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P.O. Box 734 Neptune, NJ 07753 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Charles Bryant 732-922-8909 / setlit4u@msn.com 2015 - 2017 OFFICERS PRESIDENT Jeff McDowell, Leslie’s Auto Body 732-738-1948 / chacki@aol.com COLLISION CHAIRMAN Jerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Inc. 732-494-1900 / ultimatecollision@att.net MECHANICAL CHAIRMAN Keith Krehel, Krehel Automotive Repair, Inc. 973-546-2828 / krehelauto@aol.com
VOLUME 47, NUMBER 2 | February 2017
CONTENTS 10 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES 14 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
16 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 24 I-CAR CALENDAR 66 NJA ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
TREASURER Tom Elder, Compact Kars, Inc. 609-259-6373 / compactkars@aol.com SECRETARY Thomas Greco, Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc. 973-667-6922 / thomas@grecopublishing.com BOARD Dennis Cataldo, Jr., D&M Auto Body 732-251-4313 / jr@dnmautobody.com Dave Laganella, Peters Body and Fender 201-337-1200 / petersbandf@gmail.com Sam Mikhail, Prestige Auto Body 908-789-2020 / mikhail@goldcar.com Ted Rainer, Ocean Bay Auto Body 732-899-7900 / ted@oceanbayautobody.com Anthony Sauta, East Coast Auto Body 732-869-9999 / ecabofnj@aol.com Randy Scoras, Holmdel Auto Body 732-946-8388 / randy@holmdelautobody.com Anthony Trama, Bloomfield Auto Body 973-748-2608 / anthony@bloomfieldautobody.com BOARD ALLIED Joe Amato, The Amato Agency 732-530-6740 / joesr@amatoagency.com Mike Kaufmann, Advantage Dealer Services 973-332-7014 / mkaufmann@advantageds.com PAST PRESIDENT ATTENDING Tom Elder, Compact Kars 609-259-6373 / compactkars@aol.com
NORTHEAST® FEATURE 29 NORTHEAST 40: An Oral History
46 COVER STORY by Joel Gausten
NORTHEAST 2017: A Special 40th Anniversary Preview
46
LEGAL PERSPECTIVE by Mitchell H. Portnoi, Esq.
53 Stare Decisis NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian
PUBLISHER Thomas Greco (thomas@grecopublishing.com) SALES DIRECTOR Alicia Figurelli (alicia@grecopublishing.com) EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Joel Gausten (joel@grecopublishing.com) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lea Velocci (lea@grecopublishing.com) EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nick Fernandes (nick@grecopublishing.com)
58 Knowing What You Don’t Know (Like Your Limits)
29
AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY 62 Wharton Insurance Briefs
OFFICE MANAGER Donna Greco (donna@grecopublishing.com) CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Charles Bryant • Mario DeFilippis • Jeff McDowell Mitch Portnoi • Ron Ananian • Keith Krehel Jerry McNee Published by: Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc. 244 Chestnut Street, Suite 202, Nutley, NJ 07110 Corporate: (973) 667-6922 / FAX: (973) 235-1963
NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE is published monthly and is sent to AASP/NJ and ARANJ members free of charge. Subscriptions are $24 per year. NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE is published by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc., 244 Chestnut St., Nutley, NJ 07110. The editorial contents of NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE are copyright © 2017 by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher and/or editor. Articles in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. Cover and Stock Images courtesy of www.istockphoto.com.
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OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES
MY ANNUAL RANT
by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER
This time of year is always a tough one in the publishing about a shop fire in Boston or a new regulation in Maryland. business. The way it works for us is that we send out adWe focus on stuff that affects you. Right here and right now. vertising renewals around the end of November and collect We also have over 75 YEARS’ combined editorial experience them over the next 30-60 days. As someone who has been putting this magazine together. 75 YEARS. I’ll put our staff’s doing this for a long time, I’ve come to expect that there will experience up against anyone’s. So it can’t be content. I be some losses and some gains, especially after the January don’t get it. billing goes out. Is it price? Hell, we’ll beat anyone at that, too. I don’t get Before I continue, please allow me to ask you to support it. all of the advertisers in this magazine. Without them, you Okay, you know where I’m going here. Maybe I sound wouldn’t be reading this column each month. And I know you petty or insecure. So be it. But let me tell you the most read it, because I am blessed to hear your compliments at annoying thing about those local vendors who choose to meetings and trade shows (as well as in emails) month after spend their money with our competitors instead of with us. month, year after year. Our company works in partnerships A few pages from here, you will with industry associations to produce Our company works in see a feature telling the oral history of partnerships with industry our magazines. In other words, a part the NORTHEAST® Automotive Services associations to produce of every dollar spent advertising in this Show. Researching that piece, I went magazine goes back to AASP/NJ. A our magazines. In other part of every dollar spent advertising in through copies of New Jersey Automowords, a part of every tive and its predecessors going back this magazine goes back INTO THE INdollar spent advertising DUSTRY. I’m sorry. As a Board member over 50 years. And believe it or not, in this magazine goes some of the advertisers from that time of AASP/NJ for the last 27 years, that are still with us! That’s pretty amazing. says something. I don’t see many other back to the industry. Our advertisers are not only loyal publishers giving a percentage of their and dedicated, but they’re also smart. That’s why I don’t gross sales back to the industry. Literally giving checks back understand when I look through some of our competing pub- to the industry. Every month. We do that. lications and I see vendors in there who are in our backyard. Our magazines help fund our partner associations. Our Now I know this sounds like a sales pitch or a bunch of competitors? Well, they can give all the awards or prizes they complaining, but you know me – I can’t let this go. I’d honwant, but it’s not the same. estly like to know why. Look, I’m no saint. I’m a businessman like you. But I It can’t be the circulation. We are the only publication always support those who support me. If I have a similar that specifically targets over 3,000 shops in the New Jersey, choice in purchasing something, I’ll be damned if I choose New York and Pennsylvania area. We don’t venture into Delthe one who doesn’t support my industry or my family over aware, Massachusetts or Virginia. Others can say they reach the one who does. 8,000 or 10,000 or a million shops, but why would you want So do me a favor. Look at the advertiser’s list on page to advertise your products to places you don’t service? It’s 66. Are you using those vendors? If not, please give them counterproductive and a waste of money. I don’t get it. a try. Are you using a local vendor who’s not on that page? It can’t be the content. We are the only publication with If so, please call them and ask them why they aren’t in this in-depth features and columns dealing with what’s going on magazine. If it’s a budget problem, I fully understand. We all in this area. Yes, you will find features on national issues and understand. But if they’re advertising in one of our competing products that affect everyone in the industry, but our focus magazines, then please ask them why they aren’t supporting is mostly on what’s happening right here. In your backyard. YOUR industry. You’re not going to have to flip through dozens of pages End of sermon. NJA 10 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 11
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
STAY ACTIVE - AND STAY INFORMED! If you’ve been paying attention to New Jersey Automotive lately, you’re well aware of the increasing attention on the importance of pre- and post-repair scanning in the repair process. By now,
we all know that we need to do it. We all know that the manufacturers want us to do it. The issue is getting paid for these procedures! Times like these are where it’s
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by JEFF MCDOWELL
so critical to be a present and active member of the industry, whether it’s through membership to your local, regional or national trade association or through participation in industry events that discuss and dissect issues like scanning, certification, education and so much more. The recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Palm Springs, CA was a perfect example of industry members uniting in a call for further information - in this case, from insurers regarding their position on compensation for scanning procedures. But if you couldn’t make it to Palm Springs, come to Secaucus, NJ March 17 to 19 for AASP/NJ’s NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show at the Meadowlands. There, you’ll have the opportunity to receive training and information from industry-leading organizations. You will also be able to take part in lively discussions on the future of the industry through AASP/ NJ’s “Path to Certification” series, which will entertain talking points including you guessed it - pre- and post-repair scanning. It’s true what they say - knowledge is power. Arm yourself with knowledge through participation in and around your industry. And in the meantime, I’d like to give a shout-out to an industry mainstay who is helping to get information to our industry with the touch of a button. If you aren’t following Kristen Felder or Collision Hub on social media, stop what you’re doing and connect with this tremendous resource. Kristen and Collision Hub are spreading industry information like wildfire, most recently with their just-released video training series. Visit facebook.com/collision hubpage today and stay educated on the topics that matter to you and your shop! NJA
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
WAKING UP THE COLLISION INDUSTRY The collision industry is under siege, and it is time for it to either fight back or prepare for the disaster that is sure to occur in the very near future. Most of the work coming into auto body shops is being paid for by insurers that continuously refuse to acknowledge that the modern vehicles being introduced into the market cannot be safely and properly repaired for the restricted Labor Rates they are willing to pay. It has become almost impossible to find qualified collision repair technicians to repair modern vehicles. The shops simply cannot afford to pay the technicians anywhere near what they can make in other trades because of these artificially suppressed Labor Rates. As a result, the collision industry has slowly but surely lost the influx of repair technicians necessary to repair the vehicles that show up in shops’ bays. Insurers constantly refuse to pay a fair and reasonable Labor Rate that will compensate collision shops for the services they provide, and they refuse to utilize a fair method of calculating the cost of paint and materials required to repair a damaged vehicle. Insurers commonly refuse to pay for original equipment parts and instead limit payments to an amount that will only cover the cost of inferior imitation aftermarket parts that rarely fit properly and result in a final repair that a collision shop cannot be proud of and warranty. Most insurers also commonly refuse to pay for the procedures required to repair modern vehicles; more recently, they have started to limit payment for certain safety-related repairs to an amount
by CHARLES BRYANT
?
that will only cover the cost of used parts (including used suspension parts). It is one thing to require used parts like fenders and doors, but when it comes to using used safety-related items like suspension parts, this is an altogether different story. These types of policies and unfair practices have been around for years. No matter how hard the collision industry has tried to work these issues out, none of the efforts have ever resulted in a resolution. In fact, things are continuing to get worse and worse. This is supported by the obvious lack of new and/or available technicians. With vehicles being introduced into the market that include new safety-related equipment and modern technology, the time has come that collision shops simply cannot ignore
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vehicle manufacturer recommendations and requirements that have been put in place to protect passengers. The collision shops now have to purchase new equipment and pay for special training on a continual basis that is extremely expensive just to be able to repair these automobiles. This new expense has to come from somewhere. Yet, insurers are still paying for the repairs at a rate that is less than what lawnmower shops and bicycle shops are getting paid for repairs. The collision industry is constantly attempting to inform the insurance industry of these issues to no avail. The bottom line is that history shows that these issues will never be worked out through negotiations or reasoning. The only way most insurers will ever commit to the payment of
New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 17
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE actual fair and reasonable Labor Rates and material costs based on reality is when a court of law mandates it. Over the years, numerous shop owners who have attempted to address the types of issues referenced in this message have gotten shut down by insurers who are willing to outspend them. In other instances, the insurer has attempted to make the shop look like a thief by accusing it of overcharging
or committing fraud. Therefore, these issues continue to plague the industry. Well, we are now at a point that proper repair procedures cannot be ignored because improper repairs can result in death or injury. The question is, how can a collision shop ever come up with enough money to cover the cost of getting these types of issues addressed by a court of law? The answer is actually simpler than one might think.
The time has come for those in the collision industry to put their differences aside and unite in order to address these issues in a united effort. The old saying, “United we stand, divided we fall,” accurately applies to the issues referenced in this article. If the shops would simply stand together and fight these types of issues as a team, the results would be much more effective. Another way to address these issues would be for the industry to get behind a shop that has already made the decision that it can no longer sit back and let the insurance industry destroy its business. It takes a lot of courage for a shop to take a stand and sue an insurer knowing in advance what it may
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For immediate information, contact AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant at (732) 922-8909 18 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
face in terms of litigation costs and be subject to accusations of committing insurance fraud. AASP/NJ has recently created a legal fund that will accept contributions from members. The purpose of the legal fund is to assist an AASP/NJ member in good standing in defraying some of the legal expenses incurred and to support the efforts of certain individuals or businesses currently addressing (or about to address) industry-related issues such as the ones referenced in this message. The AASP/NJ will be publicizing the creation of the legal fund shortly. Although the collision industry has been fighting with insurers about issues like Labor Rates and getting paid a fair amount for the cost of paint and materials for years, things have never been as bad as they have become recently. In fact, it almost seems like the insurance industry has lost all respect for the collision industry. A prime example is what recently happened when one of the largest insurers in the nation actually rolled back the Labor Rate they had been paying for more than a year by somewhere in the area of $15 per hour. Although the rates have been a major issue between insurers and collision shops since time began, this is a blatant example of disrespect to the collision industry. However, it looks like this act may have backfired on the insurer, as it seems to have emboldened many shop owners who are now taking the position that enough is enough. If the insurer that did this walked up to a shop owner and slapped them in the face, I think it would have caused less harm than rolling back the Labor Rates and thinking that the industry would simply take it and not fight back. Stay tuned as the collision industry begins to draw the line in the sand! We will be watching and reporting. NJA
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24 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
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NORTHEAST 40: ®
An Oral History
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey (AASP/NJ)’s flagship event, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show. Since its inception in 1977, the show has traveled across two states, been hosted in six locations, been presented by dozens of Board members, welcomed thousands of exhibitors and greeted more than 100,000 attendees. Many people deserve credit for NORTHEAST becoming the largest regional show of its kind. In this New Jersey Automotive exclusive, several of them tell the NORTHEAST story in their own words. The very first version of the NORTHEAST show was called “Allied Member Night,” presented by the North Jersey Auto Body Association (NJABA) at the Ramada Inn in Rochelle Park, NJ in March 1977.
GP: We needed more room. That was the only hotel near Rochelle Park that had a decent-sized ballroom. Again, it was standing room only. The line was down the hallway, right through the lobby and out the front door.
Ron Mucklow (NJABA president 1977-78): George Threlfall [NJABA founder] and I pretty much came up with the idea. It was going to be a tabletop show. We just wanted to do something to give the jobbers a place to show their new stuff.
After two years in Hasbrouck Heights, the NJABA show once again grew too large for the facility and moved a few miles east to the Meadowlands Hilton in Secaucus. In 1981, the location wasn’t the only thing that changed. The show expanded from one night to a weekend event and was renamed the Northeast Autobody Congress & Trade Show – or as it came to be known, ACTS.
George Petrask (NJABA president 1981-82): The first show was just strictly for jobbers. Masking tape, paint, sand paper, etc. This is way before the days of spray booths, frame machines and all that stuff. It was the brainchild of George Threlfall. [Former NJABA presidents] Dave Demarest and Jim Bowers were also involved at the start. After Dave went on to become a distributor for Caro-liner and Jim Bowers retired from the Board, it was just George, Ronnie and myself. RM: We handed out a bunch of tickets. George and I set the place up, and nobody showed up. So we went to have dinner and when we came back, there must have been 400 people. That place was freaking mobbed. We had no idea it would be anywhere near the success that it turned out to be. GP: I know the fire department shut us down because the line was out the front door. We couldn’t get any more human beings in that room. Outgrowing the Ramada Inn after just one year, the second Allied Member Night moved to the Sheraton in Hasbrouck Heights in 1978.
RM: My son and I went to a baseball card show at the Hilton, and it was kind of neat. I mentioned that to Threlfall, and we looked into it. It was a lot bigger. The idea to make it a weekend event came from NACE. We decided it would be kind of cool to do our own little thing. Even the name was a variation of NACE. The Northeast Autobody Congress and Trade Show…ACTS. GP: We were a little nervous, but we started adding seminars and that’s when it really became an educational weekend. There was a need for knowledge in the industry. RM: Then it got pretty nuts. At the time, all there was was NACE. But that was in Nashville, and most guys couldn’t or wouldn’t travel that far. So when there was something local for them to go to, they came. GP: The only way you could get information or see everything was to go to a national show. So we got the idea, ‘Let’s expand the local show.’
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shows that we had been to, like NACE, but it was certainly a nice gathering. Glenn Villacari (AASP/NJ president 2000-2002): The first one I remember attending was at the Sheraton in Secaucus. At the time and being the age that I was, it was impressive to see so many manufacturers and industry professionals all in one place. DD: You didn’t have to get on a plane to go someplace, so it was easy to show up. I mean, it wasn’t a big investment of time and money to go to a local trade show. With the trade show, as a vendor, you can get in front of an awful lot of people in a hurry and have this awareness of your product. Eleven years in, the time and effort of running the show (as well as their own businesses) began to wear on the show founders. Each year, the show committee would bring their ideas and plans to the ASA/NJ Board and for the most part were left on their own. This peaceful process was not meant to last. Dave Demarest (NJABA president 1974-1975): In the late ’70s, everyone had to look to their business and make investments that they never ever thought they were going to make in order to repair the new vehicles. Shops had to get that equipment and learn about the new repair methods. That’s where the trade show came in. Jeff McDowell (Current AASP/NJ president): The first show that I went to was at the Hilton in 1981. It was just me as a shop owner walking through. I didn’t know anybody. I wasn’t even a member of the association. With an ever-expanding base of exhibitors and attendees, ACTS moved into the brand-new Meadowlands Sheraton in 1988. The North Jersey Auto Body Association also became an affiliate of the Automotive Service Association and changed their name to the Automotive Service Association of New Jersey (ASA/NJ). RM: We were on the ASA Board of Directors, so we told the people from around the region and across the country what we were doing and they started coming from all over. The exhibitors pushed it quite a bit, too. GP: We reached out to across the river into New York and up to Connecticut and out to Pennsylvania. Prior to that, it was just strictly a local North Jersey show. The Hilton was five times the size of the original show, and we packed it. The Sheraton was even bigger. Tom Elder (AASP/NJ president 2006-2009): The first show I remember attending was in the Meadowlands Sheraton. It was a great weekend. I had a great time there. It was not nearly as comprehensive as some of the other 30 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
RM: As long as we came in on the plus side of the ledger, that’s all the Board cared about. They pretty much let us do what we wanted to do. GP: It became almost a year-round thing for planning and putting together. We’d finish one show and get maybe six weeks of rest, and then we started planning the next. The regular Board members were busy running the association, and the show took up too much of their time, so we more or less took it over and ran with it. RM: We didn’t have any time for hassles. Everybody sort of worked together and said, ‘Yeah, okay, good idea, let’s do it, go ahead.’ It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because it was a success. People showed up. GP: They were happy until we had that big takeover… By 1990, many of the Board members who had seen the show thrive had moved on. The new Board had new blood, new ideas and new plans for the ACTS show. RM: Basically they were pushing Threlfall out. I was selling my shop and moving to Florida, so I could care less by that point except for they were messing with him, and, you know, he was definitely a mentor. It pissed me off the way they handled him.
NORTHEAST 40: An Oral History GP: They threw George Threlfall a curve. I think once they did that, they realized, ‘Wait a minute, who’s going to run the show?’ and I think they looked to a show manager in Suffern. He had been coming to the show, and he had seen the crowd it was drawing. I think he was the one to tempt the Board to do something similar up in Rockland County. So when Threlfall was out of the picture, he jumped in. Hank Peters (ASA/ NJ president 198789): I was president when we decided to move to Suffern. Robin Ricca, Guy Citro, Don McPhail and Paul Vigilant were also on the Board. I just felt that we needed to move on to a larger facility. At that point, the guy from Rockland approached us about the show, about moving it up there and how he could run it for us and make us money and we wouldn’t have to worry about all the responsibilities and everything. Threlfall was reluctant to do it because it was his baby from the beginning. We did offer him the opportunity to work with this guy to run the show. But it just didn’t work out. I just felt that we needed to offer the association more than what we were giving them. This was the opportunity to do that as well as take the pressure off of us, expand it and make the association more money. With ASA/NJ voting to move the show to the Rockland County Community College Arena in Suffern, NY (approximately 40 miles northwest of Secaucus), George Threlfall decided to retire and the Board hired an outside trade show management company to run the show.
think it was a generational thing. The whole industry at that time was going through dramatic change. Regulations, new equipment, everything was changing drastically. And so did the show. The first Northeast ACTS to be held outside of New Jersey took place in March 1990. It remained in Suffern, NY (where the name was shortened to NORTHEAST) until 2009. HP: Once we got to Suffern, I was impressed because it was a larger facility. There were a lot more vendors who seemed to be happier. For me personally, I didn’t look at it any other way. I didn’t look at it like I did something; I felt like the association did something. The Board, Guy Citro and everybody else helped put this all together, and wow, this is great, wonderful, you know, enjoy it. TE: I was at Suffern almost every year. I always liked the show. I attended the show even though, you know, I was in the competing association [the Central Jersey Auto Body Association] at that time, because I thought it did a lot of good for the industry, and I thought it was a great show. I saw that show grow, then outgrow and start to decline in Suffern. JM: In the beginning in Suffern, it was wonderful. The quality of the vendors and everything like that was always there. As a shop owner, that was always the interesting part of it for me.
RM: Threlfall did all that work basically for nothing. It might have looked like he might have made a dollar or two on it because he sold his shop, but he was still spending all his time on it. HP: Ron Mucklow, George Petrask and Robin Ricca were all against the move because they were loyal to Threlfall, and I understood that. But then typical political BS came into play, and things changed. I said, ‘Look, I’m not doing this to hurt Threlfall. He could still have an opportunity to be with it if he wants to, but if he doesn’t, I’m sorry, that’s not my fault.’ Sometimes things just have to change and move on. GP: It was a matter of the younger generation coming along. They were more business-oriented and college-educated, and we were the old school. We were used to making a living banging on fenders, blowing the dust off our clothes and going to the show, and they were suit-and-tie guys. I New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 31
NORTHEAST 40: An Oral History Pete Cook (AASP/NJ Board member 1991-2012): The first NORTHEAST show I attended was at the Meadowlands in 1988. But it was different in Suffern; having everything on one wide-open floor space was ideal. I recall the first time I walked in and I was on the upper balcony. Having a view of the whole show before I got on the floor was amazing.
GV: We left there because the show management we hired became a little too comfortable and didn’t do the job that was required to keep the show growing. When we discussed new ideas to improve promotion, they were dismissed. We were told if we left Suffern, it would be the demise of the show, when in fact it turned out to be quite the opposite.
By 2008, ASA (who had now merged with the state’s other three auto body associations to form the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey – AASP/NJ) had seen the NORTHEAST show change – and not in a good way. Like their predecessors almost 20 years earlier, they decided it was time for a change and return to New Jersey.
PC: Many vendors were getting complaints from their employees not wanting to be there because they were really pretty much bored once the show closed. They didn’t like being in the middle of nowhere. We knew the show was dying because the attendance was going down consecutively year after year. When we gave the show manager the opportunity to come up with a new marketing plan, he wasn’t up to the task. Ultimately, it’s always about the old real estate rule: Location, location, location. In the end, the Meadowlands is where it started, and that’s really where it should have been all along.
JM: The show was starting to get stale, and show management was not keeping up with modern times with promotion and with the newer technologies that could enhance the show. That was basically the main reason to move on and relocate to a better venue. Ed Day (ASA/NJ president 1996-2000): Suffern stagnated. It was an older facility. It wasn’t centrally located. It didn’t have enough curb appeal. It wasn’t close enough to our area so we could increase our attendance. It was a no-brainer to move. GP: I remember one year it was a pretty big show. They had a nice following, and I don’t know…It was two or three years later, and I went and it was like a ghost town. TE: Suffern had a lot of negatives to it. Because of the facility’s location, we always felt like we were disturbing the community. The host hotel had aged to the point where the rooms were not that good. The accommodations were mediocre, the restaurant wasn’t open, the bar wasn’t open and there were a million excuses why they couldn’t provide good service to us. The largest single factor was that show management wasn’t really doing the best of jobs to promote the trade show or being as clear as we liked in terms of revenues that we were earning. 32 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
ED: The show manager at that time was way too rigid. Any suggestions that you would have, he was negative and rigid. He had been doing it so long the same way that turning him around was like spinning a battleship. Brian Vesley (AASP/NJ Board member/legislative chairman 1990-2015): The association had become disenchanted with the facility. The facility itself was starting to run down, and the association wanted to have a better venue and make it more attractive for people in the NORTHEAST region to see the show and have the opportunity to have a more professional look. We were also becoming disillusioned with the support we were getting from show management and wanted a better relationship…less independent and more responsive action. GV: We tried to satisfy everybody, and the overwhelming answer was that we couldn’t give the majority of the vendors what they wanted by keeping the show in Suffern. continued on page 38
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NORTHEAST 40: An Oral History continued from page 32 JM: The show was still great, but the profits were declining and vendors were getting harder and harder to bring into the show because it was stagnating. The location was tired, so we wanted to kick it up a notch. In March 2009, AASP/NJ unveiled the new-and-approved NORTHEAST show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ. GV: The association has always been based in New Jersey. It was very important to bring it back to New Jersey in a costeffective way.
ED: We knew we were taking a chance. Whenever you move any location, you take a chance of losing clientele. But we knew we were getting back to New Jersey and closer to New York, and that was the attraction. A vendor or attendee could come with his wife from out of state and then visit New York. They could spend the night in the city after they were done with the show. That was a big draw for us. The Meadowlands Exposition Center is built for conventions and trade shows. Suffern was a college gym.
changing, and we were shocked when they tried to say we couldn’t do what we were doing. TE: Glenn Villacari, Tom Greco and myself were all named personally in the lawsuit. We were confused. We never thought that there would be a lawsuit. We never thought that the previous show manager would try to create his own show. I guess we never realized we were working with somebody who felt that he was more personally involved than just a hired vendor with us. GV: My thoughts were that it was a frivolous lawsuit from the very beginning. There was a part of me that was concerned. Being mentioned in a lawsuit isn’t comfortable, but I never felt threatened that we did anything wrong. So I was never really concerned where the lawsuit may have taken me, nor did I feel misrepresented or unprotected by our association and by the industry in general. I was never really threatened by the lawsuit more than a fleeting moment. BV: It’s always been advertised as the AASP/NJ show under its various names, and the former management tried to say the show belonged to them. Even though they had always advertised it saying that they were just the show managers and that it was an AASP/NJ show, they tried to walk back on that, claiming that it really was their show despite the fact that we had marketed it, paid for all the marketing and clearly marketed everything around AASP/NJ. They thought they could just walk away from that and try and take over the name of the show and the venue and try and pass it off as their show. After two and a half years, the outcome was AASP/NJ wound up with the show, the name and a very
TE: When we initially looked at the Meadowlands several years before, we couldn’t overcome the union costs or the cost of the rental. It was just too expensive for us to work it out. But that all changed when they decided to become a little bit more friendly and we decided to become a little bit more daring. So it was kind of a marriage made in heaven. PC: It’s hard for everyone to take time away from work to spend a long weekend out in Vegas or wherever. The Meadowlands was local enough that the worst they would have to travel is three to four hours. And it couldn’t be more accessible. The move back to Jersey was not completely smooth. Late in 2008, the former show management company served AASP/ NJ and three of its officers with a several million-dollar lawsuit while also attempting to put on a competing show. BV: We thought we had an understanding with show managment that the show was going to be moving and 38 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
successful venue and transition to New Jersey. And we’ve never looked back. Despite AASP/NJ’s efforts, when they began promoting the Meadowlands move, the association found a very confused industry and vendor base. BV: The old show management’s ‘show’ was a non-event. The manager tried to compete with NORTHEAST a little bit and do some things that we considered adverse to the show’s interest, but they didn’t succeed. Our management and the Board were able to make the show very successful,
VISIT US AT NORTHEAST® BOOTH 501
NORTHEAST 40: An Oral History and it has proven to be a worthwhile fight. That it came to a lawsuit was unfortunate, but sometimes these things happen. ED: It was our show, that’s all. Maybe that sounds arrogant, but it was our show. We knew we were going to clean their clock. It didn’t bother us. JM: I was never concerned because I knew we had great people working on the show AND on the lawsuit. As the NORTHEAST 2017 show comes together and looks to be the largest and most successful event in the association’s history, the people who built it, many of whom haven’t been involved for decades, look back on the 40-year journey. GP: We attended about two years ago, walked through it and were amazed. I didn’t realize the show had grown so much.
which is almost a 12-month advertising program for the association that works very effectively. We’re able to bring in national figures to speak. It has just about every vendor you could want. It has a lot of educational forums, and it constantly tries to improve the industry. It runs at the right time of the year, and it has easy access even for national people to come into the airports in Newark or LaGuardia and be able to attend something and get back out quickly. So there are many reasons it’s successful. HP: Well, I’m very proud of the association for making this thing as big as it is, I mean, my God, come on, this is fantastic. Whoever thought that this little shit kicking trade show down in Hasbrouck Heights would ever get to be this big, you know? So, yeah, I think it’s great. I think it’s wonderful. RM: We never anticipated the response that we got. We batted some ideas back and forth here and there, with little stuff like giving out tickets. You didn’t really need a ticket to get in, but we made a ticket that was like a business card, and you could stick in your wallet, stick in your shirt pocket or lay it on your desk. You’d see it and you’d remember to show up. To go from little things like that to what it’s become is really pretty cool.
GV: The show set a standard for the industry in the Northeast. Being in such a densely populated region with the amount of shops, I just feel that we have a lot to say. The show speaks for us as well as itself by its popularity. It has grown increasingly throughout time. It has become the cornerstone of the industry throughout the MARCH 18 - 20 Northeast region of the United States. NE2016_mailer3_rectangle.qxp_Layout 1 3/1/16 9:13 AM Page 1
JM: It all goes back to the hard work of the members of this association throughout the last 40 years. The people running the show. The people giving of themselves and their time to come and support and work it. The exhibitors who fill the floor year after year. The speakers and attendees who never fail to impress us with their dedication. It’s everybody. It really is. It’s what makes it a success. NJA
Meadowlands Exposition Center Secaucus, NJ
BV: There’s never one thing that makes a show successful. But the show answers many of the needs of the automotive trades in the Northeast region. It provides a great venue that people seem to enjoy. It has good restaurants, good support facilities and hotels. It’s a stone’s throw from New York City for people who want to go sightseeing. It has easy access and parking. It has good publicity and management and the support of New Jersey Automotive,
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New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 41
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NORTHEAST 2017: A Special 40th Anniversary Preview By Joel Gausten We’re only a few very short weeks away until AASP/NJ opens the doors of the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ for the 2017 NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show. Held between March 17 and 19, the special 40th Anniversary installment of the show will offer a weekend of extensive educational seminars, industry-related discussions and hundreds of vendors on more than 65,000 square feet of sold-out exhibit space. Not surprisingly, a burst of activity and excitement can be felt throughout the AASP/NJ community as the event approaches. “It’s been a busy time for our association and the show organizers, so it’s sometimes hard to take a break and think about how far this show has come over the past 40 years,” offers AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell. “The most amazing thing is that NORTHEAST was created for the industry, by the industry and still exists mainly thanks to volunteer members putting their hearts into it. We’re really proud of where we’ve been, and we encourage the industry to join us as we move forward into our fourth decade with NORTHEAST 2017.” As AASP/NJ prepares to reach the 40th Anniversary milestone, they are not alone in honoring this generations-spanning industry institution. When he was kid back in the ’80s, John Swanson of MGM Auto Body Supplies used to walk the NORTHEAST floor with his dad, John Sr. Three decades later, Swanson (who is now taking over the business as his dad prepares for retirement) is bringing MGM to Secaucus as a first-time exhibitor at the Meadowlands. “We believe it’s going to help us capture some of the exposure we need to continue our growth as a company. We wanted to be a part of the success that the show has garnered, and we’re hoping our presence there will help us establish ourselves as one of the premier jobbers in the market.” Swanson was inspired to participate in NORTHEAST 2017 after looking back at his years as an attendee.
46 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
“I was always enamored with the buzz surrounding the event,” he says. “There was a general sense of excitement amongst vendors and attendees alike. A big thrill of mine was watching my father work the booth, as he was an exhibitor there for a number of years when it was based in Suffern, NY. My father looks back on those years spent as a vendor as one of the key contributing factors to MGM’s success.” In addition to the action on the show floor, Swanson is looking forward to taking in as many special NORTHEAST seminars and training opportunities as possible throughout the weekend. “Education is necessary, and it’s not so readily available at the independent shop or jobber level. Some of the courses at NORTHEAST regarding the current state of the industry and the ever-changing landscape of the industry are vital to the success of small businesses like ours. An organization like AASP/NJ really helps us stay in tune with what’s going on.” As the industry continues to change at a rapid pace, Keith Egan of the Collision Equipment Company is one of many returning NORTHEAST vendors committed to fulfilling attendees’ needs. For the first time ever at an industry show, Egan will have the new ALU T-HOTBOX from BETAG Innovation – which he describes as “the first piece of equipment capable of removing dents from aluminum without damaging the exterior finish” – available to shops. He sees NORTHEAST as the perfect place to showcase this new technology. “NORTHEAST has done a fantastic job of bringing people in. They draw OEMs, and they pull in the shops from the area. That makes it an easy decision for us to exhibit there.” Already a veteran of the NORTHEAST experience, Egan is excited to once again embrace three days of non-stop action on the floor. “I just love meeting all the people. There’s always such a crowd at the show; there’s never any downtime. There are so many people who come out; I really enjoy the excitement and the conversations that are had there. It’s a testament to how hard AASP/NJ has worked to build [it]. Congratulations to NORTHEAST and AASP/NJ on 40 years of the show!” Platinum Sponsor BASF is pleased to help make 2017 a year to remember. The company will be hosting a return NORTHEAST appearance by KC Mathieu (KC’s Paint Shop) and the NORTHEAST debut of Bogi of Bogi’s Garage. “Attending and sponsoring the NORTHEAST show is important to
BASF, as it allows us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the industry,” comments BASF Marketing Services Manager Tina Nelles. “This show provides us the opportunity to interact with current and target customers and communicate the entirety of our offering.” Above all, BASF will use their time at NORTHEAST to focus on partnerships with shops throughout the automotive field. “We have a strength in automotive as the number one chemical supplier, and we will demonstrate that we are the partner of choice and that this relationship brings growth and profitability beyond paint,” Nelles says. A first-time Silver sponsor, Flemington Car & Truck Country is thrilled to be able to give back to the AASP/NJ community in an exciting new way this year. “We feel this was our next step in our commitment to the show,” says Flemington Parts Director Howard Meeks. “To me, there’s no better format that I’ve seen in which to have conversations with active and prospective customers in a relaxed environment than the NORTHEAST show. It’s the best avenue for us to get in front of customers. I enjoy walking around, and the level of education I get just from the different vendors that are there is very beneficial to us. We pick up ideas and build new relationships with other companies, so it’s just a great opportunity for us to expand every leg of our operation.” On March 17, Flemington Car & Truck Country will facilitate a special hybrid battery training course just for NORTHEAST 2017 attendees. “It’s something we haven’t seen on the street in terms of the aftermarket,” Meeks says. “We figured it’s something we can offer people who attend NORTHEAST at no cost.” Already a strong supporter of the show, Honda has also enthusiastically signed on as a Silver Sponsor of this year’s edition. “The NORTHEAST show attracts the industry people we need to reach – people who work at the ‘floor level,’ including technicians, shop managers, production managers and shop owners. That’s big for us!” offers American Honda Motor Co. Assistant National Manager Gary Ledoux. “The show also attracts many upper management people and executives, so it’s a good cross section of the industry’s finest. In addition, the venue is such that it is easily drivable from a relatively large geographic area. That, combined with the show hours on a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, mean plenty of floor
traffic. That’s important to any show exhibitor.” Ledoux adds that Honda’s involvement in NORTHEAST 2017 extends to one of the most intriguing exhibits that attendees can expect to experience this year. “This year, we have a new display - a 2015 Accord showing a lot of bad repairs that can be identified with a blacklight! It’s something we’ve never seen used before.” Honda will also host two breakout meetings exclusively for ProFirst shops. The Saturday morning gathering will feature an update on Honda technology provided by American Honda’s Chris Tobie and an industry update provided by Susanna Gotsch of CCC Information Services. On Sunday, American Honda and Axalta Coating Systems will join resources to provide ProFirst shops with a panel discussion (featuring several industry leaders) on the future of the certified shop concept. NORTHEAST will host a variety of other industry-related events that are sure to attract crowds. Following the success of last year’s “Body Shop Certification and You” discussion panel at NORTHEAST, AASP/NJ is expanding the discussion for 2017 to a four-session series to gain perspectives from all parties involved in the repair certification process: The OEMs, the tooling and equipment providers and the shops themselves. Elsewhere on the show floor, AASP/NJ will be auctioning a 2017 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim motorcycle customized by industry legend Nub of Nub Grafix (Walden, NY) in support of NORTHEAST’s 40th year. NORTHEAST 2017 would not be able to offer so much to the thousands who are set to attend without the tremendous support of the following: Platinum Sponsor – BASF, Gold Sponsor – Ford, Silver Sponsors – American Honda, Flemington Car & Truck Country, Door Prize Sponsor – Axalta Coating Systems, Lanyard Sponsor – Pro Spot International/ Innovative Solutions & Technology. For more information on the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show (including how to register), visit aaspnjnortheast.com. For more information on AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org. Look for an extensive feature on the show (complete with the full schedule of events) in next month’s New Jersey Automotive. NJA
New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 47
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STARE DECISIS Stare decisis is the doctrine of precedent. Courts cite stare decisis when an issue has been previously brought to the court and a ruling has already been issued. Generally, courts
will adhere to the previous ruling, although this is not universally true. (You can review Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 US 833 for an example.) Stare decisis is Latin for “to stand by things decided.” The doctrine operates both horizontally and vertically. Horizontal stare decisis refers to a court adhering to its own precedent. A court engages in vertical stare decisis when it applies
precedent from a higher court. Consequently, stare decisis discourages litigating established precedents and reduces spending as a result. According to the Supreme Court, stare decisis “promotes the evenhanded, predictable and consistent development of legal principles, fosters reliance on judicial decisions and contributes to the actual and perceived integrity of the judicial process.” In practice, the Supreme Court will usually defer to its previous decisions even if the soundness of the decision is in doubt. A benefit of this rigidity is that a court need not continuously reevaluate the legal underpinnings of past decisions and accepted doctrines. Moreover, proponents argue that the predictability afforded by the doctrine helps clarify constitutional rights for the public. Other commentators point out that courts and society only realize
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LEGAL PERSPECTIVE these benefits when decisions are published and made available. Thus, some scholars assert that stare decisis is harder to justify in cases involving secret opinions. Stare decisis is important mostly because it is one court relying upon another court’s previously made decision. Generally, “Trial Courts” do not produce stare decisis decisions, as those are generally produced by “Appellate Courts” or (in New Jersey) the “Supreme Court”- the highest court in our state. A Trial Court is not mandated to follow the decisions of another Trial Court, whereas they are mandated to follow the decisions of an Appellate Court or risk being overturned by that previously decided Appellate Court decision. Of course, Trial Court judges attempt to distinguish their decisions and cases from those previously decided so that stare decisis may not apply if the case is significantly distinguished. The bottom line is that Trial Court decisions are not very important to the administration of the law, and a decision in one court has very limited significance in another court and perhaps even limited significance if brought before that very same judge on another day with different parties involved. If you need further information related to this important topic, please contact me at (973) 228-9900. NJA
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54 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
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New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 57
NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian
KNOWING WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW (LIKE YOUR LIMITS) With so many years under my belt, it’s safe to say I understand a lot about life. With age comes wisdom, right? Hopefully, you’ve come to understand a lot, too. That’s the normal course of affairs in life and business. But knowing a lot means you also know what you don’t know. You know your limits, when to speak and not to speak, when to issue a piece of authoritative information and when to avoid it. That’s wisdom and in business, it’s just plain smart. But not everyone agrees with me, because they know better. (Oh well, it happens.) But wisdom tells ME that I merely have to let them speak and the shoot-in-foot game is on. A regular customer called the other day with an interesting story. Her 2012 Honda CR-V was having an issue with starting. Some days, it started just fine; other days, it required a jump start. By the time she got around to calling us (about a week after the problem started), the car was dead in the driveway. But before the customer reached out to us, she had AAA come out. They jumped the vehicle AND diagnosed the problem. How special is that? Someone from the back of a flatbed had not only the skill set, BUT also the tools and time to diagnose the charging system of a modern-day vehicle with more computing power than the space program that landed on the moon. Did I tell you this was a 42,000-mile, four-year-old Honda? I know that cars break, but the track record here doesn’t support it. (Also, how about you bring it to the shop first so I can DIAGNOSE it properly?)
At the shop, I ran through my diagnostic routine, covered the bases and checked the system front to back. Yes, the charging rate initially flagged as low. Running at idle, the alternator output did measure 12.5 volts just like “the guy from AAA” said. That and that alone triggered his “needs an alternator” comment, which put the customer into their process and made my job harder. The missing step the “guy” didn’t know about was to properly test the charging rate on this generation Honda charging system, which requires you to (wait for it, it’s really technical) turn on the headlights. That creates an electrical load on the system which then triggers the PCM (engine control computer for you AAA technicians) to turn on the field creating higher alternator output. You don’t know what you don’t know, right? Honda, you see, varies the charging output of the system based on load to help with both emission and fuel economy, and it’s nothing new. There are a few companies doing charge rates like this (or very similar). In the end, the battery failed a load test – plain and simple. It had a rating of 410 CCAs (Cold Cranking Amps for the, well, you know who you are) and tested at 243 CCAs. Funny how the attending tech couldn’t perform the most basic of tests correctly, but instead jumped in WAY over his head and condemned the least likely component based on a test result for a DIFFERENT type of system. THE BOTTOM LINE IS… You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t bluff. It doesn’t look good or wear well in life and business.
In this writer’s opinion (actually, writer, shop owner and technician of advanced years), if you are operating a flatbed and insist on diagnosing from the road, expect this to happen to you. And think about the problem it creates, because it’s beyond the incorrect diagnosis. As first contact, you have now polluted the stream. The customer is hooked into an alternator because “the guy who started the car told me that.” In reality, you were wrong and the actual repair is very different, which makes life for the service writer, technician and/or shop unnecessarily difficult. One thing I know (besides knowing I don’t know it all) is that auto repair is REAL – a very exact science about to get even more exact and scientific. Customer perception of this industry is already bad enough. An incorrect diagnostic (among other things) doesn’t help us. The days of roadside repairs, guessing and no diagnostics are over. As the current crop of vehicles get older and the age of the fleet follows, repairing them becomes more difficult. Following specific procedures for system diagnostics rules the day. Period. But if you think you can repair or diagnose cars from the back of a flatbed, I predict you are going to learn something you probably don’t know. Please, just tow the car. NJA
’Til next time, I’m Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, reminding you that “Good mechanics aren’t expensive; they’re priceless.” Ron Ananian, owner of R\A Automotive in Waldwick, NJ (est. 1978), is heard weekly in 140 markets on his nationally syndicated radio talk show. He is a working technician and former AASP/NJ Board member. Beyond his radio show, Ron writes and speaks for the automotive industry at trade shows and events. Visit The Car Doctor online at cardoctorshow.com. 58 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 59
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ARANJ 2017 Officers President Bob Dirkes - Dirkes Used Auto Parts (609) 625-1718 dirkesauto@gmail.com 1st Vice President Ian Szoboszlay - Ocean County Auto (732) 349-0332 ian@cosmosautoparts.com 2nd Vice President Darryl Carmen - Lentini Auto Salvage (908) 782-6838 darryl@las-parts.com 3rd Vice President Rodney Krawczyk - Ace Auto Wreckers (732) 254-9816 aceautonj@comcast.net Executive Director Brian Snyder - Auto Recyclers of NJ (609) 714-2339 brian@aranj.org
ARANJ 2017 Board of Directors Mike Ronayne - Tilghmans Auto Parts (609) 723-7469 tilghmans@snip.net Mike Yeager - EL & M Auto (609) 561-2266 elandmauto@aol.com Ed Silipena - American II Autos (609) 965-6700 esilipena@yahoo.com Harry Shover - Porchtown Auto (856) 694-1555 Norm Vachon - Port Murray Auto (908) 689-3152 portmurrayauto@yahoo.com Dylan Rinkens - East Brunswick Auto (732) 254-6501 ebautonj@comcast.net
62 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
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Wharton Insurance Briefs An ARA Member “Buckle up for Safety” was a cute little jingle when I was growing up, and it has proven to be one of the greatest measures for reducing automobile fatalities. Manufacturers have installed safety belts in all types of vehicles (such as automobiles, trucks, forklifts, small front loaders or skid steer loaders) to prevent injury and death. The drivers least likely to wear seatbelts are males aged 18 to 24. Over 21,000 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2014. According to an article I read, “56 percent of those persons who died in automobile crashes were not wearing a seatbelt.” On average, seatbelt use in automobiles is about 78 percent. Seatbelts save lives, but they could save more. Most trucks and power equipment contain some type of rollover protective structure, such as roll bars, metal compartments or cages. Drivers still need to wear a seatbelt while operating the power unit. Seatbelts will prevent operators from being thrown from the truck during a rollover, saving their lives by preventing them from being crushed under the weight of the rolling vehicle. OSHA has general rules covering trucks and training in Section 1910.178. If you have any questions regarding your insurance program, please contact me. NJA Mario DeFilippis, AAI, Vice President (800) 221-0003 (ext. 1320) (908) 513-8588 (cell) mdefilippis@whartoninsurance.com
New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 63
64 | New Jersey Automotive | February 2017
Flemington Volkswagen 213 ROUTE 202/31 FLEMINGTON, NJ 08822 TOLL FREE: 800-216-5124 FAX: 908-782-9397 rmuir@flemington.com www.flemington.com
Linden Volkswagen 900 EAST ELIZABETH AVE. LINDEN, NJ 07036 TOLL FREE: 800-343-5116 FAX:908-486-4232 www.lindenvw.com GeorgeP@lindenvw.com
Crestmont Volkswagen 730 ROUTE 23 NORTH POMPTON PLAINS, NJ 07444 PARTS DIRECT: 800-839-6444 FAX: 973-839-8146 www.crestmontvolkswagen.com Paul Miller VW of Bernardsville 118 MORRISTOWN ROAD BERNARDSVILLE, NJ 07924 TOLL FREE: 877-318-6557 LOCAL: 908-766-1600 FAX: 908-766-6171 www.paulmillervw.com
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New Jersey Automotive | February 2017 | 65
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Accudraft 39 Acme Nissan 4 Action Nissan of Flemington 64 AkzoNobel 15 Amato Agency 25 Audi Group 34-35 Axalta Coating Systems 6 BASF 33 BMW Group 22-23 BMW of Springfield 49 Bridgewater Acura 59 Cadillac of Mahwah 37 Classic Audi 18 Collision Equipment Company 43 Clinton Acura IBC Crestmont Family of Dealerships 45 Empire Auto Parts 19 Flemington Audi 5 Flemington Group 41 Ford Group 24 Fred Beans Parts 48 Future Cure 14 Grand Prix Subaru 21 Glen Toyota OBC Honda ProFirst 17 Hyundai Group 42 Innovative Solutions & Technology / Pro Spot 11 Klean Frame 19 Levittown Ford 21 Lynnes Nissan East 24 Maxon Mazda 61 Maxon Hyundai 51 Mazda Group 36 MGM Auto Body Supplies 62 Mini Group 44 Mopar Group 64 NUCAR 26-27 Performance Ford / Lincoln 13 Phillipsburg-Easton Honda IBC Porsche Group 50 Polyvance 28 Post Polak 53 PPG 3 Princeton BMW 63 Princeton MINI 54 Route 23 Honda 13 Sherwin-Williams 55 Subaru Group 52 Subaru of Morristown 60 Town Motors 56 Toyota Group 57 Toyota of Hackensack IFC Toyota of Morristown 60 Tri-State Luxury Collection 8-9 Valtek 66 VIP Honda 59 VW Group 65 Wayne Hyundai 12 Wayne Mazda 12 Westbury Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram SRT 20 Wheel Collision Center 66
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