October 2022 Southwest Edition

Formation of OpenRoad Announced, Family of Collision Repair Center Brands

Trivest Partners of Miami, FL, and LP First Capital of Austin, TX, announced Sept. 6 the formation of OpenRoad, a family of leading brands within the collision repair industry.

The announcement comes in combination with the acquisitions of four well-known collision repair centers including Car Crafters in Albuquerque, NM, Drury and Moss Body Shop in Amarillo, TX, 1st Choice Collision in Houston, TX, and Helotes Collision in Helotes, TX.

Combined, the OpenRoad family of brands now operates 12 collision repair centers located across

the Southwest.

OpenRoad’s initial investment was Car Crafters, the largest independent collision repair center in the state of New Mexico. Across its five locations in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, Car Crafters maintains strong relationships with all major insurance carriers and repairs more automobiles than any other shop in the state.

Car Crafters is led by industry veterans Jim and Sean Guthrie, who will remain with the shop and continue to lead strategic and

See OpenRoad, Page 18

California Officially Requires All New Cars Sold to Be Zero-Emission by 2035

by Madison Hirneisen, The Center Square

California air regulators have set a 2035 deadline for all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles, a move that will make the Golden State one of the first jurisdictions in the world to enact this increasingly-costly re quirement.

The state’s plan, adopted by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday, sets specified targets to phase out sales of zero-emission vehicles in the state starting in 2026. According to the plan, 35% of vehi

cles sold in the state will be required to be zero-emission in 2026, 68% in 2030, and 100% in 2035.

ABAT Hosts Successful Trade Show in Irving, TX

by Stacey Phillips

Live demos, celebrity appearances, education sessions and body shop competitions were all part of the Texas Auto Body Trade Show, held Aug. 26-27.

The annual two-day event was hosted by the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) and took place at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, TX.

“Attendance was great this year,” said Jill Tuggle, ABAT’s executive director, who estimates there were about 850 attendees.

“I really enjoyed the camaraderie

aspect of the show and loved seeing our members who traveled from up to eight hours away from all over

The regulations will largely phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles in California, though there

See Zero-Emission, Page 10

California Gas Vehicle Ban Faces Pushback from 17 States

by William Johnson, Teslarati

Seventeen states have filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals, suing to prevent California from banning new ICE vehicle sales after 2035.

California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Aug. 25 to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles after 2035, but 17 states’ attorneys general have sued in federal court to block the move. California’s regulations are accepted as regulations in 14 other states and Washington, D.C.; an approval or blocking of this regulation could prove far-reaching.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri’s attorney general, along with the attorneys general in Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas,

Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, have sued to prevent CARB from banning new ICE vehicles after 2035.

“If California can set restrictive ‘gas emissions’ standards, manufacturing becomes astronomically expensive, and those additional costs are passed onto consumers, many of which are Missourians,” the Missouri attorney general said.

From a legal approach, the opposition to CARB’s regulation aims for the federal government to regulate what it sees as interstate commerce, as it is allowed via the U.S. constitution. At the same time, CARB

See ABAT Hosts

The Texas Auto Body Trade Show was held Aug. 26-27 at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, TX. Credit: Photo courtesy of Robert Grieve

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst

General Manager: Barbara Davies

Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby

Chess, Ed Attanasio, Stacey Phillips

Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Norman Morano, (800) 699-8251

Office Manager: Louise Tedesco

Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski

Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz

Senior Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting & HR Manager: Heather Priddy

Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes

Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah 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. ©2022 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody News P.O. Box 1516 Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com editor@autobodynews.com Wholesale 55 6 Wholesale Dealers 49

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers 28-29 Kia 26 Wholesale Parts Dealers 52 Body Repair Products 23

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers 53

Larry H. Miller Ford Mesa 36

Launch Tech USA 39

LKQ Corporation 41

Mac Haik Ford-Lincoln 47

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers 50

Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts 46

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers 33

NRD 4

NOROO Paint & Coatings 11

North Freeway Hyundai 30

Northside Chevrolet 32 Part of the Club 45

Peak Kia 45

Platinum Auto Trends 10 Santa Fe Kia 40

SATA Dan-Am Company 17 Schmelz Countryside 45

Schomp Mazda 43

Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center 8-9

Shoot Suit 27

Sorbothane Soft-Blow Mallet 24

Steck Manufacturing Company 34

Stevinson Toyota West 45

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers 42

Sunmight USA 12-13

TYC Genera Corporation 19

Toyota of Laredo 18

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers 44

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers 48

One of the foundational pillars that helped drive Maaco’s 50 years of success is its dynamic business mod el, which includes its fleet solutions centers.

The team of Gene Boiseau, Jake Brown and Jake Morrow, co-pres idents of Freedom Brands LLC, and owners of three Maaco franchises in the Phoenix area, including one Maaco fleet solutions center in Phoe nix, has found success with a singu lar focus of providing fleet solutions for some of the most notable brands around.

“We all had former experience in logistics and saw the need for a de pendable repair partner with fast turnaround time that could minimize the down time for fleets,” said Boiseau. “We saw an opportunity to provide that to companies in the Arizona mar ket and with the brand recognition, technology and training that Maaco has to offer, it was an easy decision.”

“Focusing on one thing such as fleet repair allows us to orga nize our building and our production workflow to streamline the painting and repair process, so it is optimized for the most operational efficiency,”

said Brown. “We can accommodate larger vehicles due to an open floor plan that provides plenty of room. We can line up six to eight vehicles and move them quickly through the paint process. Our customers love the speed in which we can get their fleet vehicles returned to them and get them back on the road.“

Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land in Houston, TX, a GM Dealer of the Year Award winner for 12 consecutive years, is proud to announce it raised $71,000 for Greater Houston charities by auc tioning off its first 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 allocation online through Carbingo.com.

Maaco fleet solution centers han dle everything from large step vans, box trucks, transit vans, taxi cabs and rental cars. The Freedom Brands group also has four Meineke Car Care franchises to address the mechanical service needs of their clients as well.

“We opened in June 2020 and the business has been booming ever

Source: Maaco Success Franchisees

since,” said Morrow. “We provide our fleet customers a great combination of quality, speed and affordability for both paint, collision repair, mechani cal repair and maintenance all in one stop. It has been a winning combina tion for us.”

As a testament to the rapid suc cess that the team has had, they were recognized with the Maaco Rookies of the Year Award in 2021.

Maaco provides franchisees with business opportunities through their national fleet program and provides the training support to help them suc ceed. There are currently 10 Maaco fleet solution centers locations across the U.S.

“The Maaco playbook was in valuable to helping us develop our sales, develop our people, and we continue to use it on a daily basis to run our multiple shops,” said Boi seau. “It’s one of the benefits being associated with a company that has a 50-year track record of successful operations.”

Visit MaacoFranchise.com for more information about joining the Maaco family.

operates under the assumption the federal government is limited in how it can affect state-level regulations.

CARB has long faced legal challenges from other states and corporations alike. GM and Toyota have notably sued CARB for imposing emissions regulations; however, both have since rescinded their suit.

With such a big case, this suit could end up in not only federal court but the Supreme Court to finally legally define if states may regulate emissions.

Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land has a long-standing history of giving back to the communi

ty and is always looking for new and innovative ways to help raise funds for charitable causes. The first allocation announcement from GM for the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sparked an idea at Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land to create an online charitable auc tion.

The online auction was open to those who previously ex pressed an interest in purchasing the Z06 from Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land, and not to the general public.

Keeping with Classic Chev rolet Sugar Land’s long-standing tradition of giving back to the community, the entire $71,000 will be donated to Greater Hous ton charities, including the Hous ton Food Bank, where every $1 provides three meals for people in need, and Camp Hope, to assist veterans by providing hope and healing for the unseen wounds of war.

Source: Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land

Pictured, left to right, are Gene Boiseau, Jake Brown and Jake Morrow, co-presi dents of Freedom Brands LLC and owners of three Maaco franchises in the Phoenix area.

Chevrolet Dealer Uses First 2023 Corvette Z06 Allocation to Raise $71,000 For Houston Charities

by Joey Klender, Teslarati

A $155,000 Tesla Model S Plaid was totaled several days after the owner dropped it off for a service appointment and now, the owner is trying to find answers.

After dropping off his Model S Plaid with only a few thousand miles on the odometer Aug. 24 at the Plano, TX, Tesla Service Cen ter, owner Jeff said he received a call Aug. 30 from an employee. “We have some bad news,” Jeff heard over the phone. “Your car was totaled.”

“I thought it was a joke,” Jeff told Teslarati in an interview. “I found out very soon it was not a joke.”

After arriving at the service center the next day, on Aug. 31, Jeff found his black Model S in the parking lot. The rear passenger door was smashed in, and visibility into the vehicle was limited due to many airbags in the car being de ployed.

The vehicle had been T-boned by another car just two blocks from the service center, located at 5800

Democracy Drive in Plano, as a 33-year-old employee was driving it to ensure the original repair was completed properly.

The driver of the Model S failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign and was hit by another car. The Model S was totaled in the accident.

Teslarati spoke to insurance experts and liability attorneys, who said the situation in which the ve hicle was totaled and determining liability is what truly matters. The fact this is a customer’s car and an employee crashed it is irrelevant until liability is determined.

Teslarati obtained the police report through the City of Plano, which revealed the service center employee was at fault. Jeff also told Teslarati when he spoke to the employee driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, he admitted the accident was his fault.

The report said the driver of the Model S was officially charged with failure to yield the right of way at a stop sign.

Tesla may have been attempting to determine liability as its employee driving the vehicle may not neces sarily be responsible for the acci dent, especially considering he was T-boned while driving through an intersection.

However, the report filed by the investigating officer determined the driver of the Tesla was at fault, and the fact the employee also told Jeff the accident was his fault would seemingly eliminate Tesla’s need to determine this.

Initially, Jeff was interested in receiving a new car, of course, and there happened to be an exact match of his Model S at another showroom in the state. He was of fered that vehicle Aug. 31, but by Sept. 1, that had changed. Tesla said they would likely go through insurance, meaning it would take nearly three weeks to get Jeff his replacement vehicle.

The report showed there was a 31-year-old passenger in the Tesla at the time of the crash. The Audi A5 that collided with the Tesla was being driven by a 62-year-old, who was taken to Plano Presbyterian Hospital.

Tesla has been tight-lipped with Jeff, saying they would be in touch with him regarding the acci dent within the next three weeks.

Jeff said Tesla has not offered a loaner or a formal replacement vehicle currently, which makes his situation much more compli cated. Teslarati reported in August that Tesla had abolished its policy of offering loaners and Uber cred its for some service appointments. However, Jeff’s vehicle is totaled, he is without a replacement and the accident did not happen while he was driving the car, or even in possession of it.

As of Sept. 6, Tesla has yet to contact Jeff regarding the accident or any information on a replace ment vehicle. AXALTA

is an allowance for a small portion of vehicle sales to be plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which can run on gas. These vehicles are “designed to prioritize their electric function and use their gas engines in limited cir cumstances,” according to CARB.

Officials acknowledged Aug. 25 that, despite the new regulations, combustion engine vehicles will likely remain on California roads for years after 2035.

Electric vehicles tend to be more expensive than their com bustion engine counterparts, rais ing concerns among consumers regarding affordability. In October 2020, the average transaction price for a new gas-powered vehicle was $46,000, while the average EV av eraged above $56,000, according to Kelley Blue Book. Costs have inflated since 2020 due to a world wide microchip shortage and record inflation.

The new rules also include in centives to expand electric vehicle access to more Californians, par ticularly in low-income and disad vantaged communities. The board’s resolution directs officials to con tinue working with manufacturers and environmental justice advocates to develop strategies and incentives to expand zero-emission vehicle access to low-income communities starting in 2025.

The rules also set minimum du

rability standards for zero-emission vehicles, which aim to ensure vehi cles can maintain 70% of their elec tric range for 10 years in the first few years after the regulation takes effect in 2026. Come 2030, that percentage will rise to 80% of electric range.

Officials emphasized Aug. 25 that the new regulations will help re duce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change in the Gold en State.

“A clean transportation sector is essential to protect the health of both our communities and our climate,” CARB Chair Liane M. Randolph said Aug. 25. “More stringent mo bile source emission controls are necessary to help California achieve federal air quality standards and the state’s greenhouse gas target that will protect public health and miti gate the effects of climate change.”

The regulations are expected to result in additional cumulative costs of $29.9 billion to manufacturers be tween 2026 and 2040, representing $2 billion on average per year, ac cording to an analysis from CARB. The board estimates that the regula tions will result in the total statewide cost of ownership net cost savings of $92.9 billion between 2026 and 2040 for businesses, fleets and in dividuals who purchase these vehi cles.

“Much of the [total cost of ownership] savings stem from re duced gasoline consumption, with gas prices conservatively assumed to remain relatively constant around $4 per gallon, with even greater sav

ings if prices remain at their current elevated levels or increase further,” CARB’s summary stated.

The adopted regulations imple ment Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pre vious executive order that required new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035. Newsom called the CARB’s new regulations “groundbreaking” and “world-leading” in a statement Aug. 25.

The board’s regulations gar nered praise from vehicle manufac turers, including Ford. In a state ment, Ford’s Chief Sustainability Officer Bob Holycross called the regulations a “landmark standard that will define clean transportation and set an example for the United States.”

“At Ford, combating climate change is a strategic priority, and we’re proud of our partnership with California for stronger vehicle emis sions standards, forged during a time when climate action was under at tack,” Holycross said.

The Advanced Energy Econo my, a national business group, also praised the board’s decision on Aug. 25, saying the decision “charts the

path toward a zero-emissions trans portation future for the whole coun try.”

“The California program will have a major ripple effect nation ally, opening the door for states to increase EV adoption, encourage economic growth and reduce emis sions,” AEE Transportation Policy Director Ryan Gallentine said in a statement. “We call on other states to take this opportunity to drive the growth of electric transportation na tionwide.”

California has historically set the standard for more than a doz en of other states when it comes to vehicle emission standards, and 16 other states could follow Califor nia’s lead with these new standards, according to the New York Times.

CARB staff said Aug. 25 the plan to transition away from gas-powered vehicles is “well-sup ported” by the recently signed state budget, which includes $2.9 billion this year and $3.9 billion over three years to invest in the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure and provide incentives for in-state manufactur ing.

Longtime industry veteran, former CARSTAR franchisee and, most recently, Driven Brands collision president Dean Fisher announced his retirement for the end of the year.

Fisher has always had an in terest in cars and owned multiple automotive-related companies for more than 35 years. In 1990, Fisher took a leap and brought his independent repair center into the CARSTAR family as a franchisee. Through his time with CARSTAR, Fisher had a commitment to oper

ational excellence and customer service, propelling him to earn the CARSTAR Franchisee of the Year Award in 2012. After passing the business along to his son, Fisher joined the CARSTAR corporate team, quickly rising through the organization and becoming an in spirational leader to many at Driv en Brands.

Chris Dawson has been pro moted to president of paint and collision for Driven Brands.

Source: Driven Brands

COLOR-Q System - Auto Searching & Correction System

From the Desk of Mike Anderson

with Mike Anderson

Your Auto Body Shop Needs to Provide Consumers ‘Social Proof’ You’re Their Best Choice

When I was in Chicago recently, I had an opportunity to go to lunch with Nick Schoolcraft and Tina Biancalana from Phoenix Solutions Group, which offers marketing and strategic solutions for collision re pair businesses.

One of the things they shared with me was the term “social proof.”

saying I in no way am claiming to be an expert on “social proof.” But as I did some research into it, I realized it fits with one of my key messages

day have a “trust but verify” men tality. So just because an insurance company, automaker or dealership says, “This is a body shop we rec ommend,” that consumer is still going to seek out “so cial proof,” evidence that you can be trusted and that the referral to you is a good

tions. Is it easy for customers to find evidence of your training and cer tifications with clear explanations of what that means to them? Just saying your shop has earned I-CAR Gold Class Professional status isn’t enough: They need to know how and why that sets you apart.

Are you providing them links to

Mike Anderson is the president and owner of Collision Advice, a consulting company for the auto body/collision repair industry. For nearly 25 years, he was the owner of Wagonwork Collision Center, an OEM-certified, full-service auto body repair facility in Alexandria, VA.

of social proof can now be done on line through reviews and car club blogs, etc.

If you’re not convinced “social proof” is important in our industry, spend a couple minutes visiting a few websites. State Farm’s shop locator, for example, now includes customer reviews of the shops list ed. Nissan’s certified shop locator now includes customer reviews of certified shops. Something I haven’t heard talked about much is CCC’s consumer-facing website, Carwise, now allows consumers to search for shops based on OEM certifica tions—more “social proof.”

I know many shops are so busy they may not be thinking as much about their marketing right now as they should. (Check out my column on “Pigs get fat and hogs get slaugh tered.”) But you need to market when you’re busy so you stay busy even when other shops are not.

And as an industry, we need to understand the way customers think today. They are out there looking for evidence you can be trusted. Just saying it isn’t enough. You need to provide them with “social proof.”

The least affordable state for per sonal auto insurance continues to be Louisiana, where the share of household income going to pay for auto insurance was three time high er than in the most affordable state, according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC), a division of The Institutes.

most affordable state.”

According to the IRC study, the three least affordable states for personal auto insurance, based on expenditures as a share of median household income, are Louisiana (3.01%), Florida (2.42%) and Mich igan (2.33%).

The three most affordable states, based on expenditures as a share of median household income, are Hawaii (0.95%), New Hampshire (0.99%) and North Dakota (1.00%).

Injury claim severity

Medical utilization

Attorney involvement

Claim abuse

Uninsured motorists

Litigation climate

“The Insurance Research Coun cil study shows improving afford ability of personal auto insurance, with expenditures as a percentage of median household income steadi ly declining between the 1990s and 2010s across the U.S. and dropping to 1.56% in 2019, the latest year for which data is available,” said Dale Porfilio, FCAS, MAAA, president, IRC. “However, our study indicated there is a 3:1 disparity in affordabil ity between the least affordable and

The IRC’s study, State Variations in Auto Insurance Affordability, focused on the key drivers of the costs that underlie insurance pricing. Factors that de termine affordability vary given the state-based regulatory system which governs auto insurance in the U.S. The criteria the IRC assessed when examining the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia included the following:

Accident frequency

Repair costs

Injury claim relative frequency

Porfilio, who also serves as chief in surance officer of the Triple-I, said, “Our report seeks to illuminate these differences with a comprehensive state-by-state analysis that may help guide policymakers as they work to improve overall affordability of auto insurance in their market.”

In the 1990s, auto insurance expenditures averaged 1.93% of household income, dropping to 1.70% in the 2000s and 1.60% in the 2010s, the IRC study indicated.

The arrival of the pandemic in 2020 and the increasing frequency and severity of auto accidents in 2021 and 2022 have changed the auto in surance market considerably since year-end 2019, an Insurance Infor mation Institute (Triple-I) Issues Brief found earlier this year.

Source: Insurance Research Council

Texas.”

ABAT dates back to 2014 when Burl Richards, owner of Burl’s Collision Center, helped create the association with Chad Neal, owner of Paint Works, an AkzoNobel jobber, and an active ABAT board member since its inception.

“Our main focus is educating the industry and consumers on safe and proper repairs,” said Richards,

Shots” skills competition for the local Texas market geared towards students to encourage more technicians to attend the show. It was held for the first time last year.

“As the largest auto body trade show in Texas, I knew that we needed to attract more people to attend,” said Richards. “People have no idea how educational it is.”

He believes the competition will become a mainstay and a foundation to help attract technicians and people who work in the collision industry.

“It would not have been possible without the hard work of Jill Tuggle, board members and the vendors who planned it,” said Richards.

Richards said other show highlights included the education classes, panel discussions and the vendors that showed up and brought great equipment for the industry to view.

This year, there were two celebrity appearances. AkzoNobel coordinated a visit from Dave Kindig, president at Kindig-it Design and star of “Bitchin’ Rides,” who signed autographs during the show, and Life King sponsored a visit from “Horny” Mike from “Counting Cars.”

focused.

Tuggle attended ABAT’s first trade show as an exhibitor while owning her own body shop marketing company. She began volunteering her time and was hired as the executive director in 2017.

In her current role, Tuggle regularly attends national events, such as the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and SEMA.

who has been the association’s president since day one. “We also work to build up the industry and try to help pass legislation that will help all stakeholders.”

Since the tradeshow was formed eight years ago, the event has been planned every year except one during the pandemic. It is held to foster the success of all levels of the automotive repair industry across Texas and the Southwest region. This year, body shop owners from Oklahoma and Colorado were also in attendance.

“I’m proud of the growth that we’ve seen in such a short time, especially in some of the areas of the show that we really wanted to develop like the ‘Big Shots’ competition,” said Tuggle. “This was our second year doing that and we saw a lot of growth and excitement.”

Several years ago, Richards suggested implementing a “Big

“We wanted to do something to entice them to come, in addition to the celebrity appearances and all the other things that our exhibitors graciously do for us,” said Tuggle. “So far, it’s working and was a lot of fun, especially the virtual paint machines.”

More than 75 people competed this year. The contest included four categories: painters, body techs, estimators and paintless dent repair (PDR) techs.

Painters competed via a virtual paint booth and took a 10-point quiz. The finalists were invited to a live painting round at the SherwinWilliams training facility 15 minutes away.

Body techs were tested on seam sealer replication and plastic repair, and finalists competed in a live weld.

For the estimating portion of the contest, participants wrote estimates on a vehicle at the show, which were judged by nationally recognized trainers. PDR techs took a quiz and were asked to show their skills with glue-pull dent removal.

The winners in each category received $1,000, tools and a magazine cover photo.

In addition to the competition,

A ladies’ wine tasting event was also implemented. “There were maybe two or three women who already knew each other but afterward, they were one cohesive group laughing and smiling and going on about how much fun they had,” said Tuggle.

Tuggle said body shop owners’ wives play a very important role in the industry but often cannot attend the tradeshow due to other responsibilities at their collision repair facility. As a result, she hopes to coordinate events for local women and look for ways to ensure upcoming events are more female-

“I have the privilege to attend national seminars and hear about new technologies and things that are coming down the pike,” she said. “But not all of our shops can take the time to leave.”

As a result, she works hard to bring in national speakers to share information with those actively working in their businesses every day and unable to take a trip out of state.

“I’m passionate about bringing these speakers to the small shops that otherwise may not be able to hear their messages,” she said.

“The conference never ceases to bring in industry talent who can help educate our members and shops across the state,” added Richards.

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Pictured, left to right, are Danny Gredinberg, DEG; Jill Tuggle, ABAT; Erin Solis, Certified Collision Group; Carol Grieve; and Mark See, Ground Zero Collision. Credit: Robert Grieve

Green is more than just a color to us.

The green SATAjet X 5500 FUTURE is not only a reference to nature, it is also a symbol of harmony and hope, especially for the future! We are striving for a sustainable and connected future that makes the most out of the potentials of the digital transformation. The globe-shaped circuits on the spray gun represent the technology which is connecting people and thus enables the globalized world of the future. The radiant green color with the black components not only looks harmonious, it stands for aligning our actions with sustainability and the preservation of nature.

As a manufacturing company, sustainable growth is of great importance to us and an integral part of our daily activities. This includes the consistent conservation of resources and avoidance of waste. As an example, we produce part of our electricity with our own solar power and have reduced our waste volume by around 20% in the last five years.

by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Tesla is evaluating the possibility of developing a battery-grade lithium hydroxide refining facility in North America, to seemingly proactively support its battery manufacturing ef forts. Bloomberg found documents suggesting Tesla applied for tax breaks with the Texas Comptroller’s Office. The public documents show Tesla isn’t just considering refining lithium hydroxide; it is also looking into con structing facilities that support other battery materials processing, refining and manufacturing, as well as ancil lary manufacturing operations. Tesla explained its battery-grade lithium hy droxide refining facility would process raw ore material into a usable state for battery production. The company seems to have developed an innova tive refining process that consumes less hazardous reagents than conven tional methods. Tesla is eyeing an area in Nueces County, TX, for its lithium refining facility. If it chooses the site, Tesla plans to begin construction on its refining facility in Q4 2022. The com pany forecasts the facility will reach

commercial operations by Q4 2024.

The EV manufacturer added its lithium hydroxide refining facility could theoretically be located any where with access to the Gulf Coast shipping channel. However, as of this writing, it is looking at sites in Texas and Louisiana. CEO Elon Musk has urged young entrepreneurs to invest in the lithium business. During the Q1 2022 live Q&A webcast, Musk said lithium is responsible for “quite a bit of” cost growth in battery cells and therefore the “single biggest cost growth factor” for Tesla at the mo ment.

“We’re looking carefully at all of the raw materials and trying to figure out how we can accelerate the total amount of raw materials needed to transition the world to sustainability,” Musk said. “So, we think we’re going to need to help the industry on this front, but the---I mean, the industry is very fast. And I certainly encourage entrepreneurs out there who are look ing for opportunities to get into the lithium business. The lithium margins right now are practically software margins.”

OpenRoad

operational initiatives.

“For more than 40 years, Car Crafters has been known for quality repairs, excellent technician training, superior employee benefits and stellar shop culture,” said Jim Guthrie, founder of Car Crafters and OpenRoad chairman. “Partnering with Trivest and LP First Capital will allow us to build upon this reputation, and their collective financial, operating and strategic resources will enable us to expand across the greater Southwest while maintaining the Car Crafters culture and commitment to quality.”

Led by industry veteran Tom Csekme, who will serve as CEO, OpenRoad is currently pursuing strategic acquisitions of leading collision repair centers across the U.S.

“The collision repair industry remains highly fragmented despite recent consolidation efforts by a few large industry players. We look forward to expanding the OpenRoad initiative by partnering with shop

owners who desire to preserve their shop’s brand name and legacy, while not sacrificing repair quality or employee engagement,” said Logan Lowery, vice president at LP First Capital.

“OpenRoad is perfectly aligned with Trivest’s strategy to partner with growing founder and familyowned businesses in fragmented markets. We believe we can leverage our experience in the automotive aftermarket space and with other buy and build success stories to help OpenRoad become one of the largest players in the collision repair industry,” added Reid Callaway, principal at Trivest.

Source: OpenRoad

Top Industry Speakers Share Industry Trends During Texas Auto Body Trade Show

by Stacey Phillips

A variety of educational classes were held during the Texas Auto Body Trade Show featuring top industry speakers from around the country.

Here are highlights from some of the presentations that took place at the event, held Aug. 26-27 in Ir ving, TX, and hosted by the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT.)

Repair Planning to Earn the Vehicle Owner’s Trust

Danny Gredinberg, administrator of the Database Enhancement Gate way (DEG), said the show was well laid out between the exhibitor area and the education areas.

“I especially loved the compe tition involving estimating,” said Gredinberg, who was one of three judges of the competition alongside Robert Grieve, owner of Collision, and Logan Payne ager of Payne & Sons Paint & Body Shop in Dallas, TX.

Gredinberg said the education al classes were packed, and attend ees were hungry for education. In his presentation, “Repair Planning Using the DEG and OEM Owners Manuals to Earn the Vehicle Own er’s Trust,” Gredinberg shared tools to find out why critical operations may need to be performed using information form the owners’ man uals, and why it may not be an in cluded operation.

“It’s always nice to see unfa miliar faces and owners/managers bringing their team to learn differ ent approaches and using new tools and resources in the repair planning process,” he said. “I especially love the honesty when someone ac knowledges something they want to change and work on using the free resources from DEG, as well as in corporating the use of owners’ man uals as part of their research.”

During his presentation, Gred inberg noted “vehicle owners trust us, the repairers, to perform repairs the right way.”

As a result, he said repair pro fessionals need to do a better job gaining the trust of both the custom er and bill payers when presenting the repair plan.

“We need to accept the fact we

cannot fix everything that comes through our doors and its OK to sim ply say ‘no’ if you are not properly trained and/or equipped to perform safe and proper repairs,” said Gred inberg.

Approaching Out- of-Pocket Costs Above Deductibles with Customers

Payne said he was happy to see high attendance at the trade show. “As a business owner, I know how hard it

only get the best quality, but also a better understanding of the repair process and associated costs.

Payne also shared his belief that knowledge is power. “The more our customers know, the better working relationship we have,” he said. “The ‘awkward’ gets pushed out pretty quickly once it’s understood that we are here to make sure their repaired car is as safe as possible.”

Economics 101: What EXACTLY is a Prevailing Rate?

Tim Ronak, senior services consultant for AkzoNobel, said the ABAT conference and trade show was one of the most passionate groups he has had the privilege of being invited to present at. “For me, participation has become one of the

101: What EXACTLY is a Prevail ing Rate?”

“The current geopolitical, eco nomic pressures have fueled historic inflationary pressures while driving unemployment to record lows,” said Ronak.

This has resulted in an envi ronment of scarce labor resources in the midst of the Great Resigna tion. During his presentation, Ronak shared information about how shop owners can create a reimbursement model that permits funding qualified staff in a way that keeps them en gaged and employed.

He also talked about ways shops can price themselves in a market and avoid antitrust complications when updating or engaging in market sur veys.

“It is important to recognize that inflation affects everyone, re

ed Ronak. “Knowing that costs have risen at least 15% over the last two flect and ask themselves if they have created an environment where their

way, Payne said the hope is they not

Tradeshow attendees had the opportunity to listen to a

employees are earning at least 15% more than they did two years ago.”

Ronak advised shops to recog nize the difference between retail and wholesale rates as they navigate the pricing market. “To avoid com plicity in anti-competitive behavior and avoid the resulting financial lia bility, contracted or negotiated rates should never be used as part of the information that will be disseminat ed to assess a market rate,” he said.

Data Sharing and the Unintend ed Consequences

Pete Tagliapietra, managing director of DataTouch, said the con ference was very well attended and organized. “The vendor display was one of the best that I have seen at a state trade show,” he said.

In his presentation about “Data Sharing and the Unintended Con sequences,” Tagaliapietra talked about the mystery of how repair in formation—correct or not—ends up on public VIN searching sites. He also spoke about the importance of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and repair data privacy along with security trends in the collision industry. The discussion included the impact of data pumps on indus try stakeholders.

“It is clear that most shops have no idea what is going on with their repair estimate data other than repair information showing up on CAR FAX,” noted Tagliapietra.

During his presentation, he told body shops their repair estimates are being stolen off their shop computer systems and, for the most part, don’t even know it’s happening. “Your re pair estimate and repair order (RO)

information are being sold and prof ited by third-party providers without your knowledge and consent,” he said.

In response, state and feder al governments are taking control.

“California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia have already en acted comprehensive consumer data privacy laws,” said Tagliapietra. “Many other states are in the process or soon to follow implementing sim ilar legislation.”

For shops looking to prevent this from happening, Tagliapietra advised owners and managers to ask each vendor for a copy of their information privacy policy, ask if estimate information is shared with any third parties, and watch for new software offerings that will provide complete control over who and what can be accessed from the shop’s es timates.

Conventional vs. PDR: The Great Debate

Chris White, president of Keco Body Repair Products, said the

tional vs. PDR: The Great Debate,” White discussed the pain points of both groups over the years.

“Traditionally, both sides have accused the other of inferior re pairs,” said White. “We discussed that those accusations are likely born more of fear and uncertainty about what changes might occur if the segments worked more closely together.”

White defined this uncertainty and fear as a “scarcity mindset.”

“Scarcity says that there is a very limited amount of work being pursued by both groups and this creates a fiercely competitive envi ronment where each side is trying to take work from the other,” he ex plained.

He also shared information about “the mindset of abundance.”

“Abundance says that if two traditionally competitive sides col laborate openly, there is a multiplier that happens and more is created,” said White. “Abundance thinking fosters creativity and real growth takes place.”

In an age of rapidly evolving ve hicle technology, White said less in

vasive repair techniques are required as well as a greater connection with OEMs and their repair procedures.

“Collision and PDR techs face these same challenges,” he noted.

White said technology like glue pull repair (GPR) is a common ground for both sides looking for less invasive techniques. He shared the origins of GPR and explained that it is not PDR.

“Our glue pull repair system is uniquely suited to serve both seg ments as a tool collision technicians can use for pull to paint and PDR technicians can use for full paintless repairs. “We have seen our technol ogy begin to foster collaboration be tween the two groups that have long been a bit adversarial,” he said.

PDR and conventional repair technicians were then encouraged to participate in a conversation about dent repair and what it takes to re pair a vehicle properly. They also talked about ways the two groups could collaborate to ensure OEM procedures are followed so quality and safe repairs are executed for the benefit of all parties, especially ve hicle owners.

WIN (Women’s Industry Net work) announced an expansion of its signature scholarship pro gram in the 2022-23 academic school year. Applications will be accepted Sept. 12 through Oct. 28. WIN scholarships provide tuition assistance, educational opportunities and enrichment events to selected applicants.The restructuring is designed to at tract more students and increase the number of awards every year, starting with doubling the award rate in the next year and enabling a variety of students to grow in

WIN Updates 2022-23 Scholarship Program

When body shop technicians ask Dirk Fuchs about the risks involved while working on electric vehicles (EVs), I-CAR’s director of technical program and services says the dan ger is “very real.”

To help prepare and educate shops and their teams to repair EVs, Fuchs recently shared information about safety considerations during a webinar hosted by the Automo tive Service Association (ASA), including how to assess the safety elements of a high-voltage vehicle the moment it arrives in a facility’s parking lot and key safety points in the repair process.

EV Safety: Where to Begin

Depending on the vehicle manu facturer, hybrid and battery EVs typically range from 200-920 volts. Fuchs talked about the risk of get ting shocked with EVs due to the

electrical power in the high-voltage system and the current, which runs the flow of electricity through a con tactor.

“The current kills you, not the volt,” he explained. “Therefore, you need to know what kind of current there is.”

The following graph outlines the risk of current relative to the hu man body.

In the area AC1, no effects are felt, even if applied for long periods. A pain sensation begins with AC2; however, it is usually without a dan gerous current running through the body.

Fuchs said the human body has a resistance of 1000 Ohm (the unit of electrical resistance).

“When a person encounters 400Volt in a high-voltage sys tem, their body will be exposed to 400mA,” he explained. With this

exposure, the body enters the dan gerous area—AC3—which leads to muscle cramping.

“The danger, in this case, is that

the body will not let go,” he said. “After 500ms, we enter the next area—AC4.” In this area, ventric ular fibrillation, cardiac and respi experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.” She can be reached at

ratory arrest can occur, which has deadly consequences.

Although EV technology can be very dangerous, Fuchs said that auto manufacturers have “many, many safety systems in place.” He stressed the importance of technicians being aware of the risks.

When an EV arrives at a col lision repair facility via tow truck/ flatbed, Fuchs reminds technicians

one time without pressing the brake pedal. The light on the dashboard will come on, signifying you are in axillary mode and the battery con tactors are open. Fuchs said no high voltage can go into the system using this method, which is important to know when connecting a diagnostic tool and pre-scanning the vehicle.

“Pre- and post-scanning EVs is really important to know the system configuration,” he said. “If there is a problem, we want it contained in the battery where the risk is.”

He also talked to shops about using a factory scanner to see the fault codes. By viewing the live data, technicians can check the bat tery/cell balancing.

“It’s important to know the dif ference between the minimum and maximum voltage between the indi vidual battery cells,” he said.

dustry stay safe,” said Fuchs.

Before removing the battery, he encouraged technicians to always follow the described pre-scan proce dure and check the battery tempera ture, as well as the live data and/or use a heat gun.

In a case where there is a prob lem with the battery, Fuchs highly recommended not bringing the ve

hicle into the shop until the vehicle can be monitored and the battery is removed.

Fuchs also advised shops to create a designated safe zone where EVs can be repaired apart from ICE vehicles in a very clean environ ment. “If someone grinds on a quar ter panel or does a repair that is full

High-Voltage disconnecting procedure tips:

* Remove the ignition key and lock it in the lockbox so only the technician working on the vehicle has access.

* When the ignition is off, discon nect the 12-volt battery (plus and minus cable) and then remove the high-voltage disconnect with prop er personal protective equipment (PPE).

is to let the capacitors completely drain because they can store energy like a battery and contain the same voltage, which is dangerous.

* Use PPE to remove the connec tions closest to the high-voltage bat tery and use a two-pole voltmeter or multimeter to verify zero potential.

to take precautions to stay safe. “You’re working on the unknown and that’s what can kill someone,” he said.

Fuchs recommended never double-clicking the start button of an EV. Instead, he advised pushing it

The difference between two cells can lead to a higher internal re sistance, which creates higher tem peratures and can “end up in a fire.”

New OEM and aftermarket di agnostic tools are being introduced to the market to read the live data.

“It’s a great way to help the in

* Place the removed battery discon nect in the lockbox.

* Ensure high voltage is isolated in the battery and perform a Zero [elec trical] potential test after the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended wait time. The reason for the wait time

* Always take the following three measures on both the battery and the system side to check if the high-voltage battery is isolated and the system is safe: high voltage plus against high voltage minus, high voltage plus against ground, and high voltage minus against ground.

The EV Lab at I-CAR’s Chicago Technical Center in Vernon Hills, IL

Auto Collision Instructor Makes Industry Employment a Priority

by Ed Attanasio

Abe Sells is a collision repair in structor at Tidewater Community College in Chesapeake, VA, teach ing in the dual enrollment program at the Chesapeake Career Center.

His students and industry part ners—vendors and local auto body shops—know Sells is in it to win it when it comes to making great things happen for everyone he en counters.

It’s a lot more than just a job for Sells.

“I like what I am doing and I guess it shows,” Sells said. “This industry has been good to me, and I want to help fill the void in the collision industry by creating career opportunity for them. When you see a young person embracing what I am teaching it is a great thing, and I want to tap into that as much as I can.”

Sells, 51, is constantly busy and enjoys the variety. When he isn’t teaching, he runs Dent Chasers, where he performs paintless dent repair (PDR) for his clients in the Chesapeake area. It works out well during the summer months when he is not teaching full-time.

It’s remarkable Sells ended up teaching collision repair classes be cause at first, carpentry was what he wanted to take at his local vocation al school in Ohio. Auto body was his second choice and he had no interest in it.

After graduating from high school, Sells needed a job. His fa ther worked two hours away at a steel mill. But Sells didn’t want to move and have to work as hard as his father did, so he thought maybe he should give collision repair an other shot.

Sells started at $4.25 an hour, making $170 for a 40-hour week. Then he made $7 an hour, averaging 50-55 hours a week, making $380 a week—which meant he doubled his income and was moving in the right direction.

When Sells took ownership of his future, fortunate things started to happen for him in the collision field. In 2013, he was approached to run the collision repair program for Tidewater Community College.

Working with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), Sells was able to apply for grants that helped finance some of his equipment for the program.

“We have received grants through the past years ranging from $3,000 and up over the years, which really helped to strengthen my pro gram with updated tools and equip ment,” Sells said. “Starting out, we

make changes to help accommodate their needs,” he said. “Employers of ten come and speak with the kids to offer possible employment opportuni ties when they graduate. Hiring them is the first step, but then retaining them is another part of the equation.

like welding, dent repair and panel replacement.

“This gives us an opportunity to expose them to the industry,” Sells said.

had to find a facility for our pro gram and a local career center had just closed their auto body program down. So TCC was able to lease and partner with Chesapeake Career Center to revive the program.

“Collision repair is a two-year program where we provide dual en rollment for high school kids and adults,” Sells said. “They both take the same course using the same cur riculum at the same time.”

Sells appreciates the fact he is getting a self-motivated student in his classrooms, in most cases.

“We have a lot of former mili tary people who take my class, so I get a better quality student,” he said.

“In addition, even the high school students have to pay to take our program because they get college credits. When they graduate from college with a career study certifi cate, they also receive their I-CAR pro-level 1 and 2 certifications.”

When Sells started the program, the school had solid enrollment numbers, but students weren’t get ting good placement in the job mar ket, he said.

“My goal from the beginning was to create good quality techni cians and fill the void,” Sells said.

“That first year, I had 16 students and I got jobs for four of them, and now I make sure that 100% of my students get hired. It is important to us and our program that we create careers for these young people and set them up for ongoing success.”

Members of his advisory com mittee, industry partners and body shops offer praise and criticism as well, Sells said.

“We value their feedback and

“I implemented several ideas for retention. One idea was putting a tool box with basic tools for en try level techs. They are given the tools if a student stays with the com pany, say for six months to a year. The largest expense that a collision repair student will encounter is their tools. So $700-$1,000 on average for a tool kit, so helping them in that regard is a major deal.”

This summer, the Chesapeake Career Center held Camp Collision, a four-day camp hosting 11 rising freshmen and sophomores from lo cal schools. Students were exposed to several parts of the collision field

One of the projects Sells got them involved in was the design and paint ing of Tervis tumblers, which every student got to make and take home.

With classes of 26 students cur rently, Sells is hopeful he will be able to add more as the pandemic looks more and more like a thing of the past.

“Yes, the COVID set us back like it did at a lot of other schools,” Sells said. “But we are in a very good position because we have es tablished a great repertoire with our business owners and industry part ners. We have their support and the parents are onboard too—so I antici pate further growth and a very bright future here at Tidewater Community College and the Chesapeake Career Center.”

“My goal from the beginning was to create good quality technicians and fill the void,” — Abe Sells

COLORADO NEW MEXICO

Mike Maroone Honda

Colorado Springs 888-431-0294 719-785-5045

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 rick.williams@mikemarooneauto.com

Mile High Honda Denver 800-548-4730 303-369-7800

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6 crehburg@autotree.net

Honda of Harvey Harvey 800-943-4227 504-368-5687

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 7:30-12 tmaywalt@millsautogroup.com

Walker Honda Alexandria 318-448-8255 318-445-6677

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 hondaparts@walkerautomotive.com

Garcia Honda Albuquerque 800-677-6632

505-260-5003

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:30-5 Parts206959@garciacars.com

TEXAS

AutoNation Honda Lewisville 800-344-8611 972-219-0021

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5

Honda Cars of McKinney McKinney 972-569-4276 972-569-4222

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 Gene.chenault@hendrickauto.com

Honda of Frisco Frisco 866-442-2711 972-731-3176

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:30 cedgar@mcdavid.com

TEXAS

Honda of San Marcos San Marcos 866-392-1313 512-392-1313

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 csmith@hondasanmarcos.com

McDavid Honda Irving Irving 800-492-4464 972-790-6003

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 srichardson@mcdavid.com

Northside Honda San Antonio 800-727-8705 210-340-0831

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-5 hondaparts@mynshonda.com

Rusty Wallis Honda Dallas 877-466-3272 214-328-3891

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 darryldotsy@rustywallis.com

COLORADO

Mile High Acura Denver 800-548-4730 303-369-7800

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6 crehburg@autotree.net

Pikes Peak Acura Colorado Springs 800-456-9568 719-955-1715

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 joe_benson@pikespeakacura.com

LOUISIANA

Acura of Baton Rouge Baton Rouge 866-733-2861 225-756-6166

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 dlavigne@acurabr.com

LOUISIANA

Walker Acura Metairie 800-359-8555 504-465-8555

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@walkeracura.com

Autonation Acura League City 800-749-6227 713-371-4700

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 CarranzaB1@autonation.com

David McDavid Acura Austin 800-575-3553 512-401-5976

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 mkratky@mcdavid.com

TEXAS

David McDavid Acura Plano 972-964-6044

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 dgrajczyk@mcdavid.com

Hiley Acura Fort Worth 888-454-0947 817-809-7762

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5 parts@hileyacura.com

Sterling McCall Acura Houston 713-596-2337 713-596-2338

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 jlambert@sterlingmccallacura.com

Team Gillman Acura Houston 833-738-3637 281-209-4200

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 anoptsdpt@teamgillman.com

Jody Wilkinson Acura Salt Lake City 800-234-0875 801-323-0492

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rick@jodywilkinson.com

Mike Hale Acura Murray 800-292-4595 801-263-0202

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 pgoold@mikehale.com

EV Safety

of dust or debris that goes into the environment, it can have severe con sequences for an EV,” he said.

Ongoing EV Education Implemented

Earlier this year, Fuchs helped host an I-CAR EV Technical Repair Summit with vehicle makers, colli sion repairers, insurers and tool and equipment manufacturers. The goal was to gain industry input, share learning and other EV information and training required to keep the in dustry safe.

During the summit, Fuchs ex plained current EV disconnecting procedures can be challenging for technicians to follow due to the number of hyperlinks included.

As a result of industry input, I-CAR developed and published best practices and safety protocols for high-voltage disconnecting proce dures, modeled after the European regulation ECE-R-100. “It was cre ated so everyone can perform a safe disconnecting procedure,” said Fuchs.

The document can be found at https://rts.i-car.com/best-practices/ high-voltage-disconnecting-proce dure.html

Due to strong engagement and interest, regular EV Technical Re pair Summits are being planned. A September summit will focus on handling high-voltage batteries and their disposal.

I-CAR currently offers eight EV courses and 29 electrical, diag nostics and calibration courses, in cluding a new five-day EV HandsOn Skills Development EV course taught at I-CAR’s Chicago Tech nical Center. Learners will receive in-depth instruction, with activities and practical hands-on exercises performing electrical measurements vital to determining the status and safety of HV systems using specif ic high-voltage systems test equip ment. Additionally, attendees will perform hands-on high voltage shut down, zero potential verification, bonding and isolation testing, and power up in a shop environment.

Find the latest course news, re sources and webinars at info.i-car. com/electric-vehicles

Earnhardt Genesis Retailers Proud to Present a Large Donation to Free Arts Phoenix

Earnhardt Genesis of North Scotts dale and Earnhardt Genesis of Gil bert in Arizona, in conjunction with dealership peers and Genesis Mo tors America, were proud to present the Free Arts program with a check for $50,000 on Aug. 9.

The retailers and luxury car manufacturer made the donation on behalf of the Genesis Inspiration Foundation.

“We want to see the good work of the Free Arts program continue,” said Mark Rushford, general man ager of Earnhardt Genesis of North Scottsdale. “It’s exciting to be a part of helping to bring the fine arts to area children in need.”

The Free Arts Program serves children in the foster care system. Children are offered a wide array of fine arts activities, promoting art, music and theater as ways of self-ex pression and healing.

“This nonprofit has a big mis sion, serving children who have ex perienced trauma in Arizona,” said Rushford. “There is clearly a big need for Free Arts programming. With every child they help, the

world is a better place for all of us.”

Through mentoring, camps, classes and a visiting professional artists series, the program seeks to address trauma. The children they serve have been affected by child abuse, parental separation and/or homelessness.

“As Earnhardt Genesis retail ers, our stores are honored to work with the Genesis Inspiration Foun dation,” said Tom Scheurn, general manager. “Primary funding for Gen esis Inspiration Foundation comes from Genesis retailers, like our own, and through generous donations from the public.”

The foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the lives of children through arts education. “I’d also like to note that serving the community is part of the philosophy of all Earnhardt deal erships,” said Scheurn. “Our local history dates back three generations, and we support many worthy institu tions here in the Phoenix, AZ, area. We couldn’t do any of it without our customers.”

Source: Earnhardt Genesis

The CARSTAR collision repair center owners in Colorado are known for their community in volvement and generosity, but they raised the bar at their recent golf event to benefit cystic fibrosis re search, care and advocacy.

They awarded cash prizes for the first, eighth and 15th place teams. Thanks to the major sponsors and donors including Axalta, Enter prise, Sherwin-Williams, 3M, Kent Automotive, Mobile Automotive Services and all of the hole spon sors. The Colorado CARSTAR Business Group, after the final tal ly, was able to raise $24,455.21 in support of cystic fibrosis.

On Aug. 19, the Colorado CARSTAR Business Group host ed the Fourth Annual Colorado CARSTAR Golf Tournament at CommonGround Golf Course, in Aurora, CO. It was a beautiful day for a full field of 128 golfers to tackle the challenging course.

“The Colorado Business Group, with support from some of our valued vendor partners, was very proud to be able to present a check to the Cystic Fibrosis Foun dation for nearly $25,000,” said Steve Rigsby, business develop ment manager, CARSTAR Colora do Business Group. “Together, we had a wonderful day on the course to benefit a great cause. This was a winning round for everyone in volved.”

Source: CARSTAR

A panel discussion at this summer’s Collision Industry Conference (CIC) related to the impacts of inflation fo cused primarily on how body shops can address increases in the costs of paint and materials—including how to discuss rising costs with insurers.

No matter which of the major refinish paint lines is being used within a shop, virtually all colli sion repair businesses have received at least one letter—and generally multiple—in the past 18 months an nouncing price increases for those materials.

One paint company, for exam ple, notified its U.S. shop customers in January 2021 of a “weighted av erage increase of 4.1%,” followed by a similar “weighted average in crease of 4.25%” in May 2021, and another of 9.8% in February of this

Panelists at CIC noted some

shops may be confused by the term “weighted average,” particularly if they see their paint costs rising above the percentages noted in the letters.

Paint company representatives said those average increases are

“So some products may be raised more, some will be raised less,” said Braxton Ewing of BASF. “A lot of that is dependent on supply chain issues and raw material avail ability.”

Tim Ronak, senior services con sultant for AkzoNobel, concurred.

“An individual shop may not buy that entire weighted range of products in the same distribution that we’ve averaged it,” Ronak said, noting most companies offer a vari ety of clear coats, for example, that might increase in price at different rates. “What that means is that each shop may see its own unique price increase, irrespective of what’s pub lished.

Track and Document Costs

Panelists noted one way a shop can better document its costs is through the use of a paint materials calcu lator or billing system other than the traditional “paint labor hours times a given rate.” A “Who Pays for What?” survey in January found although the percentage of shops using that method has been falling, about half still do.

Committee co-chairman Aaron Schulenburg pointed to an article on the CCC Intelligent Solutions website stating although most of its customers use the “rate times hours” method for calculating materials charges, “this is also usually inaccu rate.”

an aggregate average across all the various products that manufacturers may include in the notice.

“A 10% published number might be, for an individual shop, a 12% increase in actual expenses, whereas another might see an 8% increase,” Ronak said.

Ronak said most shops in the 20 Groups he oversees have moved away from using a “rate times paint labor hours” billing method for ma terials.

“In fact, they’re becoming far more specific about what is a paint material, and creating invoices and documentation for that,” Ronak said. “They’re taking some of the things that used to be called materi als, like panel bonding adhesive and seam sealers, and billing for those independently on a per-job, docu

he recommended. “You need to truly understand job-costing. The trans formative moment for most shops that I’ve worked with in all the years I’ve been doing this is when they un derstand job-costing and they stop doing the things that take money away. That’s typically all you need to do: Stop doing the stuff that costs you money, and start doing more of the things that make you money.”

Ewing, a performance group manager for BASF, said shops using the Mitchell Refinishing Materials Calculator, PMCLogic from Com puter Logic or their paint scale to more accurately track and invoice for the actual materials used will see two otherwise identical jobs may have different paint costs just be cause of the color. Charging based on paint labor hours doesn’t take into account so many factors like that, he said.

continue to become more detailed over the long term, just as estimates themselves were once as basic as “replace and paint fender for $xxx.”

Shorter-term, he said, shops need to work with the manufacturer of the paint they are spraying “to re ally understand how to be profitable with their products,” and then “learn how to document and communicate that” to whoever is paying the bill for repairs.

Addressing Costs with Insurers

An insurance company representa tive on the panel said, like shops, insurers are seeing their costs rise quickly. Dan Tessadri, auto physi cal damage business consultant for CSAA Insurance, said at least in some states, there can be a long lag time before insurers can reflect their higher costs in premiums.

“That’s a little different than what [a paint company CEO said in a news clip played at the meeting] where every quarter they look to ad just prices,” Tessadri said.

Tessadri was asked about shops’ approach in seeking rate increases.

“There is an incredible differ ence in the documentation, in the communication, in the overall sort of understanding of the impact infla tion is having on their store,” Tessa dri said.

The most effective way he sees for a shop to start that conversation?

“From my perspective, it’s un derstanding that you’re not oper ating in a vacuum. We’re not all in the same boat, but we’re in the same storm,” Tessadri said.

Work for some open discussion, he recommended.

mented basis.”

He said “knowing your num bers” is even more crucial for shops in inflationary periods.

“Be able to break down how you look at your business, rather than just sales versus a pile of costs,”

“You may have a weak esti mator who writes lower hours than should be expected for that repair, or may have missed something during the estimating process,” Ew ing said. He said paint and materials documentation and invoicing will

In California—and some other states—insurers must get the premi um increases approved in advance. Between the process of determining the increases needed and getting ap proval, he said, it can take up to two years to see the increase reflected in premiums.

“‘This is what I want, but this is what I could potentially live with,’” Tessadri suggested. “Those are the discussions that end up probably more successful. I’m a data guy. So I do sort of enjoy seeing [some one who has] gone to the length of crunching that information to ex plain it to me.”

by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati

Oklahoma may have lost to Texas and Kansas when Tesla and Pana sonic were looking for a new U.S. factory site, but the Sooner State’s efforts might finally be paying off. As per recent reports, Tesla supplier Panasonic is reportedly in discussions to build another battery factory in the U.S., and it would be worth about $4 billion. Prior to Panasonic’s decision to build a battery factory in Kansas, reports suggested the Japanese com pany was considering both Kansas and Oklahoma as potential sites for its new facility. Panasonic’s Kansas plant is expected to produce 4680 cells for Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, which is producing popular vehicles like the Model Y and, in the near future, new products like the Cybertruck. Citing individuals familiar with the mat ter, The Wall Street Journal said Pana sonic is now looking at Oklahoma as the location of a new battery plant. The publication’s sources, howev er, said there is no guarantee yet an agreement will be reached.

People allegedly familiar with

Panasonic’s plans have described two U.S. plants as “twins” with similar capacities. This suggests the Oklaho ma site may also be tapped to supply Tesla. A spokesperson for Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has so far declined to comment on the matter.

Oklahoma has been fighting hard to secure a deal with key com panies involved in the development of electric vehicles and it has come close. The state was shortlisted by Tesla when the EV maker was search ing for the site of its Cybertruck fac tory, to the point CEO Elon Musk met with state officials to see if a deal could be reached. Ultimately, Okla homa lost to Austin, TX, to be the site of Tesla’s Giga Texas. Oklahoma was also reportedly shortlisted by Pana sonic when it was looking for a new U.S. battery factory site. But despite putting together an beneficial incen tive package for Panasonic, Okla homa lost to Kansas. If the WSJ’s sources prove accurate, perhaps Okla homa’s efforts will finally bear fruit, and the state could be one of the key players in the U.S.’ electric vehicle revolution.

Tim Ronak of AkzoNobel said collision repair ers really need to be on top of their numbers during inflationary periods

Panasonic Looking at Potential EV Battery Plant in Oklahoma: Report

by Douglas McColloch, SEMA

Celebrating its 55th anniversary in 2022, the annual SEMA Show has evolved to fit the times, reflecting and responding to changes in the specialty automotive industry, and this year’s Show should be no different.

With an extra 600,000 square feet of exhibition space courtesy of the new West Hall, last year’s Show provided attendees with more room to conduct business in a collegial environment while still having ample space to enjoy a dazzling array of enthusiast events, builds, competitions and networking opportunities. The 2022 Show promises more of the same.

Year, SEMA Powersports Vehicle of the Year and SEMA EV of the Year.

SEMA Award winners are determined and voted on by SEMA Show exhibiting manufacturers to recognize vehicles that manufacturers are investing in and developing products for. The program heightens awareness for aftermarket products and exemplifies the industry’s partnership between automakers and aftermarket manufacturers that develop products to improve vehicle performance, safety and convenience as well as appearance and comfort.

The New Products Showcase Upper South Hall, Booth #31307

SEMA Gear.

SEMA Central is also the place to see celebrity appearances, to take in daily panel discussions and Brew Talks with some of the industry’s most notable and knowledgeable figures, and to get an up-close look at last year’s Battle of the Builders winner Bob Matranga’s classic ’55 Chevy, which will be on display during Show Week. SEMA Central is also the site for the finals of SEMA Launch Pad, SEMA’s annual competition of automotive entrepreneurs.

Feature Vehicle Displays Various Locations

and out, the displays connect with Showgoers as an extension to the exhibit booths of the product creators. The SEMA Show app features a scanning function that allows attendees to quickly capture product and exhibitor information from feature vehicles on display throughout the Show.

SEMA Overland Experience West Hall, Booth #62236

While the SEMA Show floor is organized by category and numbered to improve navigation, an ideal way to simplify the Show experience is with the 2022 SEMA Show app, which contains detailed exhibitor information, interactive floor plans and daily event information all accessible from mobile devices.

The Show app also features a scanning function that allows attendees to capture product information from the New Products Showcase and exhibitor information from feature vehicles on display. The app puts the entire SEMA Show in your pocket, and it’s available as a free download from your mobile device’s native app store or by logging on to www.SEMAShow.com/app.

SEMA Awards Presentation

5-7 p.m. Oct. 31, Silver Drive, Outside the Central Hall Entrance

The annual SEMA Awards, given to the top-trending vehicle models in six categories, will be presented Oct. 31, the day before the SEMA Show officially opens. The awards are presented to automakers for the SEMA Car of the Year, SEMA Truck of the Year, SEMA 4x4-SUV of the Year, SEMA Sport Compact of the

A first stop for many attendees and a must-see for everyone else, the New Products Showcase provides a window into the automotive aftermarket for the coming year as hundreds of manufacturers roll out their latest innovations. In all, the 2022 New Products Showcase is expected to exhibit more than 2,500 new and featured products in a brandnew, 30,000-square foot exhibition space in the Upper South Hall.

For 2022, two additional product categories will be added to the Showcase: advanced driverassistance systems (ADAS) and EV technology.

The New Products Showcase enables buyers to focus their efforts on the companies they need to see to keep the product pipelines active and their inventories fresh, and media attendees can get a glimpse of the latest trends to emerge from the industry’s leading influencers. Additionally, scanning products with your mobile device using the SEMA Show app enables communications between buyers and exhibiting companies to generate leads and drive future sales.

SEMA Central Grand Lobby, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 31–Nov. 3; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 4

This year, SEMA Central expands to offer Showgoers a more immersive industry experience than ever before. Visit this Show hub to see top-tier vehicle builds and center-stage interviews with iconic personalities. There’s even a boutique shop to outfit you with the latest

The SEMA Show is renowned for the innovative parts and accessories displayed on show vehicles representing every industry niche, from cars and trucks to powersports. Much more than rolling works of art, the vehicles offer an inperson look at real-life applications of the aftermarket’s latest and most impressive products.

Located throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center, inside

With many similarities and connections to off-roading, adventure travel, aka overlanding, has strong roots in Australia and South Africa, and in the U.S., its popularity has exploded over the past decade. Buyers at the 2022 SEMA Show will be able to see products and vehicles specifically for overlanding in the expanded SEMA Overland Experience area. This special exhibit will include dozens of customized vehicles with fully popped-out tents, survival accessories and portable kitchen systems all displayed among exhibitors supporting the growing

See SEMA Show

and Christina Molina, Collision Care Xpress, of ten tell customers no job is too big or too small. They take pride in build ing trust with customers and offering the latest auto body repair and paint technology at their Florida facility.

Robert always had a passion for cars. In 2008, during the Great Re cession, he worked as a body shop manager for Cadillac and Hum mer outside of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

“The whole world was on fire back then,” recalled Robert. “I thought it was a great time to open a shop of my own.”

In 2010, Robert and Christina found a location in Pompano Beach, FL, north of Fort Lauderdale, to open their shop. For the first few years, Robert was a one-man show.

made the business successful.

How did you begin building the business?

Christina: In 2015, I had just given birth to our second child, and instead of returning to nursing, I stayed on board and helped Robert run and grow the business.

Working there was a natural feeling because my dad was a me chanic for 40 years and I was always at his shop. I have photos of myself in a diaper with grease from head to toe.

Robert and I purchased our first freestanding building in 2016, about a mile from our original location. It was really scary. We were promised that a DRP would come in and they never did. We looked at each other and said, “What did we get ourselves into?”

We have the expertise and re sources to provide insurers with documentation and procedures to justify necessary repairs, and that aids the insurance estimator to prop erly value the repair.

To be a high-caliber facility, we believe you have to be OEM certi fied and repair vehicles the way the OEM specifies.

About a year after opening the new facility, we began working with Tesla and were one of the first Tesla-certified shops in Florida.

Robert: We’re proud that as of to day, we have more than 20 OEM certifications. That goes a long way with customers. We find they put a lot more trust in us and feel they are bringing their vehicle into a shop that is well-versed in repairs.

What is the importance of customer

service and reviews?

Robert: We can’t afford to have cus tomers come in and not do a good job. After every repair, I follow up to find out if there was anything more I could do to help.

From the beginning of running the business, every time we finished a job, we asked customers to go online and leave a review on Goo gle or Yelp. We have thousands of five-star reviews. That wasn’t as common then as it is now, but it’s what started growing the company. We began picking up traction and getting more business because of those reviews.

We’re customer-centric and want to ensure our customers are happy. If we receive one star due to a situation we couldn’t control, we work hard to convert it into five stars.

“I did everything, including estimat ing, body repairs, welding, pulling, painting and dealing with insurance companies,” he said.

Christina was a nurse at the

“Those first years, she was con cerned that I had left my job to open my business,” recalled Robert. “I told her it’s going to be something special one day.”

The shop focused on custom restoration work, which helped them get through the early years until they built up the collision side of the business.

“Christina paid the bills and kept me alive there,” said Robert. “With her support, I was able to continue chasing my dream and was determined not to give up.”

I talked to Robert and Christina about OEM certifications, building a culture and initiatives that have

Looking back, it was probably the best thing that could have happened because it made us not be dependent on a DRP for steady work. We had to think outside the box and focus on marketing and so cial media to succeed.

Robert: We went from having about 3,000 square feet of shop space to 16,500. I thought we had made a huge mistake by listening to a DRP, but it was a blessing in disguise. We were able to figure out how to mar ket and grow our company.

An essential part of your busi ness is focusing on OEM certifica tions. Why is this important?

Christina: Our marketing efforts made us realize that we wanted to focus on OEM certifications. We have a great working relationship with all major insurance compa nies. Because we are an independent shop, we never deviate from facto ry-mandated restoration procedures and are always able to keep the best interest and safety of our customers as the top priority.

Christina: We want customers to have the best possible experience. Many think of a body shop as a dirty dark space where their car gets lost in a black hole. We hold a higher standard than that and customers can feel comfortable bringing their cars here and know they are fixed properly.

We’re serious with our tech nicians and ensure that they do the right thing with every repair, espe cially when no one’s looking. We re pair about 250-300 cars a month and neither Robert nor I can personally check every car.

How do you encourage teamwork?

Robert: We think outside the box. We have an on-site gym with a shower, an arcade, a recreation room for our 60 employees, and several employee lounge areas.

Christina: We also hold a lot of parties and events. We find these gatherings help build a culture and lead to happy employees who want to come to work. When you have happy employees, you get wonder

ful results. Unhappy employees are disgruntled and unlikely to put out a great product.

Robert: Customers can sense that. It’s like when you walk into a restau rant and know the servers are upset. You’re uncomfortable. It’s import ant to ensure our staff is happy be cause they will radiate that to cus tomers. It’s a critical part of being successful.

What are your plans for the busi ness?

Robert: We’ve purchased a new building almost every year since opening and are expanding again. We have more than 90,000 square feet of air-conditioned repair space and call it our campus compound. It’s a shop of the future that custom ers can drive their cars into and is gorgeous.

There are four buildings and each has a different focus and cus tomer base we market to: DRP, elec tric vehicle repairs, combustible engine repairs and fleet repairs. By breaking up each part of our busi ness, it is easier to coordinate em

Ford Blower Motor Recall Issued After 25 Expedition, Lincoln Navigator Fires

by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A Ford blower motor recall involves more than 198,000 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs covering 2015-2017 model years. Following at least 25 fires, the Ford blower mo tor recall involves the front blower motor located behind the glovebox. Even though this is a blower mo tor recall and engineers have spent months investigating, Ford isn’t sure of the exact root cause of the fires.

“No cause of these vehicle fires has been identified to date; howev er, they are believed to originate in the blower motor which is located on the passenger side interior behind the glovebox,” Ford said. Of the 25 reported fires, 13 were localized fires in the blower motor area and the re maining 12 reports involved more ex tensive damage to the vehicles. There were also three instances of property damage to structures and one Ford fire that caused another vehicle to catch fire. The 12 reports of extensive fire damage made it difficult for engineers to know for a fact the fires came from the blower motors. According to Ford,

all 25 fires occurred while the SUVs were running.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration informed Ford of five complaints about 2016-2017 Expeditions. Based on those five reports, there were two complaints about blower failures, two com plaints alleged fires under the glove boxes and one report of a melted har ness to the blower controller. Of the five complaints to NHTSA, only one customer had also contacted Ford re garding their concerns.

Customers have reported var ious symptoms, including fans that failed, burning smells and smoke from the instrument panel vents while the vehicles were running.

Based on blower motor testing, the fires may be due to an internal short or localized heating of the brush springs or holders. Ford blower mo tor recall letters will be mailed Sept. 12, and Ford dealers will replace the front blower motor assemblies. Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator owners may call Ford at 866-4367332 and ask about blower motor recall number 22S56.

ployee training, offer better service and be more efficient.

We recognize the industry is changing and we can no longer re pair everything the same way. We have to divide and conquer and provide customers with the best op tions.

Christina: Using this system, we’ve found our business is more organized. It allows us to spend time with employees and offer special ized training, especially with EVs.

If you aren’t focusing on OEM cer tifications and learning about EVs, you aren’t going to have a shop in the future. It’s important to be for ward-thinking.

Robert: Another development is the creation of a human-less valet system that moves cars automatical ly through the shop. This will help with repair planning and being more efficient. That’s the future of the collision business—less human and more interactive with computers.

AUTOBODY

Registration for the National In stitute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) summer test ing period ends Sept. 30.

Those service professionals who register will have 90 days to schedule an appointment to take the selected ASE tests, whether registering on the first day of the registration period or the last.

More than 50 ASE certifi cation tests covering nearly ev ery aspect of the motor vehicle service and repair industry are available for ASE certification. ASE testing is available through out the year and is conducted days, nights and weekends at nearly 450 secured, proctored test centers.

To register, visit ASE. com, click on register and signin. Once logged in, users can next click on “orders” and then “store” where they can find the tests they want to take, add those tests to the cart and check out, and registration is complete.

Source: ASE Registration Ending

SEMA

overlanding market.

SEMA Electrified

North Hall, Booth #11268

As a trade association, SEMA looks down the road for emerging trends in performance and hot rodding, and it views vehicle electrification as a modern-day expression of those enthusiast pursuits. Now SEMA Electrified offers the industry an opportunity to see where this growing segment might take us in the next five to 10 years and beyond.

Experience for yourself the surprising technologies that are advancing and redefining the performance aftermarket. At SEMA Electrified, you’ll encounter some incredible custom electric-vehicle conversions and noteworthy parts and products that are currently driving the market.

SEMA Launch Pad

Central Hall, Booth #22970

Fifteen executive-level

innovators compete in a “Shark Tank”-like business competition for automotive entrepreneurs. The Top 5 are then selected for an elimination competition to be held Nov. 2 at SEMA Central, with the final two candidates presenting their pitches at the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet on Nov. 3. The ultimate winner will then receive a prize package of nearly $100,000.

Throughout Show Week, each of the 15 competitors will have their new products on display in the Launch Pad Corral and the Featured Products Showcase. Visit the Corral to learn about the products and businesses.

SEMA Battle of The Builders

North Hall, Booth #10139

Since its debut in 2014, SEMA’s premier showcase of the builder’s art has become one of the Show’s biggest attractions. It returns for 2022 and runs all during Show week before culminating Nov. 4 in North Hall.

Forty of the world’s most creative builds will be judged by a panel of industry experts, with the Top 12 vehicles advancing to the finals in four distinct categories that are new

for 2022: Hot Rod/Hot Rod Truck, 4-Wheel Drive & Off-Road, Sport/ Compact, Import Performance, Luxury & Exotic and Young Guns (builders under age 29). The winning vehicles will lead the procession at SEMA Cruise, which takes place immediately after the winners are announced.

SEMA Cruise Silver Drive

Vehicles from the 2022 SEMA Show begin parading out of the Convention Center at Show close 4 p.m. Nov. 4 to the delight of thousands of fans in grandstands along the route.

More than 1,000 vehicles will take part in the SEMA Cruise, which proceeds toward the West Hall parking lot and SEMA Ignited, the Show’s official after-party that’s open the public. Spectators have a ringside seat to view the coolest cars on the planet, and the Cruise has become one of the Show’s most anticipated events.

SEMA Ignited West Hall Parking Lot

The 2022 SEMA Show culminates at SEMA Ignited, the

official after-party that launches immediately after the Show ends Nov. 4. The event takes place in the West Hall Parking Lot just a short walk away and is free to all credentialed Show attendees.

Introduced in 2014, the annual event is also open to the public, giving consumers the chance to glimpse some of the vehicles and excitement from the world-famous, trade-only SEMA Show. The party is a great way for Showgoers to unwind from the week while enjoying a night of food, entertainment, drifting demonstrations and more.

Gates open at 3 p.m., and your SEMA Show badge serves as your free ticket. For more information, visit www.SEMAignited.com.

SEMA Gear Various Locations

For your shopping convenience, SEMA Gear stores are located throughout the Show in the Bronze Lot, the East Lobby, SEMA Central, the Grand Lobby, the Grand Plaza, the Central Hall, the Skybridge and the West Hall. Don’t forget to stop by and pick up gifts and SEMA Show

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memorabilia for friends and business associates back home. You’ll find T-shirts, hats, bags and more at each store. A portion of the proceeds from every sale is donated to SEMA Cares charities.

LVCC Loop

West Hall, Central Hall, Lower South Hall

Walking the SEMA Show floor can eat into valuable time, so Showgoers looking to maximize their efficiency during Show Week can take advantage of the new LVCC Loop. A 1.7-mi. subway tunnel that connects West, Central and South Halls at three dedicated stations, the Boring Company-built Loop can save time by transporting attendees from one end of the Convention Center to another in roughly four minutes, and the system can transport more than 4,000 passengers per hour.

While all of the information contained in this article was accurate at the time this issue went to press, be sure to visit www.SEMAShow. com or the SEMA Show app for the latest updates and schedules.

Source: SEMA

Even though Apple has yet to an nounce plans to produce an automo bile, the brand already has some of the highest future brand consideration among recent new vehicle buyers, ac cording to Strategic Vision’s New Ve hicle Experience Study (NVES).

NVES is the largest, most com prehensive survey of new vehicle owners in the U.S., and these findings indicate that if Apple builds it, cus tomers will come. For nearly 30 years, Strategic Vision has asked new vehicle owners whether they would consider and how they feel about the quality of over 45 automotive brands, including some not available in the US. In 2022, a potential Apple-branded vehicle was introduced to that list.

“Apple is the third-highest brand consideration, with 26% of customers stating they would ‘definitely consid er’ an Apple branded vehicle in the future, just behind Toyota (38%) and Honda (32%), followed by Ford (21%) and Tesla (20%),” said Strategic Vi sion President Alexander Edwards.

“However, Apple’s strength doesn’t end here. “What should be concern ing to others is that Apple generates a greater amount of love than any other

automotive company, double that of strong brands like Honda, Toyota and Tesla,” Edwards said. “For example, more than 50% of Tesla owners would ‘definitely consider’ a future Apple ve hicle; everyone should be prepared.”

Apple has the greatest combined score when looking at the top-box re sponses of two key measures: Future Consideration (“definitely consider,” 26%) and Your Impression of Quality (“I love it,” 24%). “Of course, what Apple ultimately presents in terms of styling, powertrain, product and other key features will finally determine the level of interest generated among car shoppers. However, their brand aware ness and reputation provide a formi dable platform that automotive manu facturers should brace themselves for accordingly,” said Edwards. Combined with recent news of the next generation of its CarPlay system, Apple has with in its brand arsenal the ability to take a moonshot among automotive manu facturers. Of course, this depends upon how established competitors respond as potential newcomers like Apple nav igate their way into the market.

“If others don’t prepare today for this type of disruption, they may

find themselves wondering ‘What happened?,’ similar to when Tesla en tered the market,” said Christopher Chaney, Strategic Vision senior vice president. “All the current players in the industry mostly hold their own destiny. If they simply stay lulled into spending all their ingenuity chasing electric mo tors, LED lighting and flat screens with thousands of apps and every high-tech feature you’ve never dreamed about, Apple may land the moonshot right in their sales backyard.”

The only weak spot in Apple’s position is they haven’t yet produced a vehicle, leaving 34% of new vehi cle buyers to state they “don’t know enough about” what an Apple prod uct might be like. “The good news for current automotive brands is that Apple’s road to destiny isn’t a given,” said Chaney. “Designing future strate gy and building cars based on ‘true in novation’ involves rich and impactful impressions, a blend of art and science. Having highly motivational features that are each linked to the customer’s values and emotions is what will keep a potential Apple car on a relatively level playing field.”

Source: Strategic Vision

Are Your Processes and People Strategically Aligned?

by Ed Attanasio

An auto body shop owner or manager might say “we are a process centric shop,” “we stress processes here and focus on efficiency and productivity” or “it’s all about workflow here and everyone knows their role.”

But they are thinking “our pro cesses need to be updated, but is ev eryone on board,” “we are forgetting about the people part of the equa tion,” “do we have the right crew to achieve our goals” and “our process es take too long and don’t help our cycle time.”

To achieve consistent results, every successful body shop needs to devise a series of processes that maximize its strengths while com ing up with viable solutions for problematic areas. It’s Business Management 101—“strategic align ment,” a mechanism by which an or ganization uses tools to visualize the relationship between processes and strategies.

Every auto body shop owner and manager is always looking to optimize workflow because they know it’s a critical component that can significantly impact productivi ty and performance.

Production often gets caught up in the day-to-day roller coaster and managers fail to realize the shop’s processes are outdated, inefficient or no longer in use. Continually changing processes and workflow strategies isn’t a bad thing. In re ality, frequently assessing internal operations to ensure they are lean and working efficiently is something every body shop should do.

The rub here is how to take theory and put it into practice while using the technology and tools avail able. In many cases, body shops devise methods that look good on paper but don’t offer practical solu tions for real-world applications.

When a shop is in a rut, it’s time to re-calibrate and update its processes to better coincide with the workplace environment. In many instances, the plan is reliable, but if the crew does not strictly adhere to the strategic policies devised, the department will never realize its full potential.

Rick Selover, industry insider/

consultant, gives a historical per spective on how processes eclipsed the importance of people over the years.

Selover, a former refinish in structor, is a multi-award-winning sales leader, collision industry con sultant and advisor, motivational coach and host of a personal and professional development podcast series, “The Mind-Wrench Pod cast.”

“Today, you’ll hear things like ‘your people are your business’s greatest asset,’ ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ and ‘your compa ny is only as strong as your weakest link,’” Selover said. “But this wasn’t the credo that body shops lived by back in the 1970s to 1990s, not at all. Back then if you could bump a panel, skin a door and pull a frame or unibodies, or you could DA, paint and rub a car, and didn’t mind hard work, you could work in this indus try, or even start your own shop!

“Baby Boomers were probably 90% of the workforce in those days, and just plain old hard work was the standard,” Selover said. “Concepts such as job satisfaction, fulfillment and work-life balance weren’t a thing yet! If a shop owner didn’t like your work, or your attitude, or the fact that you came in late—or hungov er—every other day, they would fire you and your replacement would be unloading his toolbox the same time you were rolling yours out the door.

“The technology—or really, lack of—and finish of those vehicles set the talent bar relatively low com pared to what is needed to repair to day’s vehicles,” Selover continued. “Most shop owners couldn’t swing around a seized-up come-along without hitting eight to 10 body and paint guys looking for work.”

But as car technology started to advance through the 1990s into the 2000s, paint companies started teaching lean concepts, introducing repair processes, MSOs started tak ing root in the industry and things began to change, Selover said.

“The growing groups of MSO shops started focusing on creating, defining and implementing repair processes and operating procedures that increased the efficiency of their shops and increased production, or

the number of cars going out the door each week,” he said.

As this transformation evolved, the focus was really on the process es, not the technicians, Selover said.

“They were treated more as assembly-line workers than crafts men,” he said. “Remember, techs were easily replaceable in the past. But today, the required talent level has been increasing and the talent pool has shrunk drastically smaller.”

Fast forward a couple decades and vehicle technology and com plexity has grown exponentially, Selover said.

“The talent level required to do the work has increased to an unbe lievable degree, and meanwhile, in surance company DRPs have ruined the mindset and broken the will of the 90% of the workforce that was the ‘engine’ of collision repair for the past 30 or 40 years,” Selover said. “As the average age of those Boomer techs creeps up on 60, they have been on a steady march right out of this industry at an alarming rate—either aged out, burned out or

just grown too tired to fight the fight anymore.

“The collision repair business is highly unique in the service sec tor of business, as the combination of intelligence, creativity and pas sion require unique individual men and women,” Selover said. “Finding them is more challenging now than ever in our history. But that is where collision center owners need to en gage their own intelligence, creativ ity and passion to mold their busi ness, create a desirable culture and provide a unique place that appeals to multiple generations.”

If you are currently in a po sition where you want to re-work your processes and shake things up a little, here are three takeaways to ensure ongoing success.

Get Input from Everyone

If management creates workflow strategies for all employees at ev ery level, there is going to be some disconnect along the way. After all, it’s never easy to ensure the process es being installed without getting

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feedback from your service writers, technicians, parts people and front office personnel.

If you’ve discovered your em ployees are drifting away from your workflow, you may need to make adjustments to eliminate potential obstacles. Getting input from staff at various levels can help give the insight needed to devise the most ef fective and solution-based approach that works.

Be Realistic

In addition to polling your crew and letting them play a role, also be trans parent and accountable when deter mining what they can and cannot do. This requires an accurate assessment of the challenges your department currently faces. Some strategically aligned processes will work for some staff and not others, and a good man ager will be able to recognize that and pivot successfully.

There is never a one-size-fitsall approach to business process management. What works for some service departments might not for yours. That’s why it is essential to ensure your processes are tailored to

your department’s individual needs.

But you also have to be truth ful about their strengths, weakness es and tendencies. Too many shop owners and managers install pro cesses that are based more on wish ful thinking than anything else— so be real and deal with the cards you’ve been dealt.

Select the Right Tools, People and Technology

If your employees don’t have the right resources and tools to perform their job responsibilities properly, it will undoubtedly disrupt your entire workflow and impede every aspect of your business. The more intuitive your technology, the better posi tioned you will be to make intelli gent decisions to help enhance your efficiency, streamline your workflow and uncover even better processes.

To be effective and stay at the top, body shops need to create a se ries of processes that will position their crews for ongoing success. By using new technology, soliciting valuable feedback from the team and being realistic when assessing staff, collision repairers will score big.

NHTSA Updates Cybersecurity Best Practices for New Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Trans portation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration re leased Cybersecurity Best Prac tices for the Safety of Modern Vehicles, an update to its 2016 edition.

The document describes NHTSA’s guidance to the auto motive industry for improving vehicle cybersecurity for safety.

“As vehicle technology and connectivity develop, cybersecu rity needs to be a top priority for every automaker, developer and operator,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s administrator. “NHTSA is committed to the safety of ve hicles on our nation’s roads, and these updated best practices will provide the industry with import ant tools to protect Americans against cybersecurity risks.”

The 2022 Cybersecurity Best Practices leverage agen

cy research, industry voluntary standards and learnings from the motor vehicle cybersecurity re search over the past several years, and is updated based on public comments received on the draft that was published in the Federal Register in 2021. Though the doc ument is non-binding, it contains important best practices that will influence the industry going for ward.

NHTSA routinely assess es cybersecurity risks as well as emerging best practices and will consider future updates to these best practices as motor vehicles, motor vehicle equipment, and their cybersecurity evolve.

For more on NHTSA’s cy bersecurity work, visit ww.nhtsa. gov/technology-innovation/vehi cle-cybersecurity

Source: NHTSA

Drivers Find Relief at the Pump, For Now

by Andrew Gross, AAA

Stable global oil prices and modest domestic demand for gasoline led pump prices to fall a nickel in the past week to $3.90.

“Drivers are now benefiting from gas prices that are $1.11 less than their peak in mid-June,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesper son. “But now we need to keep an eye on the weather as hurricane sea son arrives. These storms can affect prices by disrupting oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and impact ing large coastal refineries.”

AAA found drivers are mak ing significant changes to cope with high pump prices. In a recent sur vey, almost two-thirds of U.S. adults said they have changed their driv ing habits or lifestyle since March. Drivers’ top two changes to offset high gas prices are driving less and combining errands.

According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose slightly from 9.12 million b/d to 9.35 mil lion b/d the week of Aug. 15, which is nearly identical to this time last

year. Total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by nearly 5 million bbl to 215.7 million bbl. Although gaso line demand has risen and supplies have tightened, easing oil prices have helped lower pump prices. If oil prices edge lower, drivers will likely continue to see falling pump prices.

The Aug. 22 national aver age of $3.90 is 51 cents less than a month ago but 74 cents more than a year ago.

The nation’s top 10 largest weekly decreases: Florida (-12 cents), West Virginia (-11 cents), Maine (-11 cents), New Jersey (-11 cents), Rhode Island (-11 cents), Vermont (-11 cents), Massachusetts (11 cents), Wyoming (-10 cents), Connecticut (-10 cents) and Missis sippi (-10 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least ex pensive markets: Arkansas ($3.41), Mississippi ($3.43), Georgia ($3.43), Texas ($3.44), Tennessee ($3.44), Louisiana ($3.46), South Carolina ($3.46), Missouri ($3.47), Alabama ($3.47) and Kansas ($3.48).

Source: AAA

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by John Yoswick

Representatives of several automo tive paint companies on a CIECA webcast this summer cautioned that, like nearly every other aspect of collision repair, ADAS will im pact refinishing.

“Colors that are formulated with high metallic content, me tallic flake, can be a problem for radar and lidar, so that’s one area in the next three years that will be impacting actual colors,” said Dan Benton, global product director of color marketing for Axalta Coating Systems.

“It’s becoming much more important to follow the refinish procedures, just like we talk about following OEM repair procedures,” said Jeff Wildman, manager of OEM and industry relations for BASF North America. “You need to do the same thing with paint, be cause it really is a functional part of the safety systems.

“In some cases, especially with some of the translucent colors, we may be looking to reflect off the primer behind the color, rather than

AAPEX Ranked Among Top Trade Shows

The Automotive Aftermar ket Products Expo (AAPEX) is among the winners of Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 awards that recognize U.S. trade shows in 2021 that set the gold standard during a tumultuous year.

AAPEX is co-owned by the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppli ers Association (AASA) and is organized by trade show man agement specialist W.T. Glasgow Inc.

The Gold 100 awards recog nize trade shows for their accom plishments during the ups and downs of the pandemic, and for prevailing even with the many challenges and new protocols put before them.

AAPEX and its show or ganizer will be honored at this year’s Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit, Sept. 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, CA.

Source: AAPEX

the color of the vehicle,” Wildman said. “If you’re not applying the right color of primer, or if you’re applying too much base coat, that may not operate properly. I’ve

of electric vehicles in order to help keep the interior cooler; the goal is to reduce air conditioning use to help maintain battery range. What that could mean in terms of refin ishing isn’t yet known, Wildman said.

Just as environmental issues have driven the development of waterborne primers and base coats, he said, waterborne clears are being used in other markets and other in dustries.

SEMA Scholarship Fund Winners Announced

The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund issued a total of $297,250 in scholarships and loan forgiveness awards to help 119 individuals who currently work for, or are planning to pursue careers in, the automotive aftermarket industry.

worked with a lot of painters who apply one extra coat, just to make sure they get coverage. Well, that one extra coat may cause a radar sensor not to work. So you really need to follow those procedures.”

Wildman also said it’s likely shops will at some point have to invest in some equipment changes in their paint department, but the “when” and “what” aren’t yet clear.

He said paint manufacturers are working, for example, on fin ishes that will reflect more heat off

“We’ll see those in our indus try at some point,” Wildman said. “I don’t know when exactly, but they’re coming. When those come out, then I can tell you what equip ment you will need for them.”

Similarly, UV primers require only a small UV light. But if UV clears begin to be used, he said, that too would require equipment changes in body shop paint depart ments. on New Technologies in Paint and Coatings

The winners include 103 stu dents who received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, and 16 employees of SEMA-mem ber companies who received loan forgiveness awards to help pay off student loans.

The SEMA Memorial Schol arship Program was established in 1984 to help support the future of the automotive aftermarket indus try. Since its inception, more than $3 million has been awarded to de serving students. One of the prima ry criteria for scholarship recipients is that the winner must have clearly demonstrated a passion for the au tomotive industry.

The online application for next year’s program will open in January at www.sema.org/scholar ships.

Source: SEMA

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THE FIRST REPAIR.

Original BMW Parts & Accessories. Texas

BMW of Dallas Dallas 800-245-7269 972-241-3953 Fax M-F 7am-7pm Sat 7am-5pm gutierrezi@autonation.com www.bmwofdallas.com

BMW of Houston North Houston 888-215-7431 281-875-4021 Fax M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-4pm loryj@autonation.com www.bmwofhoustonnorth.com

INSIST GENUINE

Colorado

Emich Chevrolet LAKEWOOD 800-274-1127 303-986-2245 303-989-3490 Fax M-F 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4pm gmcollision@emichauto.com www.emichchevrolet.com

John Elway Chevrolet ENGLEWOOD 800-525-5096 303-761-5161 303-789-6737 Fax M-F 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4pm wholesaleparts@elwaydealers.net

Call Any of These Wholesale Parts Dealers Below

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New Mexico

Garcia Cadillac GM Parts ALBUQUERQUE 800-432-6944 505-884-9054 505-889-2950 Fax M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 2pm parts288126@garciacars.com

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Oklahoma

Marc Miller Buick GMC TULSA 800-456-4700 918-828-7070 Parts Direct 918-828-7094 24 Hr. Fax

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Texas

Atzenhoffer Chevrolet VICTORIA 800-627-3501 361-575-0171 361-578-8082 Fax M-F 7:30am - 6pm rick@atzenhoffer.com

Lawrence Hall Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac ABILENE 325-692-3590 325-698-7310 Fax M-F 7:30am - 6pm dgarner@lawrencehall.com

Northside Chevrolet SAN ANTONIO 833-691-1440 210-308-8683 Fax

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Ken Garff Buick GMC RIVERDALE

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Collision repairers and insurance company representatives at this summer’s Collision Industry Con ference (CIC) discussed the friction that exists between the two segments of the industry in terms of estimat ing damages and adjusting claims.

An appraiser for Erie Insurance seemed to surprise some collision repairers at the meeting when she suggested shops and insurers should keep customers in the loop about the claims adjusting processes.

“So if you’re emailing the shop, ‘cc’ your customer in that for infor mation purposes,” Connie Hutton

my first line says: If you need a sup plement—photos, invoices, sublets, whatever—just send all that’s clear, and you’ll be paid,” she said. “Half of [shops] don’t even read that. It just wastes time for you, not me.”

Hutton was asked what types of repair operations are the hardest for her to approve.

“A sublet to a [dealer] that doesn’t include any documenta tion when the bill is $3,500,” Hut ton said. “It just says, ‘Calibration done.’ I need a little bit more than that. I’ll pay it, but give me a lit tle bit more information. And the shop should need it, too. Any time you sublet something, it’s on you, still. We’ll come back to you, not to them.”

Collision repairers on the pan el were asked what operations they most struggle to get approved for payment.

shop involving the same Lexus ve hicle, with virtually the same dam age and the same insurer involved. Shortly after the shop completed the first $17,000 repair to the vehicle, the customer hit a deer, resulting in similar damage and a $19,000 bill.

“With the first repair, there was a short-pay of about $2,500, and on

the second repair there was a shortpay of about $2,500,” Wagner said. “But items that the insurer said on the first claim they would never pay, got paid on the second claim, no problem. And vice versa. It just seems like they reach a quitting point [when reviewing a claim], and decide, ‘That’s good enough.’”

Wagner also drew applause at CIC when he challenged the es timating system providers to do a better job including small and onetime-use parts often needed during repairs in their systems.

“Clips, O-rings, screws are parts, and they need to be in the da tabase,” Wagner said. “If you want to talk about the one thing that abso lutely irritates me to no end, it’s all the time I have to spend digging to try to find all those parts.”

Wagner said his shop recently

suggested during the CIC Estimat ing Committee panel discussion. “And continue the thread. It keeps them informed and, believe it or not, when I was on the shop side, I got paid for most everything I did because I kept [the customer] in

Panelist Rob Wagner of Rob Wagner Auto Body in Pittsburgh said he was “blown away” by Hutton’s suggestion.

“We need to invest in cloning technology,” Wagner said of Hutton, drawing laughter. “Because that’s literally something that’s created friction between me and appraisers before. It’s, ‘What are you doing talking to the customer about this?’ But it’s their car.”

Insurer Estimate Not a Repair Plan

Hutton also emphasized there’s a clear difference between an insurer estimate and a repair plan.

“When I send my estimates out,

“Safety inspections. It’s getting easier, but that’s definitely one,” Wagner said. “If you have structur al damage on a Subaru and you’re writing to take the whole interior apart, and you have a bill-payer that’s not used to seeing that, that’s probably going to freak them out.”

Panelist Erin Solis of the Cer tified Collision Group referred back to Wagner’s reference to cloning.

“You want to clone them, but the rest of us want to clone you,” she told Wagner. “Because part of the reason why you can’t get paid for the R&I of the steering column on a Subaru when you have to measure it could be because you’re the only one in your market doing it.

“There are still a lot of repairers not doing the safety inspections, and I hear from shops all the time they are getting push back because [they are told] no one else in their market is doing it.”

Claims Handling Inconsistency

Wagner said one of his frustrations with how auto claims are adjusted is the inconsistency in what proce dures get approved.

He pointed to two claims at his

Connie Hutton of Erie

Earnhardt

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Helfman Ford STAFFORD 281-240-7628 800-634-8008 281-240-0642 Fax parts@helfmanford.com www.fordparts.com/helfman

Mac Haik Ford, Lincoln 877-969-3055 512-930-6260 281-598-4370 parts@machaikfl.com

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Tommie Vaughn Motors HOUSTON 800-944-4415 713-869-4755 713-293-4309

The MSO Symposium, an exclu sive one-day conference created by and for multi-shop owners and operators, will be held Oct. 31, the Monday before SEMA/ AAPEX, in Las Vegas.

opportunities for attendees during this event include a formal luncheon sponsored by Berkeley Capital Advisors, a refreshment break sponsored by Axalta Coating Systems and an exclusive industry reception sponsored by Repairify, from 5:15-6:30 pm.

Below is an overview of the MSO Symposium’s 2022 confer ence timeline and agenda:

Monday, Oct. 31 9:30–10:30 a.m.: Networking Breakfast, Sponsor Showcase 10:30–10:45 a.m.: Welcome and Introductions

4–4:30 p.m.: Electric Vehicles 4:30–5:15 p.m.: Artificial Intelli gence and New Technology 5:15–6:30 p.m.: Industry Recep tion

Those interested in register ing for the 2022 event are advised attendance is limited and one must qualify to attend. Those in vited to attend include multi-shop operators of all sizes, insurers, OEMs and single-location repair facilities with revenue exceeding $3 million in annual sales.

Developed by the Automo tive Service Association (ASA) and the MSO Symposium adviso ry board, the conference includes unique programming with insight on a diverse set of topics top-ofmind to the leadership of the in dustry’s most influential collision repair operators in North America and beyond.

The event begins at 9:30 a.m. PDT with a light breakfast, networking and vendor displays. Three additional networking

10:45–11:45 a.m.: Industry Macro & Micro Trends with Vincent Ro mans & CCC Intelligent Solutions 11:45–12:30 p.m.: Panel discus sion: Inclusion and Diversity 12:30–1:30 p.m.: Formal Lun cheon

1:30–2:15 p.m.: Panel discussion: Environmental, Social and Gover nance (ESG) & Why it Matters 2:15–3 p.m.: Economic Trends 3–3:30 p.m.: Labor Trends, Chal lenges and Opportunities 3:30–4 p.m.: Networking Break

To begin the registration ap plication process, go to the MSO Symposium’s website: www.mso symposium.com/register

Attendance by media per sonnel and equipment or service providers is available, but also limited. For additional informa tion visit msosymposium.com or send your questions or requests for sponsorship information to Jennie Lenk or Brian Nessen.

Source: MSO Symposium

Improve Estimating www.autobodynews.com

was repairing a vandalized Jeep and needed to disassemble the dash to re move broken glass. The two O-rings needed as part of that work weren’t in his shop’s estimating system, so he had to locate them in OEConnec tion’s RepairLink, then manually enter them into his estimate.

“Luckily the O-rings were $24.30 each, so we’re at least mak ing a little more money than we would on a $3 O-ring,” he said. “But it still can make my blood boil when I just spent 20 minutes to sell $50 worth of O-rings that should have just been a simple click in the [esti mating] system.”

Panel moderator Danny Gre dinberg of the Database Enhance ment Gateway encouraged the in dustry to report such missing parts to his organization, something Wag ner does regularly.

“Submit that inquiry, and we’ll work with the information providers to hopefully get that added in there,” Gredinberg said.

by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

It may be 2022, but Kia has already recalled nearly 20,000 of its 2023 Sportage vehicles right from the get-go.

According to Kia, the Sportage alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen and cause a stalled engine or even a fire due to electrical arcing at the B+ termi nal.

ing a customer who complained the 2023 Sportage lost power, shut off and wouldn’t start. The Kia dealer found melting of the alternator B+ terminal and nut.

Kia is aware of two 2023 Sportage fires, one that involved melting at the B+ terminal and one with localized damage around the alternator. But Kia says it is un aware of any fatalities, injuries or crashes.

Kia says the alternator battery positive (B+) terminal nut ensures the electrical connection is main tained between the battery wire harness terminal plate and the al ternator B+ terminal. But the B+ terminal nut may not have been properly torqued by the supplier during assembly.

In May, Kia learned about a complaint made to a dealer re garding a 2023 Kia Sportage that wouldn’t start. The dealer found a loose alternator cable and thermal damage to the alternator, wire har ness and intake manifold.

Kia then received a second re port in July from a dealer concern

A Sportage driver may notice an illuminated charging system warning light.

Kia Sportage recall letters will be mailed Sept. 23, and Kia dealers will tighten any loose alternator B+ terminal nuts.

Kia Sportage owners may contact Kia at 800-333-4542. Kia’s number for this recall is SC248. -

ARIZONA

Horne Kia Gilbert 877-450-9001 (480) 813-3383 Fax

M-F 7am - 6pm hkparts@hornekia.com www.hornekia.com

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LOUISIANA

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TEXAS

Ancira Kia San Antonio 210-509-2197 (210) 509-2198 Fax

M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-3pm tstewart@ancira.com www.ancirasa.com

Archer Kia Houston 1-888-983-1425 (281) 983-1437 Fax

M-F 7am-6pm Sat 9am-2pm www.archerkia.com

Bob Utter Kia Sherman 903-892-5967 (903) 891-7304 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 1pm Mike.martin@bobutterford.com www.bobutterford.com

De Montrond Kia Houston 281-877-3060 281-872-3909 (281) 872-3914 Fax

M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-3pm www.demontrondkia.com

Huffines Kia McKinney McKinney 469-525-4354

M-F 7am-7pm brian.chadduck@huffines.net brydan.reid@huffines.net

UTAH

Findlay Kia St. George 435-817-4245 (435) 634-1229 Fax

M-F 8am - 6pm Sat 8am - Noon

Consistently voted as the No. 1 destination by SEMA Show buyers and media, the 2022 New Products Showcase will expand to include two new product categories.

Showgoers will find products related to electric vehicles (EV) and Advanced Driver Assistance Sys tems (ADAS) along with products in 16 other categories, in what is the world’s largest display of new auto motive aftermarket products.

Accessible exclusively to SEMA Showgoers on Nov. 1-4, the New Products Showcase is the auto motive aftermarket industry’s most comprehensive collection of new and trending products. SEMA Show attendees visit the area to discover and see parts and accessories before they hit the market.

A Featured Products component includes items that may not qualify as new; the product may have been on the market for more than a year but is amongst an exhibitor’s top products.

“Through the SEMA Show New Products Showcase, buyers, retailers and distributors can easily discover and learn about all the hot products

that they may want to carry,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “They will find details about the products, including the exhibitor’s booth number. They can then connect directly with the man ufacturer on the Show floor to learn more. It’s no surprise that SEMA Show buyers rely on the New Prod ucts Showcase to help them stock their shelves.”

Details on all the products from the Showcase are also included in the SEMA Show mobile app, giving attendees a year-round resource to help them after the Show. The mo bile app’s product scanning feature enables attendees to flag items of in terest and create custom lists of note worthy products. Only at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas will attendees be able to connect with all product ex perts from the exhibiting companies for quality one-on-one discussions, demos and presentations.

Participation in the New Prod ucts Showcase, available as a ben efit to SEMA Show exhibitors, is easy and affordable. All exhibitors qualify to submit one product entry at no cost. Subsequent entries range

from $75-$150 each, depending on the submission date, and there is no limit to the number of entries. New this year is an on-site freight delivery service to make it easier than ever for exhibitors in West, North and Central Halls to participate.

Through the new service, exhib itors drop off their products at a near by designated area in their respective hall, and then coordinate to meet the product at the New Products CheckIn area in South Hall.

Qualifying products may also be recognized as a Best New Prod uct. Winners and runner-ups in 18 categories including the new EV and ADAS categories will be an nounced and presented at the Kickoff Breakfast on Nov. 1, just before the official opening of the SEMA Show. Additionally, all products in the Showcase are professionally photo graphed. The photos are often used by outside media and helps brand awareness.

“Exhibitors that participate in the New Products Showcase report much higher success than those that do not participate,” said Gattuso. “Research tells us that exhibitors

with products in the Showcase see more buyers in their booths and re ceive more media coverage than those who do not participate in the Showcase.”

A nearby transportation hub that includes taxi and shuttle drop-off, as well as an entry point for the Las Ve gas Convention Center underground tunnel, makes it easy for attendees to visit the Showcase. More than 2,000 product entries are expected to be in cluded in this year’s Showcase.

Exhibitors can enter the SEMA Show New Products Showcase by visiting www.semashow.com/newproducts-rules. To register to attend the SEMA Show, visit www.sema show.com/register.

The four-day SEMA Show is a trade-only event that connects man ufacturers of automotive specialty products with buyers from all over the world. Taking place in Las Ve gas, NV, exhibitors come to the an nual event to debut new products that enhance the performance, styling and functionality of cars, trucks and SUVs.

Source: SEMA

ARIZONA

Audi Gilbert Gilbert 877.412.2925 480.855.8101 480.346.9201 Fax M-F 7am-6pm Sat 7am-1pm audiparts@audigilbert.com www.audigilbert.com

Audi Peoria Peoria 877.358.8165 623.561.4750 623.561.4703 Fax M-F 7am-6pm Sat 7am-5pm mendozaa4@autonation.com

TEXAS

Audi Dallas Dallas 866.327.2318 214.438.0894 Fax M-F 7am-7pm Sat 9am-5pm larry.elliott@audidallas.com www.audidallas.com

Audi Fort Worth Dallas/Fort Worth 817.632.6709 817.632.6747 Fax

M-F 7:30am-6pm

Sat 8am-3pm sstallcup@audifortworth.com oreyna@audifortworth.com www.audifortworth.com

Audi Grapevine Dallas/Fort Worth 877.424.AUDI (2834) 817.553.2252/2258

M-F 7am-6pm

Sat 8am-5pm sstallcup@audigrapevine.com cmartinez@audigrapevine.com www.audigrapevine.com

Audi North Austin Austin 512.219.3172 512.219.6214 Fax

M-F 7am-7pm Sat 7am-5pm Parts@audinorthaustin.com www.audinorthaustin.com

Audi Plano Dallas/Fort Worth 214.452.3830 214.452.3855 Fax M-F 7am-7pm Sat 8am-5pm gualotunao@autonation.com www.audiplano.com

Regardless of the age of your customer’s Audi, Audi dealers have access to over 200,000 part numbers and are supported by a nationwide network of distribution centers to help ensure non-stocked parts are delivered the next day.

Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers.