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ASA to Hold ASRW 2014 in Detroit Alongside I-CAR and CIC July 28–Aug 2 The Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Boston that the NACE expo will be moving away from its traditional fall event schedule to stage a summer show beginning in Detroit in 2014. NACE (the International Autobody Congress & Exposition), I–CAR (Inter–Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) and CIC (Collision Industry Conference) have announced the formation of Industry Week 2014, uniting several of the industry’s key events. The announcement was made by ASA Executive Director Dan Ris-
ley at the opening of this week’s CIC meetings at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Speaking in front of the assembly, Risley said the move backs the ASA’s promise he relayed at CIC in April that NACE will see substantial changes in the coming years. Industry week will take place July 28–Aug. 2, 2014 at Detroit’s Cobo Center, and has the following preliminary schedule of events: Tuesday, July 29 – CIC Meeting & Reception Wednesday, July 30 – I–CAR Conference & Reception See ASRW 2014, Page 19
Carlisle and Company Blogs on PartsTrader market strategies that help OEMs manage risk and optimize performance. Carlisle and Company is known for its data benchmarking, both in service and parts, designed to help member companies improve dealer service support, and service quality to vehicle owners. One of their groups, the North America Parts Benchmark (NAPB, formerly NASPC) has been analyzing the parts supply chain since 1993, so it’s interesting to read the company blog, which recently addressed the ongoing PartsTrader controversy. The text following comes directly from the Carlisle blog (www.carlisle-co.com): See Carlisle’s Blog, Page 30
Change Service Requested P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
Carlisle and Company is a consulting firm—not to be confused with Carlyle Group (an American-based global asset management firm active in acquiring collision MSOs, such as Service King recently)—which develops
PartsTrader rollout plan
VOL. 1 ISSUE 12 AUGUST 2013
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Wisconsin Moves to Reform its Lemon Law; State is Known for Excessive Awards Wisconsin is notorious among automobile, motorcycle, truck, and recreational vehicle manufacturers as having the worst lemon law in the country. The law places unreasonable and unworkable requirements on OEMs that allows lawyers like selfproclaimed “Lemon Law King,” Vince Megna, to win exorbitant awards that have no apparent relationship to the underlying goals of the law. For example, in Marquez v. Mercedes-Benz, a vehicle that cost $56,000 resulted in a $618,000 award, with over $300,000 in attorney fees. (See article p. 4 this issue.) Wisconsin is the only state in the nation to provide for mandatory double damages under its unique lemon law. Under Wisconsin law, if the manufacturer fails to provide a comparable vehicle or refund for a “lemon” within 30 days of the vehicle owner’s request, the the courts are required to award him or her double any pecuniary loss,
together with costs, disbursements and reasonable attorney fees. The courts have interpreted “pecuniary” loss to include the vehicle’s purchase price. Assembly Bill 200, currently in front of the legislature, would repeal the nondiscretionary double-damage requirement, but the fundamental obligation that a manufacturer provide a comparable vehicle or refund remains unchanged. The law will still allow a consumer to bring an action to recover any pecuniary loss (including the cost of the vehicle), along with costs, disbursements and reasonable attorney fees, and any equitable relief the court determines appropriate, if the manufacturer fails to provide the vehicle or refund within the specified deadline. Thus, manufacturers still have every incentive to provide a timely refund or vehicle, but lawyers will have less incentive to delay resolution of the dispute. See Wisconsin Lemon Law, Page 6
State Lawmakers Around U.S. Consider Or Approve Legislation Affecting Body Shops by John Yoswick
Dozens of proposed laws that will have an impact on collision repairers get introduced in state capitols around the country every year. Paying attention to them—even if they aren’t up for consideration in your state now—can pay off because you may be interested in getting similar laws enacted in your state. Conversely, a bill you don’t like in another state could make its way to your Capitol, so it’s helpful to know what to watch for. Here’s a look at some of the bills that have recently been introduced, are under consideration or have been passed by lawmakers around the country. Parts-related legislation A New York bill (A 7234) (similar to
one introduced in Maryland) takes aim at PartsTrader by prohibiting an insurer from requiring a shop to use a specific vendor or process for the procurement of parts or materials necessary for repair of a vehicle. Another New York bill (A 3872) introduced would require consumer notification and consent regarding the type of parts to be used in repairing their vehicle, and would prohibit the use of anything other than new OEM parts for vehicles less than three years old. A similar bill (HB 362) in Vermont would place a 2-year ban on the insurer-use of the parts on new cars. New regulations that will go into effect in California early next year place significant new limitations on the use of non-OEM parts in that state. See Legislation Affecting Shops, Page 10
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