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Vol. 36 / Issue 9 / September 2018
Judge Finds Lousiana Collision Shop’s Business Practices ‘Unethical’ and Violation of UTPA
Discussion at CIC Highlights Dramatic Changes Coming to the Industry
by Staff, WBRZ
by John Yoswick
A judge has decided that a prominent capital area body shop’s business practices and advertisements were in violation of the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act. WBRZ first reported on a lawsuit filed back in May that alleged Owens Collision misrepresented the contract customers signed and held vehicles longer than necessary “to increase non-repair fees.” It also claimed that Owens marked up the cost of parts and bills for unreasonable fees.
Court records say Judge Todd Hernandez found the business’s refusal to allow customers to view their
vehicles while in Owens’ possession “absurd, unethical, unscrupulous and has proven to be substantially injuriSee Unethical Practices, Page 10
CO Hail Repair Shop Is Accused of Insurance Fraud, Forgery by Eric Ross, KOAA News 5
News 5 Investigates uncovered a local hail repair tent on the southeast side of Colorado Springs that may
have committed insurance fraud and forgery after signing a customer’s insurance check and failing to finish the job. Vernon Jones dropped his car off at AAG Auto Hail Repair in June, but said the company has made excuses and delayed repairs. He said he asked for his truck and unsigned insurance check back so he could take his business elsewhere. That’s when he learned someone from the company had already See Insurance Fraud, Page 12
Michael Simon, director of strategic accounts for Bosch Automotive, is the latest to remind the industry that the absence of any dash warning lights doesn’t mean a vehicle doesn’t need to be scanned. “And the diagnostic codes do not point to a repair, only a symptom,” Simon said at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Atlanta in August. “If a doctor takes your blood pressure and your blood pressure is high, what does that mean? He’s got to figure out if it’s hypertension, is it stress in life, or what’s going on. It’s the same thing with codes. What does that code mean? It says something isn’t working right, but it still requires you to diagnose.” In his presentation at CIC, Simon
made it clear that he was speaking personally rather than as a representative of Bosch. He said the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in new vehicles today are part of the automakers’ learning mode on the road to autonomous vehicles. “This is the start of the biggest economic and social shift of the last 100 years,” he said. “Think about how many businesses and people will be affected by this technology change.” To offer some perspective on the transformation that is likely to occur in the coming decade, Simon reminded CIC attendees what the key new features were of the best-selling car 10 years ago: the 2008 Toyota Camry. “It had some darker wood; the See Discussion at CIC, Page 22
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones Says He’s Hoping to Halt Proposed Auto Tariffs by William Thornton, AL.com
On July 18, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones said he and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) are working to craft a “solution” to proposed tariffs on imported automobiles, which they say could negatively impact U.S. jobs. “We hope to introduce that proposal as early as next week, after consulting with our automotive manufacturers and working with our colleagues to grow bipartisan support for this legislation,” Jones said in remarks on the Senate floor in Washington. “I realize that folks affected by these proposed tariffs are looking for a silver bullet to stop them dead in their tracks. Right now, the only silver bullet in this case is for the President to change his mind and recognize how many jobs are at risk because of these proposed tariffs. Until that hap-
pens, we’re going to fight to protect what our states and our workers have earned.” Jones’ comments occurred as segments of the auto industry are converging on the nation’s capital to lobby against the proposed tariffs. The push is coming at the same time the Commerce Department has two days of hearings scheduled on the tariff issue. In May, President Donald Trump directed the Commerce Department to begin an investigation into whether imported vehicles and auto parts constitute a national security threat. The administration is reportedly considering a 20 to 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles. More than 2,300 comments were collected during the investigation period. Segments of the auto industry, as well as Jones, Sen. Richard Shelby See Hearings on Tariffs, Page 14
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