the idea of skipping the gas station, and zero emissions, but that’s not what sealed the deal. “The one thing I liked about the Wheego Life was it has very comfortable seats.”Electric cars are sparking the interest of drivers and you can bet you’ll see more of them on the road soon. Work is underway in FL to create solar fueled charging stations that would allow drivers to recharge for free.

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teen traffic fatalities, but too few parents are aware of the law’s requirements, said Dr. Kathy Monroe, an emergency department physician at Children’s Hospital.

“It’s a step in the right direction, but I’m not sure how much the word has spread,” Monroe said of the law.

Monroe works with state troopers and deputy sheriffs to educate Jefferson County teenagers about the dangers of driving, but she said more teens need to be involved in preaching the gospel of safe driving.

Even if teen drivers are observing the basic safety rules, they are still at greater risk than older, more experienced drivers.

“Situational awareness is not great in teens. What is the driver in the other lane doing? Is that car backing up?” Monroe said. “They might be doing everything right, but they aren’t aware of their surroundings.”

The best way for a parent to keep their young drivers from engaging in dangerous driving behavior is to be a good model for their kids before they reach their teens.

death rate, the state in July enacted a new graduated driver’s license law.

Under that law, someone who is 16 or 17 and has had a license for less than six months cannot use a cell phone while driving and can have only one passenger, not including adults or family members.

Those drivers also cannot drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they are with an adult, going to or from work, a school event or a church event.

There are also exemptions for emergencies or if the driver is going hunting or fishing with the appropriate license.

Spellicy said lawmakers might want to consider modeling Alabama’s license laws after much stricter laws in place in other states. New Jersey, for example, does not grant full driving privileges until the driver is 18.

“We could raise the permit age to 16 and the driver’s license age to 17. It might be worth the Legislature taking a hard look at,” Spellicy said.

The new graduated license law, as it stands, could help reduce the rate of

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Allstate Pays Gunder’s PMCLogicCalculated Paint Materials Charge

Chief Automotive Technologies Partners with Collision Hub

Gunder’s Auto Center in Lakeland, FL, says it has reached a settlement with Allstate Insurance for $241 (plus attorney fees) that the shop said it was owed for paint materials on a 2003 GMC Envoy it repaired earlier this year.

The shop uses the PMCLogic system for calculating paint and materials used on each vehicle, but had received from Allstate only a portion of the $837 on its 61-line invoice breaking down its paint and materials charges on the job. “We’re glad Allstate is accepting this technology as a fair and reasonable way to identify all materials needed for the repair,” shop owner Ray Gunder said. Gunder’s attorney, Brent Geohagan, said bad faith claims by the shop against State Farm resulted in payment from the insurer this month for two more jobs also billed using PMCLogic-generated paint and materials invoicing.

“These payments constitute a monumental occurrence in light of our history with State Farm and its refusal, up until now, to pay for charges associated with, and generated using PMCLogic paint and materials invoicing,” Geohagan told Gunder.

Chief™ Automotive Technologies has partnered with Collision Hub, the premier professional networking site for the collision repair industry. Chief is a leading provider of collision repair equipment, data and training. Collision Hub provides an online community that enables technicians, shop owners, insurance companies and others active in the collision repair industry to interact with each other. Members can post photos and videos, answer questions, refer business, recommend products, participate in discussion forums and build relationships. The website, www.collisionhub.com, includes industry news, a comprehensive industry calendar, event coverage, videos, photographs, and more than 20 specialty groups. Collision Hub currently has around 3,000 members.

“Collision Hub is an excellent industry resource,” says Mike Cranfill, Chief vice president of collision.

“Partnering with Collision Hub will help us strengthen our existing customer relationships, build new connections, and participate in industry discussions.” Through its sponsorship, Chief is helping to ensure that the Collision Hub forum and Collision Hub TV remain available to the industry for free.

PPG’s Business Solutions Group led the instruction of its MVP Green Belt Training for a class of 12 Toyota collision center managers in the southeast region, November 8-11. Hosted

by Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, the training was held at its Vehicle Processing Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Southeast Toyota is the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles.

PPG’s MVP Green Belt Training is a comprehensive 4-day program focusing on the practical application of Lean Six Sigma principles to collision repair. The curriculum is designed to provide an effective balance between teaching the proven science and principles of continuous improvement and providing practical solutions in the collision center environment, all geared to drive simultaneous improvement in cycle time, quality and cost. The course covered such topics as X-Ray Repair Planning™, process design and implementation, 5S and workplace organization, and resources a collision center can draw upon to further continuous process improvement.

“Holding the training at Southeast Toyota’s Vehicle Processing Center provided the attendees with a mix of classroom training and the ability

to observe firsthand how similar principles have been implemented through the teachings of Toyota at the Vehicle Processing Center,” noted Steve Topczewski, OEM/Dealer business development manager, PPG Industries. “Since no two collision centers are exactly the same—in terms of sales volume, facility size, layout and source of work, etc.—the Green Belt curriculum takes into consideration that the current state of differing collisions centers can be quite different. The emphasis is on a real world process of moving from wherever the starting point is to an improved future state.”

“We were extremely pleased to work with PPG and bring this training to our dealers’ collision centers, of which the majority attending are ‘Toyota Certified’,” said Jon Lee, regional consultant, Southeast Toyota Distributors. “Continued support from PPG will allow participants to keep their journey of process improvement on track and moving forward. In that regard, we plan to conduct a followup performance meeting in the first quarter of 2011 with PPG. PPG’s MVP Green Belt Training is recognized by I-CAR and AMI. Attendees receive appropriate credits for the course.

PPG Conducts Lean Six Sigma Training for Toyota in Florida

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Drunk Driving Arrests Up, Fatalities Down in Mississippi DUI arrests have skyrocketed in Mississippi in the past several years, helping lead to the lowest number of drunken driving deaths in decades according to reports made by Insurance Journal.

It’s welcome news for a state that has ranked among the nation’s worst in per capita alcohol-related deaths.

Projections estimate drunken driving deaths in 2010 in Mississippi will be about 232 — far below the 384 tallied in 2007.

The drop coincides with the state seeing more than 32,000 DUI arrests for the second year in a row, far more than the 22,511 several years ago.

Mississippi Highway Patrol officials attribute the rise in DUI arrests to local and county agencies across the state getting more involved.

“Here are things we know we can prevent through enforcement and stiff penalties,” said Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin. “It’s a deterrent.”

Decades ago, people thought nothing of drinking and driving, he said.

“Now you hear people talk about designated drivers, and ‘I’m going to get another way home,’“ McMillin said.

The DUI problem goes beyond deaths, he said.

“Let’s talk about people who are paralyzed or have injuries they’ll have to deal with the rest of their lives,” McMillin said.

Projections put the Highway Patrol on track to have its highest number of DUI arrests in recent years at 8,805.

“We’re getting good results,” said Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson.

The patrol has “blitz periods” during the holiday periods aimed at reducing alcohol-related accidents, he said.

The patrol’s ability to make such arrests has been aided by annual grants from the National Highway Safety Transportation Association.

This year, that grant topped $2 million.

Simpson said the grant made it possible to pay troopers overtime.

There is now a problem with that grant, he said.

Language in Mississippi’s grant application mentioned that while troopers are attempting to pull over DUI violators, they also can pull ve-

hicles over for speeding, seat belt violations and child safety seat violations, he said.

NHTSA officials have raised questions about that language, saying it sounds more like general law enforcement purposes than patrols aimed at getting drunken drivers off the roads, he said.

“I think it’s absolutely splitting hairs. We’re getting the results we intended to get,” Simpson said.

He said the worst-case scenario is the DPS would “have to pay back some of the grant funds or give all the money ($2 million) back to NHTSA” The reduction in drunken driving deaths has coincided with an overall reduction in traffic fatalities, projected to total 610 in Mississippi this year.

Simpson pointed to “Click It or Ticket” as a seat belt campaign that has helped reduce fatalities.

Mississippi’s seat belt usage rate this year is the highest ever at 81 percent - slightly below the national average of 84 percent. That’s a significant increase from 2001 when the rate was less than 62 percent.

“We have the highest adoption rates we’ve ever seen for seat belts,” Simpson said.

In addition to seat belts, airbags, crash-resistant cars and better roads also have helped reduce traffic fatalities, said Mike Right of St. Louis, vice president of public affairs for AAA that covers Mississippi.

Those riding in trucks had the highest percentages of fatalities where people failed to wear seat belts. More than three-fourths of the truck occupants fatally injured during nighttime weren’t wearing seat belts.

“Pickup trucks are notorious for overturning,” Right said. “They are notorious for drivers and passengers who feel they’re invulnerable because of the mass and size.”

And when those trucks crash or overturn, those without seat belts can be thrown from the vehicles and killed, he said.

About two-thirds of fatal crashes occur in rural areas, where there are poorer roads, he said. “It’s sad because a lot of these people killed are youngsters. Their whole attitude is, ‘I can’t get hurt. I’m bulletproof.’“ Frank Harris, state legislative affairs manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the decline in alcohol-related deaths is a testimony to

8 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

the hard work of law enforcement.

Unfortunately, he said, many drive drunk before getting caught. He said studies show those pulled over for DUI have often driven impaired at least 87 times before getting arrested.

Although alcohol-related deaths are declining in Mississippi, he said the costs of these remaining deaths are still staggering - an estimated $1.1 billion last year.

MADD officials are urging Mississippi lawmakers to follow the lead of Arkansas, Louisiana and 11 other states in adopting the ignition interlock device that requires convicted DUI offenders to pass a Breathalyzer test before they can crank their cars.

The device costs $70 a month for six months and $100 to install, Harris said.

That cost is typically borne by offenders with a separate fund set up for the indigent.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that installation of these devices in the cars of DUI offenders would save 8,000 lives a year, he said.

State Rep. Philip Gunn, R-Clin-

ton, who has introduced legislation the past two years, said the ignition interlock enables those convicted of DUI to keep driving.

“One of the hardships put on people convicted of DUI is they can’t drive legally,” he said.

State Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, chairman of House Judiciary A Committee, said he wouldn’t be opposed to mandating the ignition interlock for second offenders.

“I think it’s a little too much on the first offense,” he said. “I’m more comfortable with a repeat offender.

It’s not a felony in Mississippi until the third offense.”

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Georgia’s Sports & Imports Collision Donates Recycled Ride With the help of The Impact! Group, Sports & Imports Collision, a member of the Georgia Collision Industry Association (GCIA), delivered an Oldsmobile Intrigue to The Jeremy Burse Family in a ceremony at 3400 McDaniel Rd., Duluth, Ga.

vehicles to families in need. As part of this program, simultaneous vehicle donations took place throughout the country in the month of November.

“We are exceptionally pleased with the results of the project,” said Gene Hamilton, owner of Sports & Imports Collision.

“The vehicle was well received and all of our staff worked hard to make the donation a reality. The Burse family was extremely grateful and we wish them a great holiday season.

Hopefully, having this vehicle will brighten their lives and make it easier for them to accomplish the daily The Burse family and Owners of Sports & Imports Collision Gene tasks most of us take Hamilton and Michelle Coombs for granted.

“I want to thank our staff. This The project was part of a nationwide vehicle donation program called would not have happened without their Recycled Rides, a community aware- efforts.

“We appreciate all those who atness project whereby members of the National Auto Body Council tended the event, at which we pre(NABC) repair and donate recycled sented the vehicle—decorated with a

proud to be a part of Recycled Rides. huge green bow—to the Burse family.

The family is just thrilled to have reliOur thanks also go out to The Impact!Group of Lawrenceville, Ga, and able transportation. Sports & Imports Howard Batchelor of Finish Master that attended the presentation.. We look forward to participating again next year and we invite other auto body repair facilities in our community to join us so our industry can serve even more local families next year.”

“The event was a great success,” says The Oldsmobile Intrigue in front of Sports & Imports Collision Avis Lucas of The ImCenter pact! Group. “We’re Collision did a great job getting the vehicle ready.”

The National Auto Body Council is a not-for-profit organization committed to the goal of improving the image of all dedicated professionals in the collision repair industry. NABC headquarters is located at 9404 Ashking Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23116.

Sports & Imports location in Duluth, GA Please visit autobodycouncil.org.

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TN Senator Advises VW to Keep Union Out of New Plant U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says he has told Volkswagen officials that he thinks it would be “highly detrimental” to the German manufacturer if the United Auto Workers organizes its Chattanooga assembly plant, according to reports made by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

“I was asked to give input, and I did,” Corker said.

The advice stemmed from his experience trying to negotiate with the union during the 2008 federal bailout of GM and Chrysler, he said.

“I certainly shared with [VW] I couldn’t see how there was any possibility it could be a benefit to them to enter into a contract with UAW,” said Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor.

He stressed he is not “anti-union” and said he often employed union craftsmen when he ran a construction company.

But the UAW “breeds an ‘us versus they’ relationship, and I just don’t think it’s healthy for a company to be set up in that regard,” Corker said.

Bob King, president of the 400,000-plus-member labor union,

said the UAW is interested in organizing the VW plant.

“We want workers there, and not just Chattanooga but all nonunion assembly facilities,” King said. “We want workers to have a choice to come into the UAW.” King, who became UAW president in June, said Corker is “talking about the past and not the present or the future.”

There is a difference between “this 20th century perception of UAW” and “the 21st century reality where we’re proactive on all these issues of quality and productivity,” he said.

The UAW is “committed to the success of the employers that we represent, Ford, GM, Chrysler,” King said, and the union supports a “winning formula” for overseas transplants “whether it be Volkswagen, Toyota or Honda.”

Guenther Scherelis, Volks-wagen Group of America Inc.’s general manager of communication, declined to address Corker’s specific comments as well as King’s.

“At Volkswagen Chattanooga, the employees will decide for themselves about their representation,” Scherelis said in an e-mail.

VW’s Chattanooga plant will employ as many as 2,500 workers starting early next year. The $1 billion facility will produce a midsize sedan aimed at the American market.

Mike Randle, editor of Southern Business & Economic Development, said none of the foreign transplant automakers has been unionized except for a few joint ventures with American companies in other parts of the country.

“There are none in the South,” Randle said. “That doesn’t mean they haven’t tried.”

Nissan workers, for example, have twice voted against attempts to certify the UAW. Randle said the transplants have been able to pay workers less than at Northern, unionized plants while still offering what is considered a good wage in the South.

An economic study, conducted earlier this year on behalf of The

Grand Rapids Press in Michigan and other Booth newspapers, stated that “wages are typically high in the [states without right-to-work laws] compared to the Southern states.”

Not having a union makes it easier to change how companies operate, Randle said, and also noted it eliminates the threat of union work stoppages.

Volkswagen is no stranger to unions. The UAW had a presence at a Volkswagen-owned plant that operated in New Stanton, Pa., between 1978 and 1988.

Volkswagen’s parent company, Volkswagen AG, is unionized and under German law has a policy of “codetermination” that ensures union representation on the company’s supervisory board of directors.

Corker said he formed his views of the UAW when he was lead Republican negotiator with Democrats on the proposed auto-industry bailouts for GM and Chrysler in 2008.

King said the union soon will propose to employers a less confrontational procedure for union campaigns.

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Ford investing $600M, hiring 1,800 at Louisville, KY, SUV plant Ford Motor Co. is hiring 1,800 workers and spending $600 million to overhaul a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, to build small sport utility vehicles according to reports made by Bloomberg News.

The factory, which now produces the midsize Ford Explorer SUV, will begin building a redesigned version of the Escape compact utility vehicle late next year, Marcey Evans, a Ford spokeswoman, said in an interview. At that time, the plant will begin operating two shifts and employing 2,900 workers, up from one shift and 1,100 workers currently, she said.

Ford is transforming the Louisville plant into its most flexible factory, ca-

pable of producing small cars, SUVs and wagons.

Such flexibility is typical of Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. plants. Ford also plans to build a small Lincoln SUV in Louisville starting in 2012.

“Ford is putting itself in a position to answer the call of the consumer and build whatever they want,” said Michael Robinet, an analyst with IHS Automotive in Northville. “For several years, the method they used was to overbuild and then tape money to the hood” by offering discounts on cars.

The Louisville factory will be able to make Ford’s new Focus

compact car, should consumer demand outstrip the factory in Wayne, where that model is built, Robinet said. Louisville also could build the Grand C-Max wagon Ford is bringing to the U.S. from Europe, he said.

Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, announced production of only the Escape at a ceremony earlier this month at the Louisville factory, Evans said. There are no plans to build the Focus in Louisville, she said.

Production of the Lincoln small SUV may begin around June 2012.

Evans declined to comment on the Lincoln SUV production.

Once output of the 2010 Ford Explorer ends Dec. 16, Ford will gut the 55-year-old Louisville factory, Evans said. The plant will receive new tools for assembling compact-sized models, new equipment for building car bodies and upgrades to its paint shop, she said.

“It will be a pretty major overhaul,” Evans said. Some of the workers that will be added at the plant when it returns to operation in the fourth quarter of next year will be transfers from other Ford factories, Evans said.

Ford expects to hire about 1,000 employees to either work in Louisville or fill vacancies created by those moving to the Kentucky factory, she said. The new hires will be paid about $14.50 an hour, about half what veteran assembly workers make at Ford, she said. To stimulate hiring and lower costs, the United Auto Workers union agreed to create a second wage tier in the 2007 contracts with Ford, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC. “Louisville now is operating at half speed,” Robinet said. “The increased flexibility there will really help Ford better utilize its capital structure.”

The next generation Escape that will be built in Louisville is based on the Kuga model Ford sells in Europe, Robinet said. It is expected to be more fuel efficient than the current Escape, which gets 23 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, according to auto researcher Edmunds.com. Ford will end production of the existing Escape at its Kansas City plant late next year as Louisville begins assembling the new model, Evans said. Kansas City will continue to build the Ford F-150 pickup on one shift. Missouri lawmakers have offered Ford incentives to bring a new model to Kansas City and keep the plant open.

“Additional new products for Kansas City will be announced at a future time,” Evans said.

Ford, the only major U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy last year, earned $6.37 billion in the first nine months of the year, more than any other global carmaker.

The upgrades Ford is making at Louisville will put the second-largest U.S. automaker in a better position to compete against Toyota and Honda.

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Continued from Page 1

2010 Year in Review

ing to make the training more relevant and the recognition programs more meaningful. Edelen oversaw a turbulent three-year period within I-CAR, winning mostly praise for his efforts to turn the organization around after several money-losing years and declining student numbers.

Now this month it becomes up to new CEO John Van Alstyne to pick up where Edelen has left off. His 2011 todo list will include helping the industry understand the transition to the new recognition requirements, continuing the overhaul of the curriculum, looking at new ways to make I-CAR training affordable and accessible, and perhaps getting more insurers, who have largely dropped anything but vague training requirements in their DRP contracts, to once again mandate attainment of Gold Class or similar training levels.

When I think of things I know a single store can’t do that an association can do, one thing that comes to mind is to help us stop insurance companies from mandating use of certain estimating systems, CSI providers, or rental car companies. It’s unbelievable that we have to use, for example, Enterprise for some repairs and Hertz for other repairs. I think the repairer should be the person that makes that decision.

—Dan Bailey

Dan Bailey, president and chief operating officer for the CARSTAR collision repair franchise chain, put into words this year what many shops Dan Bailey have been saying for years: that micro-managing by insurers can add as much inefficiency and cost as it saves.

In an effort to highlight this issue, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is expected in 2011 to complete a matrix it is building that show which insurer direct repair programs (DRPs) require use of a specific vendor for such services. The goal, SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg said, is to show that some programs are more restrictive than others in terms of vendor choice, and to show the burden and added expense such requirements can have on

shops participating in multiple DRPs.

The bottom line is if these bumpers do not protect occupants or (allow) more damage to vehicles, it’s insurers that are going to pick up the cost of either the personal injury associated with the problems, or the additional damage associated with poor-performing bumpers in low-speed collisions.

—Jack Gillis

This quote from Jack Gillis, executive director of the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) was just one of many related to nonJack Gillis OEM structural parts this past year. Though clearly no one expects full resolution of the longsimmering battle over non-OEM parts in 2011, a number of interesting developments could take place.

First, 2011 will see CAPA facing competition for its non-OEM parts certification with NSF International, which says its program similarly identifies parts that are comparable to OEM. NSF launched its program early last year in part because CAPA wasn’t certifying non-OEM bumper parts (it now is), though there are clear differences between the two programs. NSF also last year launched a certification program for distributors of such parts. Whether either or both CAPA and NSF programs survive will clearly depend on how well they are accepted by insurers, shops and parts manufacturers and distributors.

I think the people in this room will make that decision over time,” NSF’s Bob Frayer told representatives of all those segments of the industry at a meeting last fall. “I think a year from now we’ll be talking again and see how we’re doing.

It will also be interesting in 2011 to see if both sides continue the crashtesting of non-OEM parts conducted this past year. Ford last fall shared crash-test results it says clearly show that use of non-OEM parts lead to increased damage—and possibly unnecessary firing of the airbag—while CAPA said its testing showed nonOEM bumper parts that meet its standard perform comparably to OEM. Both sides may seek to bolster their argument through more such testing.

OEM parts proponents hope in 2011 to gain more public push for the

12 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

use of OEM parts through the press, following up last year’s Consumer Reports’ piece that recommended to car owners to check the paperwork on previous collision repairs and “if knockoffs were used, demand that they be replaced with original equipment.”

And the aftermarket parts industry, determined as one LKQ Corporation executive said last year to “really get in front of these guys who are coming after the industry,” will continue its push for federal legislation to prevent automakers from getting design patents on sheet metal parts.

You can’t have the have a definition of sub-standard before you have a definition of standard. We could (with standards) eliminate half the argument and half the confusion and a lot of the inefficiency. The question to the industry is: Do we have the appetite? Is it now time for standards? If the answer is yes, what is the next step to actually creating something?

—Scott Biggs

Scott Biggs of Assured Performance Network has been among those calling for the development of formalized

standards in the industry for some time. While associations and committees of volunteers at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) have been Scott Biggs making some progress on such standards in recent years, 2011 is seen by some as the year to really jump-start the process.

A meeting in Palm Springs in January will serve as a follow-up to one held in Las Vegas in November.

At that earlier meeting, a small group resolved to hire a temporary project manager to take the work to date by a CIC committee and develop a plan, timeline and budget for completion of formalized standards, and for the creation or designation of an entity to oversee and implement adoption of the standards within the industry.

While there are still many unanswered questions and plenty of work to be done, the effort may languish if serious momentum isn’t gained this year.

“Take time to get consensus, but don’t take too long,” recommended Leslie Upham of Thatcham last fall.

FL Shops Join CCAR’s ‘GreenLink Shop’ Program

The Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR) has announced two more facilities in Florida have joined their GreenLink Shop program in November.

The GreenLink Shop status, an extension of CCAR’s CCARGreenLink Environmental Compliance Assistance Center and S/P2 Safety and Pollution Prevention Elearning Program, is designed to promote consumer confidence in local automotive repair facilities’ environmental/safety awareness and stewardship.

The new GreenLink Shops are: • Duston & Roberts Collision Center, Inc., Ocoee, Fla. • Precision Collision, Lynn Haven, Fla. Repair facilities seeking the GreenLink Shop recognition must maintain high standards of excellence in environmental, health and safety (EHS) practices in four categories: business operations, employee training, safety compliance and environmental management.

For more information please visit www.ccar-greenlink.org.

Collision Repair Executive Webcast Hosts CAPA’s Jack Gillis and a Discussion on Aftermarket Parts Jack Gillis, executive director of the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), led a Collision Repair Executive Webcast on December 14 centered on CAPA’s certification program and standards and the difference between certified and non-certified aftermarket parts.

Gillis started off the webcast by detailing CAPA’s purpose and motives. He said that CAPA’s sole purpose is to ensure that consumers and people in the industry can identify quality parts. CAPA is also there to protect consumers from over priced and poor quality parts.

CAPA certification process fits aftermarket parts from CAPA’s 39 approved manufacturers against the car company brand parts or the “standard” parts. Only approved aftermarket manufacturers can submit parts to CAPA for certification and these manufacturers go through rigorous monitoring and requirements before being allowed to submit parts.

CAPA not only tests the aftermar-

ket parts’ material, composition, mechanics, strength and dimension against the standard parts, they also do a Vehicle Test Fit as a final test before certifying the part. The Vehicle Test Fit is the final step in certification and is unique to CAPA. It aims to do two things; to make sure the standard part fits the way it should, and to make sure the aftermarket part fits the way it should.

About 38% of parts submitted to CAPA for certification fail the Vehicle Test Fit process. Gillis also stressed that CAPA only reviews about 20% of aftermarket parts available.

“What about the [sic] parts that are never presented to us for certification?” said Gillis.

CAPA also has a vast number of tools available that help them to continue to monitor parts after they have been certified. They have a complaints program, a marketplace monitoring program and a decertification program.

When a part is retested and seen fit to be decertified from CAPA it is

immediately changed from CAPA certified in the electronics estimating systems so body shops are aware of the change in certification status.

CAPA does their tests through a worldwide company called Intertek, but also has some of their parts tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Gillis showed some IIHS test results that put CAPA certified aftermarket parts not only of like fit, finish and material as brand name parts but also as having nearly the same crash test results.

“Yes, CAPA standards are rigorous - they have to be,” said Gillis, “We think the standards are just right.”

Although 4 out of 5 aftermarket parts used in the marketplace are not CAPA certified, Gillis stoody by CAPA’s success.

“You have to determine how you measure success,” said Gillis, “the bottom line is that parts bearing the CAPA seal must be matching to the car company brand parts.”

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www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

Huge Cost of Mismatched Bumpers: When Bumpers Don’t Line Up

by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

When bumpers on cars and SUVs don’t line up (and many of them don’t), low-speed collisions produce more damage and higher repair costs Bumpers are the first line of defense against costly damage in everyday low-speed crashes. Bumpers on cars are designed to match up with each other in collisions, but a long-standing gap in federal regulations exempts SUVs from the same rules. New Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests demonstrate the results: SUV bumpers that don’t line up with those on cars can lead to huge repair bills in what should be minor collisions in stopand-go traffic.

“SUVs and cars share the road,” says Joe Nolan, the Institute’s chief administrative officer. “The problem is they don’t share the same bumper rules, and consumers end up paying the price.”

A federal standard requires that all cars have bumpers that protect within a zone of 16 to 20 inches from the ground. This means car bumpers line up reasonably well and are more likely to engage during low-speed collisions to absorb energy and prevent damage.

No bumper requirements apply to SUVs, pickups, or minivans, so when these vehicles have bumpers they often are flimsier and higher off the ground than bumpers on cars. Plus, SUVs and pickups may not have bumpers at all.

In fender-benders with SUVs, cars often end up with excessive damage to hoods, engine cooling systems, fenders, bumper covers, and safety equipment like lights. SUVs don’t always come out unscathed either, often needing extensive work.

The Institute conducted 10 mph front-into-rear crash tests involving 7 pairs of 2010-11 models, each composed of a small car and small SUV from the same automaker.

“We picked vehicles from the same manufacturer because we think automakers should at the least pay attention to bumper compatibility across their own fleets,” Nolan explains.

“The results show that many don’t.”

In the tests, an SUV going 10 mph struck the back of its paired car, which was stopped. Then the configuration was reversed, with the car striking the back of its paired SUV. Results of these lowspeed impacts varied widely, from a total of $850 damage to one vehicle to $6,015 damage to another (see table below). In

some cases, the crash damage included major leaks from broken radiators and cooling fans. If these collisions had happened in the real world, the motorists wouldn’t have been able to drive away. If they did, their vehicles could overheat, and the engines could be ruined.

Mismatched pairs: If bumpers don’t match up, they’ll bypass each other when vehicles collide, and the resulting crash energy will crumple the vehicle body. That’s what happened when the Nissan Rogue struck the back of the Nissan Sentra in the SUV-intocar test. The Rogue’s front bumper didn’t line up at all with the Sentra’s rear bumper, and the resulting $4,560 rear damage tally for the Sentra was the highest among all the cars in this test.

The impact crumpled the car’s bumper cover, trunk lid, and rear body. The Rogue ended up with a crushed and leaking radiator that kept the SUV from being driven after the test.

Bumper height mismatch conNissan Sentra and Nissan Rogue

Ford Escape and Ford Focus

“The mismatch problem with the Ford pair was even worse when the Focus struck the back of the Escape.

The front bumper on the car underrode the high-riding Escape’s rear bumper, which at 25 inches off the ground is the tallest among all the small SUVs evaluated this time around. Damage to the Focus came to $5,203 and included replacing most of the sheet metal plus many parts in front of the engine.

When the Toyota Corolla hit the rear of the Toyota RAV4 in the carinto-SUV test, damage amounted to nearly $10,000 for the pair — the highest combined test damage among all of the vehicle pairs the Institute evaluated. The RAV4 accounted for about $6,000 of the bill.

“The RAV4’s so-called bumper is really just a stamped piece of sheet metal supporting the bumper cover,” Nolan explains. “So instead of engaging a strong bumper, the striking Corolla hit the spare tire mounted on the RAV4’s tailgate. The spare isn’t designed to absorb crash energy, so it damaged the Corolla’s hood, grille, headlights, air conditioner, and radia-

Honda Civic and Honda CR-V

Hyundai Tucson and Kia Forte

The bumper bars on this pair of Hondas (top) lined up. The Civic’s $1,274 in rear damage when hit by the CR-V was the lowest among cars in this test.

The Kia Forte’s front bumper lined up with the rear bumper of the Hyundai Tucson (bottom), keeping the front of the car from underriding the SUV and limiting damage to a combined $3,601 for both vehicles

tor support and crushed the RAV4’s tailgate and rear body panels.”

Compatible bumpers: Bumpers See Bumpers, Page 19

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561-243-3621 Direct When the Nissan Rogue struck the back of the Nissan Sentra (top) in the 10 mph front-into-rear crash test, the Rogue’s bumper overrode the Sentra’s, resulting in $7,444 in combined damage for the pair. In the car-into-SUV test, the Ford Focus bumper slid under the high-riding Ford Escape, adding up to $5,203 damage for the car and $2,208 for the SUV

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tributed to pricey damage when the Ford Escape struck the rear of the Ford Focus. Their bumpers overlapped less than 2 inches, not enough to protect the Focus’s rear body and trunk lid from $3,386 in repairs.

14 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Greg Coccaro ‘Not Guilty’ Again

Progressive tried to recall the car from Coccaro after repairs had commenced and steer it to one of their select shops but was unsuccessful in convincing the customer. When the

North State Custom’s shop

second estimate came in at $26,804, the customer confirmed she wanted North State to do the job, She agreed to pay any expenses beyond the $26,804. Progressive finally agreed to pay Coccaro’s invoice after the customer’s son became involved, who had a relationship of sorts with the insurer.

At that point a curious request came from Progressive to take possession of the car so they could deliver it to the customer. Coccaro declined, preferring to deliver to his own customer, but finally agreed, with the customer’s approval. He was surprised at the cavalier manner in which the vehicle was towed by the insurer’s provider, risking throwing off the two wheel alignments that had recently been done. This would be telling when the case finally came to trial.

Progressive did not deliver the vehicle to the professor. They took it for forensic evaluation to another shop. In fact, as the court documents would reveal, Progressive had already decided to prosecute for fraud before examining the vehicle. Progressive alleged that North State had defrauded the company; had provided phony invoices; that Coccaro himself had directed a conspiracy to defraud Progressive; and had charged the insurer for non-existent damage.

The first fraud trial pressed by Progressive Insurance against Coccaro in Bedford Hills, NY, was dismissed by State Supreme Court Judge Mary Smith on August 5, 2008. Significantly, the case was dismissed “with predjudice”—meaning the court barred Progressive from filing another case on the claim, effectively ending Progressive’s options—and the judge acted before the defense could call a single witness, however this ruling was successfully ap-

pealed by Progressive who argued that the judge lacked this lattitude in the case.

The second defense of the case, and his acquittal in the first case, have now cost Coccaro and his shop in excess

of $600,000 in legal fees, and all for a case which Progressive offered to settle for a dollar and an admission of guilt in 2005. Coccaro refused the offer, despite the fact that under New York law, even if he won, he could not be awarded any money from Progressive, nor could he recover his legal expenses. It was always a matter of principle to him.

Progressive continued to allege that Coccaro committed fraud in the repair of the now one-year old Mercedes, causing Progressive to incur damages in the amount of $2,808.65.

Coccaro’s legal team of Michael G. Santangelo, Erica L. Eversman, and Anthony J. Mamo, Jr. estimates that Progressive ultimately spent over one million dollars to prosecute the claim of $2,800 and change.

Coccaro has said in the past, “I believe they’re out to punish me for speaking out. They want to make an example out of me for anyone else who would do the same thing.”

Coccaro still has no hard evidence to support his conclusion, but he points to the time, expense and zeal Progressive has invested in a battle that began over repairs to a single vehicle. He also points to what he says are other ongoing practices by insurers to intimidate shops.

“Certain shops get steered against, and the shops who speak out get business steered away from them,” he says. “I also know of certain shops who don’t get paid for certain operations because they’ve spoken up. Insurers make trouble between a shop and its customers. No customer wants to get in the middle of that.

“It’s like whack-a-mole in this industry,” he says. “You stick your head up, and they’re going to knock it

down. That’s definitely what they do.

They intimidate people.”

“They put me in a huge financial hole, so I’m leaving a [tortious interference lawsuit option] on the table,” said Coccaro. “I am 61 years old and had to remortgage everything I owned. I’m in debt again. They don’t like people to stand up to them. They couldn’t get this car out of my shop and they were mad and wanted to teach me a lesson.” Coccaro confirmed to Autobody News that he would be pursuing the lawsuit, and that he has already been deposed by Progressive’s attorneys.

“I am so grateful that the jury was able to see through Progressive’s tactics and didn’t fall for the fairytale Progressive tried to tell them,” Coccaro said. “I feel exonerated,” he said. “My business and reputation mean everything to me. That’s why I insisted on fighting these false accusations.”

Coccaro has credited support from collision repairers, and especially Mike Anderson, a former shop owner now running a consulting company (CollisionAdvice.com), who testified that the repairs to the vehicle were properly executed and that North State Custom was entitled to charge for the work that was performed. Anderson had reinspected the car after the original repairs.

“Mike AnderMike Anderson son took time out of his schedule to fly here and testify and fly back and he did it for free,” Coccaro said. “He did not charge a dime. It was poignant when he pointed that out in court. I am very grateful that he did that for my family, my business and me. Not many people would do that. He put his reputation on the line testifying on my behalf, and I owe him many thanks.”

They don’t like people to stand up to them. They couldn’t get this car out of my shop and they were mad and wanted to teach me a lesson. Huge companies can put you out of business.

I won the case, but all I did was exonerate myself. I think they spent over $1 million for an alleged fraud of $2,800, according to their expert witness. They were suing me for $34,000, the entire amount of the bill, because they said I intentionally totaled the car.”

Cover Story

“This is a triumph for the entire collision repair industry,” he said.

“Now insurers will know that they can’t accuse shops of fraud for making repairs according to the blueprint for repair set out in the shops’ estimates. After all, we are the repair professionals, and it is time that insurers stop interfering with how we operate our businesses.”

The ruling leaves Coccaro free to pursue his $15 M suit against Progressive, although he has not commented on that specifically. His complaint was reduced from $40M to $15M after Progressive attorneys successfully argued that NY law does not allow an insurance company to be sued for steering.

Nontheless, Coccaro alleges that Progressive has engaged in a scheme to injure North State and deceive the public by engaging in deceptive business practices, including telling customers that North State inflates estimates, does shoddy work, and is a problem shop.

When Coccaro’s tortious interference suit against Progressive was originally filed, the New York State Auto Collision Technicians Association (NYSACTA) was quick to support him. At the time, Mike Orso, President of NYSACTA said, “We all know the tricks and games that are being played by a majority of the insurance companies, their appraisers and adjusters. The inside information obtained in this lawsuit only confirms our suspicions...”

“It’s not about the money,” Coccaro said at the time. “It was never about the money. I just couldn’t stand by and watch them destroy my reputation and the business I worked hard to create. If they could do this to me, they could do this to anyone.”

North State was established more than 30 years ago and promotes itself “a state-of-the-art European luxury car collision repair facility.” Its motto is “New World Technology, Old World Craftsmanship.” The shop is certified

by Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Jaguar for structural aluminum repairs along with being BMW-trained for body, paint and aluminum structural repairs.

To contribute to defraying Greg Coccaro’s staggering legal fees, please mail a check to: North State Legal 114 Green Lane Bedford Hills, NY 10507

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

Continued from Page 1

Toyota Recommends OEM

untested, Toyota is releasing [this statement] highlighting our concerns,” Foss said.

Toyota Statement: Toyota Lexus and Scion vehicles are engineered and manufactured as an integrated assembly of carefully designed and manufactured parts working as a system to provide predictable performance, safety and durability.

To help preserve the performance of Toyota/Lexus/Scion vehicles, Toyota Scion and Lexus publishes detailed repair procedures and produces and sells Genuine Toyota/Lexus Parts, which are manufactured to the same specifications and tolerances as the parts installed on new Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Repairing a vehicle using Genuine Toyota/Lexus/ Scion parts and procedures can help return Toyota vehicles to preloss condition following a collision.

The use of Alternative Parts Due to the sensitive nature of the safety and performance systems and lack of testing to determine their effect on vehicle crashworthiness, Toyota, Lexus and Scion do not recommend the use of alternative parts for the repair of Toyota vehicles.

This includes: ● Aftermarket Parts: Parts manufactured and branded by a company other than Toyota, Scion or Lexus ● Rebuilt Parts: Exterior sheet metal parts (including bumpers and wheels) removed from a damaged Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicle and refurbished for resale ● Salvage/Recycled Parts: Parts removed from a previously damaged vehicle, cleaned up and then installed on a different vehicle.

Overall Body Structure Genuine Toyota, Lexus and Scion Parts are constructed using metals with specific properties, thicknesses and stamping structures built to perform in a consistent and predictable way during a collision event. The use of non-OEM structural components may compromise the overall crash-

16 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

worthiness and occupant safety of Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles in a subsequent collision.

Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) Components Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles are equipped with several SRS components including airbags and seatbelt pretensioners, which are designed to help protect vehicle occupants from injury. These parts rely upon precisely manufactured sensors to detect a collision event and trigger the SRS components to deploy within milliseconds of an impact. The installation of parts branded by companies other than Toyota, Scion or Lexus that may not be tested to match Toyota, Lexus or Scion performance specifications may alter the structure of a vehicle and could result in improper operation of the SRS sensors and components.

Exterior Sheet Metal Parts The exterior sheet metal components are often described as “Cosmetic Parts.”

However, these parts are designed and tested as part of the overall

vehicle and may help send impact energy to the SRS sensors.

In addition, some of these parts may help Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles comply with several Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) including hood intrusion in the passenger cabin, preservation of proper door operation following a collision and proper airbag function. Alternative parts may not be crash tested to verify compliance with these standards.

Recycled Parts Toyota, Lexus and Scion do not recommend the re-use of structural components that have been removed from a previously damaged vehicle.

Although parts may appear equivalent, it may be difficult to identify previous damage, if a part has received collateral damage as a result of a prior collision or if the part has been subject to extreme weathering, corrosion or other detrimental environmental exposure.

Furthermore, removing welded parts from a donor vehicle, may compromise the structural integrity of the parts being used.

Gonzo’s Toolbox

This is a new story by Scott “Gonzo” Weaver as posted on his website, www.gonzostoolbox.com. 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

Who’s on First When What Can’t Get to Second? with Gonzo Weaver

My shop’s office manager is my eld“They said they didn’t know.” est daughter Katie, a bright, pretty gal “Well, that doesn’t help either with a quick wit and long beautiful one of us. Let’s start this all over red hair. Katie gets all the phone calls again. It sounds to me like the other with Richard Arnold and handles the front office issues. shop checked it out, and determined She does a great job, and makes that it was someeverything feel like a day at the ball thing they couldpark. n’t handle and She cracks me up with some of recommended us. her responses to those baffling phone Their best guess Ed Attanasio calls we all tendwith to receive at the rewas that it was pair shop. Sometimes I wonder if she something electrishouldn’t be a comedian, or even cal. Then they Katie have her own vaudeville act. gave you our On one occasion I happened to phone number and told you we could be working in the office, and overtake care of it. Am I pretty close to heard a conversation she was having what’s going on, sir?” Katie asked. with Erica with a prospective customer.

TheSchroeder way “Quite right.” she handled it was “pure Katie.”

“OK, let’s see if we can go round With the phone on speaker, I the bases on this. First off, the transcouldn’t help hearing the entire con- mission shop sent you to … who?” versation. By the end of the phone “To you…” call I was laughing so hard that I “Great, who is first base. Now, nearly forgot I was only supposed to on to second base. That’s where we Erica be listening andwith to keep quiet. Schroeder I did figure out the what’s wrong with it manage to keep quiet, but had a big part.” smile on my face for the rest of the He quickly interrupted her… “alday. The phone call went something ready did that.” like this: “Well, what’s wrong with it “Good morning, this is Katie, then?” Katie asked. may I help you?”

“I don’t know, and they couldn’t “Yes, I hadwith my carEd over at the tell me either,” the caller said, clearly Attanasio transmission shop, and they recom- trying to avoid a trip to second.

“Sir, somehow we have got to mended you guys,” the caller said.

“OK, is it a shifting problem?” third base, and haven’t touched secshe asked. ond at all,” she reasoned.

“No, it’s an electrical problem.”

“I don’t understand what you’re “We certainly do that kind of getting at,” the stymied caller said. with Ed to Attanasio work. When would you like bring it “Let’s try this again,” Katie in and have it diagnosed?” continued. “We have established that “No, I already had it diagnosed the who part of this is us at first base. You’re at home plate and at the other shop.”

“They did, did they? Did they tell you’re going to bring the car here. you what the problem was?”

That will give us a good foothold on “No, they didn’t know what was first base. The second base is the withwhy Chasidy Rae what Siskpart, and that’s where we are wrong with it. That’s I’m calling you.” having a problem. The I don’t know About now Katie is getting her part can be answered once we have raised-eyebrow look going, and her it diagnosed. pen is scribbling something on the “I told you. I already had it diagnote pad. Something is up. I can tell. nosed.”

I’ve answered phone calls like this “OK then, what’s wrong with myself. Let’s see how Katie handles it?” this … I’ll listen in a little more.

“I don’t know.” (Right past sec“So, did they give you any clue ond at full speed and sliding into as to what the problem was?” she third.) asked patiently.

“Naturally,” Katie answers him

Jobber Journal

with that I’m-not-going-through-thisagain look on her face. “They didn’t know. That’s why you’re talking to me.”

“I don’t think you understand,” he answered her.

“Oh, I understand perfectly well, sir. I don’t think you understand that we can’t repair it unless we know what is wrong with it,” she answered in a measured tone. “This is why I wanted to start off with who’s on first, which is me. I’m who.”

“But, I just told you. They diagnosed it already.”

“Who did?”

“Not you, they did.”

“What did they tell you was wrong with it?”

“I don’t know,” our caller answered yet again, making another beeline for third base.

“Sir, we will need to diagnose it all over again in order to find out what is wrong with it, and hopefully get to that third base.”

“What third base?”

“What is second base, I don’t know is third,” Katie answered him matter of factly.

“So, we need to stay on what?” asks the caller.

“Yes, second base.”

“Who’s on first?”

“I’m on first base. I thought we already agreed on that. We need to move on to second base.”

“When we get to second base, will that fix my car?”

“I don’t know,” said Katie.

“So are we on second or third now?” the caller asked, genuinely baffled.

“Sir, I’m still on first base where we started. Now let’s try to get to second again. We still need to get it diagnosed. That’s second base,” Katie continued.

“I already had it diagnosed,” repeated the caller yet again, with amazing persistance.

“And what did they find out?”

“I don’t know. Third base!” They both answered in unison without missing a beat.

This back and forth call went on for quite some time. I’m about to fall

Shop and Product Showcase Shop Showcase Shop Snapshot

Consumer Callout Custom Corner

Company Connections

off my stool, I’m laughing so hard.

We all know what’s going on here. It’s not the who, what, or I don’t know. The customer is saying he has already paid someone to check his car out, and they failed to find the problem. So “naturally,” the customer assumes that there is no need to pay for the same thing a second time, since nothing came out of it the first time around. (Try that logic when you go to a second doctor for another opinion.)

I understand the customer’s plight. He wants to know we can fix it before he brings it in. I just wish when he got up to bat at the first shop they would have done a better job of explaining the necessary diagnostic procedures—to make any repairs at all —to the customer.

Then again, the fees the customer was charged might have been for other work, and not just for diagnostics, but that part never makes it into the conversation.

The call ended with us none the wiser about the customer’s actual problem. He simply said, “I can’t bring it today, but I can bring it in tomorrow,” and hung up.

What a relief. Because (he’s in the outfield) today is the day to field wacky phone calls, and I’ve caught all the foul balls I can stand for one day.

I just hope Tomorrow doesn’t end up throwing me any wild pitches.

Katie was great at umpire. But no matter how you handle things in the office or in the shop, sometimes all you really want to do is make it around the bases without getting tagged or thrown out.

And there’s one more thing I’m sure of: I don’t want to end up with the customer only making a “short stop” in my shop, because we haven’t seen eye to eye on how the game has to be played. That is, how the problem needs to be approached and resolved.

We all know that short stop’s name. It’s the kind of thing you don’t want to hear from a customer or from the repair shop. Now, let’s PLAY BALL.

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

Consumer Callout

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

Airbag Fraud Becoming More Prevalent, Experts Say with Ed Attanasio

I got a phone call a couple of months will bother me for a long time when ago from a caller who I didn’t know. He that happens. And at this rate, it’s defsounded concerned and very cautious. initely going to happen.”

“I got your with home Ed number from He hung up, sounding somewhat Attanasio your office. I want to talk to someone relieved, and I decided to look into the at Autobody News, but I don’t want to situation. tell you my name.”

I called around. Although several I’m not much on whistleblowing organizations wouldn’t return phone but I’ve been asked this kind of thing becalls (The California DMV and the fore, just not so carefully and cautiously.

National Highway Traffic Institute, with Sisk “Okay, it will be offChasidy the record”Rae I for example), I found some people in said. He got to the point quickly, the know who were more than willing which was good, because I was at to share their perspectives. deadline on an assignment.

According to my contact at the “I’m an airbag technician. I’ve Coalition Against Insurance Fraud learned how to service, install and (CAIF) this is the way it works: An troubleshoot any type of airbag that unscrupulous technician will remove exists and I’ve been doing it for more an airbag after it has deployed in an than 10 years. At some point, I started accident and make it appear as though to notice that people were doing it’s been replaced. Or, a shady shop or sketchy things with the airbags. First it individual will replace the airbag with was a rarity but over time I’ve seen a dummy or a sub-par cheaper airbag more and more of it. It’s like a virus— that isn’t designed for the vehicle in word gets around. Now I see a lot of question. This part is disclosed in a people who are trying to avoid inpress release distributed by the CAIF. stalling the airbags properly, because In my search for someone to go they don’t want to pay the price of on the record, I contacted Doug doing it the right way.”

Hansen, the president of AirbagSerStill without naming names or vice.com, a company he founded in telling me where he worked, my 1992 with 18 locations nationwide. anonymous contact continued.

“I’ve experienced a lot of fraudulent “Most of the airbag companies and questionable activity in this indusout there are honest, but the dishonest try for the last 30 years,” Hansen said. ones are getting away with doing disThat checked out with me because honest things,” he said. “They disconairbags have been in use since the ‘70s. nect the airbag system and then install “It’s caused by people who aren’t a resistor so that the deployment light paying attention to the right things won’t come on. Then, when used car and/or motivated by money. We’ve seen resellers, brokers or individuals buy more fake bags, fake covers, and these vehicles in which the airbags are garbage work than anyone else out not operating and yet appear to be fine. there.

That’s when it becomes dangerous and “Most of the top collision shops life-threatening. Someone could easily are doing a responsible job following get seriously hurt, or killed.” the OEM standards,” Hansen continMy anonymous caller said that ued. “But some people are also gravithis type of fraudulent activity has be- tating more toward doing improper come more rampant in this down cosmetic work on airbags to save economy. He’s experiencing it mostly money or rushing through repairs to within the used car industry, where save time. I see a trend where inferior shady dealers are willing to jerry rig airbag repairs are more and more evithese airbags, instead of replacing dent within the last two years, and I do them. And he even sees a handful of believe that the recession must have body shops cutting corners when it something to do with it. Re-painting comes to airbags as well, he said. them, for example, is not acceptable “I had to tell somebody, because for several reasons, because it also afone of these days I’m going to read fects the braking mechanics of the about a death caused by an illegally vinyl. The vinyl is very specifically installed airbag and my conscience tuned to the airbag, so it can cause the

Custom Corner

Company Connections

18 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

airbag to deploy improperly. More people are doing unscrupulous things, trying to get their codes cleared for $49 instead of replacing a mandatory controller or, replacing a controller on an airbag system that isn’t required by the manufacturer because they don’t have the proper scan tools or just not replacing all the parts needed for a proper repair—these types of things are happening. In addition, the pressures on the body shops for cycletime, cost saving and no supplements can force poor decisions even when someone is trying to do the right thing.”

Hansen said he’s seen a wide range of questionable things done to airbags within the salvage industry, but his stance about salvaged airbags over the years has changed.

“Our first position is to use new OEM parts per the manufacturer’s recommendations, and we’ve always

been advocates against the use of salvaged airbags. Most of our work comes from responsible body shops and insurance companies who require new airbag system components. But we also service the used car industry, rebuilders and retail customers where we’re seeing more salvaged airbags across the board.

“I’ve softened on the salvaged airbag question more recently, however, because we now know that salvaged airbag are going to be used by some customers and it’s not illegal,” Hansen said. “Although it’s not recommended by the OEM’s, what we’re saying is this—a professional airbag technician who at least knows how to use a torque wrench and can program the proper computer codes can probably work within that realm on certain cars. We’ve taken the position that if a professional is installing a set of used See Airbag Fraud, Page 20

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Continued from Page 14

Bumpers

on Honda’s CR-V and Civic were the most compatible in the test in which an SUV strikes the rear of a car, and at $2,995 the pair had the lowest combined estimated damage in this crash test. The Civic’s $1,274 damage was the lowest among the cars. The CR-V is one of only 3 SUVs whose front bumpers overlapped half of the rear bumpers on the cars they hit.

“The CR-V’s front bumper overlapped the Civic’s rear bumper by more than 2 inches. That may not sound like much, but it’s enough to allow the bumpers to do what they’re supposed to do,” Nolan says.

When the Kia Forte struck the back of the Hyundai Tucson, their bumpers matched up well enough to keep the Forte from underriding the SUV, limiting damage to a combined $3,601 for both vehicles. The Forte’s $1,510 repair estimate was the lowest among cars in the car-into-SUV test.

The Tucson-Forte pair’s bumpers also did a good job of lining up in the SUV-into-car test. The Tucson’s $850 damage estimate was better than the

other SUVs, and it was the only SUV that didn’t have a damaged air-conditioning condenser.

Despite bumpers that aligned, results for the Forte weren’t as good.

The Forte had more than $3,000 rear damage because its bumper broke during impact. The car’s rear body panel also was damaged.

“Of the 7 car-SUV pairs we tested, we can’t point to a single one as a model of compatibility because combined damage estimates run into thousands of dollars for even the best performers,” Nolan says. “In the real world that money comes straight out of consumers’ wallets through deductibles and insurance premiums. Regulating SUV bumpers would ease the burden.”

Regulate SUV bumpers: The Institute in July 2008 petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to regulate bumpers on SUVs and pickups the same as cars, and require them to match up in a way that shields both vehicles from costly damage. The agency in June 2009 agreed to seek comments on the petition but hasn’t moved forward with a rulemaking or a low-speed compliance test for bumpers.

Regulators have long said that requiring light trucks to have bumpers would compromise off-road maneuverability and make it hard to use these kinds of vehicles at loading ramps. The Institute counters that very few SUVs

and pickups are used off road. In addition, bumpers aren’t the limiting factor in most vehicles’ approach and departure angles. Instead air dams, bumper covers, exhaust pipes, and other trim mounted lower than the bumpers get in the way.

DAMAGE REPAIR COSTS IN 10 MPH FRONT-INTO-REAR CRASH TESTS SUV INTO CAR

SUV Damage

Car Damage

Total Damage

CAR INTO SUV

Car Damage

SUV Damage

Total Damage

1Honda CR-V into Honda Civic Toyota RAV4 into Toyota Corolla Hyundai Tucson into Kia Forte Volkswagen Tiguan into Volkswagen Golf Jeep Patriot into Dodge Caliber Ford Escape into Ford Focus Nissan Rogue into Nissan Sentra

Kia Forte into Hyundai Tucson Dodge Caliber into Jeep Patriot Honda Civic into Honda CR-V Volkswagen Golf into Volkswagen Tiguan Nissan Sentra into Nissan Rogue Ford Focus into Ford Escape Toyota Corolla into Toyota RAV4

$1,721 $1,434 $850 $2,329 $1,415 $1,470 $2,884

$1,510 $2,559 $4,921 $4,555 $5,114 $5,203 $3,852

$1,274 $2,327 $3,223 $2,058 $3,095 $3,386 $4,560

$2,091 $1,338 $1,053 $1,872 $1,428 $2,208 $6,015

$2,995 $3,761 $4,073 $4,387 $4,510 $4,856 $7,444

$3,601 $3,897 $5,974 $6,427 $6,542 $7,411 $9,867

Note: The Ford Escape and Focus, Hyundai Tucson, and Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan are 2011 models.

All other cars and SUVs are 2010s. Repair costs reflect November 2010 parts and labor prices.

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Continued from Page 18

Airbag Fraud

airbags at the customer’s request; it’s the right match (make, model, year and color of the car) and they are following the rest of the manufacturers recommendations and aren’t doing anything sketchy with the system, it’s okay. The customer also needs to understand the risks and accepts the liability of the salvaged parts they’re having installed. “ The AuDoug Hansen is the president of tomotive RecyAirbagService.com cling Association and a 30-year vet(ARA) is trying to eran of the automotive airbag industry. teach its members about how to propHe is also encountering more and erly handle airbags more jerry-rigged while setting stanairbags during this dards that can asrecession sure safety and responsibility, and Hansen thinks it’s a smart move for the entire industry, he said.

“The ARA has a program called ARA Pro, where they’ve developed their own standards for handling

airbags, which is a positive step in the right direction,” Hansen said. “At least there is a group out there that is trying to do this responsibly. What we’re saying and what the industry is realizing is hey—if a car is totaled and the person can’t afford brand new airbags, recycled airbags that are properly matched with the particular vehicle, can be an acceptable option. They have to sign a release and use new electronics, parts and controllers, but if they can do it properly, using recycled airbags can provide a reasonable solution.”

Hansen isn’t enamored with the idea of using recycled airbags, but he also realizes that it can be a viable alternative if done the right way.

“This is the reality in this industry right now and it’s going to happen regardless. So, then you have to ask yourself—what is the responsible way of doing things? We can’t bury our heads in the sand because a sector of this business is going in this direction. Let’s make sure that if they’re making this decision and installing recycled airbags, at least it can happen professionally and properly within guidelines.”

Matt Patterson has owned and operated AirBagService.com’s San Francisco Bay Area businesses in Northern California since 1995 and has more than 20 years experience in

the industry, he said. What are the most basic indicators that an airbag has been tampered with, we asked Patterson.

Matt Patterson, the owner of several AirbagService.com branches in Northern California has more than 20 years experience in the industry. He is holding a false airbag showing where the vinyl on the steering wheel has been doctored

“Peeling paint and vinyl repairs on the airbag cover; if the logo or lettering on the outside of the airbag in unclear or illegible; if the outside color of the airbag doesn’t match the rest of the car’s interior colors; if the airbag warning light doesn’t come on

at all, remains on or if it doesn’t illuminate when the vehicle’s ignition is turned on, those are the standard things you’ll discover when an airbag has been tampered with. People need to look for these tell-tale signs and call us if they have any concerns about their system so it can be inspected.”

How can this industry-wide problem get solved before a slew of injuries—possible fatal ones—take place?

“It’s widespread and it seems to be growing,” Hansen said. “Whenever we catch one of these jerry-rigged airbags, we’re always thinking about all of the other ones that are still out there on the road right now. We can’t stop everything that’s happening, but if responsible people can teach others the right way of doing things while monitoring and certifying their own work, things will improve. We can’t afford to let the standards of our industry slip and we need to educate our customers about the importance of proper airbag repairs and the risks of inferior work. When our customers understand which shops take their safety seriously, it can only help the collision industry as a whole.”

Stop Searching for “Hard to find” Parts Today

Unique Concepts is a strong, new force in today’s aftermarket auto parts industry.

Unique Concepts started out by providing specialty parts for conversion vehicles such as Regency and Southern Comfort. A much needed solution to the dilemma of where to purchase these parts as a result of several conversion companies closing in the past couple of years.

While continuing to fill the demand of conversion vehicle parts and accessories, this tenacious company has now effectively branched out by specializing in providing any aftermarket hard to find auto part.

Unique Concepts has an extremely innovative new website recently launched that gives solutions of the hard to find auto parts right at your fingertips.

Owner and CEO of Unique Concepts, Brent Taylor, a natural born entrepreneur, started the operation in 2009.

“There is a great need for these hard to find parts. Body shops are blown away by our ability to fulfill their specialty part needs”, said Brent Taylor.

Unique Concepts is a wholesale distributor with a focus on creating a “one stop shop” for anything auto parts.

From bumper covers and billet grills to specialty conversion vehicle parts, Unique Concepts can provide it all.

With a motto of “If we can’t find it, it doesn’t exist”, Unique Concepts is providing body shops and dealerships with the secure ability to never have to turn their customers away because of hard to find parts again.

Taylor states, “I’m a car guy. I love everything cars and trucks, I have a great passion for what we do.”

For more information about Unique Concepts call and speak with a live person at 817-571-3100 or please visit us on our new website at www.uniqueconceptsusa.com

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry. www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

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Georgia Collision Industry Association Wraps Up 2010’s Accomplishments

by GCIA

As 2010 draws to close and we look ahead to 2011, the GCIA would like to review the accomplishments we made in 2010 and focus our efforts for 2011.

Following is a recap of events held in 2010: In January, Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Executive Director, Aaron Schulenburg spoke to our members about the benefits of belonging to an Association. He also discussed several key issues that the SCRS had been working on the previous year and their goals for 2010.

In January, we created a new website to better educate the consumer and our members on important issues facing our industry. We updated our training page to include all schools in the state that have automotive collision programs and created a job posting board for our members.

We also created a monthly newsletter to inform our members about important events and topics occurring in our industry.

In April, the GCIA hosted a First Responder Extrication Program for local fire fighters and EMT’s. The event was held at Sports & Imports Collision in Duluth. I-CAR instructor, Toby Chess, taught over 135 firefighters and first responders the latest in extrication techniques and vehicle safety.

The GCIA held two meetings with the candidates running for the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s office.

These meetings allowed our members to learn more about the candidates and educate them on the issues that are affecting Georgia motorists.

The GCIA conducted our fourth annual labor rate survey of the Metro Atlanta area. Our Association is the only association in the nation that has collected this amount of data on labor rates.

With State Farm as the only other company that conducts a survey, the GCIA wanted to have another measurement of rates in Metro Atlanta area.

GCIA Executive Director, Howard Batchelor, spoke to the at-

tendees of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Atlanta in April and Chicago in July regarding the labor rate survey we performed.

GCIA Executive Director, Howard Batchelor also spoke at the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) meeting in June about the challenges we faced conducting our survey and to offer ideas to ensure a non biased survey.

In September, BMW of NA and the GCIA hosted an Insurer Workshop at the Metropolitan Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association (MAADA) in Atlanta. Over 100 Insurers and Collision Industry Professionals attended this meeting to learn the latest in repair technology and proper repair standards when working on Aluminum vehicles.

In October, the GCIA hosted our 14th Annual Golf Tournament at Bradshaw Farms in Woodstock, GA. As we move into 2011, the GCIA wants to build on these accomplishments. Here is a look at some of the

projects we are already working on for 2011.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens has asked for our assistance in establishing a statewide Property & Casualty Advisory Committee where we can be involved in policy making issues that affect our industry and Georgia consumers.

Several members of our board will be meeting with Commissioner Hudgens in early January to discuss key issues that are affecting our industry and Georgia motorists.

Carfax will be our featured speaker at our January 20th meeting to discuss their new RAP program and how shops can ensure accurate data is recorded on Carfax reports.

The GCIA needs your continued support in 2011. We have an opportunity to have a say in the direction of our industry and we cannot do it without you. Please renew your membership today and get involved.

Please visit www.gacollisionindustry.wordpress.com for more information.

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Company Connections

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

with Ed Attanasio

Van Tuyl Dealership Group Acquires Garmat Paint Booths Nationwide What does a body shop owner expect from a paint booth? If you ask one, they’ll probably tell you things like: “I don’t want to have to worry about it; I want to buy one and maintain it, so that it can last for 20 years; I want it to work for me and not the other way around.”

Buying a paint booth is like buying a new car, except to a body shop it’s more important than that. It’s a major investment and, like a vehicle, owners want their booths to perform at a high level while requiring nothing more than standard maintenance.

That’s the mindset body shop owners and managers are in when they’re looking a paint booth or, in this case, several.

To say that Darren Huggins bought “several” paint booths is a gross understatement. Huggins is the National Collision Director for the Van Tuyl Auto Group, an enormous

dealership group that manages more privately held automotive dealerships that any other company in the United States. With offices in Arizona, Kansas and Texas, the management group works with approximately 80 independently operated dealerships nationwide. Huggins oversees the operations of 34 collision repair facilities doing approximately $160 million in total annual sales, so when he buys paint booths, for instance, it’s usually a very large acquisition.

The Van Tuyl Auto Group bought more than 30 paint booths from Garmat in 2010, Huggins said.

“We had a hodge-podge of different equipment in a lot of our facilities and we decided to do a company-wide upgrade. It was a large investment with Garmat, close to $1.8 million, but we feel confident in the decision, because the booths are proven and well-built.

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From left, Collision Director Steve Rivette, National Collision Director Darren Huggins and Body Shop Manager of the Van Tuyl Auto Group were recently on hand to oversee the installation of several Garmat paint booths at David Maus Toyota in Sanford, Florida

We looked at a lot of different paint booths, but in the end we selected Garmat.”

The Van Tuyl family has had a long history with the automotive industry, starting with Cecil Van Tuyl who began managing a Kansas City Chevrolet dealership in 1955. Joined by his son Larry in 1971, they have built a highly successful management company based on the principles they describe as “hiring the right people and giving our dealership clients the right tools, training and support that they need for success.”

What attracted Huggins and the Van Tuyl Auto Group to Garmat paint booths? “It’s fairly simple—they have a great product. I have a track record using their booths in other positions I’ve held within this industry, and so I am very familiar with their capabilities and features. Follow-through is See Garmat Van Tuyl, Page 25

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The Right Cause

Mike Causey is a consumer advocate and lobbyist for the Independent Auto Body Association (IABA), in addition to Non-profits such as alternative healthcare groups (Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, NC Reflexology Association), Organic farming and Healthy Eating. Mike is a writer and speaker on numerous consumer issues and legislation. Mailing address: Causey & Associates, P.O. Box 16725, Greensboro, NC 27416 Email: gocausey@aol.com Phone: (336) 210-1947

An Insurance Adjuster’s Tips for Consumer Insurance Claims with Mike Causey

The Right Cause

In my family, my wife, my With the average motorist filing an insurance claim every seven years, any- mother and my niece were involved in Mike Causey one, including with shop owners, might separate traffic accidents recently.

A vehicle sped through an interbenefit from some tips on how to approach insurance claims, especially if section, ran a red light and hit my wife’s car. Both air bags deployed and distracted in the heat of the moment.

According to the US Department the car was declared a total loss. Luckof Transportation, about 255 million ily, my wife wasn’t hurt physically, with Chaney passenger vehicles areJanet registered in other than a bruise from the seat belt the United States. Traffic congestion and airbag restraints that protected her from serious bodily injury. is a fact of life on most of our streets A few days later my mother’s car and highways. With all this congestion, combined with impatient, dis- was sideswiped by another driver tracted, or reckless drivers, accidents while driving on a busy street. Then, a are bound to occur.

That keepsMcGee us in few days after that, my niece was inwith Tom business, but it may be much more volved in an eight-car pileup that sent problematic for us as individuals in her to the hospital and totaled her car.

Again, no serious injuries in either our own collisions.

With more passenger vehicles case.

That’s the “good news” with than any other country in the world, most auto accident claims; Personal the volume of traffic congestion on with Tom McGee our streets and highways make it injury isn’t the problem.

“Sixty-three cents of every claim likely that you or someone in your family will be involved in an accident. dollar [pays for] physical damage on

your car,” says John Eager, senior director of claims services for the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII).

Filing auto insurance claims requires basic steps whether personal injury is involved or not. However, a personal injury claim may require a different level of proof and persistence than a vehicle damage claim.

Also, insurance regulations vary from state to state, but the basic steps to take information needed to file a claim are fairly similar.

The claims process for vehicle damage is simple in principle: (1) You make a claim; (2) The adjuster estimates the cost to repair the damage; and (3) The insurance company sends a check for that amount to you or the body shop to pay for the repairs.

Negotiating the maze of requirements from insurers makes the claims process anything but simple to those not familiar with the simple steps necessary to complete a successful claim.

“Proof of damage or injury” is required by every insurance claim before an insurer will pay.

For auto claims, Eager says there are five elements of proof that will come into play: (1) What you tell the insurance companies; (2) What the other party tells them; (3) A police report; (4) Witnesses; and (5) Physical damage at the scene.

Here are eight tips to keep with you and pass along to your family, customers and friends: # 1) At the accident scene, Call 911. Get police and medical help if necessary. Most important: Remember that you’ll need a police report.

Some police officers may try to avoid taking an accident report in parking lots or where the damage appears small. INSIST on an accident report. # 2) Exchange information with the other parties involved: license plate numbers, contact information and auto insurance information. Most states require drivers to have an insurance identification card in the vehicle that will provide most of the necessary information. Make sure to get phone numbers, names, addresses, where they work, etc. Make notes on any pertinent information regarding acci-

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dent. # 3) Find witnesses willing to tell what they saw and get their statement and contact information. If you are unable to gather information at the scene, the police report can be a backup source of information on the other parties involved and witnesses. # 4) Notify your insurance company as soon as possible. Call your insurer from a cell phone right from the scene. Many insurers have 24-hour claim-filing service by phone. Regardless of who’s at fault you should file the claim with your own insurance carrier. # 5) If the other party is at fault, advise the other party’s insurance company that you’re pursuing a claim through your carrier and will seek reimbursement for costs your carrier will not pay, including your collision insurance deductible, time off work, auto rental differential and the amount of your diminished resale value. # 6)You’ll get a phone call from the other company asking for your version of events that led to the accident. Be prepared for this. # 7) The adjuster comes up with an estimate of what it will take to restore your damaged vehicle (or replace it, if it’s totaled). Then, the insurance company will cut a check in the amount of the repair, minus any collision deductible amount. # 8) (For disputed cases) If you feel your insurer’s damage settlement offer is too low, ask for “arbitration” to settle the dispute. This process may take two to six weeks, but in most cases you won’t have to wait for payment. The insurance company should pay you the amount it offered immediately, and you’ll get the rest when and if the dispute is resolved in your favor.

On the other hand, if you disagree with an offer from the other party’s insurer, you may or may not be offered such dispute resolution. If not and the amount in dispute is significant, it may be worthwhile to take legal action.

My friend, J. D. Howard, a retired insurance adjuster who cofounded the Insurance Consumer Advocate Network (I-CAN), based in

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

Branson West, Missouri, says, “Insist on a report. If [officers] won’t file a traffic accident report, insist on an incident report. You want an independent, disinterested record of what happened. You’d be amazed at how often the other driver’s story will change.”

The police officer may plead “no jurisdiction” if the accident happens in a parking lot. Insist on an incident report, Howard says. If the accident is in a mall or other facility that has a security force, ask security to file a report. In a lot without any security, ask a shop owner to make a statement.

“You want to get something in writing,” Howard says, because “insurance companies are obliged to believe the story given to them by their own policyholder” unless there’s proof to the contrary.

Finding of fault is very important when it comes to auto insurance claims. There are rental car and diminished value issues, time off from work, and whether or not your insurance rates go up.

According to Eager and the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII), the majority of states

S.C. Pre-files Legislation Reflecting NCOIL Model Parts Act

South Carolina state Sen. David Thomas, R-Seneca, pre-filed legislation mirroring that of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators’ (NCOIL) Model Act Regarding Motor Vehicle Crash Parts and Repair.

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) opposes the Model Act. An amendment to the NCOIL Model Act that equated certified aftermarket crash parts with original equipment manufacturer parts (OEM) failed when considered before the NCOIL Property-Casualty Insurance Committee at its annual meeting in Austin, Texas.

ASA raised concerns with sections of the proposed act at the NCOIL spring and summer meetings, and at the organization’s annual meeting in November. NCOIL’s Property-Casualty Insurance Committee delayed a final decision at each of these meetings.

ASA encourages independent repairers to go to the ASA legislative website, www.TakingTheHill.com, to review the South Carolina legislation.

Previous ASA testimony submitted to NCOIL and other NCOIL-related items can also be viewed on the website.

have adopted “comparative negligence,” a concept based on the idea that no one party is necessarily completely at fault, but that fault is just a matter of degree. The “degree of fault” may determine how much your settlement is “reduced.”

“You have rights with your own [insurer] that you don’t have with the

“you can collect from two sources and put the checks in a kitty and decide how much was paid for what.”

This means itemizing every expense involved, and which insurance check paid for which expense. At the end of the process, you submit the itemized list to your insurer. Then, if there’s anything left in the “kitty”, you

other party’s insurance,” Howard says. This includes the right to a process for resolving disputes over what expenses should be covered by the insurance.

Have the patience to take an unconventional route that will be challenged by the insurer, Howard believes that if the other party is at fault, you should file claims with both carriers.

“You cannot collect twice for the same thing,” he says. However, under “multiple source recovery,” he adds,

write a check for the overage to your own insurer.

“Especially with an injury claim, you’d want to check with your insurance carrier to see what statements you need to make to the other insurance carrier.”

Make written notes about your accident. Don’t trust your memory.

Write down exactly what you will tell the other insurer so that in case of a lawsuit your statement will remain consistent. The other insurer will be taping your statement and will have

the majority of states have adopted “comparative negligence”... based on the idea that no one party is necessarily completely at fault, but... it may be a matter of degree... affecting settlement amounts.

Ford Fiesta, Mini Cars, See Slow Sales, Compacts Dominate

Compact cars are selling much better than small cars these days. The compact class is seeing new models getting bigger as the subcompacts take up their former position on show floors as the entry-level models.

In what could be considered its first full month of sales, Chevy’s new Cruze sold 8,066 units, which is a good number. The much-maligned Cobalt it replaces sold 5,112 units during November last year, likely at much lower transaction prices.

Volkswagen’s new Jetta helped overall Jetta sedan sales climb to 8,955, a 49% increase over last year.

Hyundai’s new Elantra just went on sale in the final days of November, totaling 192 units, while the 2010 still managed an impressive 8,439 units.

Sales of the Mazda3 rose 9.3% to 6,474 while Mazda’s all-new Mazda2 sold 462 units in its first full month on sale.

Don’t cry for Ford, though, because its soon-to-be replaced Focus saw sales jump 27.8% to 13,030.

The outlook for new compact cars like the Cruze, Jetta and upcoming Focus seems positive, while compact SUVs and midsize sales remain steady. The only cars that seem to be floundering are the smallest ones out there.

24 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

your exact words at their disposal.

Consumers don’t know that if an insurance company has a direct repair program (DRP), the adjuster might not even have to come out, Eager says. Under the DRP, their insurance company will refer them to a shop with which they have an agreement.

So, depending on the DRP agreement, the damage claim estimate may be done by the shop itself, the shop won’t have to wait to start repairs and the check can be transmitted right to the shop, Eager says. The body shop may also make their own arrangements for a rental vehicle if the customer needs one.

If the adjuster “Totals the car,” the adjuster will estimate compensation on the actual cash value (ACV or depreciated value) of the vehicle before the accident, essentially enabling purchase of a similar used car. However, if the auto insurance policy has “replacement cost value,” the estimate will cover the cost of buying a similar new vehicle.

Getting the claim settled more efficiently and with less frustration will be the likely result of following the above claims tips.

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draining expense rather than a sage “I need those paint booths to do investment, Huggins explained. what they’re supposed to every time.

“Treat it like a new car and it will I need my ambient temperature to reperform for you. The biggest thing ally climb quickly, and Garmat’s also very important. Whenever Garis how it will do 10-15 years from heating process and the way the mat’s people tell me something, it now. When I look at a paint booth, whole flow of the booth works very happens. I have developed a solid re- the first thing I want to know is how well. The other part of the system fealationship with the General Manager, it’s built. Will it hold up for more tures their Accele-Cure® air acceleraJohan Huwaert and they have given us than a decade? Next, I want to ana- tor system, a drying component to aid some amazing support, so it’s been a lyze the moving parts of the booth— in the waterborne procedures. We’ve sound business decision in every converted 26 of our locations to wahow the heating elements and way.” heaters engage and how quickly terborne and in the shops with older booths, I’ve installed Accele-Cure in they get up to temperaall of them, and they do an outstandture. It’s all about cycle times in this industry ing job.”

The success they’ve achieved right now, as we all know. When I take the with their waterborne paint process car from the customer relies heavily on Garmat’s Acceleup until when I return Cure, Huggins explained. “With the waterborne, you can actually see it, the clock is running. the water dissipate on the panel and The reality is this— the Original BMW Parts BMW that’s how you know it’s time for time we spend on a carNorth County has to be minimized in the next coat. After you apply that any way we can. In the initial coat, the fans up above bmwusa.com (800) 564-8222 and/or the handheld dryers will do past, 10–14 days was considered okay, but the job effectively by providing the New Garmat paint booths were recently installed at David Maus BMW Toyota in Sanford, Florida, a dealer member of the Van TuylOriginal AutoBMW Parts proper amount of air movement. guess what—that does-North County Group The painter uses the handheld dryn’t work now.

Longevity is the key with a paint Consistency is another major ers just like a blow dryer and, bebmwusa.com booth, and if you don’t take care of concern tween the two types of fans, it with a paint booth’s perform-(800) 564-8222 it, it can end up being a moneyworks great. Garmat’s accelerated ance, Huggins said.

Continued from Page 22

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drying system flashes waterborne paint better than anything we’ve used. The bottom line is that it directs higher volume of airflow directly at the vehicle, and that’s what we expect.”

Huggins has changed his facilities to waterborne for all the right reasons, he said. “That’s where the technology is going. It’s so much better for the environment, so it was a no-brainer for us. We use PPG Envirobase waterborne paint, and in conjunction with our partners at Garmat, it’s really elevated us to a higher level. Going waterborne was a huge move for us, and it’s already paid off.

To do whatever we can do to help the planet is a big deal and as a large company, it’s even more important.”

The Van Tuyl Auto Group must be doing something right, because the company’s numbers are slightly up, during a rocky period for the collision repair industry overall, Huggins said.

“We’re very pleased, because our industry as a whole is off drastically, but our sales are up considerably compared to the market. That’s not a huge See Garmat Van Tuyl, Page 27

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www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

Industry Insight

John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who 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).

He can be contacted by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

SCRS Affiliate Groups Help Members with Industry Issues with John Yoswick

More than a dozen associations were categorized in terms of workers’ comrepresented at a gathering in Dallas, pensation insurance premiums. Halcro Texas, as SCRS held its fifth annual said premiums for with Ed Attanasio “Affiliate Leadership Conference.” insurance comSCRS Chairman Barry Dorn said the pany estimators event is designed to help the national are 26 percent of association gather input from its state those charged for affiliates on its direction and efforts, shop estimators, as well as to help those groups work and the associawith one another and with the national tion believes the Bruce Halcro organization. risk of on-the-job A num- injuries —and thus the rates—for both ber of the associa- types of estimators should be compations reporting on rable. efforts they are “How can my estimator be a making to work higher risk doing the exact same thing with state regula- as someone who is driving around tors to address is- town all day when my estimator sues and concerns. spends all day in an office,” Halcro James Brown James Brown of said. the Houston Auto Body Association, for example, said the association suc- Associations address legislation cessfully pushed the Texas Depart- Legislation also continues to be a key ment of Insurance to conduct a 4-page focus for many of the associations survey of five top insurers in that meeting in Dallas. Janet Chaney of state, asking questions about labor rate the Iowa Collision Repair Association determination, shop referrals to consaid that group plans to take another sumers, DRP agreements, reimburse- run in 2011 at legislation addressing ment caps or thresholds and other the issue of shops not being reimclaims practices by the insurers (see bursed for state sales tax paid on paint cover this issue.) and materials purchases.

Brown said the survey was Judell Anderson of the Alliance prompted by a petition circulated by a of Automotive Service Providers handful of Texas shops asking the In- (AASP) of Minnesota said her group surance Department to request claims would likely push similar sales tax processing procedures and informalegislation again in her state this comtion from the insurers. ing year. She said the association was Larry Cernosek, owner of Deer successful this year in getting lanPark Paint & Body in Pasadena, guage on the issue included in both Texas, a member of the Houston asso- the state House and Senate tax bills, ciation, presented but it was opposed by the Governor the petition to the who viewed it as a new tax, something Insurance Departhe’d pledged not to allow. The associment, and helped ation argued it was not a new tax; review drafts of shops currently pay tax on the wholethe survey quessale cost of materials but cannot coltions. He also filed lect it at the retail level because they an Open Records charge for materials on a per-laborLarry Cernosek Act request with hour rather than itemized basis. But the Department to receive copies of Anderson said she feels confident last the responses. year’s effort has set the groundwork Also at the Dallas meeting, Monfor success on the issue in 2011. tana shop owner Bruce Halcro, presJordan Hendler, executive diident of the Montana Collision Repair rector of the Washington Metropolitan Specialists, said among that group’s Auto Body Association (WMABA), activities is an effort to educate regusaid the association is pleased with lators about the issue of paint capping, changes it helped craft to total loss and to change how shop estimators are regulations in Maryland. Repair costs

Shop Showcase

26 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

related to paint, plastic parts and other “cosmetic” aspects of repair no longer must be included in the salvage calculation under a new law that went into effect this past October. Two years ago, the state mandated branding of a vehicle’s title when repair costs exceeded 75 percent of the vehicle’s value. The new law passed earlier this year excludes the cost of towing, storage or vehicle rental from the calculation, as well as a list of “cosmetic” items worked out by Maryland’s department of motor vehicles, state police, insurers and the WMABA. “It’s going to save a lot of cars from being totaled,” Hendler said.

Hendler said she expects the association will also have to fight (as it did successfully this year) an effort in Virginia next year to raise the threshold of damage requiring a flood-damaged vehicle to receive a branded title from $1,000 to $5,000.

Hawaii shop owner Madison Spotts, representing the Automotive Body Painting Association of Hawaii, said the group in 2010 successfully defeated legislation introduced in that state related to the use of salvaged airbags. The bill, which was crafted Madison Spotts based on model legislation approved by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) in 2009, would have established criminal penalties for fraudulent installation of an airbag, and would have required shops to maintain detailed records of airbags they purchase, sell or install.

Spotts said the association was concerned that the legislation also set forth guidelines regulating – and some would say endorsing – the use of sal-

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vage airbags. Auto recyclers were also opposing an important clause in the bill that would have required anyone installing a salvage airbag to place a permanent label on the vehicle’s dashboard indicating that a salvage airbag had been installed.

Spotts said she thinks proponents of the use of salvage airbags saw Hawaii as a potential “easy state” to get such legislation enacted in, so its defeat was particularly important, she said.

Discussion of data privacy In addition to association reports like these, Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS, discussed in Dallas Continued from Page 25

Garmat Van Tuyl

increase, but in a very down time, we’re very proud of that. And working with top vendors such as Garmat is definitely major part of that equation.”

Garmat USA was established in 1988 to provide quality refinish equipment to the North American Market.

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some of the association’s recent and future efforts on a national level. Privacy of a shop’s estimating and management data is becoming more of a concern, he said, as the information providers move toward “cloud computing,” in which that data is stored remotely on the provider’s computers rather than the shop’s. Schulenburg said the association is hearing from more and more shops concerned that the privacy agreements with vendors do not seem adequate to address this issue.

“In addition to protecting the shop’s customer data, we also have to be concerned about our own shop data being compiled and potentially used

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against us,” Schulenburg said.

Fred Iantorno, executive director of the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) and a guest speaker at the SCRS event, said implementation of CIECA’s “BMS” standard would give shops more control over which of its data it shares with other parties. Currently, he said, the major estimating system providers use a different standardized format (“EMS”) to transfer data from the estimating system to the shop management system, insurer or other vendors.

Under EMS, Iantorno said, virtually all of the information from an estimate is transferred. But the BMS

chanical units are designed and manufactured at our Englewood, Colorado facility. Each unit is built for your specific application. By manufacturing our own complete air handling systems, we can ensure consistent performance with leading edge

standard would enable a shop, for example, to transfer only the parts data from an estimate to the parts vendor. It could also potentially save shops money by making possible true freedom-of-choice of estimating system, and potentially eliminating the need for rekeying data into other systems for CSI, paint and parts ordering, etc.

Iantorno said the information providers say they have not moved to the BMS standard because they have not seen repairers asking for such a change. That’s an issue that SCRS and its state affiliate groups meeting in Dallas discussed trying to address in the coming months.

technology, for a constantly changing industry. We strive to provide the best distributor network with the finest installation and service personnel throughout the industry and we pledge to stand behind our representatives and products.”

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Nissan Leaf Officially On Sale in U.S. Dec. 11 Nissan made good on its promise to start delivering the Leaf hatchback EV before the end of the year, with its first delivery globally made to a customer in Northern California on Dec. 11 according to reports made by Green Car Advisor.

A Nissan spokeswoman at the company's North American headquarters in Tennessee confirmed the Dec. 11 on-sale date for the U.S. to Green Car Advisor December 3 after Nissan in Japan announcing a Dec. 20 sales launch date in that country.

Other U.S. states are expected to get a handful of Leafs before year's end include Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Tennessee.

Nissan will begin a European rollout - as well as deliveries in Canada and other U.S. states in 2011 and also confirmed this morning that Leaf deliveries in Mexico will begin in mid-2011.

The Leaf is the first modern massproduced electric passenger vehicle and is expected to be followed in the next few years by battery-electric and rechargeable plug-in hybrid cars and light trucks from most of the world's automakers, a list that includes Ford, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, BMW, Fisker Automotive, Tesla Motors, and a number of Chinese car makers.

For more information please visit www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electriccar/index.

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www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 27

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

Rich Evans’ Academy Becomes Reality at Ohio Technical College with Ed Attanasio

and we imagine that many of them will be attracted to the Rich’s curricuEd is filling in for Rich this month be- lum.” cause Rich is upwith to his axles with his Chasidy Rae SiskOTC is thrilled to be associated projects. It gives Ed a chance to re- with Rich Evans for obvious reasons, King said. “We’re pleased to be partport on some exciting developments. nering with Rich and we’re looking Rich has a lot of things going on, as forward to tapping into his huge do many custom builders, but who reservoir of skills and knowledge. He else has his own academy of custom will bring his excitement for this indesign and fabrication? Read on. dustry to the school and we know that They don’t have a football team or our students will benefit on many levcheerleaders, but now the Ohio Techels.” nical College (OTC) has something no Evans was amazed by the proother institution of higher education grams at OTC when he first visited can offer its students. It’s called the the college a few years ago, he said.

Rich Evans Academy (REA), and it’s “My first impression of OTC was that the newest division within the autothis school is where I’d like to be if I motive curriculum at OTC, the largest were back in school. They care about technical college of its kind in the their students and their futures. You country. Last year, the school was secan tell when you attend functions at lected as the best top technical college the school and see the layout of their facilities. They’re always trying to make their curriculum better by offering a wide range of great programs. They want their students to learn and grow, and they place so many of their students in great jobs that it proves the value of what they teach.”

A lot has changed in the world of automotive technology since Ohio Technical College opened its doors 40 years ago. With V8 muscle cars making way for high-tech hybrids and the days of do-it-yourself repairs being replaced by professional technician service, the college is proud to be on the cutting edge of every aspect of automotive technology.

King knows that REA will hopefully produce a great car new generation of automotive restoration The Rich Evans Academy will launch this fall professionals that will be attractive to to provide advanced automotive bodywork body shops throughout the country, he classes at the Ohio Technical College said. in the nation.

“The school is always looking to The REA will open its doors and offer its students the latest and greatkick off its first 12-week module in est in the world of car restoration, fall 2011, after getting all the ap- paint techniques and customization, provals from the accreditation board, and by aligning itself with top inaccording to OTC’s Vice President of structors and sponsoring companies, Enrollment Management/Technical we’re stepping up in a big way,” King Training Tom King. The program’s said. “By creating the Rich Evans capacity will be 25 students four times Academy, a special division of the per year for a total of 100. We expect college’s curriculum that hopes to it to really take off. We train 200 auto offer those students who want to debody students annually in our college velop new skills under the tutelage of

by Ed Attanasio

Company Connections

28 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Rich Evans.”

What was the genesis of the REA? “It’s a program that Rich and I came up with together to really teach customizing cars in-depth and impart his advanced autobody techniques with this program,” King said. We’ll be videotaping everything Rich does for us, so that students can refer to them at any time. It’s a great tool for studying all of his techniques in detail.”

our program. For hammer and dolly work, we’ve got a workstation that they can build for themselves, to store their tools for the program. Helping our students to be organized in their work is very important, because we’re teaching them how to be effective in a shop environment.”

Other classes as part of the REA’s curriculum will include specialized instruction in paint, fabrication and tool-

Tom King received the 2009 National College of the Year Award on behalf of the OTC in 2009

The classes offered by the REA will be geared toward the advanced OTC students, King explained.

“We’re going to incorporate many of the unique skills that Rich has developed over the years, including his way of doing things and creating an organized and methodical way of working and bring them to the college. The REA will be an advanced automotive repair program for those students who really want to excel.

“Another component Rich will offer to the college includes his additional frame straightening techniques to complement what we’re already teaching,” King said. “He’s going to share his theories on pulling frames that he uses to help students to be more efficient in the field.”

The REA will also teach its students how to organize the production process, Evans-style, King said. “One of the things Rich does is designs and builds his own workstations, and we’re going to incorporate them into

ing, just to mention a few, King said.

“We’ll be teaching advanced removal techniques; waterborne painting techniques; different spray out methods; and proper PSI to use for different types of paint. All of our airbrushing is done using waterborne paint. Rich is going to get into fiberglass and plexi glass fabricating to create your own plugs and molds; advanced TIG welding; and fabrication tooling; smoothing and curving metal using the English wheel punishing hammer. Those are some of the things we’re looking to do at the REA.” Skilled students will be able to spread their wings in a big way at the REA, King said. “These are more advanced autobody techniques that can help students to hone their skills a little more and develop their techniques even further. If our students want to get more into customization work, these classes will lay the foundation for those skills. They will be able to learn things that you wouldn’t nor-

mally see in your average auto body shop.”

King has also added some duties to Evans’s role at OTC, he explained.

“We’re bringing Rich in as a “Master Advisor” to help us evaluate and improve the existing Collision Repair and Classic Car Restoration programs.

In this capacity, Rich will be working closely with staff and student and making recommendations to the college on how to improve curriculum, training methods and utilize the most current advanced techniques used in the industry.”

Ohio Technical College (OTC) began in 1969 as the Ohio Diesel Mechanics School, conducting six week diesel training courses in Cleveland’s Warehouse district.

Founded by Julius Brenner, the school began hitting its many growth spurts in 1971 as the demand for diesel tech training grew at a rapid pace and students moved into a larger facility to accommodate proper equipment. From that day in the early 1970s, the school hasn’t stopped expanding, changing its name several times—first to the Ohio Diesel Technical Institute, then

Program. In 1993, the college was one of 133 technical schools nationwide to participate in the Federal Governments New Direct Loan Program.

Today, Julius’ son Marc Brenner serves as president of OTC while his grandson Jordan Brenner is the admissions/marketing manager of this family-owned school.

More than 1,000 students are enrolled and 190 full-time employees work at the college. Newly purchased buildings and houses are being converted into classrooms and parking lots to expand the campus footprint.

Most recently, the school’s branch campus PowerSports Institute (PSI) Rich Evans (left) is ready to impart his skills and knowledge to has moved into a OTC’s students alongside Director of Enrollment Tom King (right) 210,000-square-foot In 1989, a building purchase facility in nearby North Randall, Ohio, added 500,000 square feet to the comto provide technical training on motorplex and the school created the Mocycles, snowmobiles, personal watertorcycle and Small Engine Training craft, ATVs and more.

to Ohio Auto/Diesel Technical Institute and the Ohio Auto Diesel Technical College—before deciding on Ohio Technical College in September 1997 to reflect its mission to provide premier technical training in the world of modern mechanics.

Drawing students from all over the country, OTC is an Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) college. Students can choose from a wide variety of technician training programs in Automotive, Diesel, Auto-Diesel, Collision Repair, Classic Car Restoration and PowerSport Technology as well as specialization in High Performance and Racing, BMW, Alternative Fuel Vehicles, CDL Truck Driver Training, Custom Paint and Graphics, Power Generator Systems and a 12-month Welding Program partnered with Lincoln Electric.

“It’s important for the college to give back to the industry and community by partnering with quality manufacturers and local businesses to create real-world training situations for our future technicians,” adds King. “The Ohio Technical College team is extremely proud of our students as well as our academic programs in the automotive and powersports industries. We look forward to another exciting, rewarding and successful year for the students, staff and school.”

Ray LaHood Fights Loophole Favoring Drunk Drivers

Too many motorists stopped for suspected alcohol impairment have found that just saying no to a request for a roadside breath test improves their odds of beating a conviction, federal authorities say.

“We know that refusing a breathalyzer is a persistent, ongoing problem,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “There’s a loophole here.”

Announcing a “no refusal” strategy December 13 as part of a holiday crackdown on drunken driving, LaHood said the federal government is advising law officers to use a search warrant to quickly obtain a blood test from drivers who have refused to take a breath test.

“We know people are going to try and find ways to get out of very bad, dangerous behavior,” he said, “and we’re not going to let that happen.”

The strategy—already being used in nine states—involves having local judges on call for requests from police for a search warrant in a suspected case of alcohol impairment, just as is done to authorize a search for illicit drugs during a traffic stop.

Only in this case, the blood test is the means of obtaining evidence.

Additional personnel trained in

blood collection also are part of the effort. LaHood, at a news conference held in the lobby of the Arlington County Detention Center, was flanked by a variety of state and local police officers from around the country, some of whom told reporters their testing of the program is already showing it to be a success.

Sheriff Craig Webre of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, told reporters that if drivers “refuse to submit to a blood-alcohol test, the deputy will apply to the court for a search warrant, ordering the subject to submit to a blood test.”

“This process enhances the ability of the prosecutor to close loopholes and criminally prosecute drunk drivers,” he said.

The law supports the strategy in some 30 states, but most of them are not currently using the warrant initiative, officials said.

Meanwhile, based on 2005 figures, nearly one in four suspected drunken drivers refuses a breath test, according to an average of reports from 38 states.

LaHood blames defense attorneys who counsel repeat offenders to avoid providing scientific evidence— the results of a breath test—that could help convict them when a drunken driving case comes to trial.

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

Shop Showcase

Erica Schroeder is a writer and editorial assistant for Autobody News in Oceanside, CA. She can be reached at eschroeder@autobodynews.com.

with Erica Schroeder

Jeff’s Auto Body Repair in Austin, TX, Steers Clear of Direct Repair Programs

Jeff’s Auto Body Repair, in Austin, “By doing this, there is not a conTX, was founded in 1971 and has flict of interest in how the repairs are been family-run ever since. The performed,” said Joe. shop’s owner, Jeff Sessler, opened the Jeff’s they feel this policy alwith John YoswicklowsAtthem shop 39 years ago and has his son, Joe to openly discuss claims Sessler, working in the shop with him. with customers without fear of losing a contract with an insurance company.

Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance at Jeff’s because they have always dewith Ed Attanasio pended on customer referrals and repeat customers as their main source of business.

“Our main goal is to provide the customer with high quality repairs and factory replacement parts,” said Joe. Jeff’s not only upholds a no (l-r) Owner Jeff Sessler, Joe Sessler and Donny Barker DRP standpoint in their operaat the front desk tions, they also make a point to The shop has 25,000 square feet educate customers on how the proof work space and employs 20 people. grams work.

Jeff’s grosses about $2.5 million per “We do take an aggressive apyear, but has seen years as high as $3 proach on educating the consumer million, especially during a year with about the DRP programs, and what kind a hail storm, according to Joe Sessler.

The shop has about 50 cars going in and out of bays per month.

Jeff’s not only does not have any direct repair program (DRP) relationships with any insurance companies, they take an aggressive stance against these relationships in their business completely.

Inside the shop area “We work for the customer, not the insurance company paying for the claim,” said Joe. of parts and repairs that can be expected Jeff’s believes that by not having within the guidelines established by the preset relationships with any insurers insurance companies,” said Joe. they can dictate how their repairs are Jeff’s also makes their stance on performed based on the customer’s this issue and an abundance of inforwants and needs. mation about DRPs available on their

Industry Insight

Shop Showcase

Texas Driver Records Now Available Online

The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that Texas drivers can now order their driving records online and print them out immediately instead of waiting to have the record mailed to them, according to reports made by Insurance Journal.

“We are pleased to offer this new service, which is available 24/7 to our customers. The convenience of ordering your driver record online and then printing it out yourself will save every-

one time and money,” said Rebecca Davio, the DPS Assistant Director for Driver License. Previously, drivers could order their driver record online but had to wait to receive their record via the U.S. Postal Service.

Now, drivers can place their order using a credit card and their driver license, and then print out their record, which is available in a certified version.

To order a driver record online, visit www.texas.gov.

30 JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

website at www.jeffsautobodyrepair.com.

Jeff’s centers their business on doing high-quality repairs and warrants all work done for life.

“The heavy use of salvage and aftermarket parts limits the ability of DRP’s to do high quality repairs,” said Joe. “We would rather spend more time concentrating on the integrity of our workmanship, than making sure that we use inferior parts and repairs tactics to save the

An outdoor storage area for finished vehicles waiting to be picked up

insurance companies money.”

Although Jeff’s does not have any direct repair relationships with insurers, they do process insurance claims as normal for customers.

For more information please visit www.jeffsautobodyrepair.com.

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International Auto Glass Safety (AGRSS) Conference Meets Success in Chicago, Ill.

The sixth annual International Auto Glass Safety (AGRSS) Conference garnered rave reviews from attendees.

The event was held October 27-28 in Chicago, Ill. Attendees heard from several safety group representatives, including Jill Braselton with Safe Kids USA, a group dedicated to child safety, and automotive safety design expert Ben Kelley of the Center for Auto Safety.

In addition, participants received tips for preparing for a third-party validation, marketing AGRSS in their businesses and an inside look at the third-party validations that have been conducted so far.

On the second day of the conference, several insurance agents were on-hand to participate in an AGRSS insurance/consumer awareness program. Insurance agents earned CE credits for the sessions, and auto glass company representatives were able to network with agents from across the Midwest region.

This year’s conference was held at the Drury Lane Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace, a suburb of the Windy City.

NHTSA Proposes Mandatory Backup Cameras in New Cars

U.S. auto-safety regulators proposed requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014, under a rule released December 6 intended to prevent drivers from backing over pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which published the proposed rule, said an average of 292 people die each year from back-over accidents, which primarily kill children and the elderly.

“There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

The rule will benefit suppliers such as Gentex Corp., said David Leiker, an analyst with Baird Equity Research. He said in a research note that Gentex’s rear-camera display system, with an LCD screen that is visible when the vehicle is in reverse, would satisfy NHTSA’s proposed requirements.

A rule to enhance rear-view visibility for drivers was required by a 2007 law named after Cameron Gulbransen, a 2-year- old from New York who died after his father accidentally backed over him.

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U.S. Wants Tougher Repair Rules on Rental Cars The top U.S. auto-safety regulator said he is “working through the bully pulpit” to make sure rental-car companies such as Avis Budget Group Inc. and Hertz Global Holdings Inc. complete repairs on recalled vehicles.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland said he’s working to publicize the investigation he opened November 25 into the repair history of 29 U.S. models in rental-car fleets according to reports made by Bloomberg News.

Thirty percent of recalled vehicles in the United States aren’t repaired, according to agency data.

“Our interest and our conversations with rental-car companies are to make sure every driver, every customer is in a vehicle that is safe,” Strickland said.

The recall process treats rental-car companies the same way as retail customers, who must be notified about defects and aren’t required to fix them.

Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Auto Safety, said rental-car companies should be held to the same standard as auto dealers, who can’t sell a car if the repairs aren’t complete.

“If there’s a safety recall, there’s a safety recall,” Ditlow said. “When rental cars are subject to a recall, the car should

be repaired before the consumer uses it.”

Laura Bryant, a spokeswoman for Enterprise Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. rental-car company, didn’t have an immediate comment.

Paula Rivera, a spokeswoman for Hertz, and John Barrows, a spokesman for Avis, didn’t respond to inquiries.

The Center for Auto Safety petitioned the Federal Trade Commission in August to look into whether Enterprise rents to its customers before recall repairs have been completed.

NHTSA works with domestic and foreign automakers to issue recalls for safety-related defects.

Automakers, in turn, notify customers about repairs, which are done at no charge to vehicle owners.

There can be months of delay between the time a manufacturer notifies NHTSA about a defect and when vehicle owners are informed of a recall, Ditlow said.

NHTSA could require carmakers to notify rental companies sooner, he said.

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NABC Establishes Inter-Industry In-Language Initiative

At its November 2, 2010 board meeting, the National Auto Body Council (NABC) voted to establish an inter-industry initiative to explore and address the needs of the growing number of non-English-speaking employees within the collision industry.

The goal of the initiative is to facilitate equal access to industry training, services and products for non-English speakers, supporting NABC’s core mission of enhancing the image of the industry. Under the auspices of NABC, the inter-industry will develop strategies to enhance the working experience and quality of work product of non-English speakers.

Practicality dictates that one nonEnglish speaking population be the initial focus of the inter-industry effort.

Because the Spanish-speaking community was identified as the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, NABC will start there.

The concept of language outreach within NABC started at the organization’s July 2009 annual planning meeting.

George Avery, then NABC president, suggested that a “Knowledge Community” be established to answer three basic questions; is there a need for in-language outreach in the collision industry?, if so, what are those needs? and is there anything NABC can do, in

accordance with its mission, to meet these needs?

Avery recruited fellow board member Karen Fierst to spearhead the To advertise initiative. Fierst then set out to find incall Advertising Sales at: to terested, informed people willing serve on800-699-8251 the Knowledge Community.

The Knowledge Community has e-mail: worked together for over a year now. It advertising@autobodynews.com consists of Active Co-Chair Javier Avalos (Ina Road Auto Collision), Adwww.autobodynews.com visor/Co-chair Al Estorga (Estorga’s Collision Repair), German Mejia (ICAR Southeast Regional Manager), Gene Lopez (I-CAR Southwest Regional Manager), Denise Pina (Brea See the N Auto Body) and Ben Mendoza (Kelly’s Body Shop). Fierst serves as NABC’s board member and the initiative’s facilitator.

The group has already begun diswww.autobodyn cussions regarding several pertinent issues.

These include the fact that Spanish speakers from different geographic areas use different terminology and the challenges that surface when translators/interpreters have no background in the automotive or collision industry.

NABC’s in-language initiative will conduct its first formal meeting of said stakeholders during CIC Week in Palm Springs, California this coming January.

Please visit www.autobodycouncil.org for more information.

Autobody New

www.autobodynews.com | JANUARY 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

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