Southwestern April 2015 Issue

Southwestern Edition

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33

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VOL. 33 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2015

Takata Responds to Pressure from NHTSA, Honda’s Consumer Education Campaign, Recyclers Respond

Texas Collision Repair Shops Cite Legal Issues with GEICO Regarding Certain Fees

The cascading number of vehicle recalls caused by defective Takata airbags has been making front page

Numerous collision repair shops in the Houston, TX, area are having legal issues with GEICO insurance company regarding the payment of certain rates for tow bills, administrative fees, and storage on total loss vehicles. Autobody News recently spoke to some of these shops to find out more.

“It is the opinion of the Houston Auto Body Association (HABA) that this is a calculated effort by GEICO to strong arm shops to accept unfair compensation for work completed by shops on total loss vehicles,” said James Brown of the Houston Auto Body Association (HABA).

One of these shops is Kopriva Body Works in Houston. This third-

by: Victoria Antonelli

Photo Credit: 5newsonline.com

news from 2008 to the present day.

During that time, automakers have recalled about 17 million vehicles with airbags that can rupture when deployed, producing fragments that can kill or seriously injure motorists.

In the latest action, Honda has launched a multi-million dollar print, digital and radio advertising campaign on March 16 to urge Honda and Acura owners to check for open recalls and complete airbag inflator repairs.

“The goals of this campaign are to save lives and prevent injuries,” said John Mendel, Executive Vice PresiSee Takata Takes Steps, Page 18

Dallas, TX Body Shops Fighting Insurance Companies Over Repairs

Jason Davis works at Park Place Dealerships’ Bodywerks, one of the Dallas-area shops that are pushing back against insurance company efforts to steer customers to less expensive after-market parts. Insurers tout the savings, but some body shops say the parts often don’t fit. Photo Credit: Jim Tuttle/Staff Photographer

P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

Most of the body shop techs at Park Place Dealerships cringe when they see the word after-market in a repair order.

Too often, after-market parts— any part not made by the original manufacturer—“just don’t fit,” said Eric McKenzie, director of body shop operations for the Dallas-based group of high-end dealerships.

After-market parts cost substantially less than original components from an automaker, but “the bottom line is they are not the same parts,” McKenzie said.

See Fighting Over Repairs, Page 10

Change Service Requested

by Terry Box, Dallas Morning News

by Stacey Phillips

generation family-run business is currently being sued by GEICO for damages under theories of fraud, violations of the DTPA, conversion, replevin and trespass to chattels.

John Kopriva, the owner of the 85-year-old collision repair shop, said, “We have never been sued or have had anything to resemble what is going on with GEICO.” Travis Crowder of Crowder Law Firm, who is representing Kopriva Body Works, said the suit is a result of fees charged by Kopriva in connection with vehicles determined to be “totaled” by GEICO. “Kopriva has generally denied the claims of GEICO and has asserted its own claims against the insurance company for sums due under a customer’s See Legal Issues with GEICO, Page 12

Body Shop Owner Matt Parker is Running for LA Insurance Commissioner When Autobody News recently spoke to Matt Parker he was taking a break from the campaign trail in Louisiana and preparing for a fundraising event the following week. The owner of Parker Auto Body in West Monroe is running for Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner.

Before Parker announced his candidacy on March 2, his election team conducted a phone poll with 600 voters across the state.

The intent was to get a pulse on the knowledge base of Matt Parker, Louisiana’s resiOwner of Parker dents.

Auto Body, is “The deeper we running for LA Insurance dug the more we Commissioner found that the policy holders in LA aren’t being treated fairly by their insurance companies,” Parker said. He also learned that insurance rates in LA are nearly double the

national average for homeowners insurance and one of the highest in the nation for automobile insurance.

“Nobody that we have talked to likes what is happening and most of them have their own horror stories… where they have been taken advantage of by the insurance industry.”

Parker, a Republican, said he never had political aspirations but decided to run for Insurance Commissioner to educate the people of LA and help make a difference in the industry.

He has vowed not to take any money from insurance companies to fund his campaign. “I don’t feel you can regulate an industry if you’re taking money from them,” he said.

Parker said he came from modest beginnings. “We didn’t have a lot but we had enough,” said the LA native.

Once he realized he enjoyed doing auto body work, he tried to learn as much as he could.

See Parker Running, Page 6

Presorted Standard US Postage PAID San Bernardino, CA Permit #2244

2 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Four New Apps for Techs, Painters, Estimators and Service Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Attanasio - Online Remarketing Gets Your Name Out There.....Again . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Chess - How Much Do You Know About 2015 Vehicle Technology and Trends?. . 38 Luehr - Putting First Things First. . . . . . . . 34 Yoswick - ASA-MI and DRPs, Carstation.com, Right to Repair and Toby Chess’ Legal Threat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Yoswick - Testing Shows Dramatic Differences in Isocyanate-Blocking by Spraysuits . . 32 NATIONAL $11M Award in Camry Unintended Acceleration Suit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 AASPI Responds to CNN Report . . . . . . . 16 Assured Performance Introduces Insurer-Facing Certified Shop Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Auto Damange Experts Grand Opening in Portland, OR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Berkshire Hathaway Completes Van Tuyl Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Caliber Auto Mechanics File CA Wage & Hour Class Action Suit . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CARSTAR Hosts Aluminum Program at Automechanika . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CCC ONE® Repair Workflow Has Reached 5,000 Users . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Collision Avoidance Sensor Market Expected to Reach $10B by 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 CREF to Highlight Collision Career Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Dallas, TX Body Shops Fighting Insurance Companies Over Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 GEICO Philanthropic Awards $100,000 to CREF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Google Compare Now Live in California . . . 3 January Used Vehicle Prices Up Y-O-Y, M-to-M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 John Mosley, Owner of Clinton Body Shop, is Now Running for Mississippi Insurance Commissioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Judge Dismisses Fraud, Racketeering Case Against Warren, MI, Shop Owner, “Evidence Not There”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 LORD Announces New Panel Bonding Adhesive Offering No Tack and No Odor . 52 Martin Senour Announces Second Quarter Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Martin Senour Launches New Automotive Refinish Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Matrix, USC Brands Renew Partnership with “Counting Cars” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Mitchell Launches RepairCenter Hub, a Real Time Communication and Collaboration Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Over 100 Dealerships Join Suit v TrueCar Buying Site Contending Deceptive Business Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Plaintiffs’ Attorneys at Eaves Law Firm Encourage Shops to Share Stories About Alleged Steering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 RARE PARTS’ Extreme Duty Pitman and Idler Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Record $13M Plus in Support to Collision School Programs Through CREF . . . . . 53 Record360 App Documents Damages in One Step, Saving Industry Members Time and Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Safety Groups Ask NHTSA for Collision Avoidance Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Service King Expands in Chicago, with Six Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 ShopRepTV: A Personalized TV Channel for Body Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Takata Responds to Pressure from NHTSA, Honda Launches Major Consumer Education Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Talent Monger Holds Collision Industry Job Fair in PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Three-C Body Shops File Lawsuit Against At-Fault Driver Due to Insurer’s Underpayment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Transportation Secy calls on Congress to close safety gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Urethane Supply Company Releases I-CAR Course® on Nitrogen Plastic Welding . . . 8 WIN Acknowledges 2015 Corporate Sponsors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 WIN Member Sees Huge Opportunities in Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 WIN’s 2015 Most Influential Women in Collision Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Google launched a new auto insurance shopping website on March 5 known as Google Compare. When Autobody News talked to Google Spokesperson Joe Osborne, he said the website has launched in California and the plan is

to expand to other states throughout the year. The stand-alone website can be found at Google.com/compare and allows consumers to analyze auto insurance quotes. Osborne said the goal is to present the information to Google users in an intuitive, relevant and userfriendly way. According to the company’s website, a Google internal study found that, “...when it comes to buying car insurance, 80% of drivers think they’d find a better policy if they could compare more than two

providers.”

There are currently 14 insurance partners that are part of Google Compare. These include Mercury Insurance, Metlife, The General Insurance, Infinity Auto Insurance, Titan Insurance, Stillwater, Dairyland Auto, CSE Insurance Group and six others.

Google drew on its current advertising base to begin building a selection of companies to partner with. The billion dollar company launched a similar site for credit cards last year and Osborne said the company is continually improving the site to ensure it is as useful as possible.

When searching for car insurance, the website has a questionnaire box that asks for information such as a consumer’s zip code, license number and make and model of vehicle. Once this information is inputted, the site shows the various price quotes from the insurance companies.

“As Google Compare for car insurance rolls out to more states, we’ll also be introducing ratings and reviews, as well as local agent support for providers and agent networks,” according to Google’s official blog posted by Jerry Dischler, VP of Product Management, AdWords.

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Assistant Editor: Stacey Phillips Online Editor: Victoria Antonelli Contributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, David Brown, Rich Evans, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman, Bill Doyle, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Sales Assistant: Louise Tedesco Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . 55 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 45 Bob Howard PDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chicago Pneumatic Compressors . . 6 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 19 Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Don Carlton Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 38 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 18 Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers TX, OK, LA, NM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Fowler Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Freedom Dodge-Chrysler-JeepRam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Gillman Acura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 GlobalJig North America . . . . . . . . . 7 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 49 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29 Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Lewisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Huffines Hyundai Plano . . . . . . . . . 40

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2015 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody News

Southwest

REGIONAL Body Shop Owner Matt Parker Running for LA Insurance Commissioner . . . . . . . 1 Christian Brothers Auto Repair Franchise in TX to Open 20 Stores in 2015 . . . . . . 4 LA SkillsUSA High School Competition Right Around the Corner, Qualifiers Head to Nationals in KY . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Registration Open for ToolTech 2015 in Austin, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sisk - Exciting Changes Coming for 2015 SARC, Hosted by Seven State Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Sisk - TIAA Co-Hosts Second Annual Tire and Automotive Expo . . . . . . . . . . 40 Texas Collision Repair Shops Cite Legal Issues with GEICO Regarding Certain Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Texas Supreme Court Seat Belt Ruling Adds ‘Hurdle’ for Injured Plaintiffs . . . . . . . . . . 4 TX Law Firm Scores $747K Jury Verdict in Collision Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 TX Man Training to Be Technician Suffers Debilitating Injuries in Collision, Awarded $1.3M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

Indexof Advertisers

Contents

Google Compare Now Live in California

Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com Email: news@autobodynews.com

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 48 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 47 LKQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Mac Haik Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Martech Services Company . . . . . . 24 Matrix System Automotive Finishes . 23 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 53 Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . 46 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 35 North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 34 Pro-Spray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 39 Reliable Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 31 Scoggin-Dickey Buick . . . . . . . . . . 32 Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21 South Pointe Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. 17 Toyota of Fort Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 44 Urethane Supply Company . . . . . . . 8 U.S. Chemical & Plastics . . . . . . . . 25 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 52 Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Christian Brothers Auto Repair Franchise in TX to Open 20 Stores in 2015 Christian Brothers Automotive plans to open 20 locations in 2015—continuing the growth that has earned the auto repair franchise recognition from both Entrepreneur magazine and Franchise Business Review.

Christian Brothers is a faithbased auto repair franchise with a unique financial model. The auto repair franchise company assumes a majority of the startup risk by purchasing land and constructing “built-to-suit” buildings, which the franchisee then manages. The company doesn’t charge a franchisee based on top-line revenues, but on a share of the profits, which is calculated after expenses. Franchisees also pay themselves a salary before they pay the franchisor.

“We make it possible for good people to start a strong business in an industry that has had a troubled reputation, and we create a better experience for customers,” said Mark Carr, CEO of Christian Brothers.

Carr said that what sets Christian Brothers apart from other auto repair franchises is what he called the “nice difference.” That includes a solid brick building, a lobby that is

reminiscent of an upscale hotel and comfortable furniture. The bathroom is clean, and the repair bays are impeccable.

“I like being in the garage and the camaraderie, but what I really like best is having an opportunity to speak with a guest about what is wrong with their car, what they can do to fix it, how they can prevent it from happening again and things like that,” said Doug Beachy, a franchise owner in Cincinnati.

“I like the personal interaction, and like many families in today’s economy, our guests typically can’t invest huge sums of money in their cars. We try to help our guests out as best we can and give proper advice as far as what they can do to keep their car safely on the road for as long as possible,” he added.

For more details about the Christian Brothers Automotive franchise opportunity, visit christianbrothersfranchise.com.

www.autobodynews.com

Texas Supreme Court Seat Belt Ruling Adds ‘Hurdle’ for Injured Plaintiffs C

A recent Texas Supreme Court ruling overturned a four-decade-old law that made evidence of not wearing a seat belt invalid in auto collision.

This suit adds another hurdle for injured plaintiffs, said one local veteran trial lawyer.

On Feb. 13, the high court squashed the previous 1974 ruling, which offered “plaintiffs safe harbor from the harshness of an all-or-nothing scheme that barred recovery for even the slightest contributory negligence,” the court’s opinion read.

“I disagree with the ruling… but I feel like that ruling was inevitable, given our current political climate,” said Clay Dugas, founder of the Clay Dugas and Associates law firm in Beaumont, TX. “Causation negligence is predicated on who set the ball in motion, not whether or not someone has a seat belt on.”

Dugas, who has practiced law for the past 30 years, said the ruling adds another hurdle for injured plaintiffs to address in trial, potentially requiring them to hire additional pricey experts, such as biomechanical engineers.

“In the long run, it will make cases more costly and time consuming,” said Dugas. “Jurors are smart.

They know whether or not someone

had their seat belt on.”

With the new ruling in place, the percentage of contributory negligence jurors assign to plaintiffs for not wearing their seat belt will now cut into their total award—an outcome that will hurt legitimately injured victims more than the trial lawyers representing them, says Dugas.

“I think we (plaintiff’s attorneys) are very resilient to change,” Dugas added. “However, (the ruling) does affect the net to the client.”

On the other side of the spectrum, some tort reform groups believe the high court’s decision to be a step forward in comparison to the old ruling, which formerly held a plaintiff’s failure to use a seat belt may exacerbate his or hers injuries, but it cannot cause a collision, and therefore should not affect a plaintiff’s recovery.

“The unanimous decision by the Supreme Court is consistent with the law, good public policy and common sense,” said Sherry Sylvester, spokesperson for Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

Only the years to follow will determine the overall impact of the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling, reported David Yates, setexasrecord.com.

4 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Plaintiffs’ Attorneys at Eaves Law Firm Encourage Shops to Share Stories About Alleged Steering

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

Auto body shops in 36 states are now part of the antitrust Multi District Lawsuit (MDL) in Florida. John Eaves Jr., the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, is encouraging shop owners across the country to share their stories about alleged steering and other insurance practices, regardless whether or not they are part of the lawsuit.

Eaves Law Firm in Mississippi plans to use these experiences to help prepare affidavits for an injunction the firm is about to file. “This injunction is going to be asking the court to stop the insurance company’s steering practices and other retaliatory practices,” he said.

In March, Autobody News reported that Judge Gregory Presnell in Florida had dismissed a large portion of the lawsuit. “Since that has happened, we actually found out more information,” said Eaves. The law firm has been preparing the documentation to refile the claims that were dismissed without prejudice.

When Autobody News spoke to

Eaves, he said that Judge Presnell indicated that he wants more specifics in regards to the lawsuit. In response, Eaves Law Firm has been rewriting the lawsuits to include specific information from the auto body shops.

Although Eaves said this was not their original intention, the Eaves team has been collecting information from the shops. “We’ve tried to give the judge enough detail and enough information so he can have the confidence to move forward,” he said.

He also said that some of the lawsuits have been put on hold until the firm can best determine how the judge wants them filed. Then the other lawsuits can be filed in a similar manner.

Each state’s lawsuit has a different deadline.

Eaves and his team have also been focusing on answering the defendants’ move to dismiss the lawsuit.

There is a standing court date once a month, with the latest one held on March 6. Eaves said the purpose of that hearing was to speed up the process.

“Thanks to the leadership of Judge See Eaves Law Firm, Page 8

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

TX Man Training to Be Technician Suffers Debilitating Injuries in Collision, Awarded $1.3M

Houston truck accident attorney Gene S. Hagood of Hagood & Neumann announced he was part of a team that obtained a more than $1.3 million jury verdict on behalf of a man seriously injured in a truck accident in Laredo, TX. Two years ago, in a similar case, a jury awarded a $281 million verdict to the family of a U.S. veteran who was killed in a truck accident in Dimmit County, TX. Hagood and two other lawyers handled the wrongful death case, which resulted in one of the largest verdicts in the State of Texas, according to Eagle Pass Business Journal.

“I’m proud of the work we do on behalf of the injured and families who lost loved ones,” Hagood said.

“We routinely obtain large settlements and verdicts. These awards not only help injured victims and their families put their lives back together, but they send a strong message to trucking companies that they will be held accountable if they try to cut corners. Far too often, trucking companies allow unqualified drivers on the roads not only in South Texas but throughout the United States. The consequences of the trucking company’s negligence Continued from Cover

Parker Running

He decided to join the Air Force in 1978. “I looked at my orders and I saw England. I said, ‘man, we’re getting to go overseas,’ then I read a little further and saw Alexandria, LA. He served for four years and was stationed at England Airforce base in Alexandria, LA. When Parker left the military, he rented a couple of stalls and a mechanic shop in Monroe, LA. He applied for a bank loan to fund his business and was refused several times.

However, Parker didn’t give up. After six months, the loan officer finally told him that he was the most persistent person he had ever met and was going to give him a $100,000 loan. That money enabled Parker to purchase a building for Parker Auto Body.

At one point he operated three locations but now has one big store. His daughter Amber is in charge of managing the books and Amber and his son-in-law Drew Randall help oversee both operations, his tire store and body shop. Parker’s youngest son Grant will soon be working in the

can be devastating.”

Guzman, a man in his mid-20s at the time of the crash who had a wife and two young children, was working temporarily as a van driver for a local hotel, according to court documents.

He also helped with chores at the hotel to earn money to support his family, documents state. The lawsuit stated his goal was to finish school to become an auto-body repair technician and painter.

Documents stated the accident occurred on June 13, 2009, in Laredo.

Guzman’s injuries included herniated disks in his lower back. The documents stated he was treated with medication, physical therapy, rest, time off work and injections, among other treatment, but none of these measures worked.

Documents stated that as a last resort he underwent back surgery, but could not return to work full time because of pain and back problems.

His passenger, Lambert, was in the back seat and sustained less severe injuries that resulted in him being out of work for about a month, documents stated.

The jury awarded Guzman $1,314,000 and $20,500 to Lambert.

The documents stated Hagood’s in-

family business as well.

“If we don’t take this industry back, these kids won’t have a future,” said Parker. He said there are a lot of shops that feel the same way. “What needs to happen is these body shops need to step up. More and more of them are doing it but we’re still a long way from where we should be.”

Parker said one way to get involved is by becoming part of the antitrust Multi District Lawsuit in Florida. The business owner joined the lawsuit in April 2014 after frustration with insurance companies dictating how to run his business. He traveled to Congress twice in 2014 to discuss the challenges body shops face protecting consumers while providing a safe repair, and recently appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 show, which looked into auto insurance practices.

“My job is to help make a difference and to expose this to the people of LA and hopefully around the country,” he said.

Parker is also working with LA Senator Bob Kostelka to help pass legislation on the use of aftermarket parts. He said that until it is proven See Parker Running, Page 9

6 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

vestigation revealed the truck driver allegedly had serious medical problems, which the lawsuit alleged was a contributing cause of the accident.

Court documents alleged Jones gave diametrically opposed conflicting accounts about how the collision occurred. According to court documents, the plaintiff’s attorneys discovered that Caledon allegedly had an improper evidence preservation policy that led to the destruction of Electronic Control Module (ECM)-related computer data that would have recorded the driver’s speed and braking before the crash.

According to court documents, Celadon and Jones admitted they were solely negligent in causing the collision.

“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are safety rules designed to prevent unsafe and unqualified drivers from operating 80,000 pound commercial motor vehicles on our roads,” Hagood said.

“Once trucking companies learn that it is more expensive and therefore less profitable to violate these regulations, they will hire safe drivers and demand compliance with the safety regulations. Until then, the health and safety of our highways are in danger.”

TX Law Firm Scores $747K Jury Verdict in Collision Trial

The Provost Umphrey Law Firm in Beaumont, TX recently reaped a $747,750 jury verdict at the conclusion of an automobile collision trial. Jury selection began on February 23 in a civil trial over an automobile collision that took place on Highway 69 more than two years ago.

Through PU attorney Mark Sparks, plaintiffs Lisa Chapman and Amanda Breeden, as next of friend of several minors, filed suit against Alex and Maura Tony, Susan and Robert Saurage, and Dana Baker Jr. on Feb. 28, 2013, in Jefferson County District Court, alleging reckless driving caused the collision. Jeremiah Demarcus Kelly was later added as a defendant.

The trial of Chapman v. Jeremiah Demarcus Kelly took place Feb. 9-17.

Court records show Chapman blamed Kelly for causing a collision on Aug. 16, 2013. Jurors were asked if the negligence of Kelly caused the occurrence, for which they answered “Yes,” according to the charge of the court.

The jury awarded Chapman $150,000 for past and future pain, $150,000 for past and future mental anguish, $225,000 for past and future impairment, $157,750 for past and future medical expenses and $65,000 for future disfigurement.

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Urethane Supply Company Releases I-CAR Course® on Nitrogen Plastic Welding

Nitrogen plastic welding, a technology first commercialized by Urethane Supply Company in 2006, has been growing in popularity over the years as shops look to keep more labor dollars in-house.

Unfortunately, many shops that have purchased welders have not been able to take full advantage of their capabilities due to inadequate training or technician turnover.

To address this need for training, Urethane Supply Company is announcing the availability of a new training course: PR-01 Introduction to Nitrogen Plastic Welding.

This training is approved for ICAR credit hours and/or Knowledge Area recognition through the I-CAR Industry Training Alliance® program.

The PR-01 Nitrogen Plastic Welding course is designed for delivery to up to three technicians in the customer’s shop.

The training takes roughly three hours and focuses primarily on the hands-on skills necessary to repair bumpers.

The learning objectives for the course are as follows: ● Identify different plastic types

● Explain the basic nitrogen welding process ● Properly operate the plastic welder ● Weld a tear to the edge of the bumper ● Repair a torn slot tab ● Repair a torn flange ● Repair a torn flexible hinge tab ● Repair a thermoset polyurethane (PUR) bumper

North American shops interested in scheduling this training must register online at www.urethanesupply .com/training.

The cost of the course is $400 for up to three technicians. Once a reservation is made, Urethane Supply’s training manager will contact the shop’s representative and schedule an appointment.

Questions? Contact Kurt Lammon at 800-633-3047

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8 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

CARSTAR Hosts Aluminum Program at Automechanika

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts is a sponsor of the inaugural Automechanika Chicago, being held April 24-26 at McCormick Place West in Chicago, IL. Automechanika Chicago is the tradeshow and training event designed specifically for automotive service and collision repair shop owners, technicians, distributors, jobbers and more. It will be the first year the European show has been held in the U.S. As part of its sponsorship, CARSTAR will host an education program on Saturday, April 25, live on the Collision Repair stage.

It is entitled: Is Aluminum Repair Right for Your Business? Bob Keith, Senior Director-Operations Training, and Rick Miller, AVP of Operations, will discuss how to determine if aluminum repair is right for your business, and what you need to do get ready to repair. This class will cover an overview of aluminum repair, the current and future aluminum vehicles, the investment needed, how to determine your ROI and training your team.

CARSTAR will also have an informational booth in the Repair and Maintenance section.

Continued from Page 4

Eaves Law Firm

Smith, who is the magistrate on the case, we discussed several ways to expedite the process.”

Meanwhile, auto body shops are continuing to join the MDL, with 20 more being added the week prior to Autobody News going to press.

Eaves said he wants the case to be the best it can be. “We’re working to ensure it is as comprehensive as possible and lays out all of the unfair trade practices and all of those things that have made it difficult for our shops to do their job,” he said.

Auto body shops across the country that wish to share their stories should contact steve@eaveslaw.com

Check out our NEW website at: Autobodynews.com

Registration Open for ToolTech 2015 in Austin, TX

ToolTech will be held from April 1316 at the Radisson Hotel and Suites in downtown Austin, Texas.

The speaker line-up for ToolTech 2015 is built around this year’s theme, “The Connected Vehicle: Opportunities and Challenges.”

Information and technology play a key role in the ever-changing automotive repair industry, affecting the future of tool and equipment companies in significant ways. ETI’s ToolTech 2015 will inform attendees about the connected car evolution through speaker presentations, discussion groups, networking and other dialog, and it will also provide a forum to explore and address opportunities and challenges within today’s automotive aftermarket.

Monday, April 13 – 3:30pm Keynote Speaker – Eliot Hoppe The Science of Silence – Can You Hear Your Body Talk?

Interactive and highly informative keynote program designed to introduce the attendees to the silent language of influence and how actions can motivate and persuade others to comply with ease. Through live demonstration and video examples, each segment will lay the foundation on how what we see and hear, can influence both positive and negative outcomes in our ability to

be successful in both our professional and personal lives.

Tuesday, April 14 Update on the Telematics Task Force/Vehicle Gateway/OE-Aftermarket Initiatives The Connected Car-What is the Role of Cellular Network Providers?

Cellular network providers like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are expanding their capability portfolios and services into vehicle connectivity, including real time diagnostic information and data analytics. Most of this work has been with vehicle manufacturers and tier one suppliers, but what about the aftermarket? Since a majority of vehicle repairs are performed on older vehicles, it makes sense that retrofitting older vehicles with telematics-based diagnostics and prognostics potentially could develop into a huge market. Diagnostics on older vehicles is different than on new vehicles.

This panel will consist of cellular network providers working on vehicle connectivity with the intent of creating new vehicle and aftermarket applications.

Wednesday, April 15 Meeting The Needs of OEM Repairs in Collision Today

Impact of Telematics on Aftermarket Shops Question and answer session with a panel of shop owners, technicians and training managers discussing the impact of telematics on their shops and their business and the industry challenges they face.

Thursday, April 16 Evolving Telematics It is said that knowledge is power.

It has also been said there is strength in numbers. Today, businesses operate in a time of unprecedented data management.

Plan to attend for a look at the ‘bigger picture’ that telematics presents and how you might best prepare to capitalize on these opportunities.

OEM Personnel Discussion Panel Q&A session with Key OEM Personnel ETI’s ToolTech 2015 will inform attendees about the connected car evolution through speaker presentations, discussion groups, networking and other dialog, and it will also provide a forum to explore and address opportunities and challenges within today’s automotive aftermarket.

For more information on ToolTech 2015 Equipment & Tool Institute, call 1248-656-5085.

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Continued from Page 6

Parker Running

that aftermarket parts go through the same testing as OEM parts, “They should not be allowed to put them on the vehicle because it affects the timing of the airbag deployment. To me, it’s not an insurance issue, it’s a safety issue.”

The election for the four-year term of Insurance Commissioner is on October 24, 2015.

“Even if John Mosley and I don’t win, the people of Louisiana and Mississippi will be educated as to what these insurance companies are doing to them,” said Parker. “I think some changes will happen even if we don’t win but I’m planning on winning.”

More information about his campaign is available on Facebook: Matt Parker Insurance Commissioner and www.mattparkerforlouisiana.com

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Continued from Cover

Fighting Over Repairs

He and other body shop operators are pushing back against insurance companies, which frequently require shops to use the cheaper parts and even specify how much time they should spend on repairs.

“It all started with cost discounts on repairs, but then they began wanting changes in labor rates and telling us which parts we should use,” McKenzie said. “When an insurance company controls a shop’s profits, they have to take shortcuts.”

The insurance companies created the system, and large companies like State Farm say the direct-repair programs save consumers money.

“State Farm certainly understands the need for repair shops to remain vibrant and healthy,” spokesman Gary Stephenson said. “We also have a high interest in repairs being done at a reasonable cost.”

Darrell Welch applies clear coat to car body parts in a painting booth at Park Place Motorcars’ Bodywerks in Dallas. Body shop operators say most insurance companies demand the use of after-market parts, which are generally 20 to 50 percent less expensive than original-equipment parts from an automaker.

Photo Credit: Jim Tuttle/Staff Photographer

More than a decade ago, State Farm, the largest auto insurance company in the U.S., was sued over the use of after-market parts in repairs.

Since then, Stephenson said, State Farm has “discontinued prescribing” after-market parts in most repairs.

Most insurance companies, however, continue to demand them, body shop operators say.

The parts are generally 20 to 50 percent less expensive than OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts from an automaker.

But they are just one of the issues that unite Park Place Dealerships, Sewell Lexus, Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine and others that have joined the year-old Auto Body Association of Texas.

The association wants to negotiate

changes in direct-repair programs — although it hasn’t gotten much response so far from insurance companies.

Prescribed hourly rate The programs go by various names — preferred service providers, concierge auto repair, etc. — but they tend to work in the same way.

Insurance companies sign agreements with body shops, promising to recommend those shops to policyholders in return for the shops’ following certain cost and repair guidelines.

Shops in the network must agree to do the work at a prescribed hourly rate — $44 an hour in the Dallas area, McKenzie said. That amount is intended to cover the shop’s overhead as well as the tech’s wages.

“Just as a way of comparison, most lawn mower shops get $80 an hour,” McKenzie said.

Some collision repair businesses — such as Park Place’s Bodywerks shops — refuse to participate in the programs, but they still have to fight the insurance companies to get higher pay.

“They just tell you, ‘Everyone else accepts that rate. Why can’t you?’” said Burl Richards, who owns Burl’s Collision Center in Henderson and is the head of the Auto Body Association of Texas.

In addition, insurance companies insist on applying that hourly rate regardless of the amount of high-tech equipment a shop might have or the experience and training of its techs.

“There’s no incentive to buy new equipment or spend more on experienced techs,” Richards said. “The system makes good shops do bad things.”

The new 45-member association would like to get consumers involved in the issue.

“When consumers get mad and start hopping up and down, that will get everyone’s attention,” Richards said.

More than 500 shops across the country have joined a lawsuit against the nation’s top insurance companies, contending that insurers send consumers to shops that spend a minimum to fix vehicles—and fail to restore them to their pre-accident condition. The Texas group and its dealers haven’t joined that suit so far.

And U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., recently urged the Department of Justice to investigate the collision repair business because much of the work is being done with after-market or used parts that could affect safety.

10 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Honda crash-tested a vehicle with after-market parts on it and found that the parts—which are often lighter than original pieces—affected the timing of air-bag deployment.

“I have been in this business my whole life, and I have never seen shops so galvanized,” said Richards, 48. “It’s because it’s getting harder and harder to do repairs right.”

Auto body technician Brad Baker works on a damaged car at Bodywerks. Photo Credit: Jim Tuttle/Staff Photographer

The association says consumers need to understand that they can take their vehicles to any shop they want, not just those in an insurance company’s network.

“The insurance companies tell customers that they can get their cars repaired faster at one of the program

shops and that the work is guaranteed for life,” McKenzie said. “Every reputable shop guarantees their repairs for life. It is just feel-good talk.”

Cost-cutting measures Twenty years ago, the direct-referral programs seemed like a good deal for body shops.

Insurance companies encouraged their customers to use one of the program shops, and the shops were authorized to begin repairs immediately.

In return, the shops documented the damage and specified what needed to be done to repair a vehicle, speeding up the process.

But over time, the insurance companies started adding cost-cutting measures to the agreements, specifying which parts could be used in repairs and the amount of time that could be charged for repairs, McKenzie said.

The stipulations gained extra clout when collision repair chains such as Richardson-based Service King and Lewisville-based Caliber Collision, which rely on volume repairs, accepted them. Officials with both companies declined to comment about the insurance company programs.

See Fighting Over Repairs, Page 34

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Continued from Cover

Legal Issues with GEICO

repair order and damages for bad faith prosecution of its groundless claims,” said Crowder.

The court date is currently pending.

Kopriva first noticed a situation with GEICO in April 2014 when a customer’s vehicle was brought to the shop after an accident. GEICO was the insurance carrier and came out to write an estimate.

“We have a good working relationship with GEICO,” he said. “People who come out to estimate are fair.

The way we look at it: the car writes the estimate.”

When the estimator indicated the car might be a total loss, Kopriva notified the customer of the situation.

The customer explained to Kopriva that due to her financial condition she couldn’t afford to lose her car and wanted to explore possibilities to save it. He helped her come up with different scenarios to put some money into repairing the vehicle. In the meantime, GEICO called to say they were going to total the car, and asked Kopriva to determine the costs incurred. He said they seemed to have no issue with the majority of costs, but “when we told them our administrative fee was $225 they said there was no way that we’re going to pay and the amount was excessive.”

GEICO informed the shop that they were only going to pay $50 towards the administrative fee.

“All insurance companies that we work with—non-DRP as well as DRP—have no problem with our administrative fee,” said Kopriva. After all of the time spent working on a total loss vehicle, he said, “$225 is a reasonable cost and is certainly appropriate.”

Kopriva said the next thing he knew he received a letter from GEICO stating that they were only going to pay $50 towards the administrative costs and if that was not acceptable they were going to sue. He was told to hold the car and not dispose of it. Kopriva Body Works currently has four of GEICO’s total loss vehicles at their shop.

“The clock is still running on them and they don’t seem to be interested in picking these cars up,” he said. “Basically, it’s like they’ve abandoned these cars,” said Kopriva. “What’s going to

be next on their list of things that they want to control?”

Crowder said, “GEICO is thwarted by the fact that independent, non-aligned body repair shops are not regulated and are therefore free to charge any fee that they believe to be reasonable. In an attempt to force these independent shops to accept fee schedules that are acceptable to GEICO, the insurer has initiated these baseless suits in order to coerce the shops into accepting GEICO’s fee schedule.”

Crowder represents two other body shops with suits pending against them by GEICO for similar reasons.

“The most troubling thing to me is the total lack of basis upon which these suits have been filed,” said Crowder. “While there are undoubtedly shops that charge unreasonable and insupportable fees for their services, none of the clients I am representing fall into that category and yet they are being forced to incur significant attorney’s fees to defend themselves.”

Ed Griffin, owner of Griffin’s Paint & Body Inc., said he had a similar experience with GEICO. A customer brought in a car in July 2014 that was severely damaged. Although Griffin thought the estimator might total the car, instead she said it was repairable.

“As normal protocol, she left me the estimate and I called the customer,” said Griffin. “After beginning repairs, our technicians found more damage.”

Griffin said once they got the supplement in place, GEICO re-inspected it and finally deemed it a total loss, a considerable amount of time had passed. At that point, Griffin put together a bill, including the parts ordered and a $20 daily storage fee, which he said GEICO didn’t like since the car had been there three months.

Griffin received a call from the law firm and said he was told that GEICO would pay under protest and duress.

“I was kind of taken back and I didn’t know how to react to that,” said Griffin. “I feel like they are just bullying shops to get their way. We have costs of doing business that they don’t want to recognize.”

In business since 1989 and a member of the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT), Griffin said he has never had a situation like this before or been in a lawsuit.

“GEICO’s policies and proce-

12 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

dures are difficult to work with for us,” said Griffin. “They encourage you to do cut rate work with what they are allowing, in my opinion. That’s my battle with them. I need to be compensated and to compensate my workers fairly in order for us to do a good quality, safe repair on a vehicle.”

Griffin said as a small business in a small town, it can be challenging.

He finds that a lot of work is steered away from him because he isn’t a DRP. “If you don’t fully go along with their money-saving policies and procedures, you get labeled hard to deal with and potential customers are steered away via the insurance company’s strong influence they have on customers.

“A lot of times I’ll have to go in my pocket to go that extra mile to make a customer happy and I should get paid for that but I don’t most of the time.”

Corey Pigg, a manager of S&W Expert Collision Repair, said the shop’s relationship with GEICO as well as other insurance companies has been somewhat of a feast or famine.

“At one moment it’s great, at other times it’s rocky,” he said.

S&W has operated in Lufkin and East Texas since 1975 and opened their second location in Nacogdoches in 2001. Pigg said at the beginning of 2014, the company realized that in order to maintain profitability they would need to increase their rates. As a DRP for multiple insurance companies, S&W sent out notification to almost all of the companies they work with on a regular basis that their rates were changing in April after nearly four years of being the same. S&W also began charging a markup on outside tow bills and an administrative fee on total losses.

Even though S&W is not on any sort of DRP program with GEICO, “GEICO had a big problem with all of these changes and refused to pay,” said Pigg.

S&W received letters from a GEICO attorney stating the insurance company is only making “payment under protest and duress” because S&W charged an $800 markup on a tow bill that they had to pay.

“We asked GEICO to leave some blank checks with us in order to pay tow tickets with, but they declined.

They want us to use our own funds to pay their tow bills for free,” Pigg said.

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

“We had no choice but to get our customers involved.”

S&W found their customers to be more than willing to step up and help.

Many called GEICO supervisors as well as the Texas Department of Insurance. Pigg said the response was surprising.

“GEICO informed many customers that if they wanted S&W to repair their vehicle then the customer would have to pay the differences out of his or her own pocket,” he said.

In just one example, Pigg said GEICO towed a vehicle out of their facility to a shop 50 miles away to avoid paying their labor rates.

“We have had GEICO supervisors email our customers contact information to other local shops in order to steer them away from S&W while the customer’s vehicle was already at our facility,” he said.

Pigg said there have been some positive changes recently. GEICO began paying S&W’s new rates this year, which has helped the relationship they have with one another. However, he said GEICO still refuses to pay for certain required repair procedures and requires the use of aftermarket parts.

Although Pigg said the company likes working with insurance companies for the most part, “The problem arises when an insurance company refuses to pay for work that is essential to repairing cars correctly or tries to steer customers to other facilities that may use cost cutting practices that compromise the integrity of repairs.”

“While partnering with insurance companies, we’ve always let our customers know that he or she and a correctly repaired vehicle are more important than any DRP program. We would rather take a loss on a repair or not repair the vehicle at all, than fix a car improperly,” he added.

Pigg, who is an active member of ABAT, said the association has given Texas shops a voice.

“We are no longer accepting the insurance company’s response, ‘Well, that’s a cost of doing business.” Or “you’re the only one that charges for that.” However, it seems the more we stand up for ourselves, the bolder some insurance companies get.”

Burl Richards, Owner of Burl’s Collision Center, is not involved in a lawsuit with GEICO but is aware of other body shops that are. As the President of ABAT, he stressed the impor-

tance of shops coming together.

“To me, the whole system is broken because everyone is scared to communicate because they’re afraid they’re going to step over an antitrust law,” he said. “Insurance companies have had us so scared and so concerned about that for years so we’ve started to educate ourselves and we’ve learned what antitrust really means.”

Richards operates two body shops in the East Texas area. One of them is set up with the latest technology and equipment such as resistant spot welders, aluminum prep rooms and expensive frame equipment.

About two and half years ago he purchased a second location without any frame equipment and an approximately 30-year-old paint booth. He said not all shops are set up for heavy collision repair, yet they are paid the same fees by insurance companies.

“All costs are going up and insurance companies are saying we’re not going to pay for it because others aren’t asking for it,” said Richards.

“We all have different expenses; each shop is different.”

Richards said there is currently no incentive for shops to do things the right way. One of his goals is to implement a

tiered pay system in Texas. He said this would reward the shops that invest in equipment, employees and training. He hasn’t purchased additional equipment at his other shop because the insurance companies will pay him the same rate regardless of his overhead.

“As a shop myself I felt like I was the only guy out there who was asking to get reimbursed and payed for procedures and processes that we were doing everyday,” said Richards.

“It’s real simple. If we do the process and it is owed to us, we should be reimbursed.”

During every ABAT meeting he passes on the same message to members: “If you’re not going to ask for it, you’re not going to get it.” Richards said the more shops get together they realize that “We’re competing against each other but we’re not against each other. It’s really the body shops versus the insurance companies… I don’t want it to be that way. At the end of the day it’s all about fixing the customers’ cars right.”

GEICO and its attorney at David Knight and Associates in Houston, Texas were contacted but had not yet responded to Autobody News as of press time.

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Caliber Auto Mechanics File CA Wage & Hour Class Action Suit A California labor law class action lawsuit has been filed against Caliber Collision by mechanics who allege they were not paid for all the hours they worked.

Filed by lead plaintiff Samuel Castillo, the lawsuit alleges Caliber Bodyworks of Texas Inc., which operates the chain Caliber Collision, pays its mechanics on a piece-rate system for each task they perform, and that the workers are assigned piece-rate hours per tasks, regardless of the time it actually takes them to perform. Castillo claims he recorded the hours he worked, but Caliber only paid him under the piece-rate system.

“As a result, defendants did not pay plaintiff for all hours worked at the minimum wage, as defendants failed to pay plaintiff for nonproductive hours, i.e., hours that he was not performing piece-rate work,” the complaint states.

Further, the lawsuit contends that Castillo worked for Caliber from 2007 through to the end of January 2014, classed as a nonexempt technician under the piece-rate system. According to the suit, under Caliber’s pay system, if a task were assigned a value of 0.8 hours, the mechanic would be paid for 0.8 hours of work,

regardless of whether the task took 10 or 90 minutes to perform.

According to the suit, the method Caliber uses of meeting their minimum wage obligations, dividing daily piece-rate earnings by daily hours worked, violates California labor law.

The suit also alleges Caliber paid Castillo nondiscretionary bonuses and other forms of compensation that aren’t excludable from the regular rate of pay.

“Despite defendants’ payment of incentive pay to plaintiff, defendants failed to include all forms of incentive pay when calculating plaintiff’s regular rate of pay, thereby further causing plaintiff to be underpaid all of his required overtime wages,” the complaint states.

Castillo alleges that he regularly worked in excess of eight hours per work day and over 40 hours each week, without receiving overtime compensation. Further, because the company only pays its workers in the piece-rate system, it also fails to maintain any compensation system for compensating rest periods.

“As a result of defendants’ failure to pay all overtime and minimum wages, defendants maintained inaccurate payroll records and issued in-

accurate wage statements to plaintiff,” the suit states.

Finally, the lawsuit contends that Caliber requires its mechanics to buy their own tools that are necessary to perform their job duties, without reimbursing the workers for the cost of the tools.

California Labor Code section 2802 requires employers to indemnify employees against all “necessary” expenses, including the costs of tools needed to perform job duties. If the employer is already supplying the “necessary” equipment, there is no duty to reimburse for buying superior or superfluous equipment.

The employment class action is seeking certification on behalf of classes of workers denied minimum wage, overtime hours, expense reimbursements and more.

The plaintiff is represented by Paul K. Haines and Fletcher W. Schmidt of Boren Osher & Luftman LLP. The suit is Castillo et al. v. Caliber Bodyworks of Texas Inc. et al., case number BC572767, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

www.autobodynews.com CHECK IT OUT!

Auto Damange Experts Grand Opening in Portland, OR

Auto Damage Experts (ADE) Northwest office recently celebrated the grand opening of its re-modeled vehicle inspection facility. Invitees included collision repairers, legal professionals, insurers and others from the area.

“We’re excited to share our recently remodeled facilities with others and allow them to gain a better understanding of the services we offer they and their clients, both locally and across the country” stated David Smith, VP of Operations.

ADE’s Founder and President, Barrett Smith stated: “I’m excited and proud of David’s accomplishments in helping to develop ADE to the well known and nationally respected company it has become.

This facility will provide ADE clients and guests with amenities specifically designed for vehicle inspections in a highly professional environment.”

The facility is located at 3905 SE 141st Ave Suite 1, Beaverton, OR 97005. To learn more, visit www.Auto DamageExperts.com and www.DiminishedValueExperts.com or call (503) 642-4259.

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

John Mosley, Owner of Clinton Body Shop, is Now Running for Mississippi Insurance Commissioner

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

Announcing his candidacy for Insurance Commissioner of Mississippi, John Mosley said one of his first priorities is to ensure everything is in place at his auto body shop in Clinton. That way, his business will run smoothly while he is on the campaign trial.

The owner of Clinton Body Shop and recent President of the Mississippi Collision Repair Association, Mosley has been traveling across the state talking to groups ranging from rotary clubs to the Conservative Coalition of Mississippi.

Mosley told Autobody News, “I decided to run for insurance commissioner because for many years now I’ve had to be the advocate for the consumer when it comes to getting proper repairs performed on their car, whether that’s an issue with the types of parts being used or procedures that an insurance company has denied.” He said the average consumer doesn’t have a clear understanding of what his/her rights are. Mosley said he has found there is a lack of transparency. “When I win this race and become Insurance Commissioner there’s going to be some transparency,” he said.

Mosley said a law in Mississippi was introduced a few years ago that says the most insurance companies have to pay is the least amount they can have the work properly repaired for in the market area. One of Mosley’s goals is to push for new legislation to help define what a “proper repair” is.

“We feel like it’s our duty to put

that car back like it was five seconds before that accident. That’s what we’re training for; that’s why we’re certified.” However, after running his business for 35 years, he has found that insurance companies don’t always pay.

This is one reason Mosley joined the antitrust Multi District Lawsuit in Florida, in which more than 500 shops are suing the nation’s largest insurance companies. “We’ve been pushed so hard by the insurance industry and are to a point that we ask, ‘What do you do?’ The remedy should already be in place,” said Mosley. “I’m stepping up to try and do something.”

Although Mosley doesn’t have a political background, he said that he has a good understanding of the issues and has surrounded himself with experts in the industry. He also hopes to work with the John Mosley, Mississippi goverOwner of Clinton nor to help repeal Body Shop, is running for Obamacare.

MS Insurance “I’m 100 percent Commissioner against a federal mandate,” said Mosley. “I don’t like any forced mandate on a citizen, whether it’s State Farm, Parts Trader or especially the federal government trying to force their own health care system into place.”

He said that, as an employer, he often stays up at night worrying about how his employees are going to pay for their insurance and take care of their families. Some of his employees have seen their policies increase by 30

AASPI Responds to CNN Report

AASPI President-Elect Mike Mattson stated that the February 11, 2015 CNN story on the use of used, aftermarket and re-manufactured parts and the steering of customers to insurance preferred shops, “was very true and ethical reporting but noted it’s not just State Farm or Progressive but 99% of the insurance industry pushes these practces.” Mattson who has owned a body shop for 36 years, noted that he has “seen the insurance industry take more and more control over my business and the industry.”

Mattson stated, “It’s our choice to accept or not accept the lower standards and repair practices Insurance companies require of us, but we have failed to educate our customers that they have a choice. The customer pays the premiums and has a choice to renew with

their insurance coverage and no insurance carrier wants to lose a customer, just look how much they spend in advertising to acquire that customer.”

AASPI believes that the consolidators seem to have jumped on the bandwagon of lowering the standards as well in order to compete with shops that continue to accept poor repair methods and practices. These shops are cheating the customer and themselves as well. Mattson stated, “I keep hearing how the big players will put me out of business. I do not believe that to be true.

I have always survived and profited on good ethical business practices. Today is a good time to be in the collision repair business if you are prepared and being prepared means education in every aspect of every detail to complete a safe and profitable repair.”

16 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

to 40 percent.

“A working man shouldn’t be penalized to take up the slack of the insurance industry,” said Mosley. “I’m all about trying to help a person when they’re down but I’m more concerned with helping that person get on his feet and get a job and support himself rather than society supporting him.”

As the second oldest of six boys and one girl, Mosley said he grew up in the auto repair industry. His father, George, was in the Marine Corp and used the GI bill in the late 1940s to attend technical school and learn auto body repair. Mosley recalls going to work with his dad and brothers every Saturday and during the summer time to help at the Chevrolet dealership where his father worked. He started out taking the emblems off the fenders because it was easier to do with smaller hands; later he learned how to sand. By the time he was 15 years old, Mosley said he could paint a car. His favorite part working alongside his dad in the body shop was seeing how much pride his father took in his job.

Mosley and his father opened Clinton Body Shop in 1980 with just

three employees. It has now grown to nearly 30. “When we opened our shop the goal was simple: we’re going to do every job right,” said Mosley. “We’re going to treat everyone fair whether it’s an insurance company or a person.

People like the way we treat customers, they like our approach.”

Mosley’s 31-year-old son, Daniel, runs Mosley’s second location in Richland and said he is proud that his son has the same ideals.

Mosley, a Republican, will need to beat the incumbent Insurance Commissioner, Mike Chaney, in the Republican primary election scheduled for August 4. Mosley has found that the community has been supportive of his decision to run and body shops have supported him through donations and fundraising events. “It makes me feel good that they’re willing to sacrifice a little bit to see me do this, because they know that I’m just doing it for the good of the people.”

More information about his campaign is available on Facebook: John Mosley for Insurance Commissioner and on the web at www.friendsofjohn mosley.com

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 17

Continued from Cover

Takata Takes Steps

dent of the Automobile Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Honda hopes that this new consumer information campaign will bolster our existing and continuing efforts to reach our customers and maximize the vehicle repair completion rates associated with recalls to replace Takata airbag inflators. These ads are a strong call to action from our company designed to break through the clutter, grab the attention of customers driving affected vehicles, and urge that they get required repairs as soon as possible.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced in a press release on February 25 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered Takata to preserve all air bag inflators removed through the recall process.

The airbags will be used as evidence for both NHTSA’s investigation and private litigation cases. The order also ensures the regulators’ access to all data from the testing of those removed inflators.

“This department is focused on protecting the American public from these defective air bags and at getting to the bottom of how they came to be included in millions of vehicles on U.S. roads,” Foxx said. “This preservation order will help us get the answers we need to accomplish those goals.”

Foxx also announced that NHTSA will upgrade the Takata investigation to an engineering analysis, which will help determine the actual cause of the air bag failures, and what the next step will be. It will also establish whether Takata’s refusal to notify the agency of a safety defect violates federal safety laws or regulations.

In 2014, five automakers— BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda and Mazda—launched national recalls for defective driver-side air bags after pressure from NHTSA. Those five, plus General Motors, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota, are recalling vehicles for defective passenger-side air bags in areas of consistently high absolute humidity, which is believed to be a factor in the ruptures.

Most of the recalls are for various model years varying from 2000 to 2007, according to a Takata Corp. representative.

Automakers have announced plans to form a testing association, and private

plaintiffs have sought access to inflators in federal court to conduct their own tests. NHTSA has also hired an outside expert on the use of propellants.

“There is a strong public safety interest in ensuring that testing moves forward, and that NHTSA has access to all test data,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said. “We have worked closely with attorneys for private plaintiffs to construct this order so that it protects plaintiffs’ legal rights while also supporting our efforts to protect public safety.”

On Feb. 20, the NHTSA began enforcing $14,000 a day in civil penalties

Photo Credit: blog.caranddriver.com

against Takata for failure to respond to requests for information about more than 2.5 million pages of documents it has produced under NHTSA orders.

On March 2, 2015, the Takata Corporation convened at a meeting in Michigan to discuss the Japanese airbag manufacturer’s next steps.

Engineers from its automaker customers, including independent OEM association engineers, were updated on testing into the root cause of recent airbag inflator issues. The engineers were also provided with a presentation by an expert from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, which is supplying independent research to determine the root cause of the airbag inflator failures.

Shigehisa Takada, Chairman & CEO of Takata, stated, “While the testing by Takata and research by the Fraunhofer Institute continues, and definitive conclusions have not yet been reached, the work so far has supported our initial analysis that age and long-term exposure over a period of many years to a climate of persistent heat and high absolute humidity are significant factors in the small number of inflators that have malfunctioned.

Variability in vehicle makes and models is an additional factor indicated by the testing results thus far, and Takata also continues to consider variability in the inflator manufacturing process as a potential contributing factor.”

Takada added, “We are continuing testing and research and will continue to

18 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

work openly and transparently with our OEM customers and to do everything we can to support the replacement of all the airbags covered by the automakers’ recalls and safety campaigns. The safety of the driving public is our number one priority and we are committed to do what it takes to achieve this.”

Takata has dramatically increased the production of airbag replacement kits in support of automotive recalls and safety campaigns. The company has increased production capacity to 450,000 replacement kits per month, up from 350,000 in December, and expects to be producing approximately 900,000 kits per month by September 2015.

The company remains confident that newer inflators and those not exposed to prolonged humidity and heat are safe. Takata also is working with other suppliers to further increase the availability of replacement kits for its automotive customers.

Recent Background on the Takata Corp.

Airbag Recalls A 2012 NHTSA-sponsored survey study found that 21 to 25 percent of the problems covered by recall notices between 2006 and 2010 remain un-repaired. There are 36 million cars on

the road that have uncompleted recall work, according to Carfax.

In October and November 2014, multiple lawsuits were filed across the country concerning Takata airbag recalls.

The Law Offices of Jason Turchin in Ft. Lauderdale, FL announced in a press release on October 24, 2014 that a lawsuit had been filed on behalf of an accident victim allegedly injured by an exploding airbag.

Nunez, a Miami Gardens, Florida resident, was driving her car when she was involved in an accident. As a result of the impact, her airbag deployed but a piece of metal allegedly shot through her airbag and struck her in her forehead, narrowly missing her eyes.

The airbag that failed was allegedly designed and manufactured by Takata for use by Honda. The allegations against the airbag manufacturer include that Takata failed to properly design, test and manufacturer its airbag unit. It is also claimed that Honda breached several duties it owed to Nunez and the public in general.

“The biggest concern we have is that a driver doesn’t know if his or her airbag is faulty until the moment of impact, and by then it is too late,” says

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 19

Jason Turchin, lead attorney in the case.

Turchin and his law firm are currently representing several other victims allegedly injured by defective airbags.

On November 4, another class action complaint was filed in the Southern District of Florida that alleges Takata, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and others “knew or should have known that the Takata air bags installed in millions of vehicles were defective.” The complaint seeks compensation for any consumer who purchased or leased a vehicle involved in the Takata airbag recall announced earlier that month.

A third Takata airbag lawsuit was filed at the beginning of November in California by five individuals who either purchased or leased BMW, Honda and Toyota cars that plaintiffs claim are unsafe because of Takata airbags.

The Takata airbag recall lawsuit alleges that Takata and other defendants “did not fully investigate or disclose the seriousness of the issue and in fact downplayed the widespread prevalence of the problem.”

In November 2014, the Associated Press reported that at least four deaths in U.S. auto accidents have been tied to defective Takata airbags.

Reuters reported earlier that month that Takata was targeted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The officials were trying to determine if the Japanese company misled U.S. regulators about the number of defective air bags it sold to automakers.

On November 22, the Law Offices of Jason Turchin announced in a press release that a fourth lawsuit had been filed in Florida on behalf of an accident victim injured by an exploding airbag. The lawsuit alleges that South Florida resident Claudia Jana was the driver of a 2001 Honda Civic who was injured when the passenger airbag exploded after an accident and a piece of shrapnel caught fire and landed on her.

The lawsuit also alleged that the passenger airbag unit also detached from the dashboard and propelled into the rear passenger seat of the vehicle.

The airbag that failed was allegedly designed and manufactured by Takata for use by Honda. The allegations against the airbag manufacturer include that Takata failed to properly design, test and manufacturer its airbag unit. It also claimed that Honda breached several duties it owed to Jana and the public in general.

“This is the second Honda Civic lawsuit involving a 2001 model and

third airbag shrapnel injury claim that our office filed recently,” said Jason Turchin, lead attorney in the airbag lawsuit.

Turchin hopes the lawsuit will get answers as to what is causing the airbag defects, and to compel produc-

Hiroshi Shimizu, senior vice president of global quality assurance at Japanese air bag maker Takata. Photo Credit: www.ideastream.org

tion of safer airbags. “These airbag lawsuits are not just about money. We want answers,” added Turchin.

December 1, 2014 was the deadline that the NHTSA set for Takata Corp. to respond to its request for documentation and other information, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The NHTSA said in a press release that it was “demanding” the automakers to provide the information to “compel Takata and the affected industry to be frank with not only NHTSA, but the American public” about when they discovered that the airbags were subject to rupturing, and why it was not reported sooner. The agency also ordered Takata to provide information on what type of propellant it uses in its inflators because Takata publicly stated it recently changed the chemical mix of its airbag inflator propellant in the newly designed inflators.

By the deadline, Takata was also supposed to give the public a time frame for when safe inflators would be made, and when air bags would be replaced in the nationwide recall of 7.8 million vehicles.

The airbag recall was initially limited to Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with above-average humidity. However, the recall went nationwide after cases were discovered in Arizona, California, Minnesota and North Carolina.

Court documents indicate that plaintiffs in five class-action airbag lawsuits filed since October 2014 against Takata Corp. have asked a panel of federal judges to transfer the lawsuits to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. The plaintiffs also requested that the actions be consolidated

20 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

for pretrial proceedings.

According to the plaintiffs’ motion to the U.S. Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), the first class action lawsuit proceedings are further along than the four other classaction lawsuits pending in California and Michigan.

On December 2, 2014, CNNMoney reported that Chrysler jumped on the recall train after the NHTSA ordered the manufacturer to start recalling its cars with the exploding Takata airbag inflators. The federal safety regulator was “extremely concerned” about the automaker’s “slow pace of the recall.” In its response to the NHTSA, Chrysler conducted a regional recall, and started contacting its customers on December 8, 2014.

Chinese authorities stated on December 16, 2014 that Honda Motor Co. and its two joint ventures in China would recall 569,769 cars due to potentially defective air bags, Reuters reported.

The recalls in China were also implemented due to the risk that “fragmented shards” could fly from the deployed Takata airbags, potentially injuring or even killing motorists.

Vehicle regulators in the United

States issued a warrant on January 29, 2015 for whistleblowers with knowledge “of possible defects or any wrongdoing” by Takata Corp.

The NHTSA stated in a press release that it was urging potential informants to call its hotline at 1-888-327-4236, promising legal protection.

“We encourage all individuals with information about the manufacture or testing of Takata air bag inflators, or who have knowledge of possible defects or any wrongdoing by the company, to make this information available to NHTSA,” agency spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said.

Six former Takata employees interviewed by Reuters said they were asked to hide or alter data that showed certain parts and materials did not meet Takata’s specifications or indicated potential issues with key components such as inflators and cushions.

Two of these employees said they witnessed others hiding, altering or ignoring unfavorable test results.

Company officials testified in 2014 at two U.S. congressional hearings, and the Japanese safety equipment maker remains the subject of at least two federal investigations, and the target of dozens of lawsuits.

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After being asked to comment on the whistleblowers, a representative of the airbag manufacturer said in a statement, “Takata has a deep commitment to honesty and integrity. Since our founding in 1933, we have worked tirelessly to develop innovative and highquality products that exceed our customers’ expectations, save lives and prevent injuries. Our number one priority is the safety of the traveling public.”

Most former Takata employees who spoke with Reuters did not want to be named while discussing incidents and situations of a sensitive nature. But they related similar or shared experiences at Takata facilities in Washington, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina.

Two former Takata employees, Mark Lillie and Michael Britton, have

spoken to the New York Times, and Lillie also spoke to congressional investigators about their concerns with the safety of propellant manufactured in a Takata facility in Moses Lake,

Photo Credit: www.baronandbudd.com

Washington. The propellant was used to create the gas that inflates air bags in case of a crash.

In interviews with Reuters, Lillie, a chemical engineer who is now retired and living in New Mexico said he left the company before it began manufacturing a new, more volatile type of chemical propellant, ammonium nitrate. Lillie said some Takata engineers thought the material was not thoroughly tested to make sure it was safe. He left the company in 1999.

“I literally said if we go forward with this, someone will be killed,” Lillie told Reuters. “I couldn’t in good faith pump this stuff out believing that it was unsafe to put in front of a passenger in a car.”

Ammonium nitrate was the princi-

pal propellant chemical used in hundreds of millions of Takata inflators made since 2000, including those installed in more than 24 million cars recalled in the United States, Japan, China and other global markets.

Britton described an incident in the late 1990s where a test batch of experimental propellant that had not been validated by Britton’s technical group was used without his knowledge in production. This occurred because the company was running out of approved material.

Even though it had not been proven that the propellant would remain stable over the expected vehicle lifespan, it was still used in inflators that wound up in customers’ cars, Britton said. He added that he was not able to get the inflators recalled from the customer.

Britton, in an email on January 29, 2015, said investigators from NHTSA and the Department of Justice have not contacted him. Lillie said on the same day that he has not been contacted by federal officials, either.

Takata did not address specific allegations made by Lillie, Britton or other former employees.

On February 10, 2015, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) announced the filing of a class action lawsuit against Takata Corp, relating to the massive recall of vehicles containing defective airbags manufactured by the Japanese company.

The ARA brought the class action on behalf of those who operate professional automotive recycling facilities in the United States who have purchased for resale any of the vehicles containing un-deployed and allegedly defective airbags manufactured by Takata.

The complaint alleges that Takata and the Auto Manufacturers misled Automotive Recyclers about the safety and reliability of the allegedly defective airbags.

According to the complaint, Takata was aware of the airbag defect as far back as 2004 when it conducted ‘secret tests’ on several airbags.

It also states that following the disclosure of the airbag defect, the Automotive Recyclers are not able to sell or trade these airbags because they are valueless.

The ARA alleges that it and the Automotive Recyclers had an expectation that Takata and the Auto Manufacturers would disclose known defects in a timely manner to abide federal, state and common law.

See Takata Takes Steps, Page 33

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

Shop and Product Showcase

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

Four New Apps for Techs, Painters, Estimators and Service Advisors with Ed Attanasio

Several years ago, Jim Young, 55 of Memphis, TN began a startup called My Business is a Wreck, a company he has described as a small team of passionate industry professionals delivering robust, reliable applications to the automotive industry.

35-year collision veteran Jim Young started My Business is a Wreck, a company that has created four applications that help body technicians, painters, estimators and service advisors to be more effective and productive.

The company has developed four applications for different sectors of the automotive repair industry; iTechnician, iPainter, iEstimator and iAdvisorâ, to act as electronic assistants with the goal of helping them to do a better job and ultimately providing improved customer service. All four are currently available and free at the App Store for iPhones, iPads and Google android devices, according to Young.

It’s fitting that every app he’s created starts with the letter ‘i’ because Young has put much of his heart and soul into each one. Employed for more than three decades as a body technician, service writer, shop manager, instructor, coach and consultant for BMW and Toyota in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Young also owned his own shop, Young’s Collision in Memphis for several years. He has also been an I-CAR instructor for the past 15 years and is a business coach and

mentor for automotive-related businesses throughout North America.

Young’s father, 88, is a former body tech and managed a Pontiac dealership for 17 years and that’s part of why his son developed these apps to help other collision professionals with daily tasks, he said. My dad told me to always think about the people who helped you along the way, because he said sales numbers are important, but in the end the ones who helped you will be the people you’ll remember.

These apps can make peoples’ lives easier and that’s the main reason why I invented them.

It’s truly a labor of love for Young and his new company. “I’ve invested approximately $10,000 into these apps without a dime in return, he explained. Eventually, I should be able to get some revenue from advertising, but in the meantime I’m more focused on getting these apps into the hands of the people who need them to make them more effective and productive.”

Unveiled last November, Young first developed iTechnician, followed by iPainter, iEstimator and finally iAdvisor, an app that can be used in both mechanical and collision industries.

“We’re covering pretty much every role that exists in a shop,” Young said.

“We’ve heard back from users all over the world and currently we have people using them in 12 different countries, including Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Spain, to name a few.”

Convenience is obviously one of the key features of these apps, Young said. “Everything is in your pocket, so you don’t have to walk over to your laptop or iPad and stop what you’re doing. Before we released these apps into the market, we gave them to service directors, estimators, techs and painters all over the country, in order to get their feedback during the modeling stage. We started tweaking them almost instantly, to make them better and stronger. By telling us how they were using them, we were able to make them better. It was a valuable process, because they saw things we might not have discovered on our own.”

Here’s a brief description of what each app can do: iTechnician: Enables users to log their assigned ROI numbers; record rates for flat rate technicians; track weekly or bi-weekly pay cycles; track paid and unpaid hours; calculate ex-

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Talent Monger Holds Collision Industry Job Fair in PA

Talent Monger LLC will be holding a Collision Industry Job Fair for shops and technicians in the Western PA area on May 7.

Talent Monger is a collision industry service launched in late 2014 to connect qualified employees with the collision shops looking to hire them. Co-founder Greg McVicker said he created Talent Monger after a decade of frustration trying to find and hire employees for his dealership collision center.

Talent Monger is committed to connecting the industry through partnerships with trade schools, industry groups and job fairs.

The job fair will be held at the

pected pay and record a weekly or biweekly work history report. iPainter: Enables users to establish and maintain a spray-out inventory; record favorite formulas and custom lists; create a verified paint variances list and do all of the same things offered on the iAdvisor and iEstimator apps to track jobs, calculate hours and calculate expected pay. iEstimator: Enables users to log customer information and ROI numbers; create a personal daily customer arrival and departure calendar and record important information, including a customer inventory form documenting all of the belongings left in vehicle; existing AM and FM radio pre-set stations; a vehicle old damage check-in form; a maintenance upselling opportunities form and a tires depth gauge form. iAdvisor: Enables users to perform all of the functions also featured on the iEstimator app.

HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 7am - 7pm / Sat. 7am - 5pm

Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe, PA from 10 am to 2 pm on May 7.

It will be free for students and technicians to attend, and free for shops to have a booth. Space is limited so McVicker recommends registering early.

To register for the job fair, visit www.talentmonger.com or email info @thetalentmonger.com. parts@toyotaoffortworth.com

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Media and Publicity for Shops

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

Online Remarketing Gets Your Name Out There... Again with Ed Attanasio

“Tell them once and then tell them again,” an old ad executive told me years ago, long before the Internet, web sites or applications existed. And it still pertains today, because although marketing and advertising change almost daily, the main concept behind branding is still the same.

When it comes to branding, it’s still all about impressions and getting your message to the right audience.

The goal is to brand your name into the customers’ psyche, so that when someone says “body shop” or “car accident” they think of you, immediately and even sub-consciously. When I think of burgers I think of In ‘N Out and when I think of nice cars, my mental Rolodex goes now to Tesla (used to be Mercedes). I don’t consciously do it, my brain does all the work—and that’s called effective branding.

To make your name the go-to brand for collision repair in your area means you have to hammer away at your branding efforts all the time. Many body shops have gravitated away from things such as e-mail marketing, broadcast advertising and direct mail to put their money into online remarketing.

So, what exactly is remarketing and how does it work?

The world of online advertising is a whole new game, as marketing people get more sophisticated about the delivery of their branding messages.

Remarketing allows you to show ads to consumers who have previously visited your website or used your mobile app. When people leave your website, remarketing helps you reconnect with them by showing relevant ads as they browse the web, use mobile apps, or do searches on Google, Bing, etc.

The websites on which your ads will appear can be found by browsing through over 2 million websites and mobile apps that are part of the Google Display Network, for example. Automotive sites, insurance sites and sites belonging to popular companies in your region are ideal. Any company doing online marketing can assist you in designating websites that are affordable for your needs and are most likely to attract people who have previously visited your site.

Pricing for remarketing ads revolves around automated bid strate-

gies like target CPA and ROAS. Realtime bidding calculates the optimal bid for the person viewing your ad, thereby helping you to win the ad auction with the best possible price.

There’s no extra cost to use Google’s auction, because it’s totally based on what the market will bear. Web sites with heavy traffic may not be ideal for you, because they will cost you too much per impression. But, by using a strategy and sticking to it, such as choosing sites that are more targeted for your shop, you can get your price of each impression down to a very affordable level.

Luke Middendorf, a Marketing Consultant at WSI Connect in Concord, CA, believes that dynamic remarketing offers a lot of options for any business that wants to push their brand online.

“Remarketing is an ideal vehicle for the collision repair industry, because it keeps your name on the users’ computers or smart devices,” he explained. “We know from research that 96% of the time people visit a website and then don’t complete an action.

With remarketing, we can track them once they’ve visited your site and then follow them as they go to other sites.

We can more specifically targeted them and hopefully re-connect with them several times, if possible. We know they showed some level of interest in your company because they looked at your site, so remarketing keeps them in the loop and leverages your brand over and over again. It’s all about targeting and re-engaging your audience, because frequency is crucial.”

David Moore, the owner of Collision Websites in Tulsa, OK sees definite value in remarketing for automotive repair companies, because branding is king in any service-related industry.

“Obviously, getting your car fixed is not an impulse buy, like purchasing products such as clothing, electronics or food online,” Moore explained. “Remarketing is an ideal way to leverage your brand over and over again and it allows for fairly precise targeting. If you’re looking for women between the ages of 20-30, you can easily devise a plan to reach them. With remarketing, you already know that they have some

24 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

they use other mobile apps or browse other mobile websites.

interest in your shop, because they’ve visited your site once or more in the past. You’re reemphasizing your message, so it’s more powerful than as if you’re trying to reach people for the first time. They know your name already, so in a way you’ve done half the work in advance.”

There are several ways to remarket your shop online using remarketing techniques:

● Remarketing lists for search ads: Show ads to your past visitors as they do follow-up searches for what they need on Google, after leaving your website.

● Video remarketing: Show ads to people who have interacted with your videos or YouTube channel as they use YouTube and browse through videos, websites and apps you’ve designated.

For companies that aren’t running sales or promotions and are simply trying to get their name out there on a regular basis, remarketing online is one of the best and newest ways to do it. Start with a small budget to test the waters and gauge the response, but if you’re doing any online marketing or advertising online, remarketing may be the ideal way to tell them once and then tell them again.

● Standard remarketing: Show ads to your past visitors as they browse through select websites you select.

● Dynamic remarketing: Show dynamic ads to past visitors with products and services they viewed on your website as they browse through sites you’ve selected.

● Remarketing for mobile apps: Show ads to people who have used your mobile app or mobile website as

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Judge Dismisses Fraud, Racketeering Case Against Warren, MI, Shop Owner, “Evidence Not There”

by Jameson Cook, The Macomb Daily

A judge dismissed all the charges against a Warren body shop owner accused of defrauding customers and operating a criminal enterprise.

Maher Waad, 29, of Shelby Township, was charged with six counts of false pretenses and one count of racketeering for his actions at his business, Marks One Collision, on Eight Mile Road.

Judge James Maceroni said from the bench the case never should have made it to Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens. The ruling followed a half-hour of arguments in court and Maceroni’s review of legal briefs.

“It’s (the evidence) simply not there,” Maceroni said in brief comments from the bench. “This case should have been dismissed at the preliminary examination.”

The decision brought a sense of exhilaration to Waad, who embraced his attorneys, Steve Haney and Charles Busse.

“The truth came out,” a smiling Waad said. “I believed in God that the truth would come out.”

Waad said the charges, filed in fall 2013, have significantly damaged but not destroyed his multi-million dollar business, which also includes a 200-car fleet rental company.

Former judge Dean Ausilio of 37th District Court in Warren and Center was criticized by the judge, an assistant prosecutor and Haney. Ausilio had criticized both the police and prosecution side as well as the defendant but still ordered the case in December to advance to circuit court following a probable cause hearing. Ausilio left office Dec. 31 after losing the November election.

“What is most troubling is the opinion of the lower court,” Maceroni said.

“I’m so perplexed by this (Ausilio’s) decision,” Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Jean Cloud said in court among her arguments to maintain the charges. “How can a judge say there is no evidence and yet bound it

over?”

In his opinion, Ausilio said he was “troubled by (the prosecution’s) reliance in making charging decisions based upon an obviously flawed, self-

(l to r) Attorney Steve Haney, Maher Waad and attorney Charles Busse embrace in a courthouse hallway minutes after all criminal charges against Waad, a Warren business owner, are dismissed by Judge James Maceroni of Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens. Photo Credit: Jameson Cook, Macomb Daily Photo

serving investigative report prepared for the MATS (Macomb Auto Theft Squad) unit by an insurance company ... without a full unbiased, and independent investigation.”

On the other hand, he also said he was “stunned” by Waad’s business practices. Haney, Waad’s attorney, has contended from the start of the case that it was a mere civil “billing dispute” that was unfairly made into a criminal case by police as part of a vendetta by Farmers Insurance against Waad for his federal lawsuit against Farmers.

Haney called the case “an embarrassment to the county and a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Maceoni said the prosecution failed to show that Waad had “specific knowledge” of the alleged acts.

Farmers and three other insurance carriers were accused by Waad in federal court of steering customers away from his shop for insurance work, defamation and engaging in ethnic bias that included ethnic slurs about Waad by insurance representatives. Waad is of Arabic descent. Waad says he was called a “dirty Arab,” “sand n-----” and “crook.” The case is pending.

“If they can convict him of being a

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

write us! publisher@autobodynews.com

26 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

dirty Arab and a crook, it will be a defense in the defamation suit,” Haney told Maceroni.

MATS says Waad repaired vehicles to a lesser extent than required under written estimates that were negotiated between the shop and insurance company, saving it between several hundred dollars and nearly $4,000 per vehicle. The incidents occurred from April 2012 to June 2013.

In some cases, some aspects of repair work was never done, and in other instances, after-market parts were used when original manufacturer equipment was required in the estimate, according to MATS. Haney countered that MATS has inflated the alleged over-charges and failed to give credit to Waad and Marks One for other work done or benefits to the vehicle owner to offset the shortcomings, such as a paying the customer’s deductible and/or providing a loaner vehicle. The law allows Waad’s shop the flexibility to come up with a variety of solutions, Haney said.

“It’s exactly the same thing that happens every day in this county, in this state, with insurance companies,”

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he said.

Maceroni said the prosecution failed to show that Waad had “specific knowledge” of the alleged acts. Haney had noted that none of the four customers who testified at the preliminary examination dealt with Waad.

Waad said that the allegations have prompted him to pay closer attention to transactions at his shop. He said he has hired more managers.

Police in April 2014 seized about 70 vehicles, more than $100,000 in cash, checks, equipment and many boxes of business documents from the collision shop, car-rental lots in Warren and Oak Park, and his home. Only the collision shop raid led to charges. Waad spent $25,000 to get everything back, his attorneys said.

The most serious charge against Waad was racketeering, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Cloud said the prosecutor’s office appellate division will review the case for a potential appeal.

Autobody News thanks the Macomb Daily and Jameson Cook for permission to reprint his story.

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Your insurance coverage. Choosing the right body shop. o Helping you through the colliission repair process. Collision 101. What’ss a DRP and why should I care? Wh he ere do airbags come from? Counter feit airbags - what you need to know. Takke a closer look. W What hat are are crash crash parts parts? You ur rights as a consumer. Your insurance coverage.

Choosing the right bo ody shop. What are www.airbagaware.com crash parts? Yourr rights as a consumer. Your insurance coverage. v Choosing the right body sh ho op. All parts are not created equal. Take a closer look. Collision 101. What’’ss a DRP and why should I care? Where do d airbags come from? Counterfeiitt airbags - what you need to know. Take a closer look. What are crash parts? Your rights as a consumer. Your insurance ccoverage. Choosing the right bod dy shop. Helping you through the collisio on repair process.

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What are crash pa parts?? Your righ hts as a consumer. Your in nsu urance coverage. www.crashrepairinfo.com Choosing tthe he e rrig ig gh ht b ht body ody sshop. hop. Y Your our rights rights as as a cons consum consumer.. W What haat are crash parts? You ur in nsuran nce coverage. g Choo sing the right body sh hop. All parts Great Info for Consumers are not created equal. Helping you through the collision repair process.

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National Associations

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@chasidyraesisk.com.

Exciting Changes Coming for 2015 SARC, Hosted by Seven State Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

On April 17 and 18, seven state collision repair industry associations will collaborate to host the 2015 Southern Automotive Repair Conference (SARC), organized by Blue Collar Collision. The event will be held again at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, MS. This year, the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) has joined the six associations who’ve hosted in the past; the other hosts are the Alabama Automotive Repair Industry Society of Excellence (ALARISE), the Georgia Collision Industry Association (GCIA), the Florida Autobody Collision Alliance (FACA), the Louisiana Collision Industry Association (LaCIA), the Mississippi Collision Repair Association (MSCRA), and the Tennessee Collision Repair Association (TCRA). Each association will set up tables at the conference to disseminate information about their organizations and to help attendees and exhibitors benefit from SARC 2015.

Registration for this year’s SARC will begin on Friday at 4PM with classes commencing at 5PM and the expo floor opening at 7PM. Exhibitions will continue Saturday from 7:30AM8PM when the conference concludes.

Approximately 500 attendees are expected to participate in this year’s event, and over 40 exhibitors will be set up on the expo floor. Event Coordinator Georgia Thorson predicts, “SARC will be more organized, focused and energetic this year in order to provide a truly great event for both attendees and exhibitors.

There is an excellent lineup of industry presenters, including keynote speaker, Mike Anderson.”

Repeat attendees will notice many changes at this year’s SARC 2015. Unlike previous years when breakout sessions dominated the schedule, all classes are being held in one room with the only overlapping sessions being held on Friday night to give attendees two options during that time slot. Exhibitors’ booths will be set up along the room’s perimeter, and over eight hours have been allotted throughout the weekend for exhibitions which will be presented on the main stage. In addition to the registration fee being reduced this year, participants can now register online, which Thorson hopes will leads to accurate databases and a

“more stream-lined, more effective and more dynamic event.”

Following registration on Friday, attendees will choose between two classes scheduled from 5-7PM. While Ron Perretta presents “Build a Great Culture and Future Work Force” in Camellia A, Assured Performance’s Mike Miller will host an “OEM Certification Presentation and Discussion” in Camellia B. From 7-9PM, participants can visit exhibitors’ booths in Magnolia, the main conference room, and indulge in a buffet-style reception dinner.

From 7:30-9AM on Saturday, attendees can enjoy breakfast while getting to know the vendors exhibiting on the expo floor. Welcoming and Introductions begin at 9AM, followed by an Exhibitor Presentation and Drawing which concludes at 9:45AM. Next, Industry Updates will be provided by Aaron Schulenburg, Executive Director of SCRS. Participants will then enjoy networking opportunities during the short break preceding another Exhibitor Presentation and Drawing.

Following a presentation on “EPA and OSHA Updates” provided by Brandon Thomas of GMG EnviroSafe, Jim McGrew from Precision Collision Center will share some secrets of his success as attendees “Hear from a Winning Shop!” Lunch and time with exhibitors are sandwiched between exhibitors presentations and drawings with things getting back down to business at 1:45PM with the event’s keynote speaker.

For two and a half hour, SARC 2015 attendees will be privy to the insights of the event’s keynote speaker, Mike Anderson, of Collision Advice.

Anderson’s knowledge and expertise make him one of the most highly sought speakers in the industry as he shares his motivational suggestions on cutting-edge management and operational techniques.

The final educational seminar of SARC 2015 will be the Panel Discussion with Questions and Answers from 4:30-5:45PM which will be moderated

by Robert McKenzie, Executive Director of the Refinish Distributors Alliance. Panelists include the following renowned industry experts: Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, Mike Miller of Assured Performance, Jim

30 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

McGrew of Precision Collision Center, Tony Nethery of Blue Collar Collision and TCRA, Ron Perretta of Global Coaching and Consulting, SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg, and Brandon Thomas of GMG EnviroSafe.

This year’s event will culminate with final announcements and a door prize drawing, preceding the last two hours of the night when attendees will have a chance to visit exhibitors. A buffet-style reception dinner will also be served at this time.

Thorson expects, “this year will be exciting compared to the past. We’ve received huge interest from sponsors, and all the major paint companies will be there. Body shops are really interested, and we’re going to have more drawings and prizes than ever before.

Everyone involved with planning the 2015 SARC is really enthusiastic and excited to see how everyone reacts to the changes this year.”

SARC was developed and estab-

lished several years ago by Steve Plier of ALARISE and John Mosley of MSCRA. Both gentlemen are dedicated to providing shops in their areas and across the country with the necessary training and networking opportunities to improve the collision repair industry as a whole, and this desire led them to found SARC. Tickets are available for purchase online at SARC’s website for the low cost of $25 per person by credit card, or they can be purchased at the door for $30 (by cash or check only). Tickets admit the holder to the conference and exhibition area and to attend one of Friday night’s classes. Those who register online will also receive free drink tickets for Friday’s and Saturday’s receptions, a door prize entry, and a ticket to the luncheon on Saturday.

To learn more about the conference or to register for the 2015 SARC, visit the event’s website at www.southern automotiverepairconference.com

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—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.

He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

Industry Insight

Testing Shows Dramatic Differences in Isocyanate-Blocking by Spraysuits with John Yoswick

New testing announced at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) earlier this year indicates that not all spraysuits are created equal in terms of preventing penetration of isocyanates.

Brandon Thomas of GMG Envirosafe shared the results of testing his company had done on six spraysuits with brand names including DeVilbiss, DuPont, Sata and Shoot Suit. Without disclosing which test results were for each specific suit (because of liability concerns), Thomas showed that only one of the six appeared to fully prevent isocyanate exposure. Four others showed varying levels of exposure, and one appeared to offer no more protection than not wearing a suit at all.

“This is not a finger-pointing exercise,” Thomas said. “It’s an exercise to see if we can do better due diligence in terms of what we’re equipping our employees with. Do all spraysuits perform the same? No. We have a full

gamut here. Our objectives here were to determine if there is a viable way to test a suit for isocyanate exposure, and if so, do we see any variability when comparing suits. We absolutely can test the spraysuits, and absolutely can look at the variability within these suits and the type of protections they actually provide the painters.”

Thomas said he conducted the testing because of the conflicting or unclear responses (if any) he received last fall from the manufacturers of spraysuits when he asked if their suits provide refinish technicians with protection from isocyanates; some of the manufacturers told him no such testing was possible and that only manufacturers with “deep pockets who can afford lawsuits” make any claims about the protection their spraysuits offer.

In his presentation at CIC, held in January in Palm Springs, CA, Thomas emphasized that the testing was not designed to indicate the level

of health risks to which painters wearing the various spraysuits may be exposed. Thomas’s testing was not examining how much isocyanate exposure painters face while spraying in the booth. In fact, his testing began by having a painter wear one of the testing sensors on his wrist outside of the spraysuit. After spraying clearcoat on two fenders and a hood for about 10 to 12 minutes, the sensor showed no isocyanate exposure. (Thomas postulates that this may be because more exposure time is necessary, or that the sensors may have showed more exposure if placed lower in the booth on the painter’s lower legs.)

So Thomas’s testing was done by placing the sensors on a spraycard placed inside the same area in each of the suits, then spraying that area directly for about five seconds with a pass from right-to-left and back again.

(A similar test to simulate a spill exposure had similar findings although

one suit that fared fairly well in the spray test did less well in the spill test.)

The sensors turn bright orange with initial isocyanate exposure and a more dull, brownish orange with more saturated exposure. Based on this testing, only one of the six suits tested prohibited isocyanate exposure.

“But this is not a working environment of standing and spraying in a booth for hours,” Thomas said. “What we wanted to confirm is we can test these suits, and we have that ability. So some of the manufacturers’ claims that there is no test is false. And we want to invite and engage the manufacturers to take some ownership of this.”

He said his next step is to present the findings to the manufacturers “to give them the opportunity to recreate it or maybe test all their suits, and then share those results with the [CIC] body.”

“There are a lot of options out there, and unfortunately, shops are li-

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able for choosing the correct suit, not the manufacturers and not the jobbers or distributors,” Thomas said.

This was the fourth consecutive CIC meeting that included discussion of isocyanates, a family of chemical compounds, found in several products used in collision repair (most notably, clearcoats), that can pose serious and permanent health risks if not handled properly. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workers improperly exposed to isocyanates can suffer permanent respiratory complications, and even death, from a single episode of overexposure or intermittent exposures at low concentrations. They are a leading cause of occupational asthma.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has stepped up inspections of body shops nationwide as part of a three-year emphasis (until mid-2016) on protecting workers from isocyanate exposure.

Collision repair is one of about 10 industries targeted by OSHA under the program. The OSHA shop inspections under this program are not brief; they may be conducted over three or four days, possibly spread out over several weeks.

Inspectors are checking a shop’s chemical inventory, safety data sheets, hazard assessment training and personal protection equipment (PPE).

They are checking the shop’s OSHA 300 logs for five years, and reviewing workers' medical records. They are interviewing employees to ask about PPE usage, asthma diagnosis, or symptoms (such as watery eyes, shortness of breath, chest tightness) that occur at work but dissipate away from work.

And they are conducting air sampling and wipe sampling on skin and PPE—and even in areas such as drinking fountains or employee break rooms where other employees could be exposed to isocyanates if a painter, for example, sits down or touches items while still wearing a shootsuit or gloves.

How long do isocyanates on such surfaces pose an exposure risk for others? Speaking at CIC last fall, Catherine Sayles of Bayer Material Science, a raw material supplier of isocyanates to paint manufacturers, said it varies.

“If it’s still wet, I would definitely say you have that potential,” she said. “Once it’s dry, it depends on how much of it is there, how thick it is, how much isocyanate is actually in the product.”

She said shops can check for surface or skin contamination from isocyanates—after clean-up of a spill, for example—by using Swype test kits for aliphatic isocyanates.

Sayles also said her company recommends the use of nitrile gloves (not latex) when working around isocyanates, but cautioned that shops can no longer presume that “blue gloves” are nitrile as opposed to just latex.

“In the past, the latex manufacturers always made their gloves white and the nitrile gloves were blue,” she said. “Now the manufacturers of latex gloves are also making them in different colors, including blue. So there’s confusion sometimes as to whether a blue glove is latex or nitrile. You want to make sure you’re paying attention to the box and what kind of glove you’re using, because latex gloves are not adequate for isocyanate protection.”

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Continued from Page 21

Takata Takes Steps

The failure to properly disclose the defect caused the Automotive Recyclers to purchase vehicles containing the Takata airbags for amounts greater than their worth.

“Right now, 49 states allow for the sale of recycled, non-deployed OEM airbags,” ARA CEO Michael E. Wilson told Autobody News.

“New York is currently the only state in the country where professional automotive recyclers are unable to sell recycled, non-deployed OEM airbags.”

Wilson added, “The Automotive Recyclers Association supports only the reutilization of the recycled nondeployed OEM airbag module. ARA has a protocol for the use of original equipment non-deployed airbags, ARAPro, which provides guidelines for the practice of removing an OEM non-deployed airbag, including rigorous inspection, documentation, storage, audit procedures.”

As of March 2015, evidence shows that at least six motorists have been killed by defective Takata airbags.

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Lean Operations

Putting First Things First with David Luehr

If you are anything like me you are probably wondering, “WOW, where has this year gone already!?”It’s amazing how quickly time can slip by and then you realize you haven’t really made the progress on the goals you have set for yourself or worse yet haven’t set aside the time to create goals in the first place. You no doubt have been very busy working in your shops, it is the “nature of the business.”

That is what I want to talk to you about today. This supposed “nature of the business” might as well be called “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”… insanity right? It is indeed, but that is exactly what most of us do EVERY DAY. It upsets me to watch it, because I was guilty of inadequate time management for a large part of my body shop career.

I constantly found myself attending to whatever situation screamed the loudest and while doing so, perpetuated even more problems to attend to. I was young and didn’t mind at the time, in fact I kind of prided myself on my ability to fight fires all day long and “make things happen.” The problem was I wasn’t making things happen at all. I was simply creating a vicious cycle of unnecessary activity that later on contributed to the loss of my business!

In the early 1990s I was introduced to a book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

This book changed my life as it has the

Continued from Page 10

Fighting Over Repairs

Park Place is not part of any network, but insurance companies expect its shops to follow the same directives for parts use and repair costs.

“Some insurance companies won’t pay you to blend the new paint with the color of the other panels,” McKenzie said. “So some shops do it anyway and just eat the cost. We do.”

Insurance companies often insist on using after-market body panels for big repairs such as damage to hoods, fenders, doors and bumper assemblies.

But in many cases, the shops say, they won’t fit. The shop has to either mod-

David Luehr is the owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions, LLC, a collision business consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 30 year veteran of the collision repair industry.

David is an expert in Body Shop Operations and specializes in Lean, and Theory of Constraints methods. Email him at dluehr@msn.com

thousands or millions of others that have read it. There are two habits that are especially meaningful to me. Begin with the End in Mind and First Things First.

Begin with the End in Mind is just as it sounds. You visualize your funeral.

What will people say about you at your funeral? So by being clear on what you want to accomplish in life and what you stand for and want people to remember you for is pretty much what you need to get working on now. Before it’s too late!

First Things First explains the time-management methods used to keep you on track towards the goals, values, and vision you have for your life. Only by truly knowing what it is you want in life (Begin with the End) and then setting goals and plans for achievement will you break the cycle of madness that many of us continue to struggle with.

I have created a four quadrant time management matrix that is based on Covey’s work. Which quadrant do you find yourself spending the most time? The idea is that if you spend a lot more of your time pursuing activities in quadrant 2, you will be working on the right things and thereby reduce the activities that occur in quadrants 1 and 3. Avoid quadrant 4 altogether.

■ Dealing with missing/wrong parts ■ Rework ■ Some phone calls ■ Some meetings ■ Stoppages in production

Quadrant 2 (Not Urgent, Important) ■ Calling customers ■ Documenting activities ■ Improvement projects ■ Relationship building ■ Some meetings ■ Problem prevention ■ Safety prevention ■ Planning ■ Damage analysis ■ Mirror matching ■ Updating system information ■ Inventory management

Quadrant 3 (Urgent, Not Important) ■ Interruptions ■ Some phone calls ■ Some emails ■ Some meetings

■ Some reports

Quadrant 4 (Not Urgent, Not Important) ■ Trivia & Busywork ■ Irrelevant emails ■ Some phone calls ■ Time wasters ■ Smoking ■ Playing on the internet

I implore you to read Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or even better is First Things First that really expands on this idea of prioritizing your life. Life is too damn short to be chasing your tail. It’s time to get to work on things that really matter. Read these books, or call me if you would like help organizing and helping you and your organization create the values, vision, and, goals necessary to live the fulfilling life that is truly possible. It is possible even in the collision repair industry!

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The right part makes the difference.

Quadrant 1 (Urgent and Important) ■ Pressing Problems ■ Expediting due to missed deadlines ■ Dealing with angry customers/ins. Co. ify the part or negotiate with the insurance company to use an original manufacturer’s part.

“In a lot of cases, the after-market companies use old dies to cast metal parts, so the edges of the die are rounded and the panel is not exact or holes that should be round are oval,” McKenzie said.

Overpriced?

The insurance companies, meanwhile, contend that automakers’ parts are priced too high—meant to earn profits for both automakers and their dealers.

While that may be true to some extent, the automakers designed and tested the parts, and they guarantee their integrity, McKenzie and Richards See Fighting Over Repairs, Page 50

34 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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LA SkillsUSA High School Competition Right Around the Corner, Qualifiers Head to Nationals in KY

by Victoria Antonelli, Online Editor

Since its founding in 1965, SkillsUSA has provided high school and college students from across the country with the opportunity to put their array of talents to the test.

More than 300,000 students and advisors join SkillsUSA annually, organized into more than 17,000 sections and 52 state and territorial associations.

Combining alumni and lifetime membership, the total number impacted this year is more than 335,000. That’s 11.2 million people impacted in the last 50 years.

Students in the automotive sector hone their skills into one of two specializations: automotive collision repair and automotive refinish.

Louisiana holds two qualifying contests; one for high school students and one for post secondary students across the state. The post-secondary or college competition was held on March

17, 2015 in Shreveport. The high school contests will take place on April 15-17 at Terrebonne Career & Technology High School in Houma.

“Some viewing from the public is allowed during the state contests,” said Bill Burnside, who serves on the board for SkillsUSA Louisiana and the Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association. “Parents can take pictures during breaks, and school officials can take a walk through, but advisors are prohibited from interacting with students.”

Students may ask the judges procedural questions, but nothing technical.

Collision repair and automotive refinish students gather at the SkillsUSA competition.

Photo Credit: Kristen Felder - CollisionHub

“We try to base the state contest as close to nationals as possible,” added Burnside, who has attended national competitions in the past.

The collision repair students are judged on their welding, plastic repair, body filler, and frame skills. The automotive refinish students are critiqued on panel blending with color, masking, mixing of primers, matching a color, color theory, and color identification.

Both groups are required to complete a series of interviews and estimate writing, explained Burnside, who also manages ColorMaster Automotive Paint in Shreveport.

“Twelve students in high school and twelve in post-secondary compete at the state level,” he said. “Then, one high school student and one post secondary student—the gold medal champions—will advance to nationals.”

The students are judged by people in the industry, including other NWLCRA members, technicians, and body shop owners and managers.

“Once they start interacting with owners, technicians, and other leaders in the field, it gives them a chance to connect by creating a relationship with future employers” said Burnside. “The students remember that. The guys and gals that have a key interest in it will look back and think, ‘I remember that guy; he judged me in the SkillsUSA competitions.’ It gives them something to commit to.”

With the shortage of new generation industry workers, the SkillsUSA competitions play an even bigger role in “helping younger people get excited about collision repair.”

Collision repair student takes advice from I-CAR instructor before the competition begins. Photo Credit: Kristen Felder - CollisionHub

“There are a lot of variables that cause the shortage of technicians. You can’t be lazy; it’s hard work,” said Burnside. “We have competition from the oil industry, and other big level jobs. Entry level guys and gals can’t make money until they develop their skills sets.”

Industry support helps makes the competitions possible, he added, especially contributions from State Farm Insurance.

The SkillsUSA National Championships will be held from June 22-26 in Louisville, KY.

CREF to Highlight Collision Career Opportunities

To help provide school counselors from around the country with collision industry and career opportunity information for their students, the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) will be exhibiting and presenting at the 2015 American School Counselor Association Annual Conference.

The event will be held June 28-July 1 in Phoenix, AZ. The Education Foundation will have a booth during the conference’s trade show and present during the “Career Tracks” section of the event.

CREF Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode noted, “The Ed-

ucation Foundation has increased our efforts to communicate to school administration and counselors about the need to support their high school and college collision school programs and participating in this event is key to ensure that the collision industry is visible to this group.”

For information about the American School Counselor Association, visit www.SchoolCounselor.org. Those interested in making a donation should contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847.463.5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.

The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation has made a $100,000 donation to the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). “GEICO is excited to make this contribution to the Collision Repair Education Foundation to aid its mission of supporting students and educational institutions that develop highly trained collision repair technicians to meet the changing needs of the industry,” said Ryan West, GEICO’s Vice President of Claims. CREF Executive Director Clark Plucinski noted, “GEICO has been a long-standing supporter and partner with the Collision Repair Ed-

ucation Foundation in recognizing the fact that collision school programs are in need of support in order to graduate properly trained students for industry employment. To receive this incredible donation to start off 2015 will bring our organization to another level, I cannot thank GEICO enough for the support, and would encourage other industry members to follow GEICO’s lead in working together with the Collision Repair Education Foundation.” Visit www.GEICO .com. Or contact Foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at 847-463-5244.

GEICO Philanthropic Awards $100,000 to CREF

36 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Hey Toby!

Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator.

Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at tcspeedster@yahoo.com

How Much Do You Know About 2015 Vehicle Technology and Trends? with Toby Chess

Hey Everyone, I am back and I hope you all are enjoying a great start to the new year. I recently gave the following test to the CIC audience in Palm Spring this past January and to an association group meeting. What was

amazing after giving the test, how many repairers and insurers did not know the correct answers. Out of 40 repairers, only one knew what R1234

yf was and this new refrigerant is found in over a dozen vehicles with more converting to this Freon. Not good at all. Take the test and see how well you and staff do with it. All these questions were taken from I-CAR’s

New 15 class* (Vehicle Technology and Trends 2015). There are no trick questions.

1. Estimator A states that a 2015 BMW with Head-up displays needs a special windshield.

Estimator B states that a 2015 Mini Cooper with HUD needs a special windshield. Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator 2. More 2015 vehicles are switching to the new R-1234-yf refrigerant.

Estimator A states that there now retro fit kits for earlier vehicles equipped with R134 Estimator B states that Toyota is moving in the direction of R-1234-yf.

Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

3. A 2015 Jeep Renegade front floor

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4. An estimate is being written on a 2015 Chrysler 200 to section the right front rail. All of the following statements are true except one. Which question is the exception?

A. The left and right rail use different sectioning locations B. An open butt joint is used to section the rail C. Chrysler does not recommend weld thru primer D. Same sectioning procedure as the 2014 Jeep Cherokee

5. A Left front door on a 2015 Ford F150 is damaged.

Estimator A states that the intrusion beam is made from Series 7 alu-

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minum to prevent galvanic corrosion.

Estimator B states that there is no outer door panel available at this time and new door is needed if the old panel is not repairable. Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

6. A 2015 Heavy duty GM truck is involved in a front end collision and the front portion of the frame is not repairable.

Estimator A states the GM is now offering a front repair section that is similar to the one offered on the half ton pickup.

Estimator B states the drive train still will need to be removed to replace the front repair section. Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

7. A 2015 Honda Accord is involved in a side impact collision and the outer rocker and rocker reinforcement need to be replaced. What pieces of equipment and or fastners are approved by

Honda?

A. Any single or 3 phase spot welder & MIG brazing B. STRSW and MIG welding C. STRSW and Glue D. None of the above

8. A 2015 Honda Fit is involved in a front end collision. The left front rail is not repairable.

A. Estimator A states that Honda now recommends weld thru primer between the mating surfaces.

B. Estimator B states that Honda has a front rail section procedure.

Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

9. A 2015 Honda Accord has a left front fender that needs to be replaced.

The front door needs to be blended.

The vehicle is equipped with Lane Watch.

Estimator A states that camera will need to be reaimed and this procedure can only be done authorized Honda Dealer.

Estimator B states that the mirror can be aimed with a laser attached to

the mirror and following the procedures outline in OEM service manual.

Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

10. A 2015 Nissan Rogue is made from plastics and if it is damaged, it needs to be replaced.

A. True B. False

11. A 2015 Ford F150 is being repaired from a side impact.

A. Technician A states that the roof does not need to be replaced to install the B pillar reinforcement.

B. Technician B states that the maximum temperature that can be applied is 425 degrees F, but the duration of heat is limited as per Ford’s repair manual. Who is correct?

A. Estimator A only B. Estimator B only C. Both Estimator A & B D. Neither Estimator

3. D 4. B 5. D 6. A 7. D 8. C 9. D 10. A 11. A *Vehicle Technology and Trends 2015 provides information on upcoming vehicles and technology trends that will impact the repair processes, including structural design innovations, system changes and new materials and electronics throughout new and redesigned vehicles. The course also gives a glimpse into some of the aluminum-intensive vehicles coming to market that will require aluminum repair training.

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Southwest Associations with Chasidy Rae Sisk

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@chasidyraesisk.com.

TIAA Co-Hosts Second Annual Tire and Automotive Expo The Texas Independent Automotive Association (TIAA) will be teaming up with the Texas Tire Dealers Association (TTDA) for their second Annual Tire and Auto Expo on April 16-18. This year’s convention will be held at the Westin Stonebriar Resort in Frisco, TX. Louie Sirianni, President of TIAA, states that TTDA has “run the event successfully for many years, and it has been hosted in every major city in TX. The event changes location every year in order to attract all Texans. The most important thing is that all of the scholarship dollars raised stay in TX, and any legislative efforts are TX only. We give Texans their Automotive Independence!”

Sirianni explains, “TIAA is a nonprofit group that provides a broad range of resources and education to collision and repair professionals plus monitors the Texas legislature for industry related issues and concerns. In addition, TIAA gives scholarships to collision and auto

repair students. This event is meant to provide information, classes and networking to shops and raise scholarship money at the same time. The collision industry as a whole is changing all the time. Every shop has to keep up; this is our way of helping. If every shop that attends brings a few things back, they will get better. Members will receive valuable, up-to-date information regarding business management and laws concerning our industry, as well as networking with some of the best shops across the state. With the networking we offer, collision shops can grow together instead of going their separate ways – I believe there is strength in numbers!”

TIAA’s 2015 Tire and Auto Expo will begin at 11:30AM on Thursday with their Golf Classic, followed by a Welcome Reception that evening. General sessions will commence at 8:30 on Friday morning with “Legislative Insights,” followed by “Outstanding Cus-

WIN Member Sees Huge Opportunities in Industry As a college intern, Rosalie Tamburro supported sponsorship activities as well as learning and development for a major paint company. She found that the industry was filled with friendly, supportive professionals, and that the automotive industry peeked her interest. Upon graduation, Tamburro sought to continue her involvement by joining PPG Automotive Refinish as a Marketing Communications Specialist, based in their Strongsville, OH headquarters.

Tamburro explained, “I was attracted to the automotive industry for two different reasons. One reason is credited to PPG, I knew after joining the team that this is where I was meant to be. In addition to the Rosalie Tamburro industry aligning joined PPG Autowith my intermotive Refinish ests, the culture as Marketing and customers Communications are exceptional.

Specialist Refinish is so diverse – from cutting-edge technology to the custom painter who can amaze with their creative talent, there’s always

something to look forward to.”

After two years, Tamburro shifted in 2014 to a new role acting as a liaison to the Canadian market.

Like many, Tamburro sees a huge opportunity for social media and other interactive marketing initiatives to be leveraged in the auto industry. “These platforms allow businesses to really engage with their customers in a whole new way. The technology and resources that are available to promote any business is something that offers endless opportunities.”

Tamburro’s manager, Cristina Fronzaglia, encouraged her to get connected with those across the industry by joining and participating in the Women’s Industry Network (WIN).

Tamburro has taken that advice, joining the Communications Committee and agreeing to take on the role of Scholarship Liaison within the first month of becoming a WIN member. “I am a member of WIN because I wanted to be part of a group that makes an impact in the industry.”

Recently, she learned that one of her colleagues, Jessica Crowley, is actually a WIN Scholarship recipient from 2012.

Thank you to WIN for providing this article to Autobody News magazine.

40 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

tomer Service” at 9AM. Next, attendees will learn “How to Value Your Business,” and then, they will discuss “Labor/Immigration and Employees.”

After breaking for lunch, members can participate in Rapid Roundtables on topics including Affordable Care Updates and National Legislative Updates. The last seminar of the day will be “Position Your Business for Optimum Growth.”

The party begins Friday evening with networking opportunities at Happy Hour on the Expo floor. Attendees will also have a chance to enjoy the Friday Celebration Night Event or the Friday Ladies Event. Sianni believes that the networking opportunities at TIAA’s Tire and Auto Expo are one of the most important reasons to attend.

“I plan on attending all the events, and I expect to meet a few shops that I didn’t know before. I love meeting new people in our business,” said Sianni.

“One tangible benefit from networking

is knowing someone in another town. If I have a customer that needs assistance, I will know where to send them because I have met the person in charge!”

On Saturday morning, both TIAA and TTDA will hold their separate annual memberships meetings and officer elections. Before the event adjourns, attendees will hear the keynote presentation, entitled “Survive and Thrive.”

Early Bird Registration extends until March 27 if you want to enjoy discounted rates. Non-member registration includes a one-year membership in TIAA. The cost of participating in the Golf Classic is $125 per person. If you are interested in participating in the EXPO as a vendor please call the TIA Headquarters or visit the TIAA website.

For more information or to register, visit TIAA’s website: www.tiaa.net

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ShopRepTV: A Personalized TV Channel for Body Shops

by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor

During the summer of 2014, Frank Terlep recalls walking into a body shop lobby and noticing all of the paper, plaques and reviews strewn across the counter and taped on the walls and windows. Terlep, owner of Summit eMarketing Sherpas, wondered if it would make sense to digitize all of this information. (see more on Frank Terlep p. 44 this issue.)

This led him to create ShopRepTV, an in-house sales, marketing and advertising platform specifically designed for auto body and repair shops. Terlep said the product allows a business to use HDTVs, PC monitors, laptops and/or tablets to present their online reviews, certifications, affiliations and partnerships, as well as share videos, labor rates special offers and much more.

“It is basically like a shop’s own personalized TV channel for their business,” said Terlep. Whether it is used in a shop’s lobby or estimating bays, he said that it will help shops better communicate with customers, reduce perceived wait times, improve customer service, reinforce the shop’s brand and increase exposure to a shop’s special promotions and additional services.

After creating a test version, Terlep introduced ShopRepTV at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV in November 2014. He had no idea what the reaction would be and said he was pleased to hear the positive feedback.

Although there are dozens of digital signage companies, Terlep said this product is different.

ShopRepTV is preformatted with content so shops can pick and choose what they want to present to their customers. It can also be customized for each body shop.

“We have this product we think is valuable to the business,” said Terlep, who has worked with body shops for the last 30 years. “We think it’s something that most collision centers are

going to use in the future.”

Terlep said his company, based in Poway, CA, specializes in helping shops retain more customers, revenue and profit through digital sales, marketing and advertising.

Star ratings, promotions and customer reviews are just some of the choices that can be included on ShopRepTV

Over the last few months, Terlep asked some of his previous customers to test ShopRepTV in their shops. The goal was to find out if they are gaining value from presenting information to their customers in this way.

Barry Reddick, owner of Collision PRO in Helena, Montana, has tested ShopRepTV over the last few months. The monitor is set up on his lobby counter and Reddick said he has found that a lot of people are watching it, especially the videos and commercials.

The body shop has showcased their certifications and star rating, as well as information about their relationships with insurance companies and DRPs. “I think it gives them a little more insight into the business,” said Reddick. “In one spot you can really showcase the inside of your business with photos or slides.”

Terlep said ShopRepTV is relatively easy to set up. First, the company

Service King Expands in Chicago, with Six Locations

Service King Collision Repair Centers announced on March 2 continued expansion in Chicago, IL, with the acquisition of Central Collision Centers.

Service King now offers collision repair services at 13 locations in the Chicago metro area.

The acquisition of Central Collision Centers, a multi-location operator of collision and auto glass repair with six area

will install Google Chromcast, which allows any computer to connect wirelessly to a TV. This will allow ShopRepTV to run on the monitor. The company is currently in the process of partnering with Best Buy to set up a

locations, officially closed Friday, February 27.

“The partnership between Service King and Central Collision is a great step for both of our teams as we continue to expand our offering of high-quality customer service and collision repair services throughout the Chicago market,” said Jerod Guerin, Service King Collision Repair Centers Regional Vice President.

42 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

complete turnkey solution for shops.

After spending time studying other industries with similar products, Terlep said, “We think it will be a very

affordable solution for the shops.”

Whether a business has two stores or 300, it has the ability to control the content at each location from a single computer. “We will continue to enhance the content, which will give the shops more capabilities and more options to present to the consumer,” said Terlep.

The plan is to offer ShopRepTV in North America as a monthly subscription for $59. An annual subscription will also be available for a discount.

Customers who are considering signing up receive a 30-day trial to see how it will work at their business.

Terlep said he would also like to introduce an interactive kiosk and mobile app version of the technology this summer for customers.

“Ultimately we think that the shops that really care about the appearance of their lobby are going to love it,” said Terlep. “Over the past 30 years shops have moved their estimating, frame measurements, shop management, accounting and production management into the digital age, ShopRepTV can now help shop shops move their lobby into the digital age.”

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Historical Snapshot

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.

He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

ASA-MI and DRPs, Carstation.com, Right to Repair and Toby Chess’ Legal Threat with John Yoswick

20 years ago in the collision repair industry (April 1995) Tucked into a referendum on the ballot in Michigan last November was a provision that would have allowed an insurer to establish a direct repair program only if all repair facilities meeting the insurer’s criteria are allowed to participate in the program.

But the provision was part of a larger referendum on renewal of the state’s no-fault insurance regulations, and opponents of no-fault insurance successfully defeated the measure.

The Automotive Service Association of Michigan now hopes to attach the DRP provision from the unsuccessful ballot measure to one of several other bills making their way through the state’s legislature in 1995.

– As reported in Spray Dust Magazine. The legislation was never passed in Michigan, but a similar bill was passed in Montana in 2009. Some believe that law was among the rea-

sons Travelers discontinued its direct repair program in Montana last fall, as part of the insurer’s effort to “ensure regulatory requirements and customer service expectations are met.”

15 years ago in the collision repair industry (April 2000) Nine months after its first panel discussion on “e-commerce,” a second Collision Industry Conference (CIC) panel convened on the same issue.

“At that time, parts and e-commerce in our industry was just an idea,” Russ Thrall, chairman of the CIC Electronic Commerce Committee said of last July’s panel. “There were a lot of people working on it, but it really wasn’t happening to a large extent. Today, the situation is drastically different.”

The panel at CIC in Kansas City, MO, in April included representatives of three organizations currently or soon using the internet to allow shops, in-

surers and vendors to conduct business.

Frank Terlep of CarStation.com, said his company has determined that the cost for a shop to order one part using current methods is between $2.50 and

In April of 2000, Frank Terlep was a vice president at CarStation.com, an early electronic parts ordering hub that, like many “dotcom” start-up companies of that era, did not survive much more than two years. He is now CEO of Summit eMarketing Sherpas

$10; automatic parts ordering via the internet can not only reduce errors but also cut these administrative costs by at least half.

Terlep said online parts ordering would require the shop to do little more than prepare a computerized estimate.

“Instead of printing out that document and faxing it [to parts suppliers], once you upload that estimate to an e-business hub, we communicate it automatically to the vendors you’ve chosen,” Terlep said. “You’re not going through the printing; you’re not faxing it to multiple vendors. We want to integrate the procedure into the existing workflow.”

Shop owners on the panel and in the CIC audience raised some concerns about online parts ordering, questioning whether it may be another step toward direct purchase of parts by insurers and raising privacy issues.

“I certainly have a problem with giving every dealership all that [customer] information [from the estimate], because I don’t want that dealership selling my customer a new car just because he got in a wreck,” California

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shop owner Kevin Caldwell said. “Information is valuable. Who owns the information is a bigger question.”

– As reported in Autobody News.

Carstation.com, like many of the “dotcom” start-up companies of that era, did not survive; by early 2001 it had laid off staff, closed offices and sold rights to its technology to another company. Terlep is now the CEO of Summit eMarketing Sherpas, a body shop marketing firm focusing on use of social media and technology. Caldwell is now a senior claim service consultant with Allstate Insurance.

10 years ago in the collision repair industry (April 2005) U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) predicted passage in 2005 of federal “Right to Repair” legislation (the “Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act”) during remarks to more than 250 people at the Aftermarket Legislative Summit.

Wearing a “Support the Right to Repair Act” button, Barton urged summit attendees to follow-up on their experience in Washington, D.C. by meeting with their elected officials in their home district, reinforcing the value of grass-roots advocacy. Barton’s remarks preceded the attendees’

200 appointments with legislators and key staff from 37 states.

“Everyone at the summit was energized by the encouraging words from Rep. Barton, the bill’s sponsor and chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee,” said Kathleen Schmitz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), a key backer of the “Right to Repair” bill.

“There is truly a sense that momentum and support for our legislation is growing.

– As reported in Parts & People.

The federal “Right to Repair” legislation, designed to ensure independent shops have access to the same OEM repair information as dealership shops, was never passed, although the AAIA (now the “Auto Care Association”) pushed for it for nearly a decade after Rep. Barton predicted its imminent approval by Congress. A state version of “Right to Repair” was enacted in Massachusetts in 2012. Although long critical of any volunteer agreement with automakers, the AAIA in 2014 signed just such a voluntary agreement with the automakers to suspend efforts to pass the legislation in exchange for the automakers agreeing to extend the

terms of the Massachusetts law nationwide.

5 years ago in the collision repair industry (April 2010) Just hours before industry trainer Toby Chess was to make another presentation about non-OEM bumper and structural parts at last week’s Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Atlanta, Chess said he was threatened with a lawsuit if he did so.

He declined to reveal who threatened the legal action, but said because he had not had a chance to consult with an attorney, he chose to forego making his presentation at the meeting.

In presentations at the last two CIC meetings, Chess showed potential problems with a number of non-OEM bumper parts, including apparent significant differences in the material and structure of the parts. In one presentation last November, Chess used a firefighter’s extrication saw to show how much easier it was to cut through the metal used to make a non-OEM bumper bar being sold as a replacement for an OEM part made from ultra-highstrength steel.

That has led at least four insurers to pull back from the use of such parts;

it has also led parts suppliers to develop tracking and recall programs for the parts, and to the launch of several testing and certification programs for such parts.

Chess was clearly frustrated by the threat of legal action against him, saying he never portrayed the demonstrations as scientific research but merely as a way to “bring light” to a potential problem.

“I was asked last month why I did this,” Chess said. “I said that I don’t work for insurance companies, I don’t work for parts companies, I don’t work for body shops. I work for the consumer. I’m a trainer. I teach. So I have no vested stake in this. I thought it was necessary to say these things.”

– As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), April 19, 2010. Although Chess chose a different topic for his presentation at the next CIC in 2010, the non-OEM structural parts issues he had raised still got plenty of attention. Ford reported on testing the automaker did comparing nonOEM bumper beams, bumper brackets, and radiator core supports to the corresponding Ford parts, finding differences in spot welds and the types, thicknesses and weights of the materials used.

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Over 100 Dealerships Join Suit v TrueCar Buying Site Contending Deceptive Business Practices Bellavia Blatt & Crossett, PC, an automobile dealer law firm, has filed a mass action lawsuit in Federal Court for the Southern District of New York against TrueCar. The suit charges that the online car buying site engaged in deceptive business practices. The firm is urging additional non-TrueCar affiliated dealerships who have been injured financially by TrueCar’s actions to join in the suit. So far, 117 dealerships are part of the mass action. A second lawsuit, on behalf of TrueCar-affiliated dealers, will be filed in the coming weeks.

The suit alleges that the dealers have been injured as the result of TrueCar’s misleading claims and have lost approximately 35 to 85 sales per year, meaning $432,000 to over $1,000,000 in

lost revenue, depending upon dealer sales volume. In addition, TrueCar’s actions have led to the reputations of TrueCar-affiliated dealerships being damaged by the public’s perception of the TrueCar business model and its alleged deceptive business practices.

The firm is charging the online car buying site for false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act and unfair competition and deceptive trade practices under state statutes. “TrueCar advertises that their service provides a ‘no haggle experience’ with statements like ‘no negotiation’ and ‘no surprises,’ “ said Leonard Bellavia, Senior Partner. “Yet the buying experience is anything but that as it sets consumers up for disappointment. Our clients have invested

hundreds of millions of dollars to enhance the customer experience, which TrueCar has managed to undermine.”

The firm is also representing 1,048 clients in a separate $350 million mass action lawsuit against CARFAX, seeking recovery of alleged substantial overcharges over six years—multiplied by three—in accordance with antitrust laws. The suit claims that CARFAX has illegally aligned itself with major players in the auto industry and abused its monopoly power, resulting in inferior vehicle history reports, exorbitant pricing and a marketing campaign designed to damage the reputation of auto dealers.

Mr. Bellavia has represented numerous automobile franchise dealers nationwide against the major players in the U.S. au-

tomotive industry, including auto manufacturers—such as Chrysler, GM and Saab—as well as the U.S. government, arising out of the Chrysler bankruptcy wherein dealers were unjustly terminated without compensation.

In response to TrueCar’s alleged violations, Bellavia Blatt is seeking $250,000,000 in damages, as well as injunctive relief compelling TrueCar to change its business model. “We urge other dealers who have been injured by TrueCar’s actions to join in this lawsuit,” Bellavia said. “We will prove that TrueCar’s business model is a bad one—not just for the consumers and dealers, but for the industry in general.”

Call 516) 873-3000 or www.TrueJustice.DealerLaw.com.

Mitchell International has announced the release of RepairCenter Hub, the Property & Casualty industry’s first real-time communication and collaboration platform. With built-in privacy controls, RepairCenter Hub leverages powerful social communication methods to enable collaboration within one and among several repair facilities. “We are extremely excited about the release of RepairCenter Hub. We believe that effective communication is key to effi-

ciently processing repairs, reducing service costs and increasing customer satisfaction,” said Jim O’Leary, VP of Product Management. “With RepairCenter Hub, collision repairers can communicate and collaborate with staff all from one central location. Streamlined communications will lead to improved efficiency, reduction in errors and ultimately higher profits.” In addition to information sharing, RepairCenter Hub provides alerts and updates

that notify users when actions need to be taken. Users can subscribe to jobs and receive real-time notifications for visibility into the repair process.

Through these alerts, shops no longer have to seek out information during the repair process, streamlining communication and enabling proactive business decisions.

“RepairCenter Hub has been readily used by our repair facilities for the past few months,” said Robert Waline, CEO

of Herb’s Paint and Body. “Hub has helped streamline communication and collaboration among our staff. The ability to consolidate real-time communications and events into a single repair order thread saves us time and headache.”

Hub will be rolled out to all shops in North America over the next couple of months as part of the RepairCenter platform for the collision repair industry. To learn more about RepairCenter, visit www.repaircenter.mitchell.com.

Mitchell Launches RepairCenter Hub, a Real Time Communication and Collaboration Platform

WIN’s 2015 Most Influential Women in Collision Repair

The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) announced this year’s honorees for the Most Influential Women (MIW) of the collision industry. ● Cheryl Boswell, CFO, DCR Systems LLC, Duluth, Georgia ● Lauren Fix, President, Automotive Aspects Inc., Lancaster, New York ● Lisa Siembab, Owner, CARSTAR Berlin, Berlin, Connecticut ● Ruth Weniger, CEO, Airbag Solutions LLC, Ivins, Utah “The nominees this year showcased a breadth of responsibilities,” stated Russell Long, President of Change Innovations, the company contracted to conduct the interviews and select the honorees.

“Each year, women from different facets of the collision repair industry are selected for their passion and commitment to progressive and positive evolution of the industry,” stated Denise Caspersen, WIN chair.

Established in 1999 by AkzoNobel, WIN acquired stewardship of the Most Influential Women program in 2013. When the WIN Educational Conference convenes in Baltimore, MD on May 4-6 the honorees will be celebrated during an awards dinner.

For information, go to: www.womensindustrynetwork.com.

WIN Acknowledges 2015 Corporate Sponsors

The Women’s Industry Network (WIN®) recently announced their 2015 corporate sponsorships: Gold Sponsors ($10,000): AkzoNobel Coatings Inc. Axalta Coating Systems PPG Industries Inc. Silver Sponsors ($5,000): National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) The 3M Company Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. Service King Collision Repair Centers State Farm Insurance Valspar Corporation Bronze Sponsors ($2,500): Allstate Insurance Company AudaExplore, a Solera Company Caliber Collision The Certified Automotive Parts Assoc.

CARSTAR CCC Information Services Inc. FinishMaster Inc. Fix Auto USA GEICO Gerber Collision & Glass The Hertz Corporation MetLife Auto & Home Mitchell International Nationwide Safelite Solutions Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes

46 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Collision Avoidance Sensor Market Expected to Reach $10B by 2020 According to market research launched

by Grand View Research, the Global Collision Avoidance Sensors Market Size was $3.22 billion in 2013 and will grow to $10.01 billion by 2020. The development of self-driving cars will support market growth during the forecast period.

Updated ratings of safety agencies and incorporation of anti-collision sensors in mass-market models is expected to propel market growth over the next six years. Increasing awareness among consumers and extensive R&D by market players has fueled market growth. Collision avoidance sensors enable vehicles to carry out semi-autonomous and autonomous decision making. Rising need for security from consumers and governments is also expected to drive collision avoidance sensors market growth. Recent developments in sensor technology

are oriented towards making devices more sophisticated and augmenting them with various parts of an automobile. Anticollision sensors enable automotive OEMs to integrate more intelligence in order to achieve the goal of an autonomous car. Strict legal and regulatory standards have mandated inclusion of sensors in motor vehicles; this is further estimated to drive the collision avoidance sensors market. However, high cost of long-range radar and LiDAR-based sensors may restrain market growth as lowprice carmakers may abstain from adding onto the cost of vehicles.

Further key findings from the study suggest: Radar-based sensors accounted for over 35% of the global market in 2013; the segment is further expected to gain market share over the forecast period.

Falling prices of radar have led to increased adoption of the technology by various automotive OEMs. Camerabased collision avoidance sensors are expected witness high growth, owing to government regulations mandating their incorporation into vehicles.

Adaptive cruise control accounted for majority of the market share in 2013. Such systems rely on long-range radar sensors as well as medium and short range radar to automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed. Technological innovation may make their incorporation a standard in vehicles to counter the threat of accidents due to human error, which is the cause of 90% of all accidents according to a 2014 UN Road Safety Collaboration study.

Europe is expected to continue being the market leader over the fore-

cast period; it accounted for over 30% of the market in 2013. Asia Pacific is expected to be a fast growing regional market over the forecast period due to low manufacturing costs and rising auto sales in the region.

Key industry participants include Bosch, Continental, Delphi, Denso, Autoliv, TRW, etc. Major vendors differ on the basis of their pricing and system integration. Market players invest heavily in R&D to offer cost-effective and differentiated collision avoidance sensors to automotive OEMs and aftermarket.

Get more information on Global Collision Avoidance Sensors Market or request for sample of this report: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/ industry-analysis/collision-sensorsmarket.

Several nonprofit safety groups have asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to mandate collision avoidance and mitigation braking systems for new heavy trucks and buses.

The groups said in a Feb. 19 petition that a rule requiring the so called F-CAM technology would reduce crashes involving commercial vehicles weighing more

than 10,000 lbs. The petitioners included the Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and Road Safe America.

“The petitioners have been involved in safety issues involving large trucks for many years and are convinced that FCAM technology has the potential to result in significant safety, economic and

societal benefits,” the Feb. 19 petition said. Forward Collision Warning generates a visual, audible or vibration alert for the driver in the event the driver’s vehicle comes within a predefined distance and closing rate with a vehicle traveling in front of it. In situations where the driver does not respond to the signals, collision mitigation braking automatically applies

through the electronic stability control system to reduce the impact speed or entirely prevent a collision.

NHTSA recently completed an evaluation of F-CAM systems in medium and heavy commercial vehicles that “provides substantial support for this petition,” the safety groups said.

$11M Award in Camry Unintended Acceleration Suit

January Used Vehicle Prices Up Y-O-Y, M-to-M

Safety Groups Ask NHTSA for Collision Avoidance Technology

An $11 million verdict has been awarded to the plaintiffs in a Toyota sudden acceleration personal injury lawsuit resulting from a defect in a 1996 Camry. The jury ruled that the defect contributed to an accident which left three people dead and two seriously injured. While the jury found that the Camry’s driver, Koua Fong Lee, was 40% responsible for the crash, they cited Toyota as being 60 percent responsible. In the 2006 crash Lee rear-ended an Oldsmobile after exiting a highway. The driver of the Oldsmobile, Javis Trice-Adams Sr., and his son were instantly killed.

His niece, also in the Oldsmobile, became a quadriplegic as a result of the crash and died 18 months later. TriceAdams' father and daughter were also injured. The jury awarded both families a combined $11.4 million, though due to Lee's partial responsibility, his $1.25 million award will be reduced to $750,000, according to his lawyers.

In 2008, Lee was convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to eight years in prison. His conviction was overturned after Toyota's recalls of later-model cars for acceleration defects, tied to floor mats and pedals, brought new attention to the case.

Average wholesale used vehicle prices rose significantly in January on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis, according to the latest Kontos Kommentary from ADESA Chief Economist Tom Kontos.

According to Kontos, it‘s important to disaggregate averages and indexes in order to look at the underlying impact the supply of off-rental and off-lease vehicles is having on current-to-one-year-old models and three-year-old models, respectively.

A somewhat different picture emerges here in that prices for these age segments did indeed take a hit in January, says Kontos. Auction “factory” sales were resumed for large inventories of off-rental program units that had been curtailed at year-end 2014, and growing numbers of vehicles leased approximately three years ago continue to reach maturity and enter online and in-lane remarketing channels.

Strong retail demand, especially for CPO units, as well as moderate incentives, have partially offset these impacts for these age segments and the used vehicle market as a whole, says Kontos.

48 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

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Record360 App Documents Damages in One Step, Saving Industry Members Time and Money

Record360 aims to avoid those dilemmas by using a video foundaTwo former Enterprise Rent-A-Car ex- tion, versus still-life pictures or paper ecutives first came up with the idea for diagram vehicle condition reports. an app that captures the condition of a This feature records the state of the vehicle at the time of exchange back in vehicle upon arrival to the shop, car2013. rental company, or dealership.

“Throughout our combined 35 “The app eliminates the use of years in the auto industry, Damon paperwork and improves workflow, Haber and I frequently came in contact while ultimately saving the shop [or with issues during property exchange,” business] money and improving cussaid co-founder Shane Skinner of Seat- tomer service,” said Skinner. tle, WA. “I noticed that the same probInstead of having to take photos, upload them to a computer, and then label which photos belong to which car, the app does it all in one step. Skinner explained that the inlems occurred not only with loaner formation is organized by the VIN vehicles, but with cars coming in and number, which is scanned at the beYourginning Emailoffor out of body shops thatRegister needed work the Our process. When the cusdone.” tomer returns to pick up his or her car, These “issues” usually spark from the VIN number is scanned again to a “he said, she said” debate over when pull up all of the vehicle’s informaand where a particular dent, scratch, or tion. scuff occurred. Did that crack in the “When using the video feature back left window happen during the ac- while walking around the vehicle, cident or in the body shop?

Was that ablefor to take still images and note Register Youryou’re Email Our scratch on the hood there before the them with data points,” said Skinner. customer rented the car? Who should “You’re able to say, ‘Okay there’s a pay for it? dent there,’ then touch the screen, take

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the still, and lock it into the record file for that document, all while still taking the video.”

Skinner added that there is a patent pending on this feature.

Todd Primo, service manager for Penske Automotive Group in Cerritos, CA, stated on the Record360 website, “We have been using Record360 to document our customers’ vehicles and been very satisfied with the results. We have virtually eliminated the problem of customers claiming damage while their vehicles are in for repair, seeing real savings in damage claims. Record360 has become an integral part of our process that is appreciated by our staff and our customers.”

When Autobody News followed up with Primo, he said the dealership’s service advisors, who primarily use the app, gave it a 10 on a 1-10 scale; 10 being the easiest to use. He recommended that body shops download Record360, adding that he’s experienced nothing but success since Penske, Jaguar,Readers!

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CALL Advertising Sales at: Another testimonial on the website, this one from Jennifer Carlson, general manager of Jucy Rentals North America, stated, “Record360 is enteradvertising@autobodynews.com prise ready; already used by leading rental asset management businesses.

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Three-C Body Shops File Lawsuit Against At-Fault Driver Due to Insurer’s Underpayment

On behalf of their customer, Three C TheShops source foragainst timely Body filed suit the atfault party due to their insurance cominformation that every pany’s denials and underpayments. body shopwasneeds!

The complaint filed in the Municipal Court of Franklin County in Ohio CALL 800-699-8251 against Caleb Brickey due to Brickey’s insurer’s (Allstate Insurance Company) failure and refusal to provide a Three C Body Shop’s customer full payment for Mail Subscription numerous reasonable and necessary charges for processes and materials.

The issues stemmed from an auto accident in which the at-fault party, Brickey, was negligent and admitted liability for damages to Three C Body Shop’s customer’s 2005 Jeep Liberty.

Three C’s submitted their estimate to the at-fault party’s insurer and after four supplemental attempts to attain the full and proper compensation, at the direction of their customer, Three C Body Shops proceeded with the recommended and proper repair.

The final cost of the authorized repair was $5,687.83 and the at-fault party’s insurer, Allstate, tendered the underpayment of $3,585.43 towards the repair leaving a difference and deficit of $2,102.40 of which Three C Body Shop has incurred and is now seeking recovery on their own behalf.

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Since implementing Record360 at all our North American locations, disputes over damage are a thing of the past, and we’re saving thousands on undocumented damage. Our employees and customers feel great about our documentation process.”

The app hit the iOS market in June 2014 after nine months of development.

On April 1, Android users will also be able download Record360, making it accessible on 95 percent of devices. It can be downloaded from the app website as well as the iTunes store for a licensing fee starting at $50 a month.

“All the customers love it,” said Skinner. “The feedback so far has been great.”

Those interested can check out the demo on the Record360 website.

The lawsuit seeks full payment to Three C’s of the difference plus costs, expenses, attorney fees, prejudgment and post judgment interest.

Bob Juniper, second generation President and owner of Three C stated, “Up to now many repairers have found that to properly meet their customer’s needs and expectations it is necessary to make a proper and thorough repair and take an Assignment of Proceeds and through ensuing litigation, seek recovery against their customer’s own insurers by an assignment contract clause and a Power of Attorney signed by the customer.

This matter involves a third-party claimant seeking recompense for the insurer’s denials and underpayments directly from the at-fault party.

This process exposes the insurer’s poor behavior to their policyholder and places the at-fault party in a position of vulnerability and exposes them to liabilities. Liabilities they expected their own insurer to shield them from. Their failure to shield their policyholder may place the insurer in a position of potential breach of contract and other potential legal liabilities. Our hope is this exposure will cause for a positive change in insurer behaviors; regardless if a first or third party claim.”

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 49

RARE PARTS’ Extreme Duty Pitman and Idler Arms

RARE PARTS INC has announced the EXTREME duty pitman and idler arms for 2001–2010 Chevrolet/GMC 2500 and 3500 trucks. “When your customer’s truck has our heavy duty tie rod assemblies installed, the next weak link becomes the pitman and idler arm. The new Extreme arms have been developed to fix that,” said Danny Burgess, President of Rare Parts, located in Stockton, CA. In 2013, the company redesigned its heavy-duty tie rod assemblies, originally designed for AM General. “After seeing the final result, we wanted to apply our design to address another problem with the 2500/3500 trucks and SUVs,” said Burgess. “Namely the weak idler and pitman arm, which are known to allow center link roll and fail prematurely.”

Made in the United States, the oversized forged pitman arms are designed with a full ball stud that swivels to eliminate binding between the pitman arm and idler arm when mounted in the center link. It is also heat treated. The Pitman arm and idler arm are never perfectly parallel to each other when mounted.

The idler frame bracket can be slightly tilted and the gear box can also be tilted in relationship to the idler frame bracket. For more information, call at 800-621-2005.

Continued from Page 34

Fighting Over Repairs

said.

“The quality of the after-market parts is horrible, particularly the foreignmade stuff,” Richards said. “A manufacturer’s hood and headlamp have a 99 percent chance they will fit. I don’t know what the percent is with aftermarket parts, but a lot of times we end up having to drill new mounting holes in the part and work with it to get it to fit — and it will still have gap issues.”

Poor fit and finish in a repair can cause additional depreciation in the value of the vehicle.

Some insurance companies won’t even pay to have the new paint on a repaired vehicle buffed out, Richards said.

“The thing is, we and lot of other

CCC ONE® Repair Workflow Has Reached 5,000 Users

CCC Information Services announced on March 12 that CCC ONE® Repair Workflow, a shop management solution available as a single application with repair estimating, has reached 5,000 users. “Our customers have been instrumental in the evolution of our shop management solution,” said Mark Fincher, Vice President, Market Solutions, CCC Information Services. “By taking advantage of the integrated feedback feature in CCC ONE Repair Workflow, users have been able to quickly and easily share input and suggestions about how to make the tool better. We want to thank our customers for their support in helping us create a workflow solution that broke the mold of traditional shop management systems. With the broad scale of industry adoption, we are well positioned to continue making ongoing investments in this platform.” CCC ONE Repair Workflow is a mobile-enabled solution that allows for intuitive and proactive shop management. The solution is differentiated by driving work to each role in the shop. Key features include resident estimating, production management and role-based dashboards and tasks to quickly identify exceptions.

CCC ONE Repair Workflow is available for all popular mobile devices.

Quest Automotive Products, the manufacturer of Matrix and USC brand automotive repair products, paints and finishes, has renewed its partnership and support of the popular reality television series “Counting Cars.”

The Matrix and USC brands have supported the show since its inaugural season in 2012. The show chronicles the repair projects undertaken by Danny “The Count” Koker, owner of Count’s Kustoms, a Las Vegas, NV, body and design shop that specializes in restoring and customizing classic cars and motorcycles.

“Our support for Counting Cars has been a win-win for our brands and for Count’s Kustoms,” said Laura Yerkey, director of communications and marketing strategy for Quest.

“The show connects with body shop owners and professional painters who are our customers, and it strikingly demonstrates the artistry that can be created with our Matrix paints and finishes.”

Ryan Evans, the paint specialist on the show, said he is excited to be able to use USC and Matrix products again this season.

“Our ability to make repairs, create custom colors and spray flawless

shops do it anyway, even though we don’t get paid,” he said. “You have to.

It comes down to your reputation.”

The Auto Body Association of Texas tried to get the Texas Department of Insurance and state legislators involved in the issue, but none has expressed any interest, Richards said.

“I don’t hate insurance companies,” he said. “I hate the way they do business. There’s got to be a way to do this and not hit consumers with higher insurance costs.”

We would like to thank The Dallas Morning News for giving Autobody News permission to reprint their article.

group in the US with over $9 billion in revenue and 81 independently operated dealerships with over 100 franchises in 10 states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.

50 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Danny Koker, AKA The Count, examines the finish on a new paintjob

finishes with USC and Matrix products is incomparable. We have very high standards, and the quality of their products doesn’t just meet those standards, it enhances them as well as the quality of our restorations.”

Counting Cars airs every Tuesday on HISTORY at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST.

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McKenzie agreed.

“Insurance companies are partners we need,” he said. “But repairs are just not being done properly anymore.”

Berkshire Hathaway Completes Van Tuyl Acquisition

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway completed its purchase of the Van Tuyl Group, the largest dealership acquisition in industry history. All aspects of the sale were finalized March 9. The new Berkshire Hathaway Automotive is the fifth-largest dealership

Matrix, USC Brands Renew Partnership with “Counting Cars”

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Assured Performance Introduces Insurer-Facing Certified Shop Locator

Assured Performance announced on February 27 the creation and launch of an insurer-facing Advanced Repair Capability (ARC) Certified Shop locator at: www.certifiedbodyshop.info.

The site, developed and managed by Assured Performance, lists body shops that are Certified by Assured Performance and officially Certified-Recognized by the various participating auto manufacturers including Ford Motor Company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Nissan North America, and several other auto manufacturers. Insurers will have a secure portal specifically designed to identify Certified-Recognized body shops that have the proper tools, equipment, training and facilities to repair their policyholder’s vehicles to manufacturer specifications for fit, finish, durability and safety.

The launch concides with the introduction of aluminum alloy into mainstream vehicles such as the Ford F-150.

The key aspect of this site is for insurers to accurately and efficiently identify various auto manufacturers’ Certified-Recognized shops capable of advanced repairs in each market area. The shop locator was specially designed for insurers and uses a search

capability driven by the following: ● year, make and model of the consumer’s vehicle; ● the shop's advanced material repair capability status; ● and/or the shop’s official OE Certification status.

This is critical as new vehicles are introduced, not every shop will have the capabilities to repair each new model even though they may be qualified. This site helps insurers identify which shops are capable for which repairs.

This new insurer-facing site is a complement to the consumer-facing websites Assured Performance manages and hosts including: www.autobodylocator.com and www.bodyshop locator.com. In addition, the participating automakers Certified-Recognized shop locators are integrated into their consumer-facing vehicle sales and service sites. All of the sites leverage the combined list of Certified-Recognized body shops.

“With the mass introduction of aluminum alloy, and other advanced materials in the designs of the new vehicle models, it is critical to assist insurers with identifying the shops that have the technical ability,” explained Aaron Clark, VP of Technical Com-

pliance. “We’ve already seen evidence of what can happen when an untrained and ill-equipped shop is selected.”

“The goal of our insurer-facing Advanced Repair Capability Shop Locator is to create an accurate and efficient way for insurers to identify the shops that have proven they meet the requirements and passed an annual onsite inspection audit. Now, insurers can easily see who they are,” added CEO Scott Biggs, CEO. The ARC Certified shop locator is available to any insurer. Certification is open to shops that can meet the requirements. The Assured Performance criteria for “Certification-Recognition” are an accumulation of collision industry business standards and multiple OEM criteria focused on properly repairing the vehicle. Shops are able to become Certified by Assured Performance and simultaneously CertifiedRecognized by several of the largest auto manufacturers, through one technology-driven process, backed by onsite inspection audits at least annually.

This approach saves shops fees and redundant equipment requirements.

Once certified, shops receive signs, marketing tools, and listing on multiple shop locators and smart apps.

LORD Announces New Panel Bonding Adhesive Offering No Tack and No Odor

LORD Corporation, maker of Fusor® Aftermarket Repair Adhesives, announced the availability of a new metal and plastic panel bonding adhesive offering no tack and no odor.

According to Kevin Creegan, Sales Manager for LORD Fusor Aftermarket Repair Adhesives in U.S. and Canada, Fusor® 208B Panel Bonding Adhesive is a versatile epoxy-based metal and plastic panel bonding adhesive with no odor during application that also features a tack-free surface when cured.

He noted Fusor 208B was developed in response to customer requests for an alternative to other epoxy panel bonding adhesives that, at best, offer only marginal corrosion protection. Suitable for panel, weld and rivet bonding of all steel or aluminum panels, the adhesive provides corrosion protection and strength.

It’s curing and handling strength can be accelerated with heat. Applications include installation of large steel, aluminum and SMC/FRP body panels such as quarter panels, floor pans, rear body panels and roof skins. It has also proven to improve CSI weld through with squeeze type resistance spot welding. Fusor 208B has sag resistance and may be dispensed manually or with a pneumatic applicator.

“Years of research and development have been spent in perfecting Fusor 208B and I urge all body shop technicians to try it as it’s one of our best products,” said Creegan. “Test market results prove that customers prefer odor- and tack-free Fusor 208B over competing panel bonding adhesives because of its versatility in bonding, weld bonding and rivet bonding a wide variety of substrates.”

Test locations revealed a need for the tack-free, no odor panel bonding adhesive. “I tested the new LORD Fusor 208B and cannot wait to add this new tack-free, no odor panel bonding adhesive to our arsenal,” said Mike (Higgy) Higgins of Bud Baer Collision in Washington, PA. “Ensuring no come-backs, Fusor 208B gives shops the opportunity to improve customer satisfaction,” said Doug Craig, LORD Technical Application Engineer. “Cyclical corrosion results show that Fusor 208B provides superior corrosion resistance over the leading epoxy panel bonding adhesive. It also provides a cohesive failure mode, which prohibits under bond corrosion and is backed by our lifetime guarantee.”

To order, contact a Fusor distributor, call 1-800-234-FUSOR (3876) or visit Fusor.com

52 APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

Martin Senour Launches New Automotive Refinish Website

The Martin Senour Company launched a new website to assist automotive jobber distributors, collision repair facilities, dealerships, fleet owners and refinishers, production shops, auto body builders and original equipment manufacturers. It can be accessed by visiting www.martinsenour-autopaint .com.

The new website provides more connectivity for visitors in the following markets: collision repair, restoration & custom, fleet & commercial, industrial & manufacturing, and farm & agricultural.

The new site features detail pages for each service and program offered through Martin Senour. The new website also allows immediate access to the brand’s informational press releases, events and training class schedules, special NAPA ‘Body Shop Buys’ PB&E promotions and profiles of successful Martin Senour end users.

In addition, the new website provides more robust technical and handson application data, all of which is also available for mobile devices.

For information regarding Martin Senour or its paint products, visit the new website at www.martinsenour-auto paint.com or call 1-800-526-6704.

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Martin Senour Announces Second Quarter Training The Martin Senour Company announced its 2015 second quarter training schedule, with courses running from April 1– June 30. Training courses emphasize painter certification and maximizing shop profits, and will be held at Martin Senour training facilities nationwide.

Martin Senour Automotive Finishes Director of Sales Jeff Hartl noted that the brand’s training sessions are designed to help shop owners, managers and technicians better execute environmentally-responsible practices, as well as improve their repair techniques and knowledge of today’s new innovative painting systems.

In particular, Martin Senour professionals will teach the following course topics during the second quarter of 2015: ● VORTEX® Waterborne Painter Certification ● Estimating Solutions for Profit ● Color Adjustment and Blending ● Improving Workshop Efficiency ● Achieving Service Excellence ● Fleet FPG ● Jobber Level 1

A complete listing of the 2015 second quarter Martin Senour training schedule, course descriptions and training center locations is as follows:

Training Center Date Training Course Description Atlanta 4/27/2015 Jobber Level 1 (3 days) Atlanta 4/27/2015 Color Adjustment and Blending (3 days) Atlanta 5/4/2015 Fleet FPG (3 days) Atlanta 5/19/2015 Painter Certification (3 days) Atlanta 6/10/2015 Estimating Solutions for Profit (1 day) Atlanta 6/11/2015 Achieving Service Excellence (1/2 day) Atlanta 6/11/2015 Improving Workshop Efficiency (1 day) Burr Ridge 4/23/2015 Estimating Solutions for Profit (1 day) Burr Ridge 5/27/2015 Vortex® Waterborne Painter (3 days) Dallas 4/22/2015 Jobber Level 1 (3 days) Dallas 6/23/2015 Painter Certification (3 days) Philadelphia 4/20/2015 FLEET FGP (3 days) Philadelphia 4/23/2015 Estimating Solutions for Profit (1 day) Philadelphia 5/12/2015 Painter Certification (3 days) Philadelphia 5/18/2015 Vortex® Application and Color Simplicity (2 days)

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Transportation Secy calls on Congress to close safety gap

Consumer Reports is saying that if a new car is recalled for a safety problem, it’s illegal for a dealer to sell you that car until the issue has been fixed.

However, no similar protection exists for a person who buys a recalled used car or rents a recalled car. Under current federal law, rental-car companies and used-car dealers are not required to fix a defect—or even tell you about a problem—before you drive the vehicle off the lot. This gap in safety law puts millions of Americans at risk, and it has had tragic consequences. In 2004 sisters Raechel and Jacqueline Houck of Santa Cruz, CA, were killed when the 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser they had rented from Enterprise caught fire and crashed into an oncoming tractor-trailer. The car had been recalled the previous month because of the risk of fire from a leak in the power steering hose. But it was not repaired, and Enterprise kept renting it out. The defect led to the fatal crash. To address this serious problem Trans. Secy Foxx is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit rental-car companies and used-car dealers from renting or selling vehicles subject to a recall without first making the necessary fix.

Record $13M Plus in Support to Collision School Programs Through CREF

In 2014, the collision industry provided over $13 million in donations to high school and college collision school programs through the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF). Over $30 million has been provided since 2008 when the Education Foundation began its philanthropic focus of assisting collision school programs and the organization has seen a 4,300% increase in donations since the $300,000 was raised in 2008. In continuing its efforts to be a lean and responsible charitable organization, the Education Foundation was able to return over 90 cents of every dollar donated towards supporting the school programs, instructors and students in 2014.

“The industry showed its true generosity again in 2014 as we are able to announce another record breaking year in support to the collision school programs,” said Clark Plucinski, CREF Executive Director. “To provide over $13 million in donations through a group of roughly 250 total donors this past year was truly awe-inspiring and the gratitude that these instructors and students displayed touches you deeply. We have heard from the industry that they are in desperate need of

properly trained entry-level graduates and we will continue to work towards that goal on behalf of the industry.”

Terry Fortner, CREF Board of Trustees Chairman and LKQ Corp VP of Industry Relations and Market Development, noted, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, staff and the collision school programs that we support nationwide, I would like to thank our 2014 donors in joining efforts to support the future professionals of the industry. Only through the industry coming together to help these collision school programs can we have a significant impact on ensuring that the students receive the best technical education possible with the end goal being their employment within the industry. I would also invite companies that aren’t currently supporting the CREF through monetary and/or inkind product donations to reach out to us and join our efforts in 2015.”

For information about the CREF, visit CollisionEducationFoundation .org. Inter-industry organizations and individuals interested in supporting CREF should contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at Brandon.Eckenrode@edfoundation .org / 847.463.5244.

www.autobodynews.com | APRIL 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 53

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