New Jersey Automotive October 2014

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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)

TM

October 2014 $595

www.grecopublishing.com

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P.O. Box 734 Neptune, NJ 07753 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Charles Bryant 732-922-8909 / setlit4u@msn.com 2013 - 2015 OFFICERS PRESIDENT Jeff McDowell, Leslie’s Auto Body 732-738-1948 / chacki@aol.com COLLISION CHAIRMAN Dave Laganella, Peters Body and Fender 201-337-1200 / petersbandf@gmail.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 Jerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Inc. 732-494-1900 / ultimatecollision@att.net 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 Brian Vesley, Valtek, Inc. 973-278-1444 / bdvesley@valtekinc.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) DIRECTOR OF SALES Alicia Figurelli (alicia@grecopublishing.com) EDITOR Joel Gausten (tgpjoel@verizon.net)

MANAGING EDITOR Jacquelyn Bauman (jacquelyn@grecopublishing.com) ART DIRECTOR Lea Velocci (lea@grecopublishing.com) OFFICE MANAGER Sofia Cabrera (tgp4@verizon.net)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Charles Bryant • Tom Greco • Jeff McDowell Mitch Portnoi • Dave Laganella • Ron Ananian

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

VOLUME 44, NUMBER 10 | October 2014

CONTENTS

8 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES 10 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 12 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

16 COLLISION CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE 58 NJA ADVERTISERS INDEX

NORTHEAST® 2015 SPOTLIGHT 18 NASTF to Bridge Communication Gaps Between Automakers and Independents at NORTHEAST 2015

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT by Joel Gausten 24 JMK BMW: Where Experience & Service Meet WHAT SAY YOU? 28 How Do You Think Autonomous Vehicles/Telematics Will Affect Your Business In the Near Future?

FEATURE by Joel Gausten 36 Testing Our Techs: Inside the Changing World of Collision Training

COVER STORY by Joel Gausten 44

MUTINY! THE NATION FIGHTS BACK AGAINST PARTSTRADER

THE LIST 48 What Has Been Your Most Memorable Repair Job? NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian 52 Just For Fun AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS OF NEW JERSEY 55 Wharton Insurance Briefs

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey Ron Ananian Jim Bowers Charles Bryant Don Chard Guy Citro Ed Day Dave Demarest Tom Elder

HALL OF FAME

Bob Everett Thomas Greco Rich Johnson Wes Kearney Nick Kostakis Jim Kowalak Joe Lubrano

Michael Lovullo 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

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 © 2014 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.

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OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES

THE HOT DOG DIARIES

by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER

I

t’s no secret that I love hot dogs. Yes, I know they are bad for you and yes, I know they are filled with mouse droppings, turtle shells and magic Arabian saltI’ve heard it all. Yet, still, I love hot dogs.

Fortunately in New Jersey, we have no shortage of great hot dog joints and, lucky for you, I’m going to take you on a tour of some of my favorite haunts.

Now, I realize that these kinds of lists are subjective so I’m sure many of you are going to disagree with me. That’s fine. I’m also sure there will also be many of you looking for places that I don’t mention.

That’s even better. Email me their names; I’d love to try them. But since I get to write

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the article, I’m going to tell you about the ones that are closest to my heart (check my clogged arteries for proof).

My hot dog adventures began when I was a kid at a hot dog truck in Clifton called Joe’s. I will never forget it for a number of reasons…one being it was parked in front of a cemetery. Not the most enticing place for a bite to eat. But that never mattered. Joe’s was my dad’s and my joint; we went at least once a week after school. Joe was a gray-haired, chubby guy with a strange accent, but he always had a smile on his face. He served Sabrett hot dogs cooked in boiled water and taught me a very crucial lesson. You see, my dad

enjoyed his dogs with mustard and relish.

Not me. Joe taught me that the way to tell if you’re eating a great dog is to eat it plain.

And that’s the way it’s been for me over 45 years or so. So don’t tell me about the best places with their 10,000 toppings - I don’t want to hear it. Give me mine plain and I’ll let you know if what’s lurking underneath that cheese, chili, bananas, kraut, etc. is actually any good.

Old Joe must have died sometime around the mid-’70s because by the time I hit middle school, the truck was gone.

After all these years, I can’t find one damn person who remembers Joe’s hot dog truck. But I do. My dad’s probably looking

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down eating two of those with mustard and relish right now.

Another hot dog joint that has captured my heart has been the Windmill. I’ve mentioned the Windmill in a number of my articles in the past and with good reason it was my weekly Friday night treat for the last 10 years. The original Windmill is located in Long Branch, with several other locations down the shore (sadly, the only one north of Exit 109 in Westfield closed earlier this year.)

I discovered the Windmill by accident in 1979 after a Southside Johnny show in Asbury Park. My friends and I got lost on the way home and around 2am, we came across this effed-up Windmill shaped building. My friends thought they were hallucinating but I knew it was a sign from God. Once I bit into that super-sized Sabrett, they had me. Thirty-five years later, I’m still going back (side note: Max’s down the street in Long Branch is also pretty good). Another great thing about the Windmill is that it’s usually open until at least 3am. One night, I got the urge for

one of those dogs and, around midnight, started a journey down to Belmar to satisfy my craving. I was pulled over for speeding in one of the surrounding towns and, when the policeman asked what a guy from Nutley was doing down there at that time of night, I told him I was going to the Windmill. He laughed out loud, handed me back my license and said, “Get the hell out of here.”

Now, I do have one exception to the plain hot dog rule (I’m the writer, I can make the rules of this list.) There’s a truck on Bloomfield Ave. in northern Newark called JJ’s and, although I’d never admit it in public, JJ’s hot onions are so delicious, they’re well worth the impending heart burn and paint-melting bad breath that follow. JJ’s is the only place with a topping good enough to have an exclusion to my naked dog guideline, so you know it has to be good.

It was kind of bizarre how I even ended up going to JJ’s in the first place. continued on page 54

GRECO PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES HIRING OF MANAGING EDITOR JACQUELYN BAUMAN

Thomas Greco, President of Thomas Greco Publishing Inc., has announced the hiring of Jacquelyn Bauman as the company’s new Managing Editor.

Bauman will be taking over for Alicia Figurelli, who was promoted to Vice Jacquelyn Bauman President/Director of Sales of the company this past August.

A 2013 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Bauman will oversee editorial in all Greco Publishing publications and will also actively participate in the management of the NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Trade Show.

“We are extremely excited to have Jacquelyn become a part of the TGP staff,” Greco says.

“Her background and skills are a perfect fit for our company. We have a great team in place and are looking forward to continuing our role as one of the country’s top automotive repair publishers and trade show management companies.”

Jacquelyn Bauman can be contacted at: Ph: 973-667-6922 F: 973-235-1963 E: Jacquelyn@grecopublishing.com.

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Keep Your Eyes Peeled!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As I write this message, we are at no shortage of activity in and around the automotive repair industry. A quick look at the recent trade press - including this month’s issue of New Jersey Automotive - shows the continuing development of several high-profile lawsuits around the country by repairers who are refusing to back down from the restraints placed upon them by some insurers. Given the

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growing attention on these cases - not to mention the fact that those behind them are fighting back on behalf of countless other industry members nationwide - I would definitely make it a priority to watch what happens. When repairers, trade organizations and, in one case, the actual Attorney General of a state are stepping in and telling insurers to scale back their tactics, I can all but guarantee

that things are

by JEFF MCDOWELL about to get very interesting. To learn more about some of these cases, please see pages 12 and 44.

While AASP/NJ has not formally joined any particular lawsuit mentioned above - though of course we do support those battling the insurance industry in the courts as we speak - we are nonetheless gearing up for a ton of activity ourselves. First and foremost, as usual, our 2014 Annual Meeting promises to be an informative and valuable experience for AASP/NJ members and supporters, with association updates, an eye-opening “state of the industry” address and much more. See page 15 of this issue for more information on our Annual Meeting. I hope to see all members there! And if you miss it, there will still be plenty of opportunities for education in the coming months, as AASP/NJ is working to put together some in-shop training sessions for our members. These free technical meetings will help you keep yourself and your employees up to date on important information, while allowing you to network with fellow repairers in a relaxed environment close to home.

Looking ahead, several AASP/NJ Board members will be heading to Las Vegas to represent us on the national level at the fall AASP National Board meeting, being held during the 2014 SEMA Show. And I know it seems like a long way away, but NORTHEAST® 2015 really is right around the corner once SEMA concludes. We are beyond excited to continue to build upon the success of last year’s show, and look forward to making some important announcements regarding our 2015 event that are sure to make it a can’t-miss weekend for all members of the repair industry. In the meantime, we are very pleased to welcome the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) to NORTHEAST 2015, who will be presenting their Spring Board meeting and general meeting on Thursday, March 19 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. To learn more about this and our developing NORTHEAST “Industry Week,” please see page 18.

The weather may be starting to turn cooler, but around here at AASP/NJ, things are just heating up!

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

The Time Has Come!

O

ver the years, I have written article after article predicting that this day would come. I once posed the question: What happens when an unstoppable object and an unmovable object collide? This question is no longer a passing thought, but an undeniable reality. For years, the insurance and collision industries have been on a path destined to result in conflict. The only reason the two industries haven’t already collided head-on is because major insurers have always known how far they could push collision repairers and still manage to get away with it. Finally, greed has motivated the insurance industry to push the collision industry far beyond its limits.

I knew the day would come when the industry would draw the line, say, that’s it and get the courage to fight back. I just wasn’t sure how far the insurers would have to push before collision repairers, as a whole, would decide that enough is enough. Now I know, and there is no ignoring the force with which the collision industry is pushing back.

A class action lawsuit from a shop out of Pennsylvania has been filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois-Eastern Division, naming multiple insurers. The suit alleges that these insurers illegally conspire to control the collision repair process and the cost of repairs. The suit also alleges violation of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. Additionally, the Louisiana Attorney General has filed suit against State Farm, claiming the company had a deal with certain DRP shops to put inferior, cheaper parts in cars they covered. In the suit, the Louisiana AG accused State Farm of deceiving its policyholders by getting them to use body shops that they had contracts with. The AG said that these shops then used cheaper, less crash-worthy parts to fix the vehicles, rather than parts from the vehicle’s manufacturer, in order to save State Farm money. Also, in Mississippi, a multi-state lawsuit has been filed against about 40 insurers for conspiring

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to manipulate Labor Rates and other shop charges in order to lower claim costs. A total of six states have joined the suit and the cases have been merged together with a similar suit out of Florida They will now all now be heard in Florida where local shop owner, Ray Gunder, has been winning case after case. Talk about a busy month for the insurance industry.

Although I saw this day coming for a while, I never imagined that the push back would be this strong. Insurers have certainly “woken a sleeping giant” in the collision industry. I have often said, if you push a puppy into a corner and keep poking it with a stick, eventually it will attack. The reality is, the industry has come to the point where it was time to either fight back or die. It is impossible for repairers to ignore the safety issues that consumers would face as the result of these short-changed repairs that the insurance industry has forced on them and it is this very issue that has likely caused the collision industry to finally stand up, advancing these suits forward.

Ever since I can remember, insurers have attempted every way possible to keep the cost of repairs down, sending in appraisers who say, “We don’t pay for that” or, “We only pay X for that.” (I challenge anyone to find a clause in an auto policy that says, “We don’t pay for that”

by CHARLES BRYANT

when referring to a part or procedure needed to properly repair a damaged vehicle.) I have preached for years that the insurance industry must acknowledge the changes in the vehicles on the roads today and the advances in technology that have caused the cost of equipment and training to skyrocket.

Modern vehicles are nothing like the vehicles on the roads a few years back.

These new vehicles are technical and, like it or not, require shops to invest in special equipment and training. Years ago, a shop might have been able to put a shim here and there and get away with it, but that’s no longer the case on these modern vehicles. They have to be repaired according to the manufacturer specifications or they will not function as designed.

Even with all this knowledge, the insurance industry still expects collision shops to work for rates less than what is charged at a lawnmower shop. Not only do they expect the work to be done for such low rates, but if the insurance company is unable to force a shop to work for the measly amounts they’re willing to pay, most insurance agencies will do all they can to convince, persuade or even intimidate those insured by them into going to another shop. These battles have been repeatedly fought for years.

However, due to the might and power of

Although I saw this day coming for a while, I never imagined that the push back would be this strong. Insurers have certainly “woken a sleeping giant” in the collision industry.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE an insurer compared to a small collision shop, the fight is like David and Goliath.

Even if a small shop occasionally wins a battle by standing up to an insurance company who chooses to bully the shop instead of paying a fair and reasonable amount to repair a damaged vehicle properly, the glory is usually short-lived.

Should such a shop decide to take a stand and fight back, they will likely encounter the insurer doing everything in their power to steer customers away from their shop until they surrender. But

this time, things are different.

When a suit is filed in one state and five other states join in, when RICO is added to a suit or when a suit is filed by the AG on behalf of consumers being abused, you know things are serious.

The problem of artificially suppressed labor rates, inadequate reimbursement for paint and materials and failure to pay for the procedures to repair damaged vehicles safely and properly has been going on for a long time. In the past, shops were not dealing with the types of

vehicles they’re seeing these days - they could let a few shortcuts slide. Now, if the vehicles on the roads today are not repaired properly and the manufacturer recommendations are not followed, the vehicles are not safe to go back on the road. On top of that, most insurers are forcing DRP shops to sign hold harmless agreements and forcing them to agree to indemnify the insurer if they are sued.

Obviously, the insurers are aware that problems are on the horizon.

These major suits are not the only advances the collision industry have been making recently. Shops across the country taking a stand on getting proper payment for repairs have also been winning smaller suits when an insurer shortchanges an insured. The bottom line is that when a vehicle is insured and suffers a loss or damage, the insurer covering the vehicle owes what it takes to repair the vehicle properly. I am sure these lawsuits will make an impact on how insurers do business from here on end. One thing is for sure: We will be watching and informing the members of the industry as these cases go to court.

NJA

Mike Lovullo Distributor for

and

Micro-Mix Paint and

Materials Calculator in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson Counties in New Jersey.

CALL Office: (973) 696-3176 or Cell: (201) 452-0987 14 | New Jersey Automotive | October 2014

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COLLISION CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

A Call to Arms!

by DAVE LAGANELLA

S

even years ago, after years of battling with heavy-hitting insurance companies over proper reimbursement for paint and materials costs, the collision repair industry finally gained some ground. In 2007, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance stepped into the battlefield by releasing a bulletin demanding that insurers pay us what we deserve. Although several insurers continued to cause a lot of us grief, we were being properly reimbursed, for the most part. After all these years, some of those same trouble making companies have conspired to working around the system, and it’s time to once again take up arms.

As many of you have experienced recently, some insurers have raised their hourly rates a couple of dollars per hour and are now paying off of inflated figures, as opposed to acknowledging the rates provided to them using a paint and materials calculator. For those of you who experienced the headache of arguing with these insurers in the past, I know you may be too tired and reluctant to step up and fight again. But we have gained too much ground to let these guys win.

We are not an industry that can be pushed around and bullied, and it’s time insurance companies figured that out.

I urge you not to lie down without giving them a fight. If an insurance company tells you they won’t accept your figures, combat their refusal with the facts. Present an intelligent argument, and don’t take no for an answer. The only way things in our industry can change is if we stand up and fight for what is right.

If you have an insurance company that is not accepting figures based on the paint calculator, call AASP/NJ Executive Director Charlie Bryant (732-922-8909) to receive a special complaint form. He will work with you to get it into the right hands and to monitor the progress.

NJA

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NORTHEAST® 2015 SPOTLIGHT

NASTF to Bridge Communication Gaps Between Automakers and Independents at NORTHEAST 2015

W

ith the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey’s (AASP/NJ) 38th annual NORTHEAST 2015 Automotive Services Show at the Meadowlands, the largest trade show of its kind in the country, coming up in March, organizations from across the industry are already waking up and racing to get their foot in the door. One organization that refused to waste any time getting involved in this event is the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), who will be bringing their spring Board meeting and General Meeting to the show on Thursday, March 19 as part of the NORTHEAST Automotive Week.

NASTF’s mission is to “facilitate the identification of gaps in the availability and accessibility of automotive service information, training, diagnostic tools and equipment and communications to automotive professionals.” For Skip Potter, NASTF executive director, the decision to travel to NORTHEAST 2015 was a no-brainer.

“In 2012, the Board of Directors and Communications Committee had a meeting to decide how to promote the organization,” Potter explains. “We agreed that too few technicians knew about us, and the decision was made to partner up with some of the state associations. The NORTHEAST event was mentioned in that discussion as one of the leading events in the country that NASTF wanted to align with and attend.” Instead of trying to organize, advertise and invite technicians to come to an event on a limited budget, Potter figured it was best to hold the meetings in a place where there were already going to be technicians and repair shops present. In the past they have held meetings at both the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) and the Specialty Equipment Market (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Vision Hi-Tech in Kansas City and the Automotive Training Expo in Seattle. This year will be the first time that NASTF will reach the Northeast. In a market where a number of automakers’ headquarters are already located, this meeting can serve to be one of the most effective of its kind.

“The whole purpose of NASTF, if you look at our 15-year history, is all centered around constructive conversations between the independents and the automakers,” Potter says. “The general meetings are the key opportunity for these independents to join the conversation. I tried to create an event that would put technicians and shop owners in the same room as automakers, key people in their operations. My intent there is [for these parties to] get together and appreciate each other, making it easier to work together. Rather than have all of the access to service information argued in the halls of Congress, we try to get the people who have the information, and those who need the information, to sit down and try to figure out how to solve the problem together as co-workers.” In this current atmosphere of legal tension and constant technical changes within the industry, this opportunity is not one to miss.

NJA

NORTHEAST 2015 is scheduled for March 20, 21 and 22, 2015. For more information on NORTHEAST, visit www.aaspnjnortheast.com, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show on Facebook, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show YouTube page (www.youtube.com/user/AASPNJNORTHEAST) or on Twitter @AASPNJ NORTHEAST / #NORTHEAST2015. For more information on AASP/NJ, please visit www.aaspnj.org.

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Save the Dates for NORTHEAST速 2015!

MARCH 20, 21, 22

Top-notch educational opportunities Over 150 industry-leading exhibitors Fun for the whole family, and more!

Visit

WWW.AASPNJNORTHEAST.COM for details Proudly Presented by

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JMK BMW: VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

vehicles. JMK BMW is also an M-certified dealer, meaning that they are approved by BMW to work on any M-branded vehicle.

Of course, New Jersey Automotive readers also know JMK BMW from their regular presence at the annual NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show. Following in the footsteps of JMK BMW General Manager Robert Schoenemann JMK BMW’s special ability to get any (one of the very first participants in the anWant your parts supplier to be fast? nual show), Santos makes it a point to be a BMW part they need within a day’s time How about 70,000 part numbers available part of the festivities every year. In his for same-day delivery fast? Thanks to one of adds to the dealership’s already-strong $1 the most efficient and impressive wholesale million in-house BMW, Fiat and Saab parts mind, NORTHEAST offers JMK BMW a unique opportunity to spend quality time parts operations in the country, JMK BMW inventory. In addition to a two-story, with their ever-growing clientele. in Springfield provides greater parts options 108,000-square foot facility with a loading “The whole show is beyond valuable,” dock and an exclusive wholesale call center, (and at greater speeds) than meet the eye. the JMK BMW parts department includes a he says. “It brings so much awareness to the The largest BMW parts wholesaler in industry year after year. It does so much for dedicated 20,000-square-foot wholesale the northeastern region, JMK BMW is an active participant in BMW’s DMDC (Daily warehouse. Eight delivery trucks bring parts everybody; it brings us all together. You get to meet people and put a name to a face. It Metropolitan Distribution Center) program, to shops throughout Central and Northern helps build a relationship and make it much New Jersey as well as parts of New York which provides the dealership unpreceand Staten Island. For non-local customers, more personable.” dented access to the manufacturer’s prodJMK BMW is also a member of Auto JMK BMW offers next-day UPS service ucts.

Body Distributing Co, Inc. (ABD) for both “Due to our size, we get two split deliv- and can be reached by fax, phone, email or Nextel phone messaging. The department’s BMW and Fiat and is a part of the Mike eries daily from BMW [one for the wholeKaufmann Advantage Group. With the deal17-person staff includes knowledgeable sale facility and the second for the retail ership still reaching new heights in service parts advisors who boast 67 years of comfacility], with an additional three deliveries after more than 40 years in business, Santos bined experience. per day from BMW North America,” exIn addition to a thriving parts operation, looks forward to building new customer replains JMK BMW Wholesale Parts Manlationships while earning ongoing loyalty JMK BMW features a 12,0000 square-foot ager Mike Chin. Not surprisingly, shops and business for his current accounts. love this special feature.

Certified Collision Repair Center (CCRC) “We go the extra mile and really do “The response has been positive,” says and recently became a BMW i dealer. Alwhatever it takes to get to know our cusPedro Santos, JMK BMW’s parts and acces- ready winning big with the i3 electric car, the dealer will soon add the i8 EV to its new tomers so we know how to service them sories director. “If we tell a customer we don’t have it but can get it out to him or her car offerings. This means that the dealer will even better,” he says.

NJA the same day, you just get a big wow factor have all it takes to handle the parts and service needs of these technologically advanced during that conversation.”

Where Experience

& Service Meet

Below: JMK’s 17-person staff, including the parts depar tment, par ts clerk, retail depar tment, delivery and internal segments. The team has over 67 years of combined experience.

The driving factor in JMK’s success: A fleet of eight trucks delivers parts throughout North and Central New Jersey.

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For more information on JMK BMW, please contact Wholesale Parts Manager Mike Chin at mchin@jmkbmw.com.

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WHAT SAY YOU?

How do you think autonomous vehicles/telematics will affect your business in the near future?

“Autonomous vehicles will most likely take another five to 10 years before there is an impact on repairers. Mixing drivercontrolled and autonomous vehicles would be risky and complicated, necessitating extensive testing. Until a significant portion of vehicles has autonomous capability, there will not be a road infrastructure to accommodate them except in limited circumstance, for instance, an autonomous high occupancy vehicle lane.

Telematics will allow more efficient use of vehicles with more rideshare possibilities and reduce the need for as many automobiles. That will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and decrease collision repair demand. This will also make vehicles even more complex, leading to the need for a greater commitment to - and investment in - equipment and training on the parts of the independent shops, if they want to survive.” - Paterson

“It can definitely cause friction between the manufacturer and repair shops. If a customer is aware of these autonomous features, like brake assist, and they still get into a collision, the repairer is the one that has to be aware of how to explain to them that these systems aren’t a failsafe. It’s like when airbags first came out and people would come in complaining that their ‘airbag didn’t go off.’ We had to explain to them why it would or wouldn’t happen. Now that they’ve been standard for so long, we don’t have to do that as often. But what people don’t realize is that these systems don’t make decisions for you. They allow you to make the decision in a situation first and, if you chose the worst decision - to do nothing - it turns it into a better one. As these things become more standard in the next few years, I think we’ll see less and less confusion, but for right now, one of our biggest issues is having to explain these things to the customer.

Plus, after a collision, the shop has to know not only how to repair the damage, but also how to reset the system for the next driver. If the feature relies on sensors, they need to know how to set them properly. With a lot of these frivolous systems like Park Assist, if a new owner is operating the vehicle and it wasn’t properly reset after a previous collision, the driver might have to explain what happened to the guys ahead of and behind them.” -Jackson

“I do a lot of fleet work so I do not think it will affect me much soon. I honestly believe trucks will be slow to use this sort of tech. It’s a good thing if it helps to avoid accidents, even though less work at the shop may be the price of ‘progress,’ just like stainless steel exhausts have eliminated a lot of work and expense of a car. It could, however, keep older drivers on the road longer than their skills would allow, possibly creating more work for us.” -Clifton “It’s yet to be seen. Autonomous vehicles will lower accidents in most cases, but obviously, not all of them. We will always have human nature that will take over. However, this will only be in the high-end cars only to start. It will definitely lower the number of accidents. Telematics will help the way some people drive, especially if they know they are, or can be, monitored.” -Edison

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“When the autonomous cars become available to the general public, the collision industry will once again go through a dramatic change. With the electronics and computer-driven technology that make these vehicles function also comes the need for new equipment, training and technology that presently does not exist in the collision repair industry.

Although this technology will certainly lessen the frequency of accidents, some accidents will still occur and repairers will have to know how to fix these automobiles and get them back on the road when they are involved in a collision. At the present time, insurance companies are paying rates at approximately 50 percent of what it actually takes to operate a collision repair facility and realize a profit.

With less vehicles to repair and more complicated repairs that will require special new equipment and training, the insurance industry will have to address these issues or collision shops will not be able to efficiently repair the vehicles and get them back on the road in a reasonable amount of time.

Currently, collision shops are able to survive on the artificially suppressed Labor Rates that insurance companies pay, only by beating the time allowed for making the repairs and working on a high-volume basis. With a smaller volume of repairs and more expensive equipment and training required to repair these newly created driverless cars on the way to collision shops, repairers should be evaluating the situation now to determine if the investment of time and money in equipment and training is ultimately going to be worth it. Although these self-driving robottype cars seem like a thing of the future, this technology is actually right around the corner. If there ever was a time for the collision industry to come together and address situations like this in a united effort, now is that time.”-Neptune

PATERSON

Members from CLIFTON around New Jersey EDISON weigh in on this month’s question.

NEPTUNE

“

JACKSON

This will also make vehicles even more complex, leading to the need for a greater commitment to - and investment in equipment and training on the parts of the independent shops...

”

“

“ “

...the shop has to know not only how to repair the damage, but also how to reset the system for the next driver.

”

I honestly believe trucks will be slow to use this sort of tech.

“

”

Telematics will help the way some people drive, especially if they know they are, or can be, monitored.

”

If there ever was a time for the collision industry to come together and address situations like this in a united effort, now is that time.

”

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FEATURE by Joel Gausten

TESTING OUR TECHS:

Inside the Changing World of Collision Training

Insurer-mandated parts procurement. Data ownership. Steering. These are all critical issues deserving of the industry’s attention and action, but they pale in comparison to the biggest topic to affect every single person employed in this profession: Training.

Are you keeping up to date with the education and equipment requirements of the vehicles you’re repairing? Are you demanding – and receiving – a return on the investment you made to get that training? Are you even aware of the certifications needed to professionally work on the vast majority of vehicles on the road right now? This month, New Jersey Automotive sheds light on why you might want to think twice before answering “yes” to these questions.

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The Training Tsunami

The 2015 Ford F-150 is certainly not the industry’s first aluminum-intensive vehicle, but it could end up being its most influential.

Thanks to a strong promotional push by Ford (including the special appearance of a cutaway of the vehicle at this year’s NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show), the next generation of the manufacturer’s best-selling truck has inspired a slew of shop owners to add aluminum repair to their services for the first time. In an effort to address the rapidly growing need for training on how to handle these vehicles once they hit the market later this year, I-CAR worked extensively with Ford to develop a special 2015 F-150 curriculum (detailed in full at www.i-car.com/ FORDF150) that was officially launched in May. As of mid-September, I-CAR has hosted 1,330 2015 Ford F-150 Structural Repair Training courses for nearly 15,000 students. Additionally, I-CAR hosted 894 in-shop Welding, Training and Certification events for more than 2,000 technicians. The organization anticipates that another 8,000 students will pass through the F-150 program by the conclusion of 2014.

“You really have to applaud Ford for taking this whole program seriously, bringing us into it early on and getting us engaged in the process,” offers Jeff Peevy, I-CAR’s senior director of field operations and segment development. “By doing that, we were able to think through the collision repair process on that vehicle. We worked with them, developed the course through their guidance, piloted it with them and continued to adjust it until it was everything it needed to be and Ford was satisfied.”

Although I-CAR’s efforts have been successful in filling classrooms throughout the country, they have also raised eyebrows by offering a two-day class/program on the truck for roughly $1,100 per tech when other aluminum-intensive vehicle manufacturers are known to offer intense, multi-week certification courses that can cost upwards of $16,000. While Peevy recognizes these differences, he insists that I-CAR’s current offerings fulfill the industry’s need for F-150 training.

“The thing that we had to do as a not-for-profit serving the industry, is develop a program that satisfied the welding needs with a skills-based test going into the shop, and then be able to do it in a way that is economical,” he explains. “If we were to go into a shop [to] spend two or three days, it would be very expensive and very difficult for the majority of shops to dedicate that much time [and] justify that kind of expense. We tried to develop a program that the industry would embrace; we had to take that into consideration.”

The 2015 F-150 is only a small part of what I-CAR calls the “technical tsunami” that is revolutionizing all aspects of collision repair. With everything from autonomous braking to the concept of self-driving cars being discussed in the industry, I-CAR is already looking into how they can help prepare technicians for what the next decade or two will bring.

“Right now, there’s a lot of attention on aluminum, but

aluminum may be the least of our worries,” Peevy says. “There are a couple of things that probably save us for now...Even if the vehicle was put out today, it’s going to be a few years before it shows up in large volume in the shops.”

Even if a fully self-driving car is not likely to show up on your doorstep any time soon, Peevy advises all shops managers to keep in mind that the way they are doing things in 2014 will not remain static.

“As these new technologies start to show up at your shops, it will really negatively affect your cycle time,” he says. “You will get into a vehicle that maybe you’re not prepared to repair, and you’ll have to stop and try to understand what you’re looking at or how to really do an analysis or diagnostics on what's going on.”

Above all, Peevy stresses the importance of shops adopting a “learning culture” that encourages consistent training and growth as the industry continues to evolve.

“Learning and knowledge is the only source of sustainable, competitive advantage,” he says.

Paying for Quality

The philosophy of constant education is in full effect at AASP/NJ member shop Exclusive Auto Collision (Ramsey), where owner Tony Lake has spent the last decade building an impressive roster of OEM certifications for Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Volvo and Nissan. A shop owner since 2002, Lake realized early in his career that he needed to have an edge to establish himself in his high-end market area.

“After two years of being in the collision industry, I could see that there was a need for a shop that was willing to go the distance and be dedicated to fixing cars properly and not just be a repair shop,” he says.

To date, Lake has devoted around $1 million to making sure his business has the technical training and equipment necessary to earn multiple certifications.

“I can’t say that my business decisions were solely based on ROI,” he shares. “It was more of projecting the future [and] the way the cars were going to be manufactured...I was either going to be in the auto body business and see if I could make a go at it for the next 15 to 20 years, or I was going to have to get out of it.”

Naturally, the level of expertise showcased at Exclusive Auto Collision isn’t always welcomed by the insurance industry with open wallets. Like a growing number of shop owners who steadfastly stand behind their adherence to OEM recommended procedures, Lake regularly utilizes the Assignment of Proceeds to receive suitable compensation for the quality he puts out.

“The insurance industry believes that every car, town and county is the same and we can all operate our business for the same amount of money from Camden to Bergen County,” he says.

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FEATURE A Look in the Mirror

Frustrating as they can be at times, insurers are not the biggest enemy facing shops when it comes to getting the right amount of cash for a job done well. Unfortunately, the biggest hurdle facing this industry is the industry itself. While owners like Lake are actively seeking out ways to do the right thing, many of their contemporaries are operating businesses with as little training as possible. According to ICAR figures, 69 percent of today’s welders don’t hold basic I-CAR welding certification, 94 percent are not trained for aluminum welding certification and 98 percent (!!) are not trained for advanced structural steel welding certification. As shocking as I-CAR’s numbers already are, veteran auto body educator and New Jersey Automotive contributor Larry Montanez believes that these figures could actually be higher when factoring in all the “body shops” that work under the radar.

“You probably have another 10,000 shops in the United States that are not registered, insured or listed as actual collision repair shops, along with truck repair shops and tow companies that perform body repairs by just throwing a sign up while being listed technically as another business,” he says.

Why is there such an obvious aversion to training in this industry? In Montanez’s mind, part of the problem stems from a lack of genuine oversight of the collision repair field.

“The states are at fault,” he explains.

“Nobody in the states is requiring that these shops have these welding certifications. It’s the body shops’ fault that they don’t go ahead and make sure they do a good job of training their own. But a big percentage of [the problem] is that the municipalities and those in power are not requiring that these shops do repairs properly and have the proper equipment and training.”

Of course, no shop would be able to ensure the appropriate training of their

technicians without first getting their house in order. After visiting and consulting with shops all over the country, Montanez likens touring many of these facilities to stepping into a time machine.

For more shops than some would like to admit, conducting business in 2014 means working on antiquated equipment while having none of the knowledge necessary to handle current or upcoming materials.

“Many of the shops I see in the industry belong in the Smithsonian,” he says.

While the 2015 Ford F-150 continues to spur interest from shops that have never considered aluminum repair before, more than a few of these businesses would be wise to learn how to first handle the vehicles in their bays today.

While many shop owners are actively seeking out ways to do the right thing, some of their contemporaries are operating businesses with as little training as possible.

“Some repairers can’t fix the Ford frame now,” Montanez says. “Now, it’s going to be made 20,000 pounds per square inch stronger [about 50,000 psi to 70,000 psi].”

In the high-demand world of auto repair, there’s no option but to learn from as many sources as possible. Montanez recommends that anyone truly serious about becoming proficient at welding not only take the I-CAR welding tests, but also explore the OEM certification programs for Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla (courses that he calls “the PHDs of collision repair”) and invest time in taking classes offered by area colleges or the American Welding Society.

“You learn your limitations very quickly when you get into something like that,” he says. “AWS welding certification is on much thicker material and would be a little more difficult for most of the techs to collate than to what they do on a daily basis.”

Above all, the instructor urges his students and readers to refer to what the manufacturer says should be done whenever they have doubts over a particular procedure.

“There are no collision repair standards in the United States - end of story,” he says. “It’s only what the OEM says.”

To help ensure that shops find the right technicians to work on vehicles, Montanez suggests that I-CAR develop a bundle of classes – including courses like Fundamentals of Collision Repair (FCR01), Steel GMA (MIG) Welding (WSC01) and Structural Straightening Steel (SSS01), to name a few – that can serve as an entry-level standard of training that every technician should pass before getting a job. Industries ranging from trucking to real estate require credentials, so why doesn’t the collision repair field?

“I-CAR should come up with a basic, minimum program just to be able to get hired – a certain number of classes that you have to take,” he says. “You should have a bare minimum just for anyone to talk to you if you come to a collision repair shop looking for a job.”

With vehicle technology advancing faster than ever, repairers have no choice but to embrace as many educational opportunities as possible to ensure the safety of the consumers they serve. Simply put, the industry of today – and the industry that is still to come – is not a place for poor work performed by uneducated people. It’s time to get those I-CAR percentages down.

In the words of Jeff Peevy, “It’s a moral and ethical issue that we’re putting the people riding in the cars that our industry’s repairing at risk.”

NJA

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COVER STORY by Joel Gausten

For the last two years, State Farm has earned plenty of negative attention from the collision repair industry due to its implementation of the PartsTrader procurement system. Despite plenty of protests from a variety of industry associations, grumblings from a few repairers and dealers willing to talk to the press, ongoing litigation in Mississippi and the departure of a small number of shops from the Select Service program, the nation’s largest insurer was able to proceed with its controversial plans without facing too many obstacles. However, recent activities around the country indicate that the carrier may not be so untouchable after all.

The Good Neighbor Gets Sued

Throughout the PartsTrader debate, one tool that the opposition was lacking was the support of a high-profile official willing to put State Farm in the hottest seat they have ever endured. That problem was finally solved on August 19, when Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced a lawsuit against State Farm, alleging that the carrier “has engaged in a pattern of unfair and fraudulent business practices aimed at controlling the auto repair industry and forcing unsafe repairs on vehicles without the knowledge or consent of Louisiana consumers.”

Caldwell’s suit claims that the insurer violated Louisiana’s Unfair Trade

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Practices Act and Monopolies Law by, according to an official statement by the AG’s office, “using scare tactics to steer Louisiana consumers to State Farm’s preferred repair shops and forcing shops to perform vehicle repairs cheaply and quickly, rather than in accordance with consumer safety and vehicle manufacturer performance standards.” State Farm currently holds the largest share of auto insurance policies in Louisiana. In 2012, State Farm wrote one third of all auto insurance policies in the state, totaling over $1 billion in premiums.

In addition to issuing a variety of allegations against State Farm, the complaint (available online at https://www.ag.state. la.us/Shared/ViewDoc.aspx?Type=3& Doc=402) offers the AG Office’s damning assessment of the insurer’s chosen procurement system: Pursuant to the Select Service Agreement, State Farm’s Select Service Providers are required to utilize an automated replacement parts locating service called PartsTrader...The use of the PartsTrader software platform removes the ability of the repair facility to freely select replacement parts that are most appropriate for a specific repair.

The Caldwell suit calls for State Farm to “pay restitution to all consumers who have incurred a loss due to the conduct of the Defendants through any manner deemed practicable by the Court.”

As of this writing, State Farm’s total public response to the AG’s legal action has been a characteristically short statement: “The description in this lawsuit is not in line with State Farm’s mission to serve the needs of its customers, and our long, proud history of achievements in advancing vehicle safety. We are reviewing the lawsuit and will have more to share soon.”

Naturally, the reverberations from the actions in Louisiana are being felt in the Garden State.

“It is rare for an Attorney General to take up arms on an issue like this, and even more rare for him to go as far as filing a suit on it,” comments AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant. “In fact, in most cases, the complaints of the collision industry or consumers against insurers usually fall on deaf ears. It appears that the Louisiana Attorney General took the time to listen and must have been given enough proof that a major problem actually exists. My hope is that he will stay strong and not buckle to the pressure that no doubt will be applied to get him to go away.”

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Interestingly, news of the Louisiana suit comes at a time when relations between State Farm and shops in New Jersey appear to be at an alltime low.

“The complaints against State Farm, in relation to other insurers, are on the rise - and have been for some time,” Bryant says. “Not so long ago, the complaints about State Farm were only here and there. Now, they are coming in on a regular basis, on multiple different issues. One of the major issues is the push by State Farm on used suspension parts; another is steering on a regular basis.”

NJ Pays To Play

Just as AG Caldwell’s lawsuit hit the news, dealerships in New Jersey were getting ready to make their first payment to PartsTrader for use of the system. In February, it was announced that there would be monthly subscription fees to participating parts suppliers per the following schedule on the company’s website: Monthly Order Volume* Monthly Rate $0-$2,000.00 $19 $2,000.01-$6,000.00 $39 $6,000.01-$12,000.00 $99 Over $12,000.00 $199 * Based on three-month average

According to their pricing bulletin, “participating suppliers are defined as either companies with a PartsTrader supplier user ID or each unique distribution/warehouse location processing PartsTrader orders. At PartsTrader’s discretion, companies with a delivery radius larger than 200 miles may be subject to a customized pricing program.

Participating suppliers are tied to the states in which they were invited by a repairer to use PartsTrader.”

Suppliers participating in each market launch determined by repairer state were allowed to use the system at no cost for six months before their initial Subscription Fee was due and payable. So the question is, is it worth paying for? Not according to reports that have come in to the AASP/NJ offices.

“Every comment that I have received or heard about PartsTrader [from suppliers] has been extremely negative,” Bryant shares. “I have received reports that two major players in New Jersey have already

pulled out of the program. I would not be surprised if more and more pull out as time goes on.”

As this issue of New Jersey Automotive went to press, Team PRP (Premium Recycled Parts) – a national network of independent auto recyclers totaling nearly 5.5 million parts in inventory – issued a press release announcing their decision to walk away from PartsTrader. According to the release, a membership survey conducted in August 2014 showed that “while most members joined the program with high hopes for increased sales to their current repair facilities and the opportunity to sell to new State Farm DRP facilities they were not selling to, tabulated results showed that there have been very limited incremental sales while costs resulting for participation have increased. Specifically, the labor associated with responding to requests and completing transactions has increased for most Team PRP members.

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COVER STORY Compounding the increase in costs are statistics by Team PRP members showing that the amount of time required to sell a part is considerably higher with PartsTrader than with other methods and the percentage of quotes that result in sales is substantially lower.”

Additionally, the PRP statement offered the following reasons why members most indicated dissatisfaction with the procurement system: It does not use technology properly to fully automate the search process.

It does not filter out parts inappropriate for auto recyclers.

It does not include sufficient part detail to allow proper part identification. The details most mentioned as lacking include production dates, vehicle mileage, a more effective VIN decoder, better part descriptions and digital images of the damaged vehicle.

It does not make it mandatory that the request include Hollander interchange, the cataloguing method used by virtually all auto recyclers in the US. Its process is slow and inefficient.

It does not provide efficient reporting tools recyclers can use to measure results.

It does not include effective means of communication between the parties.

Despite these criticisms against PartsTrader, PRP stressed that they are open to the idea of embracing other forms of eProcurement in the parts-ordering process: Team PRP research has shown that competing eProcurement programs are being developed and will soon be introduced by other industry providers. In its commitment to promote as many effective sales opportunities for its members as possible, Team PRP will research these new offerings and will recommend to its members participation in those that can provide better results than what is currently in the market.

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Tony Zaccaro, president of Cosmo’s Ocean County Auto Parts (a Team PRP partner), tells New Jersey Automotive that his company’s experience with PartsTrader was far from positive.

“We participated at its inception,” he recalls. “During a two-month trial, we experienced an increase in the already-burdensome overhead costs we bear in the sale of recycled parts. With the impending addition of fees PartsTrader will soon be charging to sell our own parts, our choice was clear. With the ever-increasing cost of salvage, transportation and our overall business environment, we are striving to find ways to automate, simplify and decrease the cost of selling parts. Unfortunately, the PartsTrader platform takes us a step in the opposite direction. We understand that eProcurement is a reality which will only grow from here; all of our TeamPRP partners are ready and prepared to take part if the platform makes economic sense for us and our industry.”

Looking towards the future of eProcurement, Zaccaro urges his fellow recyclers to get their data in order.

“We need to enter our information as if the whole world can see it, because they can,” he says. “We need to make sure the inventory we list is immediately available and the descriptions are accurate. Most importantly, we must utilize the national standards set forth by the Automotive Recyclers Association. We especially need to use the ARA damage locator and Quality Assurance Grid, which can be found at www.CosmosAutoParts.com. The easier we make it for the customer, the more successful our e-commerce future will be.”

Selling Beyond Select Service

With PartsTrader now available nationwide (including in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where State Farm currently has zero auto insurance presence), it was only a matter of time before the company would start marketing its product to shops that have nothing to do with State Farm’s

Select Service program. In their sales brochure to body shops, the procurement provider details their goal of expanding beyond their mandated clientele: PartsTrader is available to any repairer in an active market. You can either be introduced to the program through State Farm, in a region where we are about to go live or register on the PartsTrader website to set up an account. Our goal is to make PartsTrader available to collision repair participants in the U.S. who seek an open parts sourcing and procurement platform.

While PartsTrader would clearly like to see its system flourish as a free market item, its ultimate success in non-Select Service territories remains to be seen. Although it has existed in Massachusetts for several months, we have not received a single report of a shop or dealer using it.

Bryant has encountered similar silence in New Jersey.

“So far, I am not aware of any shops that have even considered using the program when they are not required,” he says.

“I see no incentive for any shop to use the PartsTrader program if they are not forced to do so.”

If the system’s first few months in New Jersey have shown us anything, it is that the auto body industry isn’t willing to accept current conditions. With hostility towards the program growing throughout the country, they may soon find it more difficult to thrive in the marketplace than they could have anticipated.

Yes, PartsTrader is now active everywhere in the United States, but this tale is far from over.

NJA

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THE LIST What’s your most memorable repair job?

Our readers share the funny and crazy stories of repair jobs that have stuck with them through the years.

Claude Meow-net

“I can make a paint job perfect, but I’m no artist. This guy comes in one day and he’s got two ceramic figurines and a Polaroid of some cats. Apparently, the picture is of his two cats who just died. He said to me, ‘I’ve seen what you do to cars, I want you to make these figurines look like my dead cats.’

When he came back in, he just started crying. He said it looked just like them. It was the greatest thing. I only charged him like 100 bucks for it.”

Doppelganger

Pop Rocks

“One time a customer came in with a BMW 528 and claimed to have something rattling in his heater from his accident. Now, I’ve been around long enough to know everything is wrong ‘from the accident.’ So we got an authorization for possible non-related disassembly from the customer. When we removed the heater box behind the dash, we found a substantial supply of crack rock was hitting on the squirrel cage and causing the noise. When presented to the owner, he promptly stated that it was not his… and his ‘friend’ who was with him quickly exited the building. The owner’s next words were, ‘We don’t need no heat, I’ll take the car just like this.’”

“We had this car in for a woman who was in the hospital getting her leg amputated. When she got back in to the shop, we pull the car around and she says, ‘You did a lovely job but that’s not my car.’ Someone had brought in a stolen car - same make, model, year, paint and everything. Her car was tucked away in the back corner of the lot, untouched, and we had repaired the wrong car.”

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Stockholm Syndrome

“About five years ago, we got a call from an insurance company to pick up a stolen recovery vehicle out of Newark. It was a black Volkswagen Jetta, no plates or identification other than the VIN. We had it towed to my shop and it looked like it was in pretty good condition, no forcible entry or anything. The lady who the car belonged to was on vacation so when she finally got back, she comes came to pick up the car and the first thing she says is, ‘That’s not my car.’ We opened up the doors and she said she didn’t recognize the stereo, the wheel, the tires, anything. But when we compared the VIN on her registration, it was definitely her car. The guy stole the car and, in the three weeks he had it, doctored the thing up. He pampered it. All I did was fix the ignition and locks. She ended up taking it home - she got the car back in nicer condition than when she left it! As for the guy who stole it, he had dropped his wallet and union card in the car, so, he got what was coming to him.”

Waving Goodbye

“My most memorable repair job? Probably the last one before I retire.”

Bring in the Clowns!

“Last time the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was in town, I got in a car that an elephant had sat on. That was pretty memorable.”

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NO BRAKES by Ron Ananian

JUST FOR FUN

We all need to have some fun in our lives, especially when you fix cars –and people– for a living. This month, I thought I would share some ideas that might make us all laugh a little.

D

id you ever have a customer that owned a vehicle in need of major repairs who was upset? If not, what’s in the water in your part of the country? Car names and brands all seem to mean something I’ve noticed over the years. Remember the Chevy Nova? In Spanish the name didn’t translate well; Nova in Spanish means “No Go.” Not exactly an encouraging statement for a vehicle manufacturer. Sometimes I would say to a customer who owned one, “No wonder it needs a tune-up; you know it means ‘No Go’ in Spanish.” That would usually bring a chuckle or grin to their face and, in most cases, diffuse a sometimes tense situation. Over the years I’ve found that a little humor at the counter can go a long way to making a customer smile and relax a little.

Not sure when but over time things changed regarding car names; they actually seemed to fit the brands. We all know Ford; poor Henry has had to suffer with Found On Road Dead for years. In actuality, I consider Ford to be one of the better-quality vehicles on the road right now. Henry would be proud. But other brands sometimes seem to fit the bill. Chevrolet? Can Hear Every Valve Rattle On Long Extended Trips. Remember how, some years ago, Chevrolet had issues with piston rattle cold and other engine noises? See? It fits. Honda? Had One Never Did Again.

Ever have Honda customer service tell you, “We don’t have car problems; we’re Honda.”? Yea, sure...makes you want to own another one with that kind of an attitude.

But I think the one that has put me on the map is Volkswagen –VW for short. Do you know what VW stands for? Imagine this: You are at the front counter telling the owner of a six- or sevenyear-old VW that it needs some major repairs in the form of suspension, brakes or electronic modules. The customer looks at you

with disbelief in their eyes, asking why? “Easy,” you reply. “You know what VW stands for, right? Virtually Worthless.” Makes them laugh every time –or at least smile –and, in many cases, helps sell the repair. Seems that people like repairing cars that appear “worthless.” It’s like somebody in a relationship: “I can straighten him or her out.” Sounds strange, but I swear it’s true.

Ok, enough car names, I can write about them for a while but I think you get the idea. (How about AUDI? Another Underpowered Demonic Invention. Sorry, couldn’t resist.) On another matter, here’s a nice idea that can make someone smile for another reason. I think we need to pay tribute to our boys and girls in blue: The police. It dawned on me recently; I was finishing breakfast at the local deli here in town on Friday morning and, as I was paying, I noticed a young, plainclothes police officer having breakfast alone. It was the gun and badge on his belt that got my attention. He was just trying to have breakfast and get his day started peacefully and that gun was on, ready to go if needed.

First bad guy through the door was taking aim at him and his fellow officers. I had to do something, so I bought him breakfast without him knowing it. My girls at the deli told me the following day (I’m what you call a “regular”) that he was stunned. “At least someone likes us and it’s nice to see” was his reply. Sad, right? So how about we start a movement. Let’s call it “Breakfast of Champions” and dedicate it to the folks that protect us: The cops. Next time you see one having breakfast, pick up the tab. Tell them it’s

’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.

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your way of saying thanks. Remember, love them or hate them, without them it’s anarchy, not much you can say about it otherwise. Buying them breakfast is a great way to pay it forward should you ever need one for help.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS...

Laugh a little more; life’s too short to let a broken car make you not enjoy it.

Next time the shop or a car goes home with you in your head, make a conscious effort to forget about it. Maybe its name or brand will trigger a chuckle. (BTW did I tell you the one for ACURA? Another Crummy Underpowered Rotten Automobile.)

If you want to laugh a little more and want to help, I think it would be a hoot to do the “Top 10 List” of what car names really mean on the Late Show with David Letterman; anyone have a connection? In case you need it, the web contact is LateShow@cbs.com Give them my name and hey, you never know.

As for the cops, no brainer. Let’s all make a commitment to do something nice and show some understanding about the pressure society puts on them and the risks they take. They say that the time for a State Trooper on the road to react to a safe situation to dangerous situation is less than half a second. It is pretty tough to make a correct life or death decision in that kind of time, right? Think about it: A “Breakfast of Champions” moment makes everyone smile.

By the way, if you are making it to SEMA: This year we will be taping a broadcast of the radio show from the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Group booth on Tuesday, November 4. Stop by and say hi. Don’t be a stranger now, ya hear?

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OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES continued from page 9 When I was around 12, my sister-in-law Connie took me down to Newark to a truck called Ed’s. About 20 feet down from Ed’s was JJ’s, but Connie was loyal to Ed so that was our spot for the next few years - he had a pretty solid dog. Every time we went, we would pass JJ’s as if it were the redheaded stepchild and Ed kept our hatred of JJ’s fueled by letting us know the two of them were at war. Only in Newark could you have a hot dog truck war (there are still over a dozen down there). One night I got another 1am hot dog craving - but this time, it was for Ed’s. When we got there, Ed had left for the night. BUT…JJ’s was there. Hmmm.

Could I betray Ed? I thought about it for about a half a second before I decided of course I could, I was starving. So I had a JJ’s dog and it really wasn’t as good as Ed’s. Damn, I thought, I should have been true. My girlfriend suggested I try one with hot onions. I looked at her as if she was insane but I figured, what the hell? When I bit into the dog with onions, it was like when Quick Draw McGraw’s dog Snuffles used to get a biscuit (if you get that reference without watching this: www.youtube.com/watch?v= YohXc9x6cUU, I’ll take you to JJ’s myself.)

Needless to say, JJ’s became my Friday night dinner for the next 15 or so years (a heart attack kinda stopped that tradition.)

Over the years, I got to know the Friday night guy, Richie. He’d see me coming and he’d put so many onions on the hot dogs, the bag would fall apart before I got to my car. Naturally, I then had to drive 100 miles an hour to get home. That many of JJ’s onions could give Ex-Lax a run for their money. It is important to note, it wasn’t the fact that I ate at JJ’s that gave me the heart attack; it was the fact that I would eat at least six at a time (personal record: 11. It was 4:30am.)

Despite this article, I have cut down on my hot dog intake over the years. Since the Westfield location closed, I can only get a Windmill hot dog once every couple of months when I can get down to Belmar and I only stop at JJ’s every three months or so.

(Ironically, it’s on the way home from my cardiologist’s office.)

However, there are two places that I still visit on a semi-regular basis.

One is the Hot Dog House on Route 17 in Carlstadt. Again, I came across this tiny building by accident one day in the early ’80s. It’s a no-nonsense place (just ask for Dee if you don’t believe me) with an old soda shop layout made up of a counter and stools. The dogs are Sabretts boiled in water (just like Joe’s) and they have some really great fries cooked in oil that tastes good but won’t kill you. HDH has a ton of toppings but when I’m there I stay loyal to my plain hot dogs. It’s quick, tasty and nearby and I try and go every other Friday.

The other place is the one and only Rutt’s Hut. Rutt’s Hut has been around since 1928 and is on any decent list of the best hot dogs in the country. So if you haven’t heard about it by now, I’m not going to waste space explaining. Just get over there IMMEDIATELY and order two wellers: A frenchy well and a Marvis. No other words necessary.

Rutt’s is another of those places like Joe’s (ironically, also in Clifton) that reminds me of my dad. In fact, I can’t remember a time when we weren’t going there. The whole family would pile into the Cadillac: Dad, Mom and all five kids. Dad would come out with the food and we’d all sit in the back and eat on the

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massive rear dash. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face - except the part when my older brothers and sisters stole my food! I learned at an early age to hate the words “can I have a bite?”

Back in the ’60s, Rutt’s used to serve their beer in small glasses that you were supposed to bring back to the counter but, since we ate in the car all the time, my dad used to just throw them in the glove compartment. My entire childhood was spent drinking milk out of Rutt’s Hut beer glasses. Rutt’s caught on to my dad though and started serving him beer in a plastic cup.

Until the day he died he swore it tasted different.

When my older sister got a brand new Monte Carlo back in the day, she was game to drive anywhere. My destination of choice was Rutt’s. She drove me there in that beautiful Monte Carlo. It was immaculate...until I spilled fries, ketchup and soda all over it. She still hasn’t forgiven me.

Rutt’s is a generational thing. My dad took me there and I have taken my kids there and I’m sure they’ll take theirs. One time they interviewed the owner of Rutt’s on a PBS documentary about the best hot dog place in the country. I told my son that I knew that guy. He didn’t believe me. I put his sneakers on and we took a ride. When I walked in the door, the owner yelled from the back, “Tommy, how you doing?” You should have seen the look on my son’s face.

Now HE’s driving there.

I love hot dogs.

NJA

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ARANJ 2014 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 Past President Norm Vachon, Port Murray Auto 908-689-3152 portmurrayauto@yahoo.com Executive Director Brian Snyder, Auto Recyclers of NJ 609-714-2339 brian@aranj.org

ARANJ 2014 Board of Directors

Mike Ronayne, Tilghmans Auto Parts 609-723-7469 tilghmans@snip.net

Marvin Leadbeater, Bamber Lake Auto 609-639-6500 marvinjsp@comcast.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

ARANJ

The Automotive Recyclers Association of New Jersey

Wharton Insurance Briefs An ARA Member

Our insurance carrier has experienced several accidents in the past few years involving the sale of used tires. The accidents were related to tire blowouts. Most tire manufacturers specifically exclude “Tires Purchased as Used” under their warranty. Many will deny any responsibility, which leaves the onerous on you, the used tire dealer. This is why it is important to have a Used Tire Inspection Process in writing for your employees to follow during the removal of tires from each vehicle. Statistical data derived by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2005 - 2007, showed that tires with tread depth of 7/32 or less accounted for 30 percent of tire related crashes. Other causes related to tire blow outs were improper tire pressure, roadway related factors, aggressive driving and climate conditions.

I would suggest you contact your agent to review an inspection process that best fits your exposure. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me.

Mario DeFilippis, AAI, Vice President 800-221-0003 (1320) • 908-513-8588 (cell) • mdefilippis@whartoninsurance.com

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Acme Nissan................................................11

Amato Agency..............................................40

Audi Group ................................................30-31 Axalta Coating Systems ..............................IBC

BMW Group ................................................42-43 Bridgewater Acura........................................22 Brogan GM Parts Center ............................8

Cadillac of Mahwah......................................16

CCC Comp-Est ............................................14 CCC One ....................................................5

Classic Audi ................................................10 Crane Chevrolet ..........................................57

Cycan Industries ..........................................54

Empire Auto Parts ........................................58 Flemington Group ........................................13 Fred Beans Parts ........................................6

Future Cure..................................................14

Glen Toyota..................................................OBC Hackettstown Honda....................................57

Hyundai Group ............................................35

JMK BMW ....................................................25 JMK Saab/JMK Fiat ....................................55 Klean Frame ................................................58

LKQ..............................................................32 Maxon Mazda ..............................................17

Maxon Hyundai........................................20-21 Mazda Group ..............................................26 Mercedes Benz of Freehold ........................32

Mini Group ..................................................50 Mini of Manhattan ........................................34 Mitsubishi Group ..........................................51 Mopar Group................................................4

NORTHEAST® 2015 ..................................19 NU-CAR ......................................................41 Paul Miller Audi ............................................27

Porsche Group ............................................47 PPG ............................................................3

Prestige Motors............................................34 Princeton BMW ............................................49 Princeton Mini ..............................................9

Saw Mill Auto Wreckers ..............................56

Subaru Group ..............................................33 Town Audi ....................................................56

Toyota Group ..............................................23

Toyota of Hackensack..................................IFC Valtek ..........................................................53 VIP Honda....................................................22

VW Group ....................................................38 Wheel Collision Center ................................53

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