Industry Insight with John Yoswick
—John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon who 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 jyoswick@SpiritOne.com.
CIC Committee Looking at How Estimates End Up on Vehicle History Reports
Shop Showcase
The Collision Industry Conference for example, needs the VIN in order (CIC) Data Access, Privacy and Se- to obtain the needed vehicle build curity Committee in April continued data, he said. with Ed Attanasio “However, if I’m a dealer and its ongoing discussion related to auto body shop estimates resulting I’m selling parts, I only need the last eight of the VIN,” Tagliapietra in entries on vehicle history reports. One key point discussed at the said. “What’s really important is CIC held in Oklahoma City: is the VIN being too widely shared within the industry? with Ed Attanasio “The underlying piece for us is there’s no vehicle build data” included in the VIN, committee co-chair Dan Risley said. “A lot of people assume if you have a VIN number, you probably have build data, but that is not the case.” with Ed Attanasio Pete Tagliapietra of DataTouch said many Pete Tagliapietra of Datashops may be unaware of data pumps running Touch shared a slide showing his on their shop’s computer system, extracting view of which entities in the indusdata for a third party try actually need access to the VIN during the repair and claims process, the industry getting to the point of noting “the list with is not Ed that Attanasio long.” A controlling the VIN, making sure company doing vehicle diagnostics, it’s protected and information isn’t
Social Media for Shops
SEMA Show Goes On
shared where it shouldn’t be shared.” Aaron Schulenburg of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists agreed, noting one of the shops that raised this issue nearly faced litigation from a customer who assumed the shop had shared information with a vehicle history reporting company. “He stopped that from happening, because he stopped putting the VINs into repair plans,” Schulenburg said. “He’d put it in, decode the vehicle, pull it out and not have it in there. But that’s not practical.” Sharing the VIN as part of getting parts pricing during the estimating process is one of several theories on how merely writing an estimate on a vehicle can result in an “incident” entry on a vehicle history report; the dealers getting that information could have agreements to share that data with CARFAX or
others. Tagliapietra said another common way to capture estimate data is if there is a data pump running on a shop’s computer system, extracting data for a third party. “Data pumps have become prolific,” Tagliapietra said. “It’s gotten out of hand, from my point of view, because the data has become so valuable. Most shops probably have a data pump, or more likely multiple data pumps, that are sucking the repair line information and personally identifiable information off of every estimate they write.” At past CIC meetings, CCC Intelligent Solutions has said it does not share data with CARFAX. During April’s meeting in Oklahoma City, Jack Rozint of Mitchell International delivered a similar message. Rozint shared the relatively
Media and Publicity for Shops
Recyclers Association Leaders Meet with ISRI, IPMI on Catalytic Converter Theft
Shop Strategies
Leadership of the Automotive Re- lytic converters from vehicles. with Stacey Phillips Catalytic converter theft has cyclers Association (ARA) met with the International Precious put negative pressure on the inMetals Institute (IPMI) and the dustry’s business model because Institute of Scrap Recycling In- automotive recyclers are purchasdustries (ISRI) on May 5 in Wash- ing vehicles with the expectation that a catalytic converter will be ington, D.C. The associations discussed present on a vehicle only to diswith Stacey Phillips how the epidemic of catalytic con- cover it in fact has been stolen and verter thefts across the U.S. is hav- removed. Over the past two years, ARA ing a negative impact on the public has been committed to working and their respective membership. At the meeting, ARA Pres- alongside law enforcement to help ident Marty Hollingshead, of combat motor vehicle theft and Northlake Auto Recyclers in catalytic converter theft. with Stacey “proPhillips Additionally, the associaHammond, IN, emphasized fessional automotive recyclers do tions discussed the lifecycle of not generally purchase detached a catalytic converter and began catalytic converters but purchase identifying points in the chain of entire vehicles with catalytic commerce where stolen catalytic converters still attached. Addi- converters are most likely to be tionally, automotive recyclers are laundered into legitimate busirequired by federal law to report ness streams. The parties presentwith every vehicle theyStacey acquire Phillips into ly agree it would be beneficial to the National Motor Vehicle Title continue conversations regarding Information System.” catalytic converter theft with the For several years, automotive hope each group can reach a betrecyclers have fallen prey to cata- ter understanding and agreement lytic converter thieves who break with one other. Source: ARA into their facilities and steal cata-
Body Shops Giving Back Tips for Busy Body Shops
Classic BMW 440-585-9990 Mon-Fri 7am-6pm Sat 7am-3pm
2571 SOM Center Road Willoughby HIlls, OH 44094 bmwparts@drieclassic.com www.claasicbmw.com
Parts Trader Collision Link ©2022 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
NEED PARTS? Choose original mini parts. Classic MINI
My SEMA
Shop Strategies with Victoria Antonelli
36 JUNE 2022 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
2571 SOM Center Road Willoughby Hills, OH 44094
440-585-9990 Hours: Mon-Fri 7-6 Sat 7-3
OPS TRAX CCC1 OE Connection
Free Delivery to Akron & Youngstown.
©2022 MINI, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
