November 2022 West Edition

Arizona Shop Owner Responds to Collision Repair Industry Pushback

By Ed Attanasio

When our first interview with Jim Huard, owner of Painters Collision Centers’ two locations in Arizona, was published in June, many shops supported his claims. But others were skeptical and claimed it’s impossible for a body shop to make a profit with DRPs in the picture.

detailer, where he quickly grasped the business of running a shop. Huard has held various executive management roles for national MSOs, as a general manager, regional manager and VP of operations.

Q: You received a fair amount of pushback after your interview first appeared in Autobody News. Why do you think that occurred?

A: It’s hard to say. I believe a lot of owner operators struggle with understanding their business. Saying you cannot make a profit while compensating your people well because you work with DRPs is just not true.

Q: Many shops say they can’t make any money being a member of a DRP, but you strongly disagree. What’s your secret?

California to Crack Down on Catalytic Converter Theft

By Madison Hirneisen The Center Square

Purchasing a catalytic convertor from anyone other than a licensed auto dismantler or dealer is illegal under a new California law that aims to crack down on theft.

Theft of catalytic converters devices that are part of vehicle exhaust systems that reduce pollution-causing emissions has

been on the rise within California and nationally in recent years. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, instances of catalytic converter theft rose from 2,198 thefts reported in 2018 to over 14,000 thefts reported in 2020.

Experienced thieves can remove a catalytic converter from the underside of a vehicle in just two minutes, according to the California Bureau

Autobody News sat down with Huard recently to give him a fair chance to respond to the adverse feedback he received this summer.

Huard is a long-time industry veteran, operating and managing body shops over his 35-year career before becoming the new owneroperator of Painter’s Collision Center, along with his wife, Kelly Huard

Huard began his career as a

A: Learn your business first; understand your cost structure. I honestly believe that some folks should not own, operate or even be in this business, period— with DRPs or not. It seems like the same people saying that DRPs won’t work for them are the people who always fight everything. Why is the carrier that is paying for the repair paying for it in a DRP and a non-DRP environment? Why are they different because it’s the same carrier?

The only real difference is if I choose to give them concessions in exchange for bringing me more and

Eagle Merchant Partners Invests in 19 Auto Collision Centers in Pacific Northwest

Eagle Merchant Partners, an Atlanta, GA-based private equity firm focused on lower middle market businesses, has invested in Puget Collision, which has 19 collision repair shops operating in the CARSTAR and Fix Auto franchise systems.

“I am proud and excited to have the support of Eagle, whose expertise, resources and access to capital will allow us to grow and lead the auto collision industry in the Pacific Northwest,” said Puget Collision owner Joe Morella. “This transaction

represents the culmination of our team’s passionate and dedicated service to our customers and partners.”

Morella and Eagle are actively seeking add-on acquisitions of other repair shops in the region.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Eagle to invest in a highly fragmented, stable, growing market with a clear path to rapid unit growth backing a proven operator in Joe Morella,” said Zack Taylor of Eagle. “The collision

INSIDE

Service

Jim Huard, owner of Painters Collision Centers, has learned how to work well with his insurance partners and is more than willing to share how he does it

l

Anderson:

the Time to

Up on

Certifications.

Strategies: ‘Airing

GRIEVances’

Educate Consumers.

Yoswick:

Help Remove

Losses.

Attanasio:

Keep Everyone in the

Building Trust and Confidence.

Green is more than just a color to us.

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

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

COLUMNISTS

Mike Anderson

Now is Not the Time for Collision Repairers to Give Up on OEM Certifications 12

Ed Attanasio

Arizona Shop Owner Responds to Collision Repair Industry Pushback 1

Videos Keep Everyone in the Loop While Building Trust and Confidence 50

Stacey Phillips

Award-Winning Shop Owner & SCRS Treasurer Educates Consumers Through ‘Airing of GRIEVances’ Videos 22

REGIONAL NEWS

California to Crack Down on Catalytic Converter Theft 1

CAWA’s Manufacturers’ Advisory Council Announces New Member 16

City Council in California Recognizes Colton Auto Body as Successful Local Business 30

Eagle Merchant Partners Invests in 19 Auto Collision Centers in Pacific Northwest 1

New California Law Puts Limits on Employer Drug Testing and Policies 13

NATIONAL NEWS

A Look Back at WIN Scholarship Winners: Where Are They Now? 38

AAA Adds Monthly Battery Reports To EV Membership Coverage To Ease Range Anxiety 41

Chevron, Texaco Become Far More EV-Friendly 48

CREF Hosting Art Meets Automotive 49

Driven Glass Attends Auto Glass Week 53

DUIs Down 25% Nationwide but Fatal Crashes Rising 24

Ford Announces Leadership Changes 41

Ford Overall Sales Down in September, as EV Sales Soar 42

Georgia Senator’s Bill Would Let More EVs Qualify for New Tax Credit 36

GM Backup Camera Recall Involves Cadillac, GMC Vehicles 54

GM Engineer Testifies Nikola Badger Pickup Had No Nikola Parts 20

GM Hit with $102.6 Million Jury Verdict in Class Action Over Defective Engines 49

CAA Meeting Focuses on Inflation’s Impact on the Collision Ecosystem 34

John Yoswick

EV Manufacturers Discuss Restricted Parts, Booth Concerns, ‘Service Mode’ 28

EVs, ADAS Calibrations, Future of DRPs Discussed at Annual CIECA Conference 18

SCRS Urging Auto Body Shops to Help Consumers Remove Personal Data from Total Loss Vehicles 44

Index of Advertisers

A.N. Designs, Inc/UltraWiz 17

Agile Truck & Tools

5

American Chevrolet 12

American Icon Automotive Finishes 36

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers 45

Axalta Coating Systems 9

BendPak 21

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers 53

Car Pros Kia

PCC Auto Repair Program Fills Workforce Need in Oregon 24

Streamline Collision In South Gate, CA, Joins 1Collision 10

Tesla May Soon Expand Original Battery Gigafactory in Nevada 35

Tesla’s PG&E Facility in Elkhorn, CA, Catches Fire, Shuts Down Highway 1 4

Toyota Celebrates 50 Years of North American Manufacturing at California Plant 6

44

Car Pros Kia Renton 34

Certified Automotive Parts Association 16

Chase Chevrolet 18

Citrus Kia-Ford 40

Classifieds 54

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers .. 46-47

Kia of Carson 42

Kia of Irvine 29

Lithia Honda of Medford 36

Malco 6

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers 50

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers 50

Michael Hohl Motor Company................. 48

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers 53

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers 37

Niello Audi 40

Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers 51

Novato Chevrolet 12

Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers 52

Hertz Planning to Order 175K EVs from GM 52

I-CAR Announces SEMA Classes 30

More Shops Being Paid For Clearing A Driver’s Personal Data From A Total Loss Vehicle; Latest ‘Who Pays’ Survey Now Open Through October 53

NADA Urges FTC to Withdraw Proposed Rule 36

Rising Auto Insurance Premiums are Killing Home Bundles, J.D. Power Finds 16

Rivian Produced 7,363 EVs in Q3 2022 30

SCRS Announces Full Lineup for 2022 OEM Collision Repair Summit at SEMA 26

Shape Your Career Path with More Than 70 SEMA Show Education Sessions 8

Survey Shows Concerns for Economy 44

Tesla Delivers 344K Vehicles in Q3 2022 10

Tesla Recalls 1.1 Million Cars for Incorrect Automatic Window Operation 29

Colortone Automotive Paints 26 Corwin Buick-GMC

Porterville Ford

8

34

Courtesy Chevrolet San Diego 43

Dominion Sure Seal, Ltd 13 Dynabrade, Inc 11

Equalizer Auto Glass Tools 10

FH Dailey Chevrolet 12

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers 35

Future Nissan of Roseville

Roseville Kia 38

Sandberg Volvo Cars 44

Santa Monica Audi 30

SATA Dan-Am Company 2

Shoot Suit 23

Sorbothane Soft-Blow Mallet 20 Spanesi Americas...................................... 7

42

Galpin Motors 31 Garden Grove Kia 29

Glenn E. Thomas Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep 22

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers 55

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers 32-33

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers 52

Industrial Finishes and Systems .............. 25

Kearny Mesa Subaru-Hyundai 28

KECO Body Repair Products 27

Kia Downtown Los Angeles 50

Steck Manufacturing Company 24

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers 49

Sunmight USA 14-15

Symach 4

The Bay Area Automotive Group 39

TYC Genera Corporation 19

USI of North America

56

Volkswagen Pasadena 48

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers 41

Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers 53

Autobody News Turns the Page with New Print, Digital Designs

Autobody News is dusting off the shelves and giving our print publication and website a fresh new look.

For the last few months, we have been hard at work revisiting our core values, discussing what makes us stand apart and what you, our readers, have come to expect delivered monthly to your doorstep and daily to your inbox.

We heard from you. We listened. We took to heart what brings you back to Autobody News and incorporated many of the suggestions we have received over the years. We thank you for your feedback.

Today, we are thrilled to announce Autobody News’ “refreshed” print magazine design, along with the complete redesign of our website, autobodynews.com.

“We’re proud of our 40+ year history as the leading national and regional news source for the collision repair industry,” said Barbara Davies, general manager of Autobody News.

“When we sat down to start the discussion of a print magazine refresh, we knew what we wanted,” Davies said. “We knew what our

readers wanted. We didn’t want to lose our essence of ‘news’ magazine, but we wanted a more contemporary look.”

The print magazine features improved readability thanks to updated fonts for better readability, more white

Davies said. “It was time for a complete redesign to deliver a better user experience for our loyal 28,000 monthly website visitors.”

The website boasts a more intuitive, inviting layout, with easier navigation and more graphic

repair shops.

A key feature of the new site is a new digital magazine section, which will allow visitors to read the latest monthly edition in a digital format. In this section, visitors will also be able to access past monthly editions of Autobody News. The website has also been fully optimized to be mobile responsive to accommodate people’s on-the-go news consumption.

“With this new website refresh we wanted to improve the way our visitors consume our content, and to give them easier access to the national and regional news that is important to them,” said Bryan Malinski, digital marketing manager of Autobody News.

Both redesigns are works in progress. As the industry continues to evolve, Autobody News will too.

space and more prominently promotes our columnists’ exclusive content.

“In addition to the print magazine refresh, we also just launched a complete redesign of our website,”

Tesla’s PG&E Facility in Elkhorn, CA, Catches Fire, Shuts Down Highway 1

By Joey Klender Teslarati

Tesla’s Elkhorn Battery Storage Facility, located in Monterey County, CA, caught fire Sept. 20 around 1:30 a.m., after one Tesla Megapack was reported ablaze.

PG&E told Teslarati it became aware of the fire at 1:30 a.m., and as of 9:28 a.m., that fire was still being fought by local firefighters with assistance from PG&E.

The fire seemed to have started in an isolated Megapack, according to details released by PG&E. The fire was confined to a single Megapack, Tesla’s commercial battery storage system. The safety systems at the facility worked as designed when the fire was detected. The battery storage facility was automatically disconnected from the electrical grid, the company told Teslarati.

There have been no injuries to

onsite personnel, and customers had reported no outages as of 9:28 a.m. Reports indicated Highway 1 had been closed due to the fire. PG&E did not include this in their statement.

The 182.5-megawatt energy storage system was commissioned and certified for market participation by the California Independent System Operator on April 7. The battery helps store excess energy from solar panels and helps California avoid blackouts during heat waves and other times when energy use is high.

Two hundred fifty-six Tesla Megapacks are present on the site, with the ability to store and dispatch up to 730 megawatthours of energy to the grid at a maximum rate of 182.5 MW for up to four hours during times of high demand. Construction on the project began in July 2020.

elements. With this website redesign, we wanted to improve the overall user experience and allow our visitors to have easy access to the news that is important to them and their collision

“We’re committed to bringing industry news to our readers in the most user-friendly print and digital formats,” Davies said. “We hope you like the changes we’ve made and look forward to your feedback.”

Let the team know what you think by emailing bdavies@autobodynews. com.

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Toyota Celebrates 50 Years of North American Manufacturing at California Plantmarket is a non-discretionary, recession resistant, growing market fueled by the consumer’s desire to hold onto their cars longer.”

Auto collision repair is a $40 billion market. Consolidation has taken place over the last 15-plus years, driven by large insurance providers choosing to work with fewer collision brands to deliver consistent and affordable services for their customers. Ninety percent of sales in the industry are from insurance direct repair programs.

Puget Collision is the eleventh franchise investment made by Eagle and its principals in both

It all started in 1972 when Toyota announced its first manufacturing investment in North America.

On Sept. 22, the automaker’s Long Beach, CA, operation, TABC, Inc., celebrated 50 years of paving the way for Toyota to become a gold standard in advanced manufacturing.

Building on five decades of quality, TABC is a primary supplier of parts for Tacoma trucks and produces past model service body parts for all North American produced Toyota vehicles.

announced $200,000 in community investments to be split among seven nonprofit organizations, including:

American Red Cross

Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach

California State University of Long Beach

California Conference for Equality and Justice

Children Today

Long Beach Chamber of Commerce U.S. Vets

contributions.”

TABC, originally known as Atlas Fabricators, contracted with Toyota in 1972 to assemble truck beds for vehicles destined for the U.S. Two years later, Toyota purchased the operation and ultimately renamed it TABC, Inc., making it Toyota’s first manufacturing investment in the U.S. In March 2022, the operation announced an investment of $27 million to support an increase in production capabilities. Currently, the plant employs approximately 350 people and represents a $485

Shape Your Career Path with More Than 70 SEMA Show Education Sessions

The 2022 SEMA Show Education program will feature more than 70 seminars designed to inspire personal and professional development.

Led by industry- and subjectmatter experts, the program offers a customizable lineup of sessions and workshops that confront industry challenges, capitalize on emerging trends, highlight and reinforce business best practices, enhance leadership skills and much more.

One of the newest components of the 2022 Show Education program are four sessions focused on the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. The first DEI session, “Diversity and Inclusion: How You Can Advance Equal Opportunity in Your Workplace,” takes place Nov. 1, and will presented by James Pogue, Ph.D., president and CEO of JP Enterprises. In addition to the DEI sessions, three new tracks have been added: “Inside the Shop,” “Enthusiast” and “Keynote.”

The “Inside the Shop” series will motivate aspiring builders and technicians as they hear from leading customizers sharing their experiences crafting off-road machines, hot rods, musclecars and detailed restorations.

The new “Enthusiast” track, scheduled for 8-9 a.m. Nov. 4, will feature industry personalities and celebrities providing insight on building cars, ideas for obtaining sponsorships and the importance of protecting the automotive aftermarket from overregulation.

Stage promises to be an immersive, informative and entertaining experience. The first presentation is scheduled for 10–10:45 a.m. Nov. 1, the opening day of the 2022 SEMA Show. Building on the success the 2021 Show’s education program, the “Leadership Essentials” track, presented by Dale Carnegie, returns to the Show, offering six courses spread out over three days. The courses, which can be taken as a whole or individually, feature trainers from Dale Carnegie providing the institution’s acclaimed leadership, communications and sales program that improve both individual and business performance.

everyone. The 14 tracks available are:

Aftermarket Updates & Future Trends

• Business Management

• Digital Marketing

• Electric Vehicles

• Enthusiast

• I-CAR Collision Repair Training

• Inside the Shop

• International Roundtables

• Keynote

• Leadership Essentials (presented by Dale Carnegie)

• Legislative and Regulatory

• SCRS Repairer Driven Education

• Tire Industry Association

• Vehicle Technology

One of the five sessions, “Celebrity Insights,” moderated by African American Racers Association cofounder Chris Harris, will give attendees a glimpse into the lives of some of their favorite celebrities, legends and luminaries.

The “Keynote” track will feature the new “Main Stage Experience,” where some of the industry’s iconic figures and leaders will bring their unique perspectives on ways to strengthen business strategies. The Main

“The SEMA Show has a lot to offer, from seeing new products and vehicle builds, meeting with manufacturers, learning from experts and developing meaningful relationships that you can only get from an in-person event,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “We encourage Showgoers to take advantage of all the elements of the SEMA Show so that they get the greatest ROI.”

With a wide array of seminars and workshops, the education offerings at the Show provide something for

All sessions are held in meeting rooms at the Las Vegas Convention Center, making it easy and convenient for attendees to schedule seminars between meetings with exhibitors. Registrants can sign up for the education program while applying for SEMA Show credentials at www. SEMAShow.com/register.

For a review of the 2022 SEMA Show Education Program, visit www. SEMAshow.com/education.

— Source: SEMA

Catalytic Converter Theft

of Automotive Repair. Thieves target them due to the precious metals inside the converters, including rhodium, platinum and palladium the prices of which have increased in recent years due to supply chain issues.

Having a converter stolen is very costly to the vehicle owner. The NICB estimates car owners end up paying between $1,000 to $3,000 to get their vehicle fixed following a theft.

A pair of new laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to crack down on this kind of theft within the Golden State.

Senate Bill 1087 would prohibit individuals and core recyclers that buy used vehicle parts from purchasing a catalytic converter from anyone other than a licensed automobile dismantler, automotive repair dealer or car owner. Additionally, the law requires traceable payments for catalytic converters. Violations of the law could result in fines of between $1,000 to more than $4,000.

Similarly, Assembly Bill 1740 requires core recyclers to keep more detailed

records that include the year, make and model of the vehicle from which a catalytic converter was removed. It also prohibits recyclers from purchasing a catalytic converter from anyone other than a commercial enterprise or vehicle owner.

In a signing video, Newsom

emphasized these measures will help to crack down on the “brokers and middle-men” who pay “top dollar” for stolen parts.

“It’s just another way, just another example of how we’re leaning in to reduce crime in the state and keep Californians safe,” the governor said.

“It’s just another way, just another example of how we’re leaning in to reduce crime in the state and keep Californians safe,”

GAVIN NEWSOM GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA

More coverage

can.

Tesla Delivers 344K Vehicles in Q3 2022

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

Tesla reported it was able to produce a total of 365,923 vehicles and deliver 343,830 vehicles in the third quarter of 2022.

More specifically, Tesla produced 19,935 Model S/X and 345,988 Model 3/Y. The company was also able to deliver 18,672 Model S/X and 325,158 Model 3/Y in Q3 2022.

As noted by Tesla in a press release, the company has started transitioning to a more even regional mix of vehicle builds per week. This has resulted in the company increasing the number of cars in transit at the end of the quarter.

“As our production volumes

continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks.

“In Q3, we began transitioning to a more even regional mix of vehicle builds each week, which led to an increase in cars in transit at the end of the quarter. These cars have been ordered and will be delivered to customers upon arrival at their destination,” Tesla wrote.

Tesla’s Q3 2022 deliveries are successful. In comparison, the company delivered a total of 308,600 vehicles in Q4 2021, 310,048 cars in Q1 2022, and 254,695 vehicles in Q2 2022.

Tesla will be posting its Q3 2022 earnings results after markets close Oct. 19.

Streamline Collision In South Gate, CA, Joins 1Collision

1Collision proudly announces the addition of Streamline Collision, located in the city of South Gate in Los Angeles County, CA.

“We are excited to have Streamline Collision join our team of shops,” said Kevork Kahwajian, 1Collision regional manager Western U.S. “The shop is committed to OEM certifications, excellent customer service and new technologies to provide quality repairs.”

Carlos Contreras, owner of Streamline Collision, and  Robert Alvarado, the general manager, learned about 1Collision after meeting Kahwajian.

“We were looking for opportunities to grow our business in a tough market here in Los Angeles but did not want to lose our essence of identity of what we started,” said Contreras.

“We had talked with different competitors, but they all wanted to take us down a path that just did not fit our model of who we are at Streamline Collision,” added Alvarado.

After a few more meetings with Kahwajian and building a trustworthy relationship, Streamline decided that 1Collision was the best fit to help grow the business.

Established in 2012, Streamline operates out of a 48,000-squarefoot facility focused on repairing vehicles, commercial trucks and RVs. Outside, there is space to park 60 vehicles.

Contreras said he is committed to reinvesting in equipment and educating technicians. Presently, the shop has 10 employees.

“In our changing industry, we have committed ourselves to become an OEM Assured Performance approved collision shop,” noted Contreras. “We pride ourselves in knowing that we have the most advanced equipment and certified technicians to work on yesterday’s and today’s automotive vehicles.”

“When we work on a vehicle, we do it correctly for the safety and satisfaction of our customers,” said Alvarado.

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I’ve recently started to get a lot of phone calls and questions from shops when I’m doing seminars asking, “Mike, should I renew my shop’s OEM certifications?”

I say the answer is absolutely yes. Here’s why.

The forecast for OEMs is that a key future revenue stream is going to be app-based subscriptions. It’s going to be a little like what GM has done with OnStar, or how SiriusXM radio operates. As I’ve researched this, here are some quotes I’ve heard or read:

“At least five automakers—Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche and Tesla— are rolling out a subscription model for certain options, meaning consumers would pay monthly or annual fees to use features such as active driving assistance or voice recognition, even if those features are already built into the car,” according to Consumer Reports in December 2021. “Industry analysts tell Consumer Reports that subscriptions could become a more

mainstream way for automakers to deliver features.”

“How would you feel about paying $5 each month for the ability to lock and unlock your car from a distance through an app? What about a $25-per-month charge for

advanced cruise control or $10 to access heated seats? As vehicles become increasingly connected to the internet, car companies aim to rake in billions by having customers pay monthly or annual subscriptions

repairers to understand drivers are going to increasingly be tied to the automakers’ apps.

Well, guess what is also likely to be inside those apps? A shop locator helping drivers connect with that automaker’s network of certified shops. I think that bodes well for collision repairers with OEM certifications.

to access certain features,” Insider reported in February.

“We have 50-some value-added products and services that we’ll be rolling out over the next 36 to 48 months,” Steve Carlisle, president of GM North America, said in February.

I’m not sure how consumers are going to feel about such subscriptions, but I think it is important for collision

Here’s another thing to think about: Remember when aluminumintensive vehicles were being more widely rolled out? Some automakers began restricting the sale of certain parts for those vehicles to their certified shops, to better insure major repairs on those vehicles were only done by shops with the equipment and training to do the repairs properly.

With ADAS and the ramp up of electric vehicles, collision repair work is only going to become increasingly complex. I think we’re going to see more automakers restricting more parts sales only to certified shops.

Anderson — From the Desk of Mike Anderson

“I think as

see this OEM

model come into play, it’s going to be really good for certified collision shops.”

MIKE ANDERSON COLLISION ADVICE

New California Law Puts Limits on Employer Drug Testing and Policies

by Madison Hirneisen

The Center Square

California employers will soon be unable to disqualify job applicants or fire a worker based on off-the-job cannabis use under a new bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom

Experts say proving discrimination could prove difficult.

Starting in 2024, Assembly Bill 2188 will make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against or penalize an employee for cannabis use away from work. The bill also prevents employers from discriminating against workers and job applicants based on a drug screening test that detects “nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites” in hair, blood or urine.

The bill, signed by the governor Sept. 18, specifies that employees are not permitted to be impaired by cannabis at work and notes the law does not apply to building and construction trades or employees hired for federal government positions that require a urine test.

Supporters of the legislation say the measure will allow employers to transition away from urine

drug tests, which can pick up on metabolites from cannabis used days or weeks prior to the test.

Instead, employers will either not test at all or use other methods for testing, such as oral swabs, that can detect more recent drug use and the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical compound that can cause impairment.

“In California, once this takes effect, most employees will not be subjected to pre-employment urine testing that can determine that they’ve used cannabis days or weeks beforehand before applying for the job, and those already employed won’t be subject to that testing post-accident or for other reasons,” advocacy group California NORML Deputy Director Ellen Komp told The Center Square. “It’ll bring about more equity, more fairness and I think a better workforce.”

Similar to other cases involving discrimination, however, it could be very hard to prove that an applicant wasn’t selected for a job or an employee was fired based on a urine drug test unless the employer outright says so, California Employment Lawyers Association Policy Director Mariko Yoshihara

told The Center Square.

“If a person thinks that they were not hired because of their race or their sex, you have to have some sort of evidence, whether it’s circumstantial, to try to prove that it was that protected status that was the reason for the discriminatory act,” Yoshihara said. “But I think if you have evidence that the employer required this test that also tested for these nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites, that’s pretty strong evidence that that was a factor.

“Since those tests can no longer be used to make an employment decision, it would be wise for employers to simply stop using them,” Yoshihara added. The bill will align California with several other states that already provide protections for workers who use cannabis recreationally and for medical reasons, Komp added. New York, Arizona, Minnesota and Illinois have enacted laws to require employers to require medical cannabis accommodations, according to a bill analysis.

AB 2188 was opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce as it moved through the legislature, landing a place on the group’s “job

killer” list before certain amendments were made. The group remained opposed despite amendments that protected pre-employment drug testing.

CalChamber did not respond to requests for comment regarding the signing of the bill.

AB 2188 was among several other cannabis measures signed by the governor over the weekend, including Senate Bill 1186, which requires cities to allow patients to purchase medical cannabis for delivery starting in 2024.

Other measures signed into law include Assembly Bill 1706 requiring courts to resentence or dismiss certain cannabis-related convictions and Senate Bill 1326, which allows California to enter interstate agreements to transport cannabis across state lines.

“For too many Californians, the promise of cannabis legalization remains out of reach,” Newsom said in a statement Sept. 18. “These measures build on the important strides our state has made toward this goal, but much work remains to build an equitable, safe and sustainable legal cannabis industry.”

Rising Auto Insurance Premiums are Killing Home Bundles, J.D. Power Finds

The future of the home and auto insurance bundle, once a mainstay of property and casualty (P&C) insurance customer retention and lifetime value strategies, has come into question as legions of customers have started to break-up their polices.

According to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Home Insurance Study, released Sept. 20, rapidly rising auto insurance premiums are largely to blame for potential defection among bundlers.

“Sky-high auto loss costs and resultant auto premium increases are creating ripple effects throughout the insurance industry and, as a result, one area that is being severely disrupted is the home and auto insurance bundle,” said  Robert M. Lajdziak, director, global insurance intelligence at J.D. Power.

“Homeowners, and particularly bundlers, have traditionally been less price-motivated than the typical monoline auto customer, but we are beginning to see cracks in that foundation,” Lajdziak said. “That puts the focus for insurers squarely on the overall brand experience their

customers are receiving across all lines and on understanding how changes in one area, such as telematics adoption in an auto policy, can affect the entire customer journey.”

Following are some key findings of the 2022 study:

• Overall satisfaction declines, led by home and auto bundlers: Overall homeowner satisfaction decreases 6 points (on a 1,000-point scale) and renter satisfaction decreases 7 points this year. The declines among homeowners are driven by a sharp drop in price satisfaction, which is most pronounced among auto bundlers, where customers experience a 10-point decline in price satisfaction, while non-bundlers only see a 1-point decline.

• Retention rates significantly lower among non-bundlers: The

renters, bundlers have a 95% retention rate and non-bundlers have an 82% retention rate.

• Auto premium increases put bundled home policies at risk: Nearly one-third (31%) of bundlers say they “definitely will” switch their home insurer if they switch their auto insurer after an insurer-initiated auto premium increase. Insurer-initiated auto premium increases also negatively affect home insurance intended retention and advocacy, regardless of bundling status.

• Insurtech awareness on the rise: Overall, nearly one-fourth (23%) of home insurance customers are aware of insurtech offerings from companies like Lemonade, Hippo, Kin, Openly, Jetty and Trove. Among homeowners not currently insured by Lemonade, but aware of the brand, 34% say they

segment for a second consecutive year, with a score of 849. American Family (842) ranks second and The Hartford (839) ranks third.

Nationwide ranks highest in the renters insurance segment with a score of 859. Lemonade (853) ranks second and Automobile Club of Southern California (852) ranks third.

The U.S. Home Insurance Study examines overall customer satisfaction with two distinct personal insurance product lines: homeowners and renters. Satisfaction in the homeowners and renters insurance segments is measured by examining five factors: interaction; policy offerings; price; billing process and policy information; and claims. The study is based on responses from 11,630 homeowners and renters via online interviews conducted from May through July 2022.

CAWA’s Manufacturers’ Advisory Council Announces New Member

Victor Dirkes of Mevotech has been appointed to CAWA’s Manufacturers’ Advisory Council.

“We are pleased to have Vic join our leadership team and contribute to our discussions of current and future industry issues,” said Michael Rukov of the Board of Directors. “We look forward to his participation and contributions which will assist the association in achieving its goals as an effective and valuable automotive aftermarket industry organization.”

Dirkes was born in Baltimore, MD. His sister, Gabriella and he were adopted from different families and raised, as he describes it, by the greatest woman on the planet,

Yoswick —

Insight

Future of DRPs Discussed at Annual CIECA Conference

CIECA’s annual conference in St. Louis in September included presentations on new electric vehicles, ADAS calibration trends and what may lie ahead in terms of direct repair programs.

Greg Peeters of Car ADAS Solutions predicted it won’t be long before the majority of vehicles repaired by the collision industry will require some type of system calibration.

“I think in a year from now the landscape looks very different from this being sort of a minority type thing to the typical,” Peeters said of calibrations. “I think in a year from now, it’s over 50% of repairs that require a calibration, and it becomes less and less frequent that we don’t have one.”

instance, a camera lens on the front grill or a mirror. It’s experiencing a whole lot of car washes, sunlight, sand and gravel, and it no longer sees the way it once saw. I think diagnosing and replacing failing sensors is right around the corner.”

Also at the conference, Bill Brower, vice president of industry relations for Solera, said he foresees “a pretty major redesign” of direct repair programs as the next big change coming to the industry.

“The days of [the customer] being introduced to the shop and going over for an initial estimate, and then going back over to take the car in for repairs and being taken by the body shop to the rental car company, I think that whole process becomes digital,” Brower said. “The customer is very comfortable taking the pictures. So I think the future is the DRP shop receiving a package of photographs, an AI estimate, and they’re going to make a decision at their desk before they call the customer: ‘Do I even need to see this car in advance, or can I digitally schedule the customer in for the repair?’

“Think of the impact that that would have on business if you could take a lot of that front end work away,” Brower said. “To me, the biggest next step is really digitalization of direct repair, especially the assignment process.”

town, I’m happy to share those two documents. The worst thing for us as a new brand is to have one of our cars in a situation where it could hurt somebody because somebody didn’t know.”

One thing unique to the shop certification programs being rolled

need can be done by one of its mobile service providers.

“I’m not asking our [network shops] to do brake jobs and tire changes and things like that,” Rodenroth said. “These cars don’t need as many things as an ICE vehicle.”

There currently is no database of repair times for electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian’s vehicles, but the automaker has personnel who can help shops with repair planning for Rivian vehicles.

out by both Lucid and Rivian: A reliance on body shops in the program to handle mechanical work on their vehicles as well.

“Since we don’t have a dealer network service model, we require our [certified body] shops to take all the mechanical training,” Rodenroth said, something echoed by Rivian’s Frank Phillips. But he noted the bulk of mechanical work Lucid vehicles

“I have a team of folks who will assist our certified shops to make sure they are getting the information they need to get that estimate created,” said Phillips, collision program manager.

That group will work with insurers as well as Rivian’s 100-shop network.

“I use the analogy: I want to be the pillow between the insurer and the body shop,” Phillips said. “You can call those guys or chat with them online or text them or email them. Any method of communication.”

Peeters’ company operates standalone calibration centers and assists those looking to launch one. He said he’s often asked whether vehicles will eventually self-calibrate.

“I can tell you on even the newest technology, they don’t,” Peeters said. “The average age vehicle in a body shop right now is 6.2 years. So we’ve got quite a runway before we’re going to see self-calibrating cars. I will tell you what we’re also seeing in the field is sensor degradation. You take, for

The two-day CIECA conference also included a panel of automaker representatives discussing electric vehicle repair. Jake Rodenroth of Lucid Motors said anyone in the industry can get some information about his company’s vehicles to give first responders in their market.

“I went to our fire department and told them I work for a car company you’ve never heard of, and I’ve got a towing guide and a first responder guide that I would love to share with you,” Rodenroth said.

“They were very thankful. If you as a citizen want to do the same in your

Frank Phillips of Rivian

“I think diagnosing and replacing failing sensors is right around the corner.”

GREG PEETERS CEO, CAR ADAS SOLUTIONS

Industry Pushback

more vehicles. They give us volume and we give them a break; it happens in all types of industries. If the prevailing rate is $62, for example, and I say I can do it for $58—that is a business decision.

Why does that mean I cannot pay a technician, estimator or GM a really good income? Why does that mean I cannot repair a car correctly? Explain it to me. I am at a loss.

If I say I can eat sandpaper and some products as the cost of doing business, and then bill for the products that are not, I feel it is a win. If a DRP says there is a paint cap, but I can prove that there was a significant difference and the cost was more via an invoice, how is that a loss? All the carriers want is a level playing field, with full transparency, and I say give it to them.

Example: I need sales at $400,000 monthly to sustain the company— meaning equipment upgrades, quality materials, etc.—and pay everybody well and above industry. So, if that costs $350,000 to do and the location profits $50,000, how is that bad?

I have seen greed in some owners

that is the destroyer of their business. To sustain your business for the long haul you must pay well, upgrade with the times and offer great benefits, recognition programs and good bonus programs.

Do they truly believe that carriers do not want to indemnify their insured? I completely disagree. I think most of all the carriers out there want to retain their customers and want to pay what is the right amount for the vehicle. Nothing more and nothing less.

I often hear all around the industry that the DRPs want you to repair the car using a series of shortcuts, not do it correctly, cutting corners and so on. In my 40 years in this industry, I have never had a carrier ask me to do anything like that. Not one!

I have had quite a few of the carriers ask me why we need to do something, and we always explain everything in full detail with all of the supporting documentation. We are a VeriFacts company as well, so we definitely repair everything correctly.

Have we had a carrier ever ask us for a discounted labor rate? Yes. Have we ever had carriers ask to reduce a labor time? Yes. However, we have never been asked to short a repair, nor have we ever been asked to repair something that is not repairable. Not once. If we did, we would absolutely

GM Engineer Testifies Nikola Badger Pickup Had No Nikola Parts

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

Scott Damman, a senior manager at General Motors, testified in Nikola founder  Trevor Milton’s fraud trial. The GM engineer provided insights into the ill-fated Nikola Badger pickup truck, particularly the parts that would have been used, had the vehicle entered production.  In September 2020, Nikola and GM announced a $2 billion deal that gave the veteran automaker an 11% stake in the upstart automaker. The deal involved GM supplying battery and fuel cell technologies, as well as producing the Nikola Badger pickup truck.Milton said in an interview then the Nikola Badger would mostly feature parts from Nikola.

“It’s probably 70% Nikola, 30% GM, when it comes to the parts that are really important to us,” Milton said. This, according to Damman, was false.  While Nikola did own the Badger’s creative design, all the parts of the vehicle were set to come from General Motors, according to Damman. “There

were no components coming from Nikola. They owned the creative design, what the vehicle looked like and felt like, but all of the parts were to come from General Motors,” Damman told the jury in a federal court in Manhattan.

The Nikola Badger actually had some momentum, so much so the company started taking $5,000 down payments for it. It was also heavily promoted online, with Nikola getting the support of notable auto influencers such as the Diesel Brothers. The Nikola Badger was supposed to be unveiled later in the year, but the event was canceled.

Ultimately, the Badger was canceled as GM scaled back its commitments on Nikola and dropped its plans for a stake in the company. Had the Badger been unveiled, however, former Nikola employee Brendan Babiarz told the jury, the company did have a plan of sorts in the form of a vehicle made partly with components from a Ford F-150 Raptor and a chopped-up electric Nikola power sports vehicle.

say no, of course.

We would certainly always be the first to whistle blow if we were ever asked this. So, it is my belief that as a business owner, it is up to me to guarantee that we do the right things and ensure quality OE repairs on each and every job.

Q: Do you ever have to wrestle with an insurance company about the cost of parts, labor rates, etc., and if so, how do you deal with it?

A: The carriers I work with, both DRP and non-DRP, have been great. Do they ask us for concessions from time to time? Yes. Do we give it all the time? No. It depends on what it is.

All my DRP rates are in stone so the only time I am asked for labor rate concession is form the adjusted work we do. If our door is $62 and they ask for $60, we will give that to them in most cases. If they try and chop repair time, we argue, as we feel we are the experts.

We are not asked for labor time cuts often. But when we have been, we look at it and say, well what we wrote is fair, right and reasonable. We will not concede. We rarely get pushback.

Parts are interesting; we will not install a used quarter panel, period.

We will not use substandard used or aftermarket parts either. If we are asked to do this, we immediately explain why this should not be done. aately I have seen more understanding and giving us what we need than not. Everybody knows the impact of a substandard repair.

Q: Are DRPs attracted to working with you because you have a reputation for making it work to where both parties are satisfied?

A: I would say they want to work with us because we perform, we repair cars correctly, we communicate and we are not confrontational. We are kind in our business practices. We bring our partners in for training and allow then to use our locations as training facilities for their teams.

We have seen a large interest in this. We recently conducted scanning and calibration classes for a large carrier. We brought in the vendor we work with and did an on-site scan and calibration, had a wonderful PowerPoint presentation. Everyone left feeling empowered.

SEMA and BendPak are back again, and we’re coming in loaded with an amazing display of world-class equipment. Get up close and personal with some of our top brands, like QuickJack and Autostacker and of course, legendary BendPak lifts. When you need a break from the heat, stop by our Cool Boss exhibit and chill out with our new COOLBLAST and COOLBREEZE Series! We couldn’t fit it all in one booth, so be sure to look for us out front by the racetrack, and upstairs in the south hall. See you there!

Robert Grieve, owner of Nylund’s Collision Center, said his facility is often referred to as the best auto repair shop in Denver, CO. The multiple awardwinning shop owner is committed to providing uncompromising service and precision craftsmanship.

The locally-owned family business employs 20 people and has served the Denver metro and surrounding areas, including Englewood, Highlands Ranch and Littleton, for more than 30 years.

“Our mission at Nylund’s Collision Center is to provide current and future guests peace of mind, ease and ‘industry best’ repairs,” said Grieve. “We make every effort, every day, to earn our guests’ loyalty and referrals.”

Autobody News talked to Grieve about his business success, the importance of being part of an association, such as SCRS, and why he created the weekly video series “The Airing of GRIEVEances.”

A: Forty years ago, I graduated from Bergen County Technical School in Hackensack, NJ, and launched my career. I jumped in and started working on the floor at a Buick dealer.

I found I was not that good at fixing

cars and was a better people person, so I started focusing on estimating and learning business management. Working with adjusters and people was a lot more rewarding for me.

I worked for several New Jersey dealerships in different management capacities. The last one was a Westwood Lincoln Mercury dealer. I started in the body shop and worked my way up to the service department as the fixed operations director. I became operations director over the entire dealership and when they went public, I was given two dealerships to run, which I did for about six years.

Then, I worked for Daimler Chrysler Academy (DCA) in Michigan for the next three years before my wife, Carol, and I moved to Colorado and purchased Nylund’s Collision in 2006. The shop had a great name for doing high-quality work. They were also prominent in Lexus collision repairs, which we still are today. Carol focuses on the administrative side of the

business, and we make a great team.

About five years ago, we bought our own building a mile away. It’s about 18,000 square feet and is more convenient for guests.

A: We’ve received several awards over the years but the most prominent is the Denver A-List Award, which we received 11 years in a row until the company stopped giving them out.

What makes our business so successful is the consumers. Everything we do centers around customer service and the guest experience—the facility, the people, how we conduct business and even our purchases.

Our guiding principle is how our actions affect consumers. This includes the value for guests and that

Q: How did you get involved in the industry?

Q: Can you share information about your awards and what makes your shop successful?

Stacey Phillips — Shop Strategies

Robert Grieve, owner of Nylund’s Collision Center, said he is committed to providing uncompromising service and precision craftsmanship. He is pictured with his wife, Carol, and team

the car is fixed following OEM repair procedures.

We spend a ridiculous amount of money on training. For me, it’s an asset, not an expense and it helps us provide better service. As the only Lexus authorized collision center in Colorado, we do Lexus training, which includes soft and technical skills; it is amazing. Lexus has a

A: That happened in my garage while I was smoking a cigar. In January 2021, I decided to start a consumer-focused weekly show, the “Airing of GRIEVEances,” and share the truth about the collision industry. I want to help consumers understand what’s going on behind the curtain in the collision repair industry and the potholes they may experience along the way so they can be avoided.

My co-host, Eric Reamer, edits the YouTube videos and I don’t see them until we air on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. MT. I’m proud to say that we’ve recorded close to 100 videos.

We talk about insurance policies and carriers, the technology of vehicles and what you should look for when interviewing body shops.

similar focus as we do. Everything centers around our guests and what will make a great experience for them. We try to provide the same on the body shop side of things.

We are also the chosen collision repair facility for Lucid Motors in the Colorado market.

Q: When did you decide to get involved in SCRS and what is the value of belonging to an association?

A:Around the time I bought the Nylund’s building, I was looking to be part of something bigger than myself. I decided to join SCRS as a platinum member. I wanted to help the industry and became a board member in 2019. Currently, my role is treasurer.

This is a people business and I love people. Those who embrace being part of an association become bigger and better. If you go on a racquetball court and play against yourself, you’ll never get better. However, if you play with somebody better than you, you likely will.

Being part of SCRS, there’s not just one benefit. It’s everything bundled together. There’s great networking with shops and vendors and the opportunity to learn about future vehicles.

You may think you’re the only one going through something and then find you aren’t and can solve problems together. Like politics or any other industry, if you want to change something, you have to get involved and put in the effort.

Q: What prompted you to create the “Airing of Grievances” videos series?

Initially, I set out to help guests understand the before, during and after of the repair process. I believe it’s important for people to know what’s going on when their cars are being fixed because not every repair is the same. It’s all about consumer awareness.

Since filming them, I’ve heard so many amazing heartwarming stories about shops across the nation who share the videos with customers and listen to them every week. It makes me feel the camaraderie of the industry.

Q: What is your hope for the industry?

A: The collision industry is changing so fast it’s hard to wrap your arms around it. As I learn new things and embrace looking for the manufacturers’ procedures and being there with technicians, I also share information with consumers because they don’t understand the steps to repair their vehicles.

I believe with all my heart our job as shops is to make sure that that car is back functioning as designed and safe for consumers. The second part of that is to retain as much value as possible.

If the paint doesn’t match, the gaps are not right, the electronics aren’t working properly or we’ve used aftermarket parts, the car is worth less than it was. It’s always going to be this way because it was in an accident, but it shouldn’t be any less because somebody didn’t repair it properly. That’s owed to the guest and should be our pledge.

Watch the videos at www.youtube. com/c/RobertGrieve/videos or www. nylundscollision.com/airing-ofgreiveances/

A dealer at heart, Robert Grieve set up his shop office to look like a dealership with cars displayed and ready to go home to guests

PCC Auto Repair Program Fills Workforce Need in Oregon

By Jules Rogers Business Tribune

Portland Community College’s Auto Collision Repair Technology program is preparing the next generation of skilled workers to become qualified auto repair technicians. According to the PCC, employment for auto collision repair technicians is expected to grow in Portland, OR, by 7.3% through 2027 a career in which technicians can expect an annual salary of $50,000 to $80,000 or higher.

Gail Krumenauer, state employment economist with the Oregon Employment Department, said the department projects 10-year growth for 800 different occupations every year, including auto body and related repairers as well as auto service technicians and mechanics. According to employment department numbers, job openings in Oregon for auto body repairers is expected to increase 13.9% from 2020 to 2030, adding more than 200 jobs---nearly half of which are expected to be in the Portland metro area.

And for auto service technicians

and mechanics, there is an additional projection for a nearly 8% increase from 2020-2030 throughout Oregon expected to add 576 jobs to the state, and 321 to the Portland metro area.

“The project growth rates that are published look a little higher; part of that is because the projections start in 2020 which was a year when employment dropped significantly in Oregon,” Krumenauer said. “We expected more growth in the first part of the decade to recover from the pandemic recession and as of last month, we reached full jobs recovery from the pandemic recession.” PCC grad Kevan Banngertir earned his associate’s degree this June from the auto repair program, and was immediately hired by Crash Champions Collision Repair Team, one of the largest repair companies in the nation. This was not 33-year-old Banngertir’s first career, he said.

“It just clicked and I thought, this is something I can retire with,” Banngertir said. “I’ve grown the most in this program versus any other academic avenue I’ve tried to take.”

PCC’s auto repair program was

DUIs Down 25% Nationwide but Fatal Crashes Rising

QuoteWizard®, a LendingTree company and online insurance marketplace, released a new report analyzing DUI citations and alcohol-involved fatal crashes.

QuoteWizard found while the number of DUI citations has dropped nationwide, the number of alcoholinvolved fatal crashes is rising. QuoteWizard analysts found the number of fatal crashes involving alcohol increased by 5% in 2021.

“Law enforcement, public safety organizations and nonprofit organizations have done a great job raising awareness about the dangers of impaired driving but that message hasn’t been heard by everyone. The number of fatal crashes is up 20% since 2020 and many of them involve alcohol. This is a troubling trend we can and have to fix,” said Nick VinZant, senior research analyst with QuoteWizard.

QuoteWizard analysts also looked at DUIs and fatal crashes in each state going back to 2010. The report includes detailed information on the number of DUIs, fatal crashes and fatal crashes involving alcohol in each state. The full report is available here: https://quotewizard. com/auto-insurance/howlong-does-a-dui-stay-on-yourrecord#states

Key findings:

• Northern states like Wyoming and the Dakotas have the highest rate of DUIs

• DUI citations have dropped by nearly 70% in North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio

• Montana has the highest number of fatal crashes involving alcohol

• Fatal crashes are up 20% since 2020

— Source: QuoteWizard

established in 1970, and takes place at the Rock Creek Campus 17,000-square foot facility.

Erik Peterson is a PCC faculty member, industry veteran and a graduate of the program as well.

Now is Not the Time

So that’s why I think giving up on OEM certifications now would be short-sighted. You have to look into the future.

It also makes it important to check the shop locators for the automakers that certify your shop. Make sure your profile is correct, and you have really good photos in there of your shop and your lobby. Keep pushing for positive customer reviews online. All that is becoming all the more important.

“(Banngertir) is one of the most proficient, determined and successful students I’ve ever had,” he said. “His excitement for learning this craft fueled my enthusiasm and was encouraging in a symbiotic way.” After the shop closed for 15 months during the pandemic, Banngertir was one of eight students who returned from what was originally a 20-student cohort.

“I’m pretty proud to have been able to find a career that fit me, and I’m excited to take it to the next level,” Banngertir said.

Listen, I understand some OEM certification programs provide more value than others right now. But I can tell you the automakers are hearing the message loud and clear from collision repairers that the programs need to provide more value.

I think as we see this OEM subscription model come into play, it’s going to be really good for certified collision shops. So don’t give up. Stay the course.

AUTOBODY

Kevan Banngertir works in PCC’s auto shop classes. Credit: Portland Community College

www.autobodynews.com

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced details for all three sessions being offered as part of the 2022 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, taking place Nov. 3 during the SEMA Show.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Upper South Hall (Room S233), the Summit’s three sessions feature distinctly different discussions highlighting how trends and technological developments in modern vehicles influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation.

* Kevin Earlywine, instructor, collision repair and refinish at Toyota Motor North America

* Wayne Weikel, senior director, Alliance for Automotive Innovation

* Amber Alley, manager at Barsotti’s Body & Fender

* Moderated by Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of SCRS

SESSION II: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., “Tackling the Technician Crisis Together”

Technicians play one of the most critical roles in proper repairs, and the increasing shortage of talent is a contributing factor with implications on the collision repair businesses.

and “Is there a difference between the factory tool and an aftermarket tool?”

In this session,  Chris Chesney, VP of training and organizational development at Repairify, will present the results of a research project completed by the company, connecting multiple aftermarket tools to thousands of YMMT vehicles and compiling an analysis of the scan results, DTCs and the ability to clear DTCs in the same manner as the factory tool.

Motor Corporation

* Devin Wilcox, program manager and strategist, Collision Network at Subaru of America

* Jake Rodenroth, North American body repair program operations manager at Lucid Motors

Tickets can be secured onsite, outside the education classrooms (rooms S229–S233) in the Upper Level of the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Register for sessions individually or as part of the Full Series Pass.

The Full Series Pass provides the greatest flexibility and value, giving access to one regular Repairer Driven Education session in each available time slot, all three OEM Summit sessions, the IDEAS Collide Showcase, plus one ticket to the SCRS Sky Villa After-party Nov.3.

The Summit agenda includes:

SESSION I: 9-10:30 a.m., “OEM Repair Procedure Accessibility”

The foundation of a quality repair begins with access and adherence to documented repair procedures from the vehicle manufacturer.

But in the collision repair market, well-trained, well-equipped repair facilities are not struggling to gain access to collision repair procedures--they are struggling to compete against other businesses who don’t prioritize access and adherence to the available information.

In this presentation and panel, automakers will discuss access points for information, means to use the procedures in a repair environment, and ways to overcome myths or perceived obstacles in accessing and using repair procedure data.

Featuring:

* Mark Allen, collision programs manager at Audi of America

* Benito Cid, collision business development manager at MercedesBenz USA

This session, led by  Eliza Johnson of Ducker Carlisle, explores data compiled by the global market research firm that delves into the technician crisis, as well as solutions, in partnership with automakers to bolster the technician pool. The presentation will elaborate on the severity of the technician crisis in the automotive landscape, and how it is expected to evolve over the coming years, while considering technology advancements and demographic expectations.

Johnson will elaborate on tactical examples of the Carlisle recommendations in key areas and how the research and recommendations led to the formation of the Automotive Technician Collaboration (ATC), a Carlisle-led group of nine automotive OEMs jointly tackling an industry response to the technician crisis. The collective goal is to change the perception of the automotive technician career.

Following the presentation, Johnson will then welcome a guest panel to join the conversation, featuring:

* Dara Goroff, vice president, planning and industry talent programming at I-CAR

* John Helterbrand, national program director at Collision Engineering

* Jennifer Maher, executive director at the TechForce Foundation

SESSION III: 1–2:30 p.m., “Managing Scan Tool Choices While Ensuring Safe and Proper Repairs”

When it comes to scanning, some of the most common questions asked in the industry include “Why do the OEMs require the use of their factory tool when servicing safety systems?”

Chesney will provide insight into how the resulting database can identify when, and if, an aftermarket tool can offer the same results as an OEM tool. The OEM Summit will be the first public visibility into the results of testing thousands of vehicles using both OEM and aftermarket tools.

Following the presentation of data, Chesney will welcome automakers to the stage to discuss how the results of their tests align with automaker guidance and requirements, including:

* Dan Dent, manager, collision, Certified Repair Network at Nissan

The 2022 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit is made possible with support from AirPro Diagnostics, BASF, CAR-O-LINER, CCC, Enterprise, Reliable Automotive Equipment, Toyota and SEMA.

To learn more about SCRS’ education series at the SEMA Show visit https://scrs.com/sema-rderegistration.

— Source: SCRS

A panel of manufacturers of electric vehicles shared information collision repairers will need to know about their vehicles.

A lot of has been written about potential challenges EVs pose in the paint shop, but representatives of several electric vehicles downplayed that concern in terms of their companies’ vehicles. Jake Rodenroth of Lucid Motors noted his company started out producing batteries before vehicles.

“So we’ve been doing this a while, and in our case, baking is not really a concern,” he said. “You don’t want to get crazy with temperatures, but it’s not as bad as it used to be.”

Kelly Logan, senior manager of the Rivian collision repair program, concurred.

“We have a position statement already in place about baking the vehicle. It’s not a concern,” Logan said. “Today’s downdraft paint booths move air very efficiently, and the good thing is the battery is on the outside bottom of the car.

Restricted Parts, Booth Concerns, ‘Service Mode’

“Battery engineers always freak out when you talk about putting the car in an oven and turning it on,” Logan continued. “They think worst case scenario. But in reality, when you’re baking that vehicle, the panel is 150 degrees or maybe it gets to 160.

shops also shouldn’t rely on general practices that say “always do this” or “never do this” for all vehicles; look at the OEM procedure “for the specific vehicle you’re doing at the time you are doing it,” Cid said.

To that end, Rodenroth noted his company prefers use of liquid masking on their vehicles, but in any case doesn’t want the front end bagged improperly because of the vehicles’ cooling fans.

“Those are really powerful, so you can suffocate the car,” Rodenroth said. “Follow the service manual. We have some direction around that.”

parts.

“We do have restricted parts,” said Frank Phillips, collision program manager for Rivian. “We use the phrase anything welded, riveted, bonded is a restricted structural part. Anything to do with high voltage is restricted. Anything to do with safety, such as airbags, seat belts, are all restricted parts. One of the other things we restrict are the targets for calibration. Those are limited to our certified network to help [ensure] confidence that the calibration is being done correctly.”

But at the bottom of that car, with all that air coming down, it’s never really hitting that temp.”

But Ben Cid, collision business manager for Mercedes-Benz, said

Logan, whose company is on track to deliver a total of 25,000 vehicles this year, said the company has visited hundreds of body shops in the past year as it began building a certified network. One thing he said they look for is whether specialized equipment within a shop is clearly being used and not just gathering dust in a corner.

Non-certified shops will find the automaker is limiting the sale of many

Both Rodenroth and Logan acknowledged they don’t yet have a “service mode” for their vehicles that a shop can use to ensure EV owners aren’t able to connect with the vehicle through their app and aren’t getting notifications based on what’s happening with the vehicle during repairs.

“We have a service mode that is in the works that will come over with another update at the end of the year,” Rodenroth said. “We do have

Jake Rodenroth said Lucid Motors prefers the use of liquid masking on their vehicles, but in any case doesn’t want the front end bagged improperly because of the vehicles’ powerful cooling fans

a switch or button in there called ‘tilt and shake mode’. It shuts off the alarm and notifications so it’s not ringing while the vehicle is on the tow truck.”

Logan similarly said a service mode is “in the engineering pipeline” that will be available “in the near future.”

In the meantime, they said, collision repair shops may want to disable certain systems on an electric vehicle in for repairs, in part to reduce “parasitic draw” on the vehicle’s 12volt system.

“The vehicle’s security system can bring the 12-volt circuit down if the cameras are actively recording for theft or damage,” Rodenroth said. “In our case, we have 14 cameras. When you’re recording that level of

stuff, it can draw the battery down.

So if you take a vehicle in, go over it with the owner and make sure they turn this stuff off, because you won’t be actively charging [the vehicle] every night like they do when they are at home.”

By Andrei Nedelea InsideEVs

Tesla has announced a recall for 1.1 million vehicles built between 2017 and 2022 for a problem with the automatic windows, which may not stop when they detect an obstruction.

plans to roll out sometime in the next few months. Owners will be notified via mail Nov. 15.

Vehicles affected by this recall are the 2017-2022 Model 3, 2020-2022 Model Y, 2021-2022 Model S and 2021-2022 Model X.

The environment can also contribute to parasitic draw and to how often an EV in for repairs will need to be charged.

“Depending on how hot a Rivian gets, it will turn on the air conditioning system to cool and maintain that battery,” Logan said.

“Or if it’s extremely cold out, the car may need to heat up that pack. So it’s not uncommon when you have an EV all torn apart, you can see an increase in the parasitic draw. It’s running systems behind the scenes. You may have to charge that vehicle a couple times during the repair process.”

This means the windows, which go up automatically, may may cause an injury and as such they do not comply with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety guidelines for power-operated windows.

The NHTSA deems this a safety risk, which Tesla will have to address, although no warranty claims or injuries were reported as a result of defect.

Tesla described the problem: “A closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.”

Tesla said it will correct the issue via an over-the-air update it

This is the latest of several big U.S. recalls Tesla announced this year, for issues like a seat belt chime malfunction, the removal of the “Boombox” feature and display issues while charging.

Elsewhere, Teslas were recalled for different problems, like a glitchy automatic emergency call system in Germany and Model 3 and Model Y heat pump issues in China.

“We have a service mode that is in the works that will come over with another update at the end of the year.”

JAKE RODENROTH BODY REPAIR PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANAGER, LUCID MOTORS

I-CAR®, the Inter-Industry on Auto Collision Repair, announced it will offer a variety of classroom opportunities to increase collision repair industry knowledge and skills for attendees of the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 1-4.

Online registration for the following topics is now open and available through Nov. 3: Initialization and Calibration of Electronic Systems

Coordinate the Repair Process, Managing Quality Control and MIG Welding Technology & Applications.

I-CAR will also hold a free series of live educational presentations on topics including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Electric Vehicles (EVs), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), Scanning and Calibrations, Welding and more at the SEMA Collision Repair & Refinish Stage.

Individuals who take I-CAR educational training gain knowledge and credits valid toward the I-CAR Platinum™ designation.

— Source: I-CAR

City Council in California Recognizes Colton Auto Body as Successful Local Business

At the recent Colton, CA, City Council meeting Sept. 20, Council Member Dr. Luis S. González presented the Business Focus Recognition Award to José Lino Grande and his wife, Rosy, owners of Colton Auto Body.

Born in El Salvador, both José and Rosy came to the U.S. to fulfill their dream of owning and operating their business, and being able to provide for their future family.

When José came in 1989, he worked several years with his brother-in-law, learning the auto body trade and learning the business. His goal was to own and operate his own body shop some day and in 2019, José and Rosy purchased their first business in Colton.

They have two young children, Aaron and Belen, and employ three part-time workers. They currently live in San Bernardino, and enjoy having a business in Colton.

reliable and reputable repairman in the city. Some of the main services provided are auto body restoration, collision repair, paint restoration and rust repair. The business can help customize cars and is skillful with detailing just stop by and talk with José. In addition, it services all makes and models.

José, Rosy and their hard-working team are to be congratulated for their tremendous effort in establishing and maintaining this successful business.

No matter what day or time you stop in, they always greet you and serve you with a smile. They are open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This small business establishment is located at 761 Colton Ave., across from the Hutton Center. It is a complete auto body shop, and is fast becoming a very popular body shop, especially among the local population.

“It’s a close-knit community,” says Jose, who added, “word gets around.”

Because of the business’ great customer service, prompt turnaround time and reasonable prices, José has made a name for himself as one of the most

Rivian Produced 7,363 EVs in Q3 2022

By Johnna Crider Teslarati

Rivian produced 7,363 EVs at its facility in Normal, IL, in the third quarter of 2022, the company announced, and delivered 6,584 vehicles.

Rivian said these numbers are in line with its expectations and it’s on track for its production goal of 25,000 EVs this year.

In Q1 and Q2, Rivian produced a total of 6,954 vehicles. Combined with Q3’s numbers, Rivian has produced a total of 14,317 vehicles so far this year, and needs to produce 10,683 in the fourth quarter to make its goal.

Rivian is working toward increasing its vehicle production. It’s planning to build an expansive facility just outside of Atlanta, GA. However, there are some challenges.

The Associated Press reported a Georgia judge rejected an agreement that would have given Rivian a large property tax break.

Morgan County Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell rejected

what is typically seen as a routine request by a local government to validate a bond agreement.

According to her ruling, the development authority was unable to prove that the plant was “sound, reasonable and feasible,” which is required by state law. Rivian’s $5 billion plant is projected to hire 7,500 Georgia employees.

In a joint statement with a local four-county joint development authority, the Georgia Department of Economic Development expressed disappointment. The groups said they were “disappointed and respectfully disagree with Judge Trammell’s decision.”

“We remain undeterred in our efforts to bring high-paying, American manufacturing jobs to Georgia, and are currently assessing all legal options,” the group said.

AUTOBODY

www.autobodynews.com

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

Barber Honda

Bakersfield

661-396-4235

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30 bestchoice@barberhonda.com

Capitol Honda San Jose 408-445-4412

Dept. Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30-6; Sun 8-5 sbettencourt@penskeautomotive.com

Concord Honda Concord 925-825-8016

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 kevin.valenzuela@concordhonda.com

Galpin Honda

Mission Hills

800-GO GALPIN 818-778-2005

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

Honda of El Cajon El Cajon 619-440-5851

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

Honda of Hollywood Hollywood 800-371-3719 323-466-3205

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 parts@hondaofhollywood.com

Honda of Pasadena Pasadena 800-433-0676 626-683-5880

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4

Honda of the Desert Cathedral City 760-770-0828

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 mpartridge@honda111.com

Keyes Honda Van Nuys 818-756-6549

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 malvarez@keyeshonda.com

Larry Hopkins Honda Sunnyvale 408-720-0221 408-736-2608

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 8-5 parts1@hopkinsdirect.com

Metro Honda Montclair 800-446-5697 909-625-8960

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 7:30-4 wholesaleparts@metrohonda.com

Ocean Honda Santa Cruz 831-464-1800

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4:30 mickw@oceanhondasantacruz.com

Pacific Honda San Diego 858-565-9402 jgardiner@pacifichonda.com

San Francisco Honda San Francisco 415-913-5125

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5 partsws@sfhonda.com

Scott Robinson Honda Torrance 310-371-8320

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6:30; Sat 7-5 mluna@scottrobinson.com

Selma Honda Selma 800-717-3562

559-891-5111

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-4:30 hondapartsmgr@selmaautomall.com

Larry H. Miller Honda Boise 888-941-2218 208-947-6060

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5

WASHINGTON

Hinshaw’s Honda Auburn 253-288-1069

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-4:30 rickb@hinshaws.com

McCurley Integrity Honda Richland 800-456-6257

509-547-7924

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-4 hondaparts@mccurley.net

South Tacoma Honda Tacoma 888-497-2410 253-474-7541

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

ACURA

CALIFORNIA

Acura of Concord Concord

925-680-4233

Dept. Hours: Mon-Sat 7-6 keith.whisten@cacargroup.com

Acura of Fremont

Fremont

888-435-0504 510-431-2560

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 mike.ohare@acuraoffremont.com

Acura of Pleasanton

Pleasanton

888-985-6342

925-251-7126

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-6 mitch.cash@hendrickauto.com

AutoNation Acura Torrance 310-784-8664 310-539-3636

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 alvaradow1@autonation.com

Bakersfield Acura

Bakersfield 661-381-2600

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 bakersfieldacuraservice@yahoo.com

Marin Acura

Corte Madera 800-77-Acura 415-927-5350

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-4 parts@marinacura.com

Metro Acura Montclair 800-446-5697

909-625-8960

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 wholesaleparts@metrohonda.com

Acura of Honolulu Honolulu 866-931-9086

808-942-4557

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 Johara@lithia.com Tokuda@lithia.com RayleenGarcia@lithia.com

Hinshaw’s Acura Fife 253-926-3331

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5 johnny@hinshaws.com

Stacey Phillips

on

Members of the Los Angeles/Orange County chapter of the California Autobody Association (CAA) recently met in Seal Beach, CA, to network, learn from one another and hear upto-date industry information.

Part of the Sept. 20 event included a presentation from Tim Ronak, senior services business consultant for AkzoNobel, focused on inflation and its impact on the collision ecosystem.

“Tim spoke about the challenges in the economy and our industry that influence what we are charging our customers,” said CAA President Melanie Allan, vice president of Craftsman Collision USA. “As shop owners and managers, we need to take information like this into consideration when running our businesses so we can stay viable and competitive in what will be an interesting next couple of years.”

Allan said shops are experiencing increases in operational costs like never before and can’t wait until it’s too late to take action.

Impact on the Collision Ecosystem

facing unprecedented technological evolution,” said Ronak. “Repairers need to have a single voice as they look for training and insight that helps them in their businesses.”

Ronak said association involvement allows individual businesses to band together to have a larger voice and a bigger presence in the industry.

attend local meetings. “Not only will you gain valuable information and insights in our business, you’ll meet and learn from other shop owners and key participants,” she said. “Shops that think they don’t need an association like CAA are going to get left behind.”

“We’ve survived the past two years through COVID and crazy inflation,” she said. “We’ll survive the next years as long as we are armed with knowledge.”

CAA is comprised of individual and independent businesses in the collision repair industry. Its mission is to enable the auto body industry to survive and prosper by helping members produce a quality repair for the consumer at a fair price for a fair profit.

“Today, the collision industry is

“Participation in CAA is something I feel should be essential for all repairers in California to stay current with repair procedures, methods and technology to keep consumers safe!” said Ronak.

“The camaraderie between the shops is reflected in these meetings,” said Cindy Shillito, CAA Southern California representative for the Glendale/Foothills, San Diego and Los Angeles/Orange County chapters, and meeting coordinator. “A lot of friends get together and talk about what is happening in the association and the industry.”

As CAA president, Allan encourages the California collision industry to join the association and

Allan has worked in body shops since she was 19. Craftsman Collision is owned by her father, Bill, who started the business in 1977 with

Cindy Shillito, CAA Southern California representative for the Glendale/Foothills, San Diego and Los Angeles/Orange County chapters, and the meeting coordinator, with Jim Williams, NCS

Pictured left to right are CAA President Melanie Allan, vice president of Craftsman Collision USA; Shane Anondson, Tom Lopez and Lucia Guevara from BASF

l CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

KIA

a single shop and has grown it to include 43 shops across Canada with 500 employees. For the past seven years, Allan has operated Craftsman Collision USA, located in Long Beach, CA, with 22 employees.

While attending CAA meetings as a member, Shillito and Anthony Guinn, the previous chapter president, asked Allan to take over as president four years ago.

“We’ve had a lot of memorable, well-attended meetings and are going to build the momentum back up now that we can all get together again,” said Allan, who was recently asked to join the state executive committee for CAA.

Her goal is to provide all members, especially independent shops, the latest information related to management, finance, technology, legislation and general trends in the collision industry.

“We are an incredible resource!” she said. “I’d like more shops to know that and get involved with CAA. We need each other.”

The same presentation will be held at the CAA San Diego chapter meeting Oct. 19.

For more information about the meeting and/or membership in the Southern California region, contact Cindy Shillito: radiatorgirl@socal. rr.com or 714-944-4028.

Tesla May Soon Expand Original Battery Gigafactory in Nevada

By Steven Loveday InsideEVs

When we covered Tesla in the early days, much of the news surrounded the company’s original automotive factory in Fremont, CA, as well as its battery Gigafactory in partnership with Panasonic, located near Reno, NV, in Sparks.

Recently, an executive from Tesla said the company is finally at the point it has access to all the batteries it needs for its cars and energy products. We also learned recently Tesla hopes to build a battery materials refining factory in Texas or nearby. The company is also reportedly aiming to add a battery materials facility in Nevada.

According to Electrek, Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada has been sitting at about 30% of its intended size for years now.

Gigafactory’s footprint.

The massive Tesla Gigafactory was touted to eventually be the largest factory on the planet. In fact, if it were to grow to its full potential, it could be the largest building ever constructed. Tesla shared early plans revealing the battery factory would eventually produce 105 GWh of battery cells per year. The company also said at full capacity, the Nevada Gigafactory would produce 150 GWh of battery packs annually.

However, it seems construction and expansion efforts at the battery factory slowed years ago, leaving the factory much smaller than originally planned.

Tesla moved on to building new factories, sourcing battery cells from various makers and developing and producing its own new batteries.

Over those years, the automaker has talked about continued construction efforts and expansion, but there hasn’t been much progress.

This is not to say the company isn’t cranking out battery packs, Powerwalls and the like in Nevada. Tesla has also finally been

Rather than investing in expanding the already large building, Tesla and Panasonic have focused their efforts and investments on ramping up production. It seems there’s not a need for more space if you haven’t yet ramped up to full capacity under the current parameters.

Electrek referred to sources familiar with the matter in its recent reports that Tesla will

NADA Urges FTC to Withdraw Proposed Rule

On Sept. 12, NADA filed formal comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed rule that would impose a wide range of unwarranted and illadvised new duties and restrictions on motor vehicle dealers.

NADA’s comments explained that the proposed rule is based on flawed assumpions, inadequate research, a lack of input from key stakeholders, no apparent coordination with federal and state agencies that impose similar mandates, the absence of any consumer testing of the proposed mandates, and no attempt to conduct a meaningful analysis of the likely costs and benefits of the proposed rule to consumers and small business automobile dealers.

NADA explained it would dramatically and negatively transform and complicate the process for consumers to purchase, trade-in and finance new and used cars and trucks, and to purchase and finance voluntary protection products like extended service contracts and GAP Waiver.

— Source: NADA

Georgia Senator’s Bill Would Let More EVs Qualify for New Tax Credit

By Steven Loveday InsideEVs

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA, has proposed a new bill that may help more automakers initially qualify for the new U.S. federal EV tax credit.

If the bill passes, it also means more people who are looking to lease or buy an electric car will have options that may suit them.

The new EV tax credit that’s coming as part of the Inflation Reduction Act will limit the number of electric vehicles that can qualify, at least temporarily, mostly due to the fact the legislation also has a goal of promoting EV production and assembly in the U.S.

While promoting EV manufacturing and battery materials sourcing in the U.S. is a wise move, most automakers won’t be able to comply right away.

Warnock’s Affordable Electric Vehicles for America Act aims to provide a grace period to

people can take advantage of the credit while the brand is working toward producing EVs on our shores.

Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular, but they’re expensive. Many of those that are the least expensive, such as options produced by Kia and Hyundai, are also among the long list of those that won’t qualify under the new rules.

What makes this all especially interesting is that Warnock’s opponent for the Georgia Senate seat, former football player and Republican candidate Herschel Walker, believes electric cars cost more than his house. According to several sources, this is far from true, since he just reportedly bought a new home that cost $11 million.

You may think Walker would like to see changes to the tax credit so the people of Georgia could have affordable options. However, Walker is outwardly anti-EV, and he’s also anti-solar. He said he’s also anti-incentives, and he thinks

the government is trying to make him put solar panels on his car and then live in it.

At any rate, some foreign automakers are already making plans to manufacture EVs in the U.S. so they can take advantage of the tax credit. While they may not necessarily want to comply, it’s important to be able to compete with other brands eligible for the credit. If a buyer can get a $7,500 credit on one car, but not on a rival EV, they’re likely to go with the car that’s eligible.

Georgia is also one of a handful of southern states becoming popular locations for automakers to set up shop. If Warnock can help these foreign automakers in the interim, perhaps they’ll consider Georgia as their future home for EV production.

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Cerritos Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram 18803 Studebaker Road Cerritos, CA 90703 (800)

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Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep 3175 E. Sahara Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89104 (702) 457-3446

Women’s Industry Network (WIN) launched its newly reimagined scholarship program for the 2022-23 academic year, designed to attract women to collision repair professions.

The updated program now offers increased levels of support, including not only financial awards, but also mentorship, special networking opportunities and membership to the esteemed organization, gifted by WIN to any female student in an accredited collision repair program.

As WIN Scholarship Committee co-chairs Laura Kottschade and Jeanne Esquivel prepare for the impending scholarship applications, they reflect upon the history and success-stories attributed to the long-standing scholarship. Several of these stories were shared during the 2022 WIN Educational Conference, held both virtually and live in Greenville, SC, this past May.

“It’s important to recognize where you have been as an organization, and to follow our scholarship winners through their career journeys. When we were making major changes to our scholarship program, we were not only thinking about what the current life of a student looks like, we wanted to see what their lives were going to look like after graduation— and beyond. Our committee looked at past winners to determine what changes needed to be made for the future,” said Kottschade.

“Everyone is always curious to know more about our scholarship recipients,” Esquivel added. “Our committee takes great pride in being able to share multiple success stories with our member base! The WIN mission is to attract, retain and develop women in the collision repair industry.  We are honored to highlight successful women in the industry who got their start as beneficiaries of the WIN scholarship program!”

Through the “Where Are They Now?” initiative, WIN maintains contact and ongoing engagement with past scholarship winners. The Scholarship Committee is proud to highlight the progress these ladies are making. Thank you to these scholarship recipients for sharing their experiences, which are sure to provide more women considering collision repair a compelling option as a future career.

Jessica Neri, 2011 Recipient

Until she was 23, Neri held one dead-end job after another, but her path changed when she was hired at a body shop, which caused her to realize “I was passionate about it—this

career was something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.”

Since graduating from the automotive refinish technology

“WIN has truly changed my life,” she said. “The WIN scholarship came at a time when I was very discouraged and even considered leaving school.”

After graduating from UTI, Storey worked at Nationwide Insurance as a material damage adjuster for a year. From 2018 through 2020, she worked for Service King, assessing vehicle damage and writing initial estimates, before relocating to Chicago to take a technical services representative trainee role with Sherwin-Williams’ Automotive Finishes Division.

painters and shop personnel better and more productive.”

Expressing gratitude to WIN, Storey said, “I met wonderful people through WIN, and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunities and encouragement I’ve received. I can call on my mentors anytime. They advise and challenge me---they’re willing to condition me to be my best.”

Savannah Moran, 2019 Recipient

program at the College of Western Idaho in 2012, Neri worked as a lead production painter before being hired at PPG, where she is now a commercial regional manager.

While being one of the only women in her position has sometimes required working harder to be accepted in a male-dominated industry, she assured young ladies interested in automotive, “That is 100% OK! You don’t have to be ‘one of the guys’ to fit into this industry.

Once you prove yourself, you’ll have loyal co-workers and customers who will do anything to help you succeed.”

Jasmine Storey, 2016 Recipient

In middle school, Storey became enthralled with the idea of a career in the collision repair industry while

Since completing her curriculum, she has worked “almost exclusively in the field: training new painters, conducting product demos and assisting and managing installs and color verification. I’m happy to report that I’m where I’m supposed to be. I love being more hands-on and, in an application-centric part of the business. And my co-workers reassure me of the awesome potential the industry has.”

Storey hopes to grow in her current role and department, helping teach others to be their best: “I want to be the best eye for color verification and to be part of any process that makes

In 2017, Moran began doing small jobs in a collision repair shop owned by her boyfriend’s dad.

“As I saw wrecked vehicles being restored to pre-collision condition, I started to fall in love with the work and decided to attend school for auto body,” she said.

Being awarded the WIN scholarship allowed to her pay for tools and equipment that better prepared her for a successful career, plus networking at the annual WIN Educational Conference forced her to overcome some of her social anxiety and meet “some amazing women in the industry who have continued to support me.”

watching MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.”

“Restoring a vehicle back to its preaccident condition is a science and requires skill that few have—the idea of being part of that exclusive group was very appealing to me,” she said.

In 2016, while pursuing her education, Storey was selected as a WIN scholarship recipient.

Jessica Neri

Jasmine Storey

YOU NEED TO

Moran worked as a collision repair technician during college until it fell out of alignment with her course schedule, but she is pleased to announce she is about to begin her “dream” career as a service advisor/ estimator with a major organization in the collision industry.

Her advice to young women interested in the automotive industry: “You’re going to have people who talk to you differently because you are a woman—always be passionate and confident in your work.”

Hannah Quinteros, 2019 Recipient

Hannah Quinteros studied to be a horticulture science and landscaping technician, but after working a year in the field, she realized she was not passionate about her career choice. Soon after, her Jeep sustained damage, and rather than pay a shop to repair it, she opted to do it herself.

“I started messing around with my Jeep, and I really enjoyed it,” Quinteros said. “When I was younger, I’d spray paint and tinker with stuff. I’ve always been interested in the collision repair industry—I find it fascinating—but that’s when I thought it may actually be a good job for me.”

While in school in 2019, Quinteros was chosen as a WIN scholarship recipient and attended the 2019 WIN

Educational Conference.

“It was really an eye-opener,” she recalled. “I gained a bigger picture of the industry as a whole. Many of the women I met used to do body work but have branched out into other industries. I learned a lot and met some amazing people, including the other scholarship winners. I feel like I can call them any time I need to.”

Quinteros now works as a body tech at Crown Automotive in Lawrence, KS. She said, “I repair all the used cars with minor damage, do some R&I, work on mirrors, do a little paint prep—I try to dabble in a little of everything to stay busy and learn as much as I can.”

Acquiring the right education is vital, and Quinteros encouraged those interested in a career in the industry to do their research on schools to ensure they are finding the right fit.

“Talk to enrolled students to make sure the curriculum offers what you want to learn,” she said. “I feel like I got more networking opportunities from my formal education than actual experience, but fortunately, my employer is very supportive of continuing education and pursuing certifications.

“Find a job that will work with you on all standpoints of your life, and when you’re interviewing, stand your ground on your experience,”

she urged. “Find a place that actually values you and the skills you’re bringing to the table. I had an offer as a detailer who would pick up the repair slack as needed. I recognized that it could be a dead-end job forever, and I refused it since I know my worth and what I’m capable of accomplishing.”

Jamie Frey, 2020 Recipient

Growing up with a machinist for a dad, Frey was always at the race track and around cars.

“I ran barefoot through the garage for the first eight years of my life!” she said.

placing in several regional SkillsUSA competitions. She took first place at SkillsUSA National for damage appraisal in both 2021 and 2022.

After completing school at Aims Community College, Frey is happily working at Iron Mountain Collision in Loveland, CO. Receiving the WIN scholarship lessened the financial burden of attending school for this single mother of three, allowing her to pursue her passion for automotive: “It makes me who I am, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

You Can Be a Scholarship Recipient, Too

“We are proud of the talent that has been cultivated for our industry as a direct result of the WIN Scholarship Program. The program upgrades designed by our dedicated volunteers on the Scholarship Committee will attract even more women to collision repair and we are looking forward to receiving, and awarding, a record number of applications this fall thanks to their exceptional efforts”, said WIN Chair Tanya Sweetland.

Although she wrenched for a long time, she knew that wasn’t what she wanted to do long-term, and when a friend suggested damage appraisal and estimating as a career path, she enrolled in school, competing and

WIN is accepting scholarship applications from Sept. 12 through Oct. 8 for the 2022-23 academic year.

Apply for or learn about WIN’s scholarship program here. For more information about WIN, visit womensindustrynetwork.com.

— Source: WIN

Jamie Frey

AAA Adds Monthly Battery Reports To EV Membership Coverage To Ease Range Anxiety

By Joey Klender Teslarati

AAA is adding monthly battery reports to its membership coverage for electric vehicles to help ease concerns regarding range anxiety.

AAA said its AAA Club Alliance (ACA) partnered with Recurrent to provide in-depth and detailed battery reports that will give EV owners a monthly health check on their battery pack.

“With this new partnership between ACA and Recurrent, we can provide AAA members who drive electric vehicles with personalized monthly battery reports as a benefit of Membership,” said Colleen St. Leger of ACA.

In a poll from AAA, the company surveyed consumers to find their main concerns with electric vehicle ownership. While a higher purchase price and lack of EV charging points were the two most-noted concerns

initially, with 60% of respondents detailing those concerns, range anxiety was second with 58%.

Range anxiety has been a common concern of new EV owners for several years. However, electric vehicle ranges have increased as more competitors have entered the market. There are several EVs that will now give more than or extremely close to 400 miles of range on a full charge.

Standard range EVs still pack at least 250 miles of range, but that simply is not enough for some people who plan to use their vehicles for long road trips or do not have access to fast chargers near their homes.

General Motors said nearly 80% of EV drivers do a majority of their charging at home, a distinct advantage of EV ownership. After all, how many gas cars have a full tank of gas every single morning?

However, the health of an EV battery pack is also important and can affect both range ratings

and charging rates. That’s why AAA is partnering with Recurrent to give a monthly status update regarding EV battery health.

Gas prices in the U.S. have leveled off over the past few months, but they’re still convincing some consumers to switch to electric cars. Of the 25% of respondents in AAA’s poll who said they would be more than likely to buy an EV with their next purchase, 77% said a desire to save on fuel costs was one of the main reasons for their interest.

“With higher gas prices this year, we are certainly seeing a lot of interest in electric vehicles,” said Bob Kazmierczak, director of ACA’s Approved Auto Repairs. “There are some basic things to consider before deciding whether to purchase an EV, from daily driving habits to charging plan to the cost of ownership. Drivers should also review all tax refund and incentives to make sure their purchase would qualify.”

Ford Announces Leadership Changes

Ford Motor Company on Sept. 22 announced Doug Field has been named chief advanced product development and technology officer.

In this expanded role, Field will continue to oversee EV products, software and digital systems development, and advanced driver assistance, while also taking on design and vehicle hardware engineering.

Lisa Drake, vice president, EV industrialization, will now also be responsible for manufacturing engineering as Ford scales to a run rate of 2 million EVs per year by the end of 2026.

Chuck Gray, who has been vice president, EV technology, is named vice president, vehicle hardware engineering.

Both Drake and Gray report to Field, as does Anthony Lo, Ford’s chief design officer.

— Source: Ford

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Ford’s total U.S. sales of 142,644 vehicles in September was down 8.9% compared to the same month a year earlier, but its EV sales continued to climb up nearly 200% year over year.

“Ford continued to see highdemand vehicles turning at record rates in September, while

tirelessly to recover in Florida from Hurricane Ian.”

Demand is strong with retail orders for ‘23MY vehicles up 244% over ‘22MY vehicles—totaling 197,000 retail vehicle orders. Ford continued to see strong demand growth and record turn rates on dealer lots. For the sixth straight month, more than 50% of Ford retail sales came from previously placed orders.

Ford electric vehicles sales continue to outpace the segment, with sales up 197.3%. Ford share of the electric vehicle segment was up in September 3.1 percentage points over last year with 7% share.

month—99% of Bronco’s retail sales came from previously placed orders for the month.

Sales of Ford hybrid vehicles totaled 74,046 vehicles through September. Year-to-date sales of hybrid vehicles were up 22.6% over last year. F-150 and Maverick hybrids represent America’s bestselling hybrid trucks.

Ford’s hot-selling Maverick truck turned on dealer lots in just six days in September, with sales up 523%. More than 80% of Maverick’s customers are first-time truck buyers, with top competitive conquests coming from CR-V, RAV4 and Civic.

developing electric truck and van leadership and extending our overall truck leadership,” said Andrew Frick, vice president of sales, distribution and trucks, Ford Blue. “Demand remains strong with new retail orders rapidly expanding. We are very pleased with the work from our dealers, employees and the area’s first responders, as they are working

In September, F-150 Lightning continued as America’s bestselling electric pickup; E-Transit was also America’s best-selling electric van in September.

F-Series through September continued as America’s bestselling truck, totaling 467,307 vehicle sales and extending its lead over its second-place competitor to more than 92,000 trucks. Bronco SUVs gained 221% on sales of 10,892 for the

Ford’s BlueCruise and Lincoln ActiveGlide technology now have accumulated more than 21 million hands-free miles with a 130,000mile network of hands-free Blue Zones across North America. More than 83,000 customers have now enrolled in Ford BlueCruise and Lincoln ActiveGlide.

— Source: Ford

John Yoswick — Industry Insight

SCRS Urging Auto Body Shops to Help Consumers Remove Personal Data from Total Loss Vehicles

Auto body shops have long given customers whose vehicle has been declared a total loss a chance to get any of their personal belongings from the vehicle before it is towed away.

But what about all their digital personal information contained in that vehicle?

A Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) committee is working to raise awareness among shops about assisting customers releasing a vehicle by ensuring their personal data is deleted from the infotainment system.

“We found that most shops don’t know how to deal with this, or don’t have protocols in place yet, so we thought it would be worth addressing from a collision repair perspective,”

Amber Alley, vice chairman of SCRS, said during the association’s open board meeting this summer.

The committee pointed to an SCRS Quick Tip video— available at www.youtube.com/

Survey Shows Concerns for Economy

Increased interest rates, climbing inflationary costs and a higher cost of living are concerning consumers as they fear a looming recession, leaving them feeling unprepared when it comes to their personal finances.

A recent Nationwide Agency Forward survey showed consumers in the U.S. are feeling vulnerable as they perceive the worsening economy to be negatively impacting their personal finances, mental health and job security.

Roughly three in four (76%) of consumers rate the current U.S. economy as “poor” or “fair.” And when asked about the state of their personal finances, more than half (53%) say their situation is “poor” or “fair.”

The survey, fielded Sept. 6–13, also showed 68% of consumers expected rates to rise in the coming months. And there is no anticipation that inflation will give in the next six months 64% believe inflation will increase, including 69% of Gen Z respondents.

— Source: Nationwide

watch?v=yhMYkmZRwrc—that explains why this is an important step. The systems may be storing information such as the owners’ contact names, addresses and phone numbers; garage door opener codes; and copies of texts, emails and call history.

“Phone syncing really is resulting in the car becoming like someone’s cell phone on wheels,” Alley said. “Pretty much anything on your phone could be getting recorded onto some module inside the car, particularly the infotainment system.”

Alley said the committee hopes to develop some best practices related to this for shops—possibly including sample wording for a customer authorization form—but in the meantime, she said the steps involved appear to be more commonly found in consumer-focused materials from the automakers rather than in the OEM repair procedures.

“So as a shop, when looking for

Shop owner Ron Reichen said some 360-surround cameras capture images even when the vehicle is not in operation, potentially monitoring activity in a shop where the vehicle is being repaired

this information, I would suggest you start with the owner’s manual and customer-based materials from the car manufacturer,” she said.

The committee noted it’s not just a vehicle’s infotainment system that may include personal customer

information. Oregon shop owner Ron Reichen shared images from a vehicle’s 360-surround camera captured even while the vehicle was not in operation as part of the vehicle’s security system.

That data could include images that share information the customer would not like a future owner of the vehicle to have---such as where they drop off their kids at school or daycare---and also could include information from the vehicle’s time in the shop, such as images of license plates of other vehicles in for repairs.

Even if a vehicle with such a system isn’t a total loss and is repaired and returned to the customer, Reichen noted, “It’s monitoring all the activities going in the shop. The client is going to know what your housekeeping is like, when you start work and when you quit work, were you working on the car when you told them you were working on the car. There’s another set of eyes there.”

Shops may want to determine if such a system can be put into “service mode”—with the customer’s permission—to avoid, as Reichen once experienced, a Tesla owner calling over the weekend to say he’d been alerted by his vehicle app that his car door was ajar in the shop.

The committee even discussed whether clearing data is a service shops could also offer their customers in other circumstances, such as prior to the sale of a vehicle.

“I think that would be a great idea,” Reichen said. “People know how to upload [their information] and get so accustomed to using it, but each one has its own nuances on how to remove all that.”

Alley agreed.

“Any time you can reconnect with that customer and build that longterm relationship and trust, when you’re offering more value than just replacing a fender, it’s always a good idea,” she said.

A “Who Pays for What?” survey of U.S. shops this summer found more than one-third of shops (35%) said they are paid always or most of the time by the eight largest U.S. insurers when they charge for the labor to erase a customer’s data from a vehicle declared a total loss. That had more than doubled from the first time the survey asked about

the procedure a year earlier. Despite this, more than four in five shops acknowledge not having sought to be paid for this work---likely because most shops aren’t doing it.

On a related note, Reichen and Alley at the SCRS meeting said shops may want to caution their customers about plugging their phone into a

Alley also shared an experience she had that led her to think it’s not just customer information shops may want to remove from vehicles. A trip she’d made to El Salvador about five years ago included visiting some body shops there. It’s not uncommon, she said, for those shops to acquire and repair total loss vehicles from the U.S. In and on some of those vehicles, she said, she saw “window tags from the shop, customer last names and windshield tags slapped on the vehicle by the insurance company or the auction.”

that identify the shop, and makes sure customers haven’t left things without realizing those items may include their address, banking information, etc.

Also speaking at the meeting, Danny Gredinberg of the Database Enhancement Gateway said he had once collected his own items out of a car he was selling, but overlooked the toll road transponder sticker on the windshield.

rental vehicle’s infotainment system.

“I’ve had past phones show up on rental cars that I’ve rented,” Alley said. “The system asked me if I was five other people. That infotainment system is storing that information, and it will continue to be stored in there unless someone goes in and deletes it.”

Reichen agreed most customers won’t think about their information being captured when they plug their phone into a rental vehicle.

“I think we as repairers have an obligation to communicate that to the customer,” he said.

No matter where a total loss vehicle processed by a shop ends up, “That’s traceable information right on those tags,” Alley said. “Personally, I don’t want these cars tracked back to our facility. We’ve had someone call us two years later about a total, saying, ‘I found this paperwork in the car from your shop. Can you go over what was done,’ or asking us if we have old parts. So we’re recommending that you clean out the [total loss] car thoroughly of your shop information before it’s released.”

After her shop’s customers remove their belongings from such vehicles, she said, the shop removes any windshield or key tags, paperwork or seat covers

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“Six months later, I got a bill from the toll company, telling me the car had been rolling through the tolls,” Gredinberg said. “I ended up paying almost $500 in toll fees. They were willing to work with me on that because I had a bill of sale for the vehicle, but it was a good reminder to remove even little stickers.”

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Phone syncing really is resulting in the car becoming like someone’s cell phone on wheels.”

AMBER ALLEY SCRS VICE CHAIRMAN

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Chevron and Texaco have partnered with FreeWire to equip their gas station locations with EV charging solutions.

Gas stations have a distinct advantage over other EV charging companies: they are already located everywhere. There are nearly 7,000 Chevron gas stations and 8,000 Texaco locations in the U.S. And through a new partnership with FreeWire, an EV charging infrastructure company, these countless gas stations can now serve as EV charging locations.

FreeWire’s charging solution is unique. It uses standard wall plug power to charge large batteries

within the charger. Then, when an EV hooks up to the charger, the battery charges the vehicle at DC fast charging rates, instead of the wall outlet rate. This saves the location from having to invest in expensive physical charging infrastructure on their site but still allows customers to access DC fast charging.

“Our charging stations are helping retail locations like Chevron’s branded stations to enhance their offering to consumers,” said Arcady Sosinov, FreeWire founder and CEO. “Providing ultra fast, convenient charging at traditional fueling stations can help unlock new customer relationships with EV drivers.”

No number of chargers or locations were specified in the company press release. The gas station brands were excited to announce the partnership and that they will be investing billions over the next 10 years to electrify their nationwide fueling network.

Jesse Love, Chevron’s retail brand experience manager, said in a press release, “We are committed to investing billions in lower-carbon projects over the next 10 years and

are excited to join with companies like FreeWire that develop technologies that enhance our retail offerings and can grow our Chevron and Texaco brands.”

Gas station companies like Chevron and Texaco are far from the only companies working with FreeWire. According to the FreeWire website, they also work with brands including Rivian, Walmart, Uber and other gas station companies like BP to build EV charging infrastructure.

FreeWire shows many brands, locations and companies that have become integral parts of everyday life aren’t going away with the shift to electric vehicles. Gas station brands are now more aware than ever that change is necessary to survive in the future.

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“Our charging stations are helping retail locations like Chevron’s branded stations to enhance their offering to consumers,”

ARCADY SOSINOV FREEWIRE FOUNDER AND CEO

GM Hit with $102.6 Million Jury Verdict in Class Action Over Defective Engines

In a rare class action trial verdict, a California federal jury on Oct. 4 found the nation’s largest automobile manufacturer hid an engine defect that resulted in excessive oil consumption, leading to engine damage, stalling and premature breakdown in tens

on behalf of owners and lessees of GM trucks and SUVs sold from 2011-2014 in California, North Carolina and Idaho, which contained the company’s Generation IV Vortec 5300 LC9 engine.

The case was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

production of the engine following the 2014 model year.

CREF Hosting Art Meets Automotive

2014 GMC Sierra 1500

of thousands of General Motors’s 5.3-liter SUVs and light trucks.

The jury returned a $102.6 million verdict against GM in a class action lawsuit led by national plaintiffs’ trial firm DiCello Levitt

Filed in late 2016, the lawsuit claimed internal GM documents showed the company was quickly alerted to a defect in the engine’s piston rings that resulted in the vehicles consuming too much oil. The excess oil infiltrated parts of the engine where it didn’t belong, resulting in damage and, eventually, premature engine breakdown and failure.

By 2010, GM recommended to its dealers they clean the pistons of the vehicles in question. That solution was ineffective and company engineers and other employees recommended the piston ring design be changed. GM made other ineffective engine design changes in 2011, but the oil consumption issues persisted until GM finally discontinued

“I am exceptionally proud of our trial team for its tireless preparation and aggressive advocacy is this case,” said  Christopher Stombaugh , lead trial counsel in the case and a partner at DiCello Levitt. “I am also thankful for the courage of the jury, which did the right thing in holding GM responsible for its deceit and half-hearted efforts to address its problems.”

The jury found GM violated the breach of implied warranty of merchantability to California plaintiffs, the breach of implied warranty of merchantability to North Carolina vehicle owners, and breached the provisions of the Idaho Consumer Protection Act. It awarded each of the 38,000 class members $2,700, bringing total damages to $102.6 million.

The case is Raul Siqueiros, et al. v. General Motors LLC, Case No. 3:16-cv-07244, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

— Source: DiCello Levitt

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) will bring back their popular annual SEMA reception, sponsored by Hertz, featuring a unique student art exhibit where Art Meets Automotive.

The reception and exhibit will be held at the “CREF Career Studio” in the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall Atrium Level Three, from 7-10 p.m. Nov. 1.

Art Meets Automotive will feature unique automotivethemed creations in which today’s tech students showcase their design concepts, creativity and collision repair skills. Students will compete in this innovative design challenge for bragging rights and prizes.

More than 30 students have entered their works of art in the contest. Judging by a panel of automotive experts will take place online, and guests at the reception will also have an opportunity to vote on their favorite designs.

— Source: CREF

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Attanasio

Everyone has that one friend constantly taking photos or shooting videos with their cell phone. Apple’s new iPhone 14 has more sophisticated cameras than ever. The camera in my iPhone 13 Max Pro is better than my Nikon and so much easier to use.

Shops now are using more and more videos to perform tasks all the way from providing quick updates for their employees, partners and customers, to training sessions, informational meetings and more. The best part is they don’t need to be Oscar-worthy or highly complex to be effective.

Angel Iraola from Net Computer Business Solutions in Walnut Creek, CA, has been leveraging videos for his clients all over the country for more than a decade. Many of them are less than five minutes in length, and very affordable for even his smallest clients.

In most cases, a technician, painter or front office person can shoot and

edit the videos with their cell phones. Then, Iraola posts them everywhere online and uses his strategies to share them with the right markets and the right time. He has also encouraged many of his clients to use videos for customer service and internal communications.

Iraola’s body shop customers love videos and have seen positive results almost every time, he said.

“Many technicians are now using their cell phones to document an entire repair, which is outstanding,” he said. “They are able to engage the customer and keep them in the loop from start to finish. Rarely do they ever question anything because they can see each stage along the way. There are no more surprises on a Friday afternoon when they get their car back.

“Paperwork and even regular photos are not as effective and videos are so easy to produce it ends up being an essential and valuable part of the repair process.”

Trust and Confidence

The video explosion is ongoing, with YouTube firmly at its center. YouTube had 2.6 billion users worldwide as of 2021, according to Statista. The only social network

services,” Iraola said. “It enables them to provide full transparency for itself and its customers and building trust. In an age of instant information, customers will believe it only when they see it, and there is nothing more instant and real than video.”

In the collision repair industry, shops are embracing video, and many insist all their techs and advisors use it on several levels. The scenario differs, but in many cases, a technician will find something additional that requires attention now and wants to communicate it to the customer or insurance company. Rather than using a lengthy text, email or phone call to explain the issue, a video tells the whole story fully and succinctly.

with more monthly active users is Facebook, with 2.9 billion.

“Today, almost every industry in existence is using video increasingly as a tool to sell products and

If you want to monitor the explosive evolution of video worldwide, take a look at the never-ending growth of YouTube and be assured every industry on the planet is currently looking for new and exciting ways to use it.

Marketer Angel Iraola has more and more body shop clients using videos to communicate with their customers.

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Hertz Planning to Order 175K EVs from GM

Hertz and General Motors Co. on Sept. 20 announced an agreement in which Hertz plans to order up to 175,000 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop EVs over the next five years.

million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared to similar gasoline-powered vehicles traveling such a distance.

Hertz and GM believe this plan is the largest expansion of EVs among fleet customers and the broadest because it spans a wide range of vehicle categories and price points, from compact and midsize SUVs to pickups, luxury vehicles and more.

The agreement will encompass electric vehicle deliveries through 2027 as Hertz increases the EV component of its fleet and GM accelerates production of EVs broadly. Over this period, Hertz estimates its customers could travel more than 8 billion miles in these EVs, saving approximately 3.5

“It’s exciting that two iconic American companies that have shaped the evolution of transportation for more than a century are coming together to redefine the future of mobility in the 21st century,” said Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with GM on this initiative, which will dramatically expand our EV offering to Hertz customers, including leisure and business travelers, rideshare drivers and corporates.”

“Our work with Hertz is a huge step forward for emissions reduction and EV adoption that will help create thousands of new EV customers for GM,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “With the vehicle choice, technology and driving range we’re delivering, I’m confident that each rental experience will further increase purchase consideration for our products and drive growth for our company.”

Hertz is investing to create the

largest rental fleet of EVs in North America, with tens of thousands of EVs available for rent at 500 Hertz locations across 38 states. The company’s current goal is for onequarter of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024.

Hertz expects to begin taking delivery of Chevrolet Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs in the first quarter of next year. GM deliveries to Hertz are projected to increase as GM rapidly scales its EV production between 2023 and 2025, driven by the opening of Ultium Cells battery cell plants in Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. GM plans annual production capacity of 1 million EVs in North America by 2025.

— Source: GM

“Our work with Hertz is a huge step forward for emissions reduction and EV adoption that will help create thousands of new EV customers for GM,” MARY BARRA GM CHAIR AND CEO

Driven Glass Attends Auto Glass Week

Phone synching with a vehicle results in it becoming almost the equivalent of a cell phone on wheels so shops are increasingly offering to erase all that personal data for a customer whose vehicle has been declared a total loss.

because many shops aren’t doing it.

“A vehicle owner today may have their home address stored in their navigation unit of the vehicle, and their contacts get stored when they synch their phone,” said industry trainer Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, who conducts the “Who Pays” surveys with CRASH Network. “Garage door opener codes might be stored. So we need to be asking the vehicle owner, when the vehicle is a total loss, if they would they like us to erase their personal information.”

A “Who Pays for What?” survey of U.S. shops this past summer found more than one-third (35%) said they are paid always or most of the time by the eight largest U.S. insurers when they charge for the labor for this procedure. That has more than doubled from the first time the survey asked about the procedure a year earlier. Despite this, more than four in five shops acknowledge not having sought to be paid for this work perhaps

Anderson said the steps necessary to clear this information can generally be found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.

The final “Who Pays for What?” survey of 2022 is now open through the month of October. It focuses on labor operations related to scanning, system calibrations and labor. Shops can take the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ RBRG5GY

Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey findings along with analysis and

resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.

MIKE ANDERSON COLLISION ADVICE

Anderson said the survey, which will take about 15-20 minutes, can be completed by anyone in a shop familiar with the shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of at least some of the largest national insurers. Each shop’s individual responses are held in the strictest confidence; only aggregated data is released.

The results of previous surveys are also available online at https://www.crashnetwork.com/ collisionadvice

— Source: CRASH Network

Driven Glass, home to a portfolio of iconic brands like Jack Morris Auto Glass, Auto Glass Now and All Star Glass, took the stage at Auto Glass Week to share its story about the rapid expansion of its auto glass services network through organic growth and acquisitions.

Driven Glass also took home top honors, winning Auto Glass Repair and Replacement’s (AGRR) top retailer award.

The 2022 Auto Glass Week, held Sept. 14-16 in San Antonio, TX, marked the first official presence of Driven Glass at the event, where it displayed its ever-growing family of auto glass brands, portfolio of glass services and career potential as part of the growing Driven Glass business.

Mars Shah, president, Driven Glass, and Michael Lopez, president, Auto Glass Now, led a discussion Sept. 16, “Working with Other Auto-Related Companies to Drive Business.”

— Source: Driven Brands

So. California

Century West BMW North Hollywood 818-432-5819

818-769-1520 Fax

M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm eperez@centurywestbmw.com

New Century BMW Alhambra 626-576-2867 626-457-2027 Fax M-F 7am-7pm Sat 8am-5pm jason.rodriguez@ncbmw.com www.ncbmw.com

So. California

MINI of Universal City

Universal City 818-452-1219

818-508-5082 Fax

M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-5pm allanv@miniuniversalcity.com

More Shops Being Paid For Clearing A Driver’s Personal Data From A Total Loss Vehicle; Latest ‘Who Pays’ Survey Now Open Through October

“A vehicle owner today may have their home address stored in their navigation unit of the vehicle, and their contacts get stored when they synch their phone”

Publisher Jeremy Hayhurst

General Manager

Barbara Davies

Contributing Writers

Ed Attanasio, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Stacey Phillips, John Yoswick

Advertising Sales

Joe Momber, Norman Morano

Office Manager

Louise Tedesco

Digital Marketing Manager

Bryan Malinski

Art Director

Rodolfo Garcia

Senior Designer

Vicki Sitarz

Editor

Abby Andrews

Accounting & HR Manager Heather Priddy

Permissions Editor Randi Scholtes

Office Assistant Dianne Pray

Serving Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher.

©2022 Adamantine Media LLC.

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

GM Backup Camera Recall Involves Cadillac, GMC Vehicles

By David A. Wood CarComplaints.com

A General Motors backup camera recall includes more than 95,000 Cadillac and GMC vehicles equipped with the optional Surround Vision features.

The GM backup camera recall involves 2020-2021 Cadillac XT5, Cadillac XT6 and GMC Acadia vehicles.

Those models are equipped with rearview camera coaxial cable connectors that may not have been crimped properly, causing the backup cameras to fail, or they may function just part of the time.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Cadillac and GMC backup camera failures in July. Vehicle owners complained the rearview camera screens turned black and red triangles with circles appeared on the screens.

GM previously investigated rearview camera-related

complaints involving the same vehicles in July 2020. GM closed the investigation based on evidence which indicated the rate of field complaints was low and there were no vehicle crashes.

The automaker also noted the backup camera performance was checked both at the end of the assembly line and at dealer pre-delivery inspections.

Once NHTSA opened its investigation, GM opened a second investigation and engineers found the rate of complaints had increased, a lot.

GM expects to mail backup camera recall letters Nov. 7, and dealerships will replace the coaxial cables once they have replacement cables. Second backup camera recall notices will be mailed once dealers have the cables.

With questions about the GM backup camera recall, Cadillac owners should call 800-4588006 and GMC owners may call 800-462-8782.

GM’s backup camera recall number is N222378380.

INSIST ON GM GENUINE PARTS

No. California

Chase Chevrolet STOCKTON 209-475-6620 209-475-6708 Fax M-F 7am - 5pm Sat 7:30am-4:30pm cesar@chasechevrolet.com

Dublin Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC DUBLIN 925-828-8251 925-829-2941 Fax M-F 7am - 6pm Sat 8am - 4:30pm

FH Dailey GM Parts Center SAN LEANDRO 800-4A-GMPART 510-351-0534 M-F 8 am - 5 pm Sat 8 am - 4 pm parts@fhdailey.com www.fhdailey.com

Michael Stead Cadillac WALNUT CREEK 925-934-5022 925-934-0336 Fax M-F 8 am - 5 pm Sat 8 am - 3 pm steadparts@gmail.com

Call Any of These Wholesale Parts Dealers BelowCall Any of These Wholesale Parts Dealers Below

No. California

American Chevrolet MODESTO 209-491-7810 209-575-2564 Fax M-F 7:30 am - 5:30 pm Sat 9 am - 2 pm gmparts@americanchevrolet.com www.americanchevrolet.com

So. California

Courtesy Chevrolet SAN DIEGO 800-336-1404 619-297-4023 Fax M-F 7am - 6pm Sat 8am - 5pm www.courtesysandiego.com

Paradise Chevrolet VENTURA 888-5-CHEVY-5 (888-524-3895) 805-642-0134 805-644-7214 Fax M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 8am - 3pm

Rydell Automotive Group

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

818-832-1660

818-832-1692 Fax M-F 6am - 7pm Sat 8am - 5pm nrparts@rydells.com

So. California

Thorson Motor Center PASADENA 626-793-0454 626-795-6872 Fax M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 8:30am - 2pm parts@thorsonmotorcenter.com

Nevada Montana

Denny Menholt Chevrolet BILLINGS 406-896-3111 406-896-3924 Fax M-F 7 am - 6 pm tsoltis@dennymenholt.com

Corwin Buick GMC RENO 775-333-8777 775-322-1837 Fax M-F 8am - 5:30pm ahardie@corwinauto.com www.corwinbuickgmc.com

Michael Hohl Motor Company CARSON CITY 775-884-8619 775-884-8645 Fax M-F 7 am - 6 pm Sat 8 am - 5 pm gmparts@michaelhohl.com

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