ne 0913 issue web

A sitting Illinois Supreme Court jus-tice, Lloyd A. Karmeier, may havebeen compelled to testify under oathabout allegations that he voted in 2005to overturn a $1 billion verdict againstState Farm because the company se-cretly funded a multi-million dollarcampaign to help him get elected tothe state supreme court. The 2004 Illi-nois Supreme Court race was the mostexpensive campaign for a single judi-cial office in U.S. history.

Lawyers whose plan to deposeIllinois Supreme Court Justice LloydKarmeier became public now say theywill do it later or maybe not at all. OnAug. 14, they told U.S. District JudgeDavid Herndon that they would notrush into it if he lifts a temporary stay

on discovery in their fraud and racket-eering suit against State Farm.

In 1998 in the Avery v. StateFarm case, the original plaintiffs wonthe largest verdict ever against StateFarm for requiring the use of “imita-tion” crash parts in its auto repairs.After years of appeals, the verdict wasreversed.

On May 29, 2012, three plaintiffsfrom Avery v. State Farm filed a newclass action lawsuit, claiming that theinsurance company acted as the hub ofan enterprise designed to defraud mil-lions of policyholders out of a $1 bil-lion judgment.

Mark Hale, Todd Shadle andCarly Vickers Morse, all of whom live

The following article comes directlyfrom a post on AASP/NJ’s website

As PartsTrader and State Farm continueto roll out their parts procurement pro-gram across the country, the announce-ment of the removal of the shops’option to order from any vendor theychoose comes as no surprise to the Al-liance of Automotive Service Providersof New Jersey (AASP/NJ). From dayone, AASP/NJ has been one of thecountry’s biggest opponents of the pro-gram.

“Are we surprised by this?”AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowellasks. “Hell, no. We have been expect-ing these kinds of changes from thestart. This program is all about controland money and taking both of thosethings away from the shop owner. Whatwe are surprised about is how quiet theindustry has gotten since this was firstimplemented. Back then, there waswidespread outrage, but State Farm

waited it out like we knew they would.Now, with what seems like little resist-ance from our industry, they are steam-rolling through states and changing therules in their favor as they go. It’s onlygoing to get worse.”

According to Collisionweek.com[subscription only], the fax option wasoriginally added to the PartsTrader sys-tem so that Select Service facilitiescould still place orders with their pre-ferred vendors, even if those vendorsrefused to participate in the PartsTraderprogram. If a parts vendor chose not tosign up for the online quoting system,PartsTrader would generate a fax orderand forward it to that vendor on theshop’s behalf. With that feature nolonger available, Select Service shopsusing the fax option have just twochoices: Encourage their preferred sup-pliers to sign up for (and use) the Part-sTrader application, or find a new partssupplier for State Farm repairs. In an

See Legislation Affecting Shops, 4

See AASP/NJ Fax Only, Page 9

AASP/NJ Reacts to PartsTrader’s Ending ofFax-Only Option, Criticizes CIC Leadership

PartsTrader held a webinar on Aug. 1to discuss several changes to the partsordering application, including theend of the “fax-only” ordering option.

In the new 2.2 release, whichwent live on August 1, PartsTraderhas made several changes that will af-fect users of the electronic parts mar-ketplace developed for State Farm’sSelect Service DRP.

Lucy Smith, Product Manager atPartsTrader, said that—with this re-lease—the option to place ordersthrough PartsTrader by fax will nolonger be available in the Tucson, AZmarket effective immediately. The

change was made in preparation forthe full state rollout of PartsTrader inArizona beginning on August 12, ac-cording to her statement.

The fax option will remain in theother pilot cities of Grand Rapids,Chicago, Birmingham, and Charlotteuntil the end of August or September1, Smith said.

The fax-only option was originallyadded to the PartsTrader system so thatSelect Service facilities could still placeorders with their preferred vendors,even if those vendors refused to partic-ipate in the PartsTrader program. If a

‘Fax-Only’ Parts Ordering Option will End bySeptember For Shops Using PartsTrader 2.2

See Fax-Only Ending, Page 13

See Correction to July 2013 Article on Felder’s CollisionParts v General Motors et al. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 3

by John Yoswick

Shop and vendor concern and unhap-piness about State Farm’s mandateduse of PartsTrader was evident at a

packed Automo-tive Service Asso-ciation (ASA) ofArizona meeting inPhoenix in August,the same week theprogram was beingrolled out in thatmarket.

We feel you’re using your size andintruding into our business through the

shops with PartsTrader,” David Priest,parts director for Brown & BrownChevrolet in Mesa, AZ, told StateFarm’s George Avery at the meeting.“You’re asking me to pay a fee for a

program that willprobably decreaseOEM part usage.How do you per-ceive that Part-sTrader for anOEM dealer is aneffective tool?”

Dale Sailer ofPartsTrader, who also spoke at the

State Farm & PartsTrader Meet with IndustryAs Program Rolls Out in the Southwest

See PartsTrader Rollout, Page 47

David Priest Dale Sailer

Avery v State Farm is Back in the News, asa RICO Case making the Judge the Issue

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Amato Agency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26American Innovative Manufacturing. 16Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 42Automotive Service Equipment . . . 9Axalta Coating Systems . . . . . . . . . 5BASF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 17BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 53Car-Part Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33CCC Information Services. . . . . . . 19Central Avenue Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Certified Automotive PartsAssociation (CAPA) . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39CJ, Inc. - Signature - Star-A-Liner . 20Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Colours, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8DCH Family of BMW Stores . . . . . 43Ditschman/Flemington Auto Group. 35Downdraft Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . 12Empire Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Equalizer Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . 10Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 56Forklift Wrecker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Fred Beans Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Future Cure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Garmat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Generation Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Glanzmann Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . 22GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 36Hackettstown Honda. . . . . . . . . . . 34Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. 57Jaguar Wholesale Parts Dealers. . 54

KBS Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Kia Motors Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Koeppel VW-Mazda. . . . . . . . . . . . 48Lexus of Edison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Lexus Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 50Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Maxon Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Maxon Mazda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 46Mercedes-Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 52Mitchell International . . . . . . . . . . . 13MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . 37Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Plaza Auto Mall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers. 50PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2PreFab Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Ruge’s Parts Center . . . . . . . . . . . 49Safety Regulation Strategies. . . . . 18Security Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep . . . . 7SEMA Trade Show . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . 55Thompson Organization . . . . . . . . 59Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 58Urethane Supply Company . . . . . 29VIM Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Volkswagen Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 46Walcom USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Yonkers Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Inde

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Contents

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy HayhurstGeneral Manager: Barbara DaviesContributing Writers: Tom Franklin, David Brown,John Yoswick, Rich Evans, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess,Ed Attanasio, Chasidy SiskAdvertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman,Bill Doyle (800) 699-8251Sales Assistant: Louise TedescoArt Director: Rodolfo GarciaServing New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delawareand adjacent metro areas, Autobody News is a monthly

publication for the autobody industry. Permission to re-produce in any form the material published in AutobodyNews must be obtained in writing from the publisher.©2013 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody NewsP.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018(800) 699-8251 (760) 721-0253 Faxwww.autobodynews.comEmail: [email protected]

Northeast

REGIONALAASP/NJ Reacts to PartsTrader’s Ending of

Fax-Only Option, Criticizes CIC Leadership . . . 1Axalta Expands its Coatings Technology

Center in DE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Body Shop Was Scene of Arrest of Fleeing Robber . 4Cinnaminson, NJ, Vietnam Vet Wins 3rd

‘Metal of Honor’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Connecticut Body Shop Fined a Total of

$54,300 for Repeat Violations byOSHA Did Not Contest Citations. . . . . . . . . . 14

Eastern Center in Willow Grove, PA, is TrainingSite for New Small Area (Collision) RepairTechniques (SMART). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

MA Shop Owner Drowned in Maine Lake . . . . . . 4MA Students Win Grants via AASP-MA and CREF . 6NH Gets $1.4M Hwy Grants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4NJ Supreme Court Says Warrants Required for

Cell Phone Location Data, Court: “ReasonableExpectation of Privacy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Nu-Look Collision Opens New Locationin Webster, NY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

NY Gov. Signs Counterfeit Airbag Prevention Act . 6Owner of Two NY Collision Experts Shops Dies at 46 . 6Safelite Sues to Stop New Connecticut

Steering Law: “Forces Company toSupport Competitors” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Team PRP Adds Brown’s Auto Salvage ofMassachusetts to its Network Making135 Locations Nationwide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Watertown, NY, Has Started Legal Action toCollect Unpaid Rent from JunctionBoyz, Inc. . 4

COLUMNISTSAttanasio - Autobody-Review.com—Where

Yelp Meets Reputation Defender. . . . . . . . . . 56Company Connections - Valspar Partners with

Gas Monkey Garage, Improves Color Matching . 34Franklin - Don’t Mess With My Marketing! . . . . 38Insider - Responding to Reader Feedback on

Insider’s Parts and Materials Column. . . . . . 28Sisk - Education Foundation Draws On the

Industry’s Generosity to Support NextRepairer Generation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Yoswick - September Retrospective on theCollision Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

NATIONAL‘Fax-Only’ Parts Ordering Option will End by

September For Shops Using PartsTrader 2.2 . . 11-800-Radiator Gets Financing . . . . . . . . . . . . 493M’s New Body Protection System Cuts

Time Needed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12A Matrix of Parts Procurement Features Won’t

Help Shops If They Have No Choice on Usage . 48AAPEX to Address Warehouse Distributor

Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25American Honda Launches Body Repair News . . 14AUTODATA has a New Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Avery v State Farm is Back in the News, as a

RICO Case making the Judge the Issue . . . . . 1BASF to Show Custom Bel Air at Woodward

Dream Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10BMW Considering Mexico- based Assembly Plant. 32BMW i8 Series will be first to use Corning’s

Gorilla Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32BMW to Recall 1,500 09-10 X5s for

Fuel Filter Heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Body Shop Improvements May Earn Image Award . 42Charging System Maker Says it May

File Bankruptcy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Chief Expands its 3rd Qtr Training Schedule . . . 39Chrysler and Ford to Exhibit at 2013

ASRW Rotunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32CIC Committee Deletes Reference to

“Class A” Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3CIECA Announces New Standards for

Mobile/Cloud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40CIECA Launches CIECA-TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Dealerships Continued to Lose Body Shops

in 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Edmunds.com Sues Humankind Design For

What it Says Are Bogus Reviews on Edmunds.com Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

EPA Reduces Regulatory Burden of Wipe Use . 13FIX Auto National Conference is Sept. 15–18

in Scottsdale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Ford not Liable in Fraud Action by OK Dealership . 10Garmat’s Sharp Shooter Contest is Back,

Winners Get a Free Trip to SEMA anda SATAjet 4000B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

GM Adds Production Week on Cruze,Yr on Yr up 70% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

GM Wants to Improve Volt Electric Range by 20% . 32Herkules Wins IAMG 2012 Vendor of

the Year Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Honda Aces Crash Test, Kia and Nissan Less So . 16Honda to Invest $180M more in Anna, OH,

Engine Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Hyundai Recalling Santa Fes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Hyundai to Recall 239K of its 05-10

Sonatas in ‘Rust Belt’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33I-CAR Honors Tom Moreland with

Chairman’s Award. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Jim Sowle Appointed to SCRS Board of Directors. 10July Article on Felder’s Collision Parts v

General Motors et al. was Wrong Aboutthe Lawsuit Being Dismissed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Kevin Flynn, Nine Year LKQ Board Member,Passes Away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Kinnetech Lawsuit Dropped by PlaintiffWilliams & Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Las Vegas Theft Ring Bust for Catalytic Converters. 58LKQ Corp. Acquires 5 U.K. Paint Distributors . . 49Mercedes-Benz to Offer Head-up

Windshield Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Mercury Insurance Names 10 Cheapest in

Auto Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Mitchell Brings 5 New Add-Ons to

Repaircenter Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Mitchell Opens New Technical Research Center in

San Diego to Focus on 3D and Interactive Data . 50NABC Award of Distinction Nominations Still Open . 42NABC is Accepting Nominations for Seven

Open Board Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18NACE MSO Symposium Open to Some

Single Shops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25NACE Panels to Review Parts Procurement,

Certification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24New Ford Workshop Manuals Feature More

Collision Repair Sections and 3D Graphics. . . 9New Test Fails Half the Small Cars Tested . . . . 16Nissan Sees Triple Last Year Leaf Sales,

Boosts Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33OSHA Focused on Preventing Summer Heat

Illness, Isocyanates Ongoing Concern . . . . . 36OSHA Withdraws Proposed Rule Amending on

On-site Consultation Program Citing Concern About Employer Participation. . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Plaintiffs Join Class Action on BMW Sunroof Case . 40PPG MVP Conference Registration is Now Open . 26PPG Passes Milestone, PaintManager at 5K . . . 47Pride Auto Body Says it’s Fully uParts Integrated . 18Progressive Evaluates Snapshot Campaign,

Expresses Surprise that 40% Say ‘No Way’ . 20Reaction to CIC in Boston Shows Conflicting

Goals and Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21SAAR Increases to 15.8 Million . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Salem, MA, Body Shop Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4SEMA Show Expands to Three New

Exhibitor Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24State Farm & PartsTrader Meet with Industry

As Program Rolls Out in the Southwest . . . . . 1Tesla Model S Gets 5 Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Texas Law Limits Liability in Hiring Employees

with Criminal Records, Not Full Protectionfrom EEOC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The PARTS ACT—The Pros and the Cons from ABPA’s Salamy and ASA’s Amberson. . . . . . 46

TopTech Finder Expands Job Board forAll Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Toyota Expects to Sell 2.25M Vehicles inU.S. in 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Toyota Recalls 342K Pickups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32U.S. Auto Parts Network Has Loss Over

2nd Quarter 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26UniCure Spraybooths Joins CREF Leadership

Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

www.autobodynews.com | SEPTEMBER 2013 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Autobody News regrets an error in ourarticle (Federal Anticompetition LawsuitAgainst GM Program Dismissed Againbut Amended Complaint is Allowed)published in the July 2013 Issue whichstated that:

“A federal judge in Louisianahas again dismissed an aftermarketparts retailer’s lawsuit challengingGM’s ‘Bump the Competition’ pro-gram designed to boost sales of orig-inal-equipment parts at dealerships,but he gave the plaintiff, Felder’s Col-lision Parts Inc., permission to amendits complaint.”

The statement that the suit wasdismissed is wrong. Rather the judgedenied the Defendants’ Motion to

Dismiss and allowed the suit to pro-ceed. The rest of the story is correct.

The error was brought to our at-tention by the law firm for the Plain-tiff: Sher, Garner, Cahill, Richter,Klein and Herbert LLC of New Or-leans, who pointed out the error andwrote: We thank you for reporting onthe lawsuit and the important issuesinvolved in the lawsuit. We remainsteadfast in our confidence in the mer-its of this case and look forward incontinuing to assist our client in thepursuit of remedies for its damages in-curred at the hands of the Defendants.

Autobody News will continue tomonitor developments in the case andreport in future issues.

July Article on Felder’s Collision Parts v General Motors etal. was Wrong About the Lawsuit Being Dismissed

Since CIC first compiled its definitionof a “Class A” collision repair facilityin the 1980s, the Definitions Commit-tee has periodically updated the docu-ment, adding to or changing the list ofequipment, training, compliance is-sues and other elements that CIC par-ticipants believed distinguished thenation’s top shops.

But at CIC in Boston, the com-

mittee presented its final draft of therevised document, with the term“Class A” no longer in the title. Theline items in the definition are largelyunchanged from the 2005 version, butit now defines simply the, “recom-mended equipment and capabilities fora collision repair facility.”Several CIC participants in Boston

CIC Committee Deletes Reference to “Class A” Shop

See Class A Shops, 6


Maine Warden Service divers recov-ered the body of shop owner WilliamWitt on July 16, who had been fish-ing in Great Moose Lake. Witt, 66, ofHarmony, had not been seen for twodays. His body was found at about12:45 p.m in 8 feet of water in thearea where his boat was spotted July14 going in circles on the lake, saidwarden service spokesman DougRafferty. The search had concen-trated in an area of the lake about amile west of the boat landing offGreat Moose Drive in Hartland. Wittwas alone in the boat and was notwearing a life vest, Rafferty said.

His body was taken to the Officeof Chief Medical Examiner in Augustafor an autopsy to determine the causeof death. Rafferty said Witt had healthproblems in the past, and that may havecontributed to his falling into the lake.Holly Witt said her husband was a for-mer U.S. Marine who was wounded atthe Battle of Khe Sanh in Vietnam in1968 and suffered from exposure to thewartime chemical Agent Orange. Hewas from North Attleboro, MA, wherehe ran an auto body shop. He movedto North Road in Harmony in 2001.The couple met on Match.com andwere married in 2005.

MA Shop Owner Drowned inMaine LakeNew Hampshire is getting $1.4 mil-

lion in federal grants to reducedrunken driving, increase seat belt useand improve motorcycle safety. Ad-ministered by NHTSA, funds arefrom three grants announced by Rep.Annie Kuster’s office, which areawarded through the U.S. Departmentof Transportation. Peter Thomson,coordinator of the state’s HighwaySafety Agency, says $1.1 million willbe spent on preventing drunk drivingincluding sobriety checkpoints. Somewill be spent on seat belt educationand motorcycle safety.

NH Gets $1.4M Hwy Grants

Peabody and Salem firefighters re-sponded to Allstar Collision Centeron Boston Street Aug. 19 for a smallfire that was quickly extinguished bythe building’s fire suppression sys-tem. The Peabody Fire Departmentreceived a 911 call around 4 p.m. re-porting black smoke coming fromthe auto body center at 171 BostonSt. Fire crews from both Peabodyand Salem were dispatched, but thefire was out before they arrived, saidSalem Firefighter Richard Thomas.The fire occurred in one of the vehi-cle painting rooms.

Salem, MA, Body Shop Fire

The Watertown, NY, Industrial Cen-ter Local Development Corp. hasstarted legal action to collect$214,177 in overdue rent, utilitycharges and an equipment loanowed by Junction Boyz Inc., an autobody and stereo business that hasleased space in the facility for anumber of years, according to astory published in the WatertownDaily News. The WIC filed court pa-pers in the Jefferson County clerk’soffice June 28. A court date for stateSupreme Court has not been set.

According to the court papers,Junction Boyz and owner EdwardSampson Jr. failed to pay $156,576for uncollected rent and late fees,$46,383 for unpaid utilities and$11,218 for an overdue loan on a ve-hicle paint booth as of May 31. TheWIC also is suing for legal ex-penses. As of June 24, the WICboard has terminated the company’s20-year lease for the space at the 800Starbuck Ave. facility.

Junction Boyz has not paid$7,000 in monthly rent since De-cember 2010. In January, the WICboard met with Mr. Sampson, whoalso owns the Junction furniturestore in Seaway Plaza, to tell him

legal action was pending after hefailed to meet an amended paymentagreement that began in January2011.

Two weeks ago, the WIC boarddiscussed the situation in open ses-sion and then behind closed doorsabout how to handle the legal argu-ments.

The company installs car audioequipment and car starters and doescustom body work, collision repairsand paint jobs.

In recent months, Mr. Sampsonmade an offer on a different pay-ment plan and the WIC board had acounterproposal that included “anup-front payment” and “an amendedpayment plan,” the owner said lastmonth. At that time, Mr. Sampsonsaid he hoped the matter still couldbe resolved. Junction Boyz employssix workers. Earlier this year, Mr.Sampson attributed the downturn toFort Drum families, on which thebusiness previously relied, whowere not bringing their cars in to berepaired. He also said business washurt by more people buying newcars with their insurance checksrather than repairing their damagedvehicles.

Watertown, NY, Has Started Legal Action to Collect UnpaidRent from JunctionBoyz, Inc.

Kurt Myers, a 65-year-old VietnamWar-era Navy veteran from Cin-naminson, NJ, was selected as thirdwinner of a free auto body repair jobin CollisionMax’s “Metal of HonorProject,” the company announced Aug8. CollisionMax of Cinnaminson willrepair Mr. Myers’ silver 2003 DodgeDakota pickup truck, which has large,rusting front-end dents plus numerousdings and scratches. “It’s amazing,”said Mr. Myers upon being notified ofthe award. “I really have never wonanything this big before, and to be rec-ognized as a veteran after all this timeis just really special for me.”

When he returned to civilianlife in 1972, the war and protestswere still raging, and veterans weremade to feel ashamed of their serv-ice, “so you couldn’t just admit thatyou were a veteran,” he said. Mr.Myers said when he bought his truckused in 2005 “it was my baby,” butwith its accumulating damage and170,000 miles “it started to becomejust a tuck.” He said he’s so excitedthat it’s going to be reconditions“words can’t describe it.” Althoughhe has collision insurance, he and hiswife are retired and it’s been difficultto come up with the deductible.

Cinnaminson, NJ, VietnamVet Wins 3rd ‘Metal of Honor’

A 40-year-old Newark man toting ahard plastic black handgun that ap-peared real is under arrest in connec-tion with an armed robbery of theDunkin Donuts on Bloomfield Av-enue, in Montclair, NJ, police said.The ski-masked man allegedly en-tered the Dunkin Donuts just beforemidnight in Friday, June 28, holdingthe gun in his hand, pushed an em-ployee behind the counter and threat-ened to shoot him if he didn’t givehim the money from the safe, policesaid. The employee handed the thugtwo money bags before he fled with$1,217, according to authorities. Acaller contacted police while the rob-bery was in progress, and saw the manleave Dunkin Donuts and run southtowards the rear of the parking lot. Of-ficers found a man fitting the descrip-tion of the suspect, who was sweatingprofusely, near Ferrara’s Auto BodyShop on Orange Road, in Montclair,police said. Cops found a clear plasticbag containing $753.66 near the sus-pect. A second bag was recovered butno money was inside, police said.

Darryl Hill was arrested forarmed robbery, according to authori-ties. Bail was set at $150,000 with nooption to pay 10 percent.

Body Shop Was Scene ofArrest of Fleeing Robber


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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomosigned the Counterfeit Airbag Pre-vention Act into law on Aug. 1, amove supported by the AutomotiveRecyclers Association (ARA). Thelegislation makes it a crime to know-ingly import, install, reinstall or sella counterfeit or nonfunctional airbag.The new law goes into effect thisNovember.

“ARA is committed to... warn-ing the automotive repair industrycommunity and consumers aboutthe dangers they pose and their in-creasing prevalence,” said ARApresident Chris Wright. “We havemet with U.S. National HighwayTransportation Safety Administra-tion (NHTSA) representatives twicethis year, as recently as last month,to give our support of their October2012 consumer advisory warningabout the prevalence of counterfeitairbags, as well as request that fu-ture advisories acknowledge recy-cled OEM airbags as a practicalrepair option in repairs.”

Legislation targeting counterfeitairbags was signed into law in Con-necticut in July and state legislatorsin Ohio, New Mexico and Marylandintroduced similar bills this year.

NY Gov. Signs CounterfeitAirbag Prevention Act

Rick Bowman, owner of two Colli-sion Experts repair shops in the Al-bany, NY, area, has died. Bowmandied Aug. 2 at age 46, according to astatement released by the company.Bowman started the business 27 yearsago, now with locations in CliftonPark and Schenectady. His wife andbusiness partner, Maryann Bow-man, will continue running the repairshops.

Bowman pursued a career in autorepair rather join the family business,Bowman Orchards, in Rexford. Hisson, Ben, followed in his footsteps.Patrick MacKrell, president andCEO of the New York Business De-velopment Corp., called Bowman asmart, insightful businessman andclose personal friend who will bemissed. MacKrell was advising Bow-man twenty years ago when he had anopportunity to sell the auto repair shop.

“Ultimately, he decided not tosell the business and recommitted,along with Maryann, to expand andimprove the operation with the goalof becoming the best collision repaircompany in the Capital Region.”MacKrell said. NYBDC gave Colli-sion Experts its “Excellence in SmallBusiness Award” in 2009.

Owner of Two NY CollisionExperts Shops Dies at 46

The New Jersey Supreme Court hasfound unanimously in State v. Earlsthat New Jersey residents have a con-stitutional right of privacy in their cellphone location data, and that law en-forcement officers must obtain asearch warrant in order to access thedata. In the Earls case, the police weresearching for a suspected burglar andhis girlfriend. In that effort, they con-tacted a cell phone service provider.At three different times that evening,the service provider gave informationabout the location of the suspectedburglar’s cell phone. After the Appel-late Division concluded that defen-dant lacked a reasonable expectationof privacy in his cell phone location,the Supreme Court held that the NewJersey Constitution protects an indi-vidual’s privacy interest in his or hercell phone, and that the police mustobtain a warrant based on probablecause (or must qualify for a warrantrequirement exception) to obtain lo-cation information from a cell phone.The court noted:

“When people make disclosuresto phone companies and otherproviders to use their services, theyare not promoting the release of per-sonal information to others. Instead,

they can reasonably expect that theirpersonal information will remain pri-vate… Today, cell phones can be pin-pointed with great precision, butcourts are not adept at calculating aperson’s legitimate expectation of pri-vacy with mathematical certainty.What is clear is that cell phones arenot meant to serve as tracking devicesto locate their owners wherever theymay be. No one buys a cell phone toshare detailed information about theirwhereabouts with the police.”

If the opinion had found the rightto locational privacy from the gov-ernment under the federal Constitu-tion, Earls could be undermined bysubsequent federal court decisions.But the New Jersey Supreme Courthas the final say over what New Jer-sey’s Constitution means. By framingthe issue in state constitutional terms,Chief Justice Rabner insulated the de-cision from further review, and settledan issue in New Jersey that is unset-tled across the country by the USSupreme Court’s decision in the GPSprivacy case, US v. Jones. Becausethe state government can exert somuch power over individual citizens,the state is often constrained in waysthat private companies are not.

NJ Supreme Court Says Warrants Required for Cell PhoneLocation Data, Court: “Reasonable Expectation of Privacy”

Nu-Look Collision has announcedthe opening of their new shop, and10th location, in Webster, NY. Thecompany moved locations from 941Ridge Road to 2111 Empire Boule-vard. The new center features amuch larger space to better serve cus-tomers. The building was formerlythe site of Webster Chrysler, and hadbeen vacant for over four years.Renovations began last Fall and thecompany has turned it into a state ofthe art auto mall. Nu-Look is offi-cially up and running in their new lo-cation. “Ever since the day wemoved in, we have seen what a greattown Webster is and are truly proudto be a member of this community.With a much bigger shop and a primelocation right on Empire Boulevard,we are very excited about our newestlocation in Webster,” says Nu-Look’sPresident, Todd Zigrossi. All of theemployees from Nu-Look’s Webstershop on Ridge Road have remained,and the company will be looking togrow their workforce as the work-flow expands. The phone and faxnumbers are the same. Customerscan call (585) 340-1870 for an ap-pointment, and the fax number is(585) 787-9716.

Nu-Look Collision OpensNew Location in Webster, NY

On June 12, two seniors from Shaw-sheen Valley Technical High School’sauto body program were recipients of atool grant from AASP-MA (Associa-tion of Automotive Service Providers-Massachusetts) facilitated by theEducation Foundation.

William Clough of Wilmington,MA, and Paul Ballotaof Billerica, MA,were the winners of the grant, which isworth more than $1,000 in tools.

In order to win the grant, thestudents wrote an essay about howwinning this tool grant would helpthem in continuing in the trade.

“This was a great opportunityfor them,” said Dennis Reppucci, anauto body shop instructor at Shaw-sheen. “I am really proud that thesestudents completed the applicationsand followed through with this. It’s ahuge start for them.”

While Reppucci helped providesome assistance to the students whocompleted the essays, he said Ballotaand Clough did all of the writingthemselves and submitted the entrieson their own. Ballota and Clough re-ceived matching MAC Tool Boxeswith an assortment of tools to helpthem as they begin their careers inthe collision repair industry.

MA Students Win Grants viaAASP-MA and CREF


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Brown’s Auto Salvage, located inWinchendon, MA, is the latest auto-motive recycler to join the TeamPRP network. The newest partnerholds the special distinction of be-coming the first Team PRP memberin Massachusetts. The addition ofBrown’s brings the burgeoningTeam PRP membership total to 135locations nationwide.

“Brown’s has established anexcellent reputation in the NewEngland area as a high-quality, en-vironmentally-conscious auto partsrecycler. It is certainly a pleasure towelcome them to Team PRP, partic-ularly since it is evident that theirbusiness model is in keeping withour team vision and high standards,”noted Mike Kunkel, chairman ofthe Team PRP national board of di-rectors.

Brown’s Auto Salvage in Bo-moseen, VT—a 30-year-old busi-ness already a member of TeamPRP—had opened a second locationin 2011, when owner Mark Brownpartnered with J.C. Cahill. Thenewer Massachusetts location co-owners, Brown and Cahill, hadknown one another for several yearsprior to their decision to partner in

opening the first-rate facility thatwould serve the greater Boston area.Upon purchasing the facility twoyears ago, it was necessary for themto rebuild the business, refresh theinventory, and hire all new employ-ees in an effort to replicate the Ver-mont location.

Brown experienced a dramaticchange when that store became aTeam PRP partner in 2012. With itsalmost immediate substantial in-crease in business, he was keenlyaware of the need for the Massachu-setts store to be properly prepared tohandle the similar demand. “It’s ex-citing to finally have a Team PRP fa-cility that can serve the huge marketin Boston,” stated Ron Wilbert, Di-rector of Membership for TeamPRP’s northeast region. “I know John[J.C. Cahill] would have liked to havejoined months ago, but he and MarkBrown made a smart decision to waitand adequately prepare, ensuring thatthey were totally equipped to assimi-late into Team PRP.”

Cahill, GM at their MA loca-tion, has worked in the auto parts re-cycling business since his teens.Cahill is enthusiastic about partner-ing with Team PRP.

Team PRP Adds Brown’s Auto Salvage of Massachusetts toits Network Making 135 Locations Nationwide

Eastern Center for Arts and Technol-ogy is home base for a new SMARTeffort. The Willow Grove-PA basedtechnology school is the site for R.W.Mallon Auto Paints & Equipment em-ployees being trained on new SmallArea Repair Techniques (SMART)collision repair technologies.

Robert Mallon, proprietor ofWarrington-based R.W. Mallon AutoPaints & Equipment, is also chairmanof the Willow Grove-based school’sOccupational Advisory Committeefor the Collision Repair Technologyhigh school program. Each of East-ern’s 14 programs has a group of vol-unteers from local business andindustry that assists faculty and ad-ministration on keeping the curricu-lum and tools used in each programrelevant to the skills needed in today’sworkforce.

R.W. Mallon contracted withRPN Collision Technologies to trainthe R.W. Mallon employees on somenew eco-friendly products that theywill be distributing. RPN CollisionTechnologies uses repair technolo-gies from the UK-based company,ECO Repair Systems.

“We were able to utilize thecars in their Collision RepairTechnology program to demon-strate the new technologies suchas pulling dents, and repairingrubber and plastic bumpers. Thisnew technology will allow us torepair panels that normally wouldbe replaced,” Mallon said in apress release. “The new bumper

and plastic repairs will allow our stu-dents to repair these products versussending them to a landfill.”

Mike Monaghan, RPN CollisionTechnologies managing director, saidthe products being used are econom-ically and environmentally friendly.

Students in Eastern’s CollisionRepair Technology program benefitfrom a combination of classroom in-struction and hands-on experienceneeded to carry out repairs on motorvehicles. Students benefit from theuse of I-CAR enhanced curriculum.

Eastern Center in Willow Grove, PA, is Training Site for NewSmall Area (Collision) Repair Techniques (SMART)


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email to repairers in Arizona, Part-sTrader Support said that after July 31,suppliers that have not yet begun to usethe PartsTrader application as “a fullyactive participating supplier” will nolonger appear on the system as an avail-able vendor, and therefore will nolonger be able to receive orders placedin PartsTrader.

While a disturbing number of in-dustry professionals seem to be takinga “wait and see” approach to Part-sTrader’s expansion, several trade as-sociations (such as SCRS) haven’tgiven up the fight. AASP/NJ Execu-tive Director Charles Bryant hasbeen one of the loudest voices in theshrinking PartsTrader resistance.

“Last year, in a State Farm B2Bvideo, State Farm’s George Avery,who also happens to be the chairman ofthe Collision Industry Conference(CIC), said that ‘… repairers are in con-trol of who provides your parts, regard-less of the part type. We have workedwith PartsTrader on a process that [en-ables] you to maintain your relation-ships and negotiated deals with your

vendors. We understand that relation-ships with your suppliers are importantin managing your business, much in thesame way we value our relationshipwith you.’

I guess I am supposed to actshocked? OK, I’ll try. Here goes…WOW, I can’t believe that the personthat CIC chose as their leader wouldhave made such a blatantly untrue state-ment in an effort to get the industry tobuy into the PartsTrader concept.

“Once again, CIC needs to gettheir priorities straight and select aleader from the collision industry tolead the CIC, not a leader from the in-surance industry to lead the collision in-dustry to slaughter. That one untruestatement alone from the State Farmconsultant, George Avery, should beenough of a wake-up call for CIC to im-mediately remove Mr. Avery from theposition of chairman, before it’s toolate.

“Look, a lot of people thought wewere like the boy who cried wolf whenwe first raised our concerns about thisprogram,” Bryant adds. “But everymonth, PartsTrader gets deeper anddeeper into our pockets. If we don’tfight back NOW, pretty soon there willbe no pockets; pretty soon it will be too

late. We’ve won these kinds of battlesbefore, and we can win this one. But wehave to stay together and stay strong. Itlooks like Arizona is the first to fall. We,as an industry, cannot let it go any fur-ther.”

For more information on AASP/NJ, please visit www.aaspnj.org. Formore information on the NORTH-EAST™ Automotive Services Show,please visit:www.aaspnjnortheast.com.

Continued from Cover

AASP/NJ Fax-Only

Ford Motor Company has begunrolling out new-and-improved work-shop manuals, including more sec-tions for collision repair procedures,new 3D graphics and the addition ofa feature that allows repairers to viewtwo procedures at the same time. Theenhanced treatment of collision repairprocedures means the old body repairsection (501-35) has been expanded toseven sections covering the followingspecific areas: body repairs (generaland vehicle-specific information);front-end sheet metal repairs; roofsheet metal repairs; side-panel sheetmetal repairs; rear-end sheet metal re-pairs; and paint (general information).Along with the new collision sections,the standard graphic line-art has beenreplaced with advanced 3D render-ings, giving repairers a far superiorlook at important vehicle details. Anew “window-within-a-window” fea-ture has been added as well, letting re-

pairers view two separate but relatedprocedures simultaneously. This alsoallows for direct links to the applica-ble wiring diagram cell or connectorlocation when performing pinpointtests.

Gerry Bonanni, Ford’s seniordamageability engineer, has long ad-vocated the need to research the repairprocedure before any work is done,and believes the revamped manualscan help that process. “As more andmore advanced materials and metalsare used in vehicle construction, re-searching the repair will only grow inimportance, and we think these im-provements will allow repairers to doa more thorough job,” says Bonanni.Additional enhancements include anew service information section withsafety warnings, a symbols glossary,diagnostic methods and explanationsof the various colors used in the

New Ford Workshop Manuals Feature MoreCollision Repair Sections and 3D Graphics

See New Ford Manuals, Page 20


BASF will do its part to add to thecolorful and classic atmosphere ofthe 2013 Woodward Dream Cruiseby displaying a custom 1956 Chevro-let Bel Air painted with BASF’s R-M Diamont paint.

BASF’s Dream Cruise displaywill be located at Morisette Auto-motive on Woodward Ave., justsouth of 13 Mile Road in RoyalOak, MI. In addition to the customBel Air, BASF will also feature art-work from airbrusher JefferyJames. He will have a displayshowing car parts painted with col-ors from BASF’s Carizzma paintline—a low-volatile organic com-pound (VOC) refinishing solutionoffering a wide range of colors andvirtually limitless effects, accord-ing to the company. Carizzma issupported by BASF’s R-M Refin-ish System.

“The Dream Cruise is the per-fect venue to spotlight the results ofour vibrant paint colors,” said VitorMargaronis, marketing director forBASF Coating Solutions. “It’s thelargest one-day automotive event inthe country and we love being outhere supporting the industry andthe community.”

BASF to Show Custom Bel Airat Woodward Dream Cruise

Axalta Coating Systems, a leadingglobal supplier of liquid and powdercoatings, has invested $5 million ina new pilot reactor that has begunoperations to support coatings poly-mer research and scale-up activitiesat its Coatings Technology Center(CTC) in Wilmington. The state-of-the-art reactor system is coupledwith a complete process automationand control system to enable precisecontrol of ingredient amounts andcritical process conditions such astemperature and pressure. The ex-pansion will enhance product devel-opment capabilities and acceleratethe manufacture and introduction ofthe next generation of polymers thatoffer improved performance proper-ties to meet customer expectations.The polymers produced from thepilot reactor can be used for bothtraditional solvent based and moreenvironmental friendly water-basedcoating products.

Axalta Expands its CoatingsTechnology Center in DE

An Oklahoma appellate court re-jected a trial court’s decision that hadfound Ford Motor Company vicari-ously liable to disgruntled customersof a now-defunct dealership. Thorn-ton v. Ford Motor Co. The OklahomaCourt of Appeals ruled that FordMotor Company was not liable tocustomers for the fraudulent actionsof one of its dealerships. The dealer-ship in question had forged checksand failed to deliver vehicles, lead-ing to lawsuits by several customers.

At trial, the customers won on atheory of apparent agency, arguingthat Ford’s actions led them to be-lieve that the dealership was actingas an agent of Ford rather than as anindependent dealer. The appellate court overturned this ruling, how-ever, finding instead that customerscould not reasonably have believedthat the dealership was acting underFord’s authority.

Although Ford’s internal docu-ments showed a more substantialconnection to the dealership, thecourt said that the documents couldnot have induced reliance on the partof customers because it was not ob-servable by customers at the time ofsale.

Ford not Liable in FraudAction by OK Dealership

I-CAR has named Tom Moreland asthe recipient of its 2013 Chairman’sAward, which recognizes an individualor organization whose contributions toI-CAR have been significant or ex-traordinary. The Chairman’s Award re-cipient is selected by the ExecutiveCommittee of the I-CAR InternationalBoard of Directors. “I-CAR would notbe where it is today without the leader-ship and volunteer efforts of peoplelike Tom Moreland,” said WilliamBrower, Chair of the I-CAR Interna-tional Board of Directors. “Throughhis significant contributions to the I-CAR board and his continuing supportof industry education, Tom has been atireless advocate of I-CAR’s Missionand Vision and is well-deserving of thishonor.” Moreland’s distinguished ca-reer in the collision repair industry hasspanned more than 30 years, includingover six years of service as a memberof the I-CAR International Board ofDirectors. He has participated on a va-riety of I-CAR board committees, wasa member of the I-CAR ExecutiveCommittee, and is a Past Chairman ofI-CAR. The Award was presented aspart of the I-CAR Awards Ceremonyto kick off the 2013 I-CAR Conferenceheld in Boston, MA.

I-CAR Honors Tom Morelandwith Chairman’s Award

The 11th annual Fix Auto NationalConference is scheduled for Septem-ber 15–18 at Boulders, a Waldorf As-toria Resort in the desert foothills ofScottsdale, AZ. This year’s theme,which focuses on marketing to createdifferentiation for repairers, is infusedin the program. Highlights:▪ The Brand Change Challenge—Changing a brand isn’t easy for anysize business, but the stakes were es-pecially high for DuPont Perform-ance Coatings as they transitioned tothe Axalta Coatings Systems brand.The company’s North America Mar-keting Manager, Michael Bennett,will discuss what it took to ensure asmooth changeover.▪ The Future of Collision Parts —Parts have always played a critical rolein the collision repair process, but theiravailability, procurement and qualitycontinue to be at the heart of heateddebate. This panel discussion will fea-ture insight into the parts world from avariety of industry experts.▪ Keynote Speaker Jim Abbott willreflect on the challenges he has metand overcome, which he has distilledinto a presentation especially relevantto collision repairers: “ADAPT:Overcoming Adversity.”

FIX Auto National Conferenceis Sept. 15–18 in Scottsdale

The Society of Collision Specialists(SCRS) announced the appoint-ment of Jim Sowle of Sewell Lexusto its 2013–2014 Board of Direc-tors. Sowle will serve the remain-der of Immediate Past ChairmanAaron Clark’s elected term on theboard. The board placement is aprocedural appointment necessi-tated by the association bylaws ininstances when the outgoing Chair-man has remaining time left toserve on their term.

“As a repairer, both I and myorganization have benefitted fromthe work SCRS does,” said Sowle.“SCRS is involved in many signifi-cant activities throughout the indus-try, but their work with the DatabaseEnhancement Gateway (DEG) andraising awareness on repair proce-dures is invaluable and exemplaryof the kind of work that I want to bepart of.”

Sowle served management rolesin both the Service Center and BodyShop, prior to being named BodyShop Director for Sewell Lexus Cer-tified Collision Center in 2006. TheSewell organization boasts one of thelargest Certified Lexus CollisionCenters in the U.S.

Jim Sowle Appointed toSCRS Board of Directors

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Safelite has asked the U.S. DistrictCourt of Connecticut for a preliminaryinjunction against enforcement of a lawthat it claims will "unconstitutionally"force the company to recommend autoglass repair and replacement work to itscompetitors. The law was recentlysigned off by the governor and is set totake effect January 1, 2014.

In addition to asking for a prelim-inary injunction, Safelite has also filed acomplaint against George Jepsen,Connecticut Attorney General andThomas Leonardi, Commissioner ofthe Connecticut Insurance Department,and is asking for a permanent injunctionagainst enforcement. The auto glass re-placement company says the new law isa violation of the company’s free speechrights and is a protectionist law thatforces Safelite to refer glass customersto its competitors.

On June 3, Connecticut Gov.Dannel Malloy signed into law HB5072 which places new restrictions onauto insurers and third party adminis-trators (TPAs), like Safelite, whendealing with claimants needing autoglass repair.

Like steering laws in other states,the new Public Act 13-67 states that aninsurance company cannot require thatglass repairs “be performed in or by aspecified facility.” It also requires con-

sumers to be informed of their right tochoose their glass repair company andprohibits insurers and their TPAs fromtelling a policyholder that going outsideof their network for repairs will result indelayed repairs or “a lack of guaranteefor the automotive glass work.”

However, Safelite is taking issuewith the final section of the law, PA 13-67(c)(2), which states that no insurer orTPA may direct an insured to a glass re-pair facility that is owned by the insureror the TPA, unless they also provide theinsured with the name of at least oneadditional licensed glass shop in thearea where the work can be performed.

The lawsuit, filed on July 26 inU.S. District Court, claims that sectionPA 13-67(c)(2) is an infringement ofSafelite’s First and Fourteenth Amend-ment rights because it “requires Safe-lite to promote other glass repair shops”and restricts its ability to provide theconsumer with “truthful, accurate in-formation about the benefits of their in-surance policy.”

The complaint also argues that thenew law represents a “constitutionallyimpermissible economic protection oflocal Connecticut glass repair shopsfrom the interstate competition of Safe-lite,” a violation of the Dormant Com-merce Clause.

Along with the lawsuit seeking to

have the law declared void and unen-forceable, Safelite also filed a motionseeking an immediate preliminary in-junction to stop the enforcement of thelaw until Safelite’s suit, challenging theconstitutionality of the law, can be de-cided.

In presenting its case, Safelite usesthe same arguments concerning FirstAmendment rights and CommerceClause violations used by Allstate in2006 when that insurer successfullychallenged similar referral restrictionsplaced on insurer-owned shops inTexas.

The suit does not threaten Con-necticut’s relatively new steering lawdealing with collision repair. Signed bythe governor in 2008, House Bill 5152was passed requiring insurers to place aconsumer choice notice on all auto insur-ance identification cards which states,“You have the right to choose the licensedrepair shop where the damage to yourmotor vehicle will be repaired.” Shopswere required to post the same notice onsigns in each area of the shop where workorders are placed by customers.

That 2008 law however, did not re-strict an insurer’s ability to recommendshops in its network, nor did it requireinsurers to recommend an out of net-work shop as the new auto glass law re-quires.

Safelite Sues to Stop New Connecticut Steering Law: “Forces Company to Support Competitors”

3M has announced the release of thenew 3M Body Protection Systemdesigned to make it easier for auto-motive professionals to match tex-tures on rocker panels. Thetechnology includes a pressurizedspray gun (3M Accuspray HGPspray gun) and a rocker protectorpouch available in 3-ounce and 5.5-ounce sizes.

According to 3M, the new sys-tem cuts application time in halfwith the ability to adjust pressureand spray pattern to better matchOEM textures. The new pressurized3M Accuspray spray gun can besprayed at any angle and the pouchsizes allow estimators and repairtechs to improve estimates.

The 3M Body Protection Sys-tem helps painters spray low vis-cosity textured finishes with fine,medium, coarse and splattered pat-terns.

“As the use of these texturedfinishes continues to expand forsound deadening on thinner sub-strates, the need for the 3M BodyProtection System will increase,”said Steve Widen, U.S marketingsupervisor, 3M Automotive After-market Division.

3M’s New Body ProtectionSystem Cuts Time Needed

parts vendor chose not to sign-up forthe online quoting system, PartsTraderwould generate a fax order and forwardit to that vendor on the shop’s behalf.

With that feature no longer avail-able, Select Service shops in Arizonausing the fax option have just twochoices: encourage their preferredsuppliers to sign up for, and use, thePartsTrader application, or find a newparts supplier for State Farm repairs.

According to an industry source,an email sent to repairers in Arizona,PartsTrader Support said that afterJuly 31, suppliers which have not yetbegun to use the PartsTrader applica-tion as “a fully active participatingsupplier,” will no longer appear on thesystem as an available vendor, andtherefore will no longer be able to re-ceive orders placed in PartsTrader.

During the webinar, Smith said,“The users in our pilot markets feltthat [the fax option] disrupted theirprocess and took some of the efficien-cies out because they still had to callthose suppliers to see if they were ac-tually going to get the part. When they

submitted an order, we would [fax] theorder to the supplier, but then the re-pair shop would still have to call toverify prices, update the prices in theirestimating system [and] we found thatthey were running duplicate processes.

Other changes in the PartsTradersystem presented by Smith includednew functionality for users, includinga vendor star rating system, a VIN de-coder, the ability to save draft parts or-ders, and a new welcome page withaccess to training videos.

The VIN decoder, available forvendors, was developed in conjunc-tion with CompNine.

The star rating system, announcedin April by PartsTrader, is now begin-ning to be rolled-out. “We’ve been col-lecting this information for three monthsand now we have enough feedback tostart displaying ratings,” Smith said.

With this release, each shop andvendor will be able to see the star rat-ing for their own business only, and ina later release the star ratings willeventually be visible to all users.

Users of the system are rated onitems such as quoting accuracy, partyquality, communication, business prac-tices, and, for shops, how fast they paytheir bills.



Fax-Only EndingRecently, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) modifiedthe hazardous waste managementregulations under the Resource Con-servation and Recovery Act (RCRA)to exclude solvent-contaminatedwipes from the EPA’s hazardouswaste regulations, under conditionthat businesses clean or dispose ofwipes properly. This comes as EPA’sfinal risk analysis, published in 2009,concluded wipes possessing certainhazardous solvents do not pose sig-nificant risk to human health and theenvironment if properly managed.The EPA noted that wipes are used inconjunction with solvents for clean-ing and other purposes by tens ofthousands of facilities in numerousindustry sectors including automobilerepair shops. According to MathyStanislaus, assistant administrator forthe EPA’s Office of Solid Waste andEmergency Response:

“Today’s rule uses the latest sci-ence to provide a regulatory frameworkfor managing solvent- contaminatedwipes that is appropriate to the level ofrisk posed by these materials … I’veheard directly from stakeholders aboutthe benefits of this rule and the need tofinalize it. The rule reduces costs forthousands of businesses, many of

which are small businesses, whilemaintaining protection of human healthand the environment.”

This ruling excludes only wipesthat are contaminated with solventslisted as hazardous wastes underRCRA that are properly cleaned ordisposed of. To be excluded, solvent-contaminated wipes must be managedin closed, labeled containers and can-not contain free liquids when sent forcleaning or disposal. Additionally, fa-cilities that generate solvent-contami-nated wipes must comply with certainrecordkeeping requirements and maynot accumulate wipes for longer than180 days.

The EPA first proposed modifiedregulations for solvent-contaminatedwipes Nov. 20, 2003, and published arevised risk assessment for publiccomment Oct. 27, 2009.

Once the final ruling has beenpublished, it will be accessiblethrough ASA’s legislative website,www.TakingTheHill.com.

EPA Reduces Regulatory Burden of Wipe Use




Hoffman Auto Body Shopwas cited inMarch 2013, by the U.S. Departmentof Labor’s OSHA Division for nine al-leged violations of workplace safetystandards at its Connecticut Avenuefacility in East Hartford. OSHA pro-posed fines totaling $54,300, mostlybecause of repeat citations, the agencysaid. OSHA’s Hartford office had seenproblems in an inspection in 2011, anda December 2012 inspection did notfind the problems had been corrected,the agency said.

The agency also said the body shophad an improperly located electrical out-let, which could cause a shock hazard toworkers, and a fire-suppression systemswitch was blocked by a cabinet. Theelectrical outlet problem was remediedduring the inspection in December, doc-uments show. The three serious viola-tions resulted in $14,300 in proposedfines. A serious violation occurs whenthere is substantial probability that deathor serious physical harm could resultfrom a hazard about which the employerknew or should have known.

Equipment and materials, someof it flammable, were stored near paintspray booths and electric panels. Thestored materials limited access to ex-tinguish potential fires, presented fire

and shock hazards and impeded clean-ing around the booths, which allowspotentially combustible materials toaccumulate. These conditions resultedin the issuance of two repeat citationswith $40,000 in proposed fines. A re-peat violation exists when an employerpreviously has been cited for the sameor a similar violation of a standard,regulation, rule or order at any otherfacility in federal enforcement stateswithin the last five years.

“The bulk of these fines stemfrom recurring hazards identified dur-ing this latest inspection,” said War-ren Simpson, OSHA’s area directorin Hartford. “Workers at the facilityremained exposed to potential haz-ards. This employer needs to take ef-fective action to correct these safetyissues and prevent their recurrence.”

The company did not contest thecitations. “The Hoffman family con-siders the safety of our employees atop priority and all issues identifiedby OSHA regulators in December of2012 were rectified immediately andcompletely,” said a statement releasedby the company in March. “We willmake whatever changes are appropri-ate to continue to ensure a safe work-place for our employees.”

Connecticut Body Shop Fined a Total of $54,300 for RepeatViolations by OSHA Did Not Contest CitationsAmerican Honda has announced that

the first two editions of Body RepairNews, a new collision industry com-munication covering new Honda andAcura model body repair informa-tion is now available.

The inaugural issues cover the2014 Acura MDX and 2013 HondaAccord. Copies can also be accessedby independent shops at AmericanHonda’s Service Express website attechinfo.honda.com or techinfo.acura.com. Click on “Industry Posi-tion Statements & Body RepairNews,” and then scroll down.

Body Repair News, free to in-dependent collision repair shops, arepart of a series of American Hondapublications that will be created tosupport new models that are con-structed with significant amounts ofhigh strength steel, and various othernew technologies.

Body Repair News publicationsare also planned for the followingnew models that have already goneon sale:● 2014 Acura RLX

● 2014 Honda Odyssey.An edition of Body Repair

News will be issued for every futurenew model. Any minor modelchange where significant body de-sign changes are made will alsohave a body repair publication is-sued.

This publication is being issuedas part of American Honda’s currentinitiative to enhance the ability ofbody shops to make safe and com-plete collision repairs on Honda &Acura vehicles through easier accessto an increasing amount of collisionrepair information.

The company notes that BodyRepair News summarizes new bodyand vehicle technology that may af-fect collision and other body repairs.It is not intended to replace the de-tailed information contained in thebody repair and service manuals.Rather, it simply helps collision re-pair industry personnel understandwhy using the factory service infor-mation is so important to make safeand complete repairs.

American Honda Launches Body Repair News

out-of-state and were class membersto the unsuccessful 1997 class actionsuit against State Farm, brought theircomplaint in May in the U.S. DistrictCourt for the Southern District of Illi-nois.

The trio’s lawsuit named StateFarm; William Shepherd, an attorneyat the insurance company; Ed Mur-nane, president of the Illinois CivilJustice League; and Justice LloydKarmeier’s campaign committee, Cit-izens for Karmeier, as defendants,however the judge, David Herndonsince dismissed Citizens as a defen-dant.

Tennessee attorney W. GordonBall, who serves on the plaintiffs’legal team, said his clients’ RICO suitis very simple: “Shepherd, State Farmand Murnane used the Illinois CivilJustice League as an enterprise to ba-sically buy an Illinois Supreme Courtjustice.”

On August 5, 2013, the plaintiffsin Hale v. State Farm told the judgehearing the case that their “stated in-tention” was to ask Justice Karmeierto address the allegations in a deposi-tion. The plaintiffs contend that StateFarm violated the Racketeer Influ-enced and Corrupt Organizations Act

(RICO) by using the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce, the Illinois RepublicanParty, and other entities as conduits toconceal its role in funding and operat-ing the justice’s campaign. RICO al-lows plaintiffs to sue persons orentities involved in a conspiracy to en-gage in improper activities such asbribery, fraud, or violent crimes. InMay of this year, a federal judge de-nied State Farm’s motion to dismissthe lawsuit and ruled that the plaintiffscan continue with discovery. The trialcould unearth more details about theextent of State Farm’s involvement inJustice Karmeier’s 2004 campaign.

The events that form the basis ofHale v. State Farm arose in 1997,when more than 4 million aggrievedpolicyholders filed a class-action law-suit in an Illinois state court againstState Farm. The 1997 lawsuit—Averyv. State Farm—concerned a clause inState Farm’s automobile insurancecontract that stipulated that the com-pany would pay for replacement partsof “like kind and quality” to restore avehicle to its pre-loss condition afteran accident. State Farm was accusedof breaching this promise by installinginferior replacement parts. A jury inWilliamson County, Illinois, agreedwith the plaintiffs in Avery v. StateFarm and awarded them $1.18 billion.The verdict amounted to around $300for each of the 4 million plaintiffs.


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Honda Aces Crash Test, Kia and Nissan Less SoThe Honda Civic earned top scores inthe Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety’s new “small overlap” crashtest, but similarly sized cars from Kiaand Nissan fared poorly.

The Institute put 12 new com-pact cars through the test, includingtwo- and four-door versions of theCivic and two Kia models. The KiaSoul and Forte, as well as the NissanSentra, earned the worst possible rat-ing of “Poor” in the test.

Kia and Nissan both pointed outthat their cars have performed very wellin other Insurance Institute and gov-ernment crash tests. Kia also noted thatthe “small overlap” crash test “goeswell beyond federal requirements.”

Both automakers said theywould review the test results as theyseek to make further safety improve-ments in their cars. This was the firsttime compact cars were subjected tothis new type of front crash test. In it,the cars are propelled at 40 miles anhour and strike a crash barrier withjust one quarter of the front bumperon the driver’s side. That concentratesimpact forces into a small area thatoften falls outside crash protectionstructures built into the cars. The im-pact also spins the car violently. Thetest mimics a type of impact that ac-

counts for nearly a quarter of all frontcrashes with serious or fatal injury tofront seat occupants.

“In the worst cases safety cagescollapsed, driver airbags moved side-ways with unstable steering columnsand the dummy’s head hit the instru-ment panel,” David Zuby, the Insti-tute’s chief research officer, said ofthe test results in a written statement.

Also, side curtain airbags some-times didn’t deploy or they didn’t pro-vide coverage far enough forward inthe car to be of any help, he said.

In the case of the two Kia mod-els, the cars’ seatbelts spooled out toomuch, allowing the crash test dummyto move too far forward. At the sametime, the side curtain airbags didn’tprovide protection that far forward inthe car, allowing the dummy’s head tohit the windshield pillar and instru-ment panel. The Kias’ steel structurealso provided insufficient crash pro-tection in the tests, according to theInstitute.

When the IIHS put a group ofluxury cars through the same test inAugust, the first time results for thenew test were released, only two carsout of 11 got top marks. The Institutehas also put mid-sized cars and smallSUVs through the new test.

Six of the cars tested in the new IIHStest, most of which were 2013 models,were rated “poor” or “marginal.” GM’sChevrolet Sonic and Cruze each re-ceived marginal scores, while Kia Mo-tors Corp’s Soul and 2014 Forte wererated “poor” in the results released bythe Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety. Nissan Motor Co’s Sentra alsowas rated “poor,” while VolkswagenAG’s Beetle was ranked “marginal.”

The IIHS increased the rigor of itstests last year to include crashes thatinvolve only a front corner of a vehi-cle. The insurance group said nearlyone-fourth of U.S. front-of-vehiclecrashes that result in serious injury ordeath involve only a single corner thatstrikes another vehicle or an object likea tree or utility pole. The IIHS contin-ues to score vehicles on side, rear,rollover and front-end crashes that im-pact more than just a corner.

“This is a challenging new crashtest and it’s not surprising that somevehicles are earning marginal andpoor ratings,” IIHS spokesman RussRadar said of the small overlap frontcrash test.

“This crash scenario doesn’t lenditself to a Band-Aid fix so for mostmanufacturers the countermeasurewill have to be built in when there’s a

full redesign,” he added.Vehicle manufacturers in the U.S.

market often design and engineer theirmodels to score well on IIHS safetytests and use the results in their mar-keting.

“It matters because in today’sworld cars are so competitive that allyou need is a small flaw and your com-petition can exploit it,” Kelley BlueBook senior analyst Karl Brauer said.

Most of the 12 small cars testedwere already in production before theIIHS increased the rigor of its frontcrash test last year. However, Radarsaid IIHS alerted the companies to thework the group was doing on smalloverlap research in 2009.

The specifications of the test werenot finalized until the last year, whichis late in a car’s development process,Brauer said. All automakers will even-tually redesign their cars to meet thestandards to pass the new crash test, hesaid.

In the tests, IIHS crashes a vehi-cle at 40 mph into a 5-foot-high bar-rier on the driver’s side that overlapsone-quarter of the vehicle’s width.

The small car segment was thefourth group of cars rated using thisnew test, and most of the groups havefared equally badly.

New Test Fails Half the Small Cars Tested


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The National Auto Body Council(NABC) is now accepting nominationsfor seven open board seats to be electedat its upcoming Annual Meeting at theSEMA Conference this Fall in LasVegas. Deadline for third-party nomina-tions or self-nominations is Friday, Sep-tember 6. To be eligible, nominees mustbe a designated representative of a cur-rent National Auto Body Council mem-ber company. Board members areelected for three-year terms.

“As a result of strong active Boardleadership, our membership has grownsignificantly over the past few years asmore and more companies experiencethe value and benefits of participating inNABC initiatives,” said Chuck Sulkala,NABC Executive Director. “We wel-come nominations from all segments ofthe collision industry for leaders who arewilling to invest the time and effort tohelp guide the organization in our ongo-ing mission to identify, develop, and im-plement community based initiativesthat promote a positive image of our in-dustry.”

NABC initiatives include the suc-cessful and popular Recycled Rides pro-gram. Almost 800 vehicles have beendonated to deserving individuals andnonprofit organizations since the pro-gram’s inception in 2007. Other NABCcommunity service programs include

First Responder Emergency Extrication(FREE), the Distracted Driving initia-tive, and support for disabled veteransthrough Operation Comfort’s AutoMo-tivation program. NABC also annuallyrecognizes individuals or organizationsthat demonstrate excellence or selflessservice to others through its Award ofDistinction and Body Shop ImageAward. NABC Board members whoseterms are ending this year may also seekre-election. These Board members in-clude: Brandon Devis, Martin SenourPaints - Sherwin Williams AutomotiveFinishes; Craig Camacho, Keenan AutoBody; Dave Henderson, See Progress;Bill Mayer, Insurance Auto Auctions;National Auto Body Council 7044 S.13th St., Oak Creek, WI 53154, 888-667-7433, (Fax) 414-768-8001 DavidMerrell, Parts Trader; Ron Reichen, Pre-cision Body and Paint, Inc.; and ReneeRicciotti, 3M Automotive AftermarketDivision. Nominations for NABC boardseats must be submitted in writing: E-mail [email protected] or Ex-ecutive Director Chuck Sulkala [email protected]. Fax NABCadministrative office at (414) 768-8001Mail to: National Auto Body Council,7044 S. 13th St Oak Creek, Wisconsin53154, Attn: Mary Annen. For more in-formation about NABC Board memberscontact Chuck Sulkala directly.

NABC is Accepting Nominations for Seven Open Board Seats Mercury Insurance Names 10 Cheapest in Auto InsuranceMercury Insurance has been providingauto insurance to California drivers since1962, covering everything from Acurasto Volkswagens. Mercury is the state’sleading independent agency writer of au-tomobile insurance. Mercury’s researchand development team recently exam-ined the top 100 make/model combina-tions in California for 2009– 2013.Based on the price for full coverage, hereare the least expensive vehicles (listed inorder) for Mercury to insure.1. Honda Odyssey – minivan2. Scion XB – compact car3. Nissan Sentra – compact car4. Honda Fit – subcompact car5. Toyota RAV4 – crossover SUV6. Toyota Sienna – minivan7. Mini Cooper Clubman – premium

compact car8. Toyota Corolla – compact car9. Toyota Highlander – midsize SUV10. Honda Pilot – crossover SUV

“There are two main reasons thesevehicles are less expensive to insure:they are involved in fewer accidents;and if they are in an accident, the aver-age cost to repair them is lower*,” saidMercury Group Product Manager JeffSchroeder.

“The vehicles on our list, led by theHonda Odyssey, are more than 10 per-cent cheaper to insure than the averagecars and trucks insured by Mercury.”

*Other factors, such as a driver’sexperience and accident history, canpush the rate up or down, but were notincluded in the rate calculations.

Pride Auto Body Says it’s Fully uParts IntegratedPride Auto Body and its six locationsin Southern California has been inte-grated with uParts’ cloud-based elec-tronic parts procurement solutions.

“We are excited to deploy uPartsto all of our repair facilities. Our cus-tomers, insurance partners, team mem-bers and even our suppliers benefitfrom this powerful platform,” saidRandy Stabler, President of PrideAuto Body.

“Streamlining inefficient partsprocurement processes saves time andmoney for all,” stated Steve Morris,Operations Manager. “Our staff isn’tcalling suppliers following up on partsorders. All order updates appear in theuParts Production Dashboard in real-time. We are pleased with the per-formance, efficiencies and capabilitiesthat the uParts platform has affordedour team,” Morris concluded.


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Progressive Corp., the fourth-largestU.S. auto insurer, is searching for theright message to attract customers toits Snapshot product that tracks a per-son’s driving to set rates, Chief Exec-utive Officer Glenn Renwick said.

Surveys of prospective cus-tomers have shown that “you getabout 30 percent of people saying,‘Yeah, why not?’; you get another 30percent of people saying, ‘Maybe, Ineed to know more’; and you getabout 40 percent of people saying,‘No way in hell,’” Renwick said on aconference call to discuss results atthe Mayfield Village, Ohio-basedcompany.

Progressive has sought to buildacceptance for Snapshot after a cam-paign that Renwick called “very ac-ceptable, but short of a breakout” in aletter to investors this week. The in-surer has been counting on the tech-nology to encourage safer habitsbehind the wheel and help identifythe most valuable customers. Somehave shunned the product, citing pri-vacy concerns, Renwick said. SellingSnapshot has been “a bigger burden”than many in the company wouldhave assumed given that it can lowercustomers’ rates, he said. “Intellectu-ally, I kind of go ‘Why wouldn’t 100

percent of people take this option?’”The insurer has increased the

percentage of its customers at its di-rect channel who have tried Snapshotto about 35 percent from 20 percenttwo years ago, he said. Part of thatgain has come from advertising howpeople who don’t take advantage ofthe product could be subsidizing oth-ers. In one “Rate Suckers” televisionspot, a spokeswoman says peoplewho behave worse behind the wheelmake “driving more expensive for therest of us.”

The base of premiums from theproduct total $1.8 billion, Progressivesaid in a report on second-quarter re-sults. Premium revenue from individ-ual clients was about $14.4 billion in2012, a total that includes policiescovering autos, motorcycles, water-craft and other vehicles. The directchannel includes customers who signup by Internet, rather than throughagents.

Renwick said there is more workto be done on Snapshot. “We’rebody-punching here,” he said. “We’retrying to find the message that actu-ally moves the needle. I think we nowunderstand how significant a burdenit is to try to educate consumers to dosomething that was not the natural

buying or engagement process.”Progressive has sought an edge

over competitors as it fights for an in-creasing share of the $175 billion inannual U.S. auto insurance premi-ums. The company has gained scalealong with the GEICO unit of WarrenBuffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. inrecent years by emphasizing lowprices and selling directly to con-sumers over the Internet.

Snapshot helped open a newfront in the competition for cus-tomers. Progressive patented the de-vice and has been asserting itsintellectual property rights. It strucka deal in June with the United Serv-ices Automobile Association to li-cense the technology.

Advertising costs for auto insur-ers have shot up in recent years.GEICO spent more than $1 billion in2012, according to data compiled bySNL Financial. Allstate Corp. wasNo. 2 at $828.8 million, followed byState Farm Mutual Automobile In-surance Co. at $777.9 million, fol-lowed by Progressive with $526million, the data show.

Progressive Evaluates Snapshot Campaign, Expresses Surprise that 40% Say ‘No Way’



graphics and illustrations through-out the manuals, and better index-ing than previous versions. Theredesigned format is being used onmanuals worldwide as part of an ef-fort to globalize Fordís official re-pair procedures and information. Sofar, the new manuals have been re-leased for the following vehicles:

• 2013 Fiesta• 2013 C-MAX / C-MAX EnergiPlug-in Hybrid• 2013 Fusion / Fusion Hybrid• 2013 Focus / Focus Electric• 2013 Lincoln MKZ / MKZ Hybrid

Manuals for the upcoming2014 Escape, Transit and TransitConnect will also employ the newformat and features, while those forall other vehicles will be updated asthe vehicles undergo significant re-visions.

Direct questions on any FordMotor Company body-repair proce-dure can go to Gerry Bonanni at(313) 317-9000 or [email protected]) or the Ford Collision PartsHotline at [email protected].

Continued from Page 9

New Ford Manuals

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When I attended the CIC meeting inBoston at the end of July, I wasstruck by the lack of unity amongstattendees. Each topic that was intro-duced resulted in a wide range ofopinions, raising the question of howvaluable these meetings really are infinding any kind of consensus in theindustry. While it’s not really sur-prising to find such a wide range ofreactions from a meeting that in-cluded so many facets of the indus-try, I sought out several of the morevisible attendees to find out whatthey experienced. Several industryleaders were willing to contributetheir viewpoints.

George Avery, Chairman of CICand P&C Claims Consultant for StateFarm, said he felt the meeting wentwell, including each of the presenta-tions. “I was particularly impressedwith the Standards Committee pres-entation which provided a greatoverview of the work that has alreadybeen done. I really look forward to theinformation that will be provided inNovember.”

Avery also mentioned that CICintroduced the “Open MicrophoneFlip Chart” at the Boston meeting,which he sees as another useful wayfor participants to get important issuesin front of the CIC body. Avery ex-presses his gratitude to attendees fortheir participation; “All in all, I appre-ciate the professionalism and passionof the CIC participants which allowsme to run a well-organized meeting.”

In contrast, Tony Ferraiolo, Pres-ident of Auto Body Association ofConnecticut, was not pleased by themeeting; “this was my first and maybelast. I think it was a waste of mytime.” He objects to the lack of re-pairers in attendance, noting “I wouldlike to see more repairers, rather thaninsurance companies, suppliers andothers.. Repairers should be the onlyone in the room. We are the ones thatshould run this conference, free of in-surer involvement.”

Ferraiolo said he was disap-pointed in what got accomplished andthe priorities established for the meet-ing. He would prefer to see more in-sight into repairer issues, such asprocedures not accepted by insurers

and the ongoing issue of insurers’ in-volvement in the repair process.

According to Ferraiolo, the mostvaluable portion of the meeting wasthe Repairers’ Roundtable, hosted byAASP-MA. “As far as I’m con-cerned, the roundtable was the onlyproductive part of the conference.”He was particularly interested in theconversations about Public ServiceAnnouncements and standardized as-sociation advertising on anti-steeringas he feels it is imperative to educateconsumers on the concept of “yourcar, your choice.”

Overall, Ferraiolo insists he didn’tget much benefit from the conference.He doesn’t “like the future of this in-dustry as forecasted by the conference.The whole industry seems to be buy-ing into the DRP model. The shops aregetting larger and need more marketshare to survive. This is exactly whatthe insurance industry wants: for themto be dependent on large volumes ofwork. In the meantime, the independ-ent shops cannot compete with thetraining, equipment and expense onthis level. This will be the downfall ofthe smaller independent shop.”

Tony Lombardozzi, President oftheCCRE, was generally in agreementwith Ferraiolo. He attended CIC’smeeting because he wanted to seewhat’s going on and if it interfereswith the proper way for the industryto operate. He believes “CIC is sup-posed to be an open forum to discussissues, but if a conversation getsheated, the topic is swept under therug to be taken up at a future meet-ing.”

Lombardozzi also felt that histime was best spent at the Repairers’Roundtable since it provides an op-portunity to get things done, unlike thegeneral CIC meeting where “nothinggets accomplished; we’ve been dis-cussing the same issues for 20 years!It’s counter-productive at times.”

Furthermore, Lombardozzi notesthat the average repairers cannot af-ford to take time away from their busi-nesses to attend CIC, so the focusshould be on bringing the issues to thepeople. This also results in a lack ofcollision repairers at the conference,other than DRP and MSO shopswhich are heavily influenced by in-surer involvement.


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Reaction to CIC in Boston Shows Conflicting Goals and Priorities

Instead, Lombardozzi notes, “stake-holders (ie. insurers and suppliers) arevery involved, but we’re meeting withthe people who are our adversaries. Thisallows them to find ways to counteractthe issues because they see what’s com-ing – it’s like playing football and al-lowing the opposing team in your huddleas you call plays… You can’t accom-plish anything with them in your huddlebecause they’re prepared for your nextmove. Working together is part of theproblem!”

According to Lombardozzi, CICused to be productive, but now theyneed people who want to get the realmessage out to the people, not to po-lice that message. This mentalityteaches repairers to “believe this is howthings have to be done, but it’s not true.You’re the business owner, not the in-surance company.”

Executive Director of ASA, DanRisley, took a more neutral stance onthe event, stating “CIC provides avenue to openly discuss issues in theindustry with industry leaders andmany of the stakeholders in atten-dance. Often times, gaining clarity ofthose issues allows individuals andcompanies to take action and resolvethem independently or collectively.”

Regarding the topics discussed,Risley was most interested in the pres-entation by the Definitions Commit-tee. “There seemed to be a change inthe direction of the Minimum Re-quirements for a Class A Shop. It’s adocument that is used and has beenused by state regulatory agencies andinsurance companies for many years.Several in the audience expressedconcern with what they believed wasa change in the committee’s directionto update and use this document. Thisdocument should be updated, and theCommittee should also look to createa Class A document for insurancecompanies, parts suppliers, technol-ogy companies etc… Creating a Min-imum Requirements Document forthose stakeholders will assist in betteridentifying those that are leading theindustry from those that are creatingbarriers.”

For the most part, Risley sees CICas a forum where the entire industrycan flush out many of the industry’smost challenging issues as leadershipfrom the various segments of the in-dustry are present; however, he did findone thing lacking. “There were specificissues that required more dialoguefrom dissenting parties that wanted to

articulate their position and thoughts.Due to time constraints, some of thoseissues were tabled for the next CIC.”

A more recent addition to CIC’smeetings is the inclusion of the Audi-ence Response System—wireless key-pad “clickers” used to poll attendees.Avery has “received a lot of feedbackabout how the keypads improve thequality of the Committee presentations,provide everyone with an opportunityto participate, and keep the group en-gaged.” The other three respondentsagree that the keypads are useful,though Ferraiolo and Lombardozzi adda condition to that praise; they are use-ful IF they are used accurately andtruthfully.

Ferraiolo noted that the meetingwas run efficiently regarding Avery’sfocus on keeping the meeting on taskand on time, and Lombardozzi agrees,though “the agenda is something rep-etitious and boring.” Risley adds,“George does a great job moving themeeting along, but there were a fewinstances where he should have al-lowed the discussion to continue.”


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Kevin F. Flynn, a nine-year memberof the LKQ Board of Directors,passed away on August 12, 2013. Hewas key to LKQ’s formation and fa-cilitated a number of acquisitions andfinancings. “We are shocked anddeeply saddened by the sudden deathof our colleague,” said Robert Wag-man, President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of LKQ. “Kevin will be sorelymissed.” Joseph Holsten, Chairmanof the Board added, “Kevin’s death isa tragedy for his family and a greatloss to our company.”

Kevin Flynn, Nine Year LKQBoard Member, Passes Away

The annual revision to the seasonalfactors used in calculating the indus-try's seasonally adjusted, annualizedselling rate, or SAAR, increasedJuly’s rate to 15.8 million. The newdata reduced June’s rate from 15.98million to 15.91 million. The lowerfigure still represents the highestSAAR since the end of 2007. It alsoerases what had looked to be a con-spicuous sales dip in April, the onlymonth in which the SAAR came inat less than 15 million since October.The revised SAAR for April is 15.19million, rather than 14.91 million.

SAAR Increases to 15.8 Million

Back for the third year, GARMATUSA has announced the return of theimmensely popular Garmat SharpShooter contest for shop owners andpaint techs. This contest which beganin 2011, was designed to recognizequality paint techs and shop ownersthat use Garmat equipment. GrandPrize includes a trip for 2 to the 2014SEMA Show in Las Vegas and a SA-TAjet 4000B Camouflage LimitedEdition Paint Gun.

“We are amazed at the responsewe have gotten with our SharpShooter contest in the past two yearsand the feedback from the techs thatuse our equipment is invaluable,” saysJohan Huwaert, Garmat USA’s gen-eral manager. “The shop owners ap-preciate the contest too, as it providesthe added benefit of validating theircommitment to quality by showcasingtheir choice of equipment and capa-bilities of their technicians.”

The Garmat Sharp Shooter Con-test will run from July 25 -September30, 2013. Paint techs and their man-agers will have the opportunity to telltheir Garmat Story in either video tes-

timonial or written statements. Judg-ing is based on the shop owner andpaint tech’s dedication to providingquality paint jobs, superior customerservice, attention to safety and over-all equipment knowledge. Bonusquestions include an inquiry on howGarmat can improve their Garmat ex-perience with product improvements.

In addition to the Grand Prize ofa free trip to the SEMA SHOW in LasVegas, SATA has generously provided2 SATA Camo Paint Guns to be pre-sented to the top two entries. Five fi-nalists will each be awarded twoSamsung Galaxy Wifi tablets, (one forthe contestant and one for theowner/manager), and the first 100 en-trants will receive a custom GarmatSharp Shooter Cap. Contest rules andregulations can be found at www.gar-mat.com.

The 2012 Garmat Sharp ShooterWinners can be found on www.face-book.com/GarmatUSA.


Garmat’s Sharp Shooter Contest is Back, WinnersGet a Free Trip to SEMA and a SATAjet 4000B

Herkules Wins IAMG 2012 Vendor of the Year AwardHerkules Equipment Corporationwas awarded “Vendor of the Year” bythe International Autobody Market-ing Group (IAMG) at the annualIAMG Vendor/Warehouse Distribu-tor meeting banquet.

“Herkules Equipment Corpora-tion is a top-notch proactive partnerto the Group and we honor them for

their outstandingservice, supportand professional-ism.” says LloydFields, Presidentof IAMG (Inter-national Auto-body MarketingGroup). “Theyoffer exceptionalproducts, contin-ued marketing

efforts, and excellent value to our in-dustry with a dedicated commitmentto their customers. We are pleased toaward them with our 2012 vendor ofthe Year Award!”

Kevin Prost, Vice President ofHerkules, accepted the award fromLloyd Fields. “We are deeply honoredto be presented with this award and weare proud to be part of a very specialindustry. This award recognizes the ef-forts of Russ Terry, our National Sales

Manager, Kris Fairbrother, our Direc-tor of Marketing, our sales reps, andour production staff that build highquality products here in the USA.”

The IAMG is a leading, full-ser-vice corporation that delivers strategicsolutions and high-quality products tothe automotive aftermarket since 1992.As a leader in Paint, Body & Equip-ment distribution, IAMG constitutes14 individual warehouse Membersacross the United States and Canada,47 distribution centers, and over 350salespeople, according to their website,www.iamgaz.com.

Herkules Equipment Corpora-tion, established in 1984, is a leadingmanufacturer for the AutomotivePaint & Body Repair industry, hav-ing designed, manufactured, andpatented the first Paint Gun Washer.The company has been manufactur-ing quality vehicle lifts and scissorlift tables for close to 30 years, pro-viding many different industries er-gonomic solutions for countlessapplications. Herkules also suppliesAir Jacks, Handling Equipment, andCrushing Equipment.

For more product information,please contact Herkules at 800-444-4351, or at [email protected] or visittheir website at www.herkules.us.

Herkules IAMGAward


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NACE Panels to Review Parts Procurement, CertificationAutomotive Service & Repair Week(ASRW) is pleased to announce two90-minute panel discussions will takeplace during ASRW|NACE|CARSaddressing electronic parts procure-ment and certification programs.ASRW will take place Thursday andFriday, Oct. 17–18, with educationbeginning Wednesday, Oct. 16, at theMandalay Bay Convention Center inLas Vegas.

Understanding Today’s e-Com-merce Parts Solutions (session WE10)takes place Wednesday, Oct. 16, at10:30 a.m. “With the constantlychanging e-commerce parts procure-ment and search engine environment,it is critical that collision repairers un-derstand the impact to their business,”stated Roger Wright, vice presidentof operations for Sterling AutobodyCenters, and moderator of the WE10session.

Certification Programs: AreThey For You? (session TH17) takesplace Thursday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m.“Certification is a term that is grosslyoverused, and more importantly,

under-defined. This session shouldhelp attendees learn about the varietyof certifications available so they canmake the decision as to what worksbest for their businesses,” said LouDiLisio, Automotive Industry Con-sulting, and moderator of the TH17session.

Registration for ASRW is avail-able online at http://www.asrw-events.com. Both sessions are includedin the purchase of a Super Pass regis-tration, which includes one ticket pertimeslot to the ASRW Conference Pro-gram, an Expo Pass to walk the showfloor, one ticket to the Opening Gen-eral Session/Industry Forum, one ticketto the Welcome Party, and a 2013 com-memorative pin. Sessions may also bepurchased individually for $70 each.Additionally, all ASRW exhibitors areoffering a discount of $50 off any con-ference purchase, and attendees are en-couraged to contact any exhibitordirectly to redeem.

The 2013 ASRW ConferenceProgram is sponsored by the Allianceof Automobile Manufacturers.

SEMA Show Expands to Three New Exhibitor AreasIn addition to 11 designated floor sec-tions, the 2013 SEMA Show will in-clude three different areas whereFirst-Time and Featured Exhibitorscan be found.

“In order for us to accommodatethe more than 2,400 companies ex-hibiting at the 2013 SEMA Show,we’ve expanded our footprint,” saidPeter MacGillivray, SEMA vice presi-dent of communications and events.“Collectively, the First-Time and Fea-tured Exhibitor areas include hundredsof new and innovative manufacturersthat represent all markets in the indus-try. These are must-see areas for every-one in the industry.”

While the SEMA Show has in-cluded a First-Time and Featured Ex-hibitors area in previous years, 2013marks the first time that the Show willinclude three such areas:

Upper South Hall, east end nearthe New Products Showcase: This is thesame area where First-Time and Fea-tured Exhibitors were located in 2012.

Bridge, between Central andSouth Halls: Many Showgoers will

know this area because of the MediaCenter, the Center for InternationalCommerce and the Show Office. For2013, the Media Center will move toN109 (Meeting Rooms to the east ofthe Grand Lobby), and the Center forInternational Commerce will be lo-cated in N255 (second floor above theGrand Lobby).

LVH South Pavilion area, nearCentral Hall: The LVH is locatedacross the street, but adjacent to thenorth side of North Hall. Several ex-hibitors will be located in the Pavilionarea of the LVH, along with GeneralRegistration.

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NACE MSO Symposium Open to Some Single ShopsNACE has announced that the 3rd an-nual MSO Symposium will take placeWednesday, October 16 at the Man-dalay Bay Convention Center in LasVegas. Attendance to this highlysought after event will again be lim-ited to qualified collision repair multi-ple-location operators (MSOs) withtwo or more locations. However, newthis year, the symposium will open 75seats on a first-come, first-servedbasis to single collision repair ownersinterested in expanding their business.Registration is open and the fee to at-tend is $200 or $250 after August 22.Group-rate registrations are also avail-able for repair organizations with mul-tiple executives who wish to attend.

NACE’s MSO Symposium nowopen to expansion minded shop owners.

“The MSO Symposium is de-signed to provide a unique array ofcontent specifically for the collisionrepair multiple location operator seg-ment,” said Vincent Romans, TheRomans Group, producer of the MSOSymposium. “Based on ongoing feed-back and input, we are busy finalizingan agenda that we believe will be ofinterest to MSOs,” added Romans.

Content highlights for this year’ssymposium will include topics relatedto leadership, business continuity and

succession planning, private equity,MSO panel presentations and discus-sions on their business, market, fi-nancial and strategic focus, anddevelopment and insight about inter-national MSOs. Additional details re-garding the content will be releasedin the coming weeks.

Also new this year, a portion ofthe symposium will be open to thepress. Members of the press will alsobe invited to attend the evening net-working reception at the conclusionof the symposium.

The 2013 MSO Symposium isproduced by ASA, The Romans Groupand NACE. Sponsors of the symposiumto date include Axalta Coating Systems,AudaExplore, BASF, BB&T, CCC In-formation Services, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Mitchell International, The RomansGroup and UniCure Spraybooths.

Details regarding the agenda andspeakers for the symposium are forth-coming. Visit e.hanleywood.com/e/15182/ee-Home-KeyEvents-MSOSymposium/57ps8/281231005for the latest details surrounding thesymposium.

The 2013 MSO Symposium isproduced in memory of Matthew Ohrn-stein, who produced the event in 2011and 2012.

AAPEX to Address Warehouse Distributor ManagementWell-known professional experts ondistribution and management will bepresenting topics of particular interestto warehouse distributors (WD) inLearning Forum sessions during the2013 Automotive Aftermarket Prod-ucts Expo (AAPEX). AAPEX is setfor Tuesday, Nov. 5 through Thursday,Nov. 7, at the Sands Expo Center, LasVegas, NV. The Learning Forum WDManagement sessions cover: how toachieve profitability and success; fu-ture forces in B2B markets; sales andmarketing optimization; building to-morrow’s workforce; and trends af-fecting distribution businesses.

Featured speakers leading theWD Management sessions include:● Garrison Wynn, Wynn Solutions —“The Real Truth About Success: Whatthe Top 1 Percent Do Differently andWhy They Won’t Tell You” and“Being the Best vs. Being ConsistentlyChosen” ● Steve Diest, Indian River Consult-ing Group — “Channel Evolution:Lessons from Other Industries” and“Future Forces in B2B Markets”● Barry Lawrence, Texas A & M Dis-tribution Program — “Optimizing Dis-tributor Profitability: Best Practices forImproving Return on Investment” and“Sales and Marketing Optimization:

Driving Growth and Market Share”● Gene Marks, The Marks Group —“Economic, Political and Tech Trends:10 Things Happening Today That WillAffect Your Business Tomorrow”● Dan Schawbel, Millennial Branding— “Building the Workforce of Tomor-row: How to Recruit, Retain and GrowYour Young Talent”

This year’s Learning Forum willfeature nearly 40 free sessions, thehighest number ever offered atAAPEX. Sessions will start on Mon-day, Nov. 4, the day before the offi-cial start of AAPEX, and continuethroughout the event. Attendees areencouraged to make their travel plansaccordingly. All sessions are accred-ited by the University of the After-market toward the AutomotiveAftermarket Professional (AAP) andMaster Automotive Aftermarket Pro-fessional (MAAP) designations. Ses-sions will be held at the VenetianHotel, on the Venetian/ Palazzo Con-gress Center Level 1, Marco PoloRooms 701–707. Since the sessionsare free-of-charge, seating is firstcome, first served. For a list of topics,speakers, session descriptions and aschedule, visit the AAPEX LearningForum. See www.aapexshow.comor e-mail: [email protected].


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UniCure Spraybooths has joined theCollision Repair Education Founda-tion’s donor Industry Leadership Cir-cle by donating more than $10,000worth of equipment and uniforms forcollision students. Wiregrass GeorgiaTechnical College in Valdosta andTennessee Technology Center in Shel-byville both received donated equip-ment that included intake and exhaustfilters, JetAir waterborne fans, and ad-ditional miscellaneous items. UniCurewill also sponsor 100 sets of Cintaswork shirts and pants uniforms forcollision students. “It is a privilege towork with these schools. I am gladthat we are able to provide them withproducts and support that will en-hance their paint departments. It isalways rewarding when you get togive back,” said Allen Jenkins, pres-ident of UniCure Spraybooths/Inter-state Marketing Corporation.

UniCure Spraybooths JoinsCREF Leadership Circle

U.S. Auto Parts Network has reportednet sales for the second quarter endedJune 29, 2013 of $67.9 million, com-pared with net sales of $80.7 millionfor the second quarter ended June 30,2012, a decrease of 15.9 percent. Sec-ond quarter 2013 net loss was $9.6million, compared with second quar-ter 2012 net loss of $1.7 million. “Webelieve in the strategies that we haveimplemented to return to profitablegrowth and increase customer traffic,and expect these strategies to over-come the challenges of the past year,”said CEO Shane Evangelist.

U.S. Auto Parts Network HasLoss Over 2nd Quarter 2012

The Collision Industry ElectronicCommerce Association (CIECA) in-troduces of CIECA-TV. CIECA willpublish videos monthly, covering arange of topics from news and eventsto actual implementation case stud-ies from collision industry leaders.The first production video is avail-able on CIECA’s YouTube channeland provides an overview of CIECA.

More information can be foundon the CIECA website or by email-ing CIECA executive director FredIantorno at [email protected].

CIECA Launches CIECA-TV

AUTODATA has released 2013Maintenance Reminder Reset Proce-dures. The new manual guides tech-nicians through the specific stepsrequired to reset vehicle maintenancereminder alerts, which must be resetafter any maintenance work.

AUTODATA has a New Manual

PPG has announced that registration isnow open for the Fall MVP BusinessSolutions Conference at the OmniAmelia Island Plantation Resort Sept. 8-10 in Amelia Island, FL. Expert speak-ers from both outside and inside thecollision repair industry will discuss amix of topics, and there will be numer-ous networking opportunities with othercollision repair professionals.

“The pace of dynamic change inthe collision repair industry is increas-ing at a light-speed rate, and we knowthat our customers’ needs and require-ments are growing at a similar pace,”says Jim Berkey, director of MVP Busi-ness Solutions for PPG. “The businessacumen, the vehicle technology, pro-duction processes and leadership knowl-edge all are playing an elevated role inperformance, which makes it imperativethat we develop and deliver the educa-tional elements that assist our customersdrive to out-perform competition and bebest-in-class in their marketplace.”

The conference schedule is high-lighted by prominent keynote speakersScott Deming, David Horsager andMichael Hoffman.

In his keynote address titled “Per-ceptual Reality,” Deming, a customerservice and emotional brand buildingguru, will challenge the audience toknow what their customers or clients are

thinking: how they perceive your com-pany and your service and using theirperception as reality, not yours. He willalso discuss the impact of using outsidevendors or suppliers to serve your cus-tomers and how to keep them tightlywithin your brand strategy, brand in-tegrity and service commitment.

Horsager is an author, entrepre-neur, professor, and award-winningkeynote speaker who researches andspeaks on the bottom-line impact oftrust. His presentation discusses whytrust has the ability to accelerate or de-stroy any business, organization or rela-tionship. With greater trust comesgreater innovation, stronger brands, in-creased retention of good people, highermorale, multiplied productivity, betterresults and a bigger bottom line whenyou gain the “Trust Edge.”

“Igniting Performance in the Tor-nado of Business” is the closing keynoteheadline, and Hoffman’s real-world ap-proach will deliver concepts and topicssuch as “Sales Secrets of the One Per-centers,” “Anything You Do Is Every-thing You Do” and “Coaching within theTornado: Ignition for Leadership.”

The conference is open to ownersand managers of collision centers usingPPG Refinish products. MVP confer-ences are biannual events by invitationonly.

PPG MVP Conference Registration is Now Open

I received a fair amount of feedbackfrom devout readers about a previouscolumn on parts and materials. Forthose who didn’t read (or don’t recall)that column, I addressed shops’ profitcenters. I said shops need to quitwhining about State Farm and Part-sTrader and instead focus on the profitcenters they do have control over. (Seehttp://www.autobodynews.com/colum-nists/insurance-insider/item/7264-stop-obsessing-about-parts-profits-when-you’re-not-managing-the-profit-centers-you-have.html)

Because I’m not solely focusedon pointing out the obvious, I alsoadded a few tips as to how shops canimprove their profitability on paintand materials. One suggestion, for ex-ample, was to reduce the amount oftheft in the shop.

Apparently, my tips for successwere not welcomed by all readers. Infact, a few readers took me to task ine-mail responses to the column. Al-though they were upset with my com-ments, they also were astute enough toask for help. I appreciate them takingthe time to write, and I offer the fol-lowing suggestions in response tosome of their questions.

Here’s an excerpt from “Laura,”who wrote from a shop in a Mid-At-lantic state. “Our rates for paint materi-als and labor that insurance companiespay us haven’t increased in 10 years ormore,” Laura wrote. “As you know,paint and material prices have increasedtremendously over that period of time.What are your thoughts on this? Whatare our rights against insurance compa-nies so that we may protect our bottomline?”

Your situation is one that is veryfamiliar to shops around the country,Laura. There are a number of marketsacross the United States that haven’tseen a labor rate or paint and materialincrease in years. These areas are usu-ally in states with regulatory issuesthat create barriers to increased shopunity. Unfortunately, if your shop isone of only a few in these areas re-questing an increase, you will NOTget one. If you are in a market popu-lated with unknowledgeable shopsthat are still operating as if it’s 1980,your shop will suffer.

There a few solutions to yourproblem. You can choose to removeyourself from any direct repair pro-grams and charge whatever rate youbelieve is fair. Since that can be a riskyendeavor, you can take a different ap-proach. I would recommend request-ing rate increases in a professionalmanner. Request a meeting at yourshop. Explain why the increase is nec-essary. Show the insurer the invest-ments you’ve made in your shop andemployees. Last but not least, showthem the “product” and service yourcustomers receive that they can’t getdown the street for the same price.

“Tom,” from a dealership in theNortheast, also wrote to me after mypaint and materials column.

“How do insurance companiesdetermine when the paint and materi-als reimbursements need to be raisedon the estimates they provide” Tomasked. “Every time 3M or DuPont orPPG sends a notice that they are rais-ing their prices, I ask them (by emailor, if I can reach someone, by phone)to make sure they let the insurance

companies know that they are raisingtheir pricing.”

Insurers, Tom said, will in turnonly honor a shop’s higher rate “aftermuch complaining,” and many shopscomplaining. Then the insurers makeit appear they are doing the shops afavor by raising the rate at a later date,all the while ‘complaining’ that THEYare losing profits. Is this how it works,in your professional opinion? It seemsthat the real theft here takes placefrom the time of the (supplier) in-creases to the time the insurance com-panies raise rates. They seem to be thethieves, not our employees, as youseem to think the problem is.”

Well, Tom, insurance companiesdetermine the paint and material reim-bursement rate by using an algorithmdeveloped by an engineer in mathe-matical computations. Not! Of courseI am joking. Sadly, most if not all in-surance companies only raise theirrates when shops “complain,” as you

state above. That isn’t a joke. We aren’tin the business to give money away.Unless you ask, you aren’t getting.

We don’t receive any documen-tation from the paint companies. I’msure they would provide it upon re-quest but we really don’t care. Yearsago when gas and paint and materialsprices were rising like the tide after atsunami, we watched from afar asthose near the beach were swept away.Unfair yes, but it’s not our problem.We see those increases only whenthey are reflected in the rates shopssay they need to charge us. Unless alarge number of shops in a geographicmarket submit for an increase, wearen’t increasing our reimbursementrate.

I concur, Tom, with your assess-ment that we revert to pointing to em-ployee theft or waste as the reason youaren’t profitable. Old habits die hard,but there also is a lot of truth to thatstatement.

Responding to Reader Feedback on Insider’s Parts and Materials Column

with The Insurance InsiderInside Insurance

The Insider is a corporate-level executive with a Top 10 auto insurerin the U.S.. Got a comment or question you’d like to see him addressin a future column? Email him at [email protected]

TopTech Finder has expanded its jobboard to help repairers find all typesof collision repair workers. “AtNACE in New Orleans, shops saidthat they wanted help finding allkinds of employees, not just PDRtechs. We are expanding to bettermeet the needs of the industry,” saidJeff Herman, CEO of TopTechFinder. Free for job seekers, TopTechFinder is also free for employers for alimited time in 2013. “Employershave a hard time finding qualified

technicians on general job boards.They aren’t designed for the collisionrepair industry and don’t draw manytechnicians,” said Herman. “In con-trast, TopTech Finder allows candi-dates to list industry-specificqualifications like I-CAR Platinumand ASE certifications, making thejob board a natural place for techs tofind jobs.” Herman said all jobs, fromestimators to collision technicians,entry-level to experienced, can nowbe posted on the website.

TopTech Finder Expands Job Board for All Workers



SEMA BOOTH #10745

Edmunds.com has filed a lawsuitagainst online reputation manage-ment company Humankind DesignLtd. for attempting to post fraudulentreviews on the site, according to a pe-tition filed in Texas after it discov-ered that Humankind tried to registeralmost 2,200 fake members on the itswebsite, Edmunds.com said.

Humankind, of Friendswood,Texas, helps companies with reputationmanagement. According to the com-pany’s Web site, it can help a companyimprove its Google results, in part bypushing out negative reviews that showup on the first page with good ones andby fixing problems and improving rat-ings on third-party review sites.

Edmunds said it identified 25 deal-ers who hired Humankind to fill out re-views. The company declined to givethose dealers’ names or locations.

Justin Anderson, owner of Hu-mankind, said Edmunds.com has notcontacted his company about the al-legations and he has not seen a copyof the lawsuit. He found out about thelawsuit through journalists callingasking for a comment.

“I can say that we completelydisagree with the assertion that we areposting fraudulent reviews online,”

Anderson said.Anyone who posts a review on

Edmunds.com is required to go on thesite and agree to its membership agree-ment, Kenneth Levin, general counselfor Edmunds.com, said. This agree-ment forbids using profanity and post-ing anything that isn’t based on thereviewer’s personal experience.

Edmunds monitors all of its re-views before they are posted on thesite, and all reviews must conform withthe membership agreement in order tobe posted. Humankind posted its firstfake review on Edmunds.com on Jan.22., an Edmunds spokeswoman said.In early March, Edmunds employeesmonitoring the reviews identified alarge number of registrations that weregenerating reviews that were not real,and traced those reviews back to Hu-mankind, Levin said.

Anderson said Humankind doesnot post fake reviews, but it is part ofHumankind’s service to post commentcards from customers at dealerships.Anderson said Humankind posts all thecards sent to them, so it would be on thedealer if negative cards were left out.

“We felt that we were within Ed-mund’s terms of service, obviously theywould disagree,” Anderson said.

Edmunds.com Sues Humankind Design For What it Says AreBogus Reviews on Edmunds.com Website

Texas Law Limits Liability in Hiring Employees withCriminal Records, Not Full Protection from EEOC The Texas Legislature has taken animportant step to help protect em-ployers who are willing to give appli-cants with a criminal record a secondchance. House Bill 1188, which takeseffect Sept. 1, 2013, will limit the lia-bility of employers who hire appli-cants with a criminal record. The newlaw provides that a “cause of actionmay not be brought against an em-ployer, general contractor, premisesowner, or other third party solely fornegligently hiring or failing to ade-quately supervise an employee, basedon evidence that the employee hasbeen convicted of an offense.”

HB 1188 will benefit both em-ployers and those with criminalrecords who are seeking employment,who often have difficulty finding ajob. According to the National Insti-tute of Corrections, about 5 millionTexas adults have criminal recordsand hundreds of thousands of Texanswho are no longer on probation or pa-role have felony convictions on theirrecords. As inmates leave prison andtry to gain self-sufficiency, they areoften met with resistance by employ-ers who are concerned that hiring ex-offenders may expose them toliability.

While this statute provides someprotection from negligent hiring or su-pervision claims, it is vital that em-ployers understand the laws and vetapplicants and employees to the max-imum extent permissible under thoselaws. Employers should carefully andthoroughly review their current poli-cies and be prepared to provide theEEOC with specific reasons to sup-port why the information relied uponfrom a background check in connec-tion with an employment decision is“job related and consistent with busi-ness necessity,” which is the standardfor defending such a practice.

As the EEOC continues to in-crease its efforts to combat systemicdiscrimination, employers shouldwork with their employment counselto review and revise their back-ground-check policies to ensure theyare consistent with the EEOC guid-ance while still protecting the em-ployer from potential liability. Whilethe new Texas law will ease many em-ployers’ concerns of potential liabil-ity for hiring applicants with criminalrecords, it will not completely insulateemployers from all claims of negli-gent hiring or supervision resultingfrom employment of such individuals.


Babylon HondaWest Baby lon

631-669-5800Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-3:30

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Brewster HondaBrewster

845-278-4177Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4

[email protected]

Dick Ide HondaRochester

800-462-0056 (N.Y.)585-586-4919

Dept. Hours: M-Thur 8-8; Fri 8-5:30;Sat 8-5

[email protected]

Lamacchia HondaSyracuse

315-471-7278Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-1

[email protected]

Lia Honda of AlbanyAlbany

800-272-6741518-482-2598

Dept. Hours: M,T,W,F 7:30-5:30;Thur 7:30-8; Sat [email protected]

Lia Honda of WilliamsvilleWil l iamsvi l le /Buf fa lo877-659-2672716-632-3800

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Ray Laks HondaWest Seneca

716-824-7852Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 7:30-5:30

[email protected]

Clinton HondaAnnandale

908-735-0900Dept. Hours: M,Tue, F 7-6; W, Thu 7-7;

Sat [email protected]

Honda of PrincetonPr inceton

800-682-5941609-683-5941

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-4:[email protected]

Honda of TurnersvilleTurnersv i l le

800-883-0002856-649-1584

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat [email protected]

Hudson HondaWest New York866-483-6917201-868-9500

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5; Sun [email protected]

Madison HondaMadison

800-648-0293973-822-1710

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-8; Fri 7-6; Sat 8-6;[email protected]

Planet HondaUnion

800-964-7280908-964-8411


Rossi HondaVine land

800-893-3030856-692-4449

Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-5; Sat 7:[email protected]

Route 22 HondaHi l ls ide

973-705-9100Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7:30; Sat 8-5

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Apple HondaYork

800-960-9041717-848-2600

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4; Sun [email protected]

Baierl HondaWexford

724-940-2006Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4

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J.L. Freed HondaMontgomeryv i l le215-855-3587

Dept. Hours: M-Thur 8-6; Fri 8-5; Sat [email protected]

Shadyside HondaPi t tsburgh

800-468-2090412-390-2908

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:[email protected]

Sussman HondaRoslyn

800-682-2914215-657-3301


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Acura of WestchesterWestchester

914-834-8887Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 8-4; Sun 9-4

[email protected]

Curry AcuraScarsdale

800-725-2877914-472-7406


Paragon AcuraWoodside

718-507-3990Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5; Sun 9-4

[email protected]

Smithtown AcuraSt . James

888-832-8220631-366-4114

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat [email protected]

Acura of TurnersvilleTurnersv i l le

888-883-2884856-649-1884


Elite AcuraMaple Shade

856-722-9600Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat [email protected]

Apple AcuraYork

877-5APPLE5717-849-6639

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat [email protected]

Baierl AcuraWexford

800-246-7457724-935-0800


Davis AcuraLanghorne

866-50-ACURA215-943-7000


Lehigh Valley AcuraEmmaus

877-860-3954610-967-6500


Sussman AcuraJenkintown

800-826-4078215-884-6285


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Autobody News September 2013NEW YORK • NEW JERSEY • PENNSYLVANIA • DELAWARE


Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling342,000 Tacoma pickup trucks to fixdefective seat belts. The models in-volved are Tacoma Access Cabsequipped with rear-hinged rear doors,built from 2004 to 2011. Toyota said ascrew could come loose in the front seatbelts on some of those trucks, causingthe belts to malfunction. If the screwsloosen completely, Toyota said the seatbelt pre-tensioner and the retractorspring cover could detach from the seatbelt retractor, which can affect retractorand pre-tensioner performance.

Toyota Recalls 342K Pickups

Honda North America intends to in-vest another $180 million in itsAnna, Ohio, engine plant to boostaluminum die-casting and engineparts production. Honda said at the2013 CAR Management BriefingSeminars that the investment willsupport “engine parts productionrelated to the new Honda EarthDreams Technology engines andtransmissions.”

Earth Dreams is Honda’s um-brella classification for a new gen-eration of more fuel-efficienthigh-output engines that range insize from 1.3 liters to 3.5 liters. TheEarth Dreams concept was unveiledin late 2011. It includes gas anddiesel engines, a hybrid engine sys-tem, a battery-powered electricdrive system and a continuouslyvariable transmission.

The investment follows othermoves to bring parts of the EarthDreams initiative to Honda’s Ohioplants, including a new direct-in-jection engine and the pulley com-ponents that are at the heart of thenew CVT transmission.

Honda also said it will invest$35 million to build a 160,000-square-foot office and technical train-ing center in Marysville, Ohio. Thenew building will open in fall 2014.

Honda to Invest $180M morein Anna, OH, Engine Plant

Chrysler will exhibit at 2013 ASRW inthe all-new OEM Rotunda area on theshow floor.

“We are so pleased to welcomeChrysler and Mopar back to ASRW,and are grateful for their support of thisyear’s show,” said Dan Risley, ASAexecutive director. “We are focused onmaking changes to ASRW to provideexactly what our attendees want, en-gaging with the OEMs on the showfloor. Their presence is critically im-portant to the success of the show.”

Darrell Amberson, AAM, ASAchairman, said, “Our industry startsand stops with the car manufacturers.Their support of the show is a clear in-dication of their commitment to sup-port those who repair their vehicles.”

Ford will also return to ASRWthis year. Chrysler and Ford will bejoining I-CAR in the OEM Rotunda.The OEM Rotunda is one of the newestadditions to the ASRW show floor.

“We value the opportunity tomeet face-to-face with the automotiveservice/repair community and discussChrysler and Mopar’s role in serviceinformation, parts procurement andnew vehicle technologies,” saidPatrick Dougherty, vice president,Mopar Sales and Field Operations.

For more information, please visitasrwevents.com.

Chrysler and Ford to Exhibitat 2013 ASRW Rotunda

The i8 will be the world’s first volume-produced vehicles to be equipped withchemically hardened glass or GorillaGlass as it’s called in the smartphoneworld. It will be used to separate thepassenger compartment and trunk ofthe i8 and is comprised of two layers,each 0.7 millimeters thick withacoustic sheeting between.

Gorilla Glass is the registeredtrademark for an alkali-aluminosil-icate sheet toughened glass manu-factured by American glassmakerCorning, Inc.

Engineered for a combinationof thinness, lightness, and damage-resistance, it is used primarily as thecover glass for portable electronicdevices including mobile phones,portable media players, laptop com-puter displays, and some televisionscreens. It is manufactured using ionexchange to produce compressiveresidual stress at the surface to pre-vent cracks from propagating.

BMW i8 Series will be first touse Corning’s Gorilla Glass

Mercedes-Benz has done a 180 onhead-up display and now plans tooffer the feature on its redesigned Sclass and C class. The redesigned S-class flagship arrives in showroomsin September. Head-up display is ex-pected to be added as an option toboth the S class and C class in the fallof 2014. Mercedes’ system will proj-ect speed, navigation data and certainwarning lights onto the windshield.

The system likely will include awarning function if a pedestrian isdetected by the vehicle’s night visionsystem.

Today head-up display systemsare offered by several carmakers andthe technology comes in various de-grees of sophistication. BMW launchedhead-up display in 2003. Audi offers iton the A6 and the A7. Mercedes issomewhat late to the game. Daimler en-gineers have previously thought head-up display to be a potential driverdistraction, but this assessment has beenreversed.

Mercedes-Benz to OfferHead-up Windshield Display

BMW Considering Mexico-based Assembly Plant

The Tesla Model S got a rave reviewfrom the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration’s crash test.NHTSA gave the Model S its top five-star rating for each safety category:front-end crash, side crash and rollovercrash. NHTSA had not previously testedthe Model S or Tesla’s other model, theTesla Roadster. While triple 5-star rat-ings are not rare, there are plenty ofmodels that do not get that top score, anaccomplishment for a new automakerthat has not had years of vehicle designsand safety measures to fall back on.

Tesla Model S Gets 5 Stars

BMW is studying expanding its NorthAmerican manufacturing footprintwith an assembly plant in Mexico.Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW ofNorth America, said that the automakerhas been in preliminary discussionswith “local governments” in Mexicoabout the possibility of building a fac-tory in their districts. He declined tospecify which areas of Mexico thatBMW is studying or which vehiclesthe automaker would build there.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. hasagain increased its 2013 sales target.At Toyota’s recent national dealermeeting in Atlanta, Bob Carter,senior vice president, told dealershe expects Toyota and Scion divi-sions to sell more than 2 millionunits this year. Including Lexus, thetally should exceed 2.25 million.

Toyota has increased its indus-try forecast to 15.5 million units forthe year. At the beginning of 2013,Toyota predicted the industrywould finish around 14.7 millionsales. In April, Toyota bumped its2013 industry estimate to 15.3 mil-lion.

Toyota Expects to Sell 2.25MVehicles in U.S. in 2013

General Motors, working on the nextgeneration of the Chevrolet Voltplug-in hybrid, is aiming to improvethe electric-only range of the car byat least 20 percent, said CEO DanAkerson. The first-generation Volt,which was introduced in 2010, cantravel an estimated 38 miles on bat-tery power before a gasoline engineengages. Akerson wants more, as hetold Automotive News.

“We hope to extend that signif-icantly,” Akerson said during an in-terview on Bloomberg Radio to bebroadcast in September. “For some-thing to be significant to me, I've gotto get at least a 20 percent improve-ment in performance. If we can getit up to 50, 60 miles or more, wewill, but that's going to be anotherthree to four years out.”

GM Wants to Improve VoltElectric Range by 20%




Nissan Sees Triple Last YearLeaf Sales, Boosts OutputNissan plans to begin building moreall-electric Leafs as dealers ask formore of the once slow-selling car.Retailers have been selling about2,000 Leafs a month which is tripleits volume of a year ago, before thecar was moved into U.S. production.

Through July, Nissan sold11,703 Leafs in the United States—a230 percent increase over the 3,543units sold during the seven monthslast year. The company sold 1,864 ofthe cars in July, compared with 395during July 2012.

Nissan is already taking meas-ures to increase its output of electricmotors from its engine factory inDecherd, TN, Bill Krueger, NissanAmericas vice chairman.

Battery prices worldwide havedecreased Nissan’s outlay for theLeaf, allowing it to check costs. Nis-san is the only North American au-tomaker that produces an all-electriccar, its battery module and the elec-tric motor that powers it.

Competitor GM Volt has an-nounced a $4K rebate on the 2013Volt and $5K on the 2012, of whichit has 6000 in inventory and says itwill carry over to the 2014 Volts.Lease prices have also been reduced.

Hyundai is recalling certain modelyear 2006-2010 Sonata vehiclesmanufactured March 1, 2005,through January 21, 2010; andmodel year 2006-2011 Azera vehi-cles manufactured September 27,2005, through November 22, 2010originally sold in, or currently reg-istered in, Connecticut, Delaware,Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine,Maryland, Massachusetts, Michi-gan, Minnesota, Missouri, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New York,Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsinand the District of Columbia. Roadsalt and water can enter portions ofthe rear crossmember, leading tocorrosion of the crossmember steel.This may lead to detachment of oneof the rear control arms.

Control arm separation maysuddenly change the rear wheelalignment, affecting the handling ofthe vehicle, increasing the risk of acrash.

Hyundai will notify owners,and dealers will repair or replace thecrossmember assembly. The recallis expected to begin by the end ofSeptember 2013. Hyundai’s recallnumber is 113.

Hyundai to Recall 239K of its05-10 Sonatas in ‘Rust Belt’

General Motors has added a week ofproduction at its Chevrolet Cruze fac-tory in Lordstown, Ohio, to meetgrowing U.S. demand for the com-pact car. The Lordstown Assemblyplant was originally scheduled to beclosed the week of Aug. 26, UAWLocal 1112 said on its Web site. Now,workers will continue to assemble thecars “as normal” that week, the unionlocal said.

“Sales have been brisk,” saidGM spokesman Annalisa Bluhm.“We didn't want to lose momentum sowe decided to abstain from taking theweek off.” In July, U.S. sales of theCruze shot up 70 percent to 25,447vehicles over July 2012, according tothe Automotive News Data Center.

GM Adds Production Weekon Cruze, Yr on Yr up 70%

BMW is recalling certain modelyear 2009-2010 X5 xDrive35d ve-hicles equipped with a diesel engineand manufactured from June 13,2009, through November 9, 2009.The fuel filter heater, which is usedfor warming up the diesel fuel dur-ing vehicle operation at low outsidetemperatures, could experience anelectrical overload condition andbecome permanently activated.

The fuel filter heater could re-main activated even when the igni-tion is off and lead to a dead battery.The unit could also overheat, possi-bly resulting in a vehicle fire.

BMW will notify owners, anddealers will replace the fuel filterheater, free of charge. The safety recallis expected to begin in August 2013.Owners may contact BMW customerrelations at 1-800-525-7417.

This recall is an expansion ofsafety recall 11V-441. Owners mayalso contact the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration Vehi-cle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or goto www.safercar.gov.

BMW to Recall 1,500 09-10X5s for Fuel Filter Heaters

Hyundai Recalling Santa FesHyundai is recalling certain modelyear 2013 Santa Fe Sport vehiclesmanufactured July 13, 2012, throughMarch 12, 2013; and equipped with2.4 liter engines, due to a manufactur-ing issue, the right front axle shaft mayfracture, resulting in a loss of power tothe wheels. Without the parking brakeapplied, it may roll away.

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Valspar Automotive announced thatDiscovery Channel series “Fast ‘NLoud” shop, Gas Monkey Garage, isexclusively using Valspar Automo-tive’s De Beer Refinish line of paintand refinishing products on the popu-lar car restoration show.

“Fast ‘N Loud” star RichardRawlings and show painter KC Math-ieu are using Valspar Automotive’s DeBeer Refinish products to help themtake old hot rods from neglected carsto unique automotive restoration showpieces. “Fast ‘N Loud” featuring DeBeer Refinish products currently airson Monday evenings at 9:00 p.m. EST.on the Discovery Channel.

Rawlings, the owner of Gas Mon-key Garage and visionary behind the“Fast ‘N Loud” creations, is revved upabout incorporating De Beer productsinto the show’s work this season.

“Valspar Automotive’s De BeerRefinish products help bring our cre-ative visions to life—no matter howcrazy or wild those visions might be,”said Rawlings. “I’d personally pickthese products to restore a car of myown, so I’m really excited to incorpo-rate De Beer into Gas Monkey Garageand ‘Fast ‘N Loud.’”

Rawlings, Mathieu and the crewat Gas Monkey Garage are using theDe Beer BeroBase 500 high-qualitybasecoat system. This complete sys-tem allows all solid, metallic andpearl/mica car color formulations, andit can be applied with both conven-tional and high efficiency techniques.“There’s no better way to show off thehigh-impact quality of the De Beer500 Series than by using this productto refinish unique hot rods,” saidPeter Willman, General Manager ofValspar Automotive. “If anyone canshow the versatility and uniqueness ofthis product, it’s Richard Rawlings,

KC Mathieu and the crew in Dallas.”

Valspar Automotive Introduces NewSpectrophotometer and Color Informa-tion MapsValspar Automotive recently introducedtwo new tools that make it easier for

auto body professionals tomatch colors more accurately.Valspar Automotive Spec-trophotometer takes colormatching a step further by pro-viding a computer-based inter-face that works with ValsparColor Software to instantlyformulate solid base coat col-ors and also calculates and dis-plays color match accuracy on

effect colors. The Valspar Color Infor-mation Maps allow professionals tomatch colors using chips that aresprayed with Valspar Automotive paintto accurately depict the applied finish.

“These new tools were developedwith extensive input from body shopprofessionals and address the criticalneed of depicting how a particular au-tomotive finish will look,” said PeterWillman, General Manager of ValsparAutomotive.

“Valspar Automotive prides itselfon providing the best in color-match-ing technology, support and service.”

The Valspar SpectrophotometerThe Valspar Automotive Spectropho-tometer offers a precise color matchwith the click of a button, even colorsthat prove difficult to match. It is aversatile alternative when comparedto other color matching tools in themarket, offering a Smart FormulationOption that ensures a color match can

be made in a variety of lighting con-ditions. The user-friendly interface en-sures anyone in the body shop can usethe Spectrophotometer to make an ac-curate color match. This means bodyshops can benefit from making thebest color match possible with less re-work and optimized profitability.

“Body shops must adhere to ahigh standard when it comes to detail,and this resource empowers thoseshops to easily make an exact matchfor the color they need,” said Will-

man. “We’re pleased to offer this toolto our customers.”

Valspar Color Information MapsValspar Automotive Color Informa-tion Maps are available in three dif-ferent color books to represent solidcolors, single stage colors and basecoat effect colors. Professionals cansearch for colors by family, or matchcolors without a code. Additionally,the maps can be used to provide cus-tomers with a wide variety of coloroptions when selecting a finish.

“Our new Color Information Mapsare a great addition to our lineup ofbody shop tools,” said Willman. “Thesemaps are a straightforward way for pro-fessionals in the field to find the rightfinish.”

More information about De BeerRefinish can be found at www.de-beer.com. For additional informationabout Valspar Automotive visit:www.valsparauto.com.


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Heat IllnessOSHA has made heat stress and its im-pacts on workers a priority problemthis summer. Since 2008, there havebeen several heat related fatalitiesthroughout the country, including somein southern Wisconsin and northeast-ern Illinois. As a result, OSHA has im-plemented a nationwide Heat IllnessPrevention Campaign.

Heat stress results when the bodycannot naturally cool itself. As a con-sequence, a variety of heat illnessescan occur, ranging from minor heatrash to serious—and sometimesfatal—heat stroke. Some people aremore susceptible to heat illness thanothers. Persons who work outsideand/or perform strenuous work activi-ties in heavy clothing are most at riskfor developing a heat-related illness.The protection of these more suscep-tible workers is a priority for OSHA.

OSHA’s heat awareness programis summarized by “Water, Rest, Shade.”Specifically, if workers are in an envi-ronment that could produce heat stress,OSHA recommends that they:● Drink water every 15 minutes, evenif not thirsty;● Rest in shade to cool down;● Wear a hat and light colored cloth-ing;

● Learn the signs of heat illness andwhat to do in a heat-related emer-gency;● Keep an eye on fellow workers (instressful conditions a buddy system isrecommended); and;● Acclimate to conditions slowly.● Use sunscreen protection with a sunprotection filter (SPF) of 30 or more.

IsocyanatesIsocyanates are chemical compoundscontaining the isocyanate group(–NCO). Isocyanates in the form ofraw materials are incorporated intonumerous polyurethane products,such as foams, paints, spandex fibers,insulation materials, car seats, mat-tresses, under carpet padding, packag-ing materials, polyurethane rubber,adhesives and fiberglass.

Many industries in addition tocollision repairers use polyurethaneproducts (and isocyanates), includingautomotive interiors, medical care,printing, plastics, mining, textiles,paints, food, building constructionand electronics. Thus, isocyanates arewidely used and are found in many ofthe products we use.

The health effects of isocyanatesinclude irritation of skin and mucousmembranes, difficulty breathing and

chest tightness. OSHA and similarregulators have developed occupa-tional exposure limits for eight iso-cyanate components. One isocyanate,2,4-toluene diisocyanate, has beenclassified as reasonably anticipated tobe a human carcinogen.

OSHA and its counterpart agenciesalso have prepared several referencedocuments addressing isocyanates.

On June 20, 2013, OSHA re-leased a new Instruction for the FieldOperations Manual (Instruction Man-ual) regarding isocyanates. The In-struction Manual describes policiesand procedures for implementing aNational Emphasis Program on Oc-cupational Exposure to Isocyanatesto identify and reduce/eliminate theincidences of adverse health effectsassociated with occupational expo-sure to isocyanates. OSHAʼs Instruc-tion Manual sets forth a system thattargets multiple industries and fo-cuses on evaluating inhalation, der-mal and other routes of occupationalexposure to isocyanates.

If you have employees who workwith polyurethane (and isocyanates),you should consult the InstructionManual.

See https://www.osha.gov/Osh-Doc/Directive_pdf/CPL_03-00-017.pdf

OSHA Focused on Preventing Summer Heat Illness, Isocyanates Ongoing Concern

According to the Mitchell Interna-tional Third Quarter 2013 IndustryTrends Report, the number of deal-ership body shops continues to drop.Citing research from the NationalAutomobile Dealers Association(NADA), Mitchell estimated that 34percent of dealerships featured on-site body shops in 2012, a declinefrom the 36 percent estimated tohave had shops in 2011.

NADA reported approximately6,314 dealers operating on-site bodyshops in 2011. By those numbers,Mitchell estimates there were 5,996operating in 2012. This is a sharp de-cline from the 8,692 shops NADAestimated to be in operation back in2006.

Based on a preliminary esti-mate of independent repair facilitiesin the U.S., Mitchell pegged the totalcollision repair facility population at40,448 facilities in 2012 with ap-proximately 14.8 percent being on-site dealer facilities.

Despite the decreasing numberof shops, the total amount of body-work performed by all new-vehicledealerships was up slightly from$6.78 billion in 2011 to $6.9 billionin 2012.

Dealerships Continued toLose Body Shops in 2012

questioned that change.“What we tried to do over the

years was distinguish those who stepup to a higher level,” CIC Administra-tor Jeff Hendler told the committee.“Now just to be in the collision busi-ness I’ve got to meet all this? But whatdo we do about those who don’t? Whatdo you call those guys?”

As he did at CIC earlier this yearwhen the committee presented a draftof the document, Aaron Schulen-burg of the Society of Collision Re-pair Specialists (SCRS) noted that thedefinition includes things like a shopmanagement system and ongoing CSIdocumentation that top-tier shops mayneed but that aren’t required by everyshop.

But Definitions Committee chair-man Chris Evans of State Farm saidthe committee had input from all seg-ments of the industry as it did its workon the definition. He also pointed to avote at CIC in January which he saidshowed support for the change in thedocument’s name. At that meeting,about 45 percent of CIC participantsvoted to rename it as the “minimum re-quirements” for a shop, but over halfwere split among the other alternatives

offered, including keeping the defini-tion unchanged from the 2005 version,revising it but maintaining it as the def-inition of a “Class A shop,” or deletingit altogether from the CIC website.

As a “conference” rather than aformal organization, CIC has no by-laws nor formal voting requirements.But traditionally before any commit-tee’s work product is considered fi-nalized and published on the CICwebsite, a floor vote is taken.

Although no vote to approve the3-page document was taken in Boston,CIC Chairman George Avery said hefelt the committee had completed itswork (which began last year), and thefinalized definition could be turnedover to the CIC Standards Committee.

“Let’s see where it fits in thework they are doing,” Avery said, al-though later in the meeting he said thatthe topic could be reviewed then ornext year. “And now let’s move it intowhat’s happening with this processwith the Standards Committee.”

As with all its work, CIC has noability to implement the definitionsor recommendations it develops. Butthe “Class A” shop definition hasbeen among the CIC documents mostwidely used in a variety of ways overthe years by insurers, associations,government agencies and other or-ganizations.


Class A Shops

My first glimpse of malicious competi-tors was seeing a runner for one bodyshop remove a competitor’s businesscards in an insurance agent’s office, andreplace them with his own. In a highlycompetitive market, some shops maybe striving to steal other shop’s businesswhen the number of jobs in the area isdeclining. In addition to the straightfor-ward attempts to push a shop out of adealership deal in order to gain the au-thorized repair center designation, I’veseen some shops stoop to discrediting acompetitor in every way possible.Sometimes signs are defaced, taggerssent to put an ugly image on a shop’sfences and exterior, and more. If youspot someone taking photos of yourshop or vehicles parked in your lot or inthe vicinity of your shop, get that per-son’s name and file a police report atonce.

These days a common maliciouspractice is placing phony complaintsagainst a shop on Yelp and local referral

websites. One shop suspected a com-petitor of having a vehicle brought intohis shop and deliberately sabotaged tocreate an insurance company and Boardof Auto Repair complaint and a viciousstory to be sent to the press and put on-line. The shop owner suspected he wasunder attack when an anonymous tipalso sent OSHA inspectors into his shopfor supposed code violations. Anony-mous complaints are most difficult todefend against, but even a complaint bysomeone giving his or her name couldstill be someone connected to a compet-ing shop. One shop that was broken intoresulting in the loss of numerous radios,GPS systems and more, suspected acompetitor of either arranging the theftor at least providing information on howto get into the shop at night.

How far will a malicious competi-tor go to undermine a shop he wants outof the way? In the famous fictional in-dustrial espionage tale, “Willy Wonkaand the Chocolate Factory,” author

Roald Dahl has the evil Slugworth try-ing to steal Wonka’s secret recipes bybribing young visitors to get them fromthe Oompa Loompa sweets maker. Dobody shop owners have trade secrets?Could a competitor squash a shop’smarketing strategy efforts if he knewthem in advance? Hacking into a com-pany’s computer system may be themost modern way to steal trade secrets,but experts say most thefts still occurthe old fashioned way, by sneaking intoa company’s offices and making offwith classified information.

Ira Winkler, a top corporate se-curity analyst, in his book “SpiesAmong Us: How to Stop the Spies, Ter-rorists, Hackers, and Criminals YouDon’t Even Know You EncounterEvery Day,” Winkler estimates Ameri-can companies lose as much as $300billion a year to pirating, counterfeitingand other corporate theft. He says insidejobs are another tried-and-true method.We just saw an example of that when

several people were busted as they at-tempted to sell Coca-Cola secrets torival cola giant, Pepsi. Could a com-petitor pay off an employee in his tar-get body shop to report on plannedmarketing activities? How could a shopowner defend against a devious attackof this nature?

One news article reports that ex-perts say the best defense against cor-porate theft is to thoroughly vetemployees who have access to sensitiveinformation. Then make sure that thatinformation is secure. If a breach oc-curs, report it to law enforcement assoon as possible. Corporations oftenhire a security analyst to perform simu-lated espionage to test the company’ssecurity system. While few shops havethe kind of sensitive information that acompetitor might try to steal, there aremany more basic ways to mess with ashop’s marketing and to try to discredittheir image.


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Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has writtennumerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at [email protected]. See Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

See Franklin, Page 40


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Chief University, the training arm of colli-sion repair industry leader Chief Automo-tive Technologies, has added 14 classes toits remaining third quarter schedule, in-cluding one new session of its flagship De-sign Based Repair course. A total of 26classes will be taught in August and Sep-tember at a variety of locations across theUnited States. Courses combine classroomlearning with hands-on training using re-cently damaged vehicles.

Class offerings are updated fre-quently. A partial schedule of availableclasses is below. For the most up-to-date schedule, course descriptions andto register, visit www.chiefautomo-tive.com/training/chiefuniversity.asp.

Technician/Estimator/AppraiserDesign Based RepairSept. 10-11 Orem, UT

Technician, Computerized MeasuringAug. 13-14 Charlottesville, VAAug. 20-21 Kansas City, MOAug. 27-28 Altoona, PASept. 10-11 Norwalk, CASept. 17-18 Denver, CO

Full Frame Analysis & Repair PlanningAug. 19-20 Collegeville, PAAug. 22-23 Kansas City, MO

Unitized Body Analysis & Planning

Aug. 6-7 Troy, NYSept. 19-20 Kansas City, MO

Estimator/Appraiser, Structural DamageAnalysisAug. 21-23 Portland, ORSept. 10-12 Windsor, CTSept. 24-26 Collegeville, PA

Advanced Frame AnalysisAug. 6-7 Houston, TXAug. 8-9 Walla Walla, WAAug. 15-16 Charlottesville, VAAug. 27-28 St. Louis, MOSept. 17-18 Windsor, CTSept. 24-25 Lakewood, CO

Advanced Steering/Suspension AnalysisAug. 6-7 Walla Walla, WAAug. 8-9 Houston, TXAug. 29-30 St. Louis, MOSept. 12-13 Norwalk, CASept. 12-13 Orem, UTSept. 19-20 Windsor, CTSept. 26-27 Lakewood, CO

Most Chief University classes cost $655.Structural Damage Analysis is a three-daycourse that costs $985. To register for aclass or find more information, visitwww.chiefautomotive. com or call (800)445-9262. See twitter.com/ChiefAutomo-tive, www.facebook.com/ChiefAutomo-tive, www.youtube.com/ChiefAutomotive.

Chief Expands its 3rd Qtr Training Schedule

Where it is still common for acci-dent victims to try to get three esti-mates, I’ve heard of a shop ownerdeliberately sending a prospective re-pair customer to the worst two othershops he could think of, where he couldbe sure the customer would get a highor faulty estimate. Some have masteredthe fine art of tactfully bad-mouthingthe competition to instill enough doubtabout their integrity and reliability toeliminate them from the running.

One shop owner I know wasstunned when he lost a couple of deal-ership deals he had for many years. Hesimply wasn’t prepared for the aggres-sive attacks on his quality that weremade. Just running a shop is a full-timejob and that doesn’t leave a lot of timeto be policing business relationshipsand marketing maneuvers. But in ahighly competitive business environ-ment, it’s naive to assume all competi-tive moves will be honest and aboveboard. Thomas Jefferson said “Eternalvigilance is the price of freedom,” but,in a body shop, constant vigilance maywell be the price of survival.


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Two BMW owners have voluntarilydismissed their lawsuit against theautomaker without prejudice in theU.S. District Court, Central Districtof California, after BMW gave no-tice of a second, similar case filed inCalifornia. The original lawsuit al-leged the sunroof in several BMWmodels are defectively designed,which allows water to come in andcause damage.

Attorneys for Walter Changand Annie Stubbs filed the dis-missal after BMW gave notice of asimilar putative class action that hasbeen filed against the company inthe U.S. Central California DistrictCourt. The related case is MonitaSharma and Eric Anderson versusBMW North America.

Attorneys for Chang andStubbs alleged that the defectivesunroofs were a safety hazard due topotential flooding. They claimed thecost to repair the sunroofs is “exor-bitant.” They had demanded a jurytrial and sought reimbursement aswell as compensatory, exemplaryand statutory damages, including in-terest. They also sought class actionstatus for owners in Florida and Cal-ifornia.

Plaintiffs Join Class Action onBMW Sunroof Case

The Collision Industry ElectronicCommerce Association (CIECA)announced Aug. 15 that it will beginthe development of new standardsfor mobile and cloud computing.

The new standard, BMSmc, isthe third generation of CIECA stan-dards, messages and codes, and willbe available in late 2014.

CIECA is initially focusing onrepair status, first notice of loss(FNOL) and scheduling during de-velopment in Java Script ObjectNotation (JSON). This will allowCIECA members to develop stan-dards, messages and codes forserver-to-server applications andmobile-to-mobile device and serverapplications.

Three teams have already beenchartered to develop the new BMSmcmessages.

“This is an exciting time forCIECA. Implementations havebeen increasing and CIECA is ex-tending its business message suiteto include mobile and cloud stan-dards, messages and codes,” saidFred Iantorno, executive director ofCIECA.

More information can be foundat www.cieca.com.

CIECA Announces NewStandards for Mobile/Cloud

Automotive aftermarket safety productdeveloper Kinetech announced thepatent infringement lawsuit filedagainst the company by Williams &Lake, LLC was voluntarily dismissedby the plaintiff. The complaint, whichwas initially filed months ago in theU.S. District Court for the District ofArizona, was never served.

“While we never for a momentlost confidence in the strength of ourintellectual property, this news defi-nitely validates our position in the mar-ketplace.”

“Kinetech and its team remaindedicated to providing our highly-ratedsafety products to our customers,” saidMark Olson, president of Kinetech.“While we never for a moment lostconfidence in the strength of our intel-lectual property, this news validates ourposition in the marketplace.”

Kinetech’s product is an award-winning, active automotive safety de-vice that improves the reaction time ofdrivers, especially distracted drivers,by creating an attention-getting alertwhen cars are slowing down or stop-ping. The product is designed andmanufactured in the U.S. and sold andinstalled by new car dealerships acrossthe nation.

Kinnetech Lawsuit Droppedby Plaintiff Williams & Lake


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The National Auto Body Council isstill accepting Body Shop ImageAward nominations for the 2013year! The competition, which runsthrough early-September, applies toany body shop remodeling projectcompleted during the calendar year2013 and also 2012! One winnerand three runners-up will be recog-nized. Each will receive visualrecognition on the NABC website.The name of every facility enteringthe competition will be listed on thewebsite, as well. In addition, thewinner will receive a trip for two inthe continental US, 2 nights stay,and some spending money, with thewhole trip package capped at$1,500. Those wishing to submit ashop for consideration should sub-mit a nomination form to theNABC with three exterior imagesand one interior image of the facil-ity (before and after pictures, soeight total images should be sub-mitted). A form and a complete de-scription of the nominating processis available at http://www.auto-bodycouncil.org/files/NABC_nom-inate_imageaward.pdf

Body Shop ImprovementsMay Earn Image Award

The National Auto Body Council isstill accepting nominations for the2013 year. Do you know someone whodeserves this great award? Someonewho has gone out of their way to pro-mote the image of the Auto Body in-dustry. They could be a vehiclemanufacturer, supplier/vendor, educa-tor, insurer, independent appraiser ortrade association. Send all nomina-tions in before September 15, 2013!The Award of Distinction has beengiven for bravery, philanthropy, char-ity, and selfless acts of kindness. Ittranscends the rigors of daily businessto uncover those helping the worldaround them without a thought ofrecognition for themselves. Any indi-vidual, business organization, or groupemployed in a collision industry-re-lated segment such as collision repairfacility, manufacturer, supplier/vendor,educator, insurer, independent ap-praiser or trade association is eligible.The winner will receive a trip for twoin the continental US, 2 nights stay, andsome spending money, with the wholetrip package capped at $1,500. Formore information contact: KentSeavey, NABC Award Chairman,Phone: (201-448-5158) or e-mail:[email protected].

NABC Award of DistinctionNominations Still Open

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Ecotality, Inc. said Aug. 12 that it mayneed to file for bankruptcy, citing ad-verse developments that may impactits ability to meet ongoing obligationsand also fund anticipated operatinglosses. The company’s shares aredown more than 74 percent in the reg-ular trading session. The San Fran-cisco-based maker of electric vehiclecharging and energy storage systemssaid in a filing with the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) thatwhile it is exploring options for a re-structuring or sale of its entire busi-nesses or assets, it may file forbankruptcy as part of any suchprocess in the very near future. Thecompany said that recent adverse de-velopments include, among others,failure to attain sales volumes of itscommercial electric vehicle serviceequipment or EVSE that were neededto support the company’s operationsin the second half of 2013. In addi-tion, the U.S. Department of Energyinformed Ecotality that it was sus-pending payments to the company inconnection with the EV Project. Thecompany noted that the suspensionhas had a significant impact on re-ceivables that were anticipated to becollected from the DOE.

Charging System MakerSays it May File Bankruptcy

Mitchell has announced the releaseof five new add-ons to the Repair-Center ToolStore. The company saysthese add-ons bring extensive func-tionality from third-party partnersinto Mitchell’s RepairCenter plat-form. They will be joining a wide se-lection of other add-ons in theToolStore catalog, where all the add-ons can be browsed and added in-stantly.

“Shops will now have even moreexpanded and powerful capabilities attheir fingertips with Mitchell’s Re-pairCenter through their ToolStoreadd-ons,” said Brian Elmi, seniorproduct manager, auto physical dam-age solutions.

“The third-party services thatshops use on a day-to-day basis willnow be available to them all in oneplace, through easy-to-use add-ons intheir RepairCenter. With these newadd-ons, shops will be able to doeverything from shipping and order-ing parts, to managing their parts in-ventory with third-party services intheir RepairCenter.”

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Over the past six years, the age of theaverage collision repairer has in-creased to 38.7 years old, which meansmany repairers will be retiring in thenear future. In turn, this creates a direneed for entry-level repairers, and inanticipation of this crisis, the CollisionRepair Education Foundation hastaken the proactive step of supportingtraining programs for future repairers.Brandon Eckenrode, Director of De-velopment, believes this is imperativebecause “the more actively engagedthe industry can be with the highschool and college collision programs,instructors and students, the brighterthe industry’s future will be.”

Established in 1991 to develop,promote and distribute a curriculumprogram to ensure entry-level employ-ees received training on needed skills,the Education Foundation continued tosell curriculum and provide educa-tional support through various pro-grams, such as CRIN and the Training

Alliance, until 2008 when curriculumsales and support moved to I-CAR, al-lowing the Foundation to focus exclu-sively on acquiring and distributingdonations to schools and students inthe form of scholarships and grants.Now, the Foundation is a purely phil-

anthropic organization with the solepurpose of raising money to supportand educate future collision repairers.Though I-CAR still plays a key role inallowing the Foundation to operate asa four-person organization, they

changed their name in 2010 to distin-guish their organization from I-CARas a way of clarifying that I-CARtraining tuition fees do not support theEducation Foundation.

Their mission is “to secure dona-tions that support philanthropic and

collision repair education ac-tivities that promote and en-hance career opportunities inthe industry.” According toEckenrode, “it’s a full circlefrom support to staff- the col-lision industry provides mon-etary and in-kind donations tothe Foundation, which arethen distributed to highschool/college collision pro-grams, and these donations

help assist in providing the best tech-nical education possible for the stu-dents, and then these students areideally hired into the industry.”

The Education Foundation’s cur-rent goal is to educate the industry on

who they are and who they support, inaddition to getting more industrymembers involved in order to raise thelevel of support they provide. Ecken-rode hopes that they will help placeentry-level students in a more organ-ized way in the future, in addition toproviding a higher level of financialsupport. They’ve already begun to ed-ucate guidance counselors on the in-dustry, teaching them about the greatcareer opportunities students can findin the collision repair industry. Ac-cording to Eckenrode, “through an in-crease in support, specifically withmonetary donations, we can fill in thegaps within these instructors’ collisionbudgets and ensure that they have allof the proper tools, equipment andsupplies needed to teach the students.”

Eckenrode is the sole full-timefundraiser for the Education Founda-tion, focusing his efforts on locatingsupporters within the industry as wellas working in communications to in-


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Education Foundation Draws On the Industry’s Generosity to Support Next Repairer Generation

with Rick WhiteShop Management

with Stefan GesterkampPaint Management

with Gonzo WeaverGonzo’s Toolbox

with Richard ArnoldJobber Journal

Mainstream Media

with Dale DelmegeAsk Dale

Mainstream Media

Automakers’ Actions and Analysisby Autobody News Staff

Shop Showcaseby Autobody News Staff

with Ed AttanasioShop and Product Showcase

with Ed AttanasioConsumer Callout

with Walter DanalevichShop Strategies for Savings

with The Insurance InsiderInside Insurance

with Rich EvansCustom Corner

with Chasidy Rae SiskCompany Connections

with Chasidy Rae SiskNortheast News

with Chasidy Rae SiskShop Showcase

with Erica SchroederShop Showcase

with Erica SchroederShop Snapshot

Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware,who writes on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family ofNASCAR fans. She can be contacted at [email protected].

form the industry of the Foundation’sefforts. When asked if his work is re-warding, Eckenrode notes, “Reward-ing doesn’t fully describe the work for

me. I believe we are ‘facilitators of thisindustry’s generosity,’ and when youhear instructors get choked up becauseyou were able to send them a box ofsafety glasses for his/her students orget to inform a student that they are therecipient of a $5000 scholarship, itmakes you proud of our industry formaking that possible.”

Eckenrode fondly recalls theirCintas technician shirt project whenthey provided promotional shirts tostudents attending NACE severalyears ago. The project led to the distri-

bution of nearly 10,000 shirts, and hehas been amazed to hear how this“uniform” has transformed students’attitudes, giving them a sense of pro-

fessionalism and pride. Assuch, he hopes to expand theprogram even further.

Melissa Marscin serves asthe Foundation’s Director ofGrant Programs, distributingthe donations received,whether those donations arein-kind product donations,school grants or scholarships.Distribution plays a vital rolein their mission as they striveto ensure that received supportis distributed where it is most

needed; their application process iscritical in providing information onwhere support is needed and what ex-actly the need is.

Marscin says, “I have the best jobin the world because I am able to giveout scholarships and grant funds to de-serving schools and students. And thebest part is that I am able to directlysee that my work is helping to improvethe collision programs which, in turn,help to produce better entry-level tech-nicians for the industry. It is extremelyrewarding to have a student or instruc-

tor call me and say ‘thank you’… youreally never realize how much of a dif-ference you are making until you re-ceive those notes and speak to theinstructors or students in person, andthen hear how the Foundation haschanged their life.”

When Marscin was asked for anexample of a rewarding experience,she said, “my favorite story is oneabout a recent $3 million donation tothe schools which included basicthings like sandpaper. The donationcame late in the school year, and oneof the instructors who received theitems said he literally had no budgetleft for supplies this year, and he wasworrying about how he would finishout the school year. Then, this box ofmaterials showed up, and he said hefelt like he won our $50,000 grant! It’samazing what a difference a small item

like sandpaper means to schools, espe-cially with their budget challenges.The Education Foundation has beencalled Santa more than once, and it isalways a great feeling to see that weare making a difference.”

The Collision Repair EducationFoundation receives donations fromindustry supporters nationwide, andboth products and monetary donationsare then distributed to high schools,technical schools and college collisionprograms, instructors and students inall 50 states. All segments of the colli-sion repair industry, and any outsideentity as well, are invited to donateproducts and scholarship money to theFoundation. Eckenrode encouragessuch donations; “donated tools, equip-ment, supplies, and other materialsgreatly assist collision school instruc-tors who are working with very mini-mal budgets. In 2012, we raised arecord $4.9 million, and we are track-ing slightly above (3%) that amounthalf way through 2013 so far.”

In 2013, 126 schools applied forthe Foundation’s “Ultimate CollisionEducation Makeover” grant, a huge in-crease from the 72 applications submit-ted last year. Marscin believes this grantis very important because “as schoolbudgets continue to decrease, schoolsneed a way to supplement their budg-

ets, and the Makeover is a perfect solu-tion to this. The winning schools get$50,000 worth of tools, supplies, andequipment for their collision program,and we have hundreds of smaller prizesto help schools get supplies to betterteach their students. Every school thatapplies does get some donations out ofthis program, so it is beneficial forevery collision school to apply!”

Any school offering a collision re-pair program is eligible for grants byfilling out an annual survey that helpsthe Education Foundation collect im-portant data on trends and statisticswithin the industry.

According to Eckenrode, “theCollision Repair Education Founda-tion plays a vital role within the indus-try as we are supporting its futureprofessionals. The more actively en-gaged the industry can be with the high

school and college collisionschool programs, instructorsand students, the brighter theindustry’s future will be…Supporting the schools, in-structors and students is vital,but we also need to collec-tively do a better job in show-casing this industry as a great

career choice to students/ parents at anearly stage in their education.”

It’s easy to make a monetary, tax-deductible donation or in-kind productdonation. Simply visit the Founda-tion’s website, or email Eckenrodewho invites “any and all industrymembers to reach out to us to helpthem find a collision school programin their area and get involved. The in-dustry taking an active role with theirlocal schools assists in these studentsbeing able to graduate as efficient, pro-ductive entry-level workers.”

Why would a collision repair fa-cility want to support the Collision Re-pair Education Foundation?Eckenrode’s answer is simple; “to do-nate to the Foundation is a re-invest-ment in the industry’s future.”

Collision Repair Education Founda-tionhttp://CollisionEducationFounda-tion.org5125 Trillium BoulevardHoffman Estates, IL [email protected]


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US design patent terms for car compo-nents are set to shrink dramatically if anew package of laws goes into force.This proposal has drawn internationalattention to US patent law and its im-pact on the rest of the industry.

Jo Russell, an English RadioCommentator, interviewed two repre-sentatives from both sides of the argu-ment to get to the pros and cons fromtwo major industry groups. Here is herinterview.

Measures have been reintroducedto US Congress that will amend cur-rent design patent law in the motor[vehicle] sector. The Promoting Auto-motive Repair, Trade, and Sales(PARTS) Act is sponsored by OrrinHatch—the prominent Senator who,in the 1980s, set the ball rolling for theDrug Price Competition and PatentTerm Restoration Act. While thatpiece of legislation provided brandedpharmaceutical products with short-term patent extensions, PARTS takesan altogether different road—aimingto cut the length of time for whichmanufacturers of collision repair partscan enforce the designs of their prod-ucts against alternative suppliers.

It would be quite a dramatic cut,too—pulling terms of protection backfrom 14 years to just two-and-a-half.

Unsurprisingly, the Act has provencontroversial, and has polarised opin-ion. Those in favour believe that it willopen up a more dynamic marketplacewith greater scope for competition, andencourage more regular car repairsamong motorists. Others however,argue that it would weaken any incen-tive for innovation, reduce quality, andjeopardise safety. New Legal Reviewexplores the arguments further, withhelp from two leading stakeholdergroups.

The Automotive Body Parts Asso-ciation (ABPA) comprises 140 memberfirms that are responsible for distribut-ing around 75% of aftermarket partssold in the US. It takes the view that re-ducing design-patent protection on re-placement parts would enhancecompetition in the field and benefit con-sumer choice. Meanwhile, the Auto-motive Service Association (ASA) hasspent the past six decades representingthe interests of America’s collision-re-pair experts and car workshop owners.It believes that those interests are best

served by ensuring that workshops usereplacement parts with patent protec-tion, which it says offers an assuranceof quality and safety.

Why I support the ActABPA executive director EdwardT. Salamy

The PARTS Act is needed to protect USconsumers and businesses in the auto-motive parts field. For more than 60years, the automotive aftermarket hasprovided American car owners with ac-cess to more affordable options whenfaced with costly collision repairs.Neighbourhood distributors and colli-sion-repair shops—economic drivers intheir own right—are able to offer qual-ity, lower-cost alternative exterior repairparts, ranging from bumpers and hoodsto fenders.

However, a number of major auto-motive companies with significant pres-ence in the US have been taking actionto increase their near-monopoly of theauto-parts industry. Even though theyalready control more than 72% of themarket, they are now trying to increasetheir market share even more by seek-

ing and enforcing design patents—at theexpense of consumers and businesses.

After one company secured en-forcement of its design patents throughthe International Trade Commission(ITC), competition was effectivelyeliminated for seven parts of a pick-uptruck for a significant period of time.Soon after, that same company filed asecond case with the ITC for anotherpopular vehicle.

If this practice continues, it willcurb competition in the marketplace, re-duce availability of parts, and drive upprices, ultimately forcing customers todelay—or even forgo—repairs, andleading to fewer cars for collision repairshops to repair.

Roughly 13% of car owners paycollision-repair costs out of their pock-ets—with older or lower-income Amer-icans disproportionately affected. Withincreased parts prices, insurance com-panies would be forced to declare moredamaged vehicles as ‘total wrecks’. Astroubling as those trends are, they areeven more worrisome in a down econ-omy, when every sale matters, everydollar counts and every day can make


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meeting, pointed out that dealers cannow see and quote prices for an entireparts list for each job, whereas cur-rently they may not know about partsthat a shop contacts only a recycler ornon-OEM parts vendor about. Avery

agreed that PartsTrader gives dealersa chance to see other potential busi-ness and shop customers.

“The performance of those whoprovide parts has an impact on repair-ers, and repairers have an impact onour shared customer,” Avery toldPriest and other parts vendors at themeeting. “So you’re in the game. Ifyou’re not on PartsTrader, it’s yourdecision. But you need to decide ifthose repairers that are working withme are repairers you want to dealwith. Because I’m asking them to usePartsTrader.”

Priest noted that dealers couldjust as easily lose business throughPartsTrader as gain new business, andthat any number of different insurerscould require different electronic partsprocurement systems.

“How many fees am I going topay? How many hoops am I going tojump through,” Priest asked. “We havethe slimmest margin of anyone in theroom, yet we have to pay for the pro-gram. State Farm should pay for theprogram. It’s going to benefit them.”

New Information on FeesAbout 130 people, including two Ari-zona state legislators, attended themeeting, which also offered some newinformation about PartsTrader. Sailersaid 1,400 shops and 2,300 suppliersare now using PartsTrader followingits roll-out in early August in majormarkets in Arizona, Colorado, NewMexico and Texas. He said majormarkets in California, Nevada andUtah will follow on September 9, withmarkets in Michigan and Ohio fol-lowing in October.

Sailer said 56 percent of shopsusing the program are using it for at

least some non-State Farm work; thisis up from the 30 percent Sailer re-ported at a meeting in May.

Use of the system for jobs otherthan State Farm work is somethingPartsTrader is counting on given itsplanned fee structure. PartsTrader iscurrently free to shops and Sailer saidthe company doesn’t “expect to evercharge a shop to use the system.”

Sometime next year, how-ever, suppliers will be given60-days’ notice ahead of thestart of a monthly fee fortheir participation; Sailerwould say only that the feewould be “modest” and “lessthan you’re used to payingtoday for comparable prod-ucts.”

The supplier also will pay a yet-to-be-determined fee per transaction,Sailer said, but there will be no trans-action fee charged on State Farmjobs.

“Our success is dependent onshops finding value in using Part-sTrader beyond State Farm,” Sailersaid. “That is an absolute must for us.”

State Farm Defends MandateAvery was asked several times aboutthe elimination of the “fax-only” op-tion in PartsTrader, which had al-lowed a shop to use the system to buyfrom a vendor even if that vendordidn’t participate in PartsTrader. IfState Farm went back on its assur-

ance that shopscould buy fromany vendors theywant, Avery wasasked, might theinsurer also stepback from its as-surance that shopsaren’t required to

buy the cheapest part the system lo-cates?

Avery responded that the “fax-only” option was available only dur-ing the pilot testing of the program infive markets, and insisted that shopsstill can use the vendors of theirchoice provided they are on the sys-tem—something that can only happenif a shop “nominates” those vendorsto participate. In terms of otherchanges to the system or requirementsdown the road, Avery encouragedshops to remember that State Farmdoesn’t require the use of non-OEMparts, doesn’t require discounts unlessthey are given to another insurer,doesn’t have paint caps, and “has a

pretty good book of business.”“You’re going to have to decide

for yourself as to what sort of partnerState Farm is,” Avery said. “There’snothing else I can say. I will tell you:There is no value in pushing you totake the cheapest part. It doesn’t makesense. If (your Select Service score) isbalanced between quality, efficiencyand competitive price, and I put pres-sure on you for the price, it’s going tohurt what? Your efficiency. It’s goingto slow you down if you get bad parts.So that decision about what parts tochoose is in your hands.”

Other Concerns RaisedBob Schubert of Impact Auto Bodyin Mesa, AZ, was among the SelectService shop owners who spoke at themeeting. He challenged Sailer’s in-troductory comments in which Sailercompared PartsTrader to travel web-

sites like Expediaor Orbitz, whichallow users to seeall the availableoptions and makea choice based onthe factors theysee as most im-portant.

“Plane tickets and collision partsare nothing alike,” Schubert said. “I’msorry, but it’s a terrible analogy. Any-body, a 10-year-old, can get onlineand figure out how to buy a planeticket. Not so with collision parts. Notso with the people who fill the or-ders.”

He said he found it “kind of in-sulting” that State Farm felt the in-dustry “wasn’t smart enough to orderparts efficiently, get them there ontime and have single-digit return ra-tios.” He noted that no one has ad-dressed how Select Service shops withautomaker certifications will reconcilethe conflicting requirement some ofthose programs have for using a par-ticular parts sourcing system. And hecriticized PartsTrader for not provid-ing parts suppliers with more thanvague explanations of what fees theywill eventually have to pay.

“Once these dealers are signedon, they’re signed on, they’rehooked,” Schubert said. “They’re notgoing to get off of it. They won’t beable to. They have a right to knowwhat their costs are going to be, or atleast a range, before they sign on toit.”

Schubert conceded that, as waspointed out earlier in the meeting, no

one is forcing a shop or vendor to usethe system. But he said just as partsmanager Priest said State Farm jobsaccount for at least 20 percent of hiscollision parts sales, Select Service isa significant part of his repair shop’sbusiness.

“This is just one in a long line ofcontrol we have lost in our shops,”Schubert said. “We’re a Select Serv-ice shop in defense as much as any-thing else. You can act like we’restupid for doing it, and by gosh, Imight agree with you. But sometimesthe alternative is even uglier.”

John Yoswick, a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon, who hasbeen writing about the automotive in-dustry since 1988, is also the editor ofthe weekly CRASH Network (for a free4-week trial subscription, visitwww.CrashNetwork. com). He can becontacted by email at:[email protected].


PartsTrader Rollout

George Avery

Bob Schubert

Follow us on Twitter:

@autobodynewsAccept no Substitutes!

PPG Automotive Refinishes re-cently announced that it now has5,000 subscribers of its PaintMan-ager software color retrieval andmanagement program that havechosen to use the Internet instead oftraditional CD releases to updatetheir systems.

“Getting fast and accurate colorand program updates is critical, andwe are very pleased to see our cus-tomers embracing this online optionto enhance their PaintManager soft-ware,” said Mary Kimbro, globalcolor director of PPG.

The PaintManager softwaredelivers color formulas that matchOEM colors and manages the paintmixing operation through touchscreen technology that can be con-figured by any distributor or colli-sion center.

“With PaintManager software,shops are getting fast network ac-cess to color information, new prod-ucts and program improvements.Equally important, they’re gettingthe data that keeps their managersand technicians aware of all aspectsof the repair business,” Kimbrosaid.

PPG Passes Milestone,PaintManager at 5K

by John Yoswick

The Collision Industry Conference(CIC) Parts & Materials Committeecame to the CIC meeting in Boston inJuly looking for input from the assem-

blage for a surveyit plans to conductabout electronicparts procurementsystems. What itheard was an im-passioned requestto look at anotheraspect of the issue.

The committee is working to pro-duce a matrix that would help shops orother users of the systems understandthe capabilities and features each sys-tem offers. At the Boston meeting, thecommittee shared the questions aboutthe systems that it plans to ask theproviders, and asked CIC participantsat the meeting whether the questionswould provide information about thesystems that would be helpful.

But as the committee was com-pleting its presentation, California shopowner Randy Stabler drew applausewhen he told the committee that un-

derstanding the differences between thevarious electronic parts procurementsystems won’t matter if shops are beingrequired to use a particular system.

“Everybody in the room, I be-lieve, thinks that free market forcescreate the best value for consumers,”Stabler said. “I hear insurers talk aboutthat a lot. They want to have competi-tion and free market forces to drive the

best value for them. I think for the pur-poses of parts procurement, the diffi-cult question is how do we allow freemarket forces to create a tool that ismost efficient for the industry andallow body shops and insurers tochoose the tool that allows them to re-duce their operating costs and createinternal efficiencies? We don’t havefree market choices with the direction

that parts procurement is going.”Stabler called electronic parts pro-

curement systems “a necessary tool,”but said efficiency and features—rather than “external forces”—shouldbe driving which systems are used.

“Let the people who want tomake a parts procurement enginebuild the best tool, and let the market-place decide which one is the best,


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A Matrix of Parts Procurement Features Won’t Help Shops If They Have No Choice on Usage

Randy Stabler Paul Massey of Ford Motor Company said shops and in-surers choosing an electronic parts procurement system

should think about the party on theother end of the exchange. Sayinghe was speaking on behalf of deal-erships and maybe other parts sup-pliers, Massey told those at theCollision Industry Conference (CIC)in Boston in July that if the systemtakes away from the parts sup-

plier’s efficiency, that will cost purchasers in some otherway.

“There’s no free ride here,” Massey said, saying deal-

ers are now having to hire people to administer multipleparts ordering tools. “They’re either going to have to takeit out of the services they provide, or they’re going to haveto add cost to the prices they offer.”

As they have in the past, parts suppliers can provideall the parts that are needed, Massey said.

“So this either has to make it more efficient ormore streamlined for them or help them reduce costs,or otherwise there’s no benefit to them,” Massey said.“Of all the systems I’ve seen presented, the fundingmodel is always to get a little more out of the supplybase. So they’re the ones who are being asked to bearthe burden and cost of someone else’s efficiency.”

Automaker Rep Says Parts Procurement Systems Should Benefit All

Paul Massey

rather than being forced,” Stabler said.Aaron Schulenburg, executive

director of Society of Collision RepairSpecialists (SCRS), agreed.

“I don’t think there’s anythingwrong with the survey or the questions,but I don’t think this touches on whatwe need to talk about,” Schulenburgtold the committee. “For more than ayear now, this committee has beenasked, at least by individuals of thisbody, for a very serious discussionabout the entry-to-market (of the sys-tems),” he said. “It keeps beingavoided, frankly. I think we really needto have that before we just ask howthey work.”

Massachusetts shop owner ChuckSulkala also urged the committee toexamine that aspect of the topic.

“I understand you’re trying to puta matrix together. But the fact is, ifyou don’t have the free enterprise op-portunity to use the matrix to deter-mine what you’re going to use, whatgood is the matrix,” Sulkala asked. “IfI’m told, ‘Here’s what you have touse, it doesn’t matter what you’retelling me in the matrix.”

CIC Chairman George Avery saidthe committee should continue its workon the matrix, but acknowledged that “it

seems like we jumped ahead,” and that“it’s prudent that we facilitate the dis-cussion that I think is being asked for.”

He said he would work with thepast chairs of CIC to develop a paneldiscussion on the topic for the next CICmeeting, being held in Las Vegas No-vember 6-7, during the SEMA show.

John Yoswick, a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon, who has

been writing about the automotive in-dustry since 1988, is also the editorof the weekly CRASH Network (for afree 4-week trial subscription, visitwww.CrashNetwork.com). He can becontacted by email at:[email protected].


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Who Attends CIC?An electronic audience response system (clickers) being used this year forthe first time at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meetings is offeringa new way to gauge who attends CIC.

Each of the last two meetings have had well over 200 attendees. At themeeting in Phoenix this past spring, about 30 percent indicated they wererepairers, 10 percent were information providers and about 4 percent wereinsurers. But that survey lacked enough other categories, so the majority ofattendees (55 percent) got lumped together as “other.”

The survey at the Boston meeting in July was a bit more refined. Again,about 29 percent of those responding clicked in as repairers. Likely becausethe meeting was held in conjunction with I-CAR’s annual conference, insur-ers made up a larger percentage (7 percent) than at the Phoenix meeting.Consultants accounted for 9 percent of attendees, automakers 6 percent,and suppliers 29 percent. The category of “other” was still selected by aboutone of every five attendees.



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LKQ Corporation announced that ithas acquired five paint distributorswith a total of 26 locations through-out the United Kingdom. The ac-quired distributors include Bee BeeRefinishing Supplies Halstead, JCACoatings, Milton Keynes Paint &Equipment, Premier Paints and Sine-master Motor Factors. “This acquisi-tion furthers our commitment toexpand Euro Car Parts collision partsbusiness,” stated Robert Wagman,President and Chief Executive Offi-cer of LKQ Corporation.

LKQ Corp. Acquires 5 U.K.Paint Distributors

Independent commercial financecompany NXT Capital has provided$20 million in senior secured financ-ing to recapitalize 1-800-Radiator &A/C. 1-800-Radiator & A/C is a lead-ing North American distributor of af-termarket automotive heating andcooling parts. Founded in 1982 andbased in Benicia, CA, 1-800-Radiator& A/C has more than 200 franchisedlocations serving every major marketin the U.S. and Canada. The companyrecently started offering fuel deliveryproducts and plans to expand into ad-ditional part categories.

1-800-Radiator Gets Financing

Mitchell has opened its new TechnicalResearch Center (TRC) located in SanDiego, CA. The TRC was built to im-prove and develop Mitchell’s abilityto collect data and vehicle dimension

information and to focus on the nextgeneration of accurate, interactive ve-hicle data.

Mitchell collects automotive framemeasurements and chassis diagramdata to provide to various industry con-stituents, including repair shops, colli-sion and body shop centers. Mitchellsays it is the only company in the col-

lision repair industry that collects itsown data. This ensures the flexibilityand responsiveness demanded by cus-tomers who want more than yes-or-noanswers to queries on specific repair

procedures or parts. The new center,equipped with 3D scanning technologyfrom FARO, will provide Mitchell cus-tomers with the broadest set of dy-namic data, rather than only staticvehicle dimension data, the companysays.

“Today’s vehicles incorporate thenewest technologies and require highly

accurate information in order to repairthem back to pre-accident condition.Repair shops recognize the importanceof quality to insure a proper repair, andMitchell’s accurate, up-to-date data-bases enable them to do this,” saidJohn Bachman, manager, auto physi-cal damage, at Mitchell. “Our new cen-ter now includes 3D scanners, whichallows us to start building databases forthe future. We’re the onlycompany in the industry toleverage this next-gen tech-nology and we’re excitedabout the potential it brings tothe claims and repair processand beyond.”

Mitchell sees a lot of po-tential beyond collision repairfor this kind of 3D data suchas consumer car buying sitesthat might project a 3D imageof a car, auction companies with theability to validate whether a report onthe status of the car is accurate or not,or accident reconstruction where theability to scan parts or wreckagepieces can help law enforcement iden-tify the make and model of a car.

“We rely on Mitchell’s robust in-

formation in its TechAdvisor solutionto ensure we accurately repair any carthat comes into our shop,” CorkyDeenik, collision repair manager atBMW of Escondido told a reporter.“More than almost any other industry,customer service and reputation arethe lifeblood of a shop’s growth andwe need a partner who focuses onthese values to ensure we’re able to

keep our credibility high. We see thenext-gen technology provided by theTRC as being the future of the indus-try. This data will enable us to repaircars and trucks to original condition,due to the accuracy provided to us byMitchell.”


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Mitchell Opens New Technical Research Center in San Diego to Focus on 3D and Interactive Data

See Mitchell Opens, Page 54

20 years ago in the collision repair in-dustry (September 1993)In a unanimous vote, the AutomotiveService Association (ASA) CollisionDivision Operations Committee re-jected a proposal by CCC InformationServices to have ASA endorse the newCCC Collision Center Connectionprogram.

The CCC marketing program re-quires a shop to pay $499 verificationfee to sign up for the program. Thebusiness is then charged a $30 to $50referral fee for each insurance claimdirected by CCC to the shop.

“Quite simply, the costs for ad-justing a claim are the responsibilityof the insurer, and this attempt to shiftthis burden to the repair facility isclearly not in the best interests of ourmembers, the consumer or the repairindustry,” said Bob Anderson, chair-man of the ASA committee.

“ASA has been involved in ex-tensive industry research that con-

cludes that the claims handling systemutilized today by most insurers is ar-

chaic and ineffi-cient,” Andersonsaid. “This (CCC)referral programin its current formdoes little to alterthe status quo.Since this third-party intervention

does nothing to streamline the claimshandling process, it is likely that evenmore friction (costs) will occur.” —from Automotive Dateline

15 years ago in the collision repair in-dustry (September 1998)A court ruling in West Virginia givesthat state one of the strictest laws in thecountry regarding parts used in colli-sion repair. Judge Charlie King wrotein a court opinion that insurance com-panies must pay for new OEM parts tofix body damage on newer vehicles.

King ruled that repairs on vehicles stillcovered by a manufacturer’s warrantyand less than three years old need to bemade with new factory parts.

“I think it’s a real good decisionfor consumers in West Virginia,” As-sistant Attorney General Doug Davissaid. “If you get into a wreck in a car,insurance companies can’t force youto accept junkyard parts.”

The ruling apparently settles aheated dispute among insurance com-panies, automotive recyclers and thestate Attorney General’s office. Thecase was brought to the court by aconsortium of insurance companiesthat wanted a judicial interpretation ofs state law. That law requires the useof “genuine crash parts,” and the in-surance companies contended that thisincluded new parts and OEM partstaken from wrecked vehicles. Thestate Attorney General’s office chal-lenged that interpretation.

► A judge in West Virginia last

year issued a injunction against Lib-erty Mutual to force the insurer to stopusing remanufactured, reconditionedand used parts in violation of this statelaw; the judge also ordered the insurerto release the names of vehicle own-ers who had their vehicles repairedwith salvage parts.

10 years ago in the collision repair in-dustry (September 2003)Allstate Insurance Company and Ster-ling Collision Centers have filed alawsuit challenging the new Texas lawprohibiting insurers from purchasingfurther interest in collision repairshops.

In the pleading, Allstate claimsthat HB 1141 “stops dead in its tracksa promising, market-based mecha-nism for improving customer satisfac-tion, providing efficient, cost-effectiveauto collision repair services, andeliminating incentives for waste andfraud in auto repair estimates and ac-


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September Retrospective on the Collision Industry

with David BrownShop Showcase

with Attorney Martin ZuradaBody Shop Law

with Domenico Nigro

The Community-Focused Body Shop

with Janet CheneyShop Showcase

with Frank SheroskyIndustry Business Beat

with Chasidy Rae SiskAssociations Assembling

with John YoswickHistorical Snapshot —John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body

shop in the family and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.He is the editor of the weekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription,visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Contact him by email at [email protected].

Bob Anderson, 1993


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tual repair work.”Allstate asserts that forbidding

insurers from acquiring, expanding,supporting or promoting its interstatenetwork of Sterling collision repairshops is a violation of the corpora-tion’s protected free commercialspeech.

The real purpose of HB 1131, ac-cording to the lawsuit, is “to turn theAmerican business model—wherecompetition brings out the best—onits head by protecting and insulatinglocal Texas autobody shops from hav-ing to compete with Allstate’s (or anyother insurance company’s) own col-lision repair operations.”

► As reported in Autobody

News. The legal battle over the Texaslaw lasted until 2008 when the TexasSupreme Court rejected Allstate’s re-quest to consider the insurer’s chal-lenge to the law. ASA’s Bob Reddingpredicted that other states, which hadpreviously considered legislation sim-ilar to that of the Texas bill, wouldpass such restrictions on insurer-owned shops after the Texas law wasupheld, but none have. Unlike otherlarger MSOs, Sterling has added rela-tively few new shops since 2008.

5 years ago in the collision repair in-dustry (September 2008)Following a similar decision by StateFarm back in June, Allstate an-

nounced this month it would no longerspecify full-body sectioning (or“clips”) on its estimates.

“Furthermore, only when a colli-sion repair facility is confident that afull-body section is the appropriate re-pair, has the proper training and equip-ment to facilitate a quality repair, andhas the approval of the customer orclaimant for such repair, will the ad-juster authorize it,” the Allstate policystates.

Allstate’s Tech-Cor research cen-ter developed full-body sectioningprocedures in the 1980s, but the in-surer now says “changing vehicle con-struction techniques” and “the varyingmetallic composition of some modern

vehicles may prevent collision repair-ers from facilitating a quality repair”using such procedures.

As with State Farm, Allstate hadbeen pushed on the issue of clips byPam Pierson of Princeton Auto Bodyin Princeton, Ill. Just days before All-state’s announcement, the Alliance ofAutomotive Service Providers of Illi-nois said that based on Pierson’s ef-forts, it had appealed to Illinois StateRepresentative JoAnn Osmond toask the state Attorney General to pro-vide a legal written opinion on the useof full-body sectioning.

► from CRASH Network(www.CRASHnetwork.com), Septem-ber 22, 2008

The Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) announced itsdecision not to amend its regulationsfor the federally-funded On-site Con-sultation Program citing concerns thatproposed changes, though relativelyminor, would discourage employersfrom participating in the program.

“The On-site Consultation Pro-gram, including recognition throughthe Safety and Health Recognition Pro-gram, is a valuable way to assist small-

business employers who are workingto improve their workplaces,” said As-sistant Secretary of Labor for Occupa-tional Safety and Health Dr. DavidMichaels. “We remain committed toencouraging participation in this pro-gram.”

The On-site Consultation Programoffers free and confidential safety andhealth advice to small- and medium-sized businesses across the country,with priority given to high-hazard work-

sites. Employers who successfully com-plete a comprehensive on-site consulta-tion visit, correct all hazards identifiedduring the visit and implement an on-going safety and health program toidentify and correct workplace hazardsmay achieve status in OSHA’s Safetyand Health Recognition Program(SHARP). Exemplary employers whoreceive SHARP status receive an ex-emption from OSHA’s programmed in-spection schedule during a specified

period. The proposed amendmentswould have provided clarification of thelength of the exemption period providedto “recognized” sites and the initiationof certain unprogrammed inspections atboth sites that have achieved recogni-tion and sites undergoing a consultationvisit.

For more about the OSHA On-Site Consultation Program at:www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html.

OSHA Withdraws Proposed Rule Amending on On-site Consultation Program Citing Concern About Employer Participation

How the 3D Scanners WorkThe infrared laser scans the entire ve-hicle and generates a 3D point cloudof everything in it. By moving thescanner around the vehicle, the lasercan take several scans, each collecting84 pictures as well as millions ofpoints, each one 2 mm apart. The scan-ner has a range from half a meter (1.5ft) up to 120 m (over 300 ft). The com-plete 3D point cloud has the ability tomeasure virtually anywhere on the ve-hicle. Mitchell is the only company inthe industry to leverage this technol-ogy, and is excited about the potentialit brings to the claims and repairprocess. Some high potential areashave been identified and include:● Deformation-Based Estimating● Fraud Detection● Consumer Self-Service

Deformation-Based EstimatingIt is sometimes difficult to detect dam-age that you cannot see during an ini-tial inspection, especially when theremay be only millimeters of deforma-tion. With 3D scanning technology, an

estimator could take an image of adamaged vehicle and then view a colormap that would highlight the extent ofthe impact. In effect, a damaged vehi-cle could be compared to a “clean” un-damaged vehicle that is in the databasein order to identify impacted areas.

Since the system is able to detect eventhe smallest dent, an appraiser wouldbe able to identify hidden damage be-fore writing the estimate—potentiallypreventing the need for a supplementor reinspection.

Fraud DetectionIn addition to helping ensure that esti-

mates are right from the start, this typeof technology could be used to preventincidences of fraud or overpayment.Similar to a crime scene investigatorthat is able to identify exactly how atransgression occurred, a 3D scan ofthe vehicle could identify if the vectors

of damage match the facts of loss re-ported to the insurer. If the damagedoes not match, an alert could be sentto the desk reviewer with a notificationof the potential for fraud on the claim.

Consumer Self-ServiceAnother potential area for this technol-ogy is in the use of photo-based esti-

mating. A consumer could take a pic-ture of his vehicle and upload it to hisinsurer via a smartphone. From there,the insurer could com - pare the up-loaded image to the 3D scan of the ve-hicle available in the Mitchell databaseto see how much damage occurred. Ifthe damage is under $1500, the insurercould opt to place the claim on a fast-track settlement path with an automatedvalue or photo-based estimate in orderto reduce loss adjustment expense.

In addition to providing 2-D and 3-D data to the repair industry, Mitchell’sproprietary database can be used for thefollowing use cases:● Consumer-facing car buyingsites—projects a 3-D image of a carso an individual can look at a vehiclefrom all angles● Auction companies—provides theability to validate whether a report onthe status of the car is accurate or not● Accident reconstruction—gives theability to scan parts or wreckage piecesto help law enforcement identify themake and model of a car● Infrastructure improvements—as-sists in improving the safety of roadsby quickly giving highway patrol theaverage heights of cars in order toproperly update guardrail heights.


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Every time I talk to body shop ownersabout social media issues, they in-variably bring up three things: Yelp,Facebook and how to defend theirreputations online, in that order. Theyeither smile or frown when they men-tion Yelp, look perplexed when theydiscuss Facebook and then get plainmad when they talk about howthey’ve been wronged online, nor-mally by their competition or a for-mer disgruntled employee.

Recently, the marketing managerof a large MSO told me about Auto-body-Review.com, a consumer website designed specifically for review-ing body shops and described it as‘Yelp meets Reputation Defenderwith enhanced SEO.’ I polled someother shops about the service and thefeedback was substantial. So, I con-tacted the company’s President/CEOChuck Nixon to learn more aboutAutobody-Review.com and why it’screated a buzz.

ABN: Shops are very concerned withYelp, because they claim that many oftheir reviews are not written by realcustomers. Tell us why your productis different from Yelp?

CN: Autobody-Review.com is uniquein that we connect to repair facilities’customer databases. We gather reviewsthrough two verified processes. Uponcompletion of the repair performed onthe customer’s vehicle a delivery sta-tus message is delivered to the clientallowing them to enter a review ontheir positive and negative experiencewith that company. The ease of using itis the key. The customer completes aparagraph or more conveying their truesentiment of the experience and thenit’s scored by our proprietary senti-ment engine giving the comment aGoogle approved Star Rating. Many ofour clients are gaining insight into theircustomers’ experience and ultimatelymeasuring the final performance

which did not align with what wasbeing reported to non-verified reviewsites such as Yelp. This created requestfor us to create a truly verified cus-tomer review site. It all comes down toverifiability and accountability, twothings lacking with Yelp.

ABN: Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is a huge concern for bodyshops, because they hate seeing theircompetition ranked higher than themon Google or Bing. Tell us about howyour system maximizes SEO for yoursubscribers?

CN: Not only does our system gatherand preview verified reviews about afacility but we also provide socialmedia interface allowing a facility topush reviews directly to their Face-book business page, Twitter and soonGoogle+. These plug-ins are designedto push reviews to the shops’ pagewhen consumers are most active on

social media sites. This increases thefacilities engagement score as well associal media SEO ranking. We alsoback link the facilities business web-site to their Autobody-Review busi-ness landing page. This two-way backlinking, along with our current dailytraffic and other blog back linking,helps to drive the facilities’ own backlinking initiative. Lastly we provide awebsite widget allowing the facility topost their rotating reviews directly ontheir own business website. Thiswidget is designed in a manner that isproviding web crawlers to find newcontent on their page. All of these con-nections and back linking help todrive not only the shop Autobody-Re-view landing page SEO ranking butalso their own sites SEO ranking.

ABN: Big-name MSOs are signing upfor Autobody-Review.com in largenumbers, but can independent shopsreap the same benefits from your site?


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Autobody-Review.com—Where Yelp Meets Reputation Defender

with Ed Attanasio

Shop and Product Showcase

with Ed Attanasio

Shop Showcase

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Social Media for Shops

with Erica SchroederShop Showcase

The Right Causewith Mike Causey

Industry Insightwith John Yoswick

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based inSan Francisco, California. He can be reached [email protected].

CN: Many MSO’s through our sys-tem have identified that larger isn’tbetter with SEO ranking. Since therelease of Google’s most recent up-date (they’re calling it Penguin) localsearch ranking is vital. The same ap-plies to Bing and Yahoo. So we ad-vise both MSO’s and independentfacilities to focus on local initiatives.We advise large brands to create in-dividual Social pages as the SearchEngines are designed to respond bestto local traffic. We recommend thateach facility create and connect tolocal listing pages such as Google+,Yahoo and more. As the search en-gines continue to change, they stilltend to support local listings and ac-tivity. This means that the largerbrands no longer have an advantage.Independent shops through verifiedreview sites such as Autobody-Re-view.com now have the ability tocompete with the big boys.

Now large MSO’s are joining at ahigh rate, because they see that Auto-body-Review.com is driving local traf-fic in a manner that their corporatestrategies in the past have overlooked.Our consultants provide new insightthat is valuable to both independentsand the larger chains.

ABN: Another aspect of your systemallows users to verify shops’ certifica-tions and awards. Some shops list cer-tifications on their sites and in manycases they’re not current or valid. Howare you going to be able to verify thesecertifications from groups like I-CAR,ASE and all of the car manufacturers,for example?

CN: We’re 100% committed to pro-viding only verified reviews, and thatalso includes verified industry certifi-cations. We’re connected with compa-nies such as Verifacts and I-CAR andthey’ve given us a direct feed to theirverified list of approved facilities. Thisallows us to add and remove certifica-tions and ensure that consumers are ac-curately informed of the hard work andinvestment an organization has madeinto their training.

ABN: How do you aggregate all of the“true” customer reviews for your sub-scribers?

CN: All reviews are scored throughour natural language sentiment engineand then displayed directly on our site.Both good and bad reviews are dis-played. This transparency provides a

verified and reliable source to helpthem make a better educated decisionwhen selecting a body shop. We notonly collect reviews but we also pro-vide an integrated proactive alertingsystem helping the facility to improvetheir future results and reviews.

ABN: Tell me briefly the history ofyour company and what you haveplanned for the immediate future?

CN: Our company started in the busi-ness of providing proactive communi-cation through an opt in text messagingsolution. We created a unique two-waymessage system that supported a leanprocess indicative for many servicebusinesses. Through the insight wegained front the two-way communica-tion we quickly realized we were gain-ing and providing insight to bodyshops about their consumer experiencethroughout the process that had neverbeen available in the past. This quicklygained the attention of many leaders innot only the collision industry but in-surance carriers nationally. Our cus-tomers’ customer satisfaction scoreswere skyrocketing. We then formed arelationship with CCC and MitchellInternational which provide us the

ability to interface directly with facili-ties Management systems. About ayear later CCC approached us to ex-clusively license our status softwareand integrate it directly into theirworkflow and estimating platform. Wethen created an integrated electronicCSI solution deliverable through bothemail and text messaging. This led usto create our proactive sentiment en-gine which mines and provides earlyinsight into the customer experience.Our proprietary sentiment alerting andscoring system allowed us to discoverthat our customer where provide valu-able insight and eventually true re-views directly from actual customers.This is what led us to develop Auto-body-Review.com.

Autobody-Review.com also fea-tures articles designed to improve yourshop performance. See, for example,Five tips to prevent a bad online re-view for your auto Body shop.


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or break small businesses and the peo-ple they employ.

These alternative parts not onlypresent consumers with a wide range ofrepair options, but the competitionwould also keep prices in check: on av-erage they cost 25-50% less than partssold by the car companies. Accordingto financial think tank MicroeconomicConsulting & Research Associates,that’s about $1.5 billion in savingsevery year.

If the PARTS Act is defeated,those options and savings may disap-pear. That’s why passage of this legis-lation is so important.

Why I oppose the ActASA chairman Darrell Amberson

The PARTS Act raises some significantconcerns—not least in the area of qual-ity and product safety. In the US, wehave a certification system that at-tempts to provide an assurance of qual-ity, equivalent to an original equipmentmanufacturer (OEM) patent-protectedpart. This certification system reviews

only a small fraction of the aftermarketparts in the marketplace.

In addition, some aftermarket ven-dors use confusing verbiage such as‘validated’ to imply that goods are cer-tified when they are not. I have seenvideos of cars being crash tested, inwhich aftermarket components behavedifferently—for example, different tim-ings on the deployment of airbags—which is concerning. Unfortunately,while federal regulators monitor OEMparts, there is no process in place forsimilar reviews of aftermarket crashparts—even though the regulators havethe authority to establish that process.We need to look more closely at thequality of aftermarket crash parts—andreducing the assurance of quality thatpatent protection provides is a step inthe wrong direction.

The current provision of patent pro-tection for 14 years may seem a littleoutdated, given that the average age of acar in the US is 10 years. But manufac-turers of original car parts have incurredcosts attributable to original design, re-search and development (R&D) andproduct-safety testing. It is thereforeright that they have the ability to sellthose parts themselves during a time pe-riod that reflects their endeavour. Re-

ducing the patent protection period to 30months is not sufficient compensation,or encouragement for further innovation.

I am not unsympathetic to con-cerns raised over the affordability ofparts. I have been in the industry longenough to remember a time before af-termarket parts, when repairs to a carcould be prohibitively expensive. I be-lieve it is healthy that we have a com-petitive aftermarket parts industry. Yetthe repair community needs assurancethat the parts available are of good qual-ity—and safe to use.

The most important element in thisis predictability. Repairers can rely onthe quality and durability of an OEMpart with patent protection, and canpass on those assurances to their cus-tomers. In the aftermarket world, con-sistency is not always the case. Withquality-assured goods, repairers are asgood as the service they offer to theircustomers, and can be judged on that.Without the assurance that OEM patentprotected products provide, repairersare only as good as the parts they aresupplying—which becomes more of anunknown entity.

At best, that is unsatisfactory. Atworst, it is a danger for both supplierand customer.


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Las Vegas Metro arrested seven peo-ple Aug. 19 in connection to a catalyticconverter theft ring. Metro Officer BillCassell said warrants were served at aprivate residence and a business in the2800 block of Westwood Drive, nearHighland Drive. The group is accusedof taking the converters from vehiclesand selling the parts for scrap metal.The SWAT team served search war-rants in two places where they foundpieces of cars here and they suspectmay have been stolen.

Police said they found trans-missions and batteries inside thebuildings but have their eyes on thecatalytic converters. The long metaltubing found under the car used toreduce pollution that are made up ofvaluable metals. Thieves can cut offto damage a car in under one minute.It is an ongoing investigation andmore arrests are possible, accordingto Cassell. He added that there aremany victims, possibly a hundred. Atotal of seven individuals were ar-rested, and hundreds of vehicle partsbelieved to be stolen were recovered.Catalytic converters are usuallystolen because of the value of theirmetallic components, such as plat-inum, palladium and iridium.

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