Hammer & Dolly August 2017

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SEMA Preview

VA/MD Students Hit Kentucky

August 2017 Volume 11,No. 8 $5.95

GETTING IT STRAIGHT:

Inside the OEMs’ Push for Proper Jigging www.grecopublishing.com

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August 2017

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Unsurpassed Quality.

Genuine Hyundai Parts.

HYUNDAI IS PROUD OF ITS REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE.

SO ARE THE DEALERS AND BODY SHOPS WHO RELY ON GENUINE HYUNDAI PARTS.

TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU GET THE RIGHT HYUNDAI PART, ASK FOR THE WHOLESALE

PARTS SPECIALIST AT THESE FINE DEALERS. Buy Hyundai Parts.

For Genuine Hyundai parts, contact these Authorized Hyundai Dealers.

Fairfax Hyundai 10925 Fairfax Blvd.

Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: 703-273-5188 FAX: 703-352-3115 E-mail: parts@fairfaxhyundaiinc.com

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Fitzgerald Lakeforest Hyundai 905 North Frederick Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Phone: 301-670-4881 Fax: 301-670-1595

August 2017

Malloy Hyundai 1880 Opitz Blvd.

Woodbridge, VA 22191 Parts Direct: 703-490-8263 Fax: 703-490-3864 E-mail: hmkparts@aol.com

Checkered Flag Hyundai 3033 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: 757-687-3463 Fax: 757-687-3468 hyundai.checkeredflag.com

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38 GETTING IT STRAIGHT: INSIDE THE OEMS’ PUSH FOR PROPER JIGGING Doing repairs the right way - and for the right money.

BY JOEL GAUSTEN

CONTENTS August 2017

LOCAL NEWS 16

VIRGINIA STUDENTS IMPRESS AT SKILLSUSA NATIONALS

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SAY HELLO TO HENRY MICHAEL EMMONS

Young repairers compete in Kentucky.

Hammer & Dolly introduces our newest industry member,

DEPARTMENTS 6 10

Editor’s Message JOEL GAUSTEN

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Executive Director’s Message JORDAN HENDLER

NATIONAL FEATURE 22

VEGAS-BOUND: SCRS PREPS LARGEST SEMA SCHEDULE YET A preview of 2017’s biggest week.

BY JOEL GAUSTEN

TECHNICAL FEATURE 26

WE ARE MEANT TO EVOLVE: WHY YOU CAN’T INSTALL USED WELD-ON COMPONENTS PART 1 OF 2

Why using the right part is critical.

BY LARRY MONTANEZ III, CDA

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WMABA Sponsorship Page

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What’s WMABA Up To?

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WMABA Membership Application

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INDUSTRY ADVICE: Ask Mike

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WMABA Board of Directors

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GUEST FEATURE 32

A SNORKELER’S TAKE ON THE SHARK-INFESTED WATERS OF THE CURRENT COLLISION REPAIR MARKET

Powerful words from an industry pro.

BY KEITH MANICH

Calendar of Events

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President’s Message MARK SCHAECH, JR. Advertisers’ Index

Stock Images © www.istockphoto.com

August 2017

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Industry training opportunities and don't-miss events.

CALENDAR OF

EVENTS August 1, 2017

August 24, 2017

September 19, 2017

August 2, 2017

ADVANCED STEERING & SUSPENSION SYSTEMS DAMAGE ANALYSIS

Frederick Co. Career & Tech, Frederick, MD

STRUCTURAL STRAIGHTENING STEEL

Wayside Body Shop Inc., Denton, MD

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA CORROSION PROTECTION

Waldorf Toyota, Waldorf, MD

August 3, 2017

STEERING & SUSPENSION DAMAGE ANALYSIS

King Volkswagen, Gaithersburg, MD

WHEEL ALIGNMENT & DIAGNOSTIC ANGLES

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

August 9, 2017

CORROSION PROTECTION

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

STRUCTURAL STRAIGHTENING STEEL

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

August 10, 2017

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY TRENDS & DIAGNOSTICS OVERVIEW

FinishMaster, Fredericksburg, VA AUTOMOTIVE FOAMS

Caliber Collision Center, Randallstown, MD

UNDERSTANDING THE CYCLE TIME PROCESS

RNR Auto Body, Hagerstown, MD

SQUEEZE-TYPE RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

August 15, 2017

FULL-FRAME PARTIAL REPLACEMENT

Jones Body Shop, Bel Air, MD

August 16, 2017

STEEL UNITIZED STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGIES & REPAIR

NT Auto Body Inc., Alexandria, VA

SQUEEZE-TYPE RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

August 17, 2017

ADHESIVE BONDING

Uni-Select USA, Baltimore, MD

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

August 22, 2017

BLUEPRINTING PROCESS & DAMAGE DISCOVERY

Quality Auto Body & Collision LLC, Mechanicsville, MD

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CLASS LISTINGS

August 2017

ADHESIVE BONDING

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD King Volkswagen, Gaithersburg, MD

August 23, 2017

AUTOMOTIVE FOAMS

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

August 24, 2017

UNDERSTANDING THE CYCLE TIME PROCESS

FinishMaster, Fredericksburg, VA MEASURING

FInishMaster, Springfield, VA

August 30, 2017

UNDERSTANDING THE CYCLE TIME PROCESS

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

September 6, 2017

ADHESIVE BONDING

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

FULL-FRAME PARTIAL REPLACEMENT

NT Auto Body Inc., Alexandria, VA

September 7, 2017

ALUMINUM EXTERIOR PANEL REPAIR & REPLACEMENT

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

STEEL UNITIZED STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGIES & REPAIR

King Volkswagen, Gaithersburg, MD

September 12, 2017

STRUCTURAL STRAIGHTENING STEEL

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

STRUCTURAL STRAIGHTENING STEEL

Waldorf Toyota, Waldorf, MD

September 13, 2017

ALUMINUM EXTERIOR PANEL REPAIR & REPLACEMENT

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

PLASTIC & COMPOSITE REPAIR

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY

Canby Motors Collision Repair, Aberdeen, MD

September 20, 2017 ADHESIVE BONDING

NT Auto Body Inc., Alexandria, VA PLASTIC & COMPOSITE REPAIR

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

SECTIONING OF STEEL UNITIZED STRUCTURES

Brown Honda, Charlottesville, VA

September 21, 2017

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

UNDERSTANDING THE CYCLE TIME PROCESS

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, PERSONAL SAFETY & REFINISH SAFETY

King Volkswagen, Gaithersburg, MD

September 23, 2017

WHEEL ALIGNMENT & DIAGNOSTIC ANGLES

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

September 26, 2017 MEASURING

Keystone, Linthicum, MD

September 27, 2017

REPLACEMENT OF STEEL UNITIZED STRUCTURES

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

September 28, 2017

FULL-FRAME PARTIAL REPLACEMENT

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD

September 30, 2017

AUTOMOTIVE FOAMS

FinishMaster, Springfield, VA

September 14, 2017

CORROSION PROTECTION

Criswell Collision Center, Annapolis, MD STRUCTURAL STRAIGHTENING STEEL

Caliber Collison Center, Randallstown, MD VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY TRENDS & DIAGNOSTICS OVERVIEW

Frederick Co. Career & Tech, Frederick, MD

www.i-car.com or (800) 422-7872 for info

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Š 2017 Porsche Cars North America Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of traffic laws at all times.

Diagnostically speaking, there is no substitute.

Porsche technology.

Porsche Genuine Service & Parts.

Contact one of these authorized dealers.

Porsche of Rockville 1125 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 301-296-2870 Fax 301-762-5055 rockville.porschedealer.com

Porsche of Arlington 3154 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, VA 703-684-8835 Fax 703-518-0467 arlington.porschedealer.com

Porsche Silver Spring 3141 Automobile Boulevard Silver Spring, MD 844-413-6929 Fax 301-890-3748 silverspring.porschedealer.com

Euroclassics Porsche 11900 Midlothian Turnpike Midlothian, VA 804-794-3399 Fax 804-794-9771 euroclassics.porschedealer.com

Porsche Towson 700 Kenilworth Drive Towson, MD 855-873-8619 Fax 410-296-4852 porschetowson.com

Checkered Flag Porsche 2865 Virginia Beach Boulevard Virginia Beach, VA 757-687-3483 Fax 757-687-3490 checkered-flag.porschedealer.com

August 2017

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August 2017

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Alexandria Volkswagen 107 West Glebe Rd. Alexandria, VA 22305 703-684-7007 Fax: 703-684-4138 e-mail: parts@alexandriavw.com

Karen Radley Volkswagen 14700 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Woodbridge, VA 22191 703-550-0205 Fax: 703-643-0081

Ourisman Volkswagen of Bethesda 5415 Butler Road Bethesda,MD 20816 301-652-2452 Fax: 301-652-2589

Checkered Flag Volkswagen 3025 Virginia Beach Blvd Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Parts Direct: 757-687-3465 757-490-1111 Fax: 757-687-3514

Fitzgerald Volkswagen 114 Baughmans Lane Frederick, MD 21702 Toll Free: 800-545-4745 Fax: 877-696-1841

www.checkeredflag.com

e-mail: parts@fitzmall.com www.fitzparts.com

Ourisman Volkswagen of Rockville 801 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 Parts Direct: 301-340-7668 Toll Free: 855-417-4511 Fax: 240-499-2488

King Volkswagen 979 North Frederick Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Parts Direct: 240-403-2300 Fax:240-403-2398

e-mail: rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com www.ourismanvolkswagenofrockville.com

e-mail: parts@vwking.com www.vwking.com

Fitzgerald Volkswagen of Annapolis 34 Hudson Street Annapolis, MD 21401 Phone: 410-224-4636 Fax: 410-224-4264 www.fitzmall.com

Ourisman Volkswagen of Laurel 3371 Ft. Meade Rd. Laurel, MD 20724 Phone: 301-498-6050 Fax: 301-498-0157 www.laurelvolkswagen.com

e-mail: vwwholesale@ourisman.co

August 2017

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Joel Gausten

EDITOR’S

(973) 600-9288 joel@grecopublishing.com

MESSAGE

CONFESSIONS OF A DATA HOARDER

As a professional journalist and magazine editor, I pride myself on keeping meticulous records of my various work in the collision repair industry. If you’ve communicated with me over email in the last several years, there’s a good chance I still have those conversations tucked away somewhere. Of course, I talk to a lot of people, so those email exchanges add up pretty quickly. Let’s just say my current inbox includes thousands of emails pertaining to Hammer & Dolly and other industry matters.

(And before anyone asks – yes, I back up my computer religiously!)

Due to my habit of feverishly keeping pretty much everything that hits my laptop, my wife calls me “The Data Hoarder.” To be honest, I wear that title as a badge of honor – especially when covering the fast-moving world of collision repair. As I’ve learned after working in publishing for 17 years now, a request from someone for either a rare factoid from 2008 or a statement from a manufacturer sent to me in 2012 can appear out of nowhere – and comes more frequently than you can imagine.

Without a doubt, being a data hoarder is essential to my profession – and it should be a major part of your work as well. Off the top of my head, here are a few things you should have on your computer and at your disposal at all times: WMABA OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

SECRETARY

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

degweb.org: The home of the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG), a free service that assists shops in addressing time discrepancies found in the databases created by the major Information Providers wmaba.com: WMABA’s official website, which includes regular updates on the association’s activities and events

grecopublishing.com: The official site of Thomas Greco Publishing (and my opportunity for a shameless plug). TGP's website is your resource for FREE digital editions of all titles we produce dating back to 2014. This includes a wealth of information available through YEARS' worth of Hammer & Dolly archived issues.

Hoarding isn’t always bad – in fact, it can drastically improve your business if you’re keeping the right stuff within reach. With that said…maybe it’s well past time for me to delete all those emails advertising hair-growth products. H&D

Mark Schaech, Jr. mark@marksbodyshop.com 410-358-5155 Torchy Chandler torchy.chandler@gmail.com 410-309-2242 Barry Dorn bdorn@dornsbodyandpaint.com 804-746-3928 Phil Rice phil@ricewoods.com 540-846-6617 Don Beaver don.beaver3551@gmail.com 443-235-6668

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rodney Bolton (rbolton@aacps.org) 443-386-0066 Kevin Burt (kevinburt@walkermillcollision.com) 301-336-1140 Barbara Chase (barbara@siskautobody.com) 301-855-5525 Ben Gibson (bgibson@harrisonbodyworks.com) 804-355-8151

ADMINISTRATION

Ashley Kruger (akruger@baughautobody.com) 804-285-8045 Bill Hawkins (whawkins@mybmwannapolis.com) 410-349-2578 Danny Szarka (dszarka@mileone.com) 410-525-1000

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jordan Hendler (jordanhendler@wmaba.com) 804-789-9649 WMABA CORPORATE OFFICE P.O. Box 3157 • Mechanicsville, VA 23116

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oem1stop.com: A fantastic online resource for OEM position statements on a variety of repair procedures and equipment

August 2017

STAFF

PUBLISHER SALES DIRECTOR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR OFFICE MANAGER

Thomas Greco thomas@grecopublishing.com

Alicia Figurelli alicia@grecopublishing.com

Joel Gausten joel@grecopublishing.com

Lea Velocci lea@grecopublishing.com

Donna Greco donna@grecopublishing.com

PUBLISHED BY TGP, Inc. 244 Chestnut St., Suite 202 Nutley, NJ 07110 973-667-6922 FAX 973-235-1963 Reproduction of any portions of this publication is specifically prohibited without written permission from the publisher. The opinions and ideas appearing in this magazine are not necessarily representations of TGP Inc. or of the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA). Copyright © 2017 Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

MESSAGE WHEN DOES DARWIN ARRIVE?

Jordan Hendler

(804) 789-9649 jordanhendler@wmaba.com

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive and reproduce.

As a Christian, I believe in Creationism; as a working person in the collision industry, I do believe Darwinism has a rightful place in this world – especially in business.

There’s a bit of a sigh here at WMABA headquarters when we start talking about proper repair procedures. That sigh usually comes after a call with an elite repairer who is not getting reimbursed by an insurer for an OEM procedure, and they either feel disheartened and defeated or mad as a hornet. I hang up feeling precisely the same way.

Larry Montanez, Mike Anderson, Aaron Schulenburg and a slew of other industry notables are constantly giving sermons to the industry about what it means to be a respectable repairer and what those professionals do to differentiate themselves. These repairers have the current equipment required of OEM programs, follow repair procedures, constantly train, pay attention to the national scene and so on and so on. Above all else, they adapt to change. (Keep in mind, this is regardless of being DRP or not, so no excuses.)

So, the question I have is: When do the “bottom feeders” get culled out? When do those who give no regard to doing the right thing get the chain, the hook, the rope? How can we “evolve” and leave those amoeba creatures behind when we all know that the

state of technology in today’s vehicles is demanding it with an iron fist?

I have no answer. I would like to think there is a government agency, peer pressure, whistleblowing, lawsuits or something to point at to save the day. We need a new sheriff in town, if you will.

Trust me, my level of frustration is equal to those who fight daily to get their proper repair procedures, fair Labor Rates and times and material reimbursements paid for without a slew of back-and-forth or “maneuvering.” It’s simply exhausting.

Therefore, what is a half-century-old association to do? We berate the Bureaus of Insurance, go to the media, stomp and shout and hope to get the message heard. There just isn’t going to be any change unless nagging occurs. Relentlessness should win the day and provide balance to those who dig in their heels to move in a thoughtful direction.

Let’s give evolution a shove, shall we? H&D

Check the WMABA website and newsletters for regular updates and reports from the Executive Director’s perspective.

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August 2017

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THANKS

YOU WMABA thanks their generous supporters of the

LEVEL 1

Corporate Sponsor Program for 2017!

We encourage YOUR SUPPORT of those who SUPPORT US! For more information about the sponsorship program, please contact Executive Director Jordan Hendler at (804) 789-9649 or email jordanhendler@wmaba.com

www.wmaba.com

LEVEL 2 Automotive Training Institute Certified Automotive Parts Association FinishMaster Mid-Atlantic Paint & Supply National Coatings and Supplies WheelsOnsite

August 2017

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Find more association updates at www.wmaba.com.

WHAT’S UP TO? WMABA MEMBERSHIP: THE UN-SECRET PLAYBOOK It’s always a good time to get involved in WMABA. If you’re reading this, your first benefit is already being realized: Staying up to date on the news in our area and beyond.

Get Your Team Jersey Supporting WMABA is an investment in the future of your business and your industry. By becoming a member, you are represented in all the places the Board or executive director go. Whether at a trade show like SEMA, assisting with the SCRS OEM Technology Summit regarding certified repairs or locally at the state capitol meeting legislators or testifying at a hearing, your interests and the interests of all repairers are at the forefront. Though repairers often feel competitive, the association is a place for camaraderie and community. Here, we’re all on the same team.

Get Educated WMABA offers issue-specific, topic-driven education throughout the year.

Participation in special events and local meetings, such as the Audi Training Center-hosted seminar and tour, offers your business the best in opportunities to advance your understanding of changes within our industry.

JOIN TODAY!

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August 2017

The Playbook The association is your resource for all things related to your business.

Whether you have a question about current Labor Rate data, operations, customer interaction, insurer relationships, vendor products or national news, your association is the place to ask first. Through our relationships nationally, we can even take issues to the forefront of places such as the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, Collision Industry Conference or national contacts for insurers and vendors.

Locally, we research governmental regulations and oversight to make sure the repair industry is protected from any negative legislation. Represented in both Virginia and Maryland, WMABA proposes and opposes recommended bills that come into the legislature during open session. Also, we work with consumer-related entities, government agencies and other related industry organizations to ensure that the voices of the repairer and their customer are heard.

Many repairers take advantage of the knowledge and community the association has for navigating situations that arise. A simple phone call or email can circumvent many issues our members encounter.

Call the Game As a member, you decide your personal level of participation. Do you have interest in committees that address particular issues you feel passionately about? Would you want to be a Board member and assist in guiding the direction of the association? How about sitting on the sidelines so you can focus on your own business? All answers can be correct! While WMABA would like to encourage your spirit of volunteerism, it is solely up to you at what level you get involved.

The minimum is getting your membership. This year can WIN with your commitment to the betterment of your business and your industry. Sign up today! H&D

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LOCAL

SkillsUSA National results.

NEWS Virginia Students Impress at SkillsUSA

NATIONALS

The week of June 19-23 saw vocational school students from across America showcase their developing crafts and compete for the Gold during the 53rd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Louisville, KY. The event featured stellar performances from Robbie Schroth and CJ Newsome, two recent graduates from Northern Neck Technical Center in Warsaw, VA. Schroth finished 18th out of 48 competitors in the Auto Refinishing category, while Newsome placed 29th in Collision Repair Technology. (Taylor Hill, the Maryland refinishing student and recent Gold medalist in the State Championships who was featured in our last issue, took home the Bronze medal at Nationals. Fellow

National SkillsUSA Collision Repair Technology competitor CJ Newsome

Maryland student Cheyenne Howard, who was also profiled in our previous issue, scored 20th in Collision Repair Technology.)

For Schroth, automotive refinishing is a family tradition. His grandfather, Phillip, owned a body shop; his father, Shelton, was employed at the business as a painter. Growing up in this environment helped him develop a passion for the automotive world that led him to earn a spot at Nationals, where he stood alongside the rest of the nation’s best vocational students.

After a successful co-op experience at Collision One, Inc. in Tappahannock, Schroth recently joined the shop full time as a painter’s helper.

The SkillsUSA Nationals also featured Maryland students Cheyenne Howard (left) and Taylor Hill (photo by Amanda Bolton)

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Shop owner.

Monday morning motivator.

Quality fanatic.

CAPA convert.

You didn’t build your reputation overnight. And you didn’t do it using inferior parts.

Which is why CAPA created the industry’s first crash part testing and certification program over 29 years ago. To provide an assurance of quality in replacement parts for everyone whose livelihood depends on quality repairs.

It isn’t always easy to spot a poor quality replacement part. One that’s ungalvanized, made of inferior material, unsafe, or lacks all the correct welds. So we do all that for you.

CAPA Certified parts. The only replacement parts tested and found good enough to earn the yellow and blue CAPA Quality Seal. And the approval of shop owners like you.

TM

If it isn’t CAPA Certified, it isn’t a genuine replacement part. capacertified.org

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LOCAL NEWS

“I love it! Everything is going great over there. When I work on cars, especially when it comes to the painting side, it doesn’t really feel so much as ‘work’ to me as having fun and doing what I love to do.”

Matt Ingram, Schroth’s instructor at Great Neck, is pleased to see his former student take his first step into a larger career.

“Robbie’s doing what he wants to do now, and he’s working hard to get to where he wants to be.”

When asked to offer some words of guidance for the new kids who will soon fill Ingram’s class, Schroth provides an answer that even the most experienced industry members should keep in mind.

“The biggest thing to do is to basically stay focused, keep your eye on the goal and know what you want to do.”

The trip to Louisville was also an unforgettable time for Newsome. Not only was 2017 his first year at Nationals, but this was

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LOCAL NEWS

Say Hello to

Virginia refinishing student Robbie Schroth competing in Louisville, KY

also the first time he participated in the Virginia SkillsUSA Championships. Not surprisingly, he was awed by what he saw on the competition floor in Louisville.

“It was a whole lot different [than the Virginia competition]. It was a really big step; [there was] a lot of higher-technology stuff.

The equipment they had was a lot newer.”

Naturally, Ingram is proud of what Newsome accomplished during his time as a student.

“CJ was really respectful. Whatever you showed him, he caught on very quickly. He really fell in love with the body side.”

An avid car fan since his early teens, Newsome followed in the footsteps of his older brother and fellow Northern Neck alumnus, Scott, who currently does fiberglass work on boats. During his time as a collision repair student, the recent SkillsUSA competitor developed a love for fixing dents – a talent that served him well in Louisville.

Recently, he started his first full-time industry job at Newsome’s Body Shop in Heathsville, VA, a facility owned by his distant cousin, Gordon.

Like Schroth, Newsome offers some simple – and very important – advice for next year’s group of eager Northern Neck kids.

“Pay attention and learn everything you possibly can. It’ll help you in the long run.”

H&D

Henry Michael Emmons!

WMABA and Hammer & Dolly congratulate our marketing writer, Lee Emmons, and his wife, Michelle, on the birth of their son, Henry Michael Emmons! Born on May 26 at seven pounds and two ounces, Henry is the first child for the happy couple, who recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary.

Lee and Michelle chose Henry (“a strong, classic name” says the new dad) to represent the English influence on Lee’s mother’s side of the family, who are from Hong Kong.

Henry also has a Chinese name, which Lee admits he cannot spell (nor barely pronounce). The name Michael was chosen in honor of Michelle’s father.

We wish the new family a lifetime of fun, love and happiness!

Wheel Collision Center Photo by Stacey Gillin Photography

H&D

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1.800.292.RIMS (7467) August 2017

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NATIONAL

FEATURE VEGAS-BOUND: SCRS PREPS LARGEST SEMA SCHEDULE YET

s any of the nearly 200,000 attendees who make the annual trek to the Las Vegas Convention Center will tell you, the SEMA Show is unlike any other automotive trade show in the world. Way back in 2010, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) partnered with SEMA organizers to bring collision repair-specific education and networking opportunities to the event. Since then, the auto body community’s presence at the Show has grown in strength. Based on the industry’s initial response, this year’s installment (October 31November 3) will be the most can’t-miss event yet.

Speaking with Hammer & Dolly at the start of summer, SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg was pleased to report that registration for the association’s Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series and the support shown from exhibitors had already far exceeded the high numbers seen this time last year.

“The SEMA Show – and the Repairer Driven Education series – is home to the collision repair industry now,” he says. “Support from sponsors, vendors, exhibitors and people who want to be a part of

A

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August 2017

the program just grows each year, and it’s become a lot more natural for people to reach out to us and ask how they can participate and be involved. We’re at the point where we have attendees asking us how to register before registration’s even opened up. We had companies commit to this year’s Show before last year’s was even over. Each year gets bigger and stronger, and everybody feels more connected to it.”

After receiving hundreds of submissions from industry speakers interested in being a part of the RDE series, SCRS built a curriculum based on the items that will offer the most value to attendees. With scanning continuing to be a crucial topic among repairers and insurers alike, RDE will contribute to the discussion with “Building the Business Case for Diagnostics in Collision Repair,” a November 1 seminar presented by Jake Rodenroth of Collision Diagnostic Services. Not only can attendees expect to walk away with a better understanding on how to get started and/or improve their current process on scanning, but they can also plan to explore how to build a business case around scans based on negotiation tactics,

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Spotlighting classes and special events.

BY JOEL GAUSTEN

manufacturer product knowledge and customer interaction. The twohour discussion will serve as a suitable follow-up to Rodenroth’s talk at SEMA 2016, which focused on alerting the industry of the necessity of scanning procedures.

“Each year, we try to find new ways to bring information and new pieces that can give people more ammunition to bring back home with them,” Schulenburg says. “Jake’s presentation last year was about understanding the technology and looking at how that development had occurred. Rather than talking about the technology and helping to raise awareness – which I think has been covered quite a bit – Jake’s presentation this year will be about how you build a business case for it.”

After scoring big with his seminar at last year’s event, renowned industry consultant Mike Jones (Discover Leadership Training) will be back to offer “Creating a Better Version of Yourself” on November 1.

Schulenburg believes that attendees will leave Jones’ discussion with a renewed sense of purpose and a passion for who they are and what they offer in this profession.

“Everything about what Mike brings is unique. His enthusiasm is infectious, and I think that’s one of the things that carries so much weight in the sessions that he does. I think there’s something important about investing in yourself; there’s something important about unleashing your potential. When you can get in front of a speaker like Mike and a session like his, it gives a lot of opportunity to really dig into how you can be the best in what you do.”

Closer to home, the RDE series will include presentations by veteran SEMA speakers and Hammer & Dolly contributors Mike Anderson (“100% Disassembly Best Practices - with Parts Mirror Matching”) and Larry Montanez (“How to Find, Read and Understand OEM Repair Procedures”). Anderson’s storied career in the industry is the stuff of legend, while Montanez remains a regular go-to expert for SEMA organizers in their quest to bring a no-nonsense approach to educating repairers on many of today’s top technical issues.

“Larry has a history of really providing information at a technical level that shops love and can relate to. He gets great feedback postsession, and that’s why he’s often included. Also, Larry always submits topics that are in touch with what our attendees want and look for.”

In addition to other returning presenters (including AkzoNobel’s Tim Ronak, Reliable Automotive Equipment’s Dave Gruskos and Chief Automotive Equipment’s Ken Boylan, among others), this year’s RDE schedule includes more than a dozen first-time presenters. New faces include Gary Hart of the Independent Glass Association and Bob Beranek of Auto Glass University, who will co-present “Navigating the World of Automotive Glass Repair and Replacement” on October 31.

Responding to feedback from past SEMA attendees, SCRS revamped its RDE schedule for 2017 to include three sessions on

October 30. This will allow attendees to have more time to enjoy the action on the SEMA floor when the Show officially opens the following day.

Of course, no collision repair experience at SEMA would be complete without the SCRS-hosted OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit. Held this year on November 2, the all-day gathering is designed to put SEMA attendees in a room with innovators in automotive structural design and technology. The Summit’s three session times will feature distinctly different topics that host discussions between companies and individuals with rich histories of producing sophisticated advancements in the automotive and collision repair fields. The event content will highlight architectural and technological developments in modern vehicles, with a focus on emerging trends that influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation. (The complete details of this year’s Summit will be announced in a future issue of Hammer & Dolly. In the meantime, those who missed last year’s Summit are encouraged to check out the event’s two-part scanning-related discussion, “Restoring Vehicle Functionality with Scanning and Diagnostics,” at SCRS’ official YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/SCRSCollision.)

Eight years after hosting its very first SEMA event, SCRS continues to keep its involvement at the show fresh by focusing on providing a week of genuine value to the industry it serves.

As Schulenburg says, “We want to develop events that we want to participate in and attend ourselves. We’re trying to create events that we think would speak to our own group and therefore would also speak to the folks we’re trying to attract in. It’s been a very key focal point for us to not allow it to get stale and to find new speakers and topics and shift where we go with it each year and try to find ways to be more relevant.”

Other SCRS-related events planed for SEMA 2017 include the RDE Sky Villa After-party on November 2 and – for the first time ever – a special Collision Industry Red Carpet Awards Breakfast on November 1.

More details on these and other SEMA events will be available in upcoming issues of Hammer & Dolly. For registration information and a complete listing of RDE presentations, visit semashow.com/scrs.H&D

Executive Director’s Thoughts

SCRS’ education at SEMA is top-notch and not to be missed. I cannot put into words how important and meaningful attending the series and the trade show is to repairers. Every single person who has gone expresses the change they feel in themselves and what they know about the industry. If you haven’t been to SEMA before, make 2017 the year you get there! - Jordan Hendler August 2017

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TECHNICAL

FEATURE WE ARE MEANT TO EVOLVE: WHY YOU CAN’T INSTALL USED WELD-ON COMPONENTS PART 1 OF 2 A lot of things in life grow old and get replaced by something newer and better. Horse-drawn stagecoaches, steam locomotives, prop planes, wooden ships, leaded gasoline, candles, outhouses, typewriters, 8-track cassettes, vinyl records, the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system…the list can go on. We are meant to evolve and advance, but with many in the collision repair industry, there is a major epidemic of regression – not progression. This is not only infecting this profession, but it is also putting people’s lives at risk.

Many repair facility personnel are unaware of the actual insurance rules and regulations (and even what their own rules are and who governs them in their industry), and they also often ignore OEM repair procedures. On top of that, there is a lack of education about metallurgical properties and engineering principles, which is leading to the improper use of junk parts, imitation knockoff parts and incorrect joining methods. Many think that welding on a used section of the vehicle is the easiest and best way to preserve the factory welds. However, that would benefit the repair by only 15 percent; there would be an adverse effect of 85 percent. Welding sections of a vehicle onto a damaged vehicle will generally require making up new sectioning locations and/or using the current sectioning locations (but cutting access “windows” into panels to be able to section and weld-in the advanced inner steel reinforcing panels). Most of the inner panels on late-model vehicles cannot be sectioned due to the type of substrate used, which is generally Martensite/Quenched/Hot Formed and Stamped or Boron Alloyed Steels. Cutting and heating of these advanced substrates is prohibited, as it causes too much work hardening and will make the joined area weaker.

When removing components off a junk section, many times you will be required to drill bigger than 8mm holes to separate the panels.

This will cause issues when attempting to MAG plug the junk panel onto the existing structure. Although some OEM panel mating flange designs will allow access to the backside of the flange to drill out the factory spot welds (from the opposite side), to remove the junkyard part from the junkyard section, it will be extremely difficult to remove all the spot welds from the backside. As such, most of the spot welds will have to be drilled on the front side of the component flange. This would force the facility to now MAG plug the panel on.

Additionally, most OEMs want STRSW used to reattach panels, which will create two issues: The drilled holes may now be too big in

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diameter for MAG plug welds, and obviously there are holes in the panel. Some OEMs require some areas of the panel (or the entire thing) to be reattached using weld bonding, which would be impossible once holes are drilled. Another consideration is that many OEMs utilize bonding adhesive in various areas (such as the quarter panel wheel opening well, lower pillar to rocker panel and rear body to quarter panel areas), and removing the outer from inner panels in these areas would be extremely difficult without causing distortion to the outer panel in the bonded areas. Additionally, most quarter panel wheel flanges are now hemmed, making it almost impossible to open the hem without distorting the outer panel.

When a seasoned bodyman decides to cut a vehicle at a certain area based only on their own opinion and not fact-based research, they not only have put their own liability at risk, but they do the same to the repair facility, the estimator and anyone else at the facility involved in the claim – not to mention the lives of the occupants in that vehicle and anyone else driving next to it. You know who isn’t liable? That’s right – the insurance company or adjuster. They are not the repair professional. This would also be true for DRP agreements.

There are too many people involved in the industry who are of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with using used weld-on

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The dangers of improper repair.

BY LARRY MONTANEZ III, CDA

components or even full-body sectioning (a.k.a. “CLIPPING”). I love the posts online by junkyard sales representatives who attempt to make up reasons why their part is more economical, practical and environmentally friendly. When I hit them with specific questions, they act like Keyser Söze in the movie The Usual Suspects – “Poof!” They stop commenting. Are there viable used parts that can be reused on vehicles? Sure! The law stipulates that vehicle owners/consumers have cost-efficient alternatives to new OEM components, but the repair facility must follow the OEM guidelines to protect its liability. If someone chooses to fix their own vehicle and wants to weld two halves of vehicles together, then they can knock themselves out.

Based on I-CAR statistics, only about 60 percent of the industry is trained to weld. Now, that number drops dramatically when we factor in that those are the techs I-CAR knows about. Now, consider that out of 100 techs, only 60 are actually trained and only 30 of the trained techs can actually weld. Resistance welders are still not all that common in shops, but when you do find a STRSW in a facility, I see poor maintenance and unacceptable electrode tips 80 percent of the time.

Evidence suggests that the lack of equipment (owner), poor maintenance (owner and techs), and a lack of proper welding training August 2017

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TECHNICAL FEATURE

and practice (owner and tech) – added to adjusters and shop guesstimators who just don’t understand what is needed to repair a vehicle properly – are causing an epidemic of incorrect repairs. This is seen all over social media. This has also created a massive amount of so-called “post-repair inspection” experts and clownsultants (oops, consultants) who pontificate to whoever will listen to them but are contributing to vehicles being brought back. To be honest, my mom or even Stevie Wonder could see the poor repairs to most of these vehicles. Why is this happening, you ask? It is mainly due to facility owners not holding their estimators or technicians accountable.

The only one who can authorize, approve or even allow you to do repairs to the vehicle is the vehicle owner. The only person who has ever paid you for repairs to the vehicle is the vehicle owner. You never ever have to use knockoff, imitation or junkyard parts unless you actually agree with the vehicle owner’s request. Also, you always have the option to say, “Hey, I wish you the best, but please take your vehicle someplace else.”

Not only have we witnessed junkyard parts poorly welded onto the vehicle structures, but in many of the photos I see on social media, there are vehicles being repaired without being anchored to a bench and without a measuring system and/or any supporting braces. Everything is being performed by eye. Over the years of performing accident reconstruction and reviewing questionable safety issue inspections of repaired vehicles, I have seen multiple cases of incorrect MAG welding. I’ve encountered issues such as (but not limited to) incomplete plug welds, incomplete weld fusion (plug welds not completely filled), excessive heating (large heat rings, distortion and bluing of the substrate in the weld zone), lack of penetration (welds were destructively tested with little to no resistance), welding electrode wire sticking through (indicates burn through and/or porous welds) and incomplete fusion of resistance welds (poorly maintained tips, lack of pressure and/or lack of amperage).

“Okay, okay. We hear you, Larry. Let’s say the technician is well-trained and can perform proper welds, and all the equipment is in top shape and the most advanced. In this case, why can’t we use salvage components?”

Okay, good question – and I’ll answer it next month in Part 2 of this feature.

H&D Larry Montanez, CDA is co-owner of P&L Consultants with Peter Pratti Jr. P&L Consultants works with collision repair shops on estimating, production and proper repair procedures. P&L conducts repair workshops on MIG & Resistance Welding, Measuring for Estimating and Advanced Estimating Skills. P&L also conducts investigations for insurers and repair shops for improper repairs, collision reparability and estimating issues. Larry is ISO 9606-2 Certified for Audi and Mercedes-Benz and is a certified technician for multiple OEM Collision Repair Programs. P&L can be reached by contacting Larry at (718) 891-4018 (office), (917) 860-3588 (cell) or info@PnLEstimology.com.

Executive Director’s Thoughts

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Larry always goes straight to the point, which is why we have such appreciation for him. He keeps us looking at ourselves and asking these tough questions. If we’re meant to evolve, which part of the spectrum are you? You know what Darwin has to say about those who do not evolve. - Jordan Hendler

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Superior service starts with superior parts.

Rely on what Mazda drivers already know-Genuine Mazda parts extend a car's life.

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Contact these Mazda dealers for all your parts needs: Brown’s Fairfax Mazda 10570 Lee Hwy. Fairfax, VA 22030 Toll Free: 800-234-8642 Phone: 703-385-3994 Fax: 703-591-5348

Nu Car Mazda 172 North Dupont Hwy. New Castle, DE 19720 Toll Free: 800-346-5283 Fax: 302-322-7135

Ourisman Mazda of Rockville 801 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 Parts Direct: 301-340-7668 Phone: 855-417-4511 Fax: 240-499-2488 e-mail: rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com www.ourismanmazdaofrockville.com

Fitzgerald Mazda 114 Baughmans Lane Frederick, MD 21702 Toll Free: 800-545-4745 Fax 877-696-1841 E-mail parts@fitzmall.com www.fitzparts.com

Fitzgerald Mazda of Annapolis 1930 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401 Toll Free: 866-280-8022 Phone: 410-224-4636 Fax: 410-224-4264 www.fitzmall.com

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For Genuine Subaru Body Parts, contact these Authorized Subaru Dealers.

Wilkins Subaru 6913 Ritchie Hwy #2, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 410-689-8066 Fax: 410-689-8008 subparts@wilkinsautomotive.com www.wilkinssubaru.com

Fitzgerald Lakeforest Subaru 905 North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Phone: 301-670-4881 Fax: 301-670-1595

August 2017

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GUEST

FEATURE A Snorkeler’s Take on the Shark-Infested Waters of the Current Collision Repair Market* I’m taking a pause on developing operating procedures for this article in favor of reflecting on some of the changes taking place in the collision repair industry. I think about repairers painstakingly building production and productivity models for their stores and taking time to make sure they are properly equipped, their technicians are properly trained, their equipment is updated and their certifications are obtained – becoming more sophisticated and detail-oriented overall in what they do.

But then, I am reminded that there is always a silent, circling entity, sometimes in the background (sometimes not), trying to influence the repair: The insurer. They’re kind of like a hungry shark waiting to take a big bite out of the repair plan. Unfortunately, repair planners will sometimes have that thought lurking in the back of their minds, anticipate the bite and try and reduce the risk of having to explain, document and justify why they wrote the repair plan a particular way (and the stress that accompanies those conversations). What can result is an insufficient repair plan and a dangerous precedent, because now the insurer knows that the repair planner will adjust the repair plan to fit that company’s needs.

A repair planner should not instinctively second-guess their training, expertise and experience. What’s interesting is the insurer has no contract with the repairer; therefore, their participation in the repair process is to impact the price. In doing so, they marginalize the expertise of the repairer. They’ll say things like, “Not today; not on my watch,” “We don’t pay for that,” or “You’re the only one that charges for that.” In some cases, they just outright refuse to pay what is owed.

But I also remember a time not so long ago when there used to be a very different philosophy. They once said, “If you can document it, we will pay for it.” Heck, I remember saying that myself. But now even

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that has gone away and led to something more commonplace: “Nope.”

What has happened to common sense? What happened to “do what’s right for the car”? I heard a good one recently when an issue was identified post-repair and the insurance supervisor said, “Oh, we’d have paid for it if they had asked for it.” Interestingly enough, it was on an area that they said they wouldn’t pay for. More specifically, it was for repairing the rocker pinch weld area after clamping, which is a routine repair damage correction. What happens when more complex situations are involved?

As manufacturers continue to develop more sophisticated vehicle systems, the repairer will have to be prepared to work with these systems. That takes investments in tools, equipment and training. What’s equally important and typically unspoken is that the consumer is demanding these vehicle systems. The expectation is that the systems will work flawlessly when the collision repairs are completed, so the system performance must be validated by a scan.

The consumer expects that everything the manufacturer specifies be done is done. Who will pay the bill? The consumer assumes that their insurance company is there to write a check for everything that is required to restore their car to pre-loss condition – including the parts, procedures, labor and system diagnostics. Why is it so difficult for repairers to get paid for what is required? Is the discounted repair somehow “factored” into the cost of ownership, or is that another gray area that is hidden from the vehicle owner? If the repair cost is reduced, does the owner really benefit? We hear that with many different repair-associated costs, aftermarket parts, reductions in repair times and appearance allowance for slight damage. Does the premium charged to the consumer really go down as a result?

Repairers also have to remember that they aren’t claims folks, so anything that is policy-related must be directed back to the insurance company.

Over the last several years, it’s been impressive to watch the repairers do what they can to make sure that everything the manufacturer wants done on their brands is identified and documented. Scanning is a great example. You may purchase a highend scanner or one that can link through the Internet, only to find that the insurer doesn’t want to pay for diagnostics at the mechanical rate even though it’s a mechanical operation. The latest position I’ve heard on this was really interesting: “Estimating system identifies a part with an M, so it means it’s a mechanical part; that doesn’t mean it gets mechanical labor.” What? But these positions aside (and more importantly), there is lack of willingness to pay for mandatory operations. This is readily apparent with the independent repairers as they compete with the corporate-influenced MSOs, knowing of course that there is a strong bond between the insurer and the MSOs because of the volume of cars they insure and the need to feed the vehicle count appetite.

At the same time, information gathered from those MSOs is used against the independent repairer as an attempt to control what

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A voice from the field.

BY KEITH MANICH

they do. It is a tool used to influence pricing and the repair- planning process. That includes trying to limit the sales categories for which a repairer charges (such as frame time and the newly identified position of wanting those frame hours to be identified as body time or at least at the same rate). Why would the repairer want to do that? What is the benefit for them? All that does is open the door for more manipulation of the hours because now they are all grouped together.

So how do the repairers “fight back” against this silent entity that wants to control their business? One word: Documentation. The repairer shouldn’t care what “Pick-a-name Autobody” down the street charges. Is “Pick-a-name Autobody” repairing the vehicle properly? Do they have the proper equipment? Are they trained properly? Do you know if you can document the procedures, if the OEM has identified the procedure as required and if the technician is actually performing the repair and can show the result? If so, why shouldn’t you get paid for it?

Then there are the photo requests. “I need a picture of this, two more of that and four of this.” Capturing these takes time. Repairers need to charge for these services, including taking the images, transferring the images, filing the images and (of course) uploading images to the entity that is requesting them. What is charged for these services is up to the individual owner. However, there should be a charge. The simple question is why should any process or procedure the repairer completes be considered free and go uncharged? The repairer needs to be accurate with regard to invoicing and listing the items they are charging for.

Take a look at this email below:

This is an actual request from an insurer asking for 17 pictures.

However, with the multiple angles requested adding another eight on top of the eight already initially sent, a total of 33 images had to be taken for this vehicle. The shop had already sent eight pictures to begin with. This vehicle is going to be a total loss; that means without an administrative invoice, there may be no payment to the repairer. There should be a substantial administrative fee accompanying the pictures when they are sent. Why shouldn’t the total loss vehicle become a profit center just like any other handling process for the vehicle?

This vehicle also had prepaid charges that the repairer paid in advance and have not yet been repaid for. That brings up another point: Sublet markup. If a collision repairer writes a check for releasing a vehicle from storage and an initial tow fee from the accident scene, then they also pay a subsequent tow fee to move the vehicle to their location.

Why shouldn’t the repair facility owner be entitled to a markup on all fees? They made the calls, they arranged the tow and they paid the prepaid charges. Time was spent on each of these items – and most importantly, the repair center’s money was spent to accomplish all of this (and their money isn’t in their bank account gaining interest for them).

Why shouldn’t they make a profit off of their work?

So let me circle back to my original thought of “reflecting on some of the changes taking place in the collision repair industry.” Why isn’t the collision repair industry driving the changes? Why are we collectively letting it be driven by the peripheral third-party entities? The only question that needs to be asked is this: Is it necessary to repair the vehicle back to pre-loss condition? If it is, there is no argument, no

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GUEST FEATURE negotiation and no need for discussion. If a vehicle manufacturer identifies a specific procedure, then it has to be completed for the proper repair for the OEM. This is necessary to satisfy them that the vehicle is repaired properly; why should the insurer interfere and say that it shouldn’t be done or they won’t pay for it to be done? Why would they not owe to have it done?

Let’s list the steps necessary for the repair plan to be executed as written. Be sure that:

all options, vehicle IDs and production dates are properly identified and listed on the repair plan; all safety-related items that are affected with the loss are identified (and the appropriate research completed to ensure that all required steps to repair or replace are identified and subsequently followed); all testing and reset processes are listed per manufacturer specifications; all structural items that are affected are identified (and any repair or replacement required procedures are followed); considerations for the substrate materials used in the vehicle’s construction are properly identified to ensure that the proper repair steps are followed; adhesives, adhesive kits, rivets, seam sealers, foams (both structural and sound-deadening), corrosion-protection materials, application tips and other non-paint-related items are placed in parts and not in paint and materials (This directly impacts part and paint and material margins.); you gather ALL appropriate documentation that supports all decisions made within the repair plan and have it available for the inevitable negotiation process; you stress to the owner of the vehicle that there may be others who might repair the vehicle cheaper, but it might not be repaired properly.

(There is a difference between discounting price and discounting the safety of the repair.); and the negotiation planning worksheet is completed to prepare for insurer discussions.

If a decision is made, you have supporting documentation available if pushback occurs. You can share it with the vehicle owner, stressing the fact that the vehicle manufacturer identifies the operations as required for the vehicle to be repaired properly.

Changes can only take place with willing participants. Don’t lose control of your industry. Your pricing decision should be based on your business knowledge, accounting recommendations and profitability – not what another outsider influence would try to dictate. You aren’t in the discount collision repair industry; you are in the collision repair industry.

H&D

Keith Manich began his journey through the collision repair industry as a body technician and painter over 30 years ago, progressing through management, insurance claims, automotive engineering, testing and training and technical oversight at an industry MSO. He held roles in senior management in training and research at one of the nation’s premier collision research facilities as well as traveling worldwide in his role as the center vice president. As a trainer and coach in damage analysis and damage blueprinting, he has also been responsible for developing SOPs, financial impact models, job aids and repair personnel job descriptions for collision repairers. He brings unique skill sets to the Automotive Training Institute as well as the industry. He regularly participates at collision industry events delivering immediately impactful information for collision repairers.

His passion for repair process efficiencies, oversight of established processes and the designing and implementation of new repair and production procedures are never ending. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge which has helped to provide decades of properly repaired vehicles for their owners. He works with and is an active participant in many industry organizations such as CIC, SCRS, ASA, I-CAR, AMI and WMABA (just to name a few), and he has been a guest speaker at SEMA, NORTHEAST, NACE and other industry conventions. His productivity tips can be seen in Hammer & Dolly, where he is a featured writer. He can be reached at kmanich@autotraining.net.

Executive Director’s Thoughts

Certainly, Keith lays out a lot of the issues I hear from shops day in and day out. It’s a very hard fence to live on – to have the desire to perform safe and proper repairs while also having good relationships with insurers. Sometimes one side takes precedence, and now you’ve got potential conflict, so some shops make concessions to get by. Take the time to go through all the documentation processes with them, regardless if the outcome is the same. It does matter. - Jordan Hendler

*The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of WMABA, Hammer & Dolly or Thomas Greco Publishing.

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KEEP IT GENUINE

INSIST ON GENUINE GM PARTS

We stand behind our product, providing collision repair professionals and vehicle owners peace-of-mind and confidence.

Contact these Genuine GM Parts dealers for all your parts needs: NU CAR CHEVROLET 172 North Dupont Highway New Castle, DE 19720 Phone: 800-633-6606 Fax: 800-346-5285 e-mail: parts@nucar.com www.nucar.com

OURISMAN CHEVROLET 4400 Branch Avenue Temple Hills, MD 20748 Phone: 301-899-6990 Fax: 301-899-9375 www.ourismanchevrolet.com

POHANKA CHEVROLET 13915 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway Chantilly, VA 20151 Phone: 888-266-2993 Direct: 703-502-3729 Fax: 703-968-0932 www.pohankachevrolet.com

RADLEY CHEVROLET 3670 Jefferson Davis Highway Fredericksburg, VA 22408 Phone: 800-355-8202 Direct: 540-898-0055 Fax: 540-891-2074 www.radleychevrolet.com

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It Takes Genuine Honda Collision Repair Parts To Achieve a Genuine Honda Fit. Honda collision repair parts are engineered and manufactured to Honda standards.

In the collision-repair business, time is money, and you can’t waste time on parts that almost fit properly. Use Genuine Honda replacement parts. Your reputation depends on it.

For Genuine Honda parts, contact these Authorized Honda dealers.

Ourisman Honda 3371 Ft. Meade Rd. Laurel, MD 20724 Direct: 301-498-6050 Fax: 301-498-0157 www.laurelhonda.com

Honda of Tysons Corner 1580 Spring Hill Rd. Vienna, VA 22182 Direct: 703-749-6652 FAX: 703-821-4229 www.hondatysonscorner.com E-mail: sebastian.venegas@hondaoftysonscorner.com

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Miller Honda 3985 Valley Pike Winchester, VA 22602 Direct: 800-296-5020 Direct Local: 540-868-9916 Fax: 540-869-1074 E-mail: bmorgan@drivemiller.com

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WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. YOU WANT TO KNOW IF THE PART’S IN STOCK, HOW MUCH IT COSTS, AND WHEN IT’S GONNA GET THERE. We get it.

You want the best part for a Toyota, but you’ve got to know when and how much.

Well, now you can. In addition to tools that can help you find and order the right VIN-based parts, now you can see if it’s in stock, schedule the delivery, even see your shop’s net price from your participating Toyota Dealer.* Now you’re thinking: “Cool!”

ToyotaPartsAndService.com

©2014 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

For Toyota Genuine Parts please call one of these authorized local Toyota Dealers: Alexandria Toyota 3750 Jefferson Davis Highway Alexandria, VA 22305 Toll Free: 800-766-9767 Phone: 703-836-8476 Fax: 703-684-3468 www.alexandriatoyota.com

Antwerpen Toyota 12420 Auto Drive Clarksville, MD 21029 Phone: 410-988-9272 Fax: 443-539-4022 darnold@antwerpenauto.com

Koons Tysons Toyota 8610 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 Phone: 703-790-8310 Fax: 703-356-9081 www.koons.com

Checkered Flag Toyota 5301 Virginia Beach Boulevard Virginia Beach, VA 23462 PH: 757-687-3443 FAX: 757-687-3437 www.checkeredflag.com

Ourisman Fairfax Toyota 10441 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22030 Toll Free: 800-626-2236 Direct: 703-273-2236 Fax: 703-385-8411 fairfaxparts@ourismanva.com www.ourismanva.com

Younger Toyota 1935 Dual Highway Hagerstown, MD 21740 Phone: 800-296-1190 Fax: 301-733-5465

Koons Toyota Annapolis 1107 West Street Annapolis,MD 21401 Phone:(800)262-3330 Fax:(410)280-6361

dthompson@youngertoyota.com

roy.easter@koons.com

August 2017

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COVER

STORY GETTING IT STRAIGHT: Inside the OEMs’ Push for Proper Jigging If you keep up with major developments affecting this industry, you’re at least aware of the movement towards OEM certification as a method of growing and maintaining work in collision repair. In order to achieve these certifications and take advantage of the perks that go along with them, repair facilities need to abide by certain OEM procedures. Clearly, pre- and post-repair scanning is the OEM procedure gaining the most traction these days, but jigging is just one of the many other recommended practices that repairers need to know and follow now.

To help shops understand what is expected of them, manufacturers regularly issue position statements on the operations necessary to bring their vehicles back to preaccident condition. In a statement provided to Hammer & Dolly, Lexus offers insights into its standing on the jigging issue:

Lexus acknowledges many types and brands of equipment that can be used to repair our vehicles, therefore we take an unbiased approach regarding equipment types or brands. A body and frame alignment rack with dedicated or universal fixtures, also referred to as “jigging,” is one of many methods

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Current industry figures reveal that only around 20 percent of the technicians in this industry are actually consulting the repair procedures available to them.

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Inside an ever-crucial repair method.

BY JOEL GAUSTEN

of body and frame alignment that is an acceptable method of realigning Lexus body and frames. There are many other types of body and frame alignment equipment, such as electronics measuring and pulling systems equipment, that are also acceptable.

Lexus has a dedicated tool and equipment program that provides a list of approved body and frame alignment equipment for repairing our vehicles. For more information [on] approved equipment, visit [the] equipment solutions website at http://lexusade.snapon.com/CollisionSupportIntro.aspx.

Audi makes its philosophy on jigging clear in the following position statement:

All Audi vehicles are manufactured using body jigs in the production process to ensure exact structural body alignment and body panel fit.

Collision repairs for correction of body alignment or structural body panel replacement should only be conducted on Audi of Americaapproved equipment. Audi of America and Audi AG work directly with approved equipment manufacturers to ensure that Audi vehicles are mounted to the body alignment machines by the strongest areas of the vehicle body structure to prevent collateral damage caused by the alignment process and to validate the body dimensional values…Audi vehicles should never be affixed to a body alignment machine for structural body alignment by pinch weld clamps or chains as a primary means of mounting/holding the body to [the] alignment machine.

Currently, there are three manufacturers approved by Audi for jigging: Celette, Car-o-Liner (with the EVO 1/2/3 systems) and Spanesi. These specific products have undergone extensive testing

by Audi to ensure that they can adequately handle the demands of its vehicles.

“There have been a few American machines and a couple of European ones that have gone for our approval, but they’re not able to hold their dimensional correctness,” explains Audi Collision Programs and Workshop Equipment Specialist Mark Allen. “To give you an idea of how tight it is, it’s three millimeters in a cross dimension, front to rear. Some of the other, non-approved equipment companies will go out and rent a couple of cars around the country.

They’ll measure the cars with their system; once they average it out, they’ll throw a production tolerance on their dimension. Typically, that’s three millimeters. Then, they’ll call it good. The problem is that

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COVER STORY

they’re measuring a production vehicle that may have a production tolerance; you’re going to come up with a tolerance and then throw a three millimeter plus or minus on top. You can be off anywhere from six to nine millimeters on your measurements.”

Of course, Audi’s equipment and procedural recommendations mean nothing if nobody knows they exist. The manufacturer (along with a host of other OEMs) makes a variety of position statements readily available to repairers via oem1stop.com, while the company also meets with personnel from many of the top auto insurers in the country. (It certainly also helps that a GEICO training center is less than five miles away from Audi’s training center in Ashburn, VA.) Allen says that GEICO, State Farm, Allstate and Farmers are among the insurers that have received corporate-level information on Audi’s jigging requirements, while he is quick to add that Progressive has been one notable holdout

from these discussions. (“They’ve never even talked to us,” he states.)

Naturally, Allen stays away from discussing what a shop should charge for proper jigging procedures – but he believes that there are legitimate reasons for a shop to seek payment for doing things the right way.

“Part of the overhead is having the appropriate frame machine and pulling equipment and the cost that’s involved in doing it. Also, there’s a cost in not doing it the right way and causing an issue for a customer. It’s not only a customer issue for us; it’s a customer issue for the insurance company and the body shop.”

Although automakers are working hard to provide the appropriate information to the collision repair industry, it has become a regular – and growing – occurrence for the Hammer & Dolly offices to receive calls from repairers from the WMABA region and beyond Pageare 1 battling insurers every day over who

compensation for manufacturer-recommended procedures. WMABA president and Baltimore shop owner Mark Schaech, Jr. (who is currently involved in 17 OEM certification programs) has experienced his fair share of inconsistency when it comes to carriers cutting a check for certain things.

“Insurers are kind of schizophrenic. We’ll have one come out here and pay to scan a car, and then the next week they won’t. It’s the same for jig rentals and jigging. It’s definitely difficult to get any insurer to pay real frame setup. There’s one insurer in particular that will pay for a strict period of time no matter what the car is and what you have to do to set it up on a machine.”

Perhaps the greatest reason for this troubling trend is not the accessibility of correct repair information, but rather the volume in which it is utilized. Current industry figures reveal that only around 20 percent of the technicians in this industry are actually

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consulting the repair procedures available to them.

Another major (but far less acknowledged) contributor to the problem is the fact that appraisers often come up with different ways to cover a shop’s charges for jigging, scanning or other controversial procedures rather than pay for them as an actual line item. For example, a jigging charge might show up as a towing charge that the shop didn’t ask for – and the facility accepts this because it closely mirrors the amount they were charging the insurer in the first place. While this practice may keep a repair business happy – after all, the shop gets its money – it does very little to help facilities specifically charge for OEM-recommended items.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure from the top down,” offers Schaech. “Insurers have this ‘prevailing competitive’ statement they like to use, so once they pay for something once or twice, they become the trend. On the ground floor, onsite appraisers realize the procedure needs to be done, but if they send up something with additional time for jigging and not their insurer’s pre-determined time for setup and measure, there’s a problem for them.”

While there are appraisers who fully accept an OEM-recommended procedure (or at least find creative ways to get a shop paid for it), plenty still refuse to move the line they’ve drawn in the sand. When the tug of war gets to be too tedious, sometimes the only solution for a shop is to walk away.

“We always have the customer involved in what we’re asking for,” Schaech says. “When the customer doesn’t want to get involved and doesn’t want to pay the money out of pocket, we generally just let the job go.”

While few would argue against the point that insurers are often slow to embrace a unique procedure and its associated charges, the fact remains that carriers would have little ground to stand on if the majority of shops in a given market strictly followed the exact repair and equipment recommendations established by the automakers. If people know there are repair procedures and specific tool guidelines, but will not follow them because they claim

they’re not getting paid for them, it could be argued that they are empowering the people who have made zero investments and don’t care to do it the right way. When shops follow the OEM repair procedures and actually charge for them straightforward, the more likely they’ll get paid for being the professionals they are. H&D

Executive Director’s Thoughts

While the industry is running amok over scanning and diagnostics, jigging is another one of the underlying issues of proper repairs.

Knowing which vehicles require a dedicated fixture bench will keep you out of trouble in the liability sense. Research each vehicle, and you’d be surprised which ones can pop up.

- Jordan Hendler

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INDUSTRY

ADVICE

ASK MIKE What are some technologies and associated training that shops should get a handle on now before it’s too late?

MA: You know how a lot of people say, ‘I wish I spoke Spanish’? Well, I was in a class the other day, and a guy said, ‘Man, I wish I spoke Millennial!’ I think it all comes down to communication. Whether you agree or disagree with it, you have to approach millennials differently than how you approach people who are your – or my – age. In my day, my dad would say ‘Jump!’ and I’d say, ‘How high, Dad? How long and where at?’ But unfortunately, that just doesn’t work today; that military approach doesn’t work with millennials.

Also, I think people want to know how they’re doing. We have to make sure we give Hammer & Dolly: Mike, your travels expose constant feedback on a regular basis. We only you to some of the biggest developments tend to talk to people when they’re doing happening in the industry right now. What something wrong and not compliment them are some technologies and associated when they’re doing something right. At the end training that shops should get a handle on of the day, we have to give feedback; we now before it’s too late? sometimes have to slow down to speed up.

Another thing that could help is having a Mike Anderson: According to statistics and structured training program. When I had my reports that I read, 85 percent of all hoods and shops, we had after-hours training. On the first deck lids are going to be aluminum within the Thursday night of every month, we had afternext 18 months to two years. At a minimum, you H&D: Obviously, these are technologies that hours training for the body shop; on another need to start getting your technicians trained even the most advanced technician needs to Thursday night, we had after-hours training for now on how to straighten and repair aluminum. investigate and learn more about. The the office staff and then after-hours training for If they don’t know how to do this properly, they’ll industry is trying very hard to get younger the paint staff on another Thursday night. Great actually make the situation worse and might people involved through vocational schools, organizations practice during practice; they play have to replace the panel. [Hammer & Dolly and those schools have limitations in terms the game during the game. Too often, we’re trying to practice while we’re playing the game, Technical Writer] Larry Montanez is actually one of what they can provide a student before of the best instructors in the country for handsthey enter the workforce. What advice would and that doesn’t lead to good results. It is on training in aluminum. I-CAR has a class, and you offer shops that are looking to hire from necessary to have designated after-hours practice times. so do some of the OEMs. I think it’s important the most recent class of graduates to get Maybe you have a person in your shop these kids integrated to where these that your people understand how to repair who’s very talented who can teach after hours. technologies can be embraced? aluminum.

In our newest regular feature, we welcome industry icon and former VA-based shop owner Mike Anderson (Collision Advice) to discuss some of the collision repair community’s biggest questions and concerns. This month, we explore some technologies and training that shops need to embrace today in order to secure a stronger future. We at Hammer & Dolly hope you find this following exchange useful, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question for Mike on this or any industry-related matter that he can answer in a subsequent issue.

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I think another area that people need to focus on is working with their paint companies on learning how to paint more parts off the car.

As far as the third thing, obviously everybody talks about scanning, but it’s not scanning that’s the issue – it’s the diagnostics process that you have to go through when you scan a vehicle. It’s important to work with OEM manufacturers or anybody who might teach you how to do an electrical diagnosis, an output test and recalibration.

As we start seeing more electric vehicles, it’s my prediction that they will become the diesel of the future. Just as diesel was really prevalent back in the day, I think you’re going to start to see electric vehicles become more prevalent. Getting your people trained on these vehicles and their safety precautions now is crucial. People don’t understand that when you paint an electrical vehicle – like an Audi, which has a lithium-ion, high-voltage battery – you can’t paint it more than a certain temperature.

You need to stay educated on that.

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Insights and advice from an industry mentor.

Do you have a question for Mike?

Contact Hammer & Dolly Editorial Director Joel Gausten at joel@grecopublishing.com or (973) 600-9288, and we’ll ask him in a future issue.

Maybe you can bring in a third-party vendor like 3M or your frame machine company and have a presentation once a month. I just think you have to have constant training.

H&D: Since there are some pretty intense technologies out there that are often confusing and perplexing, what are perhaps the best and most easy-to-access resources available online?

MA: Obviously, I-CAR’s the leader for training in our industry, but there are also a lot of other options. I think the online Automotive Management Institute [AMI] classes are a great resource. Also, Kristen Felder from Collision Hub publishes some really good videos on her YouTube channel. 3M has a huge channel. I think YouTube is a great way of training people – just type in ‘Car-o-Liner’ or ‘3M’ or whoever it is on YouTube, and there are a lot of great videos out there that are excellent for quick tutorials on certain things. There are also companies like AutoZone, CarQuest and WORLDPAC that often offer mechanical classes that you can send your techs to in regards to air conditioning repair/replacement or diagnosis and recalibration. Obviously, OEM training is the best. H&D

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Mike Anderson is an Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) and the former owner of Wagonwork Collision Centers, two highly acclaimed shops located in Alexandria, VA. He has served as a member of many industry organizations throughout his career, including the WMABA Board of Directors, the Mitchell Advisory Board, the MOTOR Advisory Board, the ASE Test Review Committee, the National Auto Body Council, the Collision Industry Conference and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. Additionally, he is a past Virginia SkillsUSA chairman, serves as a facilitator for Axalta Coating Systems’ highly recognized Business Council 20 Groups in both the US and Canada and facilitates numerous courses for Axalta Coating Systems’ Educational Series. He currently offers expert industry consulting via his latest venture, Collision Advice (collisionadvice.com).

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Mark Schaech, Jr.

(410) 358-5155 mark@marksbodyshop.com

PRESIDENT’S

MESSAGE WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?

It still amazes me how many collision centers are relying on insurers’ estimates to make their repair decisions. As auto body experts, we are responsible for identifying all collision-related damage and preparing a complete damage analysis report. This report “blueprint” should identify all needed replacement parts, repairs, OEM procedures and recalibrations necessary to restore the vehicle to its pre-accident condition. I never see insurance estimates that include all that is needed. When insurers prepare estimates, they generally do not have intensive OEM-specific training or hands-on experience. Also, they generally don’t utilize OEM repair manuals and position statements. In reality, they are relying on insurer guidelines to save claims dollars by reducing severity. Oftentimes, this means utilizing aftermarket and junkyard parts (even when this goes directly against OEM recommendations) and denying necessary repair procedures because they are deemed “not competitive or not prevailing in a market” (as defined by the insurer). This denial can come regardless of OEM documentation, while insurers often limit reimbursement rates based on “surveys” that repairers are not privy to.

The insurance reimbursement rates in the Maryland market continue to range between $42 and $46 per hour regardless of level of training, equipment and certifications. Even though we have higher equipment investments than most mechanical shops (where the rates far exceed $100 per hour), these are the rates. Today in Maryland, I would be hard pressed to get a lawnmower repaired for those amounts. Other skilled professionals (like electricians and plumbers) are charging over $100 per hour in this market with little overhead and a marginal equipment investment. The math just doesn’t add up.

As repairers, we first and foremost have to identify who our customer is and enter into a contract with that customer. Of course, the vehicle owner is the customer. The repair contract should outline both parties’ obligations regarding repairs, warranty, payment and what happens when that contract is breached. Without a repair contract, a shop should never touch a consumer’s vehicle. While explaining the repair contract to your customer, you have an excellent opportunity to set that customer’s expectations and give direction regarding parts and OEM procedures. We can never be certain what an insurer will reimburse; we can only control our actions and manage our customer’s expectations.

If you have questions about documentation (or need help with understanding some of the terms or conditions I’m referring to), just reach out to WMABA. Our network of repairers (and documents or resources) is vast and can help with most situations a repairer finds themselves in. H&D

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