April 2021 Northeast Edition by Autobody News

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CCC’s 2021 Crash Course Report Tries to Get a Glimpse at the “New Normal” by Ed Attanasio

What will the “new normal” look like and how will it affect the collision repair industry? The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to evaluate key issues such as supply-chain sourcing, telecommuting, and how to work with your insurance partners, vendors, and customers. G et ready for more and more ADAS technology; fewer drivers on the road, and more severe accidents due to speeding, and reckless driving. In addition, more and more people will continue to work at home

and as a result, will change the types of car insurance they acquire. Recently, CCC Information Services, Inc. (CCC) unveiled its annual Crash Course report, the cumulation of one full year of research, analysis, and looking for trends that can potentially impact the industry for many years to come. The person behind the report is CCC’s Director/Industry Analyst Su s anna G ots ch , who authors the report every year. She wrote the first one back in 1995, when ADAS was still in its infancy and today many See Crash Course Report, Page 18

Auto Insurers See Greater Profitability, but Fewer Premiums by Ryan Smith, Insurance Business Magazine

rofitability improved in the U.S. private passenger auto insurance segment in the third quarter of 2020, although premium volume declined, according to a new report from A M B es t. The loss ratio of private passenger auto insurers improved by 9.2 percentage points year-over-year to 57.3%, according to the new Best’s Market Segment Report. The improvement was largely driven by a reduction in accidents due to a pandemic-induced reduction in the number of

cars on the roads and miles driven. Other prime factors were improvements that auto underwriters have made in recent years to enhance their focus on rate adequacy, improving auto repair management and making greater use of innovative measures, AM Best said. At the same time, the reduction of drivers on the road also led to a 1.7% drop in direct premiums written through Q 3 compared to the same period in 2019. With the lower loss frequency, AM Best predicted a four percentage-point improvement See Fewer Premiums, Page 24

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Shops Stuck in the Middle in Battle Over OEM Vehicle Safety Inspections by John Yoswick

M ike A nd ers on is convinced the vehicle safety inspection procedures called for by automakers in the OEM electronic service manuals as part of collision repair work have become the single biggest friction point in the industry. “It’s not scanning. It’s not ‘ feather, prime and block.’ It’s these safety inspections,” said training and consultant Anderson, of Collision Advice. “My heart bleeds for shops. There are some out there really trying to do the right thing. But they’re

An Illinois shop conducting safety inspections called for by the automaker found a broken dash carrier in a vehicle involved in a low-speed collision

getting stuck in the middle.” Anderson said virtually all of the automaker collision repair proSee Stuck in the Middle, Page 14

GM Builds Pickups Without Fuel Economy Modules Due to Chip Shortage by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

G eneral Motors said it will build certain 2021 light-duty full-size pickups without a fuel management module starting March 15 until the end of the model year in late summer. The goal is to keep pickups rolling off the assembly line despite a global shortage of semiconductor chips used in the modules. But the result is those affected pickups will not achieve top fuel economy performance. “Due to the global shortage of semiconductors impacting the global auto industry, we are making Active Fuel Management/Dynamic Fuel Management unavailable on certain 2021 model year full-size trucks,” said M ich elle M alch o, G M spokesperson, on March 15. That means 2021 light-duty Chevrolet Silverado and G MC Sierra pickups equipped with the 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 engine with both six-speed and eight-speed automatic transmissions will have lower fuel economy by one mile per gallon, Malcho said.

“By taking this measure, we are better able to meet the strong customer and dealer demand for our full-size trucks as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen,” Malcho said.

A GMC Sierra pickup on the assembly line at the General Motors Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in 2019 in Roanoke, IN. Credit: Ryan Hake, General Motors

G M builds its light-duty pickups at Fort Wayne Assembly in Indiana and Silao Assembly in Mexico. G M builds its heavy-duty Silverado and Sierra pickups at Flint Assembly, where the chip shortage has not had an impact. “We have not had a single part outage on anything,” said E ric W elter, shop chairman of UAW Local See Chip Shortage, Page 24

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REGIONAL AASP/NJ Reacts to 2021 Insurer Report Card ....12 AASP/NJ Virtual Meeting Details Future of ADAS ........................................................10 Body Shop Owner Admits Running Mountains of Drugs from TX to MA.................................16 GNYADA President Recognized as Pandemic Hero ...............................................6 Lincoln University Students Get Internships with Black Automotive Media Group, Audi of America ............................................22 North Smithfield Auto Body Expansion Clears Hurdle After Restoration Plan ..........................8 Pennsylvania Auto Body Shop Receives Top Certification from GM ....................................12 Tesla Model 3 New York’s Yellow Cab Fleet is Growing ......................................................9 Washington, PA, Company Donates Car to Veteran .....................................................10

Auto Insurers See Greater Profitability, but Fewer Premiums.......................................1 Bold Thefts of Catalytic Converters Remain High, Slowing Repairs for Car Owners....................32 CARFAX Accident Data Digs Deeper into Damage History ............................................20

Anderson - Nissan Launches ADAS Calibration Course ........................................42 Attanasio - Symach Invents Game-Changing Technology to Create the Shops of Tomorrow..50 Attanasio - Who Says Money Doesn’t Grow

McGovern Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ............... 8

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 59

Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City ....................... 43

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................46-47

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington ................. 43

Car-O-Liner..................................................... 17

Mercedes-Benz of Paramus ............................ 36

Car-Part.com .................................................. 21

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester ..................... 43

Car Sales ........................................................4

Cadillac of Mahwah ........................................ 45

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington ........................ 12

Electric Vehicle Repair: No Room for Error .........48

Central Avenue Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ..... 25

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers ........ 61

GM Builds Pickups Without Fuel Economy

Certified Automotive Parts Association ............ 18

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers.......................... 48

Choice Bumper ............................................... 42

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers ................38-39

Classifieds ...................................................... 66

New Holland Ford ........................................... 26

Colad/EMM Specialties ................................... 68

New Holland Toyota ........................................ 52

Colonial Automotive Group .............................. 29

Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers............ 60

Courtesy Mitsubishi ........................................ 30

Northstar Kia................................................... 16

Network Certification for All 17 Locations......30

DePaula Chevrolet-Ford .................................. 51

Nucar ............................................................. 49

PPG Appoints Director .........................................6

Dover Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep ............................ 13

Open Road Acura of East Brunswick ............... 22

Rumor: GM, LG Chem to Build Second

Eagle Abrasives .............................................. 19

Packer Norris Parts ......................................... 31

Eckler’s Automotive .......................................... 9

Porsche Huntington......................................... 28

Empire Auto Parts ........................................... 24

Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 50

Equalizer Industries, Inc .................................. 40

Pro Spot International ....................................... 2

Flemington Auto Group ................................... 41

Rafferty Subaru............................................... 18

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 57

SATA Dan-Am Company .................................. 23

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................... 53

Schultz Ford.................................................... 44

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers .33, 34-35

Security Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram ................ 14

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 62

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes ............ 11

Infiniti of Norwood .......................................... 32

Spanesi Americas ........................................... 67

Insta Finish ....................................................... 7

Steck Manufacturing Company ....................... 10

Jaguar Land Rover Cherry Hill......................... 37

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers...................... 63

Jeff D’Ambrosio Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge ............ 20

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers....................... 62

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers ................ 55

VIP Honda ....................................................... 15

Kia of Attleboro ............................................... 30

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers .............. 65

Kundert Volvo.................................................... 6

White Plains Volkswagen ................................ 52

Long Automotive Group .................................. 27

Yonkers Kia ..................................................... 56

CCC’s 2021 Crash Course Report Tries to Get a Glimpse at the “New Normal” ................1 CIF Announces Annual Donor Program ..............32 Cutting Out the Middleman on Electric

Modules Due to Chip Shortage ........................1 Kia Cadenza and Sportage Owners Should Park Outside .................................................66 Kia Reportedly Under Ransomware Attack

Mike’s Auto Body Awarded Green Repair

EV Battery Plant in U.S. .................................21 SEMA Challenges EPA’s Motorsports

Chess - Kool Tools: Past and Present .................56

Service King Supports 844 Teammates .............62

Phillips - Benefits of In-Process Quality

Shops Stuck in the Middle in Battle Over

Sisk - ASA Leaders Discuss Scanning, EVs, Data Access and Inaccurate Data ..................52 Yoswick - Artistic Auto Body Set for Expanding Electric Vehicle Population with Stand-Alone EV Center......................................................36

OEM Vehicle Safety Inspections.......................1 Tesla Dominates U.S. EV Market With 79% Share in 2020.......................................64 Tesla Files to Expand Fremont Factory, Make Model Y ‘Tent’ Permanent ....................30 Tesla Megapack Battery Farm in Moss Landing, CA, Nearing Completion ................................28 Tesla’s Fremont Factory Partially Shut Down .....21

NATIONAL

Volvo Aims For All-EV by 2030.............................9

3M Invests in asTech ........................................64

Why Car Accidents Increase After Daylight

Alex Goodemoot Named World Class Technician ....................................................63 asTech Acquires adasThink ...............................24

Autobody News P.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 / (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com editor@autobodynews.com

Acura of Westchester ...................................... 54

Nationwide ...................................................64

Regulations in Court......................................63

Sherwin-Williams..........................................40

Serving New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and adjacent metro areas. Autobody News is a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form the material published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher. ©2021 Adamantine Media LLC.

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................... 58

on Trees? ......................................................26

Control Technology Discussed by Lee Rush,

Publisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst General Manager: Barbara Davies Contributing Writers: John Yoswick, Janet Chaney, Toby Chess, Ed Attanasio, Chasidy Sisk, David Luehr, Stacey Phillips, Victoria Antonelli, Gary Ledoux Advertising Sales: Joe Momber, Griffin Reinhard, Norman Morano (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bryan Malinski Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Abby Andrews Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Permissions Editor: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

3M Automotive Aftermarket Division ................. 5

Catalytic Converter Thefts Skyrocketing

With $20M Demand ........................................4 COLUMNISTS

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

CONTENTS

Saving Time Begins ......................................62 WIN Announces 2021 Conference .....................16

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Cutting Out the Middleman on Electric Car Sales by Joann Muller, Axios

The auto industry is in the midst of the biggest transformation in a century, with cars one day running on electrons, not gasoline. But it’s not just the cars that are changing. How we buy and service them is being disrupted, too. Instead of selling cars through franchised dealers, emerging auto manufacturers want to sell electric vehicles direct to consumers, either online or in their own stores. But that’s illegal in more than half the states in America, which environmentalists and consumer groups argue is holding back EV adoption and keeping the U.S. from achieving emissions reduction goals. A coalition of EV companies and advocates is working state-bystate to overturn decades-old laws that prohibit car manufacturers from opening their own stores or service centers. esla started the fight in 01 now newcomers like Rivian, Lucid and Lordstown Motors are joining the effort, too. “What did the global pandemic

teach us? It’s that people want a better way to buy a car,” Rivian’s vice president of public policy, J ames Ch en, told Axios.

Credit: Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

At least 20 states allow EV manufacturers to sell directly to consumers, including California, Illinois and Florida. The latest was Colorado, which passed a law last March. In eight other states, including New York, Tesla fought for an exemption from the franchise laws, but it doesn’t apply to other EV manufacturers. One of those states, Washington, took up a bill this week that would remove the restriction for all EV makers.

In Michigan, where Rivian is based, the rules are exceptionally twisted: EV makers can conduct “sales-like” activities at branded stores, but the actual sale—transfer of title—must take place in another state. The remaining states, including Texas—where Tesla is building a new gigafactory—prohibit EV manufacturers from direct sales. The dealer franchise laws were passed in the 1950s to protect car dealers from having to compete with factory-owned stores. As a result, carmakers like G M and Ford wholesale vehicles to independent dealers, who turn around and sell those cars to consumers at a markup. EV startups don’t want a middleman selling or servicing their high-tech products. “We have a desire to have direct touch with our customers,” said Rivian’s Chen. Neither does Lucid, which plans to sell its luxury EVs at company-owned “studios” or online. Cars would be picked up for service, or maintained by mobile service eets.

“The direct-sales model wasn’t built to sell EVs,” said J ared A llen, a spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association. “It was built to limit competition for both sales and service by creating a vertical channel for manufacturing, sales and service that allows a single entity to control everything, including prices.” G M and Ford initially backed the dealers in their fight against esla, but now they have skin in the EV game, too. G M said it aims to phase out gasoline vehicles by 2035 and Ford has a $ 500 million stake in Rivian. Both companies are investing heavily in EV development and asking dealers to do the same to get their showrooms EV-ready. D aniel Crane, a University of Michigan professor tracking the issue, suggested a legislative compromise: traditional cars could continue to be sold and serviced only by franchised dealers, but EVs and future technologies could be sold directly by both legacy carmakers and startups. We thank A x ios for reprint permission.

Kia Reportedly Under Ransomware Attack With $20M Demand by Chris Bruce, Motor1.com

A group of hackers attacked Kia Motors America and subjected the automaker to ransomware that has allegedly shut down vital services like its UVO Link apps, payment system and the sites dealers use, according to Bleeping Computer. The hackers are requesting 404.5833 bitcoin to decrypt the data, which at current values, is equivalent to $ 20,899,559.53. If Kia doesn’t pay quickly enough, then the ransom increases to 600 bitcoin ($ 30,994,200.) Bleeping Computer also obtained the alleged ransom note the hackers sent to Kia. The letter says if Kia doesn’t make any attempt to contact the attackers within three days, a portion of the obtained data would be made public. The demands don t specifically say what type of data this hack stole. Motor1.com reached out to Kia for info about the current status of this attack and the company’s intention. In a statement to Bleeping Computer on Feb. 17, the automaker denied it was subject to ransom-

ware. “We are also aware of online speculation that Kia is subject to a ‘ ransomware’ attack. At this time, we can confirm that we have no evidence that Kia or any Kia data is subject to a ‘ ransomware’ attack,” the announcement said. Something odd is the letter addresses Hyundai Motor America, which is closely related to Kia. At this time, it doesn’t seem Hyundai is affected by the attack, but otor1. com is reaching out to the automaker for confirmation. As automakers use increasingly networked technology, hacks and ransomware attacks become a larger risk of disrupting their business. For example, ransomware in 2017 forced Renault to stop production in France temporarily, and Nissan had to do the same in the UK at the time. UPDATE: An anonymous tip to Motor1.com alleges Hyundai dealership technicians are unable to access part of the system for using diagnostic equipment. This has allegedly been the case since Feb. 13, according to the person who contacted us.

We’ve contacted Hyundai and Kia with these new details for confirmation. UPDATE 2: Kia responded Feb. 18 with a statement regarding the issue:

“Kia Motors America, Inc. has been experiencing an extended systems outage since [ Feb. 13] but can confirm that the U app and owner s portal are now operational,” the statement said. “We anticipate remaining primary customer-facing affected systems will continue to come back online within the next 24-48 hours, with our most critical systems first in line. “We apologize for the inconvenience to affected customers, especially those impacted by winter storms, who felt the outage of our

remote start and heating feature most acutely. Kia is wholly focused on fully resolving this issue and would like to thank our customers for their continued patience. “We are aware of online speculation that Kia is subject to a ransomware attack,” the statement concluded. “At this time, and based on the best and most current information, we can confirm that we have no evidence that Kia or any Kia data is subject to a ransomware attack.” UPDATE 3: Hyundai also responded to our request for comment. Like Kia, it is denying the allegations of a ransomware attack. “Hyundai Motor America is experiencing an I outage affecting a limited number of customer-facing systems,” Hyundai told Motor1. “Those systems are in the process of coming back online. We would like to thank our customers for their continued patience. At this time, we can also confirm that we have no evidence of Hyundai Motor America or its data being subject to a ransomware attack.” We thank M otor1 .com for reprint permission.

4 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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GNYADA President Recognized as Pandemic Hero The G reater New York Automobile Dealers Association, or G NYADA, and its president, M ark Sch ienb erg , found a supplier abroad that was able to ship masks to the association within weeks. For that help in cutting through the red tape and getting equipment into the hands of people that needed it, Schienberg earned recognition from Crain’s New York Business and Empire BlueCross BlueShield as one of 50 pandemic heroes. Schienberg was honored as part of the 2020 Whole Health Heroes Award program. The program honored a group of New York region leaders from the health care, essential worker and business sectors, for displaying leadership to help ensure New Yorkers’ safety and wellness during the pandemic. Through its member dealers, the association purchased nearly 1 million face masks and face shields. Schienberg and G NYADA leaders arranged distribution of those supplies by contacting New York City borough presidents, Long Island County executives and leaders in Westchester and the Lower Hudson

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Valley, in addition to the American Red Cross in New York City. hose efforts led to delivery of PPE to New York City Housing Authority residents in Brooklyn, senior centers, borough halls, emergency management facilities, nonprofit organizations that work with the most vulnerable populations and other groups.

philanthropic small businesses in their communities. “That was way true before the pandemic and it remains true now,” Schienberg said in a news release. Schienberg also said, “Even at a time when their own businesses were at risk because of the statewide shutdowns, auto dealers in Metro ew ork sel essly stepped up to

“It was humbling to be recognized alongside so many generous and compassionate New Yorkers who came together to help our region, and our nation, through such a difficult time.” — Mark Schienberg Additional recipients of the 2020 Whole Health Heroes distinction included Northwell Health CEO M ich ael D ow ling , Michelin-starred chef D aniel B ou lu d , FDNY EMS President O ren B arz ilay and physicians at Mount Sinai, New York Presbyterian and other medical facilities. Schienberg said franchise newcar dealers are often among the most

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the plate and, working with the association, were able to deliver crucial life-saving equipment to their neighbors who were in urgent need. It was humbling to be recognized alongside so many generous and compassionate New Yorkers who came together to help our region, and our nation, through such a difficult time. We thank A uto R emarketing for reprint permission.

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North Smithfield Auto Body Expansion Clears Hurdle After Restoration Plan by Lauren Clem, The Valley Breeze

A project that has faced several challenges due to its proximity to the Woonsocket reservoirs was cleared for its final stage of plan ning review. North Smithﬁeld Auto Body owner T om W h alen is seeking to expand his business at 770 Eddie Dowling Highway in North Smithfield, I. he expansion includes a new building with 12 service bays on a neighboring lot and a new entry and exit onto Route 146. On Feb. 11, lawyer Ch ris tian Cap iz z o told the planning board the owner is still seeking permits from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Due to its location near wetlands and on a state highway, the expansion will require approval from both agencies in addition to local boards. “It s somewhat uid, so we had asked to get this before you while we work with DOT on the engineering as well as DEM,” Capizzo said.

In 2020, the project faced pushback from some members of the zoning board over concerns it may be located in a water supply overlay district where auto repair shops are not allowed. The board voted 4-1 to approve the project after a consultant said it was not subject to the rules of the overlay district.

project but raised some concerns about the plans for entry and exit onto the highway. The company has had to work closely with the RIDOT, particularly since the state agency announced plans to overhaul the Sayles Hill Road intersection down the street. The current plan, according to D’Amico, is to have a separate “frontage road” in addition to the two northbound lanes to allow for easier access to local businesses. Board members voted 5-0 to approve the project’s preliminary application. The plans will need one more review by the planning board before final approval. In a separate matter, board members also voted 5-0 to approve the master plan application for an expansion of K & B Properties at 20 Providence Pike. That project will involve a new warehouse and office building to serve he eck Company on the corner of Industrial Drive and Providence Pike.

rolled into a protected area. “Some of the material, because of the steepness, rolled down and went into the buffer area, he explained. After RIDEM representatives visited the property, he said, the company agreed to a restoration plan that involved planting and revegetating the slope. At the same time, they’re

“It’s somewhat fluid, so we had asked to get this before you while we work with DOT on the engineering as well as DEM,” — Christian Capizzo Then, in the fall, it faced another setback when the RIDEM required the company to restore an area that had been disturbed during construction. According to D av id D ’ A mico, an engineer for the project, the company had begun pre-work and excavation for the new building and was storing the material on a neighboring property when it

also working with the RIDEM to secure their remaining permits. Asked about the effect on the nearby water supply, D’Amico said the project will have a net positive effect on the water uality in the wetlands due to new systems for treating runoff that will be in stalled as part of the expansion. Planning board members had a generally positive reaction to the

We thank The Valley Breeze for reprint permission.

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Volvo Aims For All-EV by 2030

Tesla Model 3 New York’s Yellow Cab Fleet is Growing

olvo ars aims for 0% of its global sales volume to consist of fully electric cars by 0 , with the rest hybrids, and by 030, it plans for every car it sells to be pure electric. he future of olvo ars is electric and the new olvo 0 echarge is the latest manifes tation of its commitment to a ero emission future. he 0 echarge has all the benefits of an SU but with a lower and sleeker design. It is based on the A vehicle plat form and the first olvo mod el in history designed as pure electric only. Following the introduction of the 0 echarge and now the 0 echarge, olvo ars will roll out several addition al electric models in coming years. he 0 echarge will go in production this fall and will be built in hent, elgium.

ew ork s eet of esla yellow cabs seems to be growing, with recent photographs around the city showing the presence of more odel 3 taxis.

Source: V olvo C ars

by Maria Merano, Teslarati

his was despite one of the esla odel 3 yellow cabs having an accident in late anuary. In early ovember, ew ork ity s first odel 3 taxi cab caught the community s eye for its uni ue features and potential. he odel 3 yellow cab was the spir itual successor of the issan eaf, which brie y served as official taxis from 013 to 01 as part of the city s efforts to embrace sustainable transportation. Unfortunately for the first es la odel 3 yellow cab, the

vehicle was involved in an acci dent on ong Island in late anu ary. Images of the vehicle post ac cident revealed a good portion of the odel 3 s left rear uarter pan el was torn off during the incident. he driver s side rear wheel was also cracked. ater images showed the esla odel taxi cab being transported to what appeared to be a local ga rage. y then, it seemed like the odel 3 yellow cab would be out of com mission for a while. If recent photos are any indi cation, however, it appears more odel 3 taxis are now on the way, and some of them are already being deployed to the city. A photo submitted to eslara ti by one of our readers showed two other esla odel 3 yellow cabs parked side by side in hite lains, . ther social media pho tos show esla odel 3 taxis with different license numbers from the cab that crashed in anuary driving around ew ork. hese suggest the number of esla yellow taxis in

ew ork is growing to some de gree. efore the crash of the odel 3 yellow cab in anuary, ami, the driver of the all electric car, not ed the esla is definitely different from other cars he has driven at

Credit: Gregory D Romano ll

work. And while some aspects of the vehicle, like its ush door han dles, present a learning curve for some commuters, the driver noted the esla attracts a ton of attention, with people even taking photos of the odel 3 during his daily rounds. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

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AASP/NJ Virtual Meeting Details Future of ADAS To educate members on the importance of proper ADAS repair, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/ NJ) recently welcomed J oh n A nello, of Auto Tech on Wheels, and N ick D ominato, of adasThink, for “ADAS: The Future Is NOW,” a two-hour Z oom seminar that provided insight into this technology, its requirements and how it will affect the industry moving forward. As Anello explained, ADAS did not come along overnight. Electric steering came about in the ’90s, and Lane Keeping Assist has been around since 2004. However, over the past few years, ADAS has grown at an overwhelming rate. He reminded collision repairers that if they do not keep up with technology, it will pass them by. “You have to embrace the technology as it comes to your front door. If you don’t, customers will go to dealerships, and you will start losing your customer base,” Anello said. To demonstrate what is involved in some ADAS procedures,

he walked repairers through the removal of a bumper with advanced sensors. “When you are working on these cars, you have to put [ sensors] back the way you found them.”

The space required to calibrate these radar sensors is another important factor. The perfect shop should have an area that is 40 feet wide by 30 feet deep to do this properly. With more advancements

“The cars today are outpacing us all, and we have to be able to stay up with it. Liability will fall back into your lap,” — Jerry McNee Putting a sensor back in the wrong spot will immediately result in a communication error, and each sensor has to be calibrated. In the case of parking sensors, the angle has to be checked on each one. Additionally, post-repair scans won’t show underlying issues. Anello explained a situation where lights came on while test driving a repaired vehicle. Upon noticing a substantially misaligned radar, he took off the cover to discover it pointing down to the ground. “It wasn’t looking for cars anymore; it must have been looking for squirrels.”

such as automatic emergency braking coming down the pike, knowing how to correctly address these sensors is critically important. Many repairers may be unaware of how many calibrations are needed on ADAS-equipped vehicles. Dominato explained each manufacturer is different, with some having broader requirements than others. “We are at about 40% to 50% of most makes having at least one calibration on there,” Dominato said. Although there are resources that assist repairers, not all are 100% reliable. Dominato reminded

all that a clear scan report is not a “get out of jail free card.” “You can do a calibration with a scan tool, but it’s not the ‘ all clear,’” he said. With autonomous driving on the horizon, he cautioned that calibration requirements will only continue. “ADAS isn’t something up and coming that is going to hit us in two years; it’s been here. We are at 40% of things in need of calibration, and it’s being missed 80% of the time. That is where we are right now as an industry.” Of course, performing accurate work in regard to ADAS will protect repair facilities as much as consumers. “The cars today are outpacing us all, and we have to be able to stay up with it. Liability will fall back into your lap,” said AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee. “If this work is not done on these cars, someone is going to die,” said AASP/NJ Executive Director Ch arles B ryant. For more information on AASP/ NJ, visit aaspnj.org. Source: A A SP / NJ

Washington, PA, Company Donates Car to Veteran by Katie Anderson, Observer-Reporter

Diehl Collision in Washington, PA, partnered with G EICO to donate a recycled car to a local veteran Feb. 11. Corey D ors ey, of Pittsburgh, PA, retired from the U.S. Army after serving from 2003 to 2010, which included a deployment to Iraq, according to a news release from Diehl Collision. Dorsey has received the Army Achievement Medal, Army G ood Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, G lobal War on Terrorism Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon, according to the release. On Feb. 11, he received a 2018 Kia Soul, after being selected the recipient by the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, the release states. “We are so excited to gift this vehicle to Mr. Dorsey,” said K od y N ied z w iecki, Diehl Collision’s general manager, in a news release.

Diehl Collision, at 1280 Banetown Road, used to be Nadalin Auto Body, which participated in the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program. The program allows for businesses in the auto repair industry to repair and donate vehicles to families in need. Diehl Collision wanted to continue that tradition, Niedzwiecki said. “We take a lot of pride in our community and are happy to step up, especially in trying times like these,” he said in the release. “When we move into a new community, we enjoy being a part of that community. In this case, we want to continue the great legacy that Nadalin Auto Body started.” Since the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program started in 2007, more than 2,500 cars have been donated, according to the release. We thank the Observer-Reporter for reprint permission.

10 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Pennsylvania Auto Body Shop Receives Top Certification from GM Professionals Auto Body in Altoona, PA, has been awarded G eneral Motors’ highest designation certification for collision and me chanical repairs. “Professionals Auto Body has more up-to-date equipment, trained certified technicians and of fice staff than anyone in the area, said owner R on P erretta. “Having access to repair procedures on today’s vehicles is vital. Being certified allows the direct link. No others in the area, including insurance people and dealers, have this designation. “ he many certifications we have are only one step to a quality safe repair,” Perretta continued. “There are many things that have to be in place, and the biggest is a culture throughout the company for high levels of quality-oriented staff with the commitment to ser vice our customers. Those are very difficult to find. Perretta said anyone can get

certified, but maintaining the high levels of required criteria to stay certified is more difficult.

“Professionals Auto Body has more upto-date equipment, trained/certified technicians and office staff than anyone in the area,” — Ron Perretta “If a shop doesn’t repair consumers’ damaged vehicles to G eneral Motors’ standards, they will be removed from the program,” said Perretta. Source: Professionals Auto Body

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AASP/NJ Reacts to 2021 Insurer Report Card The 2021 Insurer Report Card was recently published by CRASH Network. The report was developed through the participation of more than 1,100 collision repair shops around the country that were asked to grade as many as 30 different in surers in their respective states on one question: “How well does this company’s claim-handling policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for motorists?” In all, the 2021 Insurer Report Card includes grades for 75 insurance companies. As shown in the report, none of the nation’s 10 largest auto insurers received an overall grade higher than a C+ from repair facilities. According to CRASH Network’s J oh n Y os w ick, comments shared by shops about these insurers included “cares more about cost than quality of the repair,” “pressures us to use cheap, low-quality parts,” “slow claims process” and “inexperienced adjusters.” The report also reveals that smaller auto insurers Chubb, Erie

Insurance, Michigan Farm Bureau and North Carolina Farm Bureau earned an overall grade of A- or higher. “After reviewing this report, it’s amazing to me that some of the larger insurers can have ratings that low and still be successful,” AASP/NJ President J erry M cN ee comments. “Can you imagine if body shops were rated that low by consumers or insurers? There’s no doubt that our businesses would be struggling. “That said, I honestly think the ratings could be a lot lower for some of these insurers. These results show that there are major issues between shops and insurers that aren’t being properly addressed. I hope these carriers take the time to review this report and realize they need to make some major improvements in how they work and communicate with the collision repair industry.” The 2021 Insurer Report Card is available for free download at crashnetwork.com/irc. More information on AASP/ NJ is available at aaspnj.org. Source: A A SP / NJ

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inspections are required only if an airbag deploys, but there often are inspections required even when airbags don’t deploy.” cedures he’s reviewed include a Subaru, for example, is among variety of safety inspections a shop the automakers that call for safety needs to do on vehicles involved in inspections following any collision a collision. These inspections can repair of its vehicles. Speaking at an include checking seat belts, measur- industry event in late 2019, N icole ing the steering column, checking R ied el of Subaru of America reitersupplemental restraint system con- ated the automaker’s stance. “Every time,” Riedel said of when the inspections are required post-repairs. “Even if you are in New York City and vehicles are just getting sideview mirrors clipped, you still have to do it. We will not deviate from that procedure. We are having conversations with Japan to review that. But at The broken dash carrier was discovered in a 2018 Silverado with only moderate damage this time, we need you to do it every single time.” nectors, looking for damage to knee Anderson said Subaru is hardly bolsters or seat components and oth- alone in this. He points to OEM proer procedures just to gain the access cedures for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee needed to perform inspections. that state, “If a vehicle is involved “These inspections will vary by in a front-end collision, or the airbag OEM and by the year and model of has deployed, or both, the steering the vehicle,” Anderson said. “Some column must be replaced.” Continued from Cover

Stuck in the Middle

He shares examples of similar OEM safety inspection procedures called for by Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler and Hyundai. “The OEM procedures for the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado include four or five pages of things a shop is supposed to inspect if a vehicle is any collision,” Anderson said. “A shop owner sent me photos of a Silverado he repaired, and when they removed the dash as part of the required safety inspections, sure enough, they found that the dash carrier was broken.” That shop owner, T im P aap of Paap Auto Body in Mattoon, IL, said that damage occurred even in a relatively low speed 0 mph ac cident in which the occupants were wearing seat belts. “My only conclusion was their lower extremities were propelled forward into the lower dash, which absorbed the impact,” Paap said. “We have found several steering columns collapsed in what would seem like low-speed collisions. This is the reason the required inspections need to be done.” Anderson said another shop he

works with has measured 43 steering columns in one automaker’s vehicles, as called for in its procedures following collisions. Of those, 11 had collapsed. “That’s a 26% rate,” Anderson said. The friction arises because such inspections can potentially require a dozen or more labor hours. Shops doing the procedures can experience push-back from insurers. But there’s also some shops pushing back because the added labor can lead to vehicles being declared total losses. “I recently got some shops really angry with me at some virtual meetings when I polled them why they weren’t doing the procedures,” Anderson said. “I asked them if it was because they were unaware of the need to do these procedures, if they thought they were smarter than the engineers and don’t think it was necessary, or if they’re just afraid it will create an issue with an insurance company. It was about onethird each.” Anderson said he’s not going to argue about whether the inspections are necessary or not.

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BMW custo and c

“But I’m certainly not going to second-guess the OEM engineers who say they are,” he said. “Every time we fix a car, we re playing us

don’t do it, and somebody gets hurt, you’re liable. You can’t say, ‘ The insurer wouldn’t pay me.’ An insurance company refusing to pay you to

BMW lays out damage that warrants replacement of a steering box on its 2020 330i, noting if a customer or insurer refuses “for cost reasons, a memorandum to that effect must be drawn up and countersigned by the party bearing the costs of the accident repair.”

sian roulette. If we don’t do these things, is it going to come back to haunt us? We’re playing the odds. “At the end of the day, if you

do it does not remove you from the liability.” That said, Anderson also thinks insurance companies need to rec-

ognize the tough position they are putting shops in when they refuse to pay for necessary inspections. “It’s not fair, and it’s not right, for the shop or the consumer,” he said. “Insurers need to step up and be part of the solution to this issue, not add to it.” Anderson said his goal in challenging shops on the safety inspections isn’t to make anyone angry or add to the friction, but to create awareness about the safety inspections and work toward some res olution to the issue. He’d like to see automakers, shops and insurers come together to find ways to reduce the friction. He sees a number of things he thinks could help. First, automakers could refine the safety inspection requirements by better defining when they are needed. Some call for some of the inspections only when there’s been an airbag deployment, which is helpful, Anderson believes. “But others use such phrases as ‘ minor to moderate collision.’ I think we need to get a better defini tion of what ualifies as a minor to

moderate collision,’” Anderson said. As an example, he points to a definition the ational Highway raffic Safety Administration has de veloped of a “minor crash” in relation to when child safety seats must be replaced. Some automakers may be headed in that direction. Last summer, G eneral Motors said it was reviewing its published requirements for inspections it currently says must be completed “after any collision.” Those procedures include inspection of the steering wheel and column, the instrument panel mounting points and brackets, and seat and seat belt mounting points. “We recognize that the requirements and processes we had laid out… are extremely labor intensive and vehicle invasive,” G M’s J oh n E ck said during an online industry meeting. One proposal Eck said was under consideration would establish inspection requirements for each of four levels of collision severity, ranging from just visual inspections and diagnostic confirmation without any part removal for the most minor

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crashes involving no structural damage, up to the existing required procedures as part of repairs involving airbag deployment. “Once we explain to the engineers the realities of what’s going on in the collision industry and the challenge that repairers are facing, the light bulb goes on and they get

spection requirements. “For example, one told me they put a plastic bushing in the steering column that’s made to collapse under inertia forces,” he said about the requirement to measure the steering column. “If so, let’s spell that out so everybody knows why the inspection is critical.”

“My heart bleeds for shops. There are some out there really trying to do the right thing. But they’re getting stuck in the middle.” — Mike Anderson it,” Eck said. “So far, everybody has been very understanding of the need to readdress this and see where we can make changes that will help repairers.” But like Subaru’s Riedel, Eck emphasized that prior to new procedures being finali ed, s current post-collision inspection requirements remain in place. “Until then, nothing has changed,” Eck said. Anderson said the automakers also could help by providing more of the “why” behind the safety in-

Anderson said a document from oyota also offers another way automakers could provide more information and justification for the inspections. It shows, for a list of replacement parts, the necessary procedures that must be completed and lists the possible negative effects if that procedure isn’t done. “The automaker spells out, ‘ If you don’t do x, then y will not work properly,” Anderson said. “This is a very clear statement.” Some automakers suggest in their documentation if a called-for proce-

dure isn’t done, it should be noted in writing and signed by the insurer and customer as a sort of hold-harmless agreement. One automaker suggests noting inside the vehicle’s owner’s manual, where service and maintenance records are documented, if a procedure wasn’t done. Anderson said he understands legal reasons for this, but still has some concerns with it as a solution. “If you don’t do it, and that customer sells that car to somebody else, they certainly didn’t waive their rights to that,” Anderson said. “The hold-harmless would need to indemnify the repairer as long as that vehicle is on the road.” Anderson said he’s open to hearing from anyone who is interested in working on resolving the issue. He’d also like shops to help him compile data on what they do and do not find when conducting the safety inspections. “I don’t know the solution, but if we get the right people in the room, including insurance companies and the s, we could come up with some solutions that keep shops from being stuck in the middle,” Anderson said.

The owner of a local auto shop has pleaded guilty to allegations he intended to distribute a mountain of heroin and cocaine in assachusetts. On Feb. 26, J av ier G onz alez , 52, owner of TWC A uto B od y on Jackson Street in Holyoke, A, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin and 5 kilograms of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s ffice assachusetts said. hat on ale was trying to move more than 1 to 5 kilograms is an understatement. When police arrested on ale they discovered more than 50 kilograms of cocaine and heroin. To get an idea of just how large of a quantity this is, 1 kilogram is about the size of a regular 4-lb. bag of sugar. A person could purchase all of the regular sugar sacks at Target and still fall short in comparison to the massive amount of drugs law enforcement confiscated from on-

zalez. From 011 to arch 01 , on ale conspired with others to obtain large amounts of heroin and cocaine from Texas, transport the drugs to Holyoke and distribute them in the region. It all ended arch , 01 , when law enforcement officers seized about $ 1.17 million in cash hidden inside a tractor-trailer driven by on ala to exas as payment for kilograms of heroin and cocaine. In addition, the agents seized 14 kilograms of heroin and 42 kilograms of cocaine in Texas that was destined to be distributed by on ale back in assachusetts. on ale is facing a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, plus a $ 10 million fine, the U.S. Attorney s ffice said. U.S. District ourt Judge M ark G M . M as troianni scheduled sentencing for June 25. We thank the D aily V oice for reprint permission.

The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) has announced the schedule for its 2021 Virtual onference ay , starting at 10 a.m. ET. This year’s theme, “Stronger ogether, will be re ected throughout the agenda of the two-day event that brings education, connection and celebration to collision industry professionals each year. The conference is free for WIN members and $ 149 for non-members. The 2021 Virtual Annual onference will feature live and playback enabled content to fit attendees’ schedules; topics relevant to all aspects of the collision industry; interactive features a Virtual Scholarship Walk open to families, partners and co-workers; and national media panels discussing latest trends. ore details and registration coming soon, but save the date on your calendar now. Source: WI N

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from processing more than 200-million claims-related transactions, 50-billion miles of driving data, and millions of auto BI and PIP/MedPay shop owners all over the world covet casualty claims. CCC is committed the information presented in CCC’s to providing the industry with inforCrash Course report. mation and data to create more visIf you’ve been in the collision ibility into what’s ahead, informing industry for more than a few years, understanding to positively impact you know that CCC’s Crash Course business outcomes. report provides revealing indusKey topics covered in Crash try-leading insights on the business, Course 2021 include: The rise of consumer, environmental, and tech- tech-enabled DIY customer expenology trends shaping the riences in insurance; How P& C insurance economy. Covid-19 became the spark This year’s report profor consumers to take anvides a substantive view other look at usage-based of how Covid-19 reshaped insurance; why 2020 saw the industry with shifts in more severe accidents and driving behavior, attitudes the impact on the repair proCCC’s Director/ toward personal mobility, cess; Covid-19’s impact on Industry Analyst adoption of telematics-enthe casualty claims process Susanna Gotsch abled usage-based insurance, and healthcare, and the role authors the CCC and exponential growth in of vehicle technology in inCrash Course the digitization of operations report every year by creasing repair costs. across the claims and repair accumulating data When people stopped from myriad sources experience. driving last March, G otsch year-round “Crash Course illuswitnessed some very distrates how COVID-19 impacted our tinctive trends that appeared literalindustry and the trajectory of change ly overnight. “Everything that hapmoving forward,” G otsch said. pened was the byproduct of the fact “CCC has published Crash Course for 26 years and this edition reveals unprecedented change. And though we expect some changes like miles driven to revert to pre-pandemic levels, we project other changes will become the new baseline as photos, mobile, AI, and customer demands have reset expectations and changed how we work. “To help make sense of the rapidly changing market dynamics and accelerating innovations, the Crash Course team is evolving how we 4700 West Chester Pike bring information to you,” she said. Newtown Square, PA 19073 “We’re excited to deliver a unique 610-353-6906 Crash Course report each quarter in 2021, sharing the most current data 610-353-4116 24 Hr. Fax available and even timelier insights www.raffertysubaru.com for the auto industry and related ecoraffertyparts@aol.com system, how people decide to buy, M-F 7:30am-5pm own, insure and drive their cars will Sat 8am-4pm determine, in part, how we move forward as an industry. How these interconnected decisions and data points are shifting and changing as n Delivery to PA, NJ and DE a result of the COVID-19 pandemic n Competitive Pricing & is important to monitor and frame in Discounts the reference of what we are seeing in the market right now.” The 130-page report draws insights from decades of experience Continued from Cover

Crash Course Report

that people stopped driving,” she said. “It meant that there was less congestion, which led to things such as erratic driving habits, speeding, and more cases of distracted driving. There were more younger drivers on the road than normal because elderly people were also driving less due to their compromised health and other reasons. Younger drivers equal more distracted driving as well as drunk driving and drug-related driving. It led to a riskier, faster, and more dangerous cocktail of driving behavior. California and less-populated states such as Wyoming and Nebraska reported a huge spike in the total number of citations that were written for drivers who were driving in excess of 100 mph, for example.” “The numbers of people who die every year in this country are equivalent to a 747 crashing every day without any survivors, but people don’t seem to want to understand how broad the devastation actually is,” G otsch said. “People say that it’s more dangerous driving to the airport as opposed to getting on a plane. As previously noted, the

COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in claims and congestion, logically leading to fewer but more expensive claims. Consumer preference for light trucks and vehicles loaded up with the newest technology forged ahead, further driving repair complexity and higher costs. When a claim did happen, insurers offered customers new curated digital capabilities embedded with AI, helping accelerate overall cycle time at the front end by enabling the customer to make faster and more informed decisions. In 2020, carmakers didn’t slow down when it came to developing new ADAS technology, which means that shops have to be more knowledgeable than ever about the newer models in order to survive. “With rising repair complexity and costs, repair cycle times continue to grow,” G otsch said. “Customer satisfaction with a repair typically falls as repair costs rise, as does a customer’s corresponding satisfaction with the insurer’s handling of the claim and the customer’s willingness to recommend that shop or See Crash Course Report, Page 28

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CARFAX Accident Data Digs Deeper into Damage History by Auto Remarketing Staff

Accident history is the No. 1 thing used-car shoppers look for in a vehicle’s history, according to CARFAX.

Credit: II.studio/Shutterstock.com

The company said although Americans are driving less because of the COVID pandemic, and accidents were down in the second half of last year, car dealers should know whether a vehicle has sustained damage. “Otherwise they could be overpaying by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars—directly affecting their bottom line,” CARFAX said in a news release. To see if damage has been re-

ported to CARFAX, dealers can use the CARFAX Vehicle History Report, which can also help them determine the severity by digging a little deeper into the damage history. A CARFAX Vehicle History Report shows dealers accidents and damage that have been reported to CARFAX. But most reports also show where the impact was and how severe the damage was. CARFAX estimates approximately 40% of vehicles on U.S. roads, or about 110 million cars, have sustained damage during their lifetime. According to CARFAX data, one in four cars are sold within a year of the incident. Shoppers have a good reason for looking at accident history. The average impact on retail price is about $ 500. But that average impact on wholesale price is more than $ 1,000. And if the vehicle has sustained severe damage, the average impact on wholesale value is nearly $ 2,300. History-Based Value is a free valuation tool from CARFAX that takes into account vehicle specific information, such as accidents, to

calculate pricing. “Historically, there was just an accident reported,” said J oh n P itre, chief operating officer at otor ity Auto enter in akersfield, A. “We wouldn’t keep a vehicle that just showed a basic accident because we didn’t know, on a scale of

transparency when consumers come in to buy a car. Byers Chevrolet in G rove City, OH, has been in business for more than 123 years. “So reputation is everything in a small community,” said G eneral anager J eremy F rancis .

“Now we’re actually able to determine where on the vehicle the accident occurred and how severe it was.” — John Pitre one to 100, whether it was a two or a 99 in terms of the damage,” Pitre said. “Now we’re actually able to determine where on the vehicle the accident occurred and how severe it was. In many cases, we’re now keeping those vehicles and disclosing that information to subsequent buyers.” With a CARFAX Vehicle History Report, dealerships can more easily find and assess damage and find the best inventory at ac uisition at the right price. The company said with the tool, dealerships can build consumer confidence and increase

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“We want to keep that,” Francis said. “When we’re going over the CARFAX with the customer, I think it gives a lot of ease to the customer’s purchase experience when you have that disclosure of where the impact was, the severity and what was impacted. We want to be completely transparent and let the customer make an educated decision while giving them the confidence in know ing that the repairs were done correctly.” We thank A uto R emarketing for reprint permission.

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3/17/2021 4:05:46 PM

Rumor: GM, LG Chem to Build Second EV Battery Plant in U.S. by Mark Kane, Inside EVs

G eneral Motors is looking for a second lithium-ion cell battery plant with LG Chem’s LG Energy Solution in the U.S., according to unofficial media reports.

The two already established a 50/50 joint venture, Ultium Cells, which is building a 30 G Wh lithium-ion cell factory in Lordstown, OH. According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, the second plant could be built in Tennessee, but the final location is not yet known. The decision is expected in the first half of this year.

Interestingly, LG Energy Solution said it has plans to build battery plants in the U.S. for multiple OEMs, according to Automotive News. Considering Ford would like to see more battery factories in the U.S., it’s probably

one of the first candidates. At this point, we don’t know much and even Tesla might be interested in LG Chem batteries in the U.S., especially taking into consideration the new 4680 cells, for which LG Chem developed a pilot production line. We thank I nsid e E V s for reprint permission.

Tesla’s Fremont Factory Partially Shut Down by Michael Cantu, Inside EVs

According to a tweet from Saw yer M errit, Tesla’s Fremont, CA, factory has been partially shut down for a few days. It could just be certain production lines and not a total shutdown. UPDATE: Tesla is indeed shutting down part of the factory for two weeks. Per Bloomberg: “Workers on a Model 3 production line in Fremont were told their line would be down from Feb. 22 until March 7, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private,” Bloomberg reported. “Impacted staff were told they would be paid for Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 and not paid for Feb. 28, March 1, 2 and 3. They were advised to take vacation time, if they had it.” Merrit claimed his sources said some Model 3 line workers have been sent home for two weeks. Everything is still unclear, but it might be due to a parts supplier. His source speculated that it’s likely a chip supplier, possibly Samsung. “Samsung was shutdown on 2/16. The Fremont parking lot was then empty on 2/21. Samsung was

able to get power resumed on 2/20. Tesla is taking the opportunity to address some needed downtime,” Merrit tweeted. Supposedly, there are rumors circulating the refreshed Model S and Model X have production delays. one of this is official. Merrit also claims to have reached out to refreshed Model S and X owners who have yet to receive a VIN. Inside EVs reported refreshed Model Xs could be delivered to customers in February, and Model S Plaid deliveries could start in March. However, Merrit then said Tesla has enough inventory to offset any recent factory downtime. So maybe those production delays are really just rumors. Some Tesla fans didn’t care much for Merrit’s breaking news, but he stood behind his sources. Replying to his tweet, The Kilowatts posted a video of the Fremont factory’s parking lot. They agree it looks a little empty. Let’s see if Elon Musk replies to the tweet. This is still a developing story, Inside EVs will have more information soon. We thank I nsid e E V s for reprint permission.

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Lincoln University Students Get Internships with Black Automotive Media Group, Audi of America A unique partnership has been created for students interested in covering the automobile industry from a multimedia perspective. Dubbed “The Driving Force (TDF),” the Black Automotive Media G roup (BAMG ) sought out applicants to participate in a 10-week, virtual, field credit internship com prising training and mentoring sessions. Ten Lincoln University mass communications students were awarded internships with the BAMG and Audi of America. The internship program evolved following a series of discussions between automakers and BAMG members this past summer. While those conversations began to improve the diversity and inclusion of African-American journalists covering the industry, an opportunity presented itself to help prepare the next generation of automotive media professionals. “Lincoln University’s ‘ Learn. Liberate. Lead.’ tagline has a clear distinction within this opportunity with A , Audi, he ffice of Internship Services and the mass communications department,” said K olb i Calh ou n, a Lincoln University graduating senior from California. “To be seen as a leader and to have an educational experience that shows me that I can be a future world leader is truly an amazing opportunity for a young African-American woman, like myself.” The inaugural program will expose selected interns to careers as reporters, videographers, photographers and digital and social media in uencers within the auto industry. Students will showcase their work on various platforms during the program, including vehicle review writing and production of YouTube-style videos, and liaise with industry ex-

ecutives from the many businesses supporting the industry. “Awarded the opportunity to learn from Lincoln alumni in the field of mass communication and to work with Audi is a great way to fin ish my senior semester,” said Tatyana Livingston, a graduating senior from New York State.

ternships, community service and/ or international experiences,” said Crystal Faison, director of internship services, Lincoln University. The program is led by respected media experts K imatni D . R aw lins of Automotive Rhythms Communications, G reg Morrison of Bumper2Bumpertv, and guest host

“We believe that embracing diverse and unique perspectives is the key to discovering new and innovative solutions within the automotive industry and beyond.”” — Tara Rush For the winter/spring 2021 academic sessions, the BAMG follows the “North Star” to Oxford, PA, where the next internship program will be supported by Audi of America for students at Lincoln University. “At Audi, we recognize that people of diverse backgrounds, including people of color, are underrepresented and undervalued within the automotive industry,” said T ara R u s h , chief marketing officer, Audi of America. “That is why we’ve chosen to collaborate with the Black Automotive Media G roup and Lincoln University to sponsor an internship program that will help introduce students of color to the exciting world of auto journalism. “We believe that embracing diverse and unique perspectives is the key to discovering new and innovative solutions within the automotive industry and beyond.” “The Black Automotive Media G roup Internship Program is perfectly aligned with the university’s liberal arts student success model, ensuring that all students participate in co-curricular high-impact learning opportunities such as in-

automotive media journalists and publishers. “Our collaboration with Audi of America and Lincoln University marks the second diversity-focused and academic program for BAMG that allows us to extend new opportunities to HBCU students,” said

Rawlins, a founding member of BAMG . “An internship with automaker Jaguar 25 years ago deeply in uenced my pathway, ultimately leading to comprehensive experience and an extensive automotive career. “So, to be able to create similar opportunities for African American interns with a strong interest in this field represents another opportunity to give back.” “This brings my career full circle,” said Morrison, a Lincoln University alumnus whose 52-year career in the industry with media outlets such as CNN, NBC, The Black Family Channel and others. “Many events in our country led to the awareness that Blacks are underrepresented in many industries, and BAMG is proud to have created the synergy between the auto industry, HBCUs and student media hopefuls.” Source: Lincoln University

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Continued from Cover

Chip Shortage 598 representing hourly workers at Flint Assembly. “We’re running three shifts, six days a week and we’re hitting our production target every day.” Malcho declined to say how many pickups will be affected by the absence of the module, but she said it will not have a substantial impact on G M’s U.S. corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) numbers. “ e routinely monitor our eet for compliance in the U.S. and Canada, and we balance our portfolio in a way that enables us to manage unforeseeable circumstances like this without compromising our overall greenhouse gas and fuel economy compliance,” Malcho said. “This is a temporary change and we look forward to making” the fuel-saving technology available as soon as possible. G M has been producing its full-size pickups without interruption despite a shortage of the semiconductor chips since last year. he deficit is caused in part by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to increased demand for laptop computers and other personal electronics that use the chips. Cars also use them in a variety of parts and infotainment systems. In fact, one Continued from Cover

Fewer Premiums in the segment’s combined ratio for 2020, from 94.4 to 98.8. At the start of last year, personal auto insurers had been benefiting from a couple of years of positive underwriting and operating performance momentum. his re ected the robust risk-adjusted capitalization of most writers and the positive impact of technology and data analytics on their underwriting, ratemaking and claims handling, AM Best said. These factors, along with the unexpectedly positive impact of COVID-19 on auto travel, improved the sector s profitability significant ly. Twenty-one insurers generated more than $ 1 billion in private paswww.autobodynews.com

car part could use 500 to 1,500 chips depending on the complexity of the part, analysts said. According to Cox Automotive data, G M has a 31- to 47-day supply of the Silverado depending on the model. For the Sierra, G M has a 32to 36-day supply. For February, the industry average day supply was 77. Malcho said G M is still building all of its pickups, which is a point CEO M ary B arra emphasized during the fourth-quarter earnings call with analysts. Pickups and fullsi ed SU s are s most profitable vehicles. Barra said G M would try to protect pickups and full-size SUVs from any impact from the chip shortage. But the shortage could cost G M up to $ 2 billion in lost earnings this year. Barra said G M expected chip supplies to return to normal in the second half of the year. G M presently has two of its assembly plants shuttered until at least mid-April, another until the end of March and will idle a fourth, all due to the chips shortage. G M on Feb. 8 shut down production for both shifts—initially until mid-March—at the following plants: Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant in Kansas City, KS: About 2,000 hourly workers build the Chevrolet senger auto direct premiums through the third quarter. However, for 10 of those 21, their topline premium showed a decline compared with the prior-year period. Three experienced premium growth of 1% or less, and most of the sector’s leading auto insurers offered premium discounts, rebates or refunds during the COVID-19 surge. U.S. roads are expected to remain less congested than normal for an indeterminate period in 2021, which could extend the favorable loss frequency trend, AM Best said. However, cars traveling at faster speeds on less congested roads can cause more serious accidents, increasing the severity of claims. We thank I nsurance B usiness M agaz ine for reprint permission.

UPDATED DAILY

Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 SUV CAMI, Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada: About 1,500 hourly workers build the Chevrolet Equinox SUV San Luis Potosí , Mexico: Builds Chevrolet Equinox and Trax and G MC Terrain SUVs G M said production at Fairfax and CAMI will now be shuttered until mid-April. G M is extending downtime at San Luis Potosi through the end of March. Additionally, G M’s G ravatai plant in Brazil will take downtime in April and May. The G ravatai factory, in Rio G rande do Sul, Brazil, builds the Chevrolet Onix, which is a top-selling car in South America. Crosstown rivals Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) have also seen production disruption caused by a shortage of chips. Ford, which had to stop production of its profitable F 1 0 pickup due to the chip shortage, has said the shortage could hurt annual profits this year by up to $ 2.5 billion. We thank the D etroit F ree P ress for reprint permission.

asTech Acquires adasThink Repairify, Inc. d/b/a asTech, a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC, announced Feb. 24 the acquisition of adasThink. adasThink retrieves information related to the vehicle specific advanced driv er-assistance systems (ADAS) and identifies re uired ADAS procedures and calibration based on labor operations in an automotive repair estimate. adasThink represents the 10th add-on acquisition for asTech and Kinderhook’s 101st automotive-related transaction. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The adasThink technology leverages the vehicle identifica tion number to properly identify the vehicle’s build information. Within the information, the technology identifies the ADAS on the vehicle impacted by the vehicle’s damage. Additionally, this technology identifies calibration requirements and instructions. Source: asTech

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Who Says Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees? N ath an Simmons has co-owned at it. We started painting all of our C & C C ollision in Alhambra, CA, friends’ vehicles until one day some for 23 years, and has worked hard to guys in suits dropped by.” with Gary Wickert he city s chief fire inspector help the company grow. During the same time, he has and other officials informed Simbeen able to build a healthy side mons in a very direct way his little business that is also growing on- business was no longer in operation. “We tried to tell them this is sai trees, a passion that has turned not a job, just a hobby, but they weinto much more. During the week, Simmons ren’t buying it,” he said. “The City of South Pasadena wasn’t thrilled manages 14 collision professionals with Stacey Phillips with his co-owner, R ett Comer, a about what we were doing and they childhood buddy who worked with told us they could fine us as much him painting cars in Simmons’s ga- as $ 5,000 a day, so we had to shut it rage when they were 16 in South Pa- down.” That experience was unpleasadena. “One day, I asked my mom if I sant, of course, but it planted a seed with Stacey Phillips in their minds that eventually led to cleaned up the garage, could I paint cars in there and she said yes,” Sim- the establishment of C& C Collision. “Maybe we can actually purmons said. “I don’t think she realized that we were going to turn it into sue this,” Simmons said. “So, we a little business. We put tarps ever- started saving our money and began ywhere, drywalled it and hung lights improving our skills by going to Ciand after a while, we got really good trus College in Azusa, CA, to learn

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Nathan Simmons, pictured with his wife, Joyce, and bulldog, Winston, co-owns C&C Collision in Alhambra, CA, and has been growing and selling Bonsai trees for the past two decades

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n as

ting et. runemand “We mithe ured

mes tion busiord-

shed otto, ectis on ings

hop,

Simmons served as the president of the G lendale/Foothill chapter of the California Autobody Association and as a member of other trade associations. “I networked with other shop owners to learn how to play the game, primarily with the insurance companies,” he said. “My customers were being steered to other shops, and I could see that some of their labor rates were bogus. So, I did my own survey and have used it successfully for many years now.” Since the age of 12, Simmons has been fascinated by Bonsai trees and the culture surrounding them. It all began in 1988, when he saw a collection of these miniature trees at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, CA. “ hey were the most magnificent things that I had ever seen,” he said. “Around that time, a lot of people were getting into Bonsai trees because of the ‘ Karate Kid’ movie, and I guess I was one of them.” Bonsai have been around for more than 1,000 years. The goal of growing any Bonsai is to create a miniaturized but genuine represen-

tation of nature in the form of a tree. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants, and any tree species can be used to grow one. Simmons takes Japanese black pine, juniper, Japanese maple, olive and oak trees and turns them into Bonsai.

Simmons sells Bonsai trees for $1,000 on average, but some of his trees can go for a much as $2,500

Once he sinks his teeth into something, Simmons is a man on a

mission. He went to the local library and did his research while talking to anyone who he could about Bonsai. He bought his very first tree from a small Japanese nursery in San Marino, CA, and from then on, he was hooked. “I was calling nurseries and I read as many books as I can, but I knew I wanted to go even further. I started going to a school to be trained on how to develop Bonsai trees, every weekend for almost a year. It wasn t exactly wax on, wax off, but it was an amazing experience.” Simmons has had many Bonsai teachers along the way, including J oh n W ang of El Monte, CA, who is probably one of the country’s top experts on the subject. He is a member of the Bonsai Society at Descanso G ardens in La Canada, CA, and sells his trees at several large Bonsai shows annually. Today, Simmons raises Bonsai that sell for $ 1,000 on average, but his biggest sale was $ 2,500. He is known for raising high-quality trees and it can be a profitable business if the cycle time won’t kill you. “Time is your friend when it

comes to Bonsai,” he said. “I started this process 20 years ago and my goal back then was just to keep them alive. I wasn’t advanced to grow them yet. I love this from an artistic aspect and also from a horticultural aspect and when people are thrilled about my trees, that’s truly special.” Ten years ago, Simmons planted 300 trees on his father’s avocado ranch. very year, he takes five to 10 from the ground, puts them in pots and takes time to develop them. As a result, Simmons has access to some excellent cuttings year round, and his customers love the results. Now, people know Simmons as “Bonsai Nate,” a knowledgeable veteran and an expert on Bonsai. “People reach out to me all the time and I often do demonstrations,” he said. “Bonsai has taught me a lot of things about life and exposed me to some wonderful people who share this passion.”

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Crash Course Report insurer. As repair costs rise, consum ers may need more fre uent updates to feel informed, and potentially in crease the average service score.” ost pandemic changes in peo ple s lifestyles will directly affect shops car counts for many years to come. “No one really knows how long it will take before people will feel safe enough to return to some thing resembling pre pandemic life, what is clear is that things are likely to be different. ith the option for more individuals to work from home in the future, people may choose to relocate to be closer to family, find less expensive housing, or other reasons as we saw early in the pan demic. This could potentially slow the shift toward urban areas that the U.S. experienced over the last decade. Many do anticipate some share of remote work in the U.S. will be permanent.” People will continue to work at home or virtually in 0 1 and be yond. If approximately 0 percent

of jobs could be done remotely, but workers chose to do so only one day per week, there would still poten tially be an impact to daily travel. Overall miles driven and trips taken might not see a significant decline, but more telework would still lead to fewer rushhour trips, less congestion in urban areas, and freer movement of remaining traffic, otsch stated. “In many ways, the pandemic environment has actually given us some idea of what the future may look like, and what that means to our industry. Despite an estimated $ 18 billion in auto premium returned to customers because of the pandemic, the percent of consumers that indi cated they were very satisfied with their auto insurance carrier fell from 6 percent late arch 0 0 to 6 percent by the end of August. As of early December, a study conducted by I A A A found that 0 percent of ve hicle owners continued to drive less, with percent of those who reported driving less posting at least a 50 percent decline in miles driven, according to CCC’s Crash Course report. Not surprisingly, interest in

user based insurance U I poli cies grew as people recognized they were driving less and wanted more transparency around how their poli cies were priced. In their annual reports submit ted to NHTSA, automakers also showed just how far they have come toward equipping vehicles with the building blocks for full vehicle au tonomy and ADAS. ADAS includes technologies such as front crash prevention or warning, lane depar ture warning, blind spot detection, park assist, back over prevention, obstacle detection, and autonomous emergency braking. The reports are submitted annually by the 0 man ufacturers that pledged to e uip at least 9 percent of their light duty cars and trucks with a gross vehicle weight of , 00 lbs. or less with the crash avoidance technology by the production year of 0 . “When ADAS technology went mainstream a few years back, the collision repair industry was put out on the front lines first vs. me chanical repair which is unusual, she said. “ he main challenges for body shops are daunting because the

s have different names for these systems and with consumer demand high, they re all packaged different ly and operate differently. So, under standing what’s going on with a car when it comes into your shop and then trying to fix it these are some pretty significant challenges. he question is where and what should you invest in, or should you use a third party company to do your di agnostics?” 0 0 was a year of uestions will 2021 provide us with some of the answers as we emerge from these uncertain times o find out more, get a hold of the rash ourse report to hopefully antici pate trends before they affect you.

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Tesla Megapack Battery Farm in Moss Landing, CA, Nearing Completion by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Tesla’s massive Megapack battery installation in Moss Landing, CA, is nearing completion. A recent drone yover of the site revealed most of the grid scale batteries are already set up. It would not be surprising if the oss anding egapack meets its ear ly 2021 completion target and Q 2 0 1 full deployment goal. he site s footage was shared on YouTube by EKMMetering, who dubbed the system one of the world’s largest energy storage installations. he oss and ing Megapack will be a 182.5 730 h system when com pleted, dwarfing projects like the Hornsdale Power Reserve, which held the crown of the world s larg est battery for some time. he oss anding ega pack farm will comprise 6 grid scale battery units, practically all of which have already been set up in their designated location on the site. The batteries are set up on 33

concrete slabs at PG & E’s Moss Landing electric substation. Once deployed, the massive Megapack farm is expected to help meet peak energy demands in the area, stor ing excess solar and wind energy generated when demand is low. This energy can then be used as demand picks up, particular ly during times when solar and wind are unavailable. Ultimately, the battery is expected to provide about 100 million worth of sav ings to over the project s estimated 0 year lifespan. he pace of the oss and ing battery installation has been uick considering the si e of the system, partly because of the Megapacks’ integrated controller, inverter and BMS. Considering each egapack comes fully as sembled from the factory with up to 3 h of storage and 1. of inverter capacity, even large scale installation could be com pleted quickly. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

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28 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Colonial VW of Medford 340 Mystic Ave., Medford, MA 02155 Ph: 781-475-5208 / Fx: 781-391-3506 Hours: M-Th 7-7; F 7-5; Sat 8-4 nmedeiros@vwmedford.com

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Cityside Subaru 790 Pleasant St., Belmont, MA 02478 Ph: 617-826-5013 / Fx: 617-489-0733 Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 parts@citysidesubaru.com North End Subaru 757 Chase Rd. (Rte.13), Lunenburg, MA 01462 Ph: 888-686-4387 / Fx: 978-582-9843 Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 parts@northendsubaru.com www.northendsubaru.com

Colonial Cadillac of Woburn 201 Cambridge Rd., Woburn, MA 01801 Ph: 781-935-7009 / Fx: 781-933-7728 Hours: M, T, Th, F 7-5; W 7-8; Sat 8-4 www.buycolonialcadillac.com Colonial Chevrolet 171 Great Rd., Acton, MA 01720 Ph: 978-263-3994 / Fx: 978-263-8587 Hours: M-F 7-5; Sat 8-4 parts@colonialchevrolet.com Colonial South Chevrolet 361 State St., Dartmouth, MA 02747 Ph: 508-997-6711 / Fx: 508-979-1219 Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 parts@colonialsouthchevrolet.com Colonial West Chevrolet 314 John Fitch Hwy., Fitchburg, MA 01420 Ph: 978-503-7480 / Fx: 978-345-1152 Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

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Mike’s Auto Body Awarded Green Repair Network Certification for All 17 Locations by Ed Attanasio

All 17 of M ike’ s A uto B od y ’ s ay Area locations were recently awarded the reen epair etwork certification, a program sponsored by SAA Insurance roup, a AAA insurer, that recogni es auto repair facilities committed to environmental sustainability. y meeting or exceeding the re uirements of the reen epair etwork program, ike s Auto ody is joining an elite group of independent repair shops dedicated to responsibly interacting with the planet to maintain our natural resources. “ e are proud to be recogni ed as part of the reen epair etwork program, said Cory F lies , manager of the Fairfield, A, ike s Auto ody. “Sustainable practices help reduce the overall impact on the environment and improve the health and safety of our customers, communities and employees. “Following strict standards around emissions, pollutants, water and electricity usage, and the disposal of ha ardous waste is critical

to ensuring the health of our planet, said D an T es s ad ri, manager of physical damage vendor, SAA Insurance roup. “ ongratulations to ike s Auto ody, and we look forward to working together to be environmentally responsible to best serve AAA members.

ty leader when it comes to being green, she said. “ ost of our shops are running on solar power, and we were one of the first companies to spray waterborne paint in alifornia to help reduce the number of s emitted, for example. ike s Auto ody is continually looking for new ways to save energy, recycle waste and provide a safe environment for its customers and employees. “ e ve installed cardboard bailers at the majority of our locations to wrap and compact cardboard boxes. his reduces the number of pickups and ensures that the cardboard will be recycled, The Rose family, left to right, Ragen, Mike, Laurie and ose rtland said. “ e also Brennan, has always strived to make Mike’s Auto partner with some of the top Body one of the greenest companies in all of the environmental and safety communities in which it’s located. compliance companies in the R ag en R os e- O rtland , F of state to ensure that we are taking the ike s Auto ody, is proud of going proper steps in recycling and disabove and beyond when it comes to posing of our ha ardous waste mabeing as green as the company pos- terials. “ e also have large scrap metsibly can. “ e at ike s have always al containers at all locations that are prided ourselves as a communi- picked up on a monthly to bi month-

Tesla Files to Expand Fremont Factory, Make Model Y ‘Tent’ Permanent According to past permit filings with the ity of Fremont s esla has filed an application with local government, esla initially the ity of Fremont, A, to ex- opened the tent outside during pand its vehicle production facil- this time and has added to the tent on several occasions. ity by 6 ,000 s uare feet. esla is now looking to make A . permanent by adding a 6 ,000 s uare foot structure onto the Fremont factory. he spring structure that was used before was erected in a pinch as Tesla’s General Assembly 4.5 line at the Fremont Factory. esla was planning to Credit: Ryan Ferrin|YouTube begin the production he application describes of the odel , but didn t have plans to implement foundations the space for it with odel S, odel and odel 3 production and install below ground utilities under eneral Assembly . A all going on under the same roof. he filing states “Founda. , where the odel production lines are located at the Fre- tions and underground utilities for proposed 6 ,000 sf south expanmont factory. A . is currently a tent, or sion. We thank Teslarati for reprint spring structure, that sits outside of esla s Fremont factory. It has permission. been home to the odel production and possibly the odel 3 as well since February 0 0.

ly basis by a recycling company, rather than filling up landfills. e also have sand oil separators are at all locations that is pumped bi annually so that we do not distribute contaminated water back into the sewers. ose rtland also noted the company s orth roadway location in alnut reek, A, received a pollution prevention award in 016 for its recycling efforts from entral ontra osta Sanitary District at the Sustainable ontra osta Annual eadership Sustainability and reen uilding Awards ala. Flies knows his shop always stresses green practices, so he is delighted but not surprised by the award. “At ike s Auto ody, we stress being green every day and make it a priority. ur motto here is uality atters, and leaving a smaller carbon footprint is part of that uality promise. SAA Insurance roup created the reen epair etwork program in 0 0 to recogni e the efforts by auto repair facilities to limit their impact on the environment.

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Bold Thefts of Catalytic Converters Remain High, Slowing Repairs for Car Owners by Jolanie Martinez, Hawaii News Now

Auto repair shops across Hawaii are seeing more cars needing a new catalytic converter, but because thefts of the valuable part are spiking, it’s taking longer to get replacement parts. “I would say nine out of every 10 of the vehicles that do come in, we’re waiting for parts, and the parts delays are a lot longer than your normal one to two weeks,” said M ich ael Ch ong , president of Auto Body Painting Association of Hawaii. Chong not only leads the association, but also owns UniBody Auto Tech Collision in Mapunapuna. In early February, one of his technicians parked his truck outside the shop, where thieves stole its catalytic converter. “This was broad daylight, it happened exactly at noon,” said Chong. “We have it on surveillance cameras, showing them waiting, and then going under the truck, cutting the catalytic converter and putting it into a duffel bag, and actually walking off the property.

State lawmakers are trying to crack down on these thefts. They’re proposing a bill that would require buyers of used car parts to ask for proof of ownership from the seller. If not, the buyer would be required to report it to the police.

you know, that hopefully, it deters them,” said Honolulu Crimestoppers Coordinator Ch ris K im. Chong believes this is a step in the right direction. “I actually think that’s a good positive step to move, because of the fact that if the recyclers are re-

“We’re going to make sure that the people that is receiving it, if they get caught buying without these documentation, or requesting the documentation, that they also can lose their license of recycling,” — Kurt Fevella “We’re going to make sure that the people that is receiving it, if they get caught buying without these documentation, or requesting the documentation, that they also can lose their license of recycling,” said Sen. K u rt F ev ella. Catalytic converter thefts would face a Class C penalty. “So what we’re hoping is that the criminals wants to get wind of this of this new bill, and that they re now facing stiffer penalties,

sponsible for information or where the catalytic converters from, I think that’ll deter thieves to actually go in and cut these converters off, said Chong. Chong added the association is gathering data on catalytic converter theft claims from insurance companies statewide. They want to show just how serious the issue has become. We thank H awaii News Now for reprint permission.

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866 Boston Providence Highway Norwood MA 32 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. HONDA CONNECTICUT

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NEW

Curtiss-Ryan Honda

LIA Honda Northampton

Madison Honda

Brewster Honda

800-523-4190 203-929-0635

800-369-7889 413-587-2900

800-648-0293 973-822-1710

845-278-4177

Shelton

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5; Sat 7-4 callen@curtissryan.com

Lia Honda of Enfield Enfield

800-221-3131 860-741-3401

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 jdoucette@liacars.com

Northampton

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-3 dstanisewski@liacars.com NEW JERSEY

Autosport Honda Bridgewater

908-722-5579

Route 22 Honda

Annandale

877-657-2787

South Portland

Hillside

973-705-9100

Brewster

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 kbennett@liacars.com

Dept

Dick Ide Honda

PEN

Rochester

800-462-0056 (N.Y.) 585-586-4919 Dept. Hours: M-Thur 8-8; Fri 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 parts@dickide.com

Lamacchia Honda Syracuse

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-1 parts@lamacchiahonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7:30; Sat 8-5 rt22hondaparts@route22honda.com

Honda of Turnersville

Sussex Honda

Lia Honda of Albany

800-842-0557 973-579-3500

800-272-6741 518-482-2598

Turnersville

800-883-0002 856-649-1584

Saco

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4 sbaptist@penskeautomotive.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Th. 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 klavalle@driveprime.com

Hudson Honda West New York

866-483-6917 201-868-9500

MARYLAND

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5; Sun 8-3 anthony.perrone@hudsonhonda.com

Newton

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5 realhondaparts@sussexhonda.com

VIP Honda

Albany

Dept. Hours: M, T, W, F 7:30-5:30; Thur 7:30-8; Sat 8-5 mjerard@liacars.com

North Plainfield

Lia Honda of Williamsville

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 kevinh@viphonda.com

877-659-2672 716-632-3800

908-753-1680

866-738-2886

Dept. ap

315-471-7278

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5 chrish@clintonhonda.com

Prime Honda

Germantown

Vineland

800-893-3030 856-692-4449

Clinton Honda

800-640-6685 207-774-6685

Criswell Honda

Rossi Honda

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 parts@autosporthonda.com

Berlin City Honda

207-391-7910 207-282-0900

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-8; Fri 7-6; Sat 8-6; mschumer@madisonhonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-5; Sat 7:30-3 dave@rossihonda.com

MAINE

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 mmmparts@berlincity.com

Madison

sha

Williamsville/Buffalo

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7:30-8; Fri 7:30-5; Sat 8-5:30 liaparts@liacars.com

Dep

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-9; Fri 7-7:30; Sat 8-6 hondaparts@criswellauto.com

ACURA MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

NEW

Acura of Boston

Acura Turnersville

Elite Acura

Park Ave Acura

800-254-1169 617-254-5400

888-883-2884 856-516-6060

856-722-9600

888-690-7621 201-587-0028

Brighton

Turnersville

Maple Shade

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 bmartinsen@group1auto.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 bruce.fisher@acuraofboston.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 kristen.powell@penskeautomotive.com

Acura of Peabody

Autosport Acura

Open Road Acura of East Brunswick

973-361-3117

732-238-0777 732-238-5466

Peabody

800-878-3600 978-532-9110

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 8-5 dbritt@acurapeabody.com

Denville

East Brunswick

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 erin@theautosportgroup.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 robert.talbot@openroad.com

Bill Vince’s Bridgewater Acura

Open Road Acura of Wayne

908-704-0307

973-696-5151

Bridgewater

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 mattn@bridgewateracura.com

Maywood

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-3 ron@parkaveacura.com NEW YORK

Acura of Westchester Westchester

914-834-8887

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 8-4; Sun 9-4 acura.parts@yahoo.com

Wayne

Dept.

Dep

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 jonathan.tangen@openroad.com

34 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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t 9-1 m

30;

sville

ter

un 9-4

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW YORK

Ray Laks Honda

Sussman Honda

716-824-7852

800-682-2914 215-657-3301

West Seneca

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-8; Sat 7:30-5:30 ekuznicki@raylaks.com PENNSYLVANIA

Apple Honda York

800-960-9041 717-848-2600

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4; Sun 10-4 applehondaparts@appleauto1.com

Roslyn

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 rendrick@sussmanauto.com VERMONT

802 Honda Berlin

802-223-9700

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-Noon hondaparts@802cars.com

Baierl Honda Wexford

724-940-2006

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 johnryan@baierl.com

Shadyside Honda Pittsburgh

800-468-2090 412-390-2908

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 shadysidehondaparts@hotmail.com

Shenango Honda Hermitage

800-858-0849 724-981-7106

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 parts@shenangoauto.com

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

Curry Acura

Baierl Acura

800-725-2877 914-472-7406

800-246-7457 724-935-0800

Scarsdale

Wexford

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 parts@curryacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 johnsabella@baierl.com

Paragon Acura

Davis Acura

718-507-3990

866-50-ACURA 215-943-7000

Woodside

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5; Sun 9-4 johnp@paragonacura.com

Smithtown Acura St. James

888-832-8220 631-366-4114

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-4 parts@smithtownacura.com

Langhorne

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 markh@davisacura.com

Sussman Acura Jenkintown

800-826-4078 215-884-6285

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 rendrick@sussmanauto.com autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

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with Erica Schroeder

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.

Artistic Auto Body Set for Expanding Electric Vehicle Population with Stand-Alone EV Center

Shop Showcase

“I can already see that specialCount Artistic Auto Body among the shops geared up and ready for the izing makes sense not only from coming wave of electric vehicles what we’re doing today, but certainwith Ed Attanasio ly as you look to the future,” Mostul (EVs). “That’s what we’re trying to do: said. anticipate where things are going, and try to get there before we have to,” shop owner T erry M os tu l said, standing outside the 21,000-square foot stand-alonewith EV center he’s esEd Attanasio tablished next to his company’s original shop in Tigard, OR. “I like to be proactive rather than reactive.” He acknowledges some of his colleagues have questioned whether his investment in an EV-only Technician Kyle Liddane performs a structural repair on a Tesla Model 3 in one of the three center almost two years ago wasn’t with Ed Attanasio aluminum bays at Artistic Auto Body’s location premature, at best. But the growth in Tigard, OR of EV vehicles in Mostul’s PortArtistic Auto Body’s two shop land area market, coupled with the nearly weekly automaker announce- locations had ample experience with ments in recent months of new elec- EVs prior to segmenting those vetric-powered models, indica- hicles to a stand-alone center. The with are Edan Attanasio company, which has had I-CAR tion he made the right move.

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

G old Class designation for 18 years, holds a do en automakers certifications including some from s such as Audi, Jaguar, Nissan and esla that produce s. It’s that experience trying to incorporate EV repairs into the company’s production that prompted Mostul to think about segmenting it out. “There’s a long list of things we learned that motivated this,” Mostul said. “One of those things centers around parts. Here we have space and loading docks to receive all our parts for this location, even the EV parts that arrive by semi truck. We have a couple golf carts with beds on the back where we can deliver parts from here right to the technician, just in time. And when you take an EV apart, you often have to remove much of the interior to disconnect certain

Media and Publicity for Shops

things. So there are lots of interior parts that have to be taken out of the car and stored. Previously, all those parts were put on carts, and that’s just not a safe place to put seats and trim, or the glass you may need to remove just to get door handles out.” The Artistic EV center includes a large storage area of stacked and labeled bins where such parts can be safely stored and kept clean. Damaged parts to be replaced are stored on carts near the parts delivery area all the igard location parts are now delivered to the EV center, reducing truck and part congestion at its two other buildings to be mirror-matched as new parts are delivered. he space the center offers also enables Artistic to expedite repairs by stocking some of the most common EV vehicle fasteners and other parts even some bumpers,

Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Body Shops Giving Back with Stacey Phillips

Tips for Busy Body Shops with Stacey Phillips

My SEMA with Stacey Phillips

Shop Strategies with Victoria Antonelli

36 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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rebars and fenders that may not be immediately available locally for some models. Parts delays, though far less of an issue than they were in the past, were another consideration Mostul had in mind when adding the EV center.

Blueprinter Sophia Goodrich prepares an estimate on a Tesla in for repairs

“I just don’t like having an electric vehicle sitting outside in the wet and the cold, even if covered in plastic,” Mostul said. “It’s bad for the battery. So having inside storage here in the EV center has been wonderful for keeping them much, much safer. And the customers love knowing the vehicles are stored inside too.” Mostul said EV repair production also has a slightly different

“tempo” than work on other vehicles. There’s more involved in disassembly for blueprinting and more diagnostic work upfront, for example. For everyone involved in working on the vehicles estimators, technicians, parts staff and even detailers there s a learning curve that only steepens if they’re working on EVs only occasionally amongst a regular ow of other vehicles, he said. he EV center allows those employees to specialize in those vehicles. “We started with a blueprinter, taking them out of the other building and saying, ‘ You’re just going to focus on these vehicles,’” Mostul said. “And the minute we did that, boom, things really started getting traction.” he center includes five stalls for blueprinting, allowing for a mid-tech to be disassembling one vehicle as an estimator prepares the paperwork for another. Parts and OEM procedure research can be completed on the other vehicles before they are moved to storage or into production. All the cars can be fully charged via charging stations in that area, as well as connected to the automaker

via a standalone WiFi network, separate from that used to run the business or to provide connectivity for customers. “We want to leave them there in that area until we are done with all those preliminary processes,” Mos-

The EV center includes a large storage area of stacked and labeled bins where interior parts that must be removed can be safely stored and kept clean, separate from parts that will be replaced

tul said. “Having it separate allows us not to jeopardize accuracy by trying to maintain the same ow we use elsewhere in production.” Scheduling of EVs is also done differently. “Every incoming drivable job gets put on a list, and instead of scheduling by date, we’ll notify

them when we have all the parts, and then bring them in for repairs,” Mostul said. “That may mean an EV written later may jump ahead of one brought in earlier. But we keep in contact with our customers throughout the process.” While actual repair and paint work are currently done in the shop’s other buildings, that will change as the company plans to build the capability to do it within the EV center, Mostul said. While some of the company’s other mechanical work is done it in its other buildings, its lead mechanic, and its scanning and calibration work, are in the EV center. “We want to do as much as we can in-house, both so we can control it to make sure it’s done right, and also for cycle time, so we don’t have to take something to a dealership, which has extra days and costs associated with it,” Mostul said. The EV center’s charging stations are programmable, allowing charging to generally take place overnight, when energy rates are lower. All vehicles are fully charged the See Artistic Auto Body, Page 44

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with Stacey Phillips

Tips for Busy Body Shops

Stacey Phillips is an award-winning freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry. She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of “The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.” She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.

with Stacey Phillips

Benefits of In-Process Quality Control Technology Discussed by Lee Rush, Sherwin-Williams One of the universal issues in the defects, comebacks, poor quality collision repair industry and a pain and missed opportunities. With the point on every production oor is a introduction of new technology, that with Stacey Phillips lack of in-process quality control, is starting to change. according to L ee R u s h , manager In his presentation, he shared of business development for Sher- insight about the benefits of using win-Williams® . quality technology to help identify “In-process quality control has and correct issues throughout the reeluded this industry for years and pair process long before the final continues to do so today,” said Rush. inspection. “Not only is it awith huge Victoria liability risk, Those who don’t incorporate Antonelli but it can cost every collision shop in-process quality validation can profit and sales. suffer greatly, said ush. his could mean poor Yelp reviews, restrictions put into place by insurance programs, an impact on the quality of employees hired and inwith Ed Attanasio creased liability for not performing a proper repair. Rush discussed the importance of validating in-process “Q uality has a broad impact quality and many ramifications on During a virtual presentation your business,” said Rush. “By progiven as part of the Society of Col- viding a process in which a repaired lision Repair with Specialists Gary(SCRS) Ledouxvehicle is returned to the customer Repairer Driven Education (RDE) free of defects, safe and the overall Series, Rush discussed the impor- crashworthiness is restored, it allows tance of validating in-process qual- us to reduce and eliminate in-process ity and explained how it differs from quality delays.” quality control (Q C), typically done Rush said it also increases the in many shops across the country to- number of quality inspectors. day. with Stacey Phillips “Instead of one or two people Whereas quality control occurs in the business being responsible at the end of the repair cycle when for inspecting vehicles, everyone in the vehicle is inspected before being the business becomes a quality inreturned to the customer, Rush said spector,” he said. “This can greatly in-process quality validation is live reduce the amount of time manageon the production oor, where ad- ment spends addressing and readjustments can be made throughout dressing quality delays.” the repair cycle.with Mike Anderson The key, said Rush, is to incorRush used the analogy of a porate digital tools that help achieve sports team where the coach gives these goals. an overview of the game and what This means moving away from went wrong. paper checklists and “check the box” “A review at the end of the game procedures, as well as electronic standoesn’t do anything to improve per- dard checklists that do not relate to the formance,” he explained. repair. Rush has spent more than 20 Shop owners and managers who years managing collision centers do incorporate technology to validate and MSOs and has extensive expe- in-process quality typically experirience in business center expansion ence numerous benefits. hese could using lean and process-driven oper- include cost reductions, more consisations. tent repair quality, reduced vehicle Over his career, he has found comebacks, improved cycle time, reshops lacked the technology to mea- duced liability and overall customer sure the dollar value of in-process and employee satisfaction.

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Rush shared 10 best practices when implementing quality validation technology. The technology should: lectronically verify, validate and measure quality from any device. ffer digital features that can be implemented at a low cost. Have high mobility and be simple to use so every employee can easily adopt. ommunicate to all employees in real-time to help them stay on task. Have the capability to increase the number of quality inspectors in the business. rovide a uality check and validation for each phase of the repair process prior to final inspection. Have robust reporting features that track performance so all failures can be resolved quickly, minimizing

delays and improving on-time delivery. Focus on eliminating the major reasons for production delays including parts mistakes, supplements and in-process delays due to errors and defects. lectronically document the repair for all stakeholders, including the vehicle owner, insurance company, certified repair program, etc. apture photos and allow for an audit of the shop’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). “ e re going to find that many of the certification programs are going to be gravitating toward these expectations,” said Rush. Up until recently, Rush wasn’t aware of a method that was available to consistently and predictively measure the impact of in-process See Quality Control Technology, Page 45

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with Stacey Phillips

From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson is the president and owner of Collision Advice, a consulting company for the auto body/collision repair industry. For nearly 25 years, he was the owner of Wagonwork Collision Center, an OEM-certified, full-service auto body repair facility in Alexandria, VA.

Nissan Launches ADAS Calibration Course Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibrations are an increasingly important part of a safe and proper repair, and that may prove a challenge for collision shops that lack relevant training and equipment. For those ready for some OEM hands-on training, Nissan recently launched an ADAS calibration course. ust as some automakers offer training on how to work with their particular aluminum structural components, ADAS and calibrations are just as important and unique to each automaker. Certainly, more shops are wanting to do a greater share of this work in-house because subletting it can add complications and negatively impact cycle time. Sometimes there are even concerns whether those doing the sublet work are doing it properly. I know shops are eager for more OEM training related to ADAS. We surveyed nearly 400 shops last summer and found 74% would be interested in hands-on calibration training offered by an automaker. One respondent said after months of being holed up because of COVID, the training could be in Antarctica and he’d still want to go. Even among those who said they weren’t interested at the time, many said this was only a temporary view because of COVID concerns or because they’d taken a revenue hit last spring. I shared my findings with some of my contacts at various automakers, and Nissan jumped right on it. I asked M ark Z ob a, manager of Nissan and I FI I I s ertified ollision Repair Networks, if I could publish our conversation about his focus on specific advanced training. Full disclosure: My company worked with Nissan and asTech to adapt this training for the collision industry.

Tell me more about how Nissan views ADAS, and how important it is for shops to know how to repair this advanced technology.

ADAS is an important element of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility (NIM) initiatives to deliver real benefits to drivers. As a result, Nissan is pushing to make more ADAS technologies accessible to all of our vehicle owners. Safety Shield 360 is now standard across many models, and breakthrough technologies like ProPILOT Assist 2.0 is debuting on our upcom-

ing electric crossover ARIYA. Shops, like our dealers, need specific advanced training to properly ensure that all safety and ADAS systems are functioning as designed. Thus, collision shops must be able to identify the systems present on a specific vehicle. ADAS components also may be disconnected or moved during the repair process, requiring a calibration. This is why a post-repair vehicle scan is also essential to help assess ADAS system functionality and resolve all diagnostic trouble codes.

Q: A:

Is this training the same that dealer technicians receive?

It is similar, but not exact. I invited Collision Advice and asTech to attend the hands-on ADAS and calibration training that Nissan currently offers to our dealerships service technicians. We then worked together to “translate” that training for the collision repair world. All of the calibration processes are the same, but Nissan wanted this training to focus on what collision techs encounter when working on Nissan and INFINITI vehicles after an accident. Our collision-tailored

ADAS training includes what shops need to know about paint thickness over sensors, for example, or calibration issues related to the unibody alignment and specs.

Q: A:

What does the training look like here is it offered

Although the collision industry offers many courses online, we felt that this needed to be hands-on training. It’s about 20% classroom training, but the majority is devoted to actually setting up and performing calibrations on real vehicles. We originally thought the training needed to be three days given the amount of information. But we understand it s difficult for techs to be out of the shop, so we wanted

to condense the in-person training as much as possible. We piloted the course and found we could get it down to two days, though they are two very full days. Part of what makes that possible is the pre-work that is required before the course. For those in the industry who said they wished there was more meat in OEM training programs, we deliver it with this class. Even before setting foot in the training center, students complete e-learning modules on navigating Nissan TechInfo for repair procedures, on understanding ADAS components, etc. They have to know how to use TechInfo before they show up. Students work on five new issan and INFINITI vehicles; each has been “bugged” with an ADAS problem that needs to be diagnosed and resolved. Students rotate through the vehicles, working in pairs, do-

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ing five hands on calibrations. hen each student has to do three calibrations by themselves to pass. There may be some students who may not pass this class. In fact, many that have taken the class have acknowledged that this is the most advanced and intense OEM training they have ever attended.

Q: A:

How has Nissan addressed COVID-related concerns?

I understand the concerns, and I also know shops need the information to work with our vehicles’ ADAS systems. Shops can’t just tell customers, “Come back in a year and we’ll calibrate your vehicle’s systems then.” If shops are performing these operations, Nissan wants to help ensure they have the proper training within a safe environment for learning. Nissan has COVID-related controls, which everyone must follow. Nissan worked with asTech to create a dedicated training facility for the course in Jacksonville, FL. There are just 10 students at a time, working with two instructors, within

a 3,000-square foot space, so social distancing isn’t a problem. Everyone wears a mask and gloves. Everyone gets their temperature taken in the morning before they enter the classroom, and everyone is using their own factory scan tool. That reminds me: One of the things we do in the class is let students scan vehicles first with their choice of aftermarket scan tool, then scan that same vehicle with the CONSULT factory scan tool. Everyone has their opinion on factory versus aftermarket scan tools. We challenge them to compare the tools themselves, and students can see the results firsthand.

Who is eligible to attend? Is the training required by Nissan or INFINITI?

The course is currently open to Nissan and INFINITI certified collision centers, and we re working on a solution to make it available to the industry in the near future. We’re prioritizing our certified shops, but we also want to help educate as many shops as possible.

It’s important to Nissan to help make sure our vehicles are fixed correctly. For our certified shops, the training is not required, although we strongly recommend it to shops that want to perform in-house calibrations. One thing I found interesting after we did the pilot class was that some shops said they wished they had sent both a technician and an estimator. It’s helpful for them both to experience firsthand how to use TechInfo and see what’s involved in the calibration processes. This can lead to writing a more complete initial estimate.

Q: A:

So how does a shop get more information or sign up?

Shops can contact my team at NNACollisionRepairNetwork@ nissan-usa.com for more information. For Nissan and INFINITI certified shops, support may also include help registering for the course. on certified shops will be added to our current waitlist, and we will contact them once we open up the course to the industry.

Continued from Page 37

Contin

Artistic Auto Body

Qua

night before they are to be delivered. “Because of how we’ve positioned ourselves, it’s not unusual to have someone come from 200 or 300 miles away have their car fixed here,” Mostul said. “So it’s important we return the EV to them fully charged, and triple-checked to make sure everything is like new.” Mostul said he sees his company’s EV center as a logical step in the changing nature of the collision industry’s work. “Being a body man is now so much than it used to be,” he said. “A bigger and bigger portion of the bill is related to the work you do with a computer at the diagnostic rate. You really need the right facility with people who are good at that. That’s what we’ve tried to build here.”

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Quality Control Technology quality failures and dollarize them. The failures may be related to paint, body work, mechanical, parts defects or detail and delivery. “These are real issues that cause you profitability and impact your ability to produce additional revenue every day, every week and every month,” said Rush. “We’ve become desensitized to them; we accept them and tolerate them, saying that it’s just how we do business. However, it costs us profitability and additional revenues.” Today, it is estimated failures such as starts and stops, reworks, comebacks, reversals in production, etc., may represent a potential revenue constraint of 20% of a shop’s monthly revenue. “We know time is money, especially on the production oor, said Rush. “Every minute of every day, we produce a product, or we don’t.” He stressed the importance of using quality technology to help reduce and eliminate in-process quali-

ty-related delays and defects. To help measure a shop’s success, Rush said the industry is now using a new key performance indicator (KPI)– sales per labor hour sold. This is the total sales divided by the total labor hours sold. For example: $ 2.5 million in total sales, divided by 16,000 total labor hours sold equals $ 156.25. Once the impact and cost of in-process quality are understood, Rush said shops can then work toward eliminating waste and improving profitability. Rush highly recommends focusing a shop’s quality program on labor optimization to help dollarize the cost of failures and improve quality and outcomes for all parties involved in the claim. “Up until the early 2000s, we thought about quality as right or wrong it looks good or doesn t, it functions or doesn’t function,” said Rush. “Now, we look at quality from the perspective of labor optimization.” Rush used the example of a shop bringing in $ 250,000 in monthly revenue. If there are 1.5 failures

per day per technician, and the shop has eight technicians, that equates to 12 failures per day. If you multiply that number by an average of 45 minutes per failure, it equals 540 minutes or nine hours of unproductive time per day. At $ 160 sales per labor hour, multiplied by nine hours, that is $ 1,440 in lost revenue per day at 100% technician efficiency. $ 1,440 in lost revenue per day multiplied by 12 working days equals $ 30,240 per month in missed revenue 36 , 00 annually. “ ased on your labor efficiency, every dollar spent on in-process failures is a labor hour not spent generating new revenue,” he said. “You can begin to calculate what the cost is to your business due to in-process failures because they can be measured.” Rush advises shop management to implement a well defined set of individual or departmental responsibilities for each step of the repair process and then ensure employees know exactly what is expected of them. “This is revolutionary for our

industry,” said Rush. “This type of quality validation tech is a win for everyone, improving production and labor effectiveness, customer and employee satisfaction, profitability, cycle time and reducing liability.” For more information, email Leroy.v .rush@ sherwin.com. The presentation is part of the curriculum from Sherwin-Williams’s A-Plus™ University, which focuses on education and the ability to deliver it when and where it is needed. The courses and workshops are designed around the company’s core ethos: “labor optimization and connecting metrics for demonstratable improvement.” Visit www.ecoleanuniversity.com.

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Electric Vehicle Repair: No Room for Error by Gary Ledoux

Vehicle technology has seen some tremendous changes and developments in recent years, including the use of high-strength steels, aluminum and magnesium, along with ADAS systems and all the intricate technology that includes. And while the industry is still learning how to cope with that, we are on to the next hori on the fast-growing adoption of electric and electric-hybrid motive technology. Only a few years ago, car makers were more focused on different fuels, leaner-burning internal combustion engines (ICE) and more exotic transmissions. Today, the trend is toward full and hybrid electric. In 2021, there are 75 fully-electric vehicles; in 2020, there were 59. Tesla is the name most people come up with when electric cars are discussed; they command a large share of the market and are top-ofmind in the electric car world. But most every legacy car manufacturer has a dog in the hunt, and new technology brings with it new players, such as Rivian and Lucid. Driving the growth of this market is the expanding vehicle choice. Ford has an all-electric Mustang now available for order, and an all-electric F-150 truck will soon be here. G M recently announced an EV Hummer. Another growth driver is eet adoption. Startup electric vehicle maker Rivian will produce an entire delivery eet for Ama on. P res id ent J oe B id en plans to replace all 645,000 government-run gas and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles, 35% of those belonging to the U.S. Postal Service. And EV driving range is getting progressively longer. That, together with exhilarating performance and lower costs, will soon start to change the face of the American eet. But who will work on these cars and how will technicians be trained and educated, especially those at independent mechanical garages and techs at collision repair shops? On a conventional ICE vehicle, a technician may get away with a slight jolt touching a wrong wire.

On a high-voltage EV, touching the wrong wire at the wrong time could have serious consequences. According to D irk F u ch s , recently-appointed director of program services for I-CAR, it is one thing for a dealership technician to work on an electric vehicle all in one piece where proper procedures can be followed and all on-board ap-

he biggest difference in train ing/education for technicians working on electric vehicles between the U.S. and Europe is government regulation. First, there is European regulation ECE R 100. This covers the most basic information concerning electric vehicles, and safety while working on them.

“We need to all get on the same page because with the new high-voltage electric vehicles, there is no room for error.” — Dirk Fuchs pliances and switches are accessible and working. It is quite another thing to work on a piece of twisted metal where switches may not be accessible, or may not work, or loose or ripped “hot” wires are exposed. During the most recent CIC virtual meeting, Fuchs, who has a degree in electrical engineering and has spent considerable time in Europe, explained the European model for training and educating technicians for working on electric vehicles. Autobody News followed up with an additional interview. To start, there are several social and cultural differences between u rope and the U.S. which foster the dramatic differences in training, how it is delivered and how it is viewed. Typically, Fuchs explained, the European training model is not really training as such, but more an education. In Europe, they learn more about why the problem manifested and why the vehicle must be repaired in a certain way. In the U.S., training is solution based diagnose a problem and fix it as uickly as possible. In a pro duction shop, time is money. Another cultural difference is how training/education for a technician is viewed. In Europe, shop owners don’t think twice about sending a technician off for 1 days of training at some remote location. The cost and production schedule are adjusted to allow for it. In the U.S., getting a tech to any off site training is tough and is al ways an imposition on productivity.

Then, as a second step, every individual country in Europe has its own rules and regulations regarding technician certification for working on electric vehicles. The strongest of these is G ermany, with its VDE 1000-10 regulation. For example, in G ermany, to be fully certified to work on electric ve hicles, could be as much as a 3.5-year process for a technician, including a very specific educational curriculum

under the umbrella of an apprenticeship program, culminating in a 12day high voltage certification train ing with end of training final exam. European manufacturers rolling out their training programs under G erman regulations worldwide will affect collision repair technicians in the U.S. If you are a shop owner, at this point you are probably saying, “I don’t want to train a guy for two years just to work on electric cars and I sure don’t need any more government regulation and interference in my business! ” Agreed. The reason all this training and education is mandated by the government is because the government covers medical costs if a technician is hurt on the job. “When you go to an emergency medical facility in urope, the first thing they ask is if you are there because of a work-related accident or not,” Fuchs explained. “If you are, treatment goes in one direction. If not, treatment takes another direcSee No Room for Error, Page 51

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with Victoria Antonelli

Product Innovation

Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based in San Francisco, California. He can be reached at era39@aol.com.

with Ed Attanasio

Symach Invents Game-Changing Technology to Create the Shops of Tomorrow Every year at SEMA, the industry other day. For more than a decade, Symach gets to see all the newest technology, and if you’ve been in it for any in Bologna, Italy, has been producing significant amount of time, youLedoux have innovative body shop solutions for with Gary witnessed the development of new the collision repair industry. They design and manufacture everything tools and equipment at a rapid rate. It’s no longer an evolution, but more like an explosion! Innovators have always led the way in every industry by taking chances and pursuing ideas others with Stacey Phillips thought were outlandish. When Edison unveiled the lightbulb, people called it a “conspicuous failure.” hen bicycles first hit the market, someone wrote they would doom the popularity of the wheel forev- Owner Osvaldo Bergaglio’s company is well er. And when the first cheeseburger known for its products that have helped to take Anderson was invented inwith 1934, Mike one critic de- the collision repair industry into the robotic age scribed it as “bizarre” and predicted the concept would op. they sell, rather than using third-parBut, obviously, we now use ty companies to assemble packages lightbulbs, ride bikes and eat cheese- of tools and equipment. burgers in fact, I did all three the When you sign on the dotted

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line with Symach, it’s like taking on a very sophisticated partner, because they play a major role in literally every aspect of your production. For 20 years, Symach has helped shops switch from conventional repair processes to an innovative lean process using leading-edge technology. Owner O s v ald o B erg ag lio founded the company two decades ago to embark on a research project that led to the development of the DryTronic system, which uses cutting-edge technology to dry automotive paint. It was an immediate success and today, body shops all over the planet use it. Symach’s DryTronic drying technology allows automotive paint to cure in less than a minute. In 2002, Symach started the production of oboDry, its first robot for automotive body shops, and developed a

From the Desk of Mike Anderson

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tional way of fixing vehicles, ergaglio said. “In your standard shop, cycle time is four to six days and we do the entire repair in one day.” Everything the company makes, including spray booths, drying robots, UV lamps, LED shop lighting, paint mixing rooms and the FixLine conveyor system, is designed and built using the highest quality components. All equipment is produced

Once a body shop owner decides to become a Symach shop, the company manages the body shop conversion from a conventional process to the FixLine process. Symach is more than a simple equipment manufacturer; it is a collision repair solution provider with a profound understanding and knowledge of the automotive collision repair process. Symach knows every shop is

At Symach’s headquarters in Bologna, Italy, the company has manufactured more than 2,600 robots and more than 150 complete new automotive body shops with their Symach FixLine process

at Symach’s headquarters and subsequently installed by the company’s trained experts and followed by onsite personalized training. In 2016, Symach moved into its new 161,500-square foot factory in Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy. Today, the company has more than 30 employees as part of its international team, which includes installers, engineers and trainers.

different, so ergaglio first analy es the business before devising a custom solution based on the types of cars it repairs. “We break it down into four categories classic cars, prestige cars, reconditioning or eets, ergaglio said. “We can work for any body shop or collision center in those categories, but they are completely different in some ways. Our approach

is to look at the business model, look at their data and the activities in the shop. We’ve developed some software that allows us to do the math and design the shop oor for optimum efficiency. If you want to get a glimpse into the future of the collision repair industry, all you have to do is look at what Symach is doing today. Currently, Symach has sold more than 2,600 robots and more than 150 complete new automotive body shops with the new Symach FixLine process in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and North America, starting in 2015. Bergaglio and his team are passionate and driven to innovate and invent new products that can wow the industry and change the way we fix cars. “We unveiled seven new products this year and hope to continue at this pace,” he said. “Everything we do is new and different and like nothing else on the market. Once you are a Symach customer, you won’t be able to go back to the old ways. We create technology that doesn’t follow trends; it begins new ones.”

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No Room for Error tion.” So, the training/education mandates are at least ualified. But what about working on electric cars in the U.S.? “In my new position at I-CAR, our team is working with all car manufacturers to come up with a comprehensive training solution for safely repairing collision-damaged electric cars,” Fuchs said. “G erman carmakers may think U.S. training is way behind Europe, while other manufacturers may consider the U.S. approach adequate. “At I-CAR, we have one goal: To ensure that every person in the collision repair industry has the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality repairs for the ultimate benefit of the consumer. his includes EVs. “We need to all get on the same page because with the new high-voltage electric vehicles, there is no room for error.”

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Historical Snapshot with John Yoswick

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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 of NASCAR fans. She can be contacted at crsisk@gmail.com.

with Chasidy Rae Sisk

ASA Leaders Discuss Scanning, EVs, Data Access and Inaccurate Data s confidence is at stake. e Southeast sumer News work hard to gain the respect of our

On Feb. 9, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) hosted a virtual media briefing with to discuss important Chasidy Rae topics related to vehicle electrification and data accessibility. T ony M olla, vice president of industry relations for ASA, welcomed attendees and explained the purpose of the briefing. with Rae “A new year has Chasidy begun, we’ve got the results of the 2020 election, and we’re in the transition, so we wanted to share with you issues that are ongoing, things that may be on

customers and can’t let that be torn Sisk down because of inaccurate reporting of information, not to mention the potential liability or assumed data breach that may have to be defended.” CARFAX was “equally conSisk cerned about the breach and the information being incorrect” and reached out to Fisher to elaborate on its platform data functions and how it acquire its information. The

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wards safety using autonomy. “Our industry is challenged with these new technologies that require new procedures, equipment, knowledge and information that aren’t included within the current information platforms that we rely on when writing estimates,” he said. “When it’s not there, it can cause issues. These procedures require time, equipment and training, so we thought it was important to define this standardized technology.” ADAS is at the top of that list, according to LeVasseur, though it’s been going on for a long time, mentioning the need for pre- and postscans. “ADAS continues to be developed to assist drivers with autonomy and create safety. This isn’t really new, but it’s because more and more complicated.” LeVasseur shared the collision

operations committee s efforts to work with scan tool manufacturers, industry associations, OEMs, repairers, educators and consultants, including M ike A nd ers on of Collision Advice, to look at various service procedures with safety as a priority. “We gathered and documented a lot of information, filtering through for commonalities to help identify the differences in standardized technology.” Over the past eight months, the committee has been developing a scanning compensation position in an attempt to reduce friction between payers and repairers. LeVasseur hopes to have it finali ed by the spring CIC, but he shared a sneak peek of the statement as currently written. In part, it states: “The Automotive Service Association acknowledges the act of scanning a vehicle

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the rise and challenges that we see company does not mine informacoming in the not-so-distant future,” tion from databases; information is with Chasidy Rae Sisk Molla said. pushed to it with explicit consent Molla acted as moderator for the from 11 ,000 different data sources, informative presentation. Speakers including shops, dealerships, municincluded R ay F is h er, AMAM, pres- ipalities and more. ident and executive director of ASA; According to Fisher, he and Chasidy Rae Sisk R ob ert R ed d ingwith , ASA’s Washington CARFAX had a “highly informaD.C. representative; M ike L eV as tive conversation” which “paved the s eu r, collision division director for way to find out more about the probASA; and ASA’s mechanical division lem and get it fixed. director, T om P iip p o, AMAM. “ASA wants to find solutions Fisher kicked things off by pro- to industry problems. Someone who with Chasidy Rae Sisk viding an update on ASA’s recent claims to have authorization pushed communications with CARFAX af- inaccurate information to CARFAX, ter members reported consumer data and if that data was pushed out erregarding estimates written by inde- roneously, what other information pendent repairers, MSOs and dealer- could be provided that’s incorrect? ships had reached CARFAX, wheth- I’m really concerned about this and er the work waswith completed or not. determined to find the leak. e ll Ed Attanasio “Our purpose in bringing this keep moving forward and pushing to A FA s attention was to fix for an answer and also a solution,” a problem, not to bring attention to Fisher continued. a particular entity,” he said. “This is LeVasseur then discussed manan important issue because the con- ufacturers’ continued trending to-

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using a ualified scan tool as a necessary and not-included operation that is legitimately expressed on a repair order with either a fixed cost in labor hours and/or set dollar amounts.” The statement goes on to say all additional operations to fix the DTCs are considered separate operations, not to be included in the scanning operation. It also included definitions and a series of facts about scanning and ualified scan tools. “I feel pretty good about where we’ve gone, and where we are right now,” LeVasseur said. “The spirit of it is really coming into view.” ASA is still gathering information on this topic and invites industry professionals to complete its Industry Survey on Servicing Advanced Technologies at http:// survey.constantcontact.com/survey/ a07ehkvxuezkkx140cc/a006kkzl n7xi/questions Next, Piippo addressed the fact OEMs are increasing production of electric vehicles, referencing G M’s commitment to a 100% EV lineup by 2035.

“Eight years ago, the government was trying to push the agenda, and vehicle manufacturers and the infrastructure just wasn’t there yet. Now, we not only have the normal OEMs working towards this, but there’s new entries to the market that will have their cars on the market pretty soon,” Piippo said. “Right now, there’s more questions than answers, but we know there will be more to come for both collision and mechanical repairers: more technology, more tooling, more information. “It becomes difficult all around ASA is staying on top of this and tell our members what they can do to be aggressive.” Piippo also expressed deep concerns about modifications made to vehicles equipped with ADAS increasing the burden of liability for shops. G iving the example of a pickup truck that is lifted with off road-

ing tires, he questioned what those modifications do to ADAS, camera alignment and adaptive cruise radars. “Maybe you can ‘ adjust for that,’ but what documentation does the repairer have that authorizes the modifications As a repairer, if you reengineer outside the original specs, then you’re responsible for the changes and the liability that might go with it. “We need to educate the industry because this is a serious situation that involves safety and people’s

plained, “Our job is to educate members of Congress and the Administration as to what matters to shops. We do by speaking with one voice: both individually as an association and as part of numerous coalitions. “This was critical in the past year to ensure that shops were categorized as essential and included in key stimulus proposals throughout the year.” Providing an update on electric vehicle policy, Redding noted U.S. Sen. Ch u ck Sch u mer (D-NY) said at the end of 01 that the electrifi-

“By staying involved, we can ensure that our priorities for independent automotive repairers are taken care of,” — Robert Redding lives,” Piippo stressed. “With any modification on a car or truck, we don t have a surefire way to calibrate the system to the way it was originally designed. Shops may need to turn these jobs away until we can get better documentation from the OE or a validating testing source for these modifications we ve got to be smart about this in the long run; we’ve got to protect ourselves.” The last topic Piippo broached was counterfeit OEM parts. These are branded with OEM names and logos; “everything looks like it should be, but they’re really knockoffs. ollision division has been dealing with this for years, but we’re seeing an increase in this on the mechanical side now,” Piippo said. “Sometimes you catch it, sometimes you can’t, but we’ve been working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council so there’s more to come.” Lastly, Molla introduced Redding, who began by explaining ASA tracks state legislations and regulations, in addition to federal legislation, and the association is very active in numerous small business and industry coalitions. “By staying involved, we can ensure that our priorities for independent automotive repairers are taken care of,” Redding said. Alluding to the recent change to a J oe B id en administration and how it impacts the automotive repair industry’s top issues, Redding ex-

cation of the U. S. eet would be a top priority once Democrats took the Senate. “This has certainly become a priority in this first 100 days, and I think we’re going to see it throughout the Biden administration and also the 117th Congress. Some of this can be done without new legis-

lation,” Redding said. ne of iden s first executive orders pushes for clean and zero-emission vehicles to be used for all federal, state and local government eets, and it also indicates a goal of developing a carbon pollution-free electricity sector no later than 2035. “There’s a lot of pressure for EVs,” Redding said, noting that, in upcoming stimulus package proposals, “we see we’re going to have additional proposals for funding for charging stations and investment in other infrastructure training for EVs.” The government’s focus on this is evidenced by the Climate 21 Project, Biden’s plans to add 500,000 EV charging stations across the country, and the U.S. Department of nergy s loan programs which offer financing for projects across the energy sectors. “We’re going to see some dramatic EV incentives,” Redding predicted. ASA is also working on items specific to the automotive and colliSee ASA Leaders, Page 62

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Easton 610-829-3020 (484) 546-0292 Fax

Kia of Middletown

nissankiaofmiddletownparts@yahoo.com

www.kiaofmiddletown.com

Northstar Kia

Long Island City (718) 683-5300 (718) 489-9889 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm www.northstarkiany.com

Yonkers Kia

Yonkers 914-268-0279 (914) 652-7665 Fax 7:30am-8pm Mon-Thu 7:30am-7pm Fri; 8am-5pm Sat

Brown Daub Kia

Kia of Coatesville

Coatesville 610-384-7700 (610) 384-2171 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat Alan@kiaofcoatesville.com www.kiaofcoatesville.com

Kia of West Chester

West Chester 610-429-3500 (610) 429-0164 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat Alan@kiaofcoatesville.com www.kiaofwestchester.com

Outten Kia

Hamburg 610-562-4166 (610) 562-9436 Fax 7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-12pm Sat jhenne@outtencars.com www.outtenkia.com

RHODE ISLAND Bald Hill Kia

Warwick 800-822-3015 (401) 822-8135 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Sat www.shopkiaparts.com

VERMONT

Berlin City Kia

Williston 800-684-5779 (303) 928-6905 Fax 6am-6pm Mon, Wed, Fri 6am-7pm Tue, Thu 7am-3pm Sat ableau@berlincity.com

autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

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Hey Toby! with Toby Chess

Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Training specialist, and former salvage yard operator. Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers. He can be reached at tcspeedster@gmail.com

ficie scan min “Th ning appl tics.

Kool Tools: Past and Present As you are all probably aware by a MIG welder. The best is one can now, S A 0 0 went virtual re- use .035 wire on 110 volts. named S A 360 and it preventR yan Sw ans on, training maned Kye and me from walking the ager for Pro Spot, and I welded 5 oor looking for those uni ue items mm coupons in a fillet setup. othat we would obtain and test out tal penetration to the bottom plate, for our Kool Tools of SEMA annual and we could have welded thicker presentation. with David McClune pieces if they were available, as the The SCRS Education Commit- machine has a 6mm setting. A part tee, chaired by A mb er A lley, asked welded to frame on a BOF vehicle its members to look at SEMA 360 can be done in a stall with only 110 for items for Kool Tools of SEMA. volts and this welder. I submitted a few items I found, but The welder sells for under I decided to check out some of the $ 2,000. Check pricing with your lopast tools and see what was new and cal distributer. exciting. My next item is a mobile estiSo here are the Kool Tools Past mating/ADAS stand-alone cart. and Present. John Yoswick Here is mywith first item, from ro Spot International (Fig. 1):

comes as a base model no computer, printer and printer drawer, but with both computer screens to the most deluxe model with everything but the kitchen sink. See website for details. This unit is battery powered (not included) and can be moved anywhere in the facility. You will not have to plug it in, as it has an inverter for 110-volt printer. Price range is $ 3,099 to $ 4,699 (Fig. 4). The other stand-alone cart is from Pro Spot International. This station can also be moved anywhere in the shop and does not need electricity. It has an inverter for 120-volt equipment. This unit does not come with the two screens as shown, but the mounting brackets are included. Battery, computer and printer are not included. MSRP is $ 2,750. Next is a battery charger/maintainer from PowerMax (Fig. 5).

California Autobody Association

Year in Quotes

Fig. 5

uestion does your shop do ADAS calibrations? And if you answer yes, do you have a battery maintainer? here is a big difference between the two. A battery charger uses pulsed voltage, which goes up and down, whereas a battery maintainer, uses constant voltage. My friend Ch u ck O ls on, vice president of all ADAS knowledge at

Collision Repair Association of CA. with Richard Steffen

URCE

O PARTS S YOUR KIA

The right part makes the difference.

Fig. 3 Fig. 1

ProSpot introduced its new PR220-MV. Just like its little brother, PR205-MV, it can be plugged into 110 or 220 volts (Fig. 2).

Two manufacturers, G oliath and Pro Spot, introduced new selfcontained mobile carts for estimating and/or ADAS calibrations (Fig. 3). G oliath’s cart (goliathcarts.com)

Transition Planning with John Yoswick

Shop Showcase Fig. 2

with Karyn Hendricks

What is unique about this unit? Well, it has more than 200 amps and this welder will meet a number of the s welder specifications for

Fig. 4

Yonkers Kia

• Genuine Kia OEM Parts • Fast & Free Delivery

www.yonkerskia.com

• Efficient Service on All Orders • Fax Your Order Today

914.268.0279

Fax: 914.652.7665

Hours: Mon-Thur 7:30am- 8pm / Fri 7:30am-7pm / Sat 8am-5pm 1840 Central Park Ave. • Yonkers, NY 10710

Shop Showcase

56 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

with David M. Brown Northeast_Issue_0421.indd 56

Air cour pert

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a co ple from terie a kn elec sequ cura batte

unit and and repa leve hicle supp char

Air Pro Diagnostics, gave me quick course on a battery maintainer as it pertains to ADAS. “It is imperative to have sufficient, consistent voltage during scanning and is critical for programming and calibrations,” Olson said. “There are no written OEM scanning requirements to charge, test or apply battery support for diagnostics. “Performing diagnostics after a collision event produces multiple potential voltage issues ranging from discharged or damaged batteries, connector damage, etc. It is a known fact that a voltage or base electrical problem renders all subsequent diagnostics useless, inaccurate and a waste of time, unless battery voltage addressed first. He went on to say, “All control units are affected by battery voltage and repairers need to be aware of and correct these issues before any repairs are performed. If the voltage level is below 11.0 volts with the vehicle off, the need for battery voltage support and or battery inspection, charging and testing are indicated. “Many in collision repair are

not aware low voltage from discharged, failing or damaged batteries will deliver false codes and/ or skewed data. Best practice is to check base electrical system, connect battery support to prevent excessive discharge if OK. Add labor operations for battery charging, testing replacement, etc., as needed.” Finally, he said, “Many shops use ‘ jump boxes’ as opposed to battery maintainers. A ‘ jump box’ can be used in some situations but they must be maintained and monitored closely. I must warn that ‘ jump boxes’ discharge with use same as a battery and can also allow the voltages to drop causing possible false codes, improper readings or failed programming/calibration procedures. “If your shop needs a new battery charger look for one that has a ‘ programming’ or ‘ maintain’ setting for use during scanning, calibration and programming procedures. Standard battery chargers are OK for charging a battery, but are not recommended during scanning, programming or calibrations due to voltage uctuations that can produce voltages above or below mod-

ule normal operating conditions. “Maintainers are good to use if the battery already has a full charge. Keep in mind, a maintainer will not recharge a discharged battery.” Now that you are familiar with the difference between a battery charger and maintainer, let’s take a look at the PowerMax AC to DC # 75 Converter/Charger. This piece of equipment is a compact unit, but with a ton of features: rovides a constant clean fixed out of voltage for the power supply during diagnostics and calibrations • Voltage can be regulated between 13.2 volts mfg standard setting and 1 .6 volts check specifications • Can be switch to a battery charger with a ick of the wrist • 15-foot cables • LED indicator lights and digital voltage output display • Two-year warranty specified piece of e uipment ery affordable pricing Looking for a battery-operated blind

rivet gun? Here are two I have tested (Fig. 6 and 7).

Fig. 6. MFG Car-O-Liner

Fig. 7. MFG Geispa

Here are two battery-operated rivet guns that will pull structural rivets found on today’s vehicles. I tested the Car-O-Liner rivet gun with R ob ert Horned o, owner of Pacific ollision uipment, and I was little skeptical that it would pull a

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855-767-7278 410-574-8305 410-574-8389 Fax

888-809-5648 413-786-4474 413-789-3715 Fax

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Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 8-3 www.packernorrisparts.com

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Hours: M-W 7-6; Th 7-8; F 7-5; Sat 8-4 www.saratford.net

FLEMINGTON

Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 8-3 www.njparts.com

Malouf Ford Lincoln Mercury NORTH BRUNSWICK

800-959-6256 732-951-1429 Fax

Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-1 fordparts@malouf.com www.maloufparts.com

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PENNSYLVANIA

New Holland Ford NEW HOLLAND

800-367-3232 717-354-9633 Fax Hours: M-F 7-5:30

autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 57

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structural rivet. To my surprise, this gun worked effortlessly Fig. and 9).

Fig. 8

cleaners and nothing comes close to this product. Use the same process for overspray on metal or plastic surfaces. Here is the beauty of this product: You can use it without the clay mitt on all exterior surfaces including plastic, rubber or vinyl. Spray on the surface it lifts any dirt or dust off the surface and traps it in the li uid and wipe with microfiber followed by a dry microfiber. This product also works on interior vinyl surfaces to clean and semigloss finish. ith this one product, you eliminate the need to have a separate glass, vinyl and metal cleaner. Next up is a light unit from Miller Electric (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11 Fig. 9

I tried the same Ford structural rivets using the Power Bird Rivet gun and again was amazed by the results. How many of you use a razor blade and/or steel wool to remove overspray from glass? I have a solution that will eliminate those products (Fig. 10).

I have conducted more than 6,000 I A welding certification tests and one of the biggest problems facing technicians is poor lighting when welding on a vehicle. Miller Electric solved this problem by furnishing a lighting kit for its helmets. The lights attach to a helmet on the two headgear adjusting knobs. It is a great addition to the helmet. Speaking of helmets, Miller introduced a digital helmet with clear lens technology (above picture). ClearLight Lens Technology allows more colors of the visible light spectrum to come through the lens for

much contrast or clarity and can lead to increased eye fatigue. In other words, when welding, the viewing screen is clear instead of a greenish tint (see Figs. 12 and 13).

Fig. 14 Fig. 13

The second biggest problem I have encountered is most technicians have trouble seeing. These helmets come with slots for magnifying lenses (Fig. 14). Even if a tech has good eyesight, this lens is a must. If their helmets do not have magnifier slots, another product to consider is a pair of 2.0 diopter (200-times magnification safety glasses from Kent Automotive (1442650) (Fig. 15).

This is Q -7 Detailer from CSI Clear Coat Solutions. This product, used in conjunction with a clay mitt, will remove overspray, clean the glass and polish it in one application. Spray the product on the glass, wipe with a clay mitt until you feel no more friction and polish with a clean dry microfiber cloth. I have tried all kinds of glass

One last product from Miller Electric: The Millermatic 255 Auto Body (Fig. 16). I had this welder as a Kool Tool two years ago. The 255 Autobody has three guns, MIG braze, MIG steel and aluminum, a spool of each wire, all the various drive rollers,

The Right PARTS. A PERFECT Fit. Order Genuine Mazda Parts From These Parts Specialists in Your Area.

MARYLAND

VIRGINIA

Ourisman Mazda of Rockville

Brown’s Fairfax Mazda

855-417-4511

703-385-3994

Rockville

Fig. 10

Fig. 15

Fairfax

Fax 240-499-2488 M-F 8-5:30; Sat 8-5

Fax 703-591-5348 M-F 7:30-6

rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com

Joe.wood@brownscar.com www.brownscar.com

www.rockvillemazda.com Fig. 12

natural, accurate tones. Many other lenses have an artificial blue or yellow tint, which doesn’t provide as

58 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Audi Part Professionals are experts on collision parts, replacement components and mechanical items.

Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers. MARYLAND Audi Silver Spring Silver Spring

301.890.3015 800.288.6982 301.890.3748 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm wholesaless@mileone.com www.audisilverspring.com

MASSACHUSETTS Audi Shrewsbury Shrewsbury

888.751.7214 508.581.5880 508.845.1642 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm audiwholesaleparts@mcgovernauto.com

NEW JERSEY Audi Meadowlands North Bergen

201.408.2085 201.223.7842 Fax M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-2pm jpooler@bbmcc.com

Bell Audi Edison

732.396.9630 732.396.9090 Fax M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm dmcsorley@bellaudi.com

DCH Millburn Audi Maplewood

800.553.9250 973.762.2381 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-4pm ddipalma@dchusa.com www.dchmillburnaudi.com

NEW YORK Audi Brooklyn of Bram Wholesale Parts Network 866.770.5999 718.392.6570 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm parts@lexusofqueens.com

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631.204.2565 Tue-Sat 8am-5pm parts@audisouthampton.com www.audisouthampton.com

Flemington Audi Flemington

877.657-2787 908.782-1795 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm Sat 8am-12pm www.njparts.com

Paul Miller Audi Parsippany

800.356.4553 973.575.7793 973.575.5911 Fax M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm www.paulmilleraudi.com Audiparts@paulmiller.com

Regardless of the age of your customer’s Audi, Audi dealers have access to over 200,000 part numbers and are supported by a nationwide network of distribution centers to help ensure non-stocked parts are delivered the next day.

autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

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two gauges and a running cart that will hold two welding tanks, for under $ 6,200. (Check with your local distributor for a better price.)

ing rivets and is a Ford certified tool. The kit comes with an arm, a set of SPR dies and a gun, for under $ 3,800. Next on my list is a PDR light from Kool Tools of SEMA 2018 (Fig. 18). I repurposed this light from Keco Tabs to aid estimators when photographing vehicle damage (Fig. 19).

ation and has three different wavelength bulbs. While we are on Keco Tabs, here is another Kool Tool, its frame glue tab puller (Fig. 21).

Fig. 22

Fig. 16

Fig. 21

It is a great deal, but here is the only drawback you can only use one gun at a time. You will need to change the gun, wire, drive rollers and gas set up for each of the three welding operations. Another past Kool Tool item was the portable drill-operated SPR gun (Fig. 17).

This tool is a high strength steel U-bolt and 65-mm Centipede adapter which allows securely pulling Centipede create tabs with chains, hooks, ratchet straps, ropes, frame and other heavy-duty pulling equipment. The side thumb screw secures the adapter to Centipede tabs, preventing separation during setup or after removal. Two jam nuts on the U-bolt secure the adapter to ensure minimum movement and maximum lifting energy.

Fig. 19

This picture of the damage to the left fender was taken by an experienced estimator. The door was damaged, but the photo does not show any damage. I put the PDR light on the door and retook the photo (Fig. 20).

My last item for Kool Tools is a One Pass Water Blade (Fig. 22).

The patented T-bar and Y-blade edges are safe for all paints and clearcoats, removes 90% of rinse water with one easy sweep and has 15 times less friction than a terry cloth towel. I time tested this with a chamois and there was a 50% labor saving in the time to remove the water. Another point is it does not wear out. I filmed a number of these tools with my partner in crime, Kye Yeung, for SCRS Kool Tools of SEMA 360. G o to SCRS.com to view the video of these tools, along with a few other Kool Tools tested by various SCRS board members. Contact Information See Kool Tools, Page 66

Fig. 17

Weilander+ Schill demonstrated a battery-operated drill attaches to a SPR rivet gun at SEMA 2018 and we highlighted it as Kool Tool. The arm was attached to the gun and power rating was on the low side. The engineers at W+ S redesigned the tool and it now has twice the rivet setting pressure and multiple interchangeable arms with a host of different manufacturer die sets, does both ow form and self pierc-

Fig. 18

Fig. 20

The three light bulbs need to be parallel, but you will notice the bulb closest to door edge bent out of shape. The estimator marked the damage with water soluble marker and took another picture along with the one above to send to the insurance company. I checked with the estimator a couple of weeks later and he told me the inside adjuster had approved his labor estimate on the door, and the light made his job easier. I know there are estimating boards on the market and you can get similar results, but I am recommending this unit because it mounts to the car with an extremely strong suction cup for a hands-free oper-

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60 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Finish It Like a Masterpiece with

Genuine Parts

The Dealers Below Are Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts Specialists: DELAWARE

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Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington Wilmington

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617-275-2182 Direct 781-229-1600 Main

215-540-0263 Fax

parts@mbofwilmington.com www.mbofwilmington.com

parts@mbob.com www.mbob.com

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Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis Annapolis

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autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 61

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Why Car Accidents Increase After Daylight Saving Time Begins by Aaron Widmar, The News Wheel

Now that March is here again, Daylight Saving Time returns to move your clocks ahead one hour and force you to wake up early. However, its effect on your life is far greater than robbing you of a much-beloved hour of sleep. Multiple studies have found Daylight Saving Time actually affects everyone’s safety, such as a 5.7% increase in workplace injuries and a significant rise in automotive accidents, according to U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration data. Here’s a look at why Daylight Saving Time is dangerous for drivers. A 1992 study by the University of British Columbia professor Stanley Coren, “Sleep Deficit, Fatal Accidents and the Spring Shift to Daylight Saving Time,” noted a 17% jump in traffic accidents the Monday after “springing” clocks ahead. It was based on data from 366,910 U.S. traffic deaths that occurred between 1986 an 1995.

An earlier study by Coren found auto accidents were 8% higher the week following the onset of Daylight Saving Time versus the week prior. As reported by the New York Daily News, some critics believe Daylight Saving Time forces society into a state of chronic sleep deprivation, while others believe the increase in traffic accidents is due to darker morning commutes. Most people claim it takes a week for their bodies to adjust to the change in schedule and sunlight, and experts like Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Jeff Hickman assert the clock change results in fatigue and drowsy morning commutes. Thus, the result is an annual increase in car wrecks for the workdays following. In this day and age, we’re all wondering if Daylight Saving Time is even worth having anymore. Until it gets discontinued, be sure to get some extra sleep to adjust yet again to the new schedule this month. We thank The News Wheel for reprint permission.

Continued from Page 54

ASA Leaders sion repair industries. Referencing the Massachusetts Right to Repair referendum, set to go to trial in July, Redding anticipates there will be multiple parallel bills introduced this year related to the vehicle data access issue. Working with the American Alliance of Vehicle Owners Rights, ASA plans to drop several bills relative to their work to “try to find a path for independent repairs to have access to vehicle data.” As the allotted time reached its end, Fisher noted, “It’s really important, as an industry, that we understand the magnitude of the challenges we’re currently facing and what we’re looking at as an industry going forward. We’re on the cusp of innovation not seen for decades, and all these issues are really important because they are real. “Vehicle safety must be at the forefront of all repairs, both collision and mechanical,” Fisher continued. “What we’ve heard here today

www.autobodynews.com

Do it Right!

Service King Supports 844 Teammates When unforeseen, pandemic-related challenges affected Service King Collision’s employees in 2020, the company was eager to show its support for teammates through the President’s Fund. In 2010, Service King established the President’s Fund, the organization’s own 501(c) (3) that serves as a resource for team members experiencing an unexpected or unusual financial obligation or crisis. The fund provides the Service King family with the unique opportunity to both support fellow teammates and request assistance in times of need. Its mission was amplified in 2020 as the organization used collections to aid its deserving teammates. Since 2017, the most employees Service King made monetary donations to in a single year was 82 team members. In 2020, the comprehensive auto collision repair operator contributed donations to 844 employees through the President’s Fund. Source: Service King

is that we must understand the importance of seeking out information, following documented procedures, using proper equipment, and we need to be serious about not compromising the integrity of what our professionals do every day. Lives depend on it, and I’m proud of what our folks do.” Fisher also announced ASA is collaborating with affiliates to host the ASA United X50 Conference and Expo, April 30-May 1, a virtual experience that mimics in-person events. Registration will open in late March. “It’s time to put our glasses on and focus on what’s important and move forward in a positive way,” Fisher concluded. “With challenges, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity.” A replay of the media briefing can be accessed at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=RqJsOMl W0wo. For more information about ASA and its initiatives, visit asashop.org.

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Use

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Massachusetts BOCH HYUNDAI Norwood 391 Providence Hwy.

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62 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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imtion, ures, we omour ives what

A is host ence irturson late

s on and ay,” ges, op-

fing ww. OMl

ASA g.

Alex Goodemoot Named World Class Technician

SEMA Challenges EPA’s Motorsports Regulations in Court by SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

A lex G ood emoot, regional manager for N.A. Williams, has been selected a World Class Technician. This prestigious honor was bestowed upon G oodemoot by the Auto Care Association and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The Auto Care Association and ASE work together to recognize professional technicians who have tested and obtained AS certification in specialty areas to earn World Class Technician status. There are an estimated 879,000 technicians in the U.S., and approximately 250,000 of those techs are AS certified. G oodemoot was one of only 42 individuals to earn World Class Technician recognition for 2021. He holds ASE Master certifications as an automobile technician, medium/heavy duty technician, collision technician and under car specialist, along with advanced level L1 and L2 certifications. Source: N.A. Williams

S A filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and G ear Box Z . Inc. (G BZ ) arguing against EPA’s contention that the Clean Air Act (CAA) does not allow a motor vehicle to be converted into a racing vehicle used solely for competition. he A first pursued this controversial interpretation of the CAA as part of a 2015 draft rulemaking, but it quickly withdrew the provision following a huge, SEMA-led public outcry. In the G BZ litigation, however, the EPA again maintains that once a vehicle has been certified as a street vehicle, it cannot be converted into a racing vehicle, even if that vehicle is trailered to the track and is never driven on public roads. In its brief, SEMA argues the Clean Air Act does not apply to certified vehicles used exclusive ly on the track. SEMA states “the agency’s interpretation breaks from the plain language of the

CAA, the legislative history and EPA’s regulations and guidance.” SEMA notes the EPA’s position contradicts its longstanding guidance and regulations and has previously stated it “has no inter-

est in vehicles that begin their existence as normal, A certified production vehicles used on public roads and are then permanently converted to sanctioned competition-use only vehicles.” In response to the EPA’s efforts to regulate race parts, members of Congress introduced SEMA-sponsored legislation to

MASSACHUSETTS

confirm what had already been understood for the previous 45 years, that the Clean Air Act did not apply to vehicles modified for racing use only. The “Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act” (RPM Act) is bipartisan legislation to clarify it is legal to make emissions-related changes to a street vehicle for the purpose of converting it into a dedicated race car. It also confirms it is legal to produce, market and install racing equipment. SEMA continues to work tirelessly to pass this important legislation to counter EPA overreach. The G BZ case is before the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The court has agreed to take up the issue after the EPA has responded to SEMA’s amicus brief. SEMA will continue to fight the EPA’s flawed interpretation in court while urging the U.S. Congress to end the debate by enacting the RPM Act. Source: SEMA

NEW JERSEY

Cityside Subaru Belmont (617) 826-5013 (617) 489-0733 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30 parts@citysidesubaru.com

Long Automotive Group Framingham (800) 982-2298 (508) 879-1212 Fax

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Metrowest Subaru LLC Natick (888) 456-2200 (508) 745-2004 (508) 647-1539 Fax

Think Genuine Subaru Parts. We’re focused on getting you the Genuine Subaru Parts you need — fast and competitively priced. Put us to the test on your next Subaru repair or service job.

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Flemington Subaru Flemington (877) 657-2787 (908) 782-1795 Fax

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Liberty Subaru Emerson (888) 782-9493 (201) 261-3261 Fax

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Belknap Subaru Tilton (800) 358-4029 (603) 729-1300 (603) 729-1301 Fax

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The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 63

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Tesla Dominates U.S. EV Market With 79% Share in 2020 by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati

Recent data from an Automotive News/Experian collaboration has revealed something expected but shocking at the same time: In 2020, Tesla outsold its competitors so much in the electric vehicle sector, the company commanded 79% of the U.S. EV market.

That means nearly eight out of 10 electric cars registered in the U.S. is a Tesla. These results mean two things. One, Tesla is dominating the U.S. EV segment and it’s almost ridiculous how far behind its competitors are. And two, the rest of the players in the country’s electric car segment, such as the Audi e-tron, Porsche Taycan and the Nissan Leaf, only competed for the remaining 21% of the EV pie last year.

This domination is evident in the country s top five rankings. ast year, esla took four out of five, with the Model 3 and Model Y being Nos. 1 and 2 with registrations of 95,135 and 71,344, respectively. The Chevrolet Bolt EV, formally the third placer, only saw 19,664 registrations over the year. That makes the Chevy Bolt EV, a decent electric car with ample range and performance, a distant third place compared to the Model 3 and the Model Y. Even Tesla’s Model X and Model S, both of which are getting long in the tooth, still ranked fourth and fifth, with 19,652 and 14,430 registrations, respectively. What is rather interesting is that electric vehicles in the U.S. still broadened their share of the country’s overall auto market despite the presence of the pandemic. EVs, thanks in no small part to Tesla’s herculean production and delivery initiatives, commanded 1.8% of all cars registered in the U.S. That’s 0.4% higher than the previous year.

3M Invests in asTech Tesla’s market share in the U.S. practically became meme-worthy

among the electric vehicle community recently after CNBC broadcasted a graphic indicating the Elon Musk-led company only held 2% of the “EV North American Market,” behind Hyundai, which held 5%, Toyota, which held 11%, Ford, which held 14%, and G M, which held 27%. The media outlet’s graphic largely remains unexplained for now, though members of the r/TeslaMotors subreddit have suggested CNBC may have been listing the EV maker’s overall market share in the U.S., which does stand at about 2%. We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.

3M Company on Feb. 23 announced a strategic investment in Repairify, Inc. d/b/a asTech, a leading provider of remote diagnostic solutions, calibration services and key programming solutions to the automotive aftermarket industry. The strategic investment from 3M will help Repairify further expand and accelerate its proprietary tools, technology and service offerings across the Americas and Europe. Terms and conditions of the investment were kept confidential and future collaboration will be announced at a later date. “The 3M Ventures strategic investment in Repairify enables us to accelerate our solutions and offerings across the entire au tomotive ecosystem,” said Cris Hollingsworth, president of Repairify, Inc. “We seek to make strategic investments that will advance our innovation and growth,” said Ben Wright, director, 3M Ventures. Source: 3M

Catalytic Converter Thefts Skyrocketing Nationwide According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), catalytic converter thefts have seen a significant increase across the country since March 2020, the start of the global pandemic. “Vehicle thefts, carjackings and break-ins are all crimes we’ve witnessed trending upward for several months, and now catalytic converter thefts are also on the rise,” said D av id G law e, president and CEO of I . “ e have seen a significant increase during the pandemic. It’s an opportunistic crime. “As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.” A catalytic converter is a device that looks like a small mu er along with the exhaust system. It is designed to convert the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by an engine into less harmful gasses. To do this, manufacturers use

platinum, palladium or rhodium. In recent years, the values of these precious metals have increased significantly. As of December, rhodium was valued at $ 14,500 per ounce, palladium at $ 2,336 per ounce and platinum at $ 1,061 per ounce. Typically, recyclers will pay $ 50 to $ 250 per catalytic converter. According to NICB’s Operations, Intelligence and Analytics study of reported thefts, there were 108 catalytic converter thefts per month on average in 2018, 282 average monthly thefts in 2019 and 1,203 average thefts per month in 2020. During this time period, the top five states for catalytic converter thefts were California, Texas, Minnesota, North Carolina and Illinois. In 2020, there was a continual climb in thefts. January had the fewest number of thefts at 652, but it continued to climb markedly throughout the year, with December having 2,347 thefts. As of the end of February, 18 states—Arkansas, G eorgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,

Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia—are evaluating potential legislative actions to curb the theft problem. “Removing a catalytic converter takes only minutes using some basic, readily-available, battery-operated tools from a local hardware store,” said G lawe. “And for the vehicle owner, it’s costly due to the loss of work, finding and paying for alter nate transportation and then paying anywhere from $ 1,000 to $ 3,000 to get your vehicle fixed. The NICB recommends vehicle owners: • Install a catalytic converter anti-theft device. These are available from various manufacturers and can provide a level of security from theft. ark eet vehicles in an en closed and secured area that is well lit, locked and alarmed. • Park personal vehicles in a garage. If not possible and vehicles must be parked in a driveway, consider installing motion sensor security lights. While lights may not provide complete security, it may make

some thieves think twice, making them leave the area and your vehicle untouched. • Call local law enforcement and your insurer should you become the victim of a catalytic converter theft. In some cases, this theft is covered by insurance. The optional comprehensive portion of your insurance policy, the portion that covers damage caused to your vehicle not caused by accident, covers this kind of loss. However, the owner will be responsible for paying the deductible. If your deductible is $ 1,000 and the cost to repair the damage costs $ 1,000 or maybe a few hundred dollars more, drivers may not opt to file a claim. The NICB advises drivers to contact their insurer to report the theft and determine the best course of action. Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422) or submitting a form on the website. Source: NICB

64 APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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Parts: They’re our passion We know Genuine Volkswagen Collision Parts down to the finest detail, and we’re happy to share that knowledge with you.

CONNECTICUT

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

Curran Volkswagen Stratford

Flemington Volkswagen Flemington

Hudson Valley Volkswagen Wappingers Falls

203-378-6516

877-NJPARTS 877-657-2787

845-298-2365

Fax: 203-380-3732 M-Th 8am-6pm; F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-2pm parts@curranvw.net www.curranvw.net

MARYLAND Ourisman VW of Rockville Rockville

855-417-4511 Fax: 240-499-2488 M-F 8am-5:30pm; Sat 8am-5pm rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com

www.rockvillevolkswagen.com

MASSACHUSETTS Volkswagen of North Attleboro North Attleboro

508-695-7131 Fax: 508-695-0321 M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm kenr@driveavw.com www.driveavw.com

Fax: 845-224-3686 M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-5pm

Fax: 908-782-1795 M-F 7:30am-5pm www.njparts.com

billsantoro@thepremiercollection.com

Open Road Volkswagen of Bridgewater Bridgewater

516-822-4800

908-685-1068 Fax: 908-685-1547 M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-3pm vwb.parts@openroad.com www.openroadvwparts.com

Platinum Volkswagen Hicksville Fax: 516-822-4831 M-F 7:30am-5:30pm parts@platinumvw.com www.platinumvw.com

Paul Miller Volkswagen Bernardsville

908-766-1600 Fax: 908-766-6171 M-F 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-4pm aaitchison@paulmiller.com www.paulmillervw.com

Contact your local Volkswagen dealer or visit Wholesale.VWServiceandParts.com to place your Genuine VW Collision Parts order today. “Volkswagen” and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. ©2021 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

autobodynews.com / APRIL 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 65

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https://csishine.com

Continued from Page 60

Kia Cadenza and Sportage Owners Should Park Outside by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A ia engine fire recall has been issued for nearly 380,000 cars and SUVs even though the automaker says an “exact cause of [ the] electrical short circuit condition is unknown.” he ia engine fire recall in cludes 2017-2021 Sportage SUVs and Cadenza cars with hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) electrical circuits that can short-circuit and cause engine compartment fires. However, ia believes only 1% of the vehicles may be affected by the problem. This is an ongoing issue for Kia as the automaker recalled 440,000 Optimas and Sorentos in 2020 for problems with the hydraulic electronic control units following eight complaints about fires. However, ia says no fires have been reported in the recalled Cadenzas and Sportages. Other than obvious signs such as ames and smoke coming from the engine compartments, drivers should be aware of illuminated warning lights or burning odors.

Kia Cadenza and Sportage owners can expect dealerships to replace fuses in the electrical junction boxes to prevent over-current conditions. For Sportage vehicles not equipped with electronic parking brakes, dealers will install two 30amp fuses to replace the 40-amp fuses, and vehicles with electronic parking brakes will require 25-amp fuses in place of the 40-amp fuses. Sportage vehicles equipped with electronic parking brakes will also receive software updates for the hydraulic electronic control units. Cadenza cars will have their 40-amp fuses replaced with 25amp fuses.Cadenza and Sportage drivers who have paid for related repairs may be eligible for reimbursements. he ia engine fire recall is expected to begin April 30. Kia Cadenza and Sportage owners may call Kia at 800-3334542 and refer to recall number SC206. We thank CarComplaints.com for reprint permission.

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DAMAGE DIAGNOSTICS, LIVE PULLING AND DOCUMENTATION The initial evaluation of the damaged vehicle is the first step of the repair process. Repair diagnostics can be performed on any lift, bench, or surface. Structural, mechanical and suspension parts can all be measured while on or off of the vehicle. Detailed pre-repair documentation shows the extent of the vehicle’s damage. Technicians perform live pull operations, with real-time feedback, while returning the vehicle to OEM specifications. Post-repair documentation provides your customers the peace-of-mind to know their vehicle has been properly repaired. spanesi-americas.com/products/damage-diagnostics/touch

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