11 minute read
New Jersey Automotive June 2021
P.O. Box 734 Neptune, NJ 07753
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Charles Bryant
732-922-8909 / setlit4u@msn.com
2019 - 2021 OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Jerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Inc. 732-494-1900 / ultimatecollision@att.net
COLLISION CHAIRMAN
Dennis Cataldo, Jr., D&M Auto Body 732-251-4313 / jr@dnmautobody.com
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
Brad Crawford, Livingston Collision, Inc. 973-992-5274 / livingston.collision@gmail.com
Gary Gardella, Jr., County Line Auto Body 732-363-5904 / countylineautobody@gmail.com
Dave Laganella, Peters Body and Fender 201-337-1200 / petersbandf@gmail.com
Sam Mikhail, Prestige Auto Body 908-294-1985 /prestige@goldcar.us
Ted Rainer, Ocean Bay Auto Body 732-899-7900 / ted@oceanbayautobody.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 Jeff McDowell, Leslie’s Auto Body 732-738-1948 / chacki@aol.com
PUBLISHER
Thomas Greco / thomas@grecopublishing.com
SALES DIRECTOR
Alicia Figurelli / alicia@grecopublishing.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Joel Gausten / joel@grecopublishing.com
EDITORIAL/CREATIVE COORDINATOR
Alana Bonillo / alana@grecopublishing.com
OFFICE MANAGER
Donna Greco / donna@grecopublishing.com
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Joe Greco / joe@grecopublishing.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Charles Bryant • Mario DeFilippis • Dennis Cataldo • Mitch Portnoi • Ron Ananian • Keith Krehel • Jerry McNee • Jacquelyn Bauman
Published by: Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc. 244 Chestnut Street, Suite 202, Nutley, NJ 07110 Corporate: (973) 667-6922 / FAX: (973) 235-1963
www.grecopublishing.com
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 © 2021 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. Stock Images courtesy of www.istockphoto.com.
CONTENTS
VOLUME 51 NUMBER 6 | June 2021
10 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES 16 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
14 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 42 NJA ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
LOCAL NEWS
18 AASP/NJ Explores “ADAS: 2021 & Beyond” at Virtual Meeting
by Alana Bonillo
NATIONAL NEWS
20 Sherwin-Williams June Training Curriculum Announced
24 NY Parts Bill Takes on Insurer-Mandated Vendors
COVER STORY
28 Perseverance Pays: The Industry Returns to In-Person Events
by Joel Gausten
INDUSTRY ADVICE: ASK MIKE
34 Why Aren’t People Pulling OEM Procedures?
JUST FOR FUN
38 Beyond Bizarre: Strange Vintage Car Accessories
AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY
40 Wharton Insurance Briefs
by Mario DeFilippis
Joe Amato, Sr. Ron Ananian Jim Bowers Charles Bryant Don Chard Guy Citro Pete Cook Ed Day Dave Demarest Phil Dolcemascolo Tom Elder Bob Everett Thomas Greco Dan Hawtin Rich Johnson Wes Kearney Nick Kostakis Jim Kowalak Keith Krehel Joe Lubrano Michael Lovullo Jeff McDowell Sam Mikhail Ron Mucklow George Petrask Russ Robson Jerry Russomano George Threlfall Cynthia Tursi Lee Vetland Paul Vigilant Rich Weber Brian Vesley Glenn Villacari Stan Wilson
Not only do we sell WHOLESALE GENUINE PARTS across the tri-state area — we have a knowledgeable team of parts specialists that can fi nd the component you need for a seamless vehicle repair.
Our fl agship dealerships are pleased to offer a wide selection of authentic genuine parts so you can repair your customer’s luxury car to the highest quality.
AUDI QUEENS 30-35 College Point Boulevard Flushing, NY 11354 Wholesale Direct: 929.297.0788 audiqueens.com
MERCEDES-BENZ OF BROOKLYN 1800 Shore-Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11214 Wholesale Direct: 929.509.4749 mbofbrooklyn.com
MERCEDES-BENZ OF CALDWELL 1220 Bloomfi eld Avenue Caldwell, NJ 07006 Wholesale Direct: 973.808.0204 mbofcaldwell.com
WHOLESALE PARTS HOTLINE 844.98.PARTS
The repair of luxury vehicles begins with
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LEXUS OF BRIDGEWATER 1550 US-22 Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Wholesale Direct: 866.679.7054 lexusofbridgewater.com
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Not-So-Free Refills
by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER
One phrase I tend to hear quite often in many of our training seminars is “educate the consumer.” And I think that’s a great idea in any business. But as we all know, collision repair is not like any business. And educating the consumer isn’t as easy as it may seem. It is an uphill battle, and that’s on the consumer.
Let me try to explain. As I have told you in past columns, I had to find a new doctor after my friend Dr. Giuliano passed away last year due to COVID-19. I found one, and I like the guy. But over the past six months, it has become a problem. See, due to my heart disease, I am on a shitload of medications – around 30 pills and vitamins a day. And most of those medications need to be refilled monthly. With my old doctor, it was just a matter of calling the pharmacy, and they would call him and get the refill. But with this new one, it is one giant pain in the ass – EVERY TIME. So, let me bring it back to “educate the consumer.” Let’s say my body is the car that needs to be fixed. The collision repairer is the doctor. I’m the consumer, and the insurance company is…the insurance company. So now, with all these problems I have getting my meds, I have to get all four involved. So, what do I do? I call the doctor. “Doc, my body needs some repair to function properly and keep me healthy.” “Okay, I can prescribe the refill, but the insurance company has to approve,” he responds. When the pharmacy says they haven’t received anything from the doctor, he tells me they are waiting for the insurance company.
I call the insurance company.
“Mr. Horizon, my doctor says you need to sign off on the agreed medications.” “Give us a few days, and we’ll let you know,” Mr. Horizon says.
Meanwhile, more than a few days go by, and I still don’t have my meds. I call the doctor; he says the insurance company is holding us up. I call the insurance company; they say the doctor is holding us up. Meanwhile, my body starts to falter a little bit, not only from the lack of
meds but from my blood pressure going through the roof because these two can’t get together to fix what needs to be fixed. Still with me? Bottom line is that I, the consumer, am more pissed at the doctor. Why? Because even though the doctor has explained the process to me and the struggles he has on his end, I don’t care. I need my meds. He’s the professional dealing with 100 cars, I mean patients. The insurance company? I expect this from them even though I’m paying them four grand a month. They have always been evil. Why should I expect anything else? But the doctor? He should know how to get this done. He’s the expert. He’s supposed to protect me. So, even though I am educated about the process, fair or not, I still blame him because I don’t feel he is fighting for me. I feel like he is blowing me off and moving on to the next patient. I feel like I’m bothering him. Maybe I’m the exception and not the rule, but I don’t think so. Consumers (like me) are lazy and entitled. We want our meds and our cars fixed NOW. We don’t want to hear the doctor’s problems. Shit, it’s a hell of a lot harder to change insurance companies than doctors. Maybe the doctor down the street will get my body fixed faster. So, educating the consumer may not be enough. MGM SUPPLIES AD_NJA0720.qxp_Layout 1 6/23/20 2:00 PM Page 1 Educating yourself about your consumer and letting them know that you have their back may be just as important.
NJA
CALL US: (973) 304-0024
VISIT US ONLINE:
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YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT PAINT AND BODY SUPPLIER SERVING NORTHERN NEW JERSEY FOR OVER 35 YEARS!
344 Wagaraw Road Hawthorne, NJ 07506
Audi dealers strive to make you an Audi Genuine Parts fan
• Audi Parts Professionals are your subject matter experts on collision parts, replacement components and mechanical items.
• Many Audi dealers offer technical service support hotline access that can reduce your repair times and help you meet an on-time promised delivery.
• Installing Audi Genuine Parts contributes towards improved cycle time that makes both your customer and their insurance company happier.
Helping you do business is our business. Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers.
Flemington Audi
213 Route 202/31 Flemington, NJ 08822 Toll Free: 877.657.2787 Fax: 908.782.1795 email: rmuir@flemington.com www.NJPARTS.com
DCH Millburn Audi
2211 Millburn Ave Maplewood, NJ 07040 Toll Free: 800.553.9250 Direct: 973.762.0262 Fax: 973.762.2381 www.dchmillburnaudi.com
Paul Miller Audi
179 Route 46 East Parsippany, NJ 07054 Toll Free: 800.35.MILLER Parts Direct: 973.575.7793 Fax: 973.575.5911 www.paulmiller.com
Audi Brooklyn
211 63rd Street Brooklyn, NY11220 Phone: 718.492.6400 Fax: 718.492.8899 rmerchant@audibrooklyn.com www.audibrooklyn.com
Bell Audi
782 Route 1 Edison, NJ 08817 732.396.9360 Fax: 732.396.9090 www.bellaudi.com
Town Motors Audi
400 South Dean Street Englewood, NJ 07631 201.227.6506/6536 Fax: 201.541.0314 www.townmotors.com
Jack Daniels Audi of Upper Saddle River
243 Route 17 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 201.252.1500 Fax: 201.254.1552 tbabcock@jackdanielsmotors.com www.jackdanielsmotors.com
Audi Bridgewater
701 Route 202-206 N Bridgewater, NJ 08807 929.600.9156 Fax: 908.595.0237 parts@audibridgewater.com www.audibridgewater.com
Co-celebrating decades of creating chemistry between two industry leaders
Here’s to 235 years of combined service excellence
This year, as Albert Kemperle Inc. celebrates its 80th anniversary, BASF also celebrates its 155th anniversary. We are proud of our decades of partnership with BASF and years of serving the auto paint and body industry together. Kemperle’s founders would be proud of this relationship and the growth their company has experienced because of it.
Today, as we look forward to many more decades of service to our customers, we find ourselves filled with gratitude. The creativity, hard work, and sense of responsibility of the people working for our two companies have made us what we are today.
Thank you for your many years of loyalty.
626 E. Elizabeth Ave., Linden, NJ 07036 Phone: (908) 925-6133 Fax: (908) 925-4344 414-416 Madison Ave., Paterson, NJ 07524 Phone: (973) 279-8300 Fax: (973) 279-9030 631 Clifton Ave., Toms River, NJ 08753 Phone: (732) 797-3942 Fax: (732) 797-0774 100 Melrich Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512 Phone: (609) 860-2800 Fax: (609) 860-2801
