THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALLIANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS/NEW JERSEY (www.AASPNJ.org) AND THE AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY (www.ARANJ.org)
June 2016 $595
REMEMBERING
JAMES MOY
page 34
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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 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 / trainer@verizon.net 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
PUBLISHER Thomas Greco (thomas@grecopublishing.com) SALES DIRECTOR Alicia Figurelli (alicia@grecopublishing.com) EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Joel Gausten (tgpjoel@verizon.net) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lea Velocci (lea@grecopublishing.com) OFFICE MANAGER Donna Greco (donna@grecopublishing.com)
VOLUME 46, NUMBER 6 | June 2016
CONTENTS 10 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES 12 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 16 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 20 I-CAR CALENDAR
20 62
2016 AASP/NJ ANNUAL LOU SCORAS MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING SAVE THE DATE NJA ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
NEWSFLASH 24 Axalta Announces 2016 “Paint Outside the Can” Contest 24 Fred Beans Expands with Fifth CARSTAR Location LOCAL NEWS 26 New Jersey Automotive Publisher Receives SCRS Regional Lifetime Achievement Award 29 Major Changes Hit NJ Inspection System
34 REMEMBERING JAMES MOY VENDOR SPOTLIGHT 38 Financing for the Future: Introducing Access Commercial Capital
COVER STORY by Joel Gausten
43 Struggle at the Schools? A State of Education Address NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian 50 How Technology Changed the Face of an Industry (While We Were Watching) NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 54 Lyndhurst Collision Opens its Doors to Success AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY 58 Wharton Insurance Briefs
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Charles Bryant • Tom Greco • 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 © 2016 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
AWARD OF A LIFETIME As you can see on page 26, I was recently honored with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) Regional Lifetime Achievement Award in Seattle. It was truly one of the highlights of my professional life. But of course, when it comes to me, nothing is ever that simple. There’s always a story behind the headline. (How else would I ever find enough material for this column???) SCRS was holding its annual spring meetings and events on the west coast, and our editorial director, Joel Gausten, was out there covering it like he always does. Of course, since I don’t fly, I was
by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER
here in Jersey and oblivious to anything that might have been going on out there. In fact, that day, I happened to have a touch of the flu. So I wasn’t even at the office when I received a mysterious text from Joel: “Aaron [Schulenburg, SCRS executive director] wants to know if you have FaceTime on your phone.” (FaceTime is basically a video conference application on iPhones.) I texted back to Joel. “Sure. Why?” “I don’t know.” A few minutes later, Aaron texted me: “Can you get on FaceTime in a few
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minutes?” Truthfully (and I didn’t even tell Aaron this), I had just gotten out of bed and was in my bathroom about to take a shower. “Ah…Can you give me about a half hour?” “No. It will be too late then.” “10 minutes?” “Sure.” I jumped into the shower and (of course) two minutes later, I heard the FaceTime app ringing. I jumped out, quickly dried off, put some clothes on and returned the call within five minutes. Aaron answered, put his finger to
“
”
To be recognized by such a prestigious group — and to be one of only 10 people to have EVER been given this award — well, it’s hard to put into words how much it means.
his lips for me to be quiet and turned the camera on Joel, who was accepting the award for me. I was like, “What the hell is this?” Once Joel was done, Aaron announced to the room that I was on the phone and repeated his announcement that I had been named the recipient of the SCRS Regional Lifetime Achievement Award. I was shocked. Even more so when Aaron turned the phone to the crowd and asked me to say a few words. So picture this: Here I am in my badly-liit bedroom, soaking wet in a
t-shirt and sweats. My mug is placed in front of some of the most influential people in the collision repair industry, and I’m asked to say something meaningful. Ralph Kramden time. “Humina Humina Humina.” I really don’t remember what I said, but Aaron and Joel reassured me I didn’t make a fool of myself. Thank God for that. One of my good friends happened to mention to me that if I wasn’t such a wimp and got on a plane, these things wouldn’t happen. He’s probably right. Then again, I’m writing this while on a 22-hour train ride to Florida.
But as I say in the article, I have had a long and incredible relationship with SCRS. From John Loftus to Jeff Hendler to Aaron Schulenberg and everyone else in between. To be recognized by such a prestigious group - and to be one of only 10 people to have EVER been given this award - well, it’s hard to put into words how much it means. I’ve never been one for awards. Maybe that’s why I’m so touched when I get one. Forgive me for blowing my own horn on this one, though. I couldn’t be more proud. NJA
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
DOWNTIME? WHAT’S THAT? Before starting this month’s message, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the hard-working students who participated in this year’s SkillsUSA competition (“New Jersey SkillsUSA Contest Ignites Students’ Passion, NJA,
by JEFF MCDOWELL
May 2016), as well as those who have advanced to the National Leadership and Skills Conference scheduled for June 20-24 in Louisville, KY. All of these kids are shining examples of the fact that talented and skilled help is out there to
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supplement our industry in the future. I wish the national competitors the best of luck, and I congratulate all who took part in our state-level championships - the students as well as the sponsors and judges who invested a Saturday to help support them. It’s June, so our thoughts these days naturally gravitate towards vacations, barbecues, long nights, great weather…in other words, downtime. I’ve also seen this attitude creep into some shops’ day-to-day operations once the summertime rolls around. But it’s a dangerous trap to fall into, because as we all know, there really is no such thing as “nothing to do” if you own a shop. I know that this time of year is typically when the jobs dry up a bit, but the positive is that you now have time to take care of all the other tasks related to running a business that might fall to the back burner when you’re busy. Are you up to date on all of your certifications, licenses, permits, etc.? Are you SURE? Double-check your files and update your records. Once that’s done, take a walk around your shop and look at it with a customer’s eye. Are your waiting room and office neat and inviting? Do you have some amenities that would make their time in your facility more pleasant (such as a variety of magazines to read, or maybe coffee and bottles of water available)? What seems like a small thing can really make a difference to customers, and this will help emphasize to them that they’ve picked the right shop. As much as I’d like to say that there are times when you can kick back with your feet up and relax in this business, the truth is that actual downtime around here is a rarity. Don’t be fooled into thinking that business is slow just because you’re not inundated with jobs, because these “slow” times afford you the opportunity to prepare your shop for when the work does come. Once the business picks back up again, you’ll be grateful that you took the time to be ready for it. NJA
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
DON’T CONSIDER THIS A WARNING SHOT ACROSS THE BOW - CONSIDER THIS AN OPPORTUNITY by CHARLES BRYANT
I have been writing for automotive trade magazines for many years now. As a result, I may have a tendency to repeat myself. In fact, if you look back at an article that I wrote a few years ago, it may look like something that applies to situations that are going on today. Recently, a person who I have a lot of respect for (due to his knowledge of the industry) said something very significant to me. After reading one of my articles, he said, “Charlie, I think you need to get a new story.” When I questioned him about what he meant, he said something to the effect of, “You’re always writing about the same things and quoting the same old regulations that govern the practices of insurance companies.” The comments he made were done very respectfully, but they did hit home with me. Therefore, I have decided to change things up a bit.
In the past, many of my articles had to do with situations members of the collision industry had called me about or reported to me on the AASP/ NJ Hot Line. The answer I gave to the questions that came in on the Hot Line almost always had to do with the section of the New Jersey regulations governing the claim practices of insurance companies in the State of New Jersey (which are better known as the New Jersey Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act). When I look back on
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some of the articles I’ve written, it’s easy to see where I have repeated myself by quoting sections of the Act over and over again. One might ask why I have to keep repeating the same information over and over again. That is an excellent question, and I intend to answer it in this article. The regulations in New Jersey (and in other states around the country that govern fair claims settlement practices) are set up to cover all aspects of the claim, right from the
time that it is reported until it is finally settled and closed. However, the regulations are written in such a way that they are basically ineffective and allow insurance companies to violate them on a regular basis – and, for the most part, get away with it without any significant fines or punishment for the following reasons. In the beginning of the regulations, there is a provision essentially saying that when the regulation is violated enough to create a general business practice, it would then be considered a valid violation. In other words, a one-time violation would not necessarily be considered a valid violation. That’s like placing a police officer at an intersection with a red light and then telling the officer that he cannot give a ticket to anyone running that light unless he catches him or her doing it at least three times within a week. On top of that, even if it can be shown that the insurer has violated the regulation enough to create a general business practice, the only punishment for such a violation is that the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance can finally fine for the violation, if they choose to. A violation of the regulation does not allow for a cause of action for an insured or claimant to sue the insurance company. In other words, an insurer can
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
basically allocate a certain amount of funds for the purpose of paying fines and then basically ignore the regulations and do what they want — which most often is exactly what they do. Therefore, the insurance companies continue to violate the regulations on a regular basis and rarely suffer any substantial penalties for their unfair practices. Like the insurance companies, I continue to tell the same old stories over and over again. The difference is that it has been brought to my attention, and now I’m about to tell an all-new story, just as my friend suggested that I do. The story I’m about to tell has to do with the new type of automobiles that are on the roads today and the fact that the technology that is being introduced into them has never been there before. These changes require special training and equipment that is extremely expensive, and the automobiles require special treatment and repair procedures that this industry never saw in the past. Previously, if an insurance company said it didn’t pay for a particular procedure, most of the time the body shop could simply not do the procedure, or simply do it and not get paid for it because they wanted to protect their reputation. However, with this modern technology that
has been incorporated into vehicles on the road today, shops cannot take the chance on not performing the manufacturer-recommended procedure, because such an act could be placing the passengers of that vehicle in a life-threatening situation. The shops also cannot perform the procedures that the manufacturers are calling for without charging for it, because the cost of the equipment and training required to perform the procedures is expensive. Over the years (and like many other people in the industry), I have told the same old story and referred people to the regulations governing insurance company practices to little or no avail. This has got to stop. Years ago, the procedures that we referred to (such as blending the paint to get it to match or removing the glue left behind from the molding) don’t even come close to the procedures that need to be performed today on modern vehicles. Today’s procedures include checking the air bag module after an accident (even if the air bag did not deploy in the accident), checking the crash zone sensors, checking the seatbelt pre-tensioner assemblies, checking collision avoidance systems, camera calibration when replacing a windshield, calibration of the lane
change assist control unit when the rear bumper cover is removed and installed (or if the rear bumper cover was damaged by impact) and on and on. A repair shop or insurer that fails to perform these and other necessary procedures following a crash may be held liable should a malfunction occur at some point in the future. Therefore, diagnostic scanning should immediately become standard operating procedure in the collision repair industry to avoid liability in the future. A big thank you goes out to my friend who pointed out that I needed to get a new story. He was right. I have been preaching the same old story about the same old regulations that supposedly govern fair claim settlement practices. Well, get ready folks. I will now be the first to admit that the regulations being referenced for years are a joke. After a much closer look at the regulations, I have come to the conclusion that the only purpose they serve is to give the people of New Jersey a warm and fuzzy feeling that there are rules that insurers must follow. These rules were set up in a way that the insurance industry could violate them most of the time and get away with it. The problem is that those in the collision industry cannot rely on those rules to
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solve their problems anymore, and they can no longer just fail to perform the procedures recommended by the auto manufacturers after a collision – or just perform the procedures and not get paid for it, because it simply costs too much. What is amazing is that the insurance industry is still failing to acknowledge that it is in their best interest to make sure that they pay to have these necessary procedures performed after a collision to avoid the liability that could follow if an insurer refused to pay for them and that failure results in another accident with personal injuries involved. Insurers are the best at analyzing risk. Therefore, it would seem obvious that a smart insurance guy or gal would figure this out and make sure they are not left holding the bag, so to speak. I certainly hope that the people in the insurance industry who read articles like this will get the point, wake up and make provisions to cover the cost of the necessary procedures to make sure they are paying the cost associated with repairing modern vehicles safely and properly. Since our members are not receiving any satisfaction from the regulations referenced in this message (and they can no longer ignore the safety-related procedures that must be performed on the modern vehicles), it seems pretty obvious that issues like these are ultimately going to have to get resolved in a court of law unless solutions can be agreed on between the collision and insurance industries – and no one really wins there. Now, I know that some insurers will look at this as a warning shot across the bow before taking action. However, this is much more of a request for a voluntary acknowledgement of changes in the industry that need to be addressed rather than a challenge to a duel. Should anyone like to discuss possible solutions to some of the information in this article, I would welcome a call on the AASP/NJ Hot Line at (732) 922-8909. NJA
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CALENDAR Welded and Adhesively Bonded Panel Replacement Virtual Classroom
June 1 Steering and Suspension Damage Analysis Virtual Classroom
June 21 Blueprinting Process and Damage Discovery Dobbs Auto Body, Springfield Waterborne Products, Systems and Application Virtual Classroom Steel Unitized Structures Technologies and Repair Virtual Classroom
June 2 Advanced Steering and Suspension Systems Damage Analysis LKQ Corp., Kearny
June 22 Problem Solving for Workflow Changes Virtual Classroom
June 8 Detailing CollisionMax, Pennsauken
June 23 Full-Frame Partial Replacement LKQ Corp., Kearny Hazardous Materials, Personal Safety and Refinish Safety Holiday Inn & Suites, Parsippany
June 9 Automotive Foams Somerset Vocational High School, Bridgewater Suspension Systems LKQ Corp., Kearny June 14 Squeeze-Type Resistance Spot Welding Quality Auto Body, Rahway Matching the Repair to the Trim Virtual Classroom June 15 Automotive Foams Jost Garage, Wall Steering and Suspension Damage Analysis Virtual Classroom June 16 Rack and Pinion and Parallelogram Steering LKQ Corp., Kearny
June 27 Rack and Pinion Parallelogram Steering Systems Virtual Classroom June 28 Automotive Foams Quality Auto Body, Rahway June 29 Overview of Cycle Time Improvements for the Collision Repair Process Jost Garage, Wall Developing the Team and the Business Virtual Classroom For more information, visit i-car.com NJA
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SAVE
THE
DATE!! 12th ANNUAL 2016 AASP/NJ LOU SCORAS MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING Dedicated to the late Lou Scoras of Holmdel Auto Body
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2016 THE COLONIA COUNTRY CLUB 300 Colonia Boulevard, Colonia, NJ 07067 Full details to follow soon. For immediate information, contact AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant at (732) 922-8909
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NEWSFLASH
AXALTA ANNOUNCES 2016 “PAINT OUTSIDE THE CAN” CONTEST Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, is pleased to announce that its 2016 Paint Outside the Can contest is now open. The contest is an invitation to auto body customers to unleash their creativity using any Axalta-brand coating system to paint and decorate an unused, standard one-gallon paint can. Axalta launched the contest in 2015 to give customers an opportunity to use these skills in a fun, creative way and support their inner artists. Submissions will be recognized and displayed via social media channels throughout the contest period. When the contest closes on September 16, six industry celebrities will choose six “Celebrity Picks” based on creativity, execution and degree of difficulty. In addition, six “Fan Favorites” will be chosen based on the number of “likes” the photos receive on Axalta’s Instagram page. Finally, one “Best-in-Show” grand prize winner will be selected from the six “Celebrity Picks.” Axalta will display the winning submissions at custom car shows and automotive events throughout the United States in 2016. Axalta’s celebrity judges include leading auto painter Ron Coan, Rachel De Barros (Gearhead Diva), Ray Evernham (Velocity’s AmeriCarna), noted custom painter and pinstriper “Danny D” Galvez, expert traditional-style car builder Dave Lane and respected airbrush artist Paul Quinn. The six winners of the “Celebrity Picks” and the six “Fan Favorites” will each receive a host of prizes including a $250 gift card, a complimentary pass to the 2016 SEMA Show and an opportunity to be interviewed at the 2016 SEMA Show by Rev’n News on Rev’N. The “Best-in-Show” grand prize winner will receive a $500 gift card, hotel accommodations for two in Las Vegas November 1-5, two passes to SEMA and an opportunity to be interviewed by Rev’n News.
To learn how to enter, visit tinyurl.com/j6jpqdn. 24 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
NJA
FRED BEANS EXPANDS WITH FIFTH CARSTAR LOCATION The Fred Beans Family of Dealerships has announced the expansion of its collision repair network with the additon of CARSTAR Fred Beans Flemington, located in Flemington. This increases the company’s reach to five locations throughout the region, including CARSTAR Fred Beans and CARSTAR McCafferty facilities. Customers who bring their vehicle in for service or shop for a new car will receive a complimentary car charger and a coupon good for $50 toward their first visit to CARSTAR Fred Beans Flemington. “We’re proud to grow with the CARSTAR network,” said Owner Fred Beans. “Since joining the CARSTAR family last fall, we’ve seen a number of new opportunities for growth, from expanded insurance relationships, operational improvements and purchasing efficiencies at our four current CARSTAR collision repair facilities to the opportunity to open a brand-new collision repair shop to serve our Flemington customers.” Fred Beans, which has more than 40 years of experience in the collision repair industry, partnered with CARSTAR this past September with the goal of delivering the highest quality auto body repair and excellent customer satisfaction. “Fred Beans has a long history of success and great customer relations,” said CARSTAR North America President Michael Macaluso. “We were fortunate last year to have them join our growing network. It’s great to see them continue to expand to a fifth location that will no doubt better serve their customers.” NJA
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LOCAL NEWS
NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE PUBLISHER RECEIVES SCRS REGIONAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD On April 20, New Jersey Automotive Publisher Thomas Greco (Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.) became the proud – and surprised – recipient of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) 2016 Regional Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the regional and national automotive repair communities. The honor was announced during SCRS’ Corporate Member Recognition & Awards Luncheon in Seattle. During the ceremony, SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg praised Greco for providing news and information to repairers for decades. “This individual has spent a career giving a printed voice to states in need of a way to communicate with their members [and] a way to project what happens within a meeting room or within a Board room or things along those lines,” he said. “The individual has provided that opportunity to more than five state associations – Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, DC, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey. That’s a lot of people within this industry who are touched because of the passion and the tireless dedication exhibited by this individual.” As anyone who reads Greco’s monthly “Out of Body (and Mechanical) Experiences” column in New Jersey Automotive knows, the longtime publisher and AASP/NJ Hall of Famer and current Secretary is an avid music fan, especially of The Beatles. As a tribute to Greco, Schulenburg mentioned Beatle John Lennon during his introduction speech. “[Lennon] once said, “I’m not really a career person; I’m a gardener, basically,’” he noted. “I would say that Tom Greco is a gardener; he cultivates
messages [and] he cultivates people internally within his organization. He continually brings those up from very early in their career and finds ways to advance them in this industry and advance the messages. Because of that, we’re offering Tom Greco a Regional Lifetime Achievement Award for the industry.” In addition to his work overseeing TGP, Inc.’s various publications, Greco has served as event manager for AASP/New Jersey’s NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show since 2008. Schulenburg credited Greco for “developing shows and places where professionals can come together and exchange ideas and thoughts and information – not only informing the industry, but helping it to grow internally and externally.” “Honestly, at first it was a shock,” says Greco from TGP, Inc.’s corporate headquarters in Nutley. “I had no idea that this was happening. Once Aaron informed me, I had to take a few minutes to process it. I am the kind of person who likes to stay in the background. But to be acknowledged for this award, especially by an organization as influential as SCRS, is a truly amazing honor. “I have been working with SCRS for almost three decades,” he adds. “When I first started Greco Publishing in 1989, I had already known then-SCRS Executive Director John Loftus through my work on various publications. Around 1990, we began publishing a monthly publication for them called Collision Repair Specialist. Since that time, we have worked with SCRS continually on all of our publications. SCRS has grown incredibly since the early days. They are now looked upon as the standard for a
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collision repair industry association – not only in the United States, but internationally as well.” For over 25 years, TGP, Inc. has served the automotive repair industry with regional, trade association-specific magazine publishing, advertising, trade show management and administrative services. Current TGP, Inc. titles include New Jersey Automotive, New England Automotive Report, Hammer & Dolly, AASP-MN News, Wisconsin Automotive News and the NORTHEAST Conference Journal. When asked to identify the best thing about being an automotive magazine publisher, Greco immediately pointed to the people who make the repair trade move forward. “Most of my closest friends are from this industry,” he says. “The loyalty and camaraderie is unlike any other. There are people like Jeff Hendler, Lou DiLisio or Chuck Sulkala who I have known from the start. Even though I see them maybe once every couple of years, it’s still like it’s yesterday when we get together. I don’t think it’s like that in other industries. “I would never have been able to accomplish what I have without the greatest help from associations like AASP/NJ, AASP/MA, WMABA, AASPMN, SCRS and WACTAL,” he adds. “Just as importantly, the people I have had work for me over the years have been incredible. It may be my name on the door, but they are the ones who are the heart and soul of the company. I accept this award as much for them as I do myself.” For more information on TGP, Inc., please visit grecopublishing.com. More information on SCRS is available at scrs.com. NJA
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LOCAL NEWS
MAJOR CHANGES HIT NJ INSPECTION SYSTEM
Under new changes to the New Jersey vehicle inspection system that will take effect this summer, drivers in this state will have to bring their cars to private inspection stations for re-inspection if they fail emissions testing. “You get one shot,” explained Mairin Bellack, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in an April 13 story on nj.com. “This will ensure that customers have their car prepared before bringing it to inspection.” The move is a cost-saving measure by the state, which currently covers the $20.29 re-testing fee charged by private contractors at state inspection stations. Additionally, the MVC has announced that vehicles from 1995 and earlier will no longer require an inspection. Not surprisingly, the news has been met with a mixed response. “The changes in the inspection program are a long time coming and
a step in the right direction – but right church, wrong pew,” offers AASP/NJ member Ron Ananian (R/A Automotive, Waldwick, NJ) “Clearly, the state is chasing money and trying not to spend it. Will it help the mechanical shops? Maybe. It will fill their bays and offices with disgruntled motorists annoyed that they are being inconvenienced through all of this, but will it create real work the shops can sink their teeth into? I doubt it. The scale of vehicles that fail won’t be big enough, especially since they are throwing the ’95 and older vehicles out of the test. The bottom line is I don’t think this change will help; it will be another hardship for shops on many fronts – we have to buy a new piece of test equipment, for example – with little reward. Time will tell.” New Jersey Automotive will update our readers on these changes as they develop. NJA
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Remembering
James Moy
Although he will be missed by many, James Moy made a lasting impact on the industry he loved.
The New York/New Jersey automotive repair industry will not be the same without James Moy. When Moy unexpectedly passed away in April at the age of 44 (“In Memoriam: James Moy,” NJA, May 2016), the industry lost a vocal supporter and passionate educator whose influence will be felt for years to come. “It was such a sudden shock,” says AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell. “It leaves everybody speechless because nobody expected him to leave this world so soon. There was so much that was needed of him; there are so many things that he won’t be able to accomplish. He was a mover and shaker when it came to getting things done.” Looking back at his experiences with Moy, McDowell is quick to credit the industry veteran for getting his fellow repairers to focus on a variety of critical issues. “James always tried to stand for the right thing, whether that would be following manufacturers’ procedures, getting an insurance company to pay for a proper amount that was due for a repair or showing a shop that
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was doing something incorrectly the right way to do it,” he says. “Without his stance on OE procedures, a lot less people would know or care about it. Going forward, I think that’s going to be part of his legacy, because he brought a lot of people up to speed on what needs to be done.” Nobody was more familiar with Moy’s commitment to the industry than his longtime best friend, Larry Montanez. Back in 2001 when he was an I-CAR instructor, Montanez had Moy in one of his classes and was immediately struck by his eagerness to learn. “He asked a lot of good questions and kept engaged in the program,” Montanez recalls. Moy was particularly focused on the office management side of the repair world, believing that the ability to close the deal was just as important as returning the vehicle to pre-loss condition. As Montanez says, “He understood that insurance companies weren’t in charge of anything and that shops had to work their customers.”
“There are big names in this industry who people know, and most of them have never had the impact James has had.”
- Kristen Felder, Collision Hub
By 2005, Montanez and Moy were working together in presenting a host of seminars through P&L Consultants. Known for his strong no-nonsense teaching style, Montanez credits Moy with offering a calmer balance to these presentations. “James would let people off the hook, let them relax and then come back to the problem,” he says. “He was forceful in making his point, but he was also open-minded. He was always happy to help and work with shops to make them better.” (While they were an unforgettable duo at NORTHEAST® and other major events, Montanez and Moy built a bond that extended far beyond the industry. Away from work, they had many great times together through IDONTKNOW MC, a motorcycle club based in Bohemia, NY.) “As a personality, James was always bigger than the room he was in,” says Kristen Felder of Collision Hub. “I would always laugh watching him handle Larry in a way that no one else ever could. They truly were a pair of brothers.” When Felder first launched Collision Hub in 2009, Moy was an early and enthusiastic supporter, helping her with everything from developing content to carrying equipment during video shoots at industry events. As with many upstart businesses, Collision Hub hit a rough patch in its early days, leading Felder to question if her endeavor would have a future. That’s when her friend stepped in to change her fortunes forever. “One day at NACE, James came up to me at the end of the day and handed me a stack of business cards,” she recalls, “He said, ‘All these people want to work with you. You just need to call them.’ I look at him really confused and asked, “What do you mean by that?’ He spent his day at NACE going booth to booth selling Collision Hub to people. And he didn’t get paid for that; he believed in us and the company and what we were
going to do. He gave his personal day and stuck his neck out to help me stay afloat.” Felder believes that Moy left the industry a far better place than when he entered it years ago. “I think his individual, one-on-one coaching for a lot of the shops that he worked with will have the most effect,” she says. “He taught shops how to do the job better than they were doing it before they went to see him, and he taught them how to write better estimates and get paid more. Everywhere he went, he increased the shop’s performance level and profitability. And he didn’t do it on a large scale. He wasn’t a national figure at SEMA; he wasn’t giving talks that were filing out hotel rooms. There are big names in this industry who people know, and most of them have never had the impact James has had.” The James Moy Memorial Scholarship has been created by Collision Hub to “provide students, teachers, technicians and shop owners the support, training and opportunities needed to advance our industry.” More information on the endeavor (and how industry members can donate) is available at gofundme.com/jamesmoy. Although he will be missed by many, James Moy made a lasting impact on the industry he loved. By bringing important issues to the forefront and never shying away from speaking his mind, he served as a source of inspiration for shop owners and technicians looking to be the best. In the words of Jeff McDowell, “James was what people strive to be in their lives.” James Moy is survived by his longtime girlfriend, Kimberly, and his parents, brother and sister. AASP/NJ and New Jersey Automotive offer his family, friends and colleagues our deepest condolences. NJA
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VENDOR SPOTLIGHT
FINANCING FOR THE FUTURE:
INTRODUCING You don’t need an industry seminar or an article in New Jersey Automotive to tell you that things in the auto body industry are changing at a rapid pace. With aluminum, carbon fiber, ever-intensifying OEM-recommended procedures and a host of other things impacting the equipment needs of even the most advanced repair facilities, industry pros are now facing a new era of financial concerns. These days, a shop owner needs to incorporate the equipment that is going to bring him or her into the next decade and beyond. Thankfully, the AASP/NJ community has a new friend who is able to provide the financing necessary for association members to upgrade their shops without having to worry about making ends meet in the process. One of AASP/NJ’s newest members, Access Commercial Capital is an automotive services finance and leasing company dedicated to helping repair businesses get the tools and equipment they need to progress. Need an aluminum welder, a new spray booth or upgraded frame straightening or tire balancing equipment? These are some of the things you could now purchase for your business thanks to Access Commercial Capital’s assistance. Access Commercial Capital Co-Founder and President Edward P. Kaye and his partners have been in the finance business for the past 25 years. After investigating a variety of industries, they discovered that there was a void for reliable, reasonably priced financing in the automotive service sector. “Many small finance businesses charge an arm and a leg for automotive service equipment, and the large banks are typically looking to do large transactions – those over $250,000,” explains Kaye. “But the average deal for the average shop owner is a $50,000 transaction or less. We want to provide stable funding for that market. “Working with an independent finance company such as ours is a lot easier than working with a large retail bank,” he continues. “We try to make the process simple and an easy fit for the shop owner. We ask them basically for a complete credit application and their business bank statements for the last three months. For over 90 percent of the transactions, we can make a decision based on that. We turn around the approvals in a day; contracts are then turned around the same day and we can fund the transaction the following day.” 38 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
Minimum requirements include being in business for at least two years and having net-positive cash flow and good (not necessarily great) personal credit. In addition to equipment financing and leasing, Access also offers working capital loans. Shops can use up to $500,000 of working capital to: • purchase new shop equipment and restock inventory; • expand or renovate; • enhance marketing efforts; • cushion against seasonal or slow periods; • preserve their existing lines of credit; and • offer vehicle repair financing to their customers. To maximize its presence in the region, Access Commercial Capital recently joined AASP/NJ and exhibited at the NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show for the first time. Kaye is pleased to report that he has already established firm relationships with other members throughout the state. “We approached the association because we believe that the good shops – those who are investing in their businesses and the future – are also going to be members of their trade associations,” he says. “Those are the companies that are growing, stable and would be able to qualify for financing. Aligning ourselves with AASP/NJ has enabled us to meet those shops in a real focused way. We’ve received a lot of inquiries; we can see that there is a lot of activity in the market. We anticipate that within the next six to 12 months, a lot of those questions will result in customers purchasing equipment and us being able to help them with financing.” Looking ahead, Access Commercial Capital intends to offer financing for titled vehicles by the end of the year, allowing members who are interested in adding a new tow truck the opportunity to do so just as bad weather begins to hit the area. In the meantime, Kaye offers some valuable words of advice for his fellow AASP/NJ members as they consider their equipment options. “The key is that they have to know that the equipment they’re purchasing is going to increase their bottom line,” he says. “They really have to understand that in order to grow
Left to right: Eric Coolbaugh (co-founder and corporate vice president), Edward Kaye (co-founder and president) and Michael Kaplan (co-founder and corporate vice president)
their business, they’re going to need to keep current and have a modernized shop. Without that type of equipment, their bottom line will shrink. They also have to be careful that they’re not biting off more than they can chew and buying equipment that they’re not sure they’re going to utilize.” For more information on Access Commercial Capital, visit accesscapital.biz or contact Edward Kaye at (516) 444-3621 or ekaye@accesscapital.biz. NJA
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Struggle at the Schools? A State of Education Address
By Joel Gausten
Although June and July are typically seen as slower months for the auto body industry, they could actually end up being the most important weeks your shop will experience all year. By the time you read this, vocational schools across the state will be saying goodbye to their latest graduating class, which means that a new crop of entry-level technicians will be available for your labor pool. Will these kids have what it takes to make a valuable contribution to your business? If so, who succeeded in getting them to that point? If not, what could their schools – and members of the industry – have done differently to help those students along? This month, New Jersey Automotive offers a snapshot of what’s working in automotive education and what could use some serious attention and re-thinking. We are helped along in this piece by the input of a handful of vocational school instructors who graciously – and anonymously – offered their valuable insights.
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To help students develop a more fact-based professional plan, Eckenrode encourages automotive businesses to provide them with a “visual career path” of what they can expect to earn when they first walk through the door and what they can potentially achieve as they grow. Recognizing Challenges Of course, the main goal of any high school-level educational facility should be to prepare students for life after graduation. But what does “life after graduation” mean to many of today’s vocational schools? In a race to get everything from ongoing funding to parents’ approval, more and more of them are directing kids straight to college after senior year – and this could spell big trouble for the collision repair and automotive service industries. In some cases, vocational students are encouraged to choose a major for the duration of their time at a school, but this major might only be taught one class period a day. Instead, these kids are made to fill their time with academic courses to prepare them for the post-secondary world – not a body shop or dealership. Even more concerning is what’s happening to a lot of these kids after college. “I would say 95 percent of the kids who are in their majors aren’t going into that field,” says one instructor who spoke to us for this story. “Most of our kids go into either engineering or medical – they don’t go into automotive.” Another New Jersey-based educator expresses concern that this increasing focus on steering kids straight to college is creating unrealistically high expectations for students once they get a degree and enter the workforce. 44 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
“[School administrators] expect all the kids to get out of high school, go to college for four years and come out and make $150,000 a year,” he says. “Well, they might have $150,000 in school loans, but where are they going to be working? I’m giving them a skill that they can do so they don’t have to go to Friendly’s and Burger King and get a menial job. They’ll have a skill to do something.” As he sees it, true success at the vocational school level should be based on less academics – not more. “You have to go the other way,” he insists. “You’ve got to get kids who are interested in the program when they get in here - not get kids in here and then try to get them interested in the program.” Always in the market for “the right type of help,” AASP/NJ Collision Chairman Jerry McNee does what he can to maintain constant contact with students and educators throughout the state. One recent way he accomplished this was by volunteering his time at the 2016 SkillsUSA State Conference (“New Jersey SkillsUSA Contest Ignites Students’ Passion,” NJA, May 2016). While he was pleased to see so many student competitors take an active interest in the collision repair field, he is quick to point out some very noticeable differences between what students displayed during the event and what will be expected from them in the real world in the not-too-
distant future. “I was shocked that they’re not writing with computerized estimates,” he says. In McNee’s mind, automotive education circa 2016 needs to be less about banging out fenders and more about properly understanding and utilizing estimating and management systems. “We have to get back to helping the guys who are just starting out and at least point them in the right direction,” he offers. “It’s a good business, but they’ve got to learn the right things up front, because a poor start is going to lead to a poor finish.” And it’s not like the providers of the right tools and equipment don’t care. McNee tells us that CCC ONE has offered to provide a free estimating and management system to a needy school in his area, only to receive zero takers at the time of this writing. “I’m fortunate enough to travel around the country and see some of the top shops, and we’re all in the same position,” he says. “If we don’t start investing in our young, we’ll have nothing for the future. I applaud the guys who are going out of their way to do things, but where’s everybody else?” While new technicians obviously need a helping hand in getting up to speed on today’s technology, one of the vocational school instructors who
reached out to us noted that many shops are simply interested in finding new techs who can display a firm grip on basic, everyday life skills. “They’re looking for somebody who is honest, reliable, on time and respectful,” he explains. “The shops aren’t even talking to me about the trade; they’re talking about the recruits’ personalities. If you get a kid who’s not on time, forget about it. They need to have a good driving record and all that stuff. They also need the willingness to work.” Celebrating Schools In today’s collision repair industry, no entity has given more to the world of automotive education than the Collision Repair Education Foundation. Founded in 1991, CREF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. The Foundation is able to assist the national automotive education community thanks to millions in support by industry donors ranging from individuals to major corporations. (A list of current supporters is available at tinyurl.com/ hhlbyvy.) CREF is best known for the Ultimate Collison Makeover Grant, which provides $50,000 annually to two applicant schools that need some financial assistance to improve their programs’ teaching materials and equipment. The Collision Repair Education Foundation also awards several runner-up Makeover Grants each year, with each of these schools receiving $5,000-$12,500 of their collision program wish lists fulfilled. Roughly 150 schools currently apply for the annual Makeover program, which has given out over $3 million in donations to applicant schools since 2009. “With strained school budgets, the Education Foundation and industry supporters have the opportunity to bridge the program’s financial gap and to make a difference in the lives of the students studying collision repair,” offers the Foundation on its official
website (collisioneducation foundation.org). “As part of the Makeover grant application, schools provide an itemized wish list which can include any tools, supplies and equipment that are needed by the collision program.” For 2016, CREF has made considerable changes to its Ultimate Makeover Grant structure, as explained in the “Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark” section on the Foundation’s website: [In] June 2015, the Foundation Board of Trustees made the decision to adjust the Foundation’s mission to focus not only on grants and donations, but also on bridging the employment gap. The new focus will be on getting the right grants/ donations into each school to better prepare the students for entering the collision industry. As a result of this mission change, the Foundation created a new designation system for schools. Each school that applies for the Makeover program will be given one of the following Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark designations: Tier 1 – Advanced Tier 2 – Proficient Tier 3 – Developing The designation will be determined by how the school answers certain questions on the Makeover application. The criteria for each tier are on the Education Foundation’s website. With this new Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark program, there is even more reason to complete the Makeover application! The Makeover application will now serve three purposes: • Allow a school to be eligible for the cash prizes associated with the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover program. • Allow a school first chance to receive all the in-kind donations the Foundation gives out for the year. • Allow a school to achieve one of
the three tiers through the Career Readiness School Benchmark program. The Makeover grant itself will be adjusted to support this new designation program. The application will be similar to previous years, with a few questions added to determine which designation your school will achieve…Designations will be announced in July 2016, and the Makeover winners will be announced in November 2016. There will still be a place on the application to request items you need a grant for. However, your designation will help guide you on what items to request. For example, if you do not have curriculum due to the lack of computers in your program, the application will guide you to request curriculum and computers. The items requested will need to help advance your program to the higher designation. Our goal is to get EVERY school to become a Tier 1: Advanced school. “The intent is not to point fingers at bad schools; the intent is to showcase where schools are sitting,” explains Brandon Eckenrode, CREF’s director of development. “We’re not necessarily going to be giving out $50,000 [to one school]. That’s been great in the past, but we’re trying to help more schools. We might see a lot more schools getting $5,000 to $10,000 to $15,000, just to help them kind of raise the bar of what they need to help the students.” While CREF is working to assist a number of schools across the country, Eckenrode stresses that there is plenty of work still to be done on the local level – especially in New Jersey – that area shops can help handle. According to him, current model vehicle parts are always in high demand at vocational schools, while there is nothing continued on page 58 New Jersey Automotive | June 2016 | 45
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NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian
HOW TECHNOLOGY CHANGED THE FACE OF AN INDUSTRY (WHILE WE WERE WATCHING) Remember that opening scene in Patton where he says that serving under him will allow you to tell your grandchildren that you didn’t spend the war shoveling you know what in Louisiana? Well, Patton was right; life is a participation sport, and passing on what you have learned to the next generation is important because we learn from history. And if you have been in this business longer than the last 15 years, you will have some stories about WAAAY back, when (in the early 21st century) you witnessed the changeover in cars like the blacksmith did with horses 100 years prior. Much has been written about the subject (many articles by yours truly, and yes, some were not so kind). But surprise - this one is about embracing technology and life. The last Rocky movie said it best: “Life is about change and having things taken away from you; you can’t stop that. You just have to accept it.” The point Rocky was trying to make was that you can’t stop trying. It’s been a tough year so far. Mechanical repairs are down EVERYWHERE, and the repairs that are coming in are VERY different from the norm. We’ve seen it firsthand in the shop; last week marked the seventh week this year that we diagnosed and repaired more check engine light issues than we did oil changes (by a wide margin, as a matter of fact, and that is the tip of the iceberg). One of the repairs last week was an Evaporative Emissions Control System issue on a Honda Civic. In the end, the repair required replacing the bypass solenoid and vent valves on the charcoal canister. Imagine my surprise when I called the local Honda dealer (the dealer I have dealt with for over 25 years) and they asked, “You busy? We’re not!” WOW! A dealer (for Honda – who some think is the be-all and end-all of cars – for that matter) admitted to having a
slow year. Many other dealers are telling the same story. And it seems they all agree on one other thing: If it weren’t for all the recalls the manufacturers have going on now, dealer service departments wouldn’t have enough to go on. Any idea of what the next five years will bring us as mechanical shops? The word in the wind is some of the biggest changes will come from the way manufacturers ALLOW us to work on THEIR systems. Remember the big deal over the Right to Repair Act? It was a victory of sorts for independent repair shops (and I am not turning this into a debate about it; that isn’t my point). As a result of Right to Repair, the car companies took a bit of a beating. How will they fix it? Technology. We are seeing it unfold in front of us; vehicles have changed and the proof is staring us in the face. Cash work in dealers is down, while my sources tell me that warranty
’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 www.cardoctorshow.com. “The Car Doctor” can be heard LIVE in the New York market. Tune in Saturdays, 2-4pm on WRCR AM 1700 for new shows!
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work is down substantially over the past five years (except Chrysler-Jeep and Volkswagen dealers, from what I hear). Engine work outside of the dealer or repair shop bay is diminishing; as a result, there are minimal or zero (depending on perspective) engine rebuilders/machine shops of consequence in Bergen County, NJ. I remember when we had one or two in every town. And then there is the future, which is where this line of thought started. Car companies are now trying to convince us, the public, that the car we are buying is HARDWARE and they LICENSE the operating software to us to allow the use of said HARDWARE. Which means we won’t be allowed to work on their proprietary software vehicle. By the way; the under-dash OBD-II connector? GONE! The car of the future will connect to the scan tool of the future by Bluetooth technology. (I wonder how much that new Snapon scan tool will be then.) THE BOTTOM LINE IS… What can you do about it? Change your thinking — today, now! Start gearing your shop toward the future. And it starts with training, scanning and multiple tools in the shop to “speak” to all the different cars you are still working on. Then you need to consider a price plan representative of the price of all this technology. You need to plan for the cost of tooling up for those Bluetooth cars NOW! And it’s also a good idea to contact your representation in Washington to tell them how you feel about your livelihood. Of course, associations around the country (even us, rumor has it) will be helping with that. The powers that be just need to know your thoughts. Twenty-three years ago, I quoted Benjamin Franklin: “We must now hang together or I fear we shall all hang alone.” That quote means more now than ever. It’s action time, one and all. Whatcha gonna do? NJA
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NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
LYNDHURST COLLISION OPENS ITS DOORS TO SUCCESS When you can turn your passion into a successful career, it’s a beautiful thing. Adolfo Rivera has been fortunate enough to do just that, translating his love of collision repair into a decade-long journey that’s culminated in the recent opening of Lyndhurst Collision, LLC. “I’ve been in the auto repair industry for as long as I can remember, really,” he says. “My father was a painter for 35 years, and I would join him at work whenever I had the chance. From there, the love of the work just grew stronger. I got certifications along the way once I was old enough, and I eventually started helping out my dad after school and on weekends. When I was 22, I opened up my first full-service collision repair facility in Lyndhurst; after six years, the lease on that building ran out, and I ended up finding a bigger and better location, which is where we are today.” Today, the ASE- and I-CAR-certified
facility is ready to service up to five cars at once under the direction of Rivera and his staff. In his year-long journey to open this new shop, Rivera made some valuable friendships in the industry. “The property I’m located at today is actually the original location of Parkway Auto Body,” he explains, “In the process of opening the new shop, I got to know [Parkway owner and former AASP/NJ President] Glenn [Villacari]. He’s become a big mentor to me in terms of running the shop; whenever I have a question, I call him and he comes to the rescue. I really look up to him and admire the way he takes care of his business. He’s achieved so much and has already helped me tremendously.” As Rivera explains, his relationship with Villacari opened up the door to membership in AASP/NJ as well. “In running my old shop, I had heard of the association and all the great things it does, but it was one of those things where I was caught up in the day-to-day and didn’t have the time to explore becoming a member,” he recalls. “In working to open Lyndhurst Collision, Glenn introduced me to AASP/NJ and [AASP/NJ Executive Director] Charlie Bryant, and it became a no-brainer to join the association. Being a member, you have these unbelievable resources at your fingertips, and Charlie has been such a big help in terms of
offering information, advising me on getting re-licensed since the auto body license from the old shop didn’t transfer over to the new building…He’s like the body shop guru.” Lyndhurst Collision is also a member of Auto Body Distributing Co. When asked what he feels is the biggest change to hit the industry in recent memory, Rivera chuckles. “You name it!” he replies. “The evolution of this industry has been crazy, from the technology in things like aluminum to the software we use. You can use your smartphone to write an estimate these days; it was never like that. In just 10 years, I feel like things have changed drastically; no matter how up to date we think we are, we’ve all got a lot of catching up to do.” As he looks to the future, Rivera explains that his hands-on approach to customer service will help establish his facility to current and potential customers as a quality choice. “It’s not all about the money for me,” he notes. “The person coming into my shop needs a hand - if you’re there for them in their time of need, you’ll always have that customer because they’ll remember how you treated them when they needed you. I’ve built my clientele by giving them 100 percent of my attention. As soon as they walk in, continued on page 58
Lyndhurst Collision looks forward to a great future with AASP/NJ.
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ARANJ 2016 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 Joe Goodman Leesville Auto (732) 388-0783 joeg@leesvilleauto.com Executive Director Brian Snyder Auto Recyclers of NJ (609) 714-2339 brian@aranj.org
ARANJ 2016 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 Rodney Krawczyk Ace Auto Wreckers (732) 254-9816 aceautonj@comcast.net Mike Caputo Lacey Used Auto Parts, Inc. (609) 693-0898 laceyautomike@aol.com Bert Witcraft Auto Express (856) 728-8367 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
ARANJ
The Automotive Recyclers Association of New Jersey
Wharton Insurance Briefs An ARA Member
The weather can create many changes – some good and some not so good. When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, there was devastating damage. When losses like this occur, every insurance company is affected by the resulting claims. When insurance companies have experienced a high volume of claims, several things may happen. A company may no longer want to write business in a particular state, or it may change its guidelines to only write insurance for those customers more than a certain distance from the ocean, bay or inlet. Many insurance companies participate in a reinsurance program/treaty. These treaties are set up to spread the risk of loss. For example, Insurance Company A writes a $1 million limit of insurance on a building. It may only retain the first $300,000 and give the remaining $700,000 to three or four other insurance companies. So when there is a large claim, there could be four or five other companies participating in the loss. With Sandy’s devastating damage to the east cost, there were many insurance companies that participated in paying claims. This could be a reason why an insurance company has decided to no longer write in a state, change its guidelines to be more than a certain distance from the ocean, bay or inlet and increase rates due to the exposure. If this has happened to you, or if you have any questions or concerns regarding coverage, rates or claims, please feel free to call me. NJA Mario DeFilippis, AAI, Vice President (800) 221-0003 (ext. 1320) (908) 513-8588 (cell) mdefilippis@whartoninsurance.com
58 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
COVER STORY continued from page 45 more valuable to a program than a shop owner or other industry professional who is willing to visit with students (or host a tour of his or her business) to offer a real-world perspective on working in an active facility. He is also quick to note that while 150 schools have participated in the CREF grant process, that is still only about 10 percent of the high school and college collision programs in the United States. Clearly, there is more help available to schools than most of them realize. At a time when vehicle technologies demand the most skilled repairs possible, it is crucial for shop owners, vendors and other industry personnel to step up their game in encouraging and cultivating the workforce that will carry this profession into the future. As made clear in this feature, there is a world of opportunity for you to get involved on the ground floor. You’re needed now more than ever. NJA For more information on the Collision Repair Education Foundation, please visit collisioneducationfoundation.org or contact Brendan Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.
NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT continued from page 54 they get friendly service, of course, but we can also drop them off at their workplace, pick them or their vehicle up at home…I think things like that go such a long way. Being there for anyone in their time of need is just so important. As we move forward, I’ve got my old shop clientele in place and obviously I need to build up a new customer base, but I’m hopeful and I’m staying positive. And I’ve got a lot of tools at my disposal that’ll help me as we grow.” NJA
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: Toyota of Hackensack 278 River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Toll Free: 888-PARTS-28 Direct: 201-488-5756 Fax: 201-487-2618 paulc@toyotaofhackensack.com www.toyotaofhackensack.com
Glen Toyota 23-07 Maple Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Toll Free: 800-444-1959 Direct: 201-791-1133 Fax: 201-703-5652 parts@glentoyota.com www.glentoyota.com
Toyota of Morristown 169 Ridgedale Ave, Morristown, NJ 08960 Toll Free: 800-541-1127 Fax: 973-292-0872 www.toyotaofmorristown.com
New Jersey Automotive | June 2016 | 59
60 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Access Commercial Capital.......................... 39
Glen Toyota...............................................OBC
Princeton BMW............................................ 49
Acme Nissan.................................................. 4
Hyundai Group............................................. 28
Princeton MINI.............................................. 29
Amato Agency.............................................. 21
JMK Saab/Fiat of Springfield........................ 39
Sherwin-Williams.......................................... 41
AP Media...................................................... 46
Klean Frame................................................. 19
Subaru Group............................................... 48
Audi Group.............................................. 32-33
Levittown Ford.............................................. 61
Subaru of Morristown................................... 53
Axalta Coating Systems.................................. 6
Maxon Mazda............................................... 55
Steck............................................................ 10
BMW Group............................................ 22-23
Maxon Hyundai............................................ 36
Town Motors................................................ 52
BMW of Springfield....................................... 31
Mazda Group............................................... 30
Toyota Group................................................ 59
Bridgewater Acura........................................ 47
Mike Kaufmann Dealer Group....................... 40
Toyota of Hackensack................................. IFC
Cadillac of Mahwah...................................... 13
Mini Group.................................................... 37
Toyota of Morristown.................................... 53
Classic Audi.................................................. 12
Mitsubishi Group.......................................... 40
Tri-State Luxury Collection........................... 8-9
Collision Equipment Company...................... 17
Mopar Group................................................ 11
USI of North America.................................... 62
Clinton Acura...............................................IBC
NUCAR................................................... 14-15
Valtek........................................................... 19
Empire Auto Parts........................................ 51
Paul Miller Audi............................................. 57
VIP Honda.................................................... 47
Flemington Audi.............................................. 5
Phillipsburg-Easton Honda..........................IBC
VW Group.................................................... 56
Flemington Group......................................... 25
Porsche Group............................................. 42
Westbury Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram SRT.... 60
Fred Beans Parts.......................................... 27
PPG............................................................... 3
Wheel Collision Center.................................. 51
Grand Prix Subaru........................................ 61
Polyvance..................................................... 46
Fully Equipped Shop
For Rent For more information, call Don at 973-696-1181
For more information, call Don at
973-696-1181 62 | New Jersey Automotive | June 2016
> 3,200 square foot facility > 2 Chief frame machines > Paint booth & mixing room > Business established in 1965; owner retiring > Turnkey operation! > 40-car parking lot
Clinton Acura
1756 Route 31 North | Clinton, NJ 08809 FAX: 908.735.0380 www.clintonacura.com | ClintonAcura@gmail.com
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Great prices Prompt service Free daily delivery Technical support
WHOLESALE SPECIALIST HOTLINE: 908.735.5557
Phillipsburg-Easton Honda 400 County Road 519 | Phillipsburg, NJ 08865 TOLL FREE: 877.505.6939 FAX: 908.859.6493 www.pehonda.com | erinw@pehonda.com
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Great prices Prompt service Free daily delivery Technical support
Save time and money with OEM Honda replacement parts. YOUR REPUTATION DEPENDS ON IT!
WHOLESALE SPECIALIST HOTLINE: 908.859.0954