December 2020 Southwest Edition by Autobody News

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AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 38 / Issue 12 / December 2020

College Instructor Uses Experience to Teach Others

2020 Collision Repair Industry: A Year in Review

“It comes naturally to me. Even at church, I am always teaching people.” “When I was young, I thought about In 2014, Salgado was in the progoing into the oilfield,” Rey Salga- cess of changing jobs when he read do said. “I was going to drop out of in the newspaper Midland College school; however, thankfulneeded a part-time instrucly, I was counseled not to tor for its paint and body do that. The oilfield business instructional program. He goes up and down, but as applied for the position and long as people are behind the was hired. wheel, auto collision repair “There is a big demand and refinishing will never go in the auto collision inout of style.” dustry for technicians,” he Rey Salgado said. “In the last few years, So, for 20 years, Salgado worked in the auto paint and body I started noticing that fewer technifield. He also enjoyed training and cians were available because they were retiring, and there wasn’t new mentoring new employees. “I love teaching!” Salgado said. See College Instructor, Page 6

by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine 94.5% Effective in Phase 3 Study, Doesn’t Require Extreme Cold

Internal Memo From Bill Ford Offers Reassurance, ‘No Matter Who is Running the Country’

by Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

by Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press

Biotech company Moderna announced Nov. 16 that its new COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be 94.5% effective. The company said it intends to submit for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks and expects the EUA to be based on the final analysis of 151 cases and a median follow-up of more than two months. Known as the COVE study, Moderna enrolled more than 30,000

Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co., emailed the Ford team Nov. 6 “a message on the U.S. Election” as protesters gathered in Detroit and tensions nationally ran high over the presidential election. Ford, 63, is known to send periodic messages when he feels such communication is appropriate. The outcome of the 2020 election remained uncertain though polls closed Nov. 3. He urged calm and reassured employees globally that, separate and apart from the political outcome, the company his great-grandfather founded has a clear vision and focus on the future. He emphasized that the company has weathered political change all over the world. “As I have said many times, we always look to establish and follow our own North Star of values and objectives that allow us to thrive— and to be stable—regardless of the political environment,” Ford wrote. “This has been a difficult and un-

by Travis Woodward, MRT

Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP

participants in the U.S. to test the vaccine. The study was conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DisSee Vaccine 94.5%, Page 16

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It’s undeniable that 2020 has been a year for the history books—the amount of change over the past 12 months is unprecedented and has been disruptive in every imaginable way. As 2020 comes to its conclusion, the world reflects on the year’s events, and a handful of collision repair industry leaders share their thoughts on the most impactful memories for their associations in 2020. The strongest force this year has been the spread of COVID-19, and attempts to curb it. This has translated into many virtual events, and Zoom has become much more than

onomatopoeia, with nearly every association adopting the new normal. “The Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF) was able to quickly pivot to virtual events after the start of the pandemic, which enabled us to continue to serve our members,” said Susan Rokosz, the association’s president. “From happy hours to professional development events, going virtual enabled us to remain connected to our members. ‘AWAF also committed to increasing the diversity of both the membership and the board, and we are working to increase diversity in the talent pipeline for the automotive See 2020 Collision, Page 4

certain year,” he wrote. “But no matter what results this election yields, the importance of our values—our work, our people, our families, doing the right thing and building a better tomorrow—will transcend, as they always have.”

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford poses for a photo in Michigan Central Station in Detroit. Credit: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press

The letter, which appears to have a 5:31 p.m. time stamp, was obtained by the Free Press shortly after it was sent. It reads in full: Dear Ford Team: See Bill Ford Page 18

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2020 Collision Repair Industry: A Year in Review .1

Alamo Body & Paint Rebranded to ProCare Collision ............................................6 College Instructor Uses Experience to Teach Others...................................................1 El Paso Officials Ask Residents to Stay Home for Two Weeks as COVID-19 Hospitalizations Surge............................................................14 Elon Musk Praises Tesla Gigafactory Texas’

AkzoNobel Hits SEMA360 in a Big Way, Virtually ........................................................40

Autel Diagnostics Develops Autel Virtual for

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. ©2020 Adamantine Media LLC.

American Icon Automotive Finishes ................. 12

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers .......22-23

Audi South Austin ........................................... 31

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 38

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 41

Innovative Tools & Technologies ...................... 29

AutoMart Mitsubishi ........................................ 21

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers ................ 35

Financial Incompetence is No Excuse!...............32

AutoNation Collision Parts ............................... 13

Killer Tools & Equipment Corp. ........................ 11

Ford Fund Pledges $200K to Keep Students

Big Mike Naughton Ford.................................. 21

Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts ............................. 34

Learning During Pandemic ............................40

Bill Luke Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ................. 6

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers ..................... 25

I-CAR Introduces ‘Get to Gold Class’..................24

BMW of South Austin ...................................... 31

NOROO Paint & Coatings ................................. 15

Internal Memo From Bill Ford Offers Reassurance,

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................ 28

North Freeway Hyundai ................................... 18

‘No Matter Who is Running the Country’ ..........1

Bob Utter Kia .................................................. 20

Part of the Club ............................................... 21

Body Loc, Inc. ................................................. 44

Peak Kia ......................................................... 21

Chevyland....................................................... 16

RGI Spray Booth Company .............................. 19

Christopher’s Dodge World .............................. 21

Santa Fe Kia ..................................................... 6

Classic BMW................................................... 33

SATA Dan-Am Company .................................... 5

Classifieds ...................................................... 42

Schmelz Countryside ...................................... 21

Eckler’s Automotive ........................................ 27

Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center..........................8-9

Emich Chevrolet.............................................. 21

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes .............. 7

Equalizer Industries, Inc .................................. 14

Spanesi Americas ........................................... 17

Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge ......................... 2

Stevinson Toyota West .................................... 21

Fisher Acura.................................................... 21

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers...................... 30

Fisher Honda .................................................. 21

Team PRP ....................................................... 10

Flatirons Subaru ............................................. 21

Toyota of Laredo ............................................. 24

the Complete SEMA360 Experience ..............43 Be Prepared and Be Ready: Tips for Selling Your Business ...............................................28 Bentley to Go Carbon Neutral by 2030

Body Crafters: A COVID-19 Experience ..............30

Karma Automotive Announces New Dealer

CARSTAR 92nd Among Franchise Systems........19

Tempe-Based Carvana Plans to Hire 300 People in Phoenix ..................................10 Tesla Giga Texas Casting Facility and Paint Shop Potentially Taking Form................19 Tesla Projected to Create 15,000 Jobs at Giga Texas, Exceeding Estimates ....................6 TX Small Business Owners React to Joe Biden Winning the Presidency.................10 United Services Automobile Association Ranked Best Employer in Arizona, Forbes Survey Finds .....................................12

CCC Introduces ADAS Insights...........................33 Customer Service is King: The Modern Customer Journey ........................................38

Manufacturers Continue to Offer Exclusive Discounts to SEMA360 Attendees .................43 Mike’s Auto Body Gives 2 Cars in Conjunction with Hemophilia Foundation ..........................36 Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine 94.5% Effective in Phase 3 Study, Doesn’t Require Extreme Cold...1

COLUMNISTS Anderson - Hands-On Testing Shows Limitations of Relying Solely on DTCs or Aftermarket Scan Tools .............................24 Attanasio - Marketing in 2020: Will People Find You and What Will They See? .................34

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Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli, Gary Ledoux Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Griffin Reinhard, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Honda Pays $5 Million Over Takata Airbags .......18

Claims for Potential Compensation ................16

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with Fully Electric Fleet .................................33

RDAG: TX Victims of Fraud Can Soon Make

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‘Great Progress’ ............................................11

Partner in San Antonio, TX .............................16

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SEMA360: Collision Repairers Learn How to Be ADAS-Ready from AirPro Diagnostics .......27 Tesla About to Make Producing 1 Million EVs Per Year Unremarkable..................................40 Volvo Airbag Death Causes S60 and S80 Recall ....................................................42

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

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

Yoswick - Perspectives, Ideas Shared by

Woman Who Sued Body Shop Over

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 37

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers....................... 38

Dealership Management Helpful for

Aston Martin Repair Bill Now

Fowler Honda ................................................... 6

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers .............. 43

Independent Shops as Well ...........................26

Ordered to Pay $250,000 ..............................36

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................... 39

Young Chevrolet .............................................. 26

autobodynews.com / DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

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Continued from Cover

2020 Collision industry.” When ASA Northwest’s ATE 2020 had to be canceled a week and a half before the event due to COVID restrictions, the association’s leaders “went into scramble mode and canceled our live event with over 1000 attendees,” said ASA Northwest President and Executive Director Jeﬀ Lovell. “We knew we needed to keep our ASA Northwest members engaged and let them know that we are here for them, so we started having Zoom meetings, called ‘Lunch and Learn,’ with members every week to keep them updated on the latest information,” Lowell said. “ASA Northwest has adapted to the new technology and was the first automotive trade association to do a full-blown virtual training event with the help of Advance Professional, CTI-WTI and Worldpac. We hosted the first Virtual ATE in August with 32 classes and close to 200 attendees from all over the world, it was truly amazing to put that together.” COVID-19 also provided an opportunity for associations to find new ways to support their members, outside of virtual training. “This year, our biggest impact for members was partnering with Alerus Bank, a small local bank, to help shop owners apply for and receive their much-needed Paycheck Protection Program loans,” said Diana DeLeon, executive director of ASA-AZ. “Many members submitted applications to larger banks with no success, so we were very happy to have this relationship in place to help.” “The opportunity to offer our members-only an exclusive health insurance plan was most memorable for AASP/NJ; we partnered with World Insurance, a global leader in benefits, and more members participating will help lower our group rate, something individual shops can’t do,” said Jerry McNee, president of AASP/NJ. “With a potential average saving of 30% and annual premiums increasing yearly, offering an option for members to save thousands of dollars in premiums, this is a welcome benefit, considering all other

yearly increases within our businesses—this is truly a game changer, helping our members. “COVID-19 has affected everyone, so having the ability to offer a health plan that benefits members in a positive way is outstanding.” “Since March 2020, as COVID-19 hit the United States and began to shut down the country, ARA went into high gear to stay ahead of the situation,” said Sandy Blalock, executive director of the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA.) “This multi-pronged, proactive response is the most important thing ARA accomplished this year and included many parts. “With the assistance of amazing industry partners, we created an automotive recyclers COVID Relief Fund, with over $46,000 distributed to auto recyclers in need,” Blalock said. “Through active regulatory work and connections with policymakers, ARA ensured that automotive recyclers were an ‘essential business’ to continue operating through the pandemic, and the association acted as a watch dog of all COVID legislation, for both the states and federal government, as well as providing members with information to help them navigate the crisis.” ARA also “partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s COVID Liability Coalition to educate Congress about the need for businesses to have liability protections related to COVID-19, and to urge Congress to pass legislation that would protect businesses from liability associated with COVID-19,” Blalock added. “In addition to creating a COVID-19 dashboard on our website with federal and state guidelines impacting the industry, ARA put together a guide detailing important information relating to the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program,” Blalock said. “This guide provides background information on the EIDL program and also describes its costs and benefits.” Adapting to change was a huge theme among industry associations this year, as it has been for shops. “Just as our members did, AASP-MN had to quickly shift gears in response to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Judell Anderson, executive director of

AASP-MN. “Members turned to the association like never before to get the information they needed to navigate this new environment and maintain their business operations. The alliance responded by providing ongoing member updates containing ‘need-to-know’ information about COVID-19 related legislation, regulations and other measures relevant to auto service and collision shops. “We also connected shops to share experiences, best practices and lessons learned for adapting business practices due to COVID-19, and we moved networking events and educational programming to virtual platforms,” Anderson said. “Another highlight would be the release of our membership video, which features authentic and sincere testimonials about what it means to be a member of the alliance. It reinforces the work that we do each day to be their champion and their ally.” The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) had to really “think outside the box when it came to fundraising and how we can continue to support collision school programs in 2020,” said Brandon Eckenrode, director of development for CREF. “Instead of holding physical career fair events, our team quickly coordinated online presentations with companies to help instructors with industry guest speakers for their students,” Eckenrode said. “We also helped communicate which companies opened up their online technical training to help instructors with industry resources. “With regards to fundraising, we had to be respectful and sensitive of what companies were going through when asking both annual and new partners for funding,” Eckenrode continued. “Our insurance partners and their 2020 support essentially saved CREF by being able to continue to support us. Also, we got creative by utilizing our industry member partnerships with their ‘celebrity’ brand ambassadors, connections and create unique auctions and fundraiser initiatives.” CREF wasn’t the only industry association focused on the next generation of technicians in 2020. “I am proud of WIN for stepping up and continuing to focus on our goals during this unusual year,” said the Women’s Industry Network

(WIN) Chair Cheryl Boswell. “WIN ‘Resourced the Industry’ by sponsoring uniforms for 100 vo-tech women students and by conducting a survey to understand the collision repair technician pipeline and how to attract and retain technicians. “WIN ‘Strengthened the Network’ by offering seven educational webinars, and by launching the first WIN-developed technical class,” Boswell said. “In the true spirit of WIN, it was an honor to celebrate 12 scholarship recipients and three Most Influential Women in 2020.” In a year ravaged by turmoil, many associations are celebrating their survival and their ability to keep members informed about the ongoing changes. “Through our leadership, we managed our operations and finances well, like many other companies, through an unknown virus and its impacts on our members, the aftermarket industry and the association itself,” said Rodney Pierini, president and CEO of CAWA. “Our first thought was how can we help the ASA Northwest members during this time,” Lovell recalled. “Within a week, we were able to turn our ASA Northwest website into a resource center for members to get information on COVID-19. Our regional allied member, Integrated Claims Management, worked with us to make sure ASA Northwest was the place to turn for information.” “One of the most important things we have been able to do is keep our membership informed of all the issues regarding running their business in the shadow of the COVID crisis,” said AASP/MA Executive Director Lucky Papageorg. “This is important because our members and their customers are our number one concern as they are the reason we exist as an association. We are here to protect their interests in the insurance claim and repair process.” “ASA Arizona made sure our members were updated almost daily with changing information as we all navigated through the unknown of COVID-19,” DeLeon added. “Offering members online meetings and networking was a success to keep everyone connected when we couldn’t be together. We took an extra step to reach out and offer all these connections and information to shop owners See 2020 Collision, Page 20

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Continued from Cover

Tesla Projected to Create 15,000 Jobs at Giga Texas, Exceeding Estimates by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Tesla is projected to create 15,000 new jobs from its Gigafactory in Austin, TX. In June, Tesla proposed that Giga Texas would bring “5,000 middle-skill jobs that ﬁt a targeted economic development need.” The EV automaker also stated its Austin-based Gigafactory would generate another 4,000 new jobs indirectly by building Giga Texas. In total, Tesla estimated Giga Texas would bring 9,000 new jobs into the state. However, panelists at the second annual East Austin Growth Summit estimated that Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas could bring closer to 15,000 jobs. Ed Latson, executive director of the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, explained Giga Texas could generate up to 15,000 jobs because of the scope of Tesla’s operations. According to the Austin Business Journal, panelists at the summit stated the supply companies Giga Texas would attract to the region could generate more jobs than Tesla

initially estimated in its proposal. As an example, Latson brought up the dozens of suppliers that followed Tesla to Nevada when it opened its Gigafactory near Reno. “That’s where the major multiplier eﬀect of their impact is going to happen,” Latson said.

Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer, YouTube

“They have a reputation of wanting their suppliers close to them, and they’re going to make that request for critical suppliers. So, I wouldn’t be shocked if we had 50-plus companies move here to support this facility. My hope is that those 50 come but that they also ﬁnd another 50 that are already here.” Giga Texas would be directly responsible for some of the new jobs openings. Tesla posted jobs for Gigafactory Texas as early as August.

At the time the EV manufacturer posted positions for a construction safety manager, environmental specialist, engineering technicians and human resource partners. Even before Tesla announced the location of its next Gigafactory, the company posted job openings in Texas, mainly related to its energy division. At the time, Tesla’s careers website posted jobs for solar panel installers and electricians in the state. After announcing Giga Texas, Tesla posted jobs in the area related to the construction of the factory and some positions that would need to be ﬁlled to ensure the facility runs smoothly once it is built. The Texas factory will hold Tesla’s ﬁrst Cybertruck production line, marking the company’s entry into the pickup truck market. Thus far, Giga Texas is keeping up with its siblings in Shanghai and Berlin. Time will tell what great feats Tesla has in store for Giga Texas and its other Gigafactories around the world. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

College Instructor talent to replace them. It made me realize that I could help ﬁll that gap by teaching a new generation of technicians.” Once hired at Midland College, Salgado immediately began working on an associate of applied science degree in automotive technology. He credits his wife with pushing him to pursue a degree. “My wife was my mentor,” Salgado said. “She encouraged me to go to the next class and helped me study. She helped me learn and never left my side.” Born and raised in Monahans, Salgado has lived in Midland for 15 years and now considers himself a native Midlander. Salgado and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children and two grandchildren, and faith and family are important to him. For the past 2.5 years, Salgado has driven to McCamey every Sunday to preach at Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor. He said he will continue to do See College Instructor, Page 12

Alamo Body & Paint Rebranded to ProCare Collision ProCare Collision, a Texas-based MSO with more than 40 locations—announced Oct. 20 a rebranding of its Alamo Body & Paint locations to the ProCare Collision brand. This consolidation of brands and alignment in processes is part of the MSO’s strategy to bring a uniﬁed presence to the San Antonio market. “While Alamo and ProCare have been separate in name, we have worked as one since our merger in 2019,” said Mark Fuller, regional manager at ProCare Collision. Parent company ProCare operates multiple brands across Texas, including ProCare Collision in San Antonio and Houston, and AMM Collision in Austin. The new name is eﬀective immediately and will be implemented across the company’s services. Source: ProCare Collision

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Tempe-Based Carvana Plans to Hire 300 People in Phoenix by Lindsay Walker, Patch

Carvana, the Tempe, AZ-based online used car dealer, announced its plans Oct. 7 to hire 300 new employees in Phoenix amid high demand.

The company will hold several virtual hiring events to search for its 300 new customer care specialists. One event took place Oct. 8 and another Oct. 9. To view Carvana’s open positions or apply for a job, visit its website. Carvana has seen rapid growth in recent months after it struggled at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. Carvana, founded in Tempe in 2012, differs from a tradition-

al car dealership, replacing it with technology and “exceptional customer service,” according to a news release. It allows customers to quickly shop for cars, finance, trade-in or sell cars to Carvana, sign contracts and

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schedule next-day delivery or pickup at one of Carvana’s patented Car Vending Machines. The publicly traded company will announce its third-quarter financial results on Oct. 29. We thank Patch for reprint permission.

TX Small Business Owners React to Joe Biden Winning the Presidency by Alex Gibbs, KWTX

As the world continues to react to Joe Biden’s election victory, small business owners across Central Texas say they don’t know what a Biden presidency means for them. Beatriz Concepcion works for two small businesses in Waco, a local makeup store and a family-owned restaurant. She says with Biden winning, not knowing what his pandemic plans are is cause for concern, and if another shutdown is looming with a recent spike in cases. “I’m just gonna say I pray he’s what this country needs,” she said. “I think everyone’s nervous in general. Having two incomes is the means we use to provide for our family and it’s scary.” Other vendors and owners like Meagan Norbrock think a Biden administration will lead to a second stimulus plan for Americans.

“We won’t have the revenue coming in,” she said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be compensated by the government.” Local and state governments have taken the lead so far on fighting COVID-19, but after taking office, President-elect Biden could restructure the response. Owners say that could mean the difference between remaining open or closing for good. “It might be scary, some people might not be OK with it, but in the end, I think we’ll be fine,” Norbrock said. “Something needs to shift, just so we can get back to some form of normalcy which I think everyone is striving and hoping for,” Concepcion said. We thank KWTX for reprint permission.

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Elon Musk Praises Tesla Gigafactory Texas’ ‘Great Progress’ by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently praised the Texas team working on the Austin Gigafactory in a tweet. Based on videos of Giga Texas’s progress, Tesla seems to be moving along with its construction right on schedule.

hicles. Tesla’s factory in Berlin will have extremely advanced technology thanks to its next-gen paint shop, which Musk seems very excited to see in action. Giga Texas will probably be known for two notable traits. First, it will most likely have the most beautiful Gigafactory grounds. After an-

“Like [the Cybertruck is] going to be made in Austin. So it’s kind of dependent on completing that factory. And there are obviously new technologies with the high hardness kind of armored exoskeleton,” — Elon Musk “Tesla Texas team is making great progress! Giga Texas factory will be an a$$kicker,” Musk replied to a tweet from the Austin Tesla Club, which shared a photo of the construction site. Each new Gigafactory has developed its own special defining trait, even the ones in the middle of construction, and Giga Texas is no different. Giga Shanghai became known for its speed and the quality of its ve-

nouncing the location of Tesla’s next Gigafactory in the U.S., Musk shared that parts of the Giga Texas complex will be an “ecological paradise” of sorts that the public could visit. Giga Texas’s second notable trait would be its production of the Cybertruck. If the vehicle proves successful, there is a good chance Tesla’s other facilities may also manufacture the all-electric pickup, and there’s an equally good chance the truck could be produced for a very

long time. But the factory in Austin will always be Tesla’s first Cybertruck production line. Musk said Tesla made some minor tweaks to the Cybertruck before production starts in Giga Texas. During the Q3 earnings call, Musk said the Cybertruck’s production depends a lot on Giga Texas’ completion, making his recent praise even more noteworthy. “Like [the Cybertruck is] going to be made in Austin. So it’s kind of dependent on completing that factory. And there are obviously new technologies with the high hardness kind of armored exoskeleton,” he said. The Cybertruck’s design has received polarized reactions. The Tesla all-electric truck’s stainless steel exoskeleton allows the vehicle to have a unique take on the traditional pickup. Musk has noted in the past that the Cybertruck’s origami-like approach in making the exoskeleton may be one of the difficulties Tesla has to face during the EV pickup’s production. “This is—it’s never been done before, so there’ll probably be some challenges along the way. And ob-

viously, something that’s extremely high hardness and difficult to scratch or dent is also difficult to form. So there’s manufacturing challenges there. That’s why it’s so cleaner,” Musk said during the last earnings call. Based on Musk’s Cybertruck updates on Twitter, though, the Tesla team has been working continuously on the EV pickup truck’s design since its unveiling last November. Thanks to Tesla’s experience with the Model 3’s “production hell,” the company is well aware that the Cybertruck’s final design will likely determine how challenging its production ramp will be. The Tesla team’s constant work on refining the details of the Cybertruck’s design hints that the company is doing everything in its power to make sure the production of its first EV pickup goes by smoothly. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

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Aiming to Win at ABATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4th Annual Skeet Shoot

College Instructor

shooters won $1,800 in Cabelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift cards and our top two raďŹ&#x201E;e The Auto Body Association of Tex- items were a Black Rain AR riďŹ&#x201A;e as (ABAT) hosted its 2020 Annual and a SKB shotgun. Everyone had Dean GriďŹ&#x192;n Memorial Skeet Shoot an amazing time!â&#x20AC;? Although this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event on Oct. 15 at Elk Fork Shooting was the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth annual Sports in Dallas, TX. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The event turned out amazing skeet shoot, this was the ďŹ rst year it and deďŹ nitely exceeded our expec- was renamed in honor of late ABAT tations!â&#x20AC;? said Jill Tuggle, executive board member Dean GriďŹ&#x192;n. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dean passed away last Ocdirector of ABAT. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were overtober, and he was a big part of the skeet shoot every year,â&#x20AC;? said Tuggle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to raising funds for ABAT, the event served as a means of establishing a college fund for Natalie, Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ABAT hosted its 2020 Annual Dean Griffin Memorial daughter.â&#x20AC;? Skeet Shoot at Elk Fork Shooting Sports in Dallas, TX. ABATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skeet shoot Seen here at the first skeet shoot in 2017 are, left to was open to all memright, ABAT board member Eric McKenzie, Executive Director Jill Tuggle and board member Dean Griffin, for bers of the collision rewhom the event is now named. Credit: Courtesy of ABAT pair industry, attracting members, non-members, whelmed by the response and had sponsors and more, as four-person the largest attendance we have ever teams competed as skeet shot stations during the tournament-style, had with around 90 participants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also sold a record number 100-clay sporting course. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This event was held to bring of raďŹ&#x201E;e tickets,â&#x20AC;? she added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The top team won cooler bags, the top awareness, camaraderie and comby Chasidy Rae Sisk

so until the church ďŹ nds a full-time pastor. He has also been a deacon in his local church, Centro Familiar Cristiano, for 14 years. Auto collision repair and reďŹ nishing is a promising career, according to Salgado. He said he is very fortunate to be able to combine teaching with his original profession. Highly qualiďŹ ed to teach in this ďŹ eld with his degree and more than 90 hours of certiďŹ cations, Salgado said continuing education is key to providing his students with the best learning experience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the collision industry, there are opportunities to make excellent money,â&#x20AC;? Salgado said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have friends that are making upward of $150,000 to $400,000 a year. They can work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with weekends oďŹ&#x20AC;. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a priority for me. I am big on family.â&#x20AC;? The auto body technician must know automotive, auto body and auto structure because in an accident, See College Instructor, Page 20

munication to ABAT and its members, as well as to allow our sponsors to interact with their customers in a laid back environment,â&#x20AC;? Tuggle said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is more important now than ever to get together as an association. We believe that as long as we follow all the distancing guidelines set forth by the state that we can host successful events like this now and going forward. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is extremely important to support businesses right now, and we help connect shops and vendors at events like this. The more interaction we can provide our members with, the more they can get to know each other and communicate eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively,â&#x20AC;? Tuggle continued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;ABAT is all about communication, education and legislation. We cannot do any of those things alone. Plus, we like to have a little funâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Texas and we like to shoot guns.â&#x20AC;? For more information about ABAT and its upcoming events, visit www. abat.us.

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United Services Automobile Association Ranked Best Employer in Arizona, Forbes Survey Finds A new survey of employees who work for large employers ranks United Services Automobile Association the best organization to work for in Arizona, according to an analysis by the Forbes website. The second annual Forbes list of top employers, which is based on a survey of 80,000 workers nationwide, consists of 51 separate rankings, one for each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Only employers with at least 500 workers on their payrolls were included in the survey. United Services Automobile Association, which has 34,000 employees, is headquartered in San Antonio, Forbes reports.

The surveys were carried out between October of last year and May of 2020, so employee opinions were collected before and after the coronavirus pandemic spread to the U.S., according to Forbes. Forbes worked with the market research ďŹ rm Statista to process the employee data. Companies that showed up on multiple state lists of best employers tended to have the most widespread operations, such as FedEx, the survey found. And public agencies, such as the Department of Defense, tended to dominate the state lists, the publication reported. We thank The Center Square for reprint permission.

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El Paso Officials Ask Residents to Stay Home for Two Weeks as COVID-19 Hospitalizations Surge by Cassandra Pollock and Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune

As El Paso continues to grapple with a surge of coronavirus cases, county authorities on Oct. 25 implemented a curfew and city health officials asked residents to stay home for the next two weeks in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the area have spiked from 259 to 786 in less than three weeks—a 300% increase, according to Ange-

representative of the more progressive faction of city politics, attorney Veronica Carbajal and former city planner Carlos Gallinar. Two other candidates are also in the race. Samaniego said El Paso being “at a crisis stage” is what prompted the latest order. Residents are encouraged to stay home except for essential services. The curfew won’t be imposed on residents traveling for work or essential business, though enforcement will be “a vital component.”

“It’s important for the public to understand that voting is safe and our county elective department has taken steps to ensure the safety and health of El Paso voters,” — Ricardo Samaniego la Mora, the director of the El Paso Public Health Department. And over the past 14 days, El Paso County has seen nearly 10,000 cases, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The stay-at-home request from city officials—and the announcement of the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. county curfew—came nine days ahead of Election Day and as El Paso follows a statewide trend of record turnout during early voting. Officials, though, stressed the announcement did not mean residents should not vote if they have not already. “It’s important for the public to understand that voting is safe and our county elective department has taken steps to ensure the safety and health of El Paso voters,” El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said during an Oct. 25 virtual news conference. “Please continue to exercise your right to vote.” In addition to the presidential race, El Paso voters are deciding whether to send back to city hall Mayor Dee Margo, a former Republican state representative who, in addition to the pandemic, has overseen the city’s reaction and response to the migrant border crisis and the 2019 Walmart shooting. An alleged white supremacist has been charged in the murder of 23 people there. Margo faces a challenge from his predecessor, Oscar Leeser, and two native El Pasoans considered

Any peace officer can enforce the latest order, the county judge said; residents can be fined $250 for not wearing a face covering while in public or $500 for any other violations of the order. “Enforcement at this time is going to be very necessary,” Samaniego said. “It’s something that we’re hesitant about because of our tremendous respect for law enforcement, tremendous respect for our community, but we find ourselves at this time to be in a situation where this has to take precedence over a lot of things that have taken place.” Asked later whether the county could go into a more restrictive shutdown, Samaniego said he and Margo spoke with Gov. Greg Abbott’s staff Oct. 24 about that possibility and “agreed it would be harsh on the income of our constituents.” Samaniego also said he spoke Oct. 25 with Abbott, who expressed concerns that the community and law enforcement had not responded accordingly to help avoid a surge in cases. “I think we’ve done everything possible to do the right things,” Samaniego said. Abbott’s office said Oct. 25 the governor spoke with Samaniego and discussed concerns that local officials had not enforced current limitations on reopenings. “As soon as El Paso exceeded the 15% hospital capacity for seven

days the capacity limits were automatically reduced and local officials have a responsibility to enforce those limits,” Abbott spokesperson John Wittman said in a statement. The Oct. 25 announcement also comes on the heels of a recent decision by the El Paso ISD Board of Trustees to extend virtual learning. As of Oct. 25, some students are set to resume in-person learning Nov. 6. The COVID trends in El Paso prompted officials earlier this month to increase restrictions for restaurants and some businesses, which included scaling back nonessential businesses to 50% capacity and limiting outdoor gathering to 10 people or fewer. Abbott’s office has in recent days also deployed medical personnel and equipment to the region. On Oct. 25, Abbott’s office announced the state would establish an alternate care site at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center this week to provide additional hospital beds and medical equipment. Later that day, Abbott’s office said the U.S. Department of Health and Hu-

man Services planned to send medical assistance teams to the region this week. In response to the spike in cases, area hospitals announced Oct. 24 they were making preparations to airlift patients to other hospitals to free up bed space in their facility, local media reported. Margo and Abbott have also said in recent days they have asked the Department of Defense to use William Beaumont Army Medical Center to serve non-COVID patients at its facility. El Paso is home to the Fort Bliss Army base. As of Oct. 25, the request from the city was still pending. Editor’s note: Cassandra Pollock reported from Austin and Julián Aguilar reported from El Paso. We thank The Texas Tribune for reprint permission.

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Vaccine 94.5% eases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Moderna details the criteria used for the analysis of cases evaluated in its statement, including which number of volunteers received the vaccine or a placebo and how many days apart. The vaccine combines Moderna’s messenger RNA delivery platform with the stabilized SARSCoV-2 spike immunogen developed by NIAID scientists at NIH. “This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. This positive interim anal-

ysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease.” The NIH announced an independent data and safety monitoring board oversaw the Phase 3 trial of the COVID-19 vaccine mRNA1273 and found “the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults.” In its interim analysis of 95 cases of symptomatic COVID-19 volunteers, it found that after they received the vaccine, they tolerated it well. NIH reported “a vaccine efficacy rate of 94.5%,” which it says is “statistically significant, meaning they are likely not due to chance.” Moderna says it expects to ship roughly 20 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. by the end of the year. Next year, it expects to distribute roughly 500 million to 1 billion doses worldwide. We thank The Center Square for reprint permission.

AUTOBODY

RDAG: TX Victims of Fraud Can Soon Make Claims for Potential Compensation by Brad Burt, KCBD News

As part of the resolution of the Third Amended Chapter 11 Plan of Liquidation for Reagor-Dykes Auto Group in Lubbock, TX, the trustee is prepared to announce the chance for former Reagor-Dykes consumers to assert claims for compensation. Following the confirmation of the liquidation plan, the trustee has assumed responsibility for resolving remaining consumer grievances by issuing notices through the local newspaper and the mail. According to the recent motion filed, Trustee and Ombudsman Dennis Faulkner has already been made aware of 1,100 complaints from consumers alleged to have arisen from vehicle sale or lease transactions that occurred between June 1 and July 31, 2018, at Reagor Auto Mall, Reagor-Dykes Auto Mall Downtown, Reagor-Dykes Direct Auto of Dallas, Reagor Auto Mall Imports, Reagor Auto Mall West Lubbock and Reagor Auto Mall Levelland. The Texas Attorney General’s Office notified Faulkner of around 300 other

consumers who have submitted complaints directly to the Texas attorney general, alleged to have arisen from vehicle sale or lease transactions. Notices are expected to go out to these consumers, as well as those known to have purchased vehicles from one of the RAM/Snyder Dealerships between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, 2018. When active, the consumer notice will direct people to a website with two documents: the Consumer Notice for customers who purchased vehicles from Reagor-Dykes, and a form for registering a claim against the “Consumer Ombudsman Fund.” The Consumer Ombudsman Fund consists of 10% of all net litigation proceeds ear-marked up to $400,000, and $100,000 contributed by Rick Dykes as part of his settlement. Consumers receiving notice of the opportunity to register their asserted claim will have until Jan. 15, 2021, to submit a Consumer Claim Form by mail. Further notice procedures will include ads in local newspapers directing those with claims to the consumer website. We thank KCBD News for reprint permission.

Karma Automotive Announces New Dealer Partner in San Antonio, TX Karma Automotive announced Nov. 3 the opening of the latest addition to its Texas dealer network, Principle Karma at San Antonio, TX. Principle Karma serves the greater San Antonio metropolitan area, and its opening supports the company’s continuing expansion of its dealer network into key urban and rural markets. “It’s our pleasure to have Principle Karma join the Karma dealership network and continue their expansion here in Texas,” said Abigail Kampmann, CEO of Principle Karma. “With our upscale lineup of vehicles, Principle Karma will offer our clients outstanding customer service and a luxury experience from start to finish.” Over the past six months, Karma added 10 new dealer partners as it looks to expand its global presence into new and emerging markets here in North America and abroad. “We’re extremely honored to have Principle Karma join our

established dealer network during this critical process of our international expansion,” said Joost de Vries, Karma’s vice president of global sales and customer experience. “This will certainly help to increase our brand reach across the country as we strive to offer the best experience for our customers.” Principle Karma is located at 153 Treeline Park, Ste. 200, San Antonio, TX, 78209. By telephone they can be reached at (210)-886-8483, or online at https://www.principleauto.com/ karma-san-antonio/. For more on Karma Automotive and the dealer network, please visit http://karmanewsroom.com. Source: Karma Automotive

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Continued from Cover

Bill Ford

Honda Pays $5 Million Over Takata Airbags

As I write this, the results of the United States election are not fully known and still may not be for some days. No matter where you might be on the political spectrum, I think you will agree that this has been quite a year. Today, I want to share with you my perspective as someone who has been through plenty of turmoil and turbulence, and who has helped lead a company that has always risen to meet challenging times. In the 117 years Ford has been in business, we have worked with 20 presidents, with the time split almost evenly between both parties, and 25 governors in the state of Michigan. When you add political churn within the 200 countries in which we operate worldwide, shifts in the political and regulatory environment have been constant. Change is not the exception, it is the rule. Our relationships with every U.S. president since Theodore Roosevelt have been built squarely on the credibility and independence of our company. Ford is one of the largest manufacturers and largest employers in America, and our company has always charted its own path. As I have said many times, we always look to establish and follow our own North Star of values and objectives that allow us to thrive—and to be stable—regardless of the political environment. We have also been through all manner of external challenges— economic meltdowns, World Wars, oil shocks, natural disasters and global pandemics. And in the face of every one of those threats, we battled, survived and became a rallying point for Americans and for the world. Ford steps up in times of need, and we are still very much in a time of need. Regardless of which party will control the different levers of government, a strong manufacturing base will be essential, and Ford will have an important role to play. No matter who is running the country, our responsibility and commitment to Ford’s role as an engine of

Honda will pay $5 million to settle Arizona allegations that Honda made serious mistakes in the way it handled the issue of deadly Takata airbags. Arizona officials believe 40,000 defective Takata airbags are still in vehicles traveling on the roads because vehicle owners haven’t taken their cars to dealerships for free Takata airbag inflator replacements. The Arizona attorney general alleges Honda should have warned consumers about the Takata airbags by September 2012 but the automaker waited until November 2015 to notify affected customers. The Takata airbags were installed in 2001-2016 Honda vehicles, and most of the deaths from exploding airbag inflators have occurred in Honda vehicles. The last known death caused by a Takata inflator occurred in August after the Arizona driver of a 2002 Honda Civic was killed by shrapnel from the fractured airbag inflator.

by David A. Wood, Car Complaints

progress for America and the world will not change. This has been a difficult and uncertain year. But no matter what results this election yields, the importance of our values—our work, our people, our families, doing the right thing and building a better tomorrow—will transcend, as they always have.

According to the settlement, 40,000 Arizona customers who haven’t had their Takata airbags replaced could be rewarded with up to $2.1 million in gift cards. The settlement agreement says the gift cards will be used as an “incentive” to “compel” owners to take their vehicles to dealerships for free repairs. In other words, Honda must pay up to $2.1 million because Arizona car owners have ignored multiple recall notices for five years. The settlement says the cashequivalent gift cards can only be activated after the consumer takes their vehicle to a Honda dealership for the free airbag replacement. The attorney general says $150 gift cards will be mailed to owners who have vehicles equipped with Alpha inflators, and $50 gift cards will be mailed to owners who have vehicles equipped with non-Alpha inflators. Although Honda has taken extreme actions to convince owners to get their vehicles repaired for free, the Arizona settlement requires Honda to pay $650,000 “for outreach to inform consumers of

the recall and to encourage drivers to get their defective airbags replaced.” Honda will also pay $100,000 to Arizona “for other consumer outreach efforts,” and pay $500,000 “as payment to the State.” The settlement also requires Honda to pay restitution to more than 15,000 Arizona consumers who initially purchased in Arizona a Honda or Acura vehicle between September 2012 and November 2015 equipped with the Takata airbags subject to recalls. Each Honda customer will receive a $100 check in restitution. Arizona Honda vehicle customers will automatically receive restitution checks or repair incentive gift cards, but consumers who have questions may call 855-9173583. We thank Car Complaints for reprint permission.

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Bill When asked for a response to the internal message, Mark Truby, chief communications officer, said, “It speaks for itself.” Bill Ford is a former CEO of the Dearborn automaker and widely viewed as a comforting presence to employees and the public during times of uncertainty. We thank the Detroit Free Press for reprint permission.

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CARSTAR 92nd Among Franchise Systems CARSTAR, North America’s premier network of independently owned collision repair facilities, has risen in its rank among the top 100 in Franchise Times magazine’s Top 200, the most comprehensive ranking of the 500 largest U.S. franchise systems.

Recognized by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise Times Top 200 placed CARSTAR 92nd on the list, up from the 99th position. CARSTAR was the top collision repair company for the overall automotive category. It leads the industry with a North American customer service score average of 85%, record-breaking annual sales in 2019 and accelerated growth in total locations. Source: CARSTAR

Tesla Giga Texas Casting Facility and Paint Shop Potentially Taking Form by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Tesla Giga Texas workers may already be building the foundations for the factory’s casting facility and paint shop. Tesla owner and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer ﬂew his drone around the complex and discussed all the progress that the electric car maker has made at Gigafactory Texas in his most recent video. The most interesting parts of his discussion referred to changes in to the “Great Big Pit,” as Tegtmeyer calls it. The drone operator noted that workers were busy adding more concrete to the Big Pit area, located at the south side of Giga Texas. In one of the more developed parts of the Big Pit, the drone operator noticed more column footings taking shape. There were four column footings near a moisture barrier that worked to center the foundation of Giga Texas’s ﬁrst potential building. Another set of column footings were visibly being formed beside the structure with the moisture barrier. A little farther away from the column footings was a smaller pit

with modiﬁed cutouts that stood out to Tegtmeyer. He speculated the pit with the strange edges might be the area marked for Tesla’s casting facility.

The cutouts looked similar to the ones seen at Giga Berlin’s Model Y casting building and may be enough to house eight to 10 of Tesla’s bespoke Giga Press machines from IDRA Group. Gigafactory Texas is expected to commence production with Tesla’s Model Y sometime in 2021. In another part of the Big Pit, the drone operator focused on an area where a new room structure looked to be taking shape. He be-

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lieves it will turn into Giga Texas’s paint shop. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Giga Berlin’s paint shop would be revolutionary, largely thanks to the machines from Geico Taikisha. Giga Texas may use the same machines in its paint shop. Musk did say Berlin’s paint shop technology would make it to Tesla’s other Gigafactories eventually. Tegtmeyer’s video revealed much more than the potential sightings of Giga Texas’s casting facility and paint shop. Tesla seems to have ramped work on the site as multiple clearings are either being formed or growing with each passing day. Besides Model Y production, Gigafactory Texas will have the daunting job of manufacturing Tesla’s unique EV pickup truck. The Cybertruck will be Tesla’s ﬁrst entry into the pickup truck market and holds great potential for the company’s growth, in many diﬀerent ways. Tesla plans to start initial Cybertruck production in 2021 as well. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

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2020 Collision in our surrounding states.” “2020 has deﬁnitely been a challenging year for everyone,” said Cathi Webb, executive director of the Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA). “Between COVID, the riots in Portland and the election year, we have encountered a lot turmoil here in the great Northwest. “The most memorable event for our members is the fact that the automotive industries were deemed essential businesses,” Webb said. “Our association members stayed strong and some members had their best months during this COVID shutdown. NATA members were blessed that we could all stay in business. My heart goes out to all the small businesses that had to close because of COVID and then could not reopen.” Despite everything, some associations managed to grow in 2020. The Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) was formed from

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College Instructor mechanical parts need to be ﬁxed if they are damaged. “I tell my students that the more they can do, the more money they will make. The more successful they will be,” Salgado said. Pete Avalos, program chair of Energy, Auto and Diesel technologies at Midland College, said Salgado has been a great addition to the college and the automotive program. “Rey’s many years of industry experience, along with the fact that he is an MC alum, has a positive impact on the students when he tells his story,” Avalos said. “He brings a great attitude that’s contagious with students, and Rey goes above and beyond to make sure that students get as much individual training as possible. Rey’s passion for teaching reﬂects how he makes every student his priority every semester. It is truly a pleasure to work with him.” Salgado believes students get as

the merger of the NCACAR and the SCACAR. In addition to combining the two associations, “we added 20% new members and retained 98% of our current membership,” said CCA Executive Director Josh Kent. “We established a Code of Ethics, and we put together a consumer, legal and trade school committee.” Kent recently assumed the executive director’s role for the Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA). “We rejuvenated TCRA and added 25 more people to our membership,” Kent said. “We started a new website, added training videos and hosted our first quarterly meeting this year.” “The NABA had a great year,” according to James Rodis, vice chair of the Nebraska Auto Body Association (NABA.) “We more than doubled our association size, plus added some amazing shops that are now part of our committees. Our vender committee has blown our expectations out of the water, offering us a completely different perspective. “We interviewed lobbyists this year and are proud to say we have hired Plucker/Kelley to represent

much out of the learning experience as they put in. “I tell my students to have faith that they can learn something new, apply it in their lives and then be successful,” Salgado said. For Rey Salgado, answering the Midland College ad for a parttime faculty position has been a life-changing experience. “I appreciate the opportunity to work for Midland College,” Salgado said. “It has been an honor and an opportunity. I have met and worked with a lot of good people. It’s a family.” We thank MRT for reprint permission.

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the association and push some legislation for our members and guests,” Rodis said. “Due to COVID, we were not able to have our Annual Education Day, so we opted for a great series of seven virtual events, in collaboration with KABA, that will feature great names like Kristen Felder, Mark Olsen, Tim Ronak, GM, Ford and even Rivian at the start of next year.” Legislation is always an important effort associations make on behalf of their members, and although 2020 presented even more challenges in this respect than normal, leaders’ devotion to doing the right thing for consumers fortified them in their battles. The Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) developed customer complaint forms to be sent to state legislators and the Texas Department of Insurance (DOI.) “Legislators need to know that their constituents aren’t being indemnified properly for safe and proper repairs, and it helps educate the customer on the issue,” said ABAT President Burl Richards. CCA was also “able to pass legislation on towing and storage,

preventing changes to the wording,” Kent said. “We also created a consumer page with videos and simple education regarding a customer’s rights and the difference between OEM and non-OEM parts.” For Bob Amendola, president of the Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC), the year’s most exciting success was when “our association’s legal counsel, attorney John Parese, helped national efforts to successfully preserve the 1963 Consent Decree.” The collision repair industry changed and developed in a variety of ways in 2020, and the experiences gained have positioned the industry’s associations to continue enhancing their membership benefits, training opportunities, efforts on behalf of the next generation and legislative initiatives as 2021 rolls around. Autobody News looks forward to continuing to provide all the latest association news in 2020. Happy holidays from our family to yours!

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22 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. HONDA COLORADO

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Mike Maroone Honda

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Mile High Honda Denver

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Irving

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Northside Honda San Antonio

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Frisco

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

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with Stacey Phillips

From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

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.

Hands-On Testing Shows Limitations of Relying Solely on DTCs or Aftermarket Scan Tools I’ve had the good fortune recently to spend some time working with Nissan/Infiniti as they prepare some new hands-on training they are developing, and it gave me a chance to spend some time scanning and learning about calibrations on their newest vehicles. That led to a couple of key takeaways that I wanted to share with you here. The first item I discovered made its way into a six-minute video that can be found on Jake Rodenroth’s LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin. com/feed/update/urn:li:activity: 6712096365968666624/). Jake and asTech were also at the Nissan/Infiniti training pilot, and his video demonstrates that shops can’t rely solely on the absence of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) as an indication that all advanced driver assistance systems on a vehicle are calibrated and ready to function properly. It also shows why even minor damage to a vehicle is enough to warrant a scan. “I have a 2020 Nissan Titan, my personal vehicle, with some minor freight damage on the front,” Jake said. “There are no DTCs present for the radar. But because of the damage, the radar is actually off-center. The horizontal alignment is measured in degrees, and the spec is plus or minus 3 degrees. My truck is pointing at negative 3.38. It’s out of spec according to Nissan’s manual. But it hasn’t triggered a DTC.” That’s why shops need to do

a thorough review of a pre-repair scan—not just checking for DTCs— to identify the need for something like that to be adjusted. Don’t rely just on the presence or absence of a DTC to determine an ADAS requirement. Aside from checking for DTCs, check the “values” of the ADAS components—the horizontal and vertical specifications, for example. Just like a four-wheel alignment, you can’t verify if something is properly aligned unless you verify what it is and what it should be, given any acceptable tolerance. You simply cannot determine if specific ADAS components are within specs on a Nissan or Infiniti vehcile without using a scan tool. The second thing I confirmed while I was working with Nissan is something I don’t always win friends by saying, and that’s this: What you find when scanning a vehicle absolutely varies depending on whether you are using a factory scan tool or an aftermarket scan tool. We did sideby-side comparisons on four brand new Nissans and a new Infiniti, and every single aftermarket tool we tried failed to connect with at least one or more of each vehicle’s control modules. On a Sentra, for example, the aftermarket tool we used picked up three control modules. The Nissan scan tool picked up 22. You read that right: 22. The aftermarket tool didn’t get past the gateway to be able to pick up anything more than data from the emissions-related controllers.

There’s also another key distinction. Scanning tools aren’t just about reading a module to determine if there are DTCs. It’s about bidirectional control. Can that tool not just read the data, but can it “talk back” to the vehicle? Can it send that vehicle a command that it reacts to? “When you do ADAS calibrations, that’s all you’re doing,” Jake said of bidirectional control. “You’re telling the camera, ‘Hey, I’m going to calibrate you, and so I want you to look for a particular pattern.’” It’s a similar process If you’re doing a radar calibration. You’re using the scan tool to send the module a command to activate the radar. Because otherwise that radar doesn’t even activate until the wheels are turning. Makers of aftermarket scan tools talk about having “coverage” for a wide swath of vehicles. But does that

mean full coverage? Can that tool not just read codes but clear codes? Can it reach all the modules on board? So while some people don’t like that I point out key diﬀerences between factory scan tools and aftermarket, I will challenge them to prove me wrong. I’ll meet you wherever you like with a brand new Nissan and the factory scan tool. You bring whatever aftermarket scan tool you like, and together we’ll do a side-by-side comparison. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for aftermarket scan tools. It’s just important to recognize the key limitations, and as with any tool, not to presume it can do things that it cannot. And when it comes to scanning and ADAS calibrations, any such limitations can have serious consequences for the driver and passengers in that vehicle post-repairs.

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rollment process. Get to Gold Class is ideal for both shops in the process of achieving Gold Class, and for those that are not currently training but are ready to commit to receiving high standards of education, professionalism and quality. For complete details of I-CAR’s Get to Gold Class Package, visit www.i-car.com. Source: I-CAR

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24 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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FIT AND FINISH IS NO PLACE TO GET CREATIVE. CONTACT US TODAY FOR A COMPETITIVE QUOTE ON YOUR NEXT COLLISION REPAIR ESTIMATE. ARIZONA

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Check out MoparRepairConnection.com for resources, promotions and technical information. Â©2020 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC.

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with Erica Schroeder

Industry Insight with John Yoswick

—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.

Perspectives, Ideas Shared by Dealership Management Helpful for Independent Shops as Well

Shop Showcase

In a series of webinars in October, in the dealership,” Kroeger said. “I case, he said, but it fortunately wasn’t hands, they won’t keep social disdealership fixed operations and ser- bought helium replacement, and for needed. The hourly techs in the deal- tancing,” Mora said. “For the coming vice department managers shared the month and a half when things were ership’s express department were high months, we have to make sure we with Ed Attanasio their experiences and lessons learned really rough, we kept those smiley fac- on the list, given their expense and the remain consistent in enforcing PPE. during the pandemic, including per- es going. You’d be amazed how much lack of business in that department last Because we want to remain open, and spectives and ideas that could be people appreciated it. It just spring, but they were kept on I want to continue to grow. But we helpful for independent collision re- reminded everybody to smile, to instead handle all the pick- have to continue to work through this pairs as well. even behind the masks.” up and delivery of customer together.” During one of the online group Her advice as the panvehicles to keep the rest of With body shops more frediscussions, three of the four paneldemic continues? the shop busy, Mora said. quently offering pick-up and delivwith Ed Attanasio ists said they’d had personnel test “The thing I learned By June, the shop’s repair ery of customer vehicles during the positive for COVID-19. from day one is to be flexorder count was close to pandemic, they may be interested in “It got pretty scary for a little bit, ible,” she said. “You never normal, and more recently what some automakers and dealers Scott Doering of when we had a couple people who know what another [employ- Volvo Cars USA said it was a “September to re- are learning about using that service tested positive,” said Becca Kro- ee] has going on personally, customers want an member,” he said, “the best to draw more work into dealership eger, service manager at Universal or what they’re thinking. If “Uber-like experi- month for parts and service service departments. ence” from shops Nissan in Orlando. “We got right on they’ve needed to go home, offering pick-up and we’ve had since March of Scott Doering, vice president with Ed Attanasio it. As soon as we found out someone I absolutely let them. It did delivery of vehicles 2017.” of customer service for Volvo Cars had symptoms, they had to self-quar- not matter what the situation His lesson heading into the USA, said his company was about a antine for two weeks. They would was. I didn’t question them.” end of the year: “Consistency. We year into a pilot of Volvo Valet with have to be tested and get a negative Francisco Mora, service man- have to remain consistent,” he said. about 20 dealers when the pandemic result to come back.” “What happens is if people get hit, so they could ramp it up quickager for Esserman International Each time, with she said, she went Volkswagen in Doral, FL, said man- too comfortable, they’ll forget to put ly. It has had 21,000 bookings since Ed Attanasio into the dealership herself and disin- agement at the dealership considered the mask on, they won’t wash their March. fected every service advisor’s office closing for a time after a parts counter and all the technicians’ work stations, employee, who delivers parts to techeven though the dealer had a compa- nicians, tested positive. Instead, they ny already doing that overnight. sent half the staff out to be tested and Parts for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac “I sprayed everything,” Kroeger quarantined for two weeks, then sent said. “I just didwith it myself because the other half out for two weeks when Stacey Phillips • 60,000 part numbers • Same day shipping until 5:30 EST then I knew it was done. I felt safe. the quarantined employees returned. • 13 parts pros eager to serve you • Next-day air until 4:30 EST My biggest focus day in and day out “So I was half-staffed for a month,” • 15 radio-dispatched trucks • 4.2 million inventory • 97,000 square-foot warehouse is keeping my parts and service peo- Mora said. “We’ve done that process ple safe so that we can stay open.” probably four or five times when other Camaro She said early on, the dealer- people have had [COVID-19]. So a lot ship owner chose to offer free mainof employees have had to wear other with Stacey Phillips tenance labor for all first responders. hats. I was a cashier for about a week. “It was amazing how much My parts manager was a parts counterbusiness it brought in during those person for about a week. We’ve got to times,” she said, noting that service do what we’ve got to do. The point was advisors often found other needed to stay open.” Mora said the dealership kept work on those vehicles. “We were with Stacey Phillips able to upsell. So we absolutely came employees incentivized even for the out ahead.” two slowest months in the spring by Keeping up morale has been one paying time and a half for flat rate of her focuses, asking service advi- workers, and by ensuring everyone sors at each morning meeting to share would make what they averaged the something positive that happened the prior year. day before. They’ve lunches “A lot of our employees said, ‘You Genuine GM Parts at Genuine GM Prices withbought Stacey Phillips or brought desserts out to employees. know what, the owner has our back, parts@youngchevrolet.com Toll Free: 800-451-0108 “This is going to sound real- so we’ll have his back,’” Mora said. www.youngchevrolet.com Main: 214-328-9111, Opt. 5 9301 E. R.L. Thornton Fwy, Dallas, TX ly silly, but I went out and bought “They came to work when we asked a huge number of smiley face heli- them to work. They worked hard.” Direct: 214-328-8381 um balloons and placed one at ev- The management team went Fax (main): 214-328-6675 ery advisor’s office, one at the parts through the difficult process of buildFax (wholesale): 214-328-0716 counter and on the tables in the café ing a furlough list of employees just in

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

Media and Publicity for Shops Shop Strategies

Young Chevrolet

Body Shops Giving Back

Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA

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Shop Strategies with Victoria Antonelli

26 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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“With COVID-19 hitting, consumers were looking for different solutions. They wanted convenience,” Doering said. “It’s a user-friendly platform for our retailers, and provides consumers with an Uber-like experience, a fully-transparent experience.” Consumers can use an app or call to schedule pick-up, and the app allows the customer to see where the driver coming to get their vehicle is, and when the driver will arrive. That driver generally is dropping off a loaner at the same time, taking images of the condition of both vehicles at the handoff. Customers receive notification when their vehicle arrives at the dealer’s shop, and a similar process is used when the vehicle is ready to be returned. Dawn Matthews, service and parts director for the David Auto Group in Glen Mills, PA, said they are working with a third-party vendor to provide a similar service for their Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler customers, and agrees that transparency is the key. “That Uber-like experience, where a customer can track the driv-

er on their phone, I think customers really yearn for that,” she said. “The customer is looking for all the tools they have when they use DoorDash.” Doering said though it’s too early for Volvo to know if its valet service will positively affect customer retention as hoped, service ROs for customers using the valet service have been 21% higher compared to non-valet service ROs. “I think it comes down to trust and taking care of the customer’s problem,” he said. “If we can administer service in a way where we can be very transparent and provide convenience, consumers are willing to pay.” He said Volvo this year is providing a per-leg reimbursement to dealers to cover their labor costs for valet drivers, but is working toward implementing a convenience-fee model next year. “In every other industry, consumers pay for convenience,” he said. “People pay to have groceries or food delivered because the convenience is a value to them. Why shouldn’t that be the case with something like pick-up and delivery?”

SEMA360: Collision Repairers Learn How to Be ADASReady from AirPro Diagnostics by Stacey Phillips

During SEMA360 this week, AirPro Diagnostics hosted two roundtable sessions: “Diagnostics, What Service is Right for Me” and “How ADAS Ready is Your Shop?” Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the latest technology and aspects of diagnostics and calibrations from Eric Newell, vice president of field operations/business development for AirPro Diagnostics. Collision repairers were able to chat with Newell first-hand and learn how to assess their shop and what is required to ensure proper diagnostics and calibrations are completed on every repair. “We all know that technology is advancing, but how does each individual shop adapt and change with this technology?” said Newell. “There is more to fixing a car than there was 10 years ago. You need the experts in your corner to help you repair vehicles properly.” Newell and his team at SEMA360 were excited to network with industry professionals

and shops interested in AirPro Diagnostics’ latest technology in diagnostics and ADAS calibrations. “In today’s climate, we know connecting in person is difficult; however, it is paramount that each and every shop has access to the technology they need to properly repair every vehicle that comes into their facility,” said Newell. “SEMA360 is the way to do that this year.” Newell said they would have loved to be at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, in person this year, but they realize that wasn’t possible. “Maintaining the connection that SEMA brings every year is part of what keeps our industry moving and growing. Connecting is more important today than ever before.” For more information about the company, visit its virtual booth at the show https://www.sema360. com/ and website https://airpro diagnostics.com/.

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Be Prepared and Be Ready: Tips for Selling Your Business by Chasidy Rae Sisk

If you own a collision repair business, you will eventually have to ask: “Is it time to sell?” Rick Schwartz of Schwartz Advisors discussed this important decision Oct. 21 during “Tips on Selling Your Business,” part of ASA’s Webinar Wednesday series. Tony Molla, ASA vice president of industry relations, introduced Schwartz and the presentation: “While it’s not uncommon to have a succession plan in place, changing circumstances can and often do require a different strategy. It’s an individual decision that can only be made by a business owner.” Beginning by looking at mergers and acquisitions (M&A) over the last decade, Schwartz pointed out the strength of M&A in the automotive aftermarket industry. Though COVID-19 had a significant impact earlier this year, this industry is recovering faster than many others, with private equity firms investing and selling companies. “Be prepared and be ready,” Schwartz advised. “If you haven’t already, you will have to address mergers and acquisitions eventually—whether it’s your business, your competitors or others in your market. There’s a lot of opportunity to take advantage of M&A.” Although current M&A interest creates a lot of opportunities, buying or selling a business is a personal decision made by the business owner. “This might be the most important business decision you’ll ever make, so you have to be clear about what your objectives are,” Schwartz said. “If you’re ready to consider selling your business, be prepared! Business owners that do their homework before starting the sale process get better results.” According to Schwartz, automotive repair business valuations are high right now because large corporations want to grow and many are backed by private equity investors, causing a rush to consolidate local and regional chains; however, “valuations ebb and flow with the economy, and they will not always be this unbelievably high,” he cautioned. Those considering selling must

determine what they need to net, if they want to continue working, what the value of the business is and who potential buyers might be. “Buyers who see the strategic value in your business will always be inclined to pay a little more for your company,” Schwartz stressed. After making the decision to sell, you must decide if you will work for the new owner or if you will leave after a transition period. You should also be clear about which employees will continue to work for the new owner. “Your business is probably one of the most important assets that you own,” Schwartz said. “Figuring out what it’s really worth and who the likely buyers are is not easy, but it is possible to get a handle on things. This is your decision, so think through what your needs are and be prepared before you decide to start a sale process.” Before beginning the process, there are three topics that Schwartz suggests being well-versed on: your numbers, what makes your business valuable and your legal business structure. The sales process begins with the numbers, but many business owners are concerned this first step is too complicated. In addition to providing three years of financial statements, the seller must show a schedule of adjustments, identifying one-time expenses the new owner won’t have to pay for. “This is really critical in getting the optimal valuable for your company,” Schwartz explained. Reasonable projections for the next three to five years must also be included. Determine what makes the business valuable may not be as clearcut as you’d think—besides your customer list, key suppliers, physical assets and intellectual property, your employees and your own skills and reputation may be part of what makes the purchase so attractive. “A lot of times, YOU are what makes the business valuable, so how will it thrive if you’re leaving? You need to be able to show that the business will be able to survive without you, and then you need to be able to communicate this to a potential

buyer,” Schwartz said. “Knowing what makes your business exciting and valuable will help you negotiate with a buyer.” The legal structure of the business also has a significant impact on valuations and can help determine the best form of a transaction. Taxation laws also vary depending on whether the shop is registered as a corporation, partnership, LLC, etc. Selling your business is very emotional and disruptive, but Schwartz assured, “It does end. If you’re prepared and can avoid any hiccoughs, you have a shot at getting a better deal… even while you’re in the middle of the sales process, you have to continue running your business to take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace. Selling a business feels like a full-time job, but you can’t neglect your current job.” The bottom line, according to Schwartz, is that figuring out what your business is worth and sizing up your options for the future is doable. “It’s not rocket science, but it does take some thought and effort.

You have the ability to choose a path that works best for yourself, your family and your employees. Know what you want in the deal! If you only sell your business once in your life, make sure you plan for a successful deal.” ASA’s Oct. 21st Webinar Wednesday presentation was sponsored by DELL Technologies. ASA’s next three webinars include: “Tax Tips for Closing 2020: Are You Ready?” presented Oct. 28 by Eric Joern of James Hamling & Companies CPAs and Advisors; “Using Technology to Create a Competitive Advantage,” presented Nov. 18 by Chris Cloutier and Craig O’Neill of autotext.me; and “ASE Entry-Level Certification Helps Shop Owners Find New Talent,” presented Dec. 9 by John Saia from ASE Education Foundation Management. For more information or to register for ASA’s webinars, visit asashop. org/webinars. www.autobodynews.com

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Body Crafters: A COVID-19 Experience by Gary Ledoux

It’s tough enough, even in the best of times, to buy a second shop that needs updating. But when you buy that shop and a pandemic hits that keeps people at home and off the roads, that’s a real challenge. Jon Wise started his collision repair career right out of high school, at Body Crafters Auto Body in Broadhead, WI. After a few years, Wise decided to strike out on his own and open Midwest Fox Rods, a small shop in Rock City, IL, where he combined his love of building custom cars and trucks with some collision work to help pay the bills. He partnered with a technician who was supposed to specialize in mechanical work. But soon his potential partner bailed, out leaving Wise on his own. Undaunted, Wise carried on and his reputation in both collision work and custom work grew. People were coming to him for miles around for everything from quality collision repair to customizing modern Mustangs to classic Chevelles. Then Wise hit a patch of bad luck, and through a series of bad turns, he found himself homeless. With nothing else to do, and a need to survive, Wise worked in his shop 16 to 18 hours a day and slept on a couch in his office when he got tired. Eventually things turned around, his reputation grew, business improved and he hired two other techs to help him. As both the collision repair and customizing businesses improved, Wise knew he needed a bigger shop. One evening, while having a casual dinner with the people who still owned Body Crafter Auto Body, the first shop where Wise worked, a discussion ensued about how the present owners wanted to retire and get out of the business. They had been at it for 30 years and wanted to move onto the next chapter of their life, but didn’t want to sell it to just anyone. They knew Wise turned out quality work, and he let them know he needed a way to expand. One thing led to another and on Sept. 1, 2019, Wise pur-

chased Body Crafters Auto Body. “The shop was doing alright when I took it over; it was making money, but I knew we could take an already great shop and make it better,” said Wise. “The shop badly needed some updating, and new and better procedures to put cycle times where they should be.”

Wise continued, “We first retrained the young crew, basically restructuring how they worked and what their duties were so there was as little worker overlap as possible. Changing paint lines with better color match technology and clears with less bake time saved us on materials, faster color matches and cut our utility costs in half. “New LED lighting in the shop was also done, not only to brighten the shop up but cut our light bill down. Savings on clear coat alone saved enough money to pay for part of my technicians’ medical and dental insurance each month, which they didn’t have before.” Another problem was the equipment. “Some of the equipment was 20 years old,” said Wise. “The paint booth had seen little maintenance. The poor physical condition of the shop slowed everything down. We consolidated equipment and added some new pieces like a couple electric sanding stations to keep a cleaner shop and less reliance on air-powered tools.” But the biggest problem, said Wise, was “the techs were not working together and did not understand their roles.” It seems the painter was never happy with the finish sanding job the body techs gave him, so the painter would spend even more time sanding the same spot, again, slowing production to a crawl.

Eventually, Wise had to consolidate things. He laid off one tech at each shop and combined all his personnel from both shops at the Body Crafter location. The techs from the two shops learned how to work together, cut waste and be more efficient. Things were looking up. Cycle time had been cut in half, waste was minimized and the shop was making more money. And then COVID-19 hit. Just when his new business was starting to gain traction, March 2020 saw a dramatic drop in cars coming through the door. But Wise kept advertising and promoting the shop. “It was scary for a while,” said Wise. “But then things picked right up again. We are in a rural area just south of Madison, one of only three shops in this area. We have been able to pull some business from Madison and because we are close to my old shop, my existing customers followed me. It worked out.” When asked if they did anything special to generate business during the height of the pandemic, Wise replied,

“We do a lot of radio ads. In one of our ads we offered to write the estimate at the vehicle owner’s home. If they agreed to have us do the work, we would pick up the car, complete the repair and return a repaired and disinfected car to the customer. They would never have to leave their home. “Despite all the talk about staying home and staying safe, no one ever took us up on our offer. Work kept rolling in the door.” Now, a year after taking over Body Crafters, and despite the COVID-19 slowdown, Wise is setting sales and profit records for the shop. “We have only one DRP arrangement, and that’s with State Farm,” said Wise. “We have a good working relationship with them. We have plenty of collision work, and few insurance company issues.” And as for the custom work, Wise replied, “Custom work is fun and interesting, but sometimes it’s tough getting paid, so I pick and choose what I work on. Right now, I have a two-year backlog on custom work. It’s nice to be in demand!”

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Financial Incompetence is No Excuse! by Dave Luehr

Struggling businesspeople can often be heard reciting all the reasons they aren’t making enough money. When pressed, however, they rarely know how to make money. In fact, they usually can’t even tell me what their revenue is so far this month or how much they need to make to be profitable! Look, I agree. It’s tough out there. But I really believe the ones doing most of the complaining are often the ones who need to do most of the learning! In most countries, we have been given the legal right to open and conduct a business; however, we do not have the right to operate a business successfully, unless we learn business skills! More precisely, financial skills. Let me take you back to 1991. There I was on another typical gray, rainy, Oregon afternoon. I was traveling at a speed which felt dangerously high for my Mazda pickup. I knew the I-5 corridor very well from the many trips between my shop in Salem and Portland, where all the large dealership parts warehouses were. I knew where most of the cops would hide. On that particular day in 1991, though, I was looking extra hard for them because I had my name painted down the entire side of the truck, “Luehr’s Auto Body” in bright colors. Plus, I really couldn’t afford to get caught. Here’s why. You see, 30 minutes prior, I was notified by my receptionist that I didn’t have enough money in the bank to meet payroll today unless the blue 1986 Buick got picked up and fully paid for! The only problem was we didn’t have the parts we needed to finish the Buick! Thank God Ron Tonkin Chevrolet had these parts in stock. Now, if I could just get to Portland and back in just under two hours, we may be able to deliver the car, get the check and race my employees to the bank so their checks would clear! The ridiculous thing? This was not the first time this race had taken place. No, far from it. If I was going to survive in business, this madness had to stop!

The Decision This was when I decided to take personal responsibility for my financial incompetence and learn how to take back control of my business by knowing, proactively and in advance, what my financial situation was going to be each and every day so that I could make adjustments and take action in the moment to “make my month” every day. If you can relate to my story, or if you often say things like, “I can’t make any money,” I want to ask you something: how do you know? The truth is a huge percentage of the shops I talk to in North America are simply not equipped with the financial knowhow required to be highly successful in today’s challenging marketplace. They think they are not making money because the checkbook is out of checks! It is a shame shops continue to struggle with this, because it is a relatively easy fix if they are willing to put forth some effort into learning. If you are anything like I was way back in my early business days, you can—and you must—seek to acquire a basic understanding of how to operate a business by the numbers. If a guy like me, who barely made it out of high school, can run a successful business by the numbers, so can you! Here are some suggestions to get you started. The Basics While I recommend shop owners learn as much as they can about the financial side of their business, I believe they should at least learn the basics. The more advanced stuff can be outsourced in many cases to trusted partners such as bookkeeping services or CPAs. If you need help getting started or need an ongoing financial expert, we at Elite Body Shop Solutions also have advisors who can help. Or maybe you are like me? Once I learned the basics, I became addicted to mastering the financial stuff! After all, once you master the math, you can master the money! So, what are the basics? To begin with, a shop leader needs to understand these four things:

1. Profit and loss Profit and loss is the simple equation that shows revenue coming in the various departments like parts, labor, materials and sublet, then subtracts the expenses involved, thereby leaving a profit or a loss in revenue. The bottom of a P&L statement shows your net profit. Profit and loss statements are usually produced each month, after the month is over. This is a great way to analyze past performance; however, it is a history report. Smart operators also use the same basic P&L structure to analyze each job during the month. This is an opportunity to check profit centers such as parts, labor and materials on each job so shops can optimize profitability on each job before it’s too late. This practice, commonly called job costing, is a proactive approach and is a critical component of running a business by the numbers. The profit and loss statement, P&L or Income Statement is a document most shops produce monthly to show operating performance. This document will indicate if the business is operating profitably or not; the only problem is that, as important as this information is, it doesn’t tell the whole story. 2. The difference between profit and cash It is important to know the difference between profit and cash. I know many businesses that are actually profitable, while running negative cashflow. That is something I learned the hard way back in 1991. I grew my business so fast I had too much work in process and ended up draining all my cash. In other words, I was buying parts and materials for cars I wasn’t going to begin repairs on for several more weeks. Another area that chews up cash in an otherwise profitable business is accounts receivable. I learned early on I needed to keep my paperwork and supplements in real time with the vehicle repairs so I could keep A/R to a bare minimum. 3. Breakeven What is breakeven? My friend Bruce King describes breakeven as the day of the month where you make exactly

zero money! As funny as that sounds, he is exactly right. Breakeven is usually described as a moment in time, typically a day in the month, when the shop has earned enough gross profit from revenue to meet the shop’s indirect costs. Simply understanding a shop’s breakeven number allows proactive action from management to reach the number as early in the month as possible and to start accumulating profit during the remaining days. And, unless a shop owner knows his or her numbers every day along the way, compared to a goal, the shop is flying blind! Finally, there are several numbers that shop owners should keep track of every single day! 4. Five Numbers You Need to Know Every Day MTD Revenue vs. Goal MTD Labor Hours vs. Goal MTD Deposits vs. Goal WIP vs. Goal Scheduled WIP vs. Goal Wrapping It Up I don’t want to come off too harsh here, but it is critical for shop leaders to understand this. We work in a time and in an industry that is becoming dominated by “businesspeople” who understand how to run businesses by the numbers. Financial incompetence is no longer an acceptable excuse for poor business performance primarily because the education is so widely available. Whether a shop owner chooses to obtain some basics and then outsources the complicated stuff or wants to master it him or herself, it is time to start creating a prosperous financial future! Like I said, if I can learn this stuff so can you!

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32 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Bentley to Go Carbon Neutral by 2030 with Fully Electric Fleet by Loukia Papadopoulos, Interesting Engineering

Bentley Motors has announced it plans to become a global leader in sustainable luxury mobility with what it calls its Beyond100 strategy. The firm is promising to deliver truly sustainable luxury vehicles by reinventing its business to become an end-to-end carbon neutral organization.

Credit: Bentley

The plan includes a switch to offering exclusively plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles by 2026 and fully electric vehicles only by 2030.

Bentley will achieve its lofty goals through a structured, business-wide sustainability program that includes the development of

throughout all of its present and future cars. Bentley has already achieved an important milestone in its quest to

“Within a decade, Bentley will transform from a 100-year-old luxury car company to a new, sustainable, wholly ethical role model for luxury.” — Adrian Hallmark electrified models and upgrades on its operational environmental impact. In addition, by 2023, every model line will be offered with the option of a hybrid variant and Bentley’s first fully electric model will be introduced in 2025. By 2026, Bentley’s offerings will focus exclusively on plug-in hybrid and electric models, and by 2030, this will change to solely producing battery electric vehicles. Furthermore, the firm will use only sustainably sourced materials

be carbon neutral. Its production facility in Crewe became the first luxury automotive factory in Britain to be certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust in the last year. Looks like the carmaker is well underway to a zero-carbon future. Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said in a statement, “Driving this change includes, and also goes beyond our products, delivering a paradigm shift throughout our business, with credibility, authenticity and integrity. Within a decade, Bentley will transform from a 100-year-old luxury car company to a new, sustainable, wholly ethical role model for luxury.” We thank Interesting Engineering for reprint permission.

CCC Introduces ADAS Insights CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC) announced Nov. 9 the availability of CCC® VIN Connect-ADAS, the latest in a series of innovations that support underwriting precision at the point-of-quote. CCC VIN Connect-ADAS provides a vehicle-level view of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), providing underwriters with an easy way to understand available safety features to assess risk more accurately. CCC VIN Connect-ADAS is part of a broader offering that helps underwriters gain a 360-view of a driver and their vehicle. The VIN Connect portfolio connects underwriters to ADAS and driving behavior data via a single API. CCC Quick View is a mobile app that can be presented within an insurer’s own policyholder app experience. Source: CCC

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SEMA Show Goes On with Ed Attanasio

Media and Publicity for Shops

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

with Ed Attanasio

Marketing in 2020: Will People Find You and What Will They See? The marketing game is more import- to marketing online has to do with ant in 2020 than ever before. Are images, and Grieve went through a people finding your business online, series of examples to illustrate their with Phillips importance. and if they are what areStacey they seeing? He showed slides of shops with Are you getting leads online or di- photos of unflattering of things, sappearing altogether? These were some of the ques- such as cluttered waiting rooms, tions that were answered dirty shop floors and beatduring a presentation at up cars in parking lots. He with Stacey Phillips SEMA360, part of the SCRS warned shops should never 2020 Repairer Driven Educapost about unrelated things tion series, co-hosted by PR online—like politics, for Media Coach Eric Reamer example—and that if you and Owner Robert Grieve have photos of vehicles, you at Nylund’s Collision Center, PR Media Coach Eric must not show cars’ license a 30-year-old shop in Englehelps body numbers, a mistake many with StaceyReamer Phillips shops and small wood, CO. make. Reamer and Grieve businesses with their “Photos are more importonline presence addressed two critically ant than ever, especially in important aspects of markethe COVID place where we ting your shop—how to force Goo- are right now,” Grieve said. “More gle to attract more of the right cus- and more people are now shopping tomers to your business, and howPhillips to online and doing their research onwith Stacey win their business before they ever line. It was a preference for many step foot on the property. years, but now it’s more like a ne In this class, Reamer and Grie- cessity. ve described exactly how to jump “We believe that images are a the line in Google search results by critical piece because images such as answering the same questions your photography and multimedia have prospects are asking day. And an immense impact on the consuwithevery Victoria Antonelli once they find you—how to mer’s purchasing behavior seal the deal by appealing to because they provide a way what matters most to them. for them to make a visual Grieve specifically shaconnection with a product red valuable information abbefore they buy it,” he conout how shops can accelerate tinued. “The goal is to convisibility online and close nect to a consumer without with Ed Attanasio more sales with people al- Owner Robert Grieve them being in your shop ready leaning in to their offe- at Nylund’s Collision physically. Good images Center has been rings. will foster confidence in the doing his shop’s “‘If you didn’t know customer’s eyes and it haponline marketing pens in milliseconds.” where you’re going, it really since day one Reamer strengthened the doesn’t matter what you do to get there’ is an old saying that ap- case about images by citing the fact with Gary Ledoux plies in many ways to the way shops that 90% of all visual messages, with photos, will stick in someone’s mind, market themselves,” Reamer said. To point collision repairers in while only 20% will read your webthe right direction, Reamer initially site’s content. Sixty-three percent cited some stats to support his claims. reported images are more important One number that stood out was the to them than a product description, fact 92% of all people use Google to for example. In addition, people who with Stacey Phillips perform their searches. shop on their phones say images are “Almost every computer out the most important feature. there comes with Bing installed, but Body shop people need to think no one uses it,” Reamer said. like their customers if they want to One of the main components win on Google.

Shop Strategies

Body Shops Giving Back

Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA

“Stop looking through our lenses and eyes and look through our existing and potential customers’ lenses,” Reamer said. One of the best ways to connect with new and old customers is by creating relevant content that meets Google’s standards. “Making Google happy is key,” Reamer said. “Coming up with original articles, for a blog or social media, and optimizing them is important. To do this right, you have to do Google-speak and play by their rules. We’re in their sand box, so they call the shots. “Google is a god online, but with a lower ‘g’. If you do everything correctly, Google will funnel people onto your site, Yelp or social media, and connect to the 4% of all customers who are out there already thinking about you.” The mission for any piece of

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new content is to get customers to share it with their friends and colleagues online. “It’s so much more powerful when your customers tell you story for you,” Reamer said. “Your website is one of the only places online where you can control everything, so determining what people are looking for is key. Maybe they want to see your facility, talk about specific vehicles, compare prices, online reviews, etc.—you want to be able to address all of their questions through your content.” Reamer explained shops don’t need to attract the masses, only the 1% to 4% of those people who are already within your potential market. It’s not rocket science, he said, but in the end, you have to learn about things such as meta tags, search engine optimization (SEO) and what

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autobodynews.com / DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

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Mike’s Auto Body Gives 2 Cars in Conjunction with Hemophilia Foundation by Ed Attanasio

Mike’s Auto Body is celebrating its 20th anniversary of giving cars to deserving individuals, families and nonprofit organizations, with a grand total of 92 vehicles donated since 2000. On Oct. 21, the company collaborated with the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California, Farmers Insurance and NABC Recycled Rides to present two refurbished cars to two Bay Area families. Javier Caro Valdez received a 2015 Hyundai Elantra, and Nicholas DeFalco was presented with a 2016 Honda Fit, with trunks full of gifts, gas cards and car safety kits. All local guidelines regarding public gatherings were followed at the event, including social distancing, and the wearing of masks. The presentation also included the grand opening of Mike’s Auto Body’s newest location in Pleasanton, CA. The Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California (HFNC) serves the needs of people impacted by

bleeding disorders through enhancing quality of life by providing support, education, outreach, advocacy and research. This marks the fourth time Mike’s has found worthy recipients from HFNC through its benevolence program. Mike’s Sal Contreras has emceed its car presentations for many years, but he never gets tired of working with local nonprofit organizations to help people in need. “We are excited to work with the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California, NABC Recycled Rides and Farmers Insurance as we celebrate our 20th anniversary,” he said. “It’s always so satisfying to see how the lives of these individuals and organizations change dramatically through the gift of transportation.” Owner Mike Rose described the program and its value to the community. “We feel very fortunate to be involved with such a wonderful program and are very excited to be able to give back to that communi-

ford and Farmers Insurance agent Ruben Herrera. Local companies that donated products and services included National Auto Parts, PPG Automotive Refinish, Geronimo’s Detail WC, Big O Tires, All-Star Hyundai, Lexus of Concord, Four Corners Union 76, Dan’s Glass, Winter Honda, Glasstek, MAB Towing, Adolph’s Autohaus, West Coast Wheels, Pacific Rim, Vinyl Touch, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, SRS Extreme Airbag and AutoNation Hyundai. Photos in “Mike’s Auto Body” folder in Dec 20 Production:

ties that have supported us along the way,” he said. “After receiving hundreds of applications over the years and reading the heartbreaking stories, we only wish that we could do more. But hopefully with increased publicity of our program, other shops will adopt similar programs of their own.” Director of Marketing Dane Dearlove talked about all of the people needed in order to give away 92 cars over the last two decades. “One Team, One Mission says it all,” he said. “Without our business and insurance partners, as well as our managers and employees, we wouldn’t have been able to do this for 20 years at this level. It’s an honor to work with this company and these people.” After Contreras opened the presentation with an invocation, speakers included Dearlove, Vice Mayor of Pleasanton Kathy Narum, Pete Barbounis from the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California, Farmers Insurance district managers Daniel Brown and Rachel Craw-

1: Mike’s Auto Body gave away two vehicles in conjunction with the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California. 2: Javier Caro Valdez received a completely refurbished 2015 Hyundai Elantra with a trunk full of gifts, gas cards and car safety kits. 3: Recipient Nicholas DeFalco was presented with a 2016 Honda Fit.

Woman Who Sued Body Shop Over Aston Martin Repair Bill Now Ordered to Pay $250,000 by Michael Karkafiris, Car Scoops

A judge rejected claims by the owner of a crashed Aston Martin DB9 that a body shop tried to scam her, and was ordered to pay more than CA$330,000 or about US$250,000 in current exchange rates. The three-year legal battle between Jessica Liu, the owner of a crashed Aston Martin DB9, MCL Motor Cars, a dealership based in Vancouver, and Burrard Autostrasse, the body shop in question, came to an end as the owner now has to pay almost twice the value of her car. Jessica Liu crashed her 2014 Aston Martin DB9—worth around CA$200,000 at the time— in December 2015 into a rock and had the car towed to Burrard Autostrasse. Liu, who only had basic insurance, received a formal initial estimate of between CA$85,000 and CA$132,000 Canadian (US$65,000 to US$100,000) as the car had suffered structural damage. Liu paid a deposit of CA$50,000 (US$38,000) but refused to pay the remaining sum, filing instead a lawsuit against

the auto shop and the dealership. In her lawsuit, Liu claimed that she had been taken advantage of due to her lack of English skills and perception of wealth, and accused the dealership and the auto shop

day. In her lawsuit, Liu was seeking CA$300,000 Canadian (US$226,000) as compensation as she claimed she suffered a long list of personal injuries that included depression and anxiety, sleeping disorders and low self-esteem among others. She went through four different law firms before eventually representing herself in court. In her ruling of the case, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Nitya Iyer found there was no evidence and no legal basis for any of Liu’s claims. The judge ordered Liu to settle not only the unpaid cost of the repairs and indoor storage fees, 2012 Aston Martin D89. Credit: Stock photo courtesy of which amount to about Aston Martin US$330,000 Canadian of breach of contract and collusion (US$250,000), but to pay some of between the two defendants, Rich- Burrard’s legal costs as well. “Ms. Liu’s claim is meritless mond News reports. Since the owner didn’t pick up and she has made resolution of the the car, Burrard Autostrasse stored the issue virtually impossible,” Iyer Aston Martin DB9 indoors for pro- wrote, as reported by TheBreaker. tection and charged her CA$200 per “Objectively assessed, her allega-

tions of fraud, conspiracy, fraudulent misrepresentation, or breach of fiduciary duty are without legal foundation and she should not have advanced them. It is clear that Ms. Liu’s conduct of the litigation has been frustrating and extremely unpleasant for Burrard. “Notably, over $97,000 of this amount represented the cost of the parts Burrard purchased from Aston Martin to perform the repair. Burrard’s labour cost was about $12,000, or just under 9% of the total invoice,” the judge continued. “She claims damages for various personal injuries and for travel to and from China, along with the value of a new vehicle, $300,000 and increased costs,” said Iyer’s verdict. “The stated legal basis for her claims is coercion, breach of fiduciary duty and extortion of her as a ‘financially well off’ person whose first language is not English. None of the evidence before me supports these allegations.” We thank Car Scoops for reprint permission.

36 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Customer Service is King: The Modern Customer Journey by Ed Attanasio

During SEMA360, SCRS hosted a series of educational offerings with topics that deal with scanning and diagnostics, repair procedures and marketing. One of the latter was “The Modern Customer Journey,” presented by Enterprise Account Executive/ Professional Services Bob O’Brien at Podium. Podium is a privately held technology company headquartered in Lehi, UT, that develops cloud-based software to help businesses that want to modernize customer interactions through Podium’s Interactive Management System. This class outlined the way customers are changing and how body shops can adapt to succeed, but it requires forward thinking and a proactive approach because the technology is changing rapidly. The pandemic has changed everything, but those shops that are rolling with the punches and making alterations to their marketing, adver-

tising and customer service processes will stay ahead of the game. O’Brien set the stage to open his presentation. “Within the last half decade, we have all witnessed one of the world’s most significant shifts in the customer journey,” he said. “Mobility and technology are impacting how customers communicate with your business and how businesses interact with customers.” One of the largest shifts is directly connected to the fact that customers now expect immediate and convenient information delivered promptly. The average consumer will no longer sit on hold, and pretty soon the personal phone call will approach extinction, he explained. Phones are literally pocket-sized computers, offering instantaneous searchability for anything we desire. They are valuable tools body shops can use to improve their customer service, as long as they are willing to change. O’Brien concentrated on three main points: Understanding expec-

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tations, adapting to customers and navigating the new modern customer journey. “The only constant is change,” he said. “It’s no longer all about the big fish eating the small fish. Today it’s the fast fish eating the slow fish.” Those who resist change or are slow to adapt, especially during COVID-19, are going to struggle. “There are more digital channels than ever and people’s expectations have changed as a result, notably in the world of collision repair. In the old days, customers could come to the shop, shake the manager’s hand and talk to an estimator, parts person or technician, for example.” New platforms can provide a more attractive, convenient and efficient way to communicate, and texting is now leading the way, O’Brien said. “The surge in ‘near me’ searches illustrates that we want immediate solutions and we want them right now. Consumers are looking for new ways to leverage these devices that are in their pockets and performing

more and more tasks with them at an exponential rate.” Already popular during normal times, texting has gained even more momentum since the pandemic became a daily part of our lives, O’Brien said. “Over 90% of people now prefer texting over any other form of communication. Therefore, using phone calls and emails as your main channels of communication is becoming a liability to the efficiency and quality of your business.” With new technology, consumers expect your shop will use the latest systems in order to provide optimum customer service. “Studies have revealed that 85% of all consumers expect local businesses to offer more convenient communication and services now more than prior to the outset of COVID-19.” Things aren’t going to revert back any time soon, and that’s why body shops will be forced to change the ways they’ve been doing business for decades, he said. “More than half of all consum-

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38 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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ers s vide lose ple a out cust ees ery v after than nolo eryo acro a cu a sh mor onli smo to fi sche catio antic appr beca getti tom cy a

ers say that shops who will not provide pandemic-friendly services will lose their patronage,” he said. “People are going elsewhere and seeking out shops that are focused more on customer safety, such as all employees wearing masks and cleaning every vehicle inside and out before and after the repair.” Consumers are more tech savvy than ever and unfazed by new technology. “As one industry changes, everyone then drags their expectations across other industries,” he said. “If a customer loses any confidence in a shop, more and more people are more than willing to pivot and go online to find a new one.” As a result, people demand a smooth and easy process from start to finish. Finding a shop online, scheduling appointments, communication during the repair—consumers anticipate an “in and out on the go” approach, O’Brien said. It also benefits the shop as well, because the payment process and getting a positive review from customers is also streamlined. Efficiency and convenience for the shop and

its customers has changed the consumer experience forever. Capturing online reviews is an ongoing process because people covet more recent reviews less than three months old. “Some companies proactively pursue reviews for a period of time and then stop, which is a mistake,” he said. “If you have a bunch of reviews from 2018 and then very little after that, it’s not a good sign.” People are not afraid to change their habits if they see a logical and convenient way of doing things, he said. “Consumers will pivot and go online without hesitation. You can have long-term customers who will alter their behavior if you can engage with them in a timely and easy manner.” Customer service has always been important, but even more essential in a modern world. “Customer service is overtaking price and product,” O’Brien said. “It’s the differentiating quality. Price and quality are still a part of the decision, but customer service is now king.”

asTech Shares Information About Its Services & Importance of Scanning During SEMA360 by Stacey Phillips

During the SEMA360 virtual show, asTech shared detailed information with attendees about the services the company offers and what sets the company apart from others in the industry. “Most people think of asTech as providing hardware, but we’re really a service provider,” said Don Mikrut, asTech’s chief development officer. Mikrut explained that asTech ASE-certified and dealer-trained technicians use their patented technology to run OEM scanning tools remotely and ensure electronic vehicle systems are returned back to OEM standards post-collision repair. The asTech tool is currently going through an iteration expected to be complete in late summer or early fall 2021. “One of the exciting things about the next generation of the asTech tool is that it allows for enhanced communication for the industry,” said Mikrut.

During SEMA360, 20 asTech team members were on-hand to provide information about the company and its offerings. “The asTech unit is an enabler and I think that’s one of the things we were able to share during the virtual show this year,” Mikrut said. asTech coordinated a variety of roundtable sessions throughout the week, focusing on topical industry issues. They also spent time talking about how the industry looks at scanning, and educated attendees on the differences between OEM data and OEM tools. Mikrut said the team received a lot of great reviews from current clients who visited the virtual booth, as well as prospective customers who wanted to learn more about the company’s offerings. “We jumped in with both feet to support SEMA360 this year,” said Mikrut. “It was sad that the show had to go virtual, but we certainly understand. We love what SEMA has done for the industry.”

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Tesla About to Make Producing 1 Million EVs Per Year Unremarkable by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati

It’s a bit amazing that just over two years ago, Tesla was struggling to hit a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 per week at the Fremont Factory in California. The target, which proved elusive enough to warrant extreme attention from TSLA short-sellers, was achieved at the end of Q2 2018, six months behind the company’s initial schedule. Over the course of 2018, Tesla delivered a whopping 245,240 cars, a new record for the company. Since then, Tesla has steadily ramped its vehicle production capabilities, and Nov. 11, the company is aiming to deliver around half a million electric cars by the end of the year. That’s despite a pandemic that has shaken the world, which has resulted in shutdowns in Tesla’s two production facilities, the Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Shanghai. Giga Shanghai is only in its first year of operations too and is not yet fully ramped. But Tesla, if any, is a beast of optimism and possibility. It’s the one carmaker that is still growing during a pandemic, and its vehicles, particular-

ly the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover, are seeing strong demand from consumers.

Credit: The Kilowatts/Twitter

With this in mind, Tesla has noted that it intends to ramp its vehicle production capabilities to the millions within the next years. It would not be surprising at all if the company announces that it would be producing and delivering 1 million cars by next year. Such an idea might sound implausible now, but so was the idea of pursuing a delivery goal of 500,000 vehicles in a year that’s weighed down by a pandemic. What is rather noteworthy is that over the years, Tesla has steadily established itself as a capable automaker that has what it takes to deliver on its goals. The company may not always be on time and it may hit snags with the build quality of its first-pro-

AkzoNobel Hits SEMA360 in a Big Way, Virtually by Ed Attanasio

When things change fast like in 2020, some companies adapt and succeed, and AkzoNobel is one of those companies. When SEMA 2020 was cancelled, AkzoNobel Marketing Communications Manager/ North America Jen Poliski saw it as an opportunity as opposed to an obstacle. She and Regional Marketing Support Specialist Sue Jaszkowski decided to take full advantage of SEMA360. “SEMA360 is like nothing we’ve ever experienced, with virtual booths and virtual meetings, which many believe will be the new normal,” Poliski said. “We looked at this carefully and considered our participation, but in the end, it was a no-brainer. “This is unknown territory and it was definitely a tough call,” Poliski continued. “SEMA has always been critical to our success at AkzoNobel and we always invest a ton of resources into it. This is where we engage with our clients and prospects, so we decided

to get involved and use this new platform to achieve our goals.” AkzoNobel has 17 team members in its virtual booth working in shifts, just like in a real booth. You can meet with any of them—virtually, of course—and discuss your refinish needs. To check out its roundtable discussions and/or all of the AkzoNobel product brochures, visit the virtual booth or access AkzoNobel.com. During the educational offerings at SEMA360, AkzoNobel Senior Services Consultant Tim Ronak will discuss how a repairer might have to charge a higher rate just to break even on equipment or OEM certification expenses, and explained how GAAP could demystify an insurer’s “cost of doing business” in his presentation, “Overcoming Insurer Objections to Payment for Needed Repair Procedures,” available to view until Aug. 31, 2021.

AUTOBODY

duction vehicles, but it does stay true to its word. The same is true for Elon Musk. FSD may have been delayed for some time, for example, but the limited beta that’s testing today is very real, and its potentials are vast. With these milestones comes a normalcy of sorts for Tesla. While the company made headlines when it first broke the 5,000 Model 3 per week barrier, for example, such things are simply unremarkable today. And that’s really where Tesla’s magic lies. The company simply has the capability to make something remarkable seem normal. This was true with regards to the public’s perception of the power and capabilities of electric cars against their gas-powered rivals. This will likely be true when it comes to vehicle production capabilities as well. This is already starting for the electric car maker. Just recently, data from the Chinese Passenger Car Association (CPCA) revealed Tesla China was able to produce 22,292 Model 3 in Gigafactory Shanghai in the month of October. This translates to a run-rate of 275,148 vehicles per year. Interestingly enough, leaks from

industry insiders have suggested that Tesla China is aiming to produce 550,000 cars in 2021, with 300,000 of those being the Model 3. Considering Tesla China’s October production figures, it would appear the company is already well within striking distance of its 2021 Model 3 production goal. It wouldn’t be surprising if Tesla hits a run-rate of 300,000 China-made Model 3s by the end of the year, and it would be quite silly to assume the company would stop optimizing Gigafactory Shanghai at that level. If Gigafactory Shanghai can build 550,000 cars in 2021, Tesla would have a pretty solid chance of producing 1 million vehicles in one year. This would no doubt be a milestone for the company. But if Tesla’s previous years are any indication, it would only take a few years before vehicle production rates in the level of millions will be considered expected, or even better, unremarkable. Once that happens, then one could probably declare the electric car age is truly beginning. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

Ford Fund Pledges $200K to Keep Students Learning During Pandemic by Kyle Johnson, The News Wheel

Ford Motor Company Chief Customer Experience Officer Elena Ford and Ford Fund made a $200,000 investment in October to support education services for students affected by the pandemic. The funds help students in the Dallas, Houston and Phoenix areas by covering 30,000 books and putting must-have supplies in the hands of 1,500 educators. This investment is the latest step in a partnership between Ford Fund and First Book. Since 2015, the partnership has provided 130,000 books to students across the U.S. Ford Fund’s contributions over the life of the initiative total $600,000. Elena Ford kicked off this latest round of contributions with a virtual reading for 10,000 students. She and author Andrea Beaty read the latter’s “Rosie Revere, Engineer,” which lines up with Ford’s push to encourage girls to get involved in the

STEAM fields. After the reading, educators received gift cards to cover books, classroom supplies and cleaning goods like sanitizer. The $200,000 donation helps students from underserved communities hit hardest by COVID-19. “We’re showing the kids that no matter where you learn— school or home—books can inspire dreams and spark interest in subjects that could be the beginning of an exciting career,” said Elena Ford. “We want kids to understand that reading is fun and rewarding and will allow them to take advantage of educational opportunities that can help them achieve personal success.” Ford Fund invests over $13 million each year in education programs and initiatives. In 2020, Ford Fund has committed almost $3 million to help communities deal with the ongoing pandemic. We thank The News Wheel for reprint permission.

40 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Continued from Page 34

Volvo Airbag Death Causes S60 and S80 Recall by David A. Wood, Car Complaints

A Volvo airbag death has led to a recall of more than 54,000 model year 2001-2003 S60 and S80 vehicles that were sold or registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Volvo airbag death involved a driver-side frontal airbag inflator manufactured by ZF Group that exploded and sent metal fragments into the driver. The automaker didn’t release information about the death, but Volvo, ZF and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believe it’s the only reported Volvo airbag rupture fatality worldwide. Volvo, ZF and NHTSA investigated the inflator rupture and believe moisture affected the propellant used to deploy the airbag. Although it’s similar to stories

involving exploding airbags supplied by Takata, the Volvo airbag death involves a different propellant. Takata airbag inflator ruptures were caused by the propellant ammonium nitrate which became unstable when affected by heat, humidity and moisture. But according to Volvo, the airbags in the S60 and S80 vehicles “are from the introduction of propellant 5 AT 148 N.” It may be a different propellant which caused the Volvo airbag death, but the surrounding circumstances do involve heat, humidity and moisture as in the Takata inflator explosions. Volvo says if the propellant tablets are exposed to elevated moisture levels and frequent high airbag inflator temperatures, the tablets can start to decay and form dust particles. Dust increases the burn surface area and burn rate, resulting in higher combustion chamber pressure and increasing the risk of a ruptured inflator. According to documents filed

with NHTSA, Volvo first learned about the airbag death in June 2019 when contacted by an attorney concerning the fatality. Volvo Airbag Replacements May Take Months Model year 2001-2003 S60 and S80 owners will likely have concerns after hearing about the Volvo airbag death, but the automaker says replacement airbags aren’t ready to go. Volvo will send interim recall notices to owners beginning Jan. 4, 2021, then second recall notices will be sent when replacement airbags are available. According to the automaker, the parts should be available sometime during the first quarter of 2021. A dealership will install a new “driver airbag with a modern state-of-the-art propellant/inflator.” Concerned S60 and S80 owners may call 866-870-2046 and ask about recall number R10058. We thank Car Complaints for reprint permission.

Marketing in 2020 exactly constitutes of original content. “I would search your topic— ‘how to find the best body shop,’ for example—online and create a better article that is better than 10 others you can find. Look at what your competition is doing and do it better. You don’t have to outrun the bear, just the guy in front of you,” Reamer said. By taking some of these ideas and using them after SEMA360, shops will hopefully be able to win when it comes to Google, because what we’ve learned is that it is truly the only game in town.

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42 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Manufacturers Continue to Offer Exclusive Discounts to SEMA360 Attendees by Della Domingo, SEMA

Following up on previous SEMA eNews items, below are additional specials, discounts and previews from SEMA360 manufacturers. 1-800EveryRim OEM Wheels will offer qualifying companies a onetime, 10% discount valid through 2020 on any non-special order whee(s). During SEMA360, the company will be featuring its RimText system (951-RimText/951-746-8398) and online portal www.EveryRim. com. ALLDATA will offer 25% off its ALLDATA product bundles, as well as host live product demos and oneon-one interaction with account reps providing details on its OEM repair information software, diagnostics and shop management solutions. Fluidampr will have tech support staff ready to share information about their products, along with downloadable catalogs and educational materials. They will also have best-of content and influencer contributions, including videos from industry-leading engine builders Gale Banks and Mike Kojima, and two “Learn @

Lunch with Fluidampr” presentations, at noon PST Nov. 3 and Nov. 5. SCANGRIP A/S is offering almost half off the regular price of its Nova-UV S, MiniMatch, and Multimatch R. They will also feature the UV-Gun, Scangrip’s newest UV curing lamp that helps speed up the curing process in the collision repair industry, and a new and improved design for its popular wheel stand. Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. LLC will hold live training and demonstrations of aluminum welding theory and techniques. They will also cover basic and advanced machine settings using the Multimatic 220 AC/ DC and answer welding-related questions, each at 11 a.m. PST Nov. 3, 4 and 6. TWN Industries will offer free training ($2,000 value) and $1,500 off to SEMA360 attendees for its we manufacture films and paints used to turn boring plastic dashboards and interior trim into carbon fiber or realistic wood grain finishes. Bolt On Technology will be waiving set up fees for purchases made during SEMA360. The company offers Digital Vehicle Inspection

reports to new and used car dealer service centers, auto body shops, parts vendors, import car, truck, RV, motorcycle and marine repair specialists, fleet managers and other sectors of the automotive aftermarket. The reports give drivers the ability to see photos of their repairs and read technician recommendations on a mobile device. Bishop Innovations—HOZEEZ will have a discount code available for download from its Showcase, which can be used on their website after SEMA360. The company offers HOZEEZ, which allows consumers to wash cars without the hose getting stuck under tires, and Merchandising Display to display HOZEEZ. On their Showcase, attendees will also see product videos, including one featuring a 5,000-lb. SUV driving over the HOZEEZ. Clean Supply Pro—Sanitizer and Multi-Surface will offer 35% off all products at www.TheCleanSupply.com/SEMA. The company offers hand sanitizer, sprays and multisurface cleansers formulated with 80% ethyl alcohol and health care-grade ingredients to meet all WHO recommendations.

Intercomp Racing will be highlighting new products that make it possible to use a mobile device as a second wireless indicator via Bluetooth on all of its wireless scale systems. Other new products include a wireless load stick and billet scale pad levelers. Additionally, the company is featuring its line of valve spring testers, shock dynos and digital camber/ caster gauges. Illinios Lock Company (ILC) will showcase its Blue Origin, Electronic Rotary Latch Series and Position Control Hinges, with product specialists available throughout the week. Blue Origin is ILC’s latest product that allows access to the truck or cab of a vehicle via Bluetooth. Manufacturer Showcases are only available on SEMA360. Login for SEMA360 will be provided to all those who register and are approved to participate. Early registration is recommended to receive login details as early as possible. Additional details about SEMA360 taking place entirely online on Nov. 2-6 are available at www.sema360.com. We thank SEMA for reprint permission.

Autel Diagnostics Develops Autel Virtual for the Complete SEMA360 Experience by Ed Attanasio

From helpful direction to assistance with your next order of Genuine Volkswagen Collision Parts, our team is well read on ways to make your job easier.

You can explore everything that’s new from Autel Tools, including advanced diagnostics, ADAS calibration, TPMS tire service, key programming and much more.

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Contact your local Volkswagen dealer or visit Wholesale.VWServiceandParts.com to place your Genuine VW Collision Parts order today. “ Volkswagen” and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. ©2020 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Autel Diagnostics created Autel Virtual specifically for SEMA360

Watch video highlights of each tool line, dive deeper on our in-depth category pages and even speak live with an Autel Product Expert at SEMA360. Autel has seven people ready to answer all of your questions, including National Sales Manager & Training Director Michael Flink, an expert on automotive diagnostics.

One of their newest products in the Autel IMMO & Key Programming tool line is the IM608PROKPA, a comprehensive packaged bundle. The included Adapter Kit and XP400Pro expand European vehicle coverage and EEPROM function including 2,000 component types. “Whether you have one or multiple shops, Autel has an ADAS calibration system fit for you,” an Autel spokesperson said. “Our portable MA600 Frame folds easily for transport, helping shops affordably target a new revenue stream. The sturdy standard frame is ideal for single shops or for use with an alignment machine.” Autel is the only manufacturer to offer a complete TPMS solution to the collision repair industry. The TS508, TS508WF and TS608 feature four MX-Sensor programming methods and enhanced system status screen. The dual-frequency 1-Sensor is 99% OE-compatible with a quick release Press button so aluminum and rubber valve stems can be easily replaced. Learn about The MaxiSYS Ultra at SEMA360. It is Autel’s most

ambitious diagnostics tablet to date, featuring a large 12.9-in. tablet and the MaxiFlash VCMI, a 5-in-1 communication and testing tool. The Ultra offers the most advanced approach to vehicle diagnostics with its dynamic topology module mapping for supported vehicles, combined with its Intelligent Diagnostics feature that guides the technician from code to repair to test with detailed repair information and illustrations. “We continue to expand with our newest product line of battery testers and electrical system diagnostics,” Flink said. “The star of the show, the BT608, is a comprehensive battery and electrical system diagnostics tool featuring adaptive conductance technology to identify low-capacity batteries and thereby reduce battery misdiagnosis. The Android-based, WiFi touchscreen tablet tool displays a quick battery health status, and enables an automatic battery registration.”

AUTOBODY

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OWNERS AND MANAGERS:

ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT ERA OF COLLISION REPAIR? Are you Changing with the Times? Yes, today’s cars are changing as we speak with new technology and new processes. Without the proper tools and equipment, shops will be left behind as the collision repair industry moves at a rapid rate.

BL-76RAS BL76RAS Rapid Anchoring System, BL29C Diamond Pull Post, BL-12 4-Ton Come Along Post, GoJack 3620 Airbag Jack, and A-1 Cartronics Ladder Clamps

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Vehicles loaded with sensors are going to require a repair process that will revolve around 6 steps. Body Loc’s 4 minute portable anchoring process will be vital in your shops profitability & success.

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800-510-8564 44 DECEMBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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