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LA Man Sentenced to Death by Lethal Injection for Double Murder at Auto Parts Store in 2011 by Kevin Frey, WAFB
After being found guilty for a 2011 double murder at an auto parts store in Baton Rouge, a judge has sentenced Lee Turner to death by lethal injection. Turner and his attorney were in court Monday and filed a motion for a new trial. The motion for a new trial was denied and the sentencing phase continued. “In my opinion, based on what this person did, this is the only appropriate, just decision,” said East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore. In May, Turner was found guilty
Lee Turner Jr. will face death by lethal injection after committing a double murder at CarQuest Auto Parts back in 2011. Credit: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office
of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two men during a robbery at CarQuest Auto Parts on Airline Highway in 2011. A few days later, a jury recommended he be sentenced to death. “This defendant has never accepted responsibility, never
See Sentenced to Death, Page 34
TV News Reports on LA Body Shop Owner Saying State Farm ‘Forces Him’ to Use Recycled Parts by Kiran Chawla, wafb.com
Miles Paint & Body Shop in LA said his customer’s car insurer State Farm is not allowing him to use OEM parts on his 2014 Kia Sedona. Credit: WAFB
they are pushing after-market, or recycled, products. “They force these parts on us. They make us use them. They’ve gotSee State Farm Forces, Page 12
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
A body shop owner is warning drivers that if you get in a wreck, your car insurance policy might only pay for aftermarket or recycled parts. A 2014 Kia Sedona has been at the Miles Paint & Body Shop in Baton Rouge for three weeks after the driver ran into the back of another vehicle. It now needs a new condenser and radiator, and the front bumper was also damaged. Body shop owner Tim Elkins said the car owner’s insurance, State Farm, is not allowing him to use original replacement parts, but instead
VOL. 33 ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2015
TV News Investigates El Paso Body Shop, Customer Says Shop Has Kept Car for Almost Two Years A customer is claiming Magic Auto Collision in central El Paso took his money but has yet to complete the customizations on his car in a year and a half, according to broadcast reports by KFOX14. Samuel Mitchell said he paid $10,000 to Magic Auto Collision upfront in cash for custom paint, upholstery and a glass cut-out sunroof. He was told it would take three to four months to complete back in Apr. 18, 2014. “I asked them if it would be done in that time, they told me ‘yes’,” Mitchell said. “Now it’s almost two years later and I haven’t received my car. All they do is push it in and out of the garage.” Mitchell said the owner of Magic
Auto Collision, Juan Leanos told him the custom job would take a few months. KFOX14 tried to contact Leanos but he refused to comment—but Leanos said his shop painted Mitchell’s car. But Mitchell claims the job isn’t finished because his car’s interior is torn apart with no seats and his sunroof isn’t installed. He also claims parts of his car are missing in the shop. “Half of my parts are in the shop and they don’t know where they’re at,” Mitchell said. “They want me to go to the junkyard for more seats to buy, but I gave them my original seats with my car to get customized.” Mitchell said his car has received scratches and other damage from the
Given that more than 30 million vehicles are affected by the massive air bag recall, a few local vehicles may not seem noteworthy, but for a Sheriff’s department the recall is taking a toll. Included in the 30 million are 2005 to 2010 Dodge Chargers in use by many law enforcement departments across the United States. Texas law enforcement vehicles have not been spared the recall, according to TV reports by Dallas’ NBC5. Ten Ellis County Sheriff’s Department vehicles are not currently being used after Sheriff Johnny Brown ordered them out of service when he learned they fall under the massive nationwide recall of defective Takata airbags that when deployed can rupture internally with too much force and send metal fragments flying into the cabin of the vehicle. “We made the decision at the time to park all our 2010 units,” said Lt. James Saulter. “We don’t want a deputy getting hurt or somebody that’s been arrested getting hit with
flying fragments, as well as we have folks that ride out with us, and we didn’t want anybody getting hurt.” Saulter said the department was notified the parts to take care of the recall were not available. “It’s a huge impact,” Saulter said. “But we definitely want our citizens to know it’s not going to impact us being able to answer calls or take care of them.” NBC 5 reached out to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and was told the parts are now en route to Ellis County and service for those units is imminent. “Customer safety is a top priority at FCA US LLC. Accordingly, we are executing this recall campaign in the most expeditious manner possible, keeping NHTSA fully apprised of our progress,” said a statement from the company. With safety concerns looming, some departments immediately started repairs when the parts were available, including both Irving and Dallas police departments.
See El Paso Shop Dispute, Page 10
Texas Law Enforcement Vehicles Hard Hit by Takata Airbag Recall Say TV News Reports
See Texas Law Vehicles, Page 6
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID San Bernardino, CA Permit #2244
2 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
COLUMNISTS Attanasio - Body Shops Nationwide are Joining the Blog Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Luehr - Why Past Success Could Be Holding You Back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Yoswick - ‘MSO Symposium’ Panels Presented Ideas on Human Resources, Customer Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Yoswick - CIC Committee Working to Eliminate Hidden Costs of Parts Procurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Yoswick - Farmer’s COD Program, CARSTAR’s Growth, Estimates 10 Years Ago, Texas Rate Survey . . . . . 40 NATIONAL 4th Annual Aftermarket Telematics Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 AkzoNobel Launches U-Base for U-TECH Basecoat System for Commercial Builder and Refinish Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Allstate Delivers Sharp Drop in Operating Earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Apple is Building Self-Driver, Looking to Test in Bay Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Auto Theft and Vandalism Rise With the Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Automotive Writer Speculates About Why
by Victoria Antonelli, Online Editor
the AL vs Steel Repair Cost Debate Won’t Be Resolved Soon . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Ben Komenkul Became WIN Member to Support Women in the Workplace . . . . 44 Carmakers are Keeping Data from Tech Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 CCC Mobile Technology Enhancements for Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 CREF Adopts New Mission to Connect Students With Career Opportunities; Organizes Career Fair in TX . . . . . . . . . . 6 Enterprise Releases Second Quarter Rental Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 EstimateScrubber.com Releases Invoicing APP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Getting Paid for Investing in Facility, Equipment and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 I-CAR® Launches New ‘Production Management’ Role to Increase Shop Efficiencies, Enhance Lean Processes and Improve KPIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 July Auto Sales Surge Due to Pickups and SUVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Mike Anderson Reminds Industry That “We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know” . . 16 Mopar Helps Dealers with New Service Capacity Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 More Stringent Auto Recalls in 2015 are ‘New Normal’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 New Sherwin-Williams Web-Based System Aims to Save Shops Time & Increase Their Profit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Nissan Donates $1M and 10 Autos to Habitat for Humanity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 PartsTrader and State Farm Credited with Increased Chrome Bumper Sales for LKQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 PPG Introduces DELTRON DPS3105 Primer Surfacer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Rio Hondo College No Longer Offering Collision Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Takata’s Plans For Airbag Components. . . . 3 Tesla Motors Selects Solera to Provide Collision and Customer Communication Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Three-C Body Shop in OH Wins Lawsuit Against American Family Insurance . . . . 9 U.S. on Pace for Deadliest Driving Year Since 2007, Says National Safety Council . . . 22 Urethane Supply Unveils Nitrogen Plastic Welder With Self-Contained Nitrogen Generation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vehicle Safety Inspections Highlight ASA’s Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WD-40 Announces New EZ-REACH Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Now that Takata has begun replacing defective airbags in up to 34 million vehicle recalls, regulators and consumers alike are wondering, how safe are the new parts, and how long will they last? That is why the Japanese air-bag manufacturer is in the process of proposing a plan to address these concerns. However, the details have yet to be released to the public. Out of the 37-page document posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website on August 11, 35 pages are redacted (blank) due to confidentiality issues. NHTSA’s Gordon Trowbridge said the agency will hold a public hearing this fall, which regulators intend to coordinate. U.S. officials have described the Takata recall as the largest in our country’s history, affecting 11 automakers. The shrapnel that can spew out from exploded airbag inflators has resulted in at least eight deaths and more than 100 injuries. Although the cause is unknown,
it is believed the ammonium nitratebased propellant plays a role. Humidity is a trigger, so states with a more tropical climate are being pri-
oritized for replacement parts. A digital campaign to raise awareness is also in the works. Takata plans for both initiatives to eventually go national. There are several updates to the Takata recall in this month’s issue including a story on Texas Law Enforcement having to park some official vehicles due to lack of parts. Fiat Chrysler is supposedly expediting those parts orders.
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
Allen Samuels Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . 10 Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . 47 BASF Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 39 Bob Howard PDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Car-Part.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CCC Information Services . . . . . . . 15 Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). . . . . . . . . . . 35 Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classic Auto Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Dent Magic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Diamond Standard Parts, Inc . . . . . 31 Don Carlton Auto Group . . . . . . . . . 10 Eco Repair Systems of North America, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 9 EMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . 18 Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . 2 Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 43 GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 33 H & S Autoshot Mfg. Co . . . . . . . . . 27 Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25
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 ABAT Conference Addresses Processes to Repair Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Auto Repairer in TX Dragged Under Car While Fixing It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Employee Shot at Paint and Body Shop in Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Insurance Auto Auctions Increases Presence in Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 LA Man Sentenced to Death by Lethal Injection for Double Murder at Auto Parts Store in 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Nevada Shop Owner Films Pilot Show for Reality Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sinkhole in El Paso, TX Swallows up Car . . 4 Texas Law Enforcement Vehicles Hard Hit by Takata Airbag Recall Say TV News Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 TV News Investigates El Paso Body Shop, Customer Says Shop Has Kept Car for Almost Two Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 TV News Reports on LA Body Shop Owner Saying State Farm ‘Forces Him’ to Use Recycled Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Two UTI Campuses in AZ Named Schools of Excellence by ACCSC . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 UT Austin and Google Test Driverless Cars in Austin, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Takata’s Plans For Airbag Components
Indexof Advertisers
Contents
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Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Lewisville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Huffines Hyundai Plano . . . . . . . . . 30 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 34 Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 38 Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 29 North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . 27 PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . 22 SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 21 Scoggin-Dickey Buick . . . . . . . . . . 16 South Pointe Chrysler-JeepDodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 38 Urethane Supply Company . . . . . . 17 Valspar Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 45 Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 3
Sinkhole in El Paso, TX Swallows up Car
In the early morning on August 6, a sinkhole in El Paso, Texas trapped a car and its driver. KVIA news reported the five- to six-foot-deep hole was the result of a water main break that happened around 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of Shadow Mountain and Thunderbird on the city’s West Side. “The water that escapes the pipe causes all the dirt and soil above it to be pushed downstream and so that creates a gap between the pipe and the actual pavement itself,” El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) Spokesperson Christina Montoya told the station. El Pasoans posted photos of the vehicle swallowed by the hole on Twitter. EPWU worked the scene until the late afternoon on August 6. The car was pulled from the hole and towed and its
driver did not suffer any injuries, according to KVIA.
EPWU worked the scene until the late afternoon on August 6. The car was pulled from the hole and towed and its driver did not suffer any injuries, according to KVIA
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Employee Shot at Paint and Body Shop in TX
A paint and body shop worker was shot by an upset customer in northwest Harris County, Texas, according to an article written by Alex Green, click2 houston.com.
Authorities said the shooting was reported around 3 p.m. in the 9800 block of Veterans Memorial Drive. According to Harris County deputies, the gunman was upset that the shop did not have his car ready. Green reported that the customer then took out a gun and shot the shop worker in the hand. The shop worker was treated on scene. Others joined in and attacked the shooter. The shooter was taken to a hospital, and there was no word of his condition, as of press time.
ABAT Conference Addresses Processes to Repair Vehicles
The Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) will be holding an all-day conference on September 25 regarding processes and procedures performed that are necessary to repair vehicles to their pre-loss condition. Speakers will address the importance of being reimbursed for these processes and procedures in order to continue to invest in equipment and training. Vendors will also be sharing information about the tools and resources they have available that will assist shops get paid for these procedures. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton in Sundance Square, near the Stock Yards in downtown Ft. Worth, TX. Mitchell will be providing some of the keynote speakers including Mike Anderson and Wayne Krouse. More information about the conference will be posted on ABAT’s website: www.abat.us.
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4 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
UT Austin and Google Test Driverless Cars in Austin, TX
While Google has begun testing driverless cars in Austin, Texas, the University of Texas Center for Transportation Research has begun planning for the day when driverless vehicles are the norm, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports. Driverless vehicle technology can solve our congestion problem, said Center Research Director Dr. Chandra Baht. “Driverless and connected vehicles have the congestion to reduce traffic congestion by increasing capacity,” he told News Radio 1200 WOAI. “Imaging dozens of vehicles going at 70 to 75 miles an hour as a platoon, driving only a few feet apart.” Baht added that the more cars on the road are autonomous, the safer the roads will be. “About 90 percent of accidents, or even higher than that, are caused by human judgment errors,” he told News Radio 1200 WOAI. “If you take out the human from that equation, the safety could increase substantially.” There is talk that once autonomous vehicles are perfected, it will be illegal for humans to drive cars, because vehicles that are driverless and can talk to one another will be far safer than the highways we have today, reported News Radio 1200 WOAI.
Auto Repairer in TX Dragged Under Car While Fixing It
A Wichita Falls, Texas man was hospitalized with minor injuries on the night of August 3 after a vehicle he was working to repair fell on him and dragged him a short way down a street, police said on August 4. Just after 11 p.m. that night, Stanley Covington, 55, was attempting to repair a Chevrolet Suburban that wouldn’t start, reported timesrecordnews.com. A police spokesman said Covington grabbed a screwdriver and lay underneath the vehicle. Covington was able to restart the Suburban using the screwdriver, but instead of remaining in park, the entire vehicle lurched forward, trapping him underneath and dragging him a little ways down the road. He told police he hung on to the undercarriage of the vehicle and let it drag him briefly so he wouldn’t be run over. Police said the incident did not meet the standards to be qualified as a motor vehicle accident. The weight of a Suburban varies by model, but a 2012, two-wheeldrive model weighs approximately 5,600 pounds, almost three tons.
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 5
CREF Adopts New Mission to Connect Students With Career Opportunities; Organizes Career Fair in TX
The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced a new mission: “Supporting collision repair education programs, schools, and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities.” In addition to seeking monetary and product donations to support high school and college collision school programs, students, and instructors, the Education Foundation will take a more active role in helping ensure that students graduate with the entrylevel skill sets the industry is seeking and connect these students with industry employment opportunities. To bridge the gap between graduating collision students and industry employers, the Education Foundation will be organizing a career fair tour this fall and next spring, which will be available to all industry members to participate. The geographic markets the Education Foundation is targeting for the initial career fair tour include: Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville. Vice President of Industry Relations at AudaExplore, a Solera Com-
pany, and Board of Trustees Chair of CREF Rick Tuuri, noted, “The collision industry should be proud of the fact that they have provided over $35 million in donations to high school and college collision school programs since 2009 when the foundation began its philanthropic focus. While those donations have made a significant impact on the instructor’s abilities to provide a quality technical education, to help address the industry’s need of properly trained entrylevel collision students, the board of trustees has approved this new career focus for the organization.” Those interested in joining the CREF in supporting local collision school programs and participating in the upcoming career fairs, should contact Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at: Brandon .Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org/ 847-463-5244.
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Continued from Cover
Texas Law Vehicles
In Dallas, about 530 of the departments Dodge Chargers fall under the recall, according to Equipment Building Services representative Charitta Johnson. However, Dallas Police did not remove any of the recalled vehicles from service. Johnson tells NBC 5 the recall did not instruct that the vehicles should not be used. In Irving, 46 of the police department’s more than 250 vehicles are affected by the recall. The department has already repaired 10 of those units and is continuing repairs on others. “It really hasn’t affected us too bad. Some of these are unmarked, they might be in use by our detectives or not in use every day,” said Irving
Police Department spokesman James McLellan. “Only a portion of those are marked cars, and those are being called in as they have the parts and paperwork for them, so it really doesn’t have an impact on our operations.” Chrysler Fiat Automotive also pointed out there are two airbag inflators that are subject to recall, Alpha and Beta. All deaths have been associated with the Alpha inflators. FCA vehicles have never been equipped with Alpha inflators, according to the company. The company is aware of an issue with a Beta inflator in a 2006 Dodge Charger, which resulted in non-life threatening injuries, according to FCA. Fiat Chrysler told NBC 5 they are not using Takata parts to replace the potentially defective inflators.
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 7
Two UTI Campuses in AZ Named Schools of Excellence by ACCSC
Universal Technical Institute announced on August 4 that four of its campuses have been awarded the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) School of Excellence Award for the 2014-2015 academic year. UTI campuses in Avondale, AZ; Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Houston, TX; and Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, AZ are among only 24 schools receiving the award this year and will be recognized as recipients of ACCSC’s highest honor at the 2015 Professional Development Conference on September 9 in Arlington, VA. Universal Technical Institute’s Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix was one of two Arizona schools honored with the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) School of Excellence Award for the 20142015 academic year. “Strong student outcomes are ACCSC’s key metric of success, and have been UTI’s primary objective since we opened our doors 50 years ago,” said Kim McWaters, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Universal Technical Institute. “This recognition reinforces our commitment to producing consistently strong outcomes for our students. Our manufac-
turer partnerships, expert instructors and state-of-the-industry facilities provide our graduates with the training they need to succeed in today’s hightech transportation industry.” The School of Excellence Award recognizes ACCSC-accredited schools for their commitment to the expectations and rigors of ACCSC accreditation, as well as the efforts made by the institution to maintain strong student outcomes. ACCSC-accredited institutions are eligible for the School of Excellence Award every five years, pending they meet the conditions of renewal of accreditation without any findings of non-compliance, satisfy all requirements necessary to be in good standing with the Commission, and demonstrate that the majority of the school’s graduation and employment rates for all programs meet or exceed the average rates among all ACCSC-accredited institutions, which includes 700 institutions across the United States, Puerto Rico and abroad. “Through the School of Excellence Award, ACCSC recognizes UTI’s commitment to delivering quality technical training programs that provide students with the high-tech, industryspecific skills they need to succeed in today’s transportation industry,” said
8 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Christopher Lambert, Associate Executive Director of ACCSC. Since 1965, UTI has graduated more than 190,000 students for work in the automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine industries. Offering a variety of technician training programs across 12 ACCSCaccredited campuses, UTI has a consolidated graduate employment track record that consistently exceeds the average rate of employment among all ACCSC-accredited institutions. Four out of five UTI graduates find employment in their fields of study within one year of graduation. UTI campuses that have been honored with the ACCSC School of Excellence Award include NASCAR Technical Institute (2013-2014); UTI Lisle, IL, (2013-2014); UTI Exton, PA., (2011-2012); UTI Glendale Heights, IL., (2009-2010) and UTI Avondale (2008-2009). Additionally, UTI’s Sacramento campus was honored as a School of Distinction for the 2007-2008 academic year. “UTI is thrilled to be acknowledged again with ACCSC’s highest institutional achievement award and we congratulate all our students and staff for their commitment to excellence,” added McWaters.
Insurance Auto Auctions Increases Presence in Texas
Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (IAA), a business unit of KAR Auction Services, and the leading live and live-online salvage auto auction company, announced the recent expansion of its Austin, Texas branch. The facility, now comprising 57 acres, offers IAA buyers and sellers an improved auction experience. IAA relocated its Austin branch in July 2012 to the current location, which initially spanned 37 acres and featured two covered run-and-drive lanes and 250 feet of covered motorcycle and high-value vehicle storage area. John Kett, IAA president and CEO, said, “The growth of our stateof-the-art facility provides more storage area and further enhances our unparalleled auction experience by providing our loyal customers a greater inventory of vehicles from which to choose. It also gives IAA additional capacity to handle catastrophe (CAT) situations in the Austin area, helping the community more efficiently recover from disasters.” Auction sales will be held on the facility on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. CT. The IAA-Austin address is 2191 State Hwy. in Dale, Texas, and the telephone number is 512-321-8075.
Three-C Body Shop in OH Wins Lawsuit Against American Family Insurance Three-C Body Shop in Ohio recently won a lawsuit against American Family Insurance. On September 29th, 2014, during a bench trial in the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio, Civil Division, American Family, the Plaintiff, levied a complaint against Three-C Body Shop. On April 10, 2013, American Family Insurance filed a lawsuit for replevin against the shop due to a dispute arising from Three-C Body Shop’s billing. On January 21st, 2015, the Magistrate ruled in favor of the insurer. Three-C’s legal team filed a Motion for Reconsideration, which was granted, and on April 29, the Magistrate reversed his earlier judgment and ruled in favor of Three-C Body Shop. The facts surrounding this matter stem from when the vehicle owner had a vehicle towed to Three-C Body shop for repair. During the repair process, American Family Insurance, recognizing they had not properly evaluated the cost to repair, and after reviewing Three-C’s blueprint deemed the vehicle a total loss. On September 19, 2011 the insurer made a settlement with the vehicle owner (their policy holder), took title/ownership of the vehicle and on October 5 took possession of the vehicle. Prior to this, Three-C Body Shop deducted its billing for services rendered from the amount
received for the repair. Because the final billing was the same as the initial payment for repair, no monies were left for reimbursement to the insurer. The insurer contested Three-C Body Shop’s billing, which prompted the legal proceedings. American Family filed a motion for replevin against Three-C Body Shop to argue the charges and to take possession of the vehice, of which they already obtained from the shop one year, six months and 24 days earlier.
writ of replevin.” A writ of replevin is a prejudgment process ordering the seizure or attachment of alleged illegally taken or wrongfully withheld property. Where a dispute in billing is at question, the disputed amount is paid to the courts and the court issues a bond that enables the consumer possession of his/her vehicle and holds the funds in escrow until either the time passes or the matter is heard by the courts and settled. The repairer has a pre-
“We are happy that our customer [the vehicle owner] did not need to come out of pocket for work that was clearly owed by American Family,” —Bob Juniper, Owner and President of Three-C Body Shop
When asked why the insurer would attempt litigation to seize a vehicle they already possessed, Bob Juniper, Owner and President of Three-C Body Shop, stated, “It’s either one-hand didn’t know what the other-hand was doing and it was a false action, which is unlikely; We have been to court a number of times with American Family and find them to be quite inept in that venue. It’s more probable that the insurer used the action as a predatory practice to use the legal system as a means to fight us on our charges and it was with intent that the insurer filed a motion with the court for a
determined time (i.e. 60 days) of which to file a lawsuit against the customer to settle the dispute. Juniper said, “Some insurers have used and abused the legal system and employed a replevin in an effort to dare the repairer into filing a lawsuit against their customer to recover their billing. This generally results in a lengthy legal battle (as was ours) which the insurer will make as costly as possible. The insurers know that most shop owners are ill prepared and don’t want to file a lawsuit against their own customers and incur the legal costs, and as a result, the repairers often
cave to the insurer’s pressures and reduce their billings. This often times results in the shop merely accepting what they can for their billing and foregoing or “eating” the rest to avoid a replevin. Thereafter, the repairers accept what they’re given to avoid similar issues in the future. The insurer wins and the repairer loses. At Three-C we don’t play that game; we charge what’s competitive and reasonable and will do what is necessary to collect it and stop such behavior.” In this instance the court initially sided with the insurer and then reversed itself when the Magistrate learned that Three-C had relinquished the vehicle and American Family Insurance had taken possession of it well before the replevin was filed. The court found on behalf of Three-C Body Shop and that American Family was not entitled to any award. There was also a claim made by American Family against Three-C Body Shop for violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act that the Court ruled in Three-C’s favor and dismissed it. American Family had 14 days to appeal the decision; they did not do so. “It is rare for a court to grant a motion to reconsider so it was a good win. We are happy that our customer (the vehicle owner) did not need to come out of pocket for work that was clearly owed by American Family,” said Juniper.
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El Paso Shop Dispute
shop moving his car from the outside to the inside every other day. He said when he asked about the damage Leanos told him he will have to pay to get them fixed. “They left my car outside after they cut the sunroof and rain got in my car,” Mitchell said while providing KFOX14 with pictures of water puddles in his car. Damage aside, Mitchell took pictures of a message written on the dust of his car reading “for sale, parts only.” Leanos also refused to comment on the sign. According to Leanos attorney, they plan to file a mechanical lien over the unpaid repair work—but Mitchell provided KFOX14 with a receipt signed by both Leanos and Mitchell stating Mitchell paid $10,000 dollars upfront for the work. According to Cornell University Law School, a mechanic’s lien is a security interest that may be acquired in property by someone who spends material or labor working on that property. According to the El Paso County
Don Carlton ACURA OF TULSA
Attorney, a shop can hold the car or sell it if the debt isn’t paid. But Magic Auto Collision wrote “for sale, parts only,” before Leanos’ attorney told KFOX14 they were filing a mechanic’s lien. According to the county attorney, since Mitchell has a receipt claiming he paid $10,000 for the work, the lien might not be approved. Mitchell said two weeks ago he was told to pick up his car from the shop while it was still incomplete. The next week Mitchell said he was told they will not release the car to him. When KFOX14 spoke to Leanos, he said he couldn’t release the car to Mitchell because the car’s name was in Mitchell’s ex-girlfriend. KFOX14 spoke with Mitchell’s ex-girlfriend who said the car is definitely Mitchell’s even though it’s in her name, and she will do what ever Mitchell needs to get his car back. According to the Better Business Bureau, Magic Auto Collision currently has a complaint regarding their sales and practices. As with all such complaints, Autobody News invites the shop owner and managers to respond in a future article.
Urethane Supply Unveils Nitrogen Plastic Welder With Self-Contained Nitrogen Generation System
Urethane Supply Company revealed its new 6066-CG Nitrocell Nitrogen Plastic Welder on July 21 at the NACE/ CARS Show at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. Urethane Supply introduced the first commercialized nitrogen plastic welder to the collision repair industry in 2006, and the new 6066-CG Nitrocell is even more advanced. The 6066-CG is designed to generate its own nitrogen gas from shop air and requires no onboard air compressor. It is light in weight, making it easy for technicians to maneuver 6066-CG into position. It also features an easy-to-handle welding torch that can get into tight spots without causing user fatigue. “Repair shops want to minimize repair times and maximize profits, and we’ve designed the new 6066-CG Nitrocell Nitrogen Welder to help them do just that,” said Kurt Lammon, president of Urethane Supply Company. “The new unit will help collision
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specialists reduce cycle times and increase their opportunities to do more profitable labor-based repair of plastic components.” Nitrogen gas welding creates a strong material bond, because it eliminates oxidation of the plastic during the welding process. Using the shop’s own common air supply, the 6066-CG Nitrocell employs a three-stage filter to clean impurities from the air, then uses sophisticated membrane technology to extract an endless supply of nitrogen. The 6066-CG’s analog instrumentation features a control regulator combined with an output pressure gauge and a flow gauge to give the operator control over the amount of gas used in the welding process. A low-pressure safety switch automatically cuts power to the heating element, protecting it from overheating if the flow drops too low. “Our flow meter allows shops to achieve and maintain a high-quality, repeatable result when repairing virtually all types of plastic components,” Lammon said. “Consistent results help shops meet key performance indicators, and that, in turn, drives more business from insurance companies.”
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 11
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State Farm Forces
ten to where now they tell us where to buy the parts and who we have to buy them from,” said Elkins. Elkins said the damaged parts in the vehicle are necessary in running the brains of the car. “When the insurance company wants us to use reconditioned parts, that’s a part that’s already been damaged, already been broken and fixed. That’s not what was on this car when it came in here. I mean for that matter, I could fix what was on it. I mean that’s not what we should do. We should replace these parts with new parts. That’s what was on it when it came in. That’s what should be on it when it leaves,” said Elkins. Elkins said after-market parts depreciate the value of the vehicle, and he said the law states it could potentially affect the vehicle warranty as well. Kia, the dealership in the specific case, cannot legally void the 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty, but they can deny the warranty saying any damage was caused by the after-market prod-
ucts.
“Any subsequential damages caused by these parts will be void, and I mean the dealership is going to look for reason not to repair something under warranty. That’s just something they do,” said Elkins. In his push to get new parts approved for his customer, he said he called State Farm and recorded the conversation. In one recording he provided to the Investigators, the State Farm representative told him, “Her policy does allow us to use non OEM parts or recycled parts on her automobile, but we do tell her if she does want to use OEM parts, she does have the option to pay the difference.” Elkins said he’s eating the difference. He said he orders original parts even if it costs him more, but State Farm only pays for what a recycled part would cost. Elkins showed the Investigators receipts where he ordered new parts. A new condenser cost him $539.62, but State Farm only compensated him for what an after-market part would cost with $133.99. Elkins paid $368.12 for a new radiator, and State Farm paid him $204.29.
Sam Pleasant with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office said they filed suit against State Farm last year in August. “State Farm has a pattern of deceiving consumers and also repair shops and primarily deceiving the consumers by not allowing them to choose which parts they are going to use to have their autos repaired,” said Pleasant. She said consumers are deceived, but in the recorded conversation with State Farm, the representative told the body shop owner that they gave the customer a choice of paying more for original parts. Pleasant said the body shops have contracts with State Farm where they’re forced to use cheap and often unsafe parts. She said they’ve found they often use junkyard parts or overseas parts that do not meet manufacturer standards. “Case after case, we found that insurance companies are putting cost and getting these repairs done quickly over consumer choice and safety,” said Pleasant.
State Farm sent a statement: “A vibrant, profitable auto collision re-
pair industry is in the interest of State Farm. At the same time, we are advocates on behalf of our customers for reasonable repair costs. We believe repairer profitability and proper auto repairs that are reasonably priced can both be achieved. Claimants and our customers choose where their vehicles are going to be repaired. We provide information about the benefits our Select Service program offers while at the same time making it clear they can select which shop will do the work. Safety: The State Farm mission is to serve the needs of our customers, and we have a long, proud history of achievements in advancing research in vehicle safety. (To learn more, go to: www.Good Neighbors.com.)” Thank you to wafb.com for permission to reprint this article.
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I-CAR® Launches New ‘Production Management’ Role to Increase Shop Efficiencies, Enhance Lean Processes and Improve KPIs I-CAR®, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, launched its new Production Management curriculum that provides end-to-end instruction designed to drive bottom-line improvements in productivity and profitability throughout the collision-repair process. Available now, Production Management is a part of I-CAR’s Professional Development Program™ (PDP), filling an important curriculum placeholder that was planned when the PDP was launched in 2010. The new role and curriculum, which goes beyond technical training, was developed using direct industry input, collaborating with production managers, shop owners and experts from the collision repair industry. It provides insight into critical issues and multiple areas of the shop floor, while enhancing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling participants to quickly address complex problems shop personnel face in collision-repair production. “The broad-based process focus designed into this new Production Management Role allows shops to empower all of their resources, finetune their KPI’s and realize maximum ROI on shop-wide training invest-
ment,” said John Van Alstyne, CEO and President of I-CAR. “This industry has a strong, immediate need for production management training,” said Josh McFarlin, I-CAR Director of Curriculum & Product Development. “By working directly with shop owners and experts across the shop floor, we were able to build a unique curriculum that accurately reflects critical areas and challenges the industry faces.” A core component of the Production Management curriculum is the Learning Culture Overview, the first course of the sequential series. Understanding and embracing a culture of learning and knowledge-sharing as a long-term strategy is key to enhancing and maximizing a facility’s success rate in KPIs. Courses available now are part of the ProLevel® 1 pathway for the role within I-CAR’s industry-recognized PDP. Additional courses are under development for subsequent ProLevels as students progress through the curriculum. This role introduces the idea of pre-requisites to the PDP, as each course in the Production Management role must be taken sequentially, thereby minimizing course-to-course
Auto Theft and Vandalism Rise With the Temperature
Theft and vandalism is the leading cause of non-collision auto claims in the summer, according to the latest Seasonal Smarts Digest from Farmers Insurance. Among Farmers Insurance customers during the two-year period of 2013 and 2014, almost 30 percent of national claims filed in July, August or
September were related to vandalism, mischief and partial or total theft. California saw the most third-quarter theft and vandalism-related claims; nearly 40 percent of its claims came from vandalism, mischief and partial theft, and another 40 percent were due to total theft. Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona also saw higher rates of theft and vandalism claims. “Warm weather means more people are out and about—and that includes thieves and vandals,” said Paul
Quinn, head of claims customer experience at Farmers®. “Whether you’re leaving your car at a trailhead or a tourist attraction or just parking it in your home’s driveway, you should always make sure it’s not an easy target for criminals.” Quinn said drivers should consider putting the following tips into practice to decrease the chances that thieves will target their vehicles: ● Park as close as you can to your destination, in a well-lit area, and make note of where you parked. ● Thieves are most likely to target engines, air bags, radios, GPS units and portable handheld devices, according to the NHTSA. If the navigation device is mounted to the window, remove the mount and wipe off the ring left by the suction cup. ● Thieves commonly go after the third-row seat from an SUV. If a car has a removable third row, consider removing it and leaving it in the garage if you know you won’t be using it. The complete Farmers Seasonal Smarts Digest can be found online at http://www.farmers.com/ news/seasonal-smarts/.
14 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
redundancy and maximizing learning effectiveness.
Production Management Role courses include:
● Learning Culture Overview (PM101E01) ● Before the Repair Starts (PM105E01) ● Matching the Repair to the Team (PM110V01) ● Workflow Essentials (PM115E01) ● Synchronizing Workflow through Team Communication (PM120L01) ● Problem Solving for Workflow Changes (PM125V01) ● Quality Is Your Business (PM130E01) ● Optimizing Processes, Equipment and Compliance (PM135E01) ● Developing the Team and the Business (PM140V01) ● Refining the Team and the Businesses (PM145L01)
Students can review detailed information, register for classes and track their training progress for the Production Management curriculum online on www.I-CAR.com. To watch a video about I-CAR’s Production Management Role, visit: w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = DauZjmikqWA.
Vehicle Safety Inspections Highlight ASA’s Forum
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) hosted the first Service Repair Leadership Forum (SRLF) during NACE | CARS in July. The program included a segment on periodic motor vehicle inspections. Panelists addressed the challenges facing safety inspection programs across the United States, in addition to the benefits of strong programs in states such as Pennsylvania and Missouri. Speakers included: ● Bill Hanvey, Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association ● Joe Battista, Parsons Corporation ● Tom Gebbie, Automotive Service Association, Pennsylvania The SRLF vehicle safety segment serves as a run-up to ASA’s second safety inspection and maintenance forum this fall. The forum will bring together shop owners, industry leaders and policymakers to discuss the importance of periodic motor vehicle inspection programs as well as strategies to protect these programs. The forum will be held in St. Louis, MO, December 2. The ASA is the largest not-forprofit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. For info, visit www.ASAshop .org or call (817) 514-2900.
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 15
Mike Anderson Reminds Industry That “We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know” by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
Mike Anderson, President of Collision Advice, was the guest speaker during a Future Guild 21 webinar hosted by VerifFacts Automotive in July. In his presentation, “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know,” Anderson addressed the importance of why every vehicle repaired, no matter how minor the work is, must have the OEM information researched prior to completing the repair plan and fixing the vehicle. In addition, it should be scanned before and after the repair. Anderson said he decided to conduct the presentation after traveling around the country on behalf of Axalta Coating Systems. “It was alarming to me how many people I ran across, both insurers as well as shops, that were really not aware of some of the things it took to put a vehicle back to pre-accident condition,” he said. During the seminar, he said his goal was to create awareness for shops, OEMs, insurers and jobbers. He highlighted specific repair procedures that need to be completed on various vehicles, including Honda, Kia, Hyundai,
Toyota and Mazda
Repair vs Replace Anderson said he has noticed an emphasis on all parties in the industry on the repair versus replace components. “It seems like the two major components repairers want to repair more often are the front and rear bumper covers,” he said. “I definitely take my hats off to companies like Urethane Supply Company. I used to be a skeptic but I’m a believer,” said Anderson. “I do believe a proper repair can be made on a bumper cover and put it back to pre-accident condition with the technology that exists today.” However, he said it’s important to be cautious. “We need to be aware when we can and cannot use any plastic materials where sensors mount,” he said.
OEM Information He encouraged listeners to take advantage of the options available in regards to researching OEM repair procedures. These include Alldata, Audatex TechFocus, CCC One Repair Method, Mitchell’s TechAdvisor, and OEM websites such as OEMon-
estop.com. Many of the OEMs charge hourly, daily and monthly rates to access the information. GM, Ford and Chrysler are available free of charge. “If you are writing an estimate and using a damage analysis software such as Mitchell, CCC, AudaExplore or Alldata, it is beneficial to have the OEM methods software you utilize integrate with your estimating system,” said Anderson. “In my opinion, with every single vehicle that you write you need to make sure you are looking up what the OEM says in regards to the repairs and inspections required after a collision because we don’t know what we don’t know.” During the presentation, Rick Leos from Toyota commented that Toyota launched the Total recommended repair procedures within Mitchell, which provides all of the data. He recommended encouraging more OEMs to join in and participate as well.
Dash Lights Anderson also addressed what he referred to as his biggest passion. He said many shops and insurers think that if there isn’t a warning light on
the dash, everything is OK. “If there are no warning lights on the dash, that does not mean that there are no problems with the vehicle,” said Anderson.
Dash lights will not always tell you what’s wrong with the vehicle: ● Dash lights are not diagnostics ● Only alert drivers to current emissions, safety systems or maintenance intervals ● May not illuminate until the vehicle is driven a specified distance ● Some self-tests need to fail multiple times before a warning lamp or driver message is displayed ● Some systems and options will be disabled due to a stored code ● Some vehicle system retain failure records to help you determine if a condition is accident related Examples of problems that DO NOT illuminate a warning light: ● Auto/Express Windows ● Adaptive Cruise Control ● Window Indexing ● Mirror Functions ● Satellite Radio Reception ● Passive Entry
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Scan Tools Anderson stressed the importance of using scan tools to ensure vehicles are fixed properly. “We need to figure out what’s wrong with the vehicle before we ever take it apart,” he said. “We recommend any vehicle that is in a collision no matter how minor should be scanned before and after repairs.” When a vehicle is in an accident, even if it does not have an airbag deploy, even if the vehicle is unoccupied, Anderson said they must get a zero-point calibration or a similar calibration that requires the use of a scan tool. He said it would be beneficial if the industry adopted four types of scans: an inspection scan, a diagnostic scan, a completion scan and a follow up scan.
Inspection Scan: increases estimate accuracy and helps identify any electronic equipment and avoid unnecessary repairs. It also helps insurers
save money because it helps diagnose things that aren’t accident related and can even prove fraud in some cases from the consumer’s standpoint.
Diagnostic Scan: can save time and increases productivity by keeping diagnostic and repair functions inhouse. It can also reduce cycle times and confirm component operation with an output test.
Completion Scan: saves time and increases productivity by keeping programming and calibration functions in-house. It can reduce liabilities and may improve Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores.
Follow-up Scan: used for accuracy and part of the quality control process. Many symptoms and diagnostic trouble codes can re-occur and are conditional depending on road tests and functional use of affected systems.
Trends in Vehicle Technology He shared information provided by his friend Jake Rodenroth of ABRA and Chuck Olsen from Collision Diagnostic Services. In 1981, vehicles had one controller, nine sensors and
only a few actuators. The 2008 Ford F-150 had 20 controllers, 50 sensors, 40 actuators and three networks. Anderson briefly discussed technologies that are either already on the road or in the development stage including active safety system technologies; radar technology such as adaptive cruise control; pedestrian detection; and driver state assessment systems that monitors eye closures, head position and distraction levels with a combination of alerts. If uncertain about any repair procedure, Anderson said it’s important to do the research. One option he mentioned that might be helpful is the new I-CAR feature on their website called Ask I-CAR. “If you’re not sure, and can’t find what you are looking for, we have the moral obligation to contact I-CAR, VeriFacts or the OEM directly. Don’t make a decision without contacting someone qualified.” He also encouraged participants to research videos on YouTube and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s website: www.iihs.org For more information, contact Mike Anderson at mike@collision advice.com or Farzam Afshar at: farzam.afshar@verifactsauto.com.
CCC Mobile Technology Enhancements for Shops
CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC) announced on July 22 enhancements to its consumer solutions, helping repair facilities provide a more streamlined experience to customers throughout the repair process. CCC ONE® UpdatePlus will now offer text messaging that includes pertinent shop and estimate information. CCC ONE® Repair Workflow will now include digital signature capabilities, allowing customers to authorize repair work at the vehicle using the CCC ONE® Touch application on a mobile device. “Consumers expect hassle free interactions with the companies they do business with,” said Mark Fincher, VP, Market Solutions, CCC Information Services Inc. “We’ve looked at our solutions to see how we could change them in order to create high-impact, low-touch interactions that don’t require a phone call or sitting in a lobby waiting for paperwork. We’re excited to introduce enhancements to CCC ONE UpdatePlus and CCC ONE Repair Workflow to enable a better customer experience, while helping our repair facility customers be more efficient.” Call 877-208-6155 for more info.
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 17
Nevada Shop Owner Films Pilot Show for Reality Series ‘Every accident is a unique story to be told’ by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
The McCarran Auto Body team was hard at work, as usual—back in January 2015—painting, welding and sanding. It was a typical day. The only difference was that the employees were being videotaped for a possible TV reality series. Jerry Wientjes, Jerry Wientjes owner of McCarfrom McCarran ran Auto Body in Auto Body Sparks, NV, said that Bishop Lyons Entertainment made the commitment to produce the series for nationwide distribution. CEO Andrew Bishop and President David Lyons, the executive producers of the series, are currently in discussions with national cable networks in anticipation of airing episodes in 2016. “The premise of the show is behind every auto accident is a unique story to be told,” said Lyons. “The series follows outrageous and comical stories as seen through the eyes of the
customers and employees.” Lyons said that after working with Jerry and his team, they noticed Jerry’s personal connection to his clients is what makes him so successful. “His ability to draw stories out of his customers and give them the reassurance that he will make it better is a strong driving force that not only makes for a great show, but also a tremendous business,” he said.
the repair process showed an unsightly car being rolled into the shop and re-appearing minutes later completely repaired.” He began toying around with the idea of creating a show that was both informative and entertaining. Years earlier he had discussions with his wife’s uncle Bill about reality TV. Bill was a seasoned Hollywood writer for many hit shows in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
“The series follows the outrageous and comical stories seen through the eyes of the customers and employees” —Executive Producer David Lyons Wientjes said the premise is three cars, three stories and a lot of camaraderie. He is a reality TV show fan himself. He said that he noticed that the process of repairing a car is rarely shown, and never in any detail. “I thought it would be so helpful to educate the public about what goes on in the repair process,” said Wientjes. “Until now all representations of
18 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
“He would say that inspiration for a plot often comes from real life situations,” said Wientjes. “Sometimes the chemistry is just right and it works.” He recalls Bill telling him, “You can’t make this up!” Realizing that a body shop is not the ideal backdrop for filming, Wientjes and his crew spent countless hours sprucing up the place. This included
removing clutter, painting walls and floors. Although McCarran Auto Body had been producing and airing commercials for more than two decades, Wientjes quickly discovered it would not be easy to find a film crew with the experience and equipment required that had any interest in filming for days at a body shop. The first few calls were less than encouraging. In fact a producer suggested that he just get a “Go-Pro” and do his own filming. Finally he got a break. After contacting Sam Breen, and John and Brian of CID Media (a local production group), they agreed to come to the shop and film for a few hours to see what would transpire. After the first day, they were optimistic and agreed to return for more filming. As the days turned into weeks a show began to emerge. Wientjes said it was certainly not an easy process. “We would meet before filming and come up with a concept for that day,” he said. “Inevitably something unexSee Reality Series, Page 20
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Reality Series
pected would happen, and we would just go with it. By the time the first show was complete we had developed a very comfortable relationship with the film crew, so they were able to film us just being us.” Wientjes said that during the course of filming their first show he had a meeting with his longtime friend and attorney Curtis Coulter. “Coulter has an uncanny way of communicating his vast knowledge of the law,” he said. “Knowing that I could not myself say things of a legal nature, I asked Curtis if he would mind being in my show.” Coulter agreed and has become a regular fixture, imparting valuable, relevant information on each segment. A final addition to the show were his dogs; Nicholas, a seven-year-old Coton DuTulear, who dutifully greats visitors at the shop each day, and Kachi, his two-year-old Akita. “The magic they created in editing was unbelievable,” said Wientjes who is very pleased with the result. With the first show complete; they were ready to air it. Three 30-minute episodes have aired on local stations 2 and 21 every Saturday and Sunday. They are cur-
in January. A crew of 10 worked tirelessly, putting in 12-hour days. “This was truly a production,” said Wientjes. “The professionalism and work ethic of the crew was truly
ceived my first custom painting book from Jon.” Wientjes moved to Montana in the 1980s and worked at Classic Auto Repair before re-locating to Palm
Jerry Wientjes, Owner of McCarren Auto Body in Sparks, Nevada, mixing paint at his shop while a TV camera man looks on.
outstanding.” They shot about 60 hours of footage to create a 26-minute pilot show for a potential reality series. “My crew and I agreed it was such a positive experience for us to work with them, said Wientjes. After they were finished, his office assistant Cheryl discovered that the crew had many, many accolades. “The crew had been so down to earth and easy to work with, we had no idea of the magnitude of their previous success. Probably better that we didn’t know, we were already a little nervous.” Wientjes grew up in Minnesota. His father purchased a car for him during high school—a 1968 Camaro. “It needed a paint job but I couldn’t afford it so I said that Terry McNary doing structural pulls at McCarren I’d have to get a job at a body Auto Body. shop.” It was at A&G Auto rently available to watch online on Body in Rosemount, MN. you tube. (First episode: https://www While he worked there, he was .youtube.com/watch?v=5MRsXmtu taught to pinstripe and letter from Dv8) Lloyd Vinge and learned custom After the first two shows were painting from Jon Kosmoski (House filmed, Bishop-Lyons Entertainment of Kolor) who brought his cars to became interested in producing a Vinge for custom striping and letterpilot. They sent their “A Team” from ing. “I would always be hanging Los Angeles to McCarran Auto Body around and watching Lloyd, and re-
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Springs, CA, and finally settling in Reno, NV, where he met his wife Julie. He started working at McCarran Auto Body in 1993. When the shop became available in 1995, he decided to obtain it. By 2003, the 10,000
square foot strip mall location became a parking challenge due to no fenced parking. That same year a former cab company facility became available. It sat vacant for several years and Wientjes said it was in pretty rough shape. However, the location was ideal and it had a 1.5 acre fenced yard, thus eliminating the task of moving cars out every morning to start work and securing them back inside the shop at the end of the day. After a few months of extensive remodeling, they relocated. “Life has been so much easier with this configuration. We went from two roll up doors to 16,” he said. “I’m hands on. I’m a painter, I’m a body man, I do everything,” said Wientjes. He said this helps him get everything accomplished in the shop in case someone is sick or he needs to help out. Since filming the episodes, Wientjes said business has increased and customers now need to schedule appointments in advance. When he first began filming he said he didn’t feel comfortable in front of a camera, said Wientjes. “Now I just do my job. I just forget about it and go to work,” said Wientjes.
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 21
U.S. on Pace for Deadliest Driving Year Since 2007, Says National Safety Council
The National Safety Council estimates traffic deaths are 14 percent higher through the first six months of 2015 than they were during the same period in 2014, and serious injuries are 30 percent higher. From January to June, nearly 19,000 people died in traffic crashes across the U.S., and more than 2.2 million were seriously injured, putting the country on pace for its deadliest driving year since 2007. Costs are also up. The six-month estimated bill for traffic deaths, injuries and property damage is $152 billion—24 percent higher than 2014. “Follow the numbers: the trend we are seeing on our roadways is like a flashing red light—danger lies ahead,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Be a defensive driver and make safe decisions behind the wheel. Your life really depends on it.” While the high death and injury toll could be due to many factors, an improving economy with lower gas prices and unemployment rates herald increases in vehicle miles traveled. Average gas prices are 30 percent
lower than they were in 2014 and are projected to remain relatively stable heading into 2016. This generally means an increase in traffic; more people can afford to drive, and many travel longer distances and take vacations. To help ensure safety, the Council recommends drivers: ● Make sure every passenger buckles up on every trip ● Designate an alcohol and drugfree driver or arrange alternate transportation ● Get plenty of sleep and take regular breaks to avoid fatigue ● Never use a cell phone behind the wheel, even hands-free ● Stay engaged in teens’ driving habits. Teens are three times as likely to crash as more experienced drivers. Learn about your vehicle’s safety systems and how to use them. My Car Does What can help drivers understand the ins and outs of features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning systems and backup cameras.
Mopar Helps Dealers with New Service Capacity Tool Mopar is introducing a new “crystal ball” to assist FCA US dealerships in preparing for and predicting the best strategies for enhancing the customer experience, both now and in the future. The Mopar Service Capacity Analyzer is a powerful new online tool that helps dealers to assess, plan and implement changes to the number of technicians, technician hours, stalls and much more to better service customers. “Providing a great customer experience is at the core of what we do,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO, Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care, FCA. “That is why this year alone we have supported the addition of more than 1,300 technicians, 700 service advisors and 500 service bays in our dealer network, which overall is well ahead of our targets. Now, the new Mopar Service Capacity Analyzer offers dealerships a ‘road map’ to more efficiently utilize these resources by forecasting customer needs out to 2018 based on dealer-specific parameters.” The algorithm-based Mopar Service Capacity Analyzer allows dealers to adjust physical capacity metrics such as number of techni-
RAY HUFFINES
cians/service advisors, technician available hours and stall numbers, to match projected service lane traffic. The dealer can create scenarios and evaluate the changes needed to reach the optimum level of service. Dealerships can also examine operational efficiency and identify opportunities for improving existing processes and eliminating waste or inefficiencies. A summary page allows quick comparison of how hypothetical plans stack up to current capacity statistics. Mopar also offers tools to help dealerships implement service capacity changes. The brand is launching a new Service Capacity Guidebook as part of the Service Capacity Analyzer to assist dealers in seizing existing opportunities while avoiding the pitfalls of a crowded service lane. The Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) works in partnership with automotive tech schools to provide dealerships with a pipeline for recruiting trained and skilled technicians. “The customer journey is about Mopar partnering with our dealers to ensure that we have the tools, the people and the plan to continue to serve those who drive us,” said Gorlier.
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24 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. H O NDA T E X AS
TE XAS
LOU IS I AN A
TEXA S
Bankston Honda
Honda of Frisco
Rusty Wallis Honda
Le w i svi lle
F ri s co
Dallas
H ar v e y
800-344-8611 972-219-0021
866-442-2711 972-731-3176
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Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 www.bankstonhonda.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:30 cedgar@mcdavid.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 darryldotsy@rustywallis.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30 parts@superiorhonda.net
Benson Honda
Honda of San Marcos
Wholesale Parts Direct
Walker Honda
Sa n An to n i o
Sa n M a rco s
A us t i n
A l ex a n d r i a
800-727-8705 210-340-0831
866-392-1313 512-392-1313
800-234-4441 512-458-2910
318-448-8255 318-445-6677
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-12 hondaparts@bensonhonda.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 csmith@hondasanmarcos.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 sales@wholesalepartsdirect.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 hondaparts@walkerautomotive.com
Cleo Bay Honda
Howdy Honda
K il le e n
Au s t i n
877-253-6229 254-699-2478
877-941-6513 512-443-4300
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 parts@cleobay.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-3 partsmgr@howdyhonda.com
Fenton Honda of Longview
Kelly Grimsley Honda
Lon gv iew
800-228-1910 903-753-5921 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 victor.ortega@fentonmotors.com
Honda Cars of McKinney McK i nn e y
972-569-4276 972-569-4222 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 Gene.chenault@hendrickauto.com
O de s s a
844-453-5594 432-334-6632 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-12 april@kellygrimsley.com
Russell & Smith Honda
OKLAHOM A
Superior Honda
N EW MEX I CO
Don Carlton Honda
Garcia Honda
Tu l s a
A l b u q u e rq u e
800-722-2379 918-622-9670
800-677-6632 505-260-5002
Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 hondaparts@doncarlton.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:30-5 Jscott@garciacars.com
Fowler Honda N o r ma n
888-715-3197 405-573-5719 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-9; Sat 8-4 parts@fowlerhonda.com
H o us t o n
800-833-0180 713-663-4266 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 7-4 ggregory@russellsmith.com
ACU R A T E X AS
TE XAS
OKLAHOM A
LOU IS I AN A
Don Carlton Acura of Tulsa
Walker Acura
Tu l s a
800-359-8555 504-465-8555
Autonation Acura
Mac Churchill Acura
L e a gu e Ci ty
F o rt Wo r th
800-749-6227 713-371-4700
888-824-9634 817-806-0571
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 hoehns@autonation.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 6-7; Sat 8-5 jguin@macchurchill.com
David McDavid Acura
Sterling McCall Acura
A u stin
H o us t o n
800-575-3553 512-401-5976
713-596-2337 713-596-2338
Acura of Baton Rouge
Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 jraygo@mcdavid.com
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 rkahl@sterlingmccallacura.com
866-733-2861 225-756-6166
David McDavid Acura Pl an o
888-550-7278 918-664-2300 Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7-6 acuraparts@doncarlton.com
M e t a ir ie
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@walkeracura.com
LOU IS IANA
B at on Ro ug e
Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 dlavigne@acurabr.com
972-964-6044 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 dgrajczyk@mcdavid.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 25
—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 with John Yoswick
‘MSO Symposium’ panels at NACE offer ideas on human resources, customer satisfaction Attracting, training and retaining quality employees was among the topics tackled at this year’s NACE “MSO Symposium,” a half-day event in Detroit in July that focused on the needs of multiple shop operators (MSOs), as well as those who aspire to become an MSO. During one panel discussion at the event, for example, Max Sorensen of Minnesota-based ABRA Auto Body & Glass explained how his company has
a 300-module “learning management system” that covers subjects ranging from how to greet a customer coming into the shop to preparing final billing of an insurer. Employees can use the system to learn new skills, or use the system as a “refresher” when they have questions. Darrell Amberson of LaMettry’s Collision, an MSO in the Minneapolis, MN, area, moderated the panel discussion, and said that while large MSOs like ABRA can have staff devoted to employee training and development, his company is not that large. “So we’re looking at developing a training department using some resident experts to help train some of other people,” Amberson said. That inhouse training will become part of a formalized career path the company is developDarrell Amberson (l) and Max Sorensen in panel discussion ing to offer to entry-level em-
ployees. “Knowledge is a company assets, but knowledge has a shorter and shorter shelf-life,” panelist Jeff Peevy of the Automotive Management Institute said, emphasizing the need to hire those who will seek out continued training. “But learning is the cure for that. The willingness and capability to learn is Brandon Eckenrode the only true source of a sustainable competitive advantage.” Brandon Eckenrode of the Collision Repair Education Foundation said that organization is doing several things to help attract more people to careers in the industry. The Foundation is involved with the national association of school guidance counselors, for example, to help educate them about careers in the industry. The Foundation
is developing a national job board, and is launching a series of career fairs across the country to help students and shops connect. The Foundation is also working to attract military veterans to training in the industry and to educate employers about veterans’ benefits that can help those vets transition to careers in the industry. Several panelists said requiring entry-level employees to spend several weeks as a porter or detailer at a shop helps the employee get a feel for the business and the shop get a sense of the employee’s chances for success. “You get a good feel about whether they have a good attitude, do they show up on time, that kind of stuff,” Kevin Burnett, vide president of operations for Gerber Collision & Glass, one of the largest MSOs in North America, said. That can prevent both the shop and the employee from make an larger investment in training, etc., before they
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know if it’s a good fit for both, panelists said.
Entry-level pay an issue But Eckenrode also said the industry needs to address that fact that its entry-level wages often aren’t always competitive with those in other trades. That’s allowing other technical training programs and trades to attract students away from collision repair. He said the Foundation is working to help collision repair training programs understand the need to focus students on fewer skills – the skills that will help the students be more immediately productive in shops. “We’re going to do a better job of helping to instruct these school educators to not teach a mile wide and an inch deep,” Eckenrode said. Another panel during this year’s MSO Symposium focused on the use of customer satisfaction measurement to help manage MSOs. Jason Bertellotti of Mitchell International, said some of the highest customer satisfaction he sees are at shops that offer employee incentives based on customer feedback. One such company, he said, uses formalized customer follow-up interviews,
but also asks customers before they leave the shop to fill out a card asking for one thing they truly enjoyed about the process. Anytime a customer mentions an employee by name on that card, that is shared with all the staff at daily meetings, and the employee receives some sort of incentive. “It’s all about creating the culture by talking about the customers’ experience, not pressuring the customer to give you a ‘10,’” Bertellotti said. Dean Fisher, a CARSTAR franchisee and leader of the MSOs field service team agreed that pushing a customer to give you a high CSI rating – something he experienced when he recently purchased a new car – is less effective than just focusing on the customer experience. “You don’t sell CSI. You do CSI,” Dean Fisher Fisher said. Bertellotti agreed. Attempting to “manage the score” only communicates to your staff that it’s the score itself, and not your customer’s experience, that you care about. He recommends taking See MSO Symposium, Page 34
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Lean Operations
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
Why Past Success Could Be Holding You Back with David Luehr
One of the most fascinating career experiences for me was also one of the most difficult. It was called a 360 Degree Evaluation. I thought maybe it was called a 360 Degree Evaluation because when the results were read aloud to me about my management performance, that’s how hot it felt in the room! In those days I was in auto body operations management for a large company that rightfully believed that a healthy culture involved giving all employees a voice. The price for this culture was of course that the employees had the opportunity to evaluate their managers, yikes! The benefit was powerful and has profoundly affected my leadership style to this day. Now in my business as an industry mentor and consultant, I work with very successful people daily. These people are often your typical “type A” business folks that have accomplished a great deal in their lives already. Typically when dealing with these personalities I find that there is a great deal of confidence surrounding themselves, their business operations, and the skills they possess as leaders. The dogged determination, the courage to face difficult situations, and absence of fear in asking for more from life propel these people to a level of success higher than the average person. While these are great qualities that will continue to help them in the future, what these individuals often don’t understand is that they may have become successful despite of some of their inferior qualities. Because they are so confident overall, the not so great qualities get lumped into their overall belief system along with
the good qualities as an overall success “formula.” In other words, they see no need for change within themselves because what they have been doing has been working fine. At least up to now. What is ironic in this scenario is that these same successful leaders are the very ones that are usually complaining about how difficult it is to get their own people to accept change when in reality they are the most stubborn ones! This takes me back to the 360 Degree Evaluation. This method has become my most powerful weapon in my arsenal for getting leaders out of their own way of achieving big-time success. I am reminded of my own utter disbelief years ago in that hot office when I get to share employees’ real feedback with their disbelieving bosses. I don’t mean to make light of this process, because it is not easy for even the most battle-hardened body shop manager, it can rock their world in a big way! Growth can of course be difficult but well worth it for those serious about living up to their true god given potential. So how can leaders overcome this curse? The short answer is AWARENESS. When a person can come to grips with the fact that their beliefs may be holding them back, there are a couple ways fix it.
1. Be curious! I strongly encourage those that want to be hugely successful to balance their confidence with an equal dose of curiosity. We are no longer living in the Industrial Age and things are changing way too fast to become educationally complacent. How cars are repaired and
Tesla Motors Selects Solera to Provide Collision and Customer Communication Services
Solera Holdings, Inc. announced on August 3 that its collision estimating and customer communication platforms were chosen by Tesla Motors for its global certified collision repair centers. Through AudaExplore (U.S.) and Audatex (global), insurers and repairers will use the Solera solutions to process fast and accurate collision repair estimates and insurance claims on Tesla vehicles. Tesla will also leverage the AutoWatch platform within the
Solera solution set to enhance both the driver experience and communication between Tesla and its customers. “We have worked closely with Tesla over the past several months to develop highly accurate and data-driven integrated solutions for Tesla’s collision repair network,” said Tony Aquila, Solera’s founder, Chairman and CEO. “Our goal is to fully leverage Solera’s technology platforms to digitally transform the vehicle repair experience for all stakeholders.”
28 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
the methods used to lead people in the modern “Conceptual Age” requires a completely different skillset than most people currently have. It doesn’t have to be a “scary” thing, but future success will require an open mind, and a willingness to learn. I believe curious people will someday rule the planet.
2. Be brave! Those that have thick enough skin to hear the truth about themselves will also benefit greatly. How do people know what to change to? How do they identify areas in their personalities and skillsets that may need some help? There are two main tools I like to use. The first I have already mentioned. The 360 Degree Evaluation is a great way to get to the truth if people in the organization trust the process and have no fear of retribution from superiors. Shops could probably create their own employee survey, but companies tend to get more accurate and relevant feed-
back when a 3rd party company provides the service.
3. Use science! The second tool that I use with all my clients is the tti Trimetric Assessment. This is an incredibly insightful tool that can give leaders and their employees a scientific look at personality traits, behaviors, values/motivators, and skills. If leaders are serious about getting to the next level in their careers and moving closer to reaching their potential, this is a great place to start! For those successful people that are wondering why things may not be progressing as you would like, I invite you to consider the advice in this article. Be aware, be curious, be brave, and use science. As always my associates and I at Elite Body Shop Solutions are always here to help you find the resources you need to win! Contact me at: david.luehr@elite bodyshopsolutions.com
www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 29
Apple is Building Self-Driver, Looking to Test in Bay Area
EstimateScrubber.com Releases Invoicing APP
Apple is building a self-driving car in Silicon Valley, and is scouting for secure locations to test it, according to Britain's Guardian newspaper. Documents show the oft-rumoured Apple car project appears to be further along than suspected. Reportedly, engineers from Apple’s secretive Special Project group met in May with officials from GoMentum Station, a 2,100-acre former naval base near San Francisco that is being turned into a high-security testing ground for autonomous vehicles. In correspondence obtained by the Guardian under a public records act request, Apple engineer Frank Fearon wrote: “We would ... like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it].” Apple declined to comment. GoMentum Station is on the old Concord naval weapons station still guarded by the military, making it “the largest secure test facility in the world for testing validation and commercialization of connected vehicle (CV) applications and autonomous vehicles technologies to define the next generation of transportation network infrastructure.”
VehicleOwnersGuide.com, announced the release of the first of its’ ScrubberApps—a joint development with Saint-Gobain/Norton Abrasives to develop the Norton Invoicing App. The Norton Invoicing App allows estimatescrubber.com subscribers to create an invoice for seam sealers, corrosion protection, foams, accessories, metal bonding, bumper/ plastic repair. The Norton Invoicing App 1) automatically imports R.O, vehicle and owner information from the scrubbed estimate, 2) allows building the invoice with point and click technology, and 3) prints “the” Saint-Gobain/Norton Invoice using current retail pricing. The App is provided at no extra cost to estimatescrubber.com subscribers. “The Norton Invoicing App helps our customers create invoices supporting their materials usage on an RO basis. The invoice will have the Saint-Gobain/Norton logo and current retail prices. You just select the products and quantities used to build the materials invoice. It will help our customers more easily document their materials usage using our invoice format and current retail prices.”, said Randy Vidal, National Accounts, Norton/Saint-Gobain.
WD-40 Announces New EZ-REACH Product
PPG Introduces DELTRON DPS3105 Primer Surfacer
WD-40 Company introduced WD-40 EZ-REACH to better meet the needs of trade professionals and heavy DIYers who use WD-40® MultiUse Product as part of their jobs. For more than 60 years, automotive and construction professionals and skilled tradesmen have used WD-40 Multi-Use Product, but many expressed the challenge of getting the formula into tight and hard-to-reach places. WD-40 EZ-REACH features an attached, eight-inch flexible straw that bends and keeps its shape. “WD40 EZ-REACH was designed with our end-users’ needs and wants in mind,” said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing at WD-40 Company. “This new delivery system gives trade professionals and DIYers the ability to reach the unreachable and accomplish difficult tasks in overhead areas, under the sink plumbing components, or specific sections in motors and engines, among numerous other uses.” For info, visit WD40.com/EZ.
PPG announced that DELTRON® DPS3105 V-PRIME™ Quick Prime Urethane Surfacer, a gray speed primer designed for spot and panel repairs, is now available. The new primer surfacer offers film build, fast dry-to-sand times and resistance to film shrinkage. “DPS3105 is a valuable addition to the Deltron brand,” said Jennifer Boros, PPG marketing director, collision segment. “It provides PPG customers with fast air-dry performance for excellent cycle-time efficiency with high-quality results. Production-focused collision centers carrying out premium-level refinish work will appreciate this new product’s capabilities.” According to Boros, DPS3105 features dry-to-sand times taking as little as 30 minutes and a high film build of 2.0-2.5 dry mils per coat. She said the primer is easy to apply and sand. It is rollable, can be wetsanded, and allows direct application of a basecoat. DPS3105 can be used with Deltron DCX3030 Hardener and the new DCX3035 High Temperature Hardener. For information, call (800) 6476050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com.
30 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Allstate Delivers Sharp Drop in Operating Earnings
Allstate Corp.’s 2nd Qtr operating earnings fell 41% on lower auto insurance margins and seasonally high catastrophe losses. Operating earnings are a widely watched benchmark for the insurance industry because they exclude realized capital gains and losses from companies’ investment portfolios, among other items that aren’t considered recurring on a quarterly basis, reported nasdaq.com. The decline in operating earnings reflected a broad-based increase in the frequency and severity of auto accidents by state, risk class and other factors. One of the largest drivers of Allstate’s disappointing performance was its higherthan expected auto claims costs; the company paid more in quarterly claims than it collected in premiums. The last time that happened was in the fourth quarter of 2012, when Hurricane Sandy sent auto claims skyrocketing. But there’s no natural disaster to blame this quarter. In a conference call with analysts last week, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson and President Matthew Winter attributed the increased claims to more drivers putting in more miles on the road, according to Crain.
Carmakers are Keeping Data from Tech Partners
Carmakers are limiting the data they share with technology partners Apple and Google through new systems that link smartphones to vehicle infotainment systems, defending access to information about what drivers do in their cars, according to reports in straitstimes.com. Car companies hope that the vehicle data will one day generate billions of dollars in e-commerce, though they are just beginning to form strategies for monetising the information. Apple and Google already make money from smartphone owners by providing a variety of products and services, from digital music to targeted advertising, and connecting phones to car systems will almost certainly extend their reach. But as infotainment systems such as Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto become more widespread, car companies hope to keep tech providers from gaining access to a wealth of potentially profitable information collected by computer systems in cars. Some car companies have specifically said they will not provide Apple and Google with data from the vehicle’s functional systems—steering, brakes and throttle, for example.
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Social Media for Shops Body Shops Nationwide are Joining the Blog Party with Ed Attanasio
One of the items on my marketing toare long gone. Blogs are an ideal way do list for 2015 (January 2015 ABN) to enhance your Search Engine Optiwas entitled Get a Blog and I can’t take mization (SEO) efforts because Google credit for it, but there are more body indexes blog articles and will move with Ed Attanasio shop blogs out there now than ever in the collision industry. Four years ago, there were 156 million blogs in existence and today there are more than 180 million with world- Ed Attanasio wide. Shops that didn’t even have web sites now have them complete with blogs that contain weekly posts, sometimes more. Blogs are no longer a fad or even a trend—no, they’re here to stay and gaining traction more and more as they your company’s name up their rankstampede into the World Wide Web. ings by regularly sending its search spiA decade ago, people didn’t really ders through your blog. And with more take blogs seriously. They thought a players now in the SEO game, blogs blog was for amateur poets, soccer are all about getting companies to that moms or quilting clubs, but those days desirable first page of Google.
SEMA Show Goes On
Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.
It’s inexpensive to create a blog (using Word Press, for example) and linking it to your web site. In a busy shop, there are a lot of things going on to blog about, including employee birthdays, holiday events (such as a company costume contest for Halloween); new babies, I-CAR certifications, community mixers and so much more. Once you start searching out topics for blog articles, you’ll see that there is a wealth of great things for you to write about. With blogs now the norm rather than the exception, it’s hard to believe that many body shop owners still don’t know exactly what they are, so here is a rather brief description. A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on
Media and Publicity for Shops
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tion, the company also assists body shop clients with marketing efforts— including blogs. “The collision industry is changing on multiple levels,” Pannazzo said. “Not only is their rampant consolidation happening at an unprecedented rate, there is also a significant change in the demographics of the typical collision repair customer. Crossgeneration communication skills are CEO Rich Pannazzo essential to any marat www.AutoBody keting initiative in -Review.com cites blogs as an our industry. Blogeffective way ging, for instance, for body shops to has become an efget their brand in fective way of getfront of consumers ting your brand in as well as helping their Search Engine front of consumers Optimization efforts as well as helping your Search Engine Optimization efforts. In order to be effective however, your Blog must be relevant, routinely updated and well-scripted.” “Collision repairers are not, by nature, good marketing professionals,” Pannazzo said. “And even a vast majority of marketing professionals are
not good collision repair marketers. Collision repair customers are unique because 95% of a shop’s business comes from insurance, dealer and customer referrals. Marketing to get 2% of the 5% that are left just isn’t a logical course of action, nor is it economically efficient. Companies such as AutoBody-Review.com have figured this out. Everything done to promote the brands represented by AutoBody-Review.com is specifically targeted at increasing the capture rate of the referral business being sent to those locations. Even down to the unique blogs posted for their thousands of customers each month. No two blogs are identical and each blog is tailored to the specific body shop that it is being written for.” Eric Gouldsberry is a Silicon Valley-based media consultant and owns EGAD, a company that designs web sites and adjoining blogs for body shops and large automotive companies that end up at the top of search results on a consistent basis. He has seen the incredible growth of the blog universe and the recent popularity of blogs among body shops large and small. “The Hummingbird algorithm went into effect during the summer of 2013 when Google announced the
change on the eve of the company’s 15th anniversary,” Gouldsberry explained. “It was their first major update to their search algorithm since 2010. At that time, people didn’t realize that it would lead to the explosion of blogs. Hummingbird is all about content and what they call ‘semantic search.’ Google now focuses more attention to each word in a query, ensuring that the whole query—the entire sentence or conversation or meaning—is taken into account rather than just a handful of keywords or word streams.” So, why are so many body shops finally coming to the blog party? “Body shops talk a lot to each other and they’re always looking at the shop down the street,” Gouldsberry said. “Look at all of the body shops that are gearing up to work on aluminum vehicles, for example? The shops that started doing blogs three to four years ago are in a prime position, because they’ve already established a top position. It won’t be easy to unseat those shops, but it’s never too late to improve your spot by blogging. If you’re thinking about a blog, I would tell you start today, because right now the stragglers are getting ready to enter the fray!”
July Auto Sales Surge Due to Pickups and SUVs
The industry kept on course for its best year in more than a decade last month after a disappointing June, driven by deliveries of SUVs and pickups as car sales lagged. Most major carmakers handily beat estimates, with the average analyst projection putting the annual selling pace at about 17.2 million vehicles, which would be the highest total since 2001. “Pickups and SUVs continue to keep new-car sales elevated,” Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for car-shopping site Edmunds.com, told the Daily News. “In fact, July marks the 23rd month in a row in which trucks (together with) SUVs have outsold cars. Lower gas prices certainly are a catalyst, but the availability of cheap credit is helping consumers get into these more expensive vehicles,” Caldwell said. Buyers spent a record $47 billion on new vehicles in July, a 2.1% increase from last year, according to automobile pricing site TrueCar.com. Ford, which saw sales sputter in the first half of the year as the company faced production—and perception—problems transitioning its bestselling F-150 truck to a lighter aluminum body, reported a better-than-expected 5% jump in sales last month.
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Continued from Cover
Sentenced to Death
reached out whatsoever to this office or the victims’ families and now seeks again to blame everyone else for his behavior, which is completely unacceptable,” Moore said. Edward Gurtner, 43, and Randy Chaney, 54, were found dead in a back room of the store on March 27, 2011. Both were helping out at the store, but worked at other CarQuest locations. Coming out of court Monday, members of Gurtner’s family described the last four years as very long. “We all miss him tremendously, we always will,” said Gurtner’s step-father Nick Dunman. “I don’t know if we ever will have closure, but we will start healing now.” “It was a senseless killing,” said Gurtner’s wife, Elizabeth, who described her husband as fun-loving and a man who would give you the shirt off his back. Elizabeth said she has attended all but two court appointments during the trial period. “For me, this is closure. After four and a half years, I’m ready to go and leave this behind me,” she added. She said she wishes Chaney’s wife Continued from Page 27
MSO Symposium
a step back, almost as a secret shopper, to see and hear what your customers are seeing and hearing. “See how you would perceive that, from the minute they drive on the lot, what it looks like,” he said. “All the way through how they are greeted, how they are talked to, whether they are given some empathy during the process and so forth.”
How to stay in contact Do customers prefer regular contact – including customer satisfaction indexing – by text, email or phone? Not surprisingly, the panelists said ‘it varies.’ David Kulkis, business development director for ABRA Auto Body & Glass, said he still believe phone calls are the best way to keep customers updated. Such calls give you an opportunity for a personal touch and to convey empathy, he said. Electronic communication can augment that, he said, and there are some customers who just don’t want the phone calls. That’s why it’s important to ask
could have been at the court Monday too. “I believe that would have meant a lot to her too,” she said. According to prosecutors during the trial, Turner had 13 to 14 bullets in the gun in his pocket when he entered the CarQuest. “Lee Turner had a plan. He stole, he killed, he intended to do everything that he did,” prosecutors said. Chaney was shot once in the back of the head. Gurtner was shot 11 times. After the shooting, Turner got away with $350. Officers found the gun Turner used behind the business. They also found the store’s bank bag in the trash at his apartment. Turner showed up for work at 8 a.m. the morning after the shooting. It was five years since LA executed a prisoner. Gerald Bordelon was executed in January 2010. He was convicted of strangling his 12-year-old step-daughter, Courtney LeBlanc, in 2006 and dumping her body in the woods. The appeals process for Monday’s death penalty ruling begins automatically. Moore said precedent suggests it could take up to 20 or 25 years before he is executed. We would like to thank WAFB for reprint permission. customers about their preference, Fisher agreed, because automated texting or email may even be alienating some of your customers. “We find that younger customers prefer texting and email is great for them,” he said. “But there’s at least 40 percent of your clientele who want a phone call. They still want to communicate with you regularly that way.” Bertellotti agreed that a hybrid strategy is best, particularly when it comes to follow-up customer satisfaction indexing. “There’s a very high self-selection bias in email or any sort of electronic survey,” Bertellotti said. “People who are unhappy or extremely happy typically will take it – and always more of the extremely unhappy. So you self-select downward. The results David Kulkis are usually lower than they would be on the phone, and you miss all of the quality data in the middle. You never get their feedback and never know what’s important to them.”
34 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
Enterprise Releases Second Quarter Rental Data
The national average length of replacement rental (LOR) rose slightly in the second quarter of 2015 to 11 days overall, reversing a downturn seen in the first quarter’s data. Compared with the second quarter of 2014, the LOR increased 0.3 days and was up 0.5 days over the 5-year average. The quarterly data, gathered by Enterprise’s Auto-
mated Rental Management System® (ARMS), tracks the length of time replacement vehicles are rented to collision center customers and is considered a proxy for vehicle repair time. Though an increase in accidents due to weather may have played a role in the second quarter LOR increase,
there were likely other contributing influences, according to Frank LaViola, assistant vice president of collision industry relations for Enterprise. “While some regions, such as the Midwest, experienced wetter than normal weather conditions, others were below normal and still increased in LOR,” said LaViola. “We need to look at other factors that may be driving longer cycle time. Those could include technician shortages and training, the complexity of newer vehicles being repaired and other issues, such as parts delays.” The Northeast region led the nation with the highest LOR at 12.3 days. The lowest LOR, 9.4 days, occurred in the Northwest region. The Mountain Region saw the largest increase in LOR, 1.2 days, due in part to the recent hail catastrophes in Colorado. The ARMS digital management platform enables repair centers to book rental reservations and send vehicle status updates to insurance partners and customers. In addition, repair centers can track, measure and forecast labor needs, and generate monthly reports through ARMS. To learn more about the ARMS Automotive Suite, visit www.armsauto suite.com.
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 35
Industry Insight
—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.
CIC Committee Working to Eliminate Hidden Costs of Parts Procurement with John Yoswick
A Collision Industry Conference (CIC) tronic parts procurement is just rapidly committee is working to identify some sweeping the industry. It’s not.” of the costs – for shops, insurers and parts vendors – associated variwith Ed with Attanasio The hidden costs ous inefficiencies related to the parts Turning to the committee’s process procurement process. The committee map, Farah said each step in the process views this as a key step in determining has risks that can add waste and costs what electronic parts procurement systo the process. For example, shops tems are – or aren’t – doing to reduce sometimes order both OEM and nonsuch inefficiencies. OEM versions of the same parts at the At CIC in with Detroit Ed in July, CIC same time in order to save time if the Attanasio Parts and Materials committee member non-OEM version proves unusable. But Amjad Farah of AkzoNobel Coatings receiving multiple parts and returning acknowledged that the entire parts orone adds costs for both the shop and dering process is non-value-added. parts vendors, he pointed out. “No one is paying us to order Choosing only parts offered by parts,” Farah said. “We get paid to the “best vendor” identified by the paint them or put shop can offer some efficiencies for with themEd on, Attanasio but we’re the shop, Farah noted, but can raise the not getting paid to total costs of the parts used, or – if the order the parts. So shop can’t pass those costs along – rethe process in and duce the shop’s profits. of itself is nonSimilarly, if a shop’s ordering devalue-added. But cision is based on price alone, one risk with Edhave Attanasio we still to do could be poor service from the vendor, Amjad Farah it. So the objective resulting in delays. here is to look at the entire process [to Ordering parts from multiple venfigure out how to] make it as efficient dors for the same job results in multias possible given that it has to be ple invoices to be paid. If it costs you done.” $25 to receive a part and process that During the meeting, the panel invoice, Farah said, and that happens shared a “process map” it is building on 75 percent of your repair orders, showing all the steps in traditional that can quickly add up to thousands parts ordering, looking at all the of dollars in costs. wasted steps and trying to establish When you look at the whole some idea of the costs these steps add process as a whole, Farah said, you to the process. quickly “come to the realization that John Bosin, chairman of the comas an industry we really need to find a mittee, said some of those initially reway to make the whole process more viewing the process map criticized the efficient for all parties involved.” fact that it still included fax or phone The committee’s work, he said, is orders. a start to building that awareness. “I want to assure you that while But Aaron Schulenburg of the some of us may consider faxing ‘20th Society of Collision Repair Specialists century,’ the fax is still very much said the issue is more complex than a alive,” Bosin said. “When you talk to “process map” might indicate, given parts suppliers, ask the often competing interests of shops, them how many insurers and vendors. Some insurer faxes they get a day mandates on shops regarding parts – with orders. Not or parts procurement systems – are a only is the fax magood example, he said. chine still being “What do we do as a group if we used, but the phone determine that certain processes creis being used and a ate inefficiencies and costs for some, John Bosin lot of parts saleswhile creating reductions in costs for people and delivery people are carryothers?” Schulenburg posed, rhetoriing orders back into the office. We all cally. think it’s super-streamlined and elecBut CIC Chairman Randy Sta-
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bler said he’d like to see the committee finish the process map to document the potential costs, then see whether and how the electronic parts procurement systems measure and track such potential inefficiencies so they can be reduced. “It’s one thing to say we need better cycle time, but if you don’t know the incremental steps in the entire process, and start to look at them incrementally, you can’t drive out the costs,” Stabler said, as an analogy. “So we may have electronic parts procurement models that do a good job sourcing by price, but do they look at all those other factors that can reduce the overall internal cost of operation?”. “Suppliers, repairers, consumers and insurers all pay for these inefficiencies,” Stabler concluded. “But if we don’t know the additional costs, then we’re going to continue to do it. That’s what I’m hoping to try to ferret out here.”
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36 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
State of industry training Another panel discussion at CIC in Detroit focused on what was assessed by many as an abysmal rate of technical training among collision repair technicians. Several panelists cited an I-CAR statistic from several years ago that 69 percent of working technicians who weld in U.S. body shops lack formal welding training. “As an industry, we need to be ashamed of this,” Jeff Peevy of the Automotive Management Institute Jeff Peevy said. “And it’s not just the collision repair shops; it’s all of us involved in this. It takes time and resources to train your technicians, and all of us need to acknowledge that. Regardless of what segment we’re in, we need to take an honest approach and say, ‘Are we contributing to this problem, or are we a solution to this problem?’ This is an ethical issue, that we as an industry allow this to be okay. Shame on us as an industry.” Industry consultant and former shop owner Mike Anderson of Collision Advice said he thinks there’s a lack
of a ‘training culture’ in the industry. When he operated his shops, he said, he let new-hires know up front how many hours of trailing they were expected to complete each year. One night a month, he held after-hours training for the body department; another night was reserved for refinish department training, etc. “That allowed our entry-level people who had a desire to grow to stay after-hours for those classes,” Anderson said. “We also opened that up to SkillsUSA student in our local area, so they could attend, and that helped us recruit some of the best of the best.” Anderson said shops always blame the lack of training on time, which is understandable. “We have these unrealistic mandates put upon us that say we need to upload an estimate in x amount of hours,” Anderson cited as one example, “But if I do that, I don’t have time to research the OEM procedures properly. But is that really the reason? Or is it because I was never trained how to integrate OEM software into that process? It boils down to time and culture.” Independent consultant Roger Cada, a retired insurance company executive, suggested that increasing consumer awareness about the dangers of improperly repaired vehicles could help address the training issue. He said salvage yards have examples of cars that were repaired but later declared total losses because the vehicles were known not to be safe based on how they were “repaired.” He suggested that the industry could have the Insurance Institue for Highway Safety crash test such “repaired” vehicles to draw consumers’ attention to the need for safe repairs. “Show the consumer what poor repairs look like, because they don’t have a clue,” Cada said. “They’re not the experts. But if they take away that their family and friends who ride in that car are in danger, they will search out those repairers that are good.”
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PartsTrader and State Farm Credited with Increased Chrome Bumper Sales for LKQ Since State Farm implemented PartsTrader as its electronic parts ordering partner, its use of aftermarket parts appears to be changing based, in particular, on increased chrome bumper sales. Last summer State Farm released a document titled “Replacement Parts Promises” which suggested new aftermarket and recycled parts policies. Now, more details have been revealed of State Farm impacting the growth of aftermarket chrome bumpers from quarterly financial statements by LKQ. LKQ CEO Rob Wagman told analysts during LKQ’s most recent July 30 quarterly conference call that chrome bumper sales were up nearly 16.9% and attributed it to the nation’s No. 1 auto insurer. In previous conference calls Wagman has cited State Farm purchasing aftermarket chrome bumpers as a factor in increased sales, as recorded in the Seeking Alpha website’s transcripts of the calls. State Farm has been out of general aftermarket purchasing since October of 1999, when the company “temporarily” suspended the use of aftermarket crash parts. At the time Edward B. Rust, chairman and chief executive officer State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, said, “We don’t want
our policyholders caught in the middle of the lawsuit-driven confusion and misinformation about the quality of the aftermarket parts we specify. To prevent that from happening, we’ve decided that the best course for now is to begin specifying only crash parts made by auto manufacturers.” In a consumer document released July 2014 called “Replacement Parts Promises” on the State Farm website, the company says: “We're committed to your satisfaction regarding new nonoriginal equipment manufacturer (nonOEM) and recycled parts used in the repair of your vehicle. Below please find additional information regarding the State Farm promise of satisfaction.” A link to a PDF entitled All States but Indiana is viewable at https://www .statefarm.com/claims/resources/auto/ replacement-parts-promises. The linked document states in part that “State Farm® keeps the promise of “Good Neighbor” service every day as we pay individual claims. Our promise includes a commitment to your satisfaction regarding new non-original equipment manufacturer (non-OEM) and recycled parts used in the repair of your vehicle. “When a damage estimate is prepared, it may include competitively
priced, readily available new nonOEM parts, recycled parts or new parts provided by the manufacturer of your vehicle.” Wagman told investors on April 29, 2014, that the insurer’s return to aftermarket parts with certified chrome bumpers came “in close conjunction” with its partnership with PartsTrader. On Oct. 30, 2014, LKQ CEO Rob Wagman cited “again really good growth on chrome bumpers” for the third quarter, with the company up 22.4 percent likely partly because of State Farm interest. He also told investors that GEICO had just become the No. 2 auto insurer, and “they’re very active users of our products.” On Feb. 28, 2015, Wagman reported a 22.3 gain in fourth-quarter 2014 chrome bumper sales and told analysts LKQ was “cautiously optimistic” State Farm would use more aftermarket parts. Despite the big 2014 first quarter of chrome bumper sales, purchases of the parts were still up 19.5 percent, Wagman said April 30. “We continue to really raise the number on the products they (State Farm) are writing in the aftermarket, in the bumpers,” Wagman said. “Looking at these particular part types, year-over-year sales of after-
market chrome bumpers were up 30 percent in January, 29 percent in February and 33 percent in March. While some of this increase may be weatherrelated, we believe that some of the increase is related to State Farm’s new policy regarding aftermarket certified chrome bumpers. We continue to have open dialogue with State Farm, and we hope that they will continue to expand their use of our aftermarket product offerings.” Wagman later said in the call that LKQ wasn’t involved in the decision. “They came upon this on themselves, and they did it in conjunction with the rollout of PartsTrader,” Wagman said, according to the transcript. “And as PartsTrader has gone across the country, obviously, we’ve seen more and more sales. Our reps that are on PartsTrader reviewing those estimates know about those 2 part types and are pushing them hard.”
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Automotive Writer Speculates About Why the AL vs Steel Repair Cost Debate Won’t Be Resolved Soon
“Here’s why we won’t really be able to answer the question of aluminum vs. steel repair costs for a long time,” writes Richard Truett for Crain.com. ● There are too many different kinds of vehicle accidents. The F-150 is going to have to be crashed thousands of times in every conceivable way before we’ll really know about the true cost of repairs. In all likelihood, some repairs will be less and some will be more. ● There are too many insurance companies with different levels of coverage. One body shop operator recently told me many insurance companies don’t distinguish between steel and aluminum repairs. He said it takes longer to repair aluminum and often the owner of the vehicle has to pay the difference between the repair cost and the insurance payout. ● Body shops charge different labor rates. ● The investment needed in tools and facilities to repair aluminum is substantial, more than $100,000 in many cases as body shops have to buy the tools, train the technicians and build a separate area to fix the aluminum-bodied trucks. So, some body shops may be charging a premium to
fix the truck and pay off their investment. “To Ford’s credit,’ says Truett, “the company has made repairs as easy as possible by creating hundreds of small repair panels that can be stitched in to the F-150’s body. And these parts are shipped with the repair instructions. That saves time. “But in many cases, repairing an aluminum panel is more complex than fixing a similar steel panel. The 2015 truck’s body is held together with rivets and adhesive, which usually takes more time to repair than a steel part. Here’s the bottom line: If it turns out there is a significant difference in repair costs for the new truck, Ford will likely do whatever it takes to keep the F-150 competitive. The stakes are simply too high in the highly profitable, hyper-competitive U.S. truck market. We don’t really don’t have enough information to definitively say the new F-150 is more or less expensive to fix.” For the full article go to: http:// w w w. a u t o n e w s . c o m / a r t i c l e / 20150731/BLOG06/150739949/itstoo-early-to-settle-aluminum-vs.steel-repair-cost-debate
More Stringent Auto Recalls in 2015 are ‘New Normal’
U.S. automakers and other vehicle manufacturers overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration already have recalled more than 32.4 million vehicles in nearly 500 campaigns through early August, according to a Detroit News analysis of government data and automaker reports, says David Shepardson, writing for the paper’s Washington Bureau. That’s still fewer than the 63.95 million vehicles recalled in 2014 in 803 campaigns. But it’s already topped the previous record of 30.8 million vehicles recalled in all of 2004. Several automakers are on pace for a record-setting number of recalls. And the total number of campaigns this year could come close to last year. Accounting for nearly one-third of all U.S. vehicle recalls this year is Fiat Chrysler. It has called back a companyrecord 10.2 million vehicles this year in 24 recall campaigns in the United States, including 77,000 new 2015 Chrysler 200s for an electrical problem that could cause stalling. About 4 million of the automaker’s callbacks are for Takata air bag inflators. The NHTSA has demanded recalls in several instances. In documents released Friday, Volkswagen AG disclosed the agency had demanded the recall of 420,000 cars and SUVs in the
U.S. for electrical problems that can prevent air bags from inflating; VW had determined it wasn’t a safety issue. Automakers are facing electronic issues they haven’t seen before. Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million vehicles because of concerns they can be hacked and controlled wirelessly. This year’s higher-than-normal recalls also have been boosted by air bag manufacturer Takata Corp.’s decision to declare more than 32 million vehicles defective in the U.S. See related article this issue. More than 14 million of those already had been recalled by automakers last year. New NHTSA Chief Mark Rosekind caught the industry’s attention when he suggested in January that automakers could recall more vehicles in 2015 than in 2014. Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies, an auto safety advocacy group, said NHTSA’s aggressive posture is prompting carmakers to move faster. “There is a new normal,” Kane said. “Manufacturers are becoming much more diligent about fixing things that they would have been able to get away with doing customer satisfaction or dealer bulletins that NHTSA would have accepted in past. Today, no one’s even going to cut these corners.”
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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.
Farmer’s COD Program, CARSTAR’s Growth, Estimates 10 Years Ago, Texas Rate Survey with John Yoswick
and an abundance of late model vehi20 years ago in the collision repair cles with young drivers. industry (September 1995) Also at the Collision Industry Confer– As reported in The Golden with Chasidy Rae Sisk ences in Kansas City in September, Eagle, September 2000. CARSTAR Bob Matejzel of Farmers Insurance subsequently abandoned its growthsaid that although one of the company’s by-acquisition plans and sold many of regional offices has asked Chicago area its corporate-owned stores back to shops for price concessions in order to franchisees. It currently has about 440 participate in Farmers’ “Circle of Defranchises in 32 states and 10 Canawith Chasidy Raedian Sisk pendability” (COD) program, he did provinces. not foresee that happening elsewhere. “I do not see this as a wave of the 10 years ago in the collision repair future, at least I hope it is not,” he said. industry (September 2005) “Our program was instituted with no The information providers faced critconcessions. It’s still that way.” icism at the Collision Industry Con– As reported in ABRN. Matejzel, ference (CIC) for their proposed Chasidy Raesolutions Sisk and timelines for addressing who was among with the principle designers of the COD program, retired from the issue of shops having to rekey inFarmers Insurance just 15 months after surer-prepared estimates. making this statement and after 32 The CIC Electronic Commerce years with the insurer. The COD proCommittee outlined two types of scegram has changed significantly since narios in which shops should be able to that time. with Chasidy Raereceive Sisk insurer-prepared estimates electronically. In the first, the insurer’s estimate is prepared at the shop, so the file 15 years ago in the collision repair could be transferred to the shop’s estiindustry (September 2000) The consolidators have been seemingly mating system via a thumb-drive, the very open about their goals and business USB drive or even a CD or floppy disk. with Rae Sisk strategies – and about whatChasidy they look for The second scenario that leads to in the shops they acquire. CARSTAR, estimate rekeying is when the shop and for example, has announced an ambiappraiser are not at the same location tious 5-year growth plan for the Kansas- and cannot physically move the estimate based company. While most of its more file from one computer to the other. The than 250 shops are franchises, the comcommittee believes this is a more company plans to addwith 200 company-owned situation leading to rekeying than Chasidy Raemon Sisk locations over the next five years. is the “face-to-face” scenario. What will CARSTAR be looking In terms of the ability to copy an for as it acquires shops? Kam Nassar, estimate file to an external drive or the company’s chief financial officer disk or otherwise transfer it from one outlined a set of characteristics that computer to another within the shop, are fairly consistent with those de- Chad Taylor of Mitchell International with Chasidy Rae Sisk scribed by other shop consolidators. said his company offers such capabilCARSTAR, he said, will look to ac- ity now, and Bruce Yungkans of CCC quire shops that have: Information Services said Pathways - At least $1.5 million in annual 4.3, released in mid-October, would as revenues – preferably $2 million. well; Yungkans said CCC’s system - About 10,000 to 13,000 square would require a one-time set-up fee of with Chasidyca-Raeabout Sisk$150. feet of space, with the production pacity (or room to expand) to handle But Scott Jenkins of ADP drew in excess of $2 million a year in sales. fire from some CIC participants when - A computerized shop managesaid his company has no plans to crement system, and good accounting pracate such capability, preferring to put tices. “development effort” into addresswith Chasidy RaeitsSisk - A well-trained staff, and excel- ing the other type of scenario that relent relationships with customers and quires estimate rekeying. insurers. “What kind of ‘development’ does it - A visible, high-traffic location take?” Craig Griffin of Laney’s Colliin areas with high household incomes sion Center in El Dorado, Ark., asked
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with Ed Attanasio
Jenkins, pointing out that virtually all software allows a user to copy a file to a disk to transfer to another computer. “My assumption is since every other software in the world allows me to do this, that it’s more likely more difficult for you to keep me from doing that than it is to let me do it, other than you can’t charge me for it.” But Jenkins said ADP sees the ability to download an estimate from an insurer’s library as the solution that would address the majority of the estimate rekeying situations and has pledged to make this possible by next April. He said ADP currently has such a system in place for a shop in an insurer’s direct repair program; that capability, he said, will be expanded to shops not in a particular insurer’s DRP once the insurer gives a oneIn 2005, Craig time permission Griffin of Laney’s for the shop to do Collision Center in so. El Dorado, Ark., – As reported in questioned why Autobody News. shops couldn’t use an external drive or It would be several disk to transfer an years after this disestimate on an cussion before all insurer’s laptop to three information a shop’s computer. providers offered Griffin is still involved in his complete solutions family’s 2-location to estimate rekeycollision repair ing. ADP eventubusiness. ally sold off its estimating system business, which later became AudaExplore.
5 years ago in the collision repair industry (September 2010) The Texas Department of Insurance has received written responses from the state’s top five auto insurers to four pages of questions the Department asked about labor rate determination, shop referrals to consumers, DRP agreements, reimbursement caps or thresholds and other claims practices by the insurers. The insurers were asked, for example, how many DRP shops they have in Texas (State Farm = 636, Allstate = 388, Progressive = 277, GEICO = 56, Farmers = 285), and what percentage of their claims in 2009 went through DRP
facilities (State Farm = 50%, GEICO = 35.2%, Farmers = 32%, Allstate = 23.7% of 1st-party claims and 12% of 3rd-party claims; Progressive said it was providing this information to the Department in a supplemental response). The insurers were asked, “Does your company set caps or limits on the reimbursement rates for certain labor, services, parts and/or materials, e.g., paint?” State Farm and Farmers said they do not. Allstate said thresholds and pricing guidelines are negotiated individually with its DRP shops; for non-DRP shops, the company said, thresholds may be used and “additional costs are negotiated with the shop to arrive at an agreed repair cost.” Progressive said it has a “local payment authority” for its claims reps on paint materials, but said it is not a “cap” and “does not represent the maximum we’ll pay on a per vehicle basis.” The amount is sufficient for most estimates, Progressive said, but if the requested amount exceeds it, the claims rep should ask for supporting documentation and also may reference Mitchell’s paint and materials calculator “to confirm or negotiate any differing amounts.” GEICO, too, said it has no caps, only an authorization level on materials “to alert the adjuster to reviews any repair facility charges that appear abnormal in order to determine the appropriateness of such charges.” The Texas survey of insurers was prompted by a petition circulated by a handful of Texas shops asking the Insurance Department to request claims processing procedures and information from the insurers. Larry Cernosek, owner of Deer Park Paint & Body in Pasadena, Texas, presented the petition to the Insurance Department, and helped review drafts of the survey questions. All five of the insurers prefaced their responses to the Department of Insurance by saying the information and documents should not be disseminated beyond the Department. But Cernosek filed an Open Records Act request with the Department to receive copies of the responses. – As reported in CRASH Network (www.CrashNetwork.com), September 27, 2010.
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www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS 41
Getting Paid for Investing in Facility, Equipment and Training by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
Collision repair shops learned what it takes to keep up with the increasing rate of technological innovation and implementation, during a recent talk by Tim Ronak, Senior Services Consultant from AkzoNobel Coatings. Ronak spoke to attendees during NACE about “Getting Paid for Investing in Facility, Equipment and Training.” The following is based on his presentation. Ronak said the technological face of the automotive industry is evolving exponentially. Some of the factors involved in these changes include onboard safety systems and controls; telematics and web-connected vehicles; accident avoidance; autonomous driving capability; hybrid power systems; and CAFE requirements. Now, more than at any other time in the past, higher specialized environments, equipment and training is required, according to Ronak. “In order to be capable of repairing and servicing this new auto technology, businesses are required to invest capital in people and tooling to stay current and capable,” he said. However, many businesses are realizing a shorter period of return on their investment (ROI).
Current and Past Collision Industry Labor Profitability Trends Ronak explained how gross profit, in terms of the True Cost of Labor (TCL), has been declining over the years. In just the last two years alone, there are more facilities recording less than 50 percent TCL. Ronak said that a decreasing TCL can be attributed to four factors:
1) Wage and benefit unit costs rising faster than lagging labor reimbursement rates This includes the impact of higher costs to retain a decreasing number of skilled trainable workers. Ronak defined a “unit” as a measurement of time that it takes an average skilled technician with an average set of tools in an average equipped facility to complete a specified operation.
2) Absence of a retail door rate in market areas Ronak pointed to the fact that there is currently no prevailing rate survey process in place. In addition, there is often a perception that customers should pay the same or less than insurers. 3) Credit Card Effect Ronak said the increasing use of credit
cards for payment is eroding the realized labor gross profit as shops are taking cards for the payment of jobs and deductibles. “Shops have not adjusted to the retail pricing model to deflect this increasing erosion of marginal profitability,” he said. For example, to cover the credit card fee with a seven percent sales tax, you need an additional $3.26 to $6.66 over the original $60 door unit rate to cover the lost revenue. In this case, the adjusted retail door unit rate would need to be at least 5.4 percent to 11.1
myth,” he said. “People invest for the singular incentive of a return!” Ronak explained that ROI essentially compares the magnitude and timing of investment gains directly with the magnitude and timing of costs. “A high ROI means that gains compare favorably with costs,” he said. “The goal is not to simply break even. The reason to invest is to generate a return.” Costs include such things as interest expenses/finance charges, property taxes, and the opportunity cost of alternative investments.
The definition of “Customer Value” is: “ANYTHING the customer is willing to pay for,” —According to Tim Ronak, AkzoNobel.
percent higher to just preserve the previous profit margin. Ronak said the retail differential may need to increase by 15 percent if a component is built in to shield against fees paid when a deductible is paid with a credit card.
4) Vehicle Technology Advancing at Frantic Pace With vehicle construction and technology changing yearly, repair methodologies become outdated quickly. Vehicles require specialized training and no longer can one skill fit all vehicles. In addition, there is more of a requirement for precision with technology such as accident avoidance and on board safety systems. Ronak said OEM certification is now required to restore some of this technology. “It is now more important than ever to ensure that a facility restore a 4.5 star crash-rated vehicle back to the same 4.5 star crash rating,” he said.
How Much to Invest in Facility, Equipment & Training Ronak said it can be very difficult to determine how much to spend on facility, equipment and training since each business has its own needs. Ultimately, facilities will make a choice depending on what services they offer to customers such as aluminum repair, OEM certification, and servicing hybrid technology.
How to Determine ROI and What is a Reasonable Return Investing in a business requires a return greater than what is available in alternative secure investments. Ronak recommended that an analysis be done prior to making an investment to determine what it will actually cost the business. “The idea that capital investment is ‘just a cost of doing business,’ is a
42 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
He advised that investors have a minimum target return they are willing to accept, which should typically be higher than a more secure alternative investment.
Payback Time Period to Expect for an Incremental Investment Since each investor will have his/her own rationale for determining the expected payback period, Ronak recommended performing a more complete ROI analysis that factors in all costs as they occur against the desired rate of return. Some of the considerations include time frame, residual value, technology, setup costs and finance charges.
Equating Capital Expense for Training, Facility and Equipment into a Reimbursable Charge Ronak said that the actual capital needed for the investment needs to be quantified first. Then the acceptable return for that investment of capital should be defined. He stressed the importance of then determining how to capture revenue related to an expense and how to apportion the expense to the revenue it generates.
Training: Ronak said that training is becoming an annual requirement for individual OEM certification and some of it can be very expensive and time consuming. “These costs need to be tracked and considered when determining the rate you choose to invoice for that skilled and capable labor resource,” he explained. Since the average tech will generate about 3,000 units of billable labor per year, an annual training expense of just $6,000 (including tuition, testing, wages, travel, meals, accommodation and certification fees), it results in a
training surcharge of $2/unit billed. If that labor is specialized to a particular OEM and requires an annual renewal, it could be a recurring charge. Ronak asked attendees to also consider that perhaps only 50 percent of the time the tech is actively engaged in work that requires that certification, the required reimbursement could double to $4/unit billed to recapture the investment in training. Facility: Additional facility expenses may imply that a shop is increasing its capacity or reconfiguring use of a facility or portion of that facility. “A reasonable expectation would be to determine break even and return sales targets,” said Ronak.
Equipment: Businesses equipping to service or repair new technology may not necessarily increase efficiency, according to Ronak. “In some instances specialized tooling may quickly become obsolete as new devices are deployed.” This implies that the $12,000 self piercing rivet tool that may be used five times before a new replacement version is required should be critically considered. He said it might be better to rent these pieces of equipment and charge them on each job … much like a frame fixture/jig. When calculating equipment expenses, Ronak said to determine the total equipment investment, determine the required return on that investment and then calculate incremental sales targets that provide sufficient returns. If additional volume is not forthcoming, he said to consider a higher door unit rate for work and then develop a plan to achieve sales targets. Ronak then addressed the final question: “Are these expenses just the cost of doing business?” He said the definition of “Customer Value” is: “ANYTHING the customer is willing to pay for.” “It is not a large inductive leap to infer that a customer would be willing to pay to ensure the 5 star crash worthiness of the vehicle would be restored back to a 5 star through the repair process by properly equipped and trained resources,” said Ronak. “When investment costs are incurred for the singular purpose of creating customer value they should be passed on as a cost to the customer in one way or another,” said Ronak. “The challenge is to clearly ‘know your cost’ before you justify and ultimately ‘establish your price.’”
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New Sherwin-Williams Web-Based System Aims to Save Shops Time & Increase Their Profit by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
A new web-based system developed by Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes was designed to help shops decrease the time it takes for the paint selection process to less than five minutes. After being tested by hundreds of shops across the United States and Canada, the company’s Formula Express 2.0 color retrieval system was officially launched in August. John Ceglarek, color systems manager for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, said the new FormulaExpress 2.0 Color Retrieval System was designed to achieve the best color match results in the shortest possible time, which can result in improved profitability, cycle time, and customer satisfaction. “The problem with so many of the existing color retrieval systems is that they are slow, cluttered, and difficult to enhance, change or maintain because they are built on aged platforms,” he said. Ceglarek said color selection can typically take seven to eight minutes or even 30 minutes or sometimes more. “A significant percentage of vehicles don’t fit the mold,” he said. “Those are the ones that cause that time to identify a color to skyrocket. It’s those non-typ-
ical things going through your process that are most disruptive in the body shop.” He said that if just one vehicle in 10 is difficult to identify color, it can completely disrupt the entire lean process in the repair facility. “Those were what we were trying to eliminate,” said Ceglarek. It took approximately two years for Sherwin-Williams, a manufacturer and distributor of automotive refinish and
fleet/commercial transportation coatings and sundries, based in Ohio, to develop the product. Ceglarek said that the faster system will be more efficient for the automotive repair industry. “With FormulaExpress 2.0, painters and technicians will spend much less time picking the right color for the job, and much more time delivering vehicles,” said Ceglarek.
“This will increase through-put, productivity, and profit in their shop.” Formulas are sorted by popularity instead of the “standard with alternates” method widely used by many existing color retrieval systems. Additionally, FormulaExpress 2.0 has a patent-pending Color Filter™ feature. This feature helps the painter select from a list of color variations by selecting a few user-friendly filters. Ceglarek said that no other system has this way of picking from a set of variations. When Autobody News talked to Ceglarek about the new product, he demonstrated how a painter is able to look at the various color options on the screen to help make a decision. He noted that they can be sorted by most likely to match vs. least likely to match which really helps make color retrieval faster and easier. “Instead of doing it the way traditional software would to add more information to look at, we take information away,” said Ceglarek. “We start to take away data from the screen that we know isn’t relevant to try to help [painters] make those decisions faster.”
Ben Komenkul Became WIN Member to Support Women in the Workplace by Ruth Weniger
Ben Komenkul, Vice President at ClaimForce, is a man among (wo)men. As one of a handful of male members of Women’s Industry Network, Komenkul is so convinced of the value of women in the workplace and in his workforce, he not only joined the organization in 2011, but he has attended every eduBen Komenkul, cational conference Vice President at since he joined. ClaimForce joined We talked with WIN in 2011 Komenkul about the value of his membership in this mostly female organization.
Tell me a little about yourself: I started in the insurance industry when I was 18 in a sales position, representing life, property and casualty policies. I had family that was in the insurance business, so you could say that it was just in my blood. Throughout my career I have worked in various capacities with companies that were all somehow connected to insurance. Now, I am vice-president at ClaimForce.
Tell me about your organization and what you do” With ClaimForce, we saw an opportunity to use technology to improve the claims process. At the same time, we are independent and we provide a sort of ‘Angie’s List’ of the insurance world. Women make up a large portion of our corporate office, probably 40%. Of that group, two key roles, VP of Technology and Material Damage Vendor Manager, both traditionally male roles, are filled by our female leaders. And in the field, women make up about 25% of our total force.
Why are you a member of WIN? I first heard about WIN three employers ago, and in that particular company only 15-20% of our appraisers were women. When looking at the business, I noticed that those female appraisers’ estimates were very detailed and complete—we seldom had issues with their “sheets.” They just didn’t miss the small things. What I took from that is that I wanted to learn more about how women think, work and communicate. That’s when and why I joined WIN…to learn.
What value has the organization (WIN) brought to you personally or to your or-
44 SEPTEMBER 2015 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
ganization? Aside from giving me the opportunity to network with segments of the industry that I would simply not be exposed to, WIN has helped me relate better to both my male and female clients as well as my employees. Witnessing the co-operation and willingness to work together across this entire organization has been incredible. Isn’t that what we strive for in all of our companies? I was recently at a conference and was acutely aware of the women in the room being the minority…just as I am the minority at WIN conferences. That role reversal gave me a whole new perspective on how I choose to interact when I attend these events. At that same conference I saw that there was a group of women taking a picture. They were from all segments of the industry but the energy and co-operation around this group was remarkable. It turned out that this was a “WIN photoop.” There is no other organization that I have either been part of or witnessed that demonstrates that level of “community.”
What advice do you have for business leaders who may consider joining WIN or sending their female execu-
Unlike other systems that require the user to know the specific information about the vehicle such as formula code, color code, color chip, etc., the new system allows the user to enter whatever is known about the vehicle. “The system provides intuitive search functionality, and is extremely fast, reliable and provides real-time updating,” he said. FormulaExpress 2.0 also provides storing, tracking and reporting. Designed to work with multi-platforms including tablets, smartphones and PCs, Ceglarek said it has the most updated color information readily available, 24/7, 365 days a year. He also said the new FormulaExpress 2.0 system is extremely versatile. “It is literally functional with every automotive finishes intermix and factory pack system Sherwin-Williams provides, with access to more than 750,000 color formulas,” he said. It also works in conjunction with Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes color tools, including the PROSPECTOR® color reference system and Color Works® The Match Box (for fleet refinish and OEM colors). For more information about Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes FormulaExpress 2.0, visit www.sherwin -automotive.com/formula-express or call 1-800-798-5872.
tives/staffers to the educational conference? Nobody reaches success without the support of the women in our lives. Starting from our mentors, colleagues, assistants, to our partners at home, women are the ones men seek for encouragement when we need it most. WIN, being the sole organization in our industry that encourages more female leadership, deserves to hear that we, as men, support WIN as they work to support their members and their careers. You don’t need to be a woman to understand WIN’s contributions to our collision industry. If you support WIN, you are supporting our daughters, our wives, our colleagues, and our friends. WIN gives women an anchor and motivation to do something more; it gives them inspiration to be more than they ever imagined. So, what would I tell them? I would say “send your employees to conferences, become a member, or sponsor the organization.” It’s the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do and it’s a great business decision. Opportunities have opened up for me at WIN and attending WIN conferences has even helped me communicate better with the real decision maker in my home.
Rio Hondo College No Longer Offering Collision Repair
by Stacey Phillips, Assistant Editor
Autobody News learned in July that Rio Hondo College, in Whittier, CA will no longer be offering a collision repair curriculum starting January 2016. Earlier this year in January, Rio Hondo was one of 15 community colleges selected to run a pilot program to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in Automotive Technology. It is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2016. Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation in 2014 making it possible for CA community colleges to set up pilot baccalaureate programs and Rio Hondo will be the only community college that offers a degree in Automotive Technology. Mike Slavich, the Division Dean of Career and Technical Education programs, said they will offer a technical track and a business marketing track. “What’s unique about Rio Hondo is their four-year program is in automotive technology,” said Gene Lopez, I-CAR National Fields Operation Manager. Lopez previously taught at Rio Hondo for Slavich. Although Lopez said he is pleased the automotive technology department will be offering this program for students, he also said it is unfortunate that the collision repair program is being discontinued. As a result, he said, “We don’t have an opportunity to continue to hire techni-
cians from Rio Hondo College. We don’t have an opportunity to have a student graduate with a bachelors degree that has any information on collision repair.” He was told by Professor Steve Tomory that the main reason was due to the program not having any student completers (no certificates or degrees) for nearly 15 years and minimal students were getting jobs with industry training such as ASE and I-CAR. Therefore, Tomory, who will be the faculty advisor, said it was not cost-effective to have a “hobby shop” program. Slavich added that the decision was made due to labor market data and the cost of the program. He recommends students interested in pursuing auto body repair attend the Cerritos or Cypress community college programs, which are both I-CAR certified. “We have plenty of capacity in the area,” said Slavich. He plans to market the bachelor degree program to students currently taking auto body at the two community colleges and will give them credit for their undergraduate work. “I’m hoping that we get students out of the auto body area; typically, students just get enough education to go to work so they don’t finish a degree or certificate,” he said. According to Rio Hondo, graduates will be equipped for jobs with auto manufacturers, car dealers or aftermarket companies that modify vehicles.
Nissan Donates $1M and 10 Autos to Habitat for Humanity
Ten years after its first donation to Habitat for Humanity, Nissan has announced a $1 million grant to help build affordable, sustainable homes and to support Habitat’s disaster response efforts. Nissan’s contributions to Habitat for Humanity in North America amount to more than $13 million over the past 10 years. “Having a permanent home allows a family to realize stability and a sense of community,” said Nissan Senior Vice President Scott Becker. “Nissan employees engage directly with those families by making personal commitments of their time and effort in Habitat home builds. This partnership is a tangible example of how we carry out our corporate vision to build a sustainable future for all Nissan stakeholders.” A portion of Nissan’s contribution will be used to double Habitat’s Mobile Response Unit fleet to 10 units, boosting its capacity to quickly support U.S. affiliates and their long-term recovery efforts following natural disasters. “The generous donation from Nissan and the volunteers who continue to work alongside those in need of decent housing makes such a difference in the lives of families and communities,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
4th Annual Aftermarket Telematics Challenge
The Auto Care Association (ACA) and the Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Aftermarket Telematics Challenge. Now in its fourth year, the challenge seeks to recognize the best examples of aftermarket technology in telematics. This is the first year the challenge is being co-sponsored by ETI. “The Auto Care Association established the Telematics Challenge in 2012 to demonstrate that the auto care industry can provide the technology and solutions today for vehicle telematics,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO, ACA. “We see the telematics initiative as a very big task for ETI members and the aftermarket as a whole in the coming years and there will be many challenges and opportunities along the way,” said Greg Potter, executive manager, ETI. Applications can be found at: www.autocare.org. They must be received by Friday, Oct. 2. The winner will be announced at AAPEX and the winning entry will have a $10,000 scholarship awarded in their name to the Aftermarket Foundation.
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AkzoNobel Launches U-Base for U-TECH Basecoat System for Commercial Builder and Refinish Markets
AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business released a new U-TECH basecoat system UBase, designed for the commercial builder and refinish markets. It is a two-component polyurethane basecoat system and replaces the Polybase and Polybase Plus systems. The U-Base basecoat system introduces four components: U-Base Binder, R300 Reducer
Fast, R300 Reducer Slow and Metallic Wet Blend additive. These components work with the existing U-TECH toners to create an all-in-one system for basecoat and single stage applications. U-Base utilizes a simple mix ratio of 3:1:1 and offers a ready- to-spray low VOC HAPs-compliant solution with less than 3.5 lbs/gal, making it a universal fit for
all refinish regulated markets. “For the painter, the system lives up to the U-TECH brand promise of Better process, better results,” said Kari Greason, commercial vehicle segment manager for AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business in North America. “It is extremely easy to use. With the scale and size of jobs in this segment, most painters
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