October 2020 Northeast Edition by Autobody News

N ORTHEASTEDITI ON

AUTOBODY CT / DE / ME / MD / MA / NH / NJ / NY / PA / RI / VT

39 YEARS

AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 11 / Issue 7 / October 2020

Toby Chess: 40-Plus Years of Service to the Industry He Loves

Toby Chess Says SOPs, Industry Training & Networking are Key to Body Shops’ Future Success

by Ed Attanasio

by Stacey Phillips

If you’ve been in the world of body shops for more than a few years, you likely know the name Toby Chess. He’s the smiling bearded guy who brings gifts to people—and no, he’s not Santa Claus. His story all began in a salvage yard and has turned into a fantastic career of teaching, mentoring and helping the collision repair industry and other people on many levels. Chess, 75, has given his life to others through several channels and

Several weeks ago, a local body shop owner asked Toby Chess to help set up a welder to repair an aluminum deck lid on a Mercedes-Benz. When Chess arrived at the facility, he quickly realized the technician didn’t have an understanding of the process to repair the vehicle. As a result, Chess created a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the shop, laying out the steps to get the job done. Since then, Chess has created more than 30 SOPs for the collision repair industry and has been

See Toby Chess, Page 12

Toby has been involved in First Responders’ auto body extraction for many years.

‣ See Nonprofit Finds, Matches Living Organ Donors , Page 57

Toby’s SCRS presentations are often hands -on and use attendees to push concepts.

sharing them with shops across the country. See Training & Networking, Page 18

• Toby Chess: Best Practice for Air Conditioning Repair, R&I and Replacement, Page 73 • Toby Chess: Best Practice for Pre and Post Scans, Page 73

Expert Predicts Auto Industry Could Take 2 Years to Rebound to Pre-Pandemic Sales Levels

Alfred State Instructor Shifts from Improving Vehicles to Enhancing Students’ Futures

by Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press

With years of real-world experience and an Alfred (NY) State education in his toolbox, automotive trades instructor CJ Tremper is now steering future autobody professionals toward the road to success.

It’s going to take at least two years for auto manufacturers to restore the sales and production numbers seen before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, an industry expert told Michigan lawmakers in Lansing on Sept. 2. Despite successful efforts from suppliers and manufacturers to keep their doors open and employees safe, staffing shortages and some overall drop in demand means the industry

The automotive industry did not take as big of a hit as many predicted due to the coronavirus pandemic. But experts and analysts told Michigan lawmakers on Sept. 2 their future is still a bit tenuous. Credit: Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press See Pre-Pandemic Sales, Page 26

PERMIT #288 ANAHEIM, CA

PAID

Change Service Requested P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 1

Tremper said. “He taught me the basics of automotive repair and just how to fix things that were broken.” Initially, Tremper was interested in becoming an automotive service technician, but an older friend who performed auto body work at the local BOCES changed his mind. At the time, Tremper was working at a local auto salvage yard, which bought and sold wrecked vehicles that could be fixed. “I spent much of my time in high school fixing a toAlfred State instructor CJ Tremper brings years of real-world taled Chevy K5 Blazer that knowledge and experience to the classroom and labs. I bought from the salvage Credit: Alfred State yard,” he said. “That was Growing up in Avoca, NY, my first big autobody project and I Tremper became interested in work- enjoyed taking something that had ing on automobiles thanks to his dad, been a complete wreck and making who taught shop class at Avoca Cen- it roadworthy again.” Tremper furthered his education tral School. “He is a car guy and I was al- and gained even more hands-on exways helping him work on things perience in Alfred State’s auto body when there was an opportunity,” See Alfred State Instructor, Page 22

9/22/2020 7:25:40 PM

SATA®Special Edition Spray Gun 2020 Beginning October 12 – while supplies last

SATAjet X 5500 Bionic – Below the surface! SATA spray guns do not only inspire with their stunning aesthetics, they deliver with their cutting-edge engineering. The inner workings of a SATA spray gun is something that many wish to see – and now you can! The SATAjet X 5500 Bionic reveals the unseen technology that makes your SATA spray gun so special. The special edition spray gun SATAjet X 5500 Bionic is fully functional and suitable for the daily use in the spray booth. Reserve your Special Edition spray gun with your SATA dealer now! www.sata.com/bionic I-nozzle

O-nozzle RP

Nozzle size

1.2 I

1.3 I

–

1.2 O

1.3 O

–

Standard with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

1112078

1112086

–

1112119

1112127

–

HVLP

Nozzle size

–

1.3 I

1.4 I

–

1.3 O

1.4 O

US Distribution will only be available in Standard spray gun, but the artwork on the gun is a depiction of a Digital spray gun.

Standard with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

–

1112317

1112325

–

1112367

1112375

The exclusive independent distributor of SATA products in the US and Puerto Rico

Be Strong Phone: 800-533-8016 www.satausa.com E-mail: satajet@satausa.com

SATA, SATAjet and/or other SATA products referenced herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SATA GmbH & Co. KG in the U.S. and/or other countries.

2 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com SATA BIONIC.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 2

9/1/20 3:47 PM

9/22/2020 7:25:42 PM

REGIONAL

CREF Supporting COVID Impacted Schools ........36

AASP/NJ Extends Virtual NORTHEAST

Daimler AG to Pay $1.5B for Emissions

2020 Show ...................................................15 AASP/NJ Meets With Legislators and Industry Reps on Claim Settlement Issues ..................20 AASP/NJ Members Earn Auto Body License Renewal Certificates via Virtual Training Event ..8

Cheating .......................................................66 Expert Predicts Auto Industry Could Take 2 Years to Rebound to Pre-Pandemic Sales Levels ..........1 Filterworks USA Becomes Autotality to Reflect Expansion Within Automotive

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

CONTENTS

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, Bill Doyle, 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

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. ©2020 Adamantine Media LLC. Autobody News P.O. Box 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 699-8251 / (760) 603-3229 Fax www.autobodynews.com editor@autobodynews.com

Accudraft Paint Booths.................................... 76

Malco ............................................................. 27

Acura of Westchester ...................................... 56

Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................... 68

American Icon Automotive Finishes ................. 46

McGovern Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ............. 20

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 63

Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City ....................... 52

AutoNation Collision Parts ................................. 7

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington ................. 52

Bical Auto Mall ................................................ 49

Mercedes-Benz of Paramus ............................ 41

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers ...................54-55

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester ..................... 52

Cadillac of Mahwah ........................................ 28

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington ........................ 57

Car-O-Liner..................................................... 25

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers ........ 71

Central Avenue Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ..... 17

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers.......................... 56

Certified Automotive Parts Association ............ 12

Mirka USA, Inc ................................................ 33

Cherry Hill Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram ............ 14

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers ................42-43

Cherry Hill Nissan ........................................... 58

Network 1 Solutions Collision Equipment .......... 9

Spoilers That Detach .....................................32

Choice Bumper ............................................... 46

New Holland Ford ........................................... 22

COLUMNISTS

Nonprofit Finds, Matches Living Organ Donors ..57

Classifieds ...................................................... 74

New Holland Toyota ........................................ 36

Anderson - Five Years of Data Shows

NSC: 20% Jump in Motor Vehicle Death Rates ....9

Colonial Automotive Group .............................. 47

Nissan/Infiniti Wholesale Parts Dealers............ 64

Courtesy Mitsubishi ........................................ 58

Northstar Kia................................................... 50

Material Pricing ............................................61

Criswell Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram ................ 26

Nucar ............................................................. 51

ProColor Collision to Enter U.S. Market ..............74

DePaula Chevrolet-Ford .................................. 10

Packer Norris Parts ......................................... 13

Eagle Abrasives, Inc ........................................ 19

Porsche Wholesale Parts Dealers .................... 65

Collision Repair .............................................56

Eckler’s Automotive ........................................ 16

Rapid Tac ........................................................ 31

SafetyNest™ Helps Drivers Stay Insured ..........70

Empire Auto Parts ........................................... 34

SATA Dan-Am Company .............................. 2, 29

Equalizer Industries, Inc .................................. 15

Schultz Ford.................................................... 40

FI. TIM SRL ....................................................... 6

Security Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram ................ 32

Flemington Auto Group ................................... 37

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes ...........4-5

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers .......................... 61

Southern Polyurethanes, Inc............................ 11

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers ........................... 59

Steck Manufacturing Company ....................... 24

Healey Brothers .............................................. 23

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers...................... 69

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers .......38-39

Symach .......................................................... 18

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

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers....................... 73

Infiniti of Norwood .......................................... 53

Tsunami Compressed Air Solutions ................. 30

Innovative Tools & Technologies, Inc ................ 35

VIP Honda ....................................................... 48

Jaguar Land Rover Cherry Hill......................... 45

Volkswagen of Newtown Square ....................... 6

Jeff D’Ambrosio Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge .............. 8

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers .............. 75

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers ................ 67

Wedge Clamp Systems ................................... 21

AASP/NJ Tackles Photo Estimating, Insurer Conduct and More at First-Ever Virtual ‘Town Hall’ ....................................................14 Alfred State Instructor Shifts from Improving Vehicles to Enhancing Students’ Futures ........1 Balise Collision Repair Receives Toyota Triple Crown Award for Third Consecutive Year ......15 Big Car Show in Carlisle, PA, Allowed Despite State Attendance Limits ...................24 Dick’s Auto Repair in Orange, MA, Hanging Up the Wrenches ............................................9 Mario’s Classic Auto Body, Paterson, NJ, Firefighters Remember 9-11 .........................10

Equipment Industry .......................................46 GM CEO Mary Barra: Demand is Coming Back Quicker Than we Thought.....................65 GM Helping Uber Switch to Electric ...................33 GM Tells Most Salaried Workers to Stay Home Till Next Summer ................................74 Honda Agrees to $84M Multistate Settlement for Defective Airbags.....................................66 Honda, GM Sign MoU ........................................68 Intoxicated Tesla Owners Leave Driver’s Seat Empty to Keep Drinking ................................69 Is Your Shop and Insurance Coverage Prepared for A Riot? ......................................64

New Jersey Granting $37 Million to Small

KIA HECU Recall Issued Following Engine Fires ...61

Counties That Previously Missed Out on

Liability Exposures on the Rise Globally: AGCS ..68

COVID-19 Relief ............................................16

Mercedes GLB250 Recall Issued for Rear

‘Who Pays’ Surveys Making a Difference.......40 Attanasio - Are You Defending Your Good Name Online? ......................................58 Phillips - Preparing & Training the Agents of Change in Future Technology ....................44 Sisk - AWAF Hosts Training, Awards Scholarships and Continues to Inspire Despite COVID ........50 Yoswick - Committee Demonstrates How Same Part Can Be Described Differently .......48 Yoswick - Latest in Lawsuits Involving Shops, Insurers and an Auto Recycler .......................62

P&C Trends in the Age of COVID-19...................70 PPI: August Shows Upswing in Auto Glass

Restore Crashworthiness with Corrosion Protection—Keys to a Safe and Proper

Searles Joins AMi as New President .................10 SEMA Data Co-op Acquires PartsHub ................70 Speaker Highlights Common Challenges Involved in ADAS Calibration .........................66

NATIONAL A Look at Kidney Disease and Ways to Help Toby Chess .............................................6 Allstate, GEICO Among Large Auto Insurers Facing COVID-19 Rebate Backlash ................70 America’s Best-Selling Electric Cars in 2020 .....33 As Hurricane Season Arrives, CARFAX Provides a Flood of Information ...................................72 ASE Survey Finds Adaptions..............................72 Automakers Urge Dealers to Enforce Strict Coronavirus Precautions ...............................34 CCC AutoClaims Snapshot—August 2020.........72

Toby Chess Says SOPs, Industry Training & Networking are Key to Body Shops’ Future Success ...............................................1 Toby Chess: 40-Plus Years of Service to the Industry He Loves .....................................1 Toby Chess: Best Practice for Air Conditioning Repair, R&I and Replacement ........................73 Toby Chess: Best Practice for Pre and Post Scans ...........................................................73 Turn Eight Common Shop Owner Mistakes into Positive Life Lessons with Mike Anderson .....30 Uber Plans to Have an All-Electric Fleet by

CIECA Holds Semi-Annual Meetings ..................36

2030 and a Zero-Emissions One by 2040 .....73

Commercial Fleet Sales Fall 16.8% in August....69

White Named to Women in Automotive Board......8

Kia of Attleboro ............................................... 58

White Plains Volkswagen ................................ 36

Coronavirus Raises Fears of Increase in

Will Burgeoning E-Commerce Hurt the

Kundert Volvo.................................................. 60

Yonkers Kia ..................................................... 60

Insurance Fraud ............................................28

Collision Repair Industry?..............................52

Long Automotive Group .................................. 44 autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 3

9/23/2020 4:47:10 PM

THE SYSTEM FOR THE CUSTOMER T H AT WA N T S

ONE ONE S O LUTI ON

PA RT N E R

4 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 4

9/22/2020 7:25:44 PM

YOUR SYSTEM IS SUNFIRE PRO ™. YOUR PARTNER IS SHERWIN-WILLIAMS ® AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES.

IT IS TIME

TO CONVERT.

www.sherwin-automotive.com/sunfirepro

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 5

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 5

9/22/2020 7:25:44 PM

A Look at Kidney Disease and Ways to Help Toby Chess by John Huetter, Repairer Driven News

Collision industry trainer, mentor and Hall of Eagles member Toby Chess is among the many Americans suffering severe kidney disease, undergoing dialysis and in need of an organ from a living or deceased donor. Colleagues have started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Chess. “Toby Chess is known throughout our industry, not only as an amazing instructor with a plethora of technical knowledge, but for his willingness to give of himself, impart his knowledge to others and to ALWAYS do the right thing,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “Always the first to step forward and help others, our industry has the opportunity to pay it forward to our dear friend Toby, who is valiantly battling kidney failure as COVID-19 cripples his teaching schedule. “He has spent his life in service of others within our industry, and now has the opportunity to feel the reciprocal support from an industry that appreciates what he has done. Currently, Toby is undergoing dialysis three times a week, for four hours per treatment. This fund represents a way for an industry that is grateful, to recognize a wonderful man for his decades of service and volunteerism. For anyone that has ever been inspired by his words, motivated by his articles, informed by his seminars or videos, or simply touched by his generosity in sharing information.” Contributions can be made here. Chess’ high-profile example might leave collision repairers and other colleagues curious about kidney disease and organ donation as well. The Centers for Disease Control estimates about 15% of U.S. adults have some form of chronic kidney disease, with nearly all unaware they have it. Simple blood and urine tests will tip off doctors to the presence of the condition. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease said people with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or a family history of kidney failure are demographics that particularly should get tested. The illness leaves excess waste

and water within the body—the damaged kidneys aren’t able to filter out the substances to the degree a healthy kidney would. Heart disease and stroke risks increase, and more specific illnesses like anemia or a weakened immune system can arise if the condition worsens.

Toby Chess, right, hugs his wife, Sheila, after winning one of many Society of Collision Repair Specialists honors. Credit: Provided by Aaron Schulenburg/SCRS

Some forms of kidney disease are manageable. However, Chess has Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, which is considered complete kidney failure. Ongoing dialysis is necessary to live. The dialysis process serves as

a replacement for failed kidneys by artificially removing waste and water from the body, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Reaching a state of chronic or endstage kidney failure stage leaves a patient on dialysis permanently unless he or she can get a new kidney. According to the American Kidney Fund nonprofit, most patients have to wait three to five years before a kidney is available from someone who has died. Chess’s transplant facility, the University of California, Los Angeles, says the Los Angeles-area wait time is five to 10 years. However, living Americans are permitted to donate a single kidney or a piece of a liver to whomever they choose. “Kidney is much more common,” said Anne Paschke, spokesperson for the United Network for Organ Sharing, the organization that manages the national transplant list. Last year saw “nearly 7,000” kidney transplants related to living donors, she said. Prospective donors should

contact the prospective recipient’s transplant center, which will evaluate whether the donor’s blood type and antibodies are an appropriate match. Though it’s possible some of the preliminary testing can be done in the donor’s home area, prospective donors should still start the process by contacting the recipient’s local transplant center, Paschke said. For Chess, donors would visit www.uclakidneydonor.org and provide his name, Toby Chess, and date of birth, Aug. 6, 1945. About one in five donors are healthy enough to provide a kidney, according to UCLA. Assuming that threshold is met, blood type and antibody compatibility are the two main variables tested to determine a match, according to Paschke. A person with Type O blood can only receive a Type O person’s kidney. Someone with Type A blood needs either a Type A or Type O person’s kidney, and someone with Type B blood must have a Type B or Type O donor. However, Type See Kidney Disease, Page 21

Volkswagen of Newtown Square LIFTS

FAST BENCHES

5 TON CAPACITY U.S. Patent

4050 West Chester Pike Edgmont, PA 19028

484-427-2100 610-441-7597 Fax

www.lovevwautos.com wholesaleparts@lovevwautos.com

M-F 7:30am-5pm  

Competitive Pricing Extensive Inventory

4.72”

1.96”

- LOW PROFILE - LIFTING BY THE WHEELS OR BY THE ROCKER PANEL WITH RUBBER PADS - 10 TON TRACTION ARM - SELECTION OF CLAMPS AND 4X4 CHASSIS CLAMPS

FI.TIM Importer - in the Northeast: COLLISION EQUIPMENT CONSULTING NEW YORK, NY www.collisionequipment.net TDinnella@aol.com 516-361-9220

Click here to view the complete catalog of FI.TIM products

www.fitim.com PADUA - ITALY

6 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 6

9/22/2020 7:25:45 PM

ent’s alutype riate ome n be prot the ent’s said. visit prodate

are ney, that and two ne a

lood on’s lood e O with pe B Type

ge 21

PART# 66321D3000 CAN YOU NAME THAT PART?

OUR PARTS EXPERTS CAN. Not only does he know it’s a ’16 Hyundai Tucson OE right front fender, but he knows you’ll probably need fender bolts, brackets, a splash shield, insulator, liner screws, grommets... you get the idea. We know our parts, we have the inventory and we’ll deliver everything together.

You’d be nuts (part# 52950-14140) not to give us a try.

CALL US. 855-462-9042 Turn us on as a preferred vendor.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 7

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 7

9/22/2020 7:25:47 PM

White Named to Women in Automotive Board

AASP/NJ Members Earn Auto Body License Renewal Certificates via Virtual Training Event

Dana W. White, chief communications officer, Hyundai Motor North America, has been named to the Women in Automotive board. In this role, White will be a resource and advocate for the organization’s mission to empower and develop women in the automotive industry as thought-leaders, industry executives and mentors for other women seeking career advancement and growth opportunities. The Women in Automotive organization currently has 20 executive-level board representatives from a variety of automotive technology, supplier, media outlets and dealerships. In her role as CCO at Hyundai, she is responsible for leading all regional communications and public relations strategy for HMNA, HMA, Genesis Motor America and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in coordination with other affiliates, including the Hyundai Washington, D.C., office.

Members of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) earned certificates Sept. 3 that can be used toward their auto body license renewal this fall by attending “Truck Bedside Replacement: OE Procedure and Estimating Considerations,” the association’s virtual training event presented by Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants LLC. Montanez walked attendees through a step-by-step estimating process designed to help ensure that shops will receive fair reimbursement for properly repairing vehicles to OEM standards. He used estimates for the bedside panel replacement on both a 2007 Dodge Ram pickup truck and a 2019 model to demonstrate all that should be involved. Montanez offered a different approach to viewing the estimating process, referring to it as the creation of a damage report. “I call it that because it is not an educated guess. You have to go through a lot of different steps— informational steps, thinking steps

Source: Women in Automotive, Hyundai.

and even a peer review to ﬁgure out exactly what an accurate estimate or damage report will be.” To accomplish this goal, repairers should gather all the facts at the start of compiling the damage report. This involves making an assessment of the damage, analyzing

the loss and taking a close look to see if weather and road conditions were involved. Montanez reminded repairers of the importance of following the processes correctly to avoid the risk of not getting paid for procedures. He also urged them to remember that once a shop repairs a vehicle, it owns that repair in its entirety for life. “Be as accurate as possible.

THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE PERFECT FINISH.

Look up your information. Don’t assume anything.” Additionally, reviewing the damage report as a team is vital to making sure everyone is on the same page with how it is mapped out. “If an adjustor comes in and sees four diﬀerent estimates, it’s just going to make things harder.” Montanez spent considerable time going over damage report line items, highlighting both included and not-included steps. He noted that shops that can easily prove what they need to perform stand a greater chance of getting paid without much of an argument. AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee, of Ultimate Collision Repair in Edison, emphasized the importance of shops using Montanez’s strategies in their day-to-day operations. “What you do with this information will make all the diﬀerence in the world. It’s about taking back your business and being paid correctly.” Source: AASP/NJ

PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMER’S INVESTMENT WITH ORIGINAL MOPAR® PARTS Authentic Mopar® Parts are built to fit perfectly and function properly every time. This ensures your customers are getting the highest quality parts manufactured to meet the original specifications and safety standards of their vehicle. Providing more peace of mind for each customer you serve.

Jeff D’Ambrosio Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Check out MoparRepairConnection.com for resources, promotions and technical information. ©2020 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. FIAT is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used under license by FCA US LLC. Magneti Marelli is a registered trademark of Magneti Marelli S.p.A.

8 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com 43232_COL11_H_ABN.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 8

1221 E. Lancaster Avenue Downingtown, PA 19335 Order Hotline: (610) 363-8250 or (800) 922-7932 Mon.-Fri. 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat. 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Fax: (610) 363-8227 Email: partsteam@dambrosio.us We are a Parts Trader, CollisionLink, OPS Trax and CCC dealer!

7/28/20 12:32 PM

9/23/2020 4:47:40 PM

Dick’s Auto Repair in Orange, MA, Hanging Up the Wrenches by Dominic Poli, Greenfield Recorder

A 38-year ride for Dick’s Auto Repair in Orange, MA, is coming to an end this month, as owner Richard Noel plans to close up shop on Sept. 25. “It’s been great. We’ve probably got the best customers in the world,” he said this week. “My body’s getting beat to death, so it’s time.” Noel, 69, said automotive repair is a physically demanding trade and his knees, ankles, back and hips are paying the price. It was 1982 on a drive home from Florida that Noel’s wife, Denise, first encouraged him to open his own shop. He had graduated from Greenfield Trade School in 1969 and started working part-time at a Toyota dealership that once sat where the John W. Olver Transit Center now operates at 12 Olive St. in Greenfield. He went full-time in 1970 and worked there until his wife convinced him to branch out on his own. Noel said he started in a 24-by30-foot shop next to his house be-

fore building the current 60-by-80foot garage at 48 King St., on the other side of his house. The business also sells used vehicles and oﬀers 24/7 towing.

Richard Noel, owner of Dick’s Auto Repair in Orange, MA. The shop is closing on Sept. 25. Credit: Staff Photo/Paul Franz

Denise Noel, 68, said she works in the oﬃce and handles the paperwork for all the shop’s services. She said it feels good to retire after years of successful business. “We’ve done real well,” she said, adding that their loyal customers appreciate their honesty and trustworthiness. Denise Noel also said the shop repairs vehicles for the Orange Po-

lice Department and the Orange Post Office. Richard Noel explained he grew up in Athol and moved to Orange after the eighth grade. It was during this time that he got a job at a junkyard taking apart motors for $1 a pop. He averaged 80 motors a week. “That’s $80,” he said. “That’s a lot back in those days.” Richard Noel recalls he got bit by the bug. “I got just wicked interested in [auto repair],” he said. “I got hooked on fixing cars and just never looked back.” Richard Noel said he and Denise plan to do some traveling, but will remain local residents. However, the house and shop have been on the market a few years. He said a buyer was lined up, but backed out once the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The pandemic didn’t make business any more difficult though, he said, because he was able to offer contact-free service. We thank the Greenfield Recorder for reprint permission.

NSC: 20% Jump in Motor Vehicle Death Rates Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council based on the ﬁrst six months of data from all 50 states tell an erratic story about the nation’s driving behaviors and the impact of COVID-19 on roadway safety. The U.S. experienced an estimated 20% jump in the death rate—an indicator of how safely drivers are using the roadways—between January and June 2020 compared to the same six-month period in 2019. The rate increase comes in spite of a 17% drop in the number of miles driven between January and June. The total number of deaths is up 1% from six-month ﬁgures in 2019. According to NSC estimates, the 20% increase in the death rate is the highest jump NSC has calculated for a six-month period since 1999. Source: NSC

NETWORK 1 SOLUTIONS COLLISION EQUIPMENT

One Tech, One Tool, One & Only One Solution For Safe Repairs Each & Every Time! Lift King Heavy Duty Package Includes: Main Component and Semi Hood Attachment. One Person Operation. 3’ x 3’ Storage

Box Dolly Built out of steel construction, 8” swivel casters, completely adjustable with no tools needed, folds up quickly.

Fender Paint Stand Easily adjusts to working height and stabilizes fenders,bumpers, doors and more durable and versatile

Lift King Light Duty Package Includes: Main Component, Box Attachment and Bushing Kit

For Additional Information visit our website:

www.network1solutions.com sales@network1llc.com

Made in the USA

or call us at:

888-918-0737

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 9

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 9

9/23/2020 4:48:31 PM

Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classic Auto Body, Paterson, NJ, Firefighters Remember 9-11 by Steve Lenox, TAPinto Paterson

As the nation comes together for theÂ 19th annual commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one local business continued to memo-

Credit: Steve Lenox

rialize the nearly 3,000 Americans, including Paterson, NJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kenneth Lira, who went to work in the Twin Towers and never returned home. For Mario Tommolillo, longtime owner of Classic Auto Body, the desire to honor those lost on that tragic day was a choice be-

tween making a financial donation or doing something â&#x20AC;&#x153;more permanent.â&#x20AC;? Before the first anniversary of the attacks came, the entire side of Tommolilloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building had been transformed into a full color mural, designed and created by local artist Paws, that depicts the events of the unforgettable day, and perhaps more importantly, the solidarity that came to be in the hours, days and weeks that followed. Like Tommolillo, Paws, who had only just moved to Paterson when the attacks took place, wanted to create a mural to make sure that â&#x20AC;&#x153;no one would ever forget about that day.â&#x20AC;? Like much his work, and all art, Paws told TAPinto Paterson previously, the meaning of a piece is in the eyes of the beholder. This particular project, Â which took him two weeks to create with dozens of

cans of spray paint, he continued, is meant to â&#x20AC;&#x153;raise consciousnessâ&#x20AC;? and help those who see it understand â&#x20AC;&#x153;why we do what we do.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;How can we make the world a better place, and protect ourselves from evil,â&#x20AC;? Paws hopes viewers will ask themselves. Tommolillo admitted he was a little skeptical when Paws first climbed the ladder and started marking up the, until then, yellowish wall with gray spray paint, a concern that quickly dissipated as the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision came life in a variety of colors. All he wanted, he said of his desire to commission the work, was a piece that gave attention to first responders, and depicted the hands of God. And, with nearly two dozen Paterson firefighters, as well as Mayor Andre Sayegh, Councilman Luis Velez and several more members of the community paying their respects to the lost lives at the site of the mural Sept. 11, both were evident. We thank TAPinto Paterson for reprint permission.

M - F - 7:30AM - 6PM S - 8AM - 5PM

785 C A A , NY 12206

$1M+ Onsite Inventory of Genuine GM Parts Dedicated Wholesale Parts Professionals B : 518-489-7747 (100 Years Combined Experience) M : 518-489-7746 B : 518-489-0122 Fleet of 8 GPS Equipped Trucks parts@depaula.com for Daily Deliveries www.depaulachevrolet.com Competitive Pricing and Discounts

The Board of Trustees at the Automotive Management Institute, the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading provider of management education for automotive service and collision repair professionals, is pleased to announce Chuck Searles has been selected as the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new president, effective immediately. Searles will succeed Jeff Peevy, who left to return to I-CAR as VP of technical products, programs and services in late July. His career began as a dealer service technician in 1992. During nine years as a service technician, Searles was employed by three different dealers in two states, Alaska and Arizona. This diversity helped expand his skillset and knowledge base, which eventually led to a technical service support position with Nissan North America in 2001. Over the last 19 years, he has served in four different Nissan training roles. Source: AMi

Partner with Depaula Ford for all Your OEM Ford Parts

Your Source for GM Parts in NY State, Western MA, Western CT and Southern VT

P H :

Searles Joins AMi as New President

P H :

M - F: 7:30AM - 6PM SAT: 8AM - 5PM

799 C A A , NY 12206

P 518-489-1210 F : 518-489-0126 mhensel@depaulaford.com www.depaulaford.com

$1M+ Inventory Updated Daily 3 Senior Certified Ford WS Parts Specialists Ready to Assist You 8 Delivery Trucks and Priority Rush Delivery in Our Hot Shot Vans Internet Ordering Available on Our Website or via Ford

10 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 10

9/23/2020 4:48:58 PM

THANK

YOU!

SPI achieves record growth despite pandemic!

Southern Polyurethanes Incâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 100% MADE IN USA product sales have eclipsed all time highs this year and we want to say thank you to all our customers. We sincerely appreciate your conďŹ dence in our products and we are honored to serve you.

706.781.2220

southernpolyurethanes.com

www.southernpolyurethanes.com autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 11

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 11

9/22/2020 7:25:52 PM

Continued from Cover

Toby Chess has never slowed down. He’s taught thousands of body technicians skills that are used every day to fix cars the right way—Toby’s way. He’s been to almost every state in the union, teaching and imparting more useful information than most in this industry will ever know. Chess is well-known as an I-CAR program instructor, training specialist and renowned industry writer, but also for his work with first responders and advocacy for body shops and consumers as well. Now he has encountered another challenge with his battle against end-stage kidney disease. He has been undergoing dialysis for the past 30 months, but hasn’t slowed down for even a minute, and is still doing everything he can to continue on his path. Toby’s passion for cars started back in the late 1960s, when he began working on old Porsches. His first project was a 1955 Speedster, and over the years, he became a Porsche expert, restoring several. In 1972, Toby and his father opened a salvage yard in Culver City, CA, specializing in Volkswagens. It had a good run until the Chess family stepped away from the business 21 years later. No longer working for his father, Toby took all her had learned about the collision repair industry and was eager to get out there and take on the world. During the next few decades, Toby worked in several capacities for independent shops and MSOs in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. He built a shop for a Honda dealership, was a regional manager for a chain of nine stores, and even worked for three years as a fraud investigator for an insurance company. In 2004, Toby started working toward becoing an instructor for I-CAR. One year later, he made a life-changing decision to take his classes on the road, when he bought a trailer and a truck and started traveling nationwide to conduct I-CAR welding instruction and testing. In his very first I-CAR welding class, Toby had 26 students, and half of them failed. So, he showed them

how to do it correctly, and realized he really enjoyed it. “I thought, I can take this on the road,” Chess said.” I could see that there was a real need for MIG and aluminum welding instruction, so I set up the road show, and it grew from there. “I hit Illinois, Indiana, Washington, Georgia, Colorado and all of California during those first years. I went where I was needed and stayed there until everyone knew how to weld. I stayed at a hotel in New Mexico for almost a month because they really needed me there. It started I-CAR’s mobile programs, which were successful and got great reviews.” During the first 40 days of his road trip, Chess tested more than 100 technicians, a number that blew up to approximately 800 during that first year. To date, Chess estimates there are more than 20,000 collision professionals out there who’ve taken his classes. It’s been a busy schedule to say the least, because during much of the time, he has worked a regular job at Kent Automotive, as well as serving on the Society of Collision Repair Specialists board and acting as a featured speaker at Collision Industry Conference and SCRS events. Other impressive things on Toby’s resume include his roles as co-chairman of the Write it Right Committee and an induction into the Hall of Eagles in 2003. Toby loves being able to teach someone and then watch him or her excel, he said. “It all comes down to how to make a good weld each and every time. I am still doing it today, and I never tire of it. I have a lot of good friends who passed one of my tests 10 years ago.” His teaching style has never changed, he said. “I learned how to simplify things so that people can absorb the information more easily, and I also try to make it fun. Early on, I could see that I was connecting with them because they could see that I really cared. After a while, I figured that I can teach someone how to weld in 20 minutes. I have a knack for this, plus I love it!” After visiting more than 5,000 shops and teaching more than 100,000 students, Toby now has former I-CAR students all over the country. “People come up to me all the

time and tell me that I taught them how to weld. Two weeks ago, a guy walked up to me at a Home Depot and said I trained him to weld many years ago. Yes, it is satisfying.” In addition to his teaching and mentoring, Toby is known for stepping up and helping others when in need. He helped an organization called Camp Make a Dream get a new bus, played a big role in three or four diﬀerent toy drives at Camp Pendleton, and worked to establish a collision repair tech department at Belmont High School in Los Angeles. Known as a leading industry writer/columnist for more than two decades, Chess began writing for Autobody News in 2008, with his “Hey Toby!” series, and has written close to 100 articles for the publication since. He covers every aspect of the industry, with a focus on things like paint, parts and procedures. He has also written for Body Shop Business, ABRN and Tire Review, to name a few others. “I started writing in the late 1990s and I like it,” Chess said. “I write the way I talk and I try to ﬁnd topics that

will provide information and tips that can be used in shops.” During every step of the way, Toby’s employers have liked his managerial and organizational skills and his “can do” attitude, and it’s conveyed succinctly in the text accompanying a recently established GoFundMe account. “Always the ﬁrst to step forward and help others, our industry has the opportunity to pay it forward to our dear friend Toby, who is valiantly battling kidney failure as COVID-19 cripples his teaching schedule,” according to the GoFundMe page established to help him. “Toby is undergoing dialysis three times a week, for four hours per treatment. “This fund represents a way for an industry that is grateful to recognize a wonderful man for his decades of service and volunteerism. For anyone that has ever been inspired by his words, motivated by his articles, informed by his seminars or videos, or simply touched by his generosity in sharing information.” As a lifelong giver, Toby was a See Toby Chess, Page 16

LAST BUT NOT LEAST COMES THE SEAL  Fit  Function  Appearance  Performance  Materials

12345678

Only parts that pass our extensive tests earn CAPA Certification and carry the distinctive yellow and blue CAPA Quality Seal. TM

www.capacertified.org

12 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 12

9/23/2020 4:54:26 PM

www.packernorrisparts.com

8800 Citation Road Baltimore, MD 21221

6.5 MILLION+ INVENTORY OF FORD & MOTORCRAFT PARTS Parts Direct Phone Number

410-574-8305 OR

855-PNP-PART (855-767-7278)

ge 12

Collision to Performance & Maintenance to Repair Wholesale Parts 24 Hour Fax

HOURS Monday-Friday 7:00am-5:30pm Saturday 8:00am-3:00pm

410-574-8389

parts@packernorrisparts.com mgillman@norrisautogroup.com lmiller@packernorrisparts.com

We have the Parts youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for!

58 58+ 8 Daily D il D Departures t FREE Delivery to Parts of MD, DE, PA, NJ, DC and Northern VA Contact us to see if we can deliver to you! autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 13

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 13

9/22/2020 7:25:56 PM

AASP/NJ Tackles Photo Estimating, Insurer Conduct and More at First-Ever Virtual ‘Town Hall’ Auto body professionals can use all the help they can get in the fight to receive fair reimbursement for safe and proper repairs. With this in mind, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) set out to arm its members with necessary resources and knowledge via the association’s first-ever virtual “Town Hall” meeting Aug. 19. AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant focused attendees’ attention on state regulations governing auto physical damage claims and unfair claim settlement practices, highlighting language that shop owners need to be aware of and understand in order to protect their rights as well as the rights of insured consumers. Bryant explained that although insurers conducting business in New Jersey are supposed to follow these rules, the lack of a private right of action prevents lawsuits against carriers that violate them. This only leaves the option to make a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. However, the department will

only act once it has received enough complaints to show a general business practice. Bryant likened the ineffectiveness of this system to a police officer not being able to issue a ticket to someone for running a red light unless that person is caught doing so three times. Therefore, speaking out by way of filing a complaint to the Department is key in bringing upon action that can lead to positive and more immediate change. Properly filing a complaint involves getting the customer to permit the shop to file on their behalf as a designated representative. “If we want these regulations to work, you have to make the complaints. You have to stop what you are doing, take the time and write [them.]” Addressing another concern in the Garden State, Bryant stressed it is reasonable for shops to charge insurers for time spent taking photos. Due to COVID-19, most insurers have refrained from sending appraisers to inspect vehicles in person. To ensure proper reimbursement, shops should ask insurers to

sign an agreement up front letting them know they will charge for photo services. If the insurer refuses, then an appraiser must come out and inspect the vehicle. Another frustrating issue for shops involves insurers playing what Bryant called the “picture game over and over” only to declare the vehicle a total loss in the end. In many cases, this is followed by an insurer refusing to pay the shop for storage during the time it took the carrier to make the total loss determination. Bryant explained the Duty to Protect provision found in automotive insurance policies states that the insureds must protect their vehicles from further damage and that insurers must cover any reasonable expense to make this possible. It is AASP/NJ’s position that this verbiage establishes that insurers are responsible for the reimbursement of storage charges for however long a vehicle is at a shop. AASP/NJ also shared its latest efforts in support of the “New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act” (A1659), legislation that would establish “a private cause of action for

first-party claimants regarding certain unfair or unreasonable practices by their insurer.” Additionally, successful claimants would be entitled to, among other things, reimbursement for their loss and court and attorney’s fees. AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Edison, noted that passage of the bill would be “a game-changer” and called for support from association membership to help move it forward. “We need more people to stand up for what is right, or things are not going to change.” McNee also encouraged AASP/ NJ to make the most out of the discussions and perspectives shared during the Town Hall. “Take this information, use it and continue to use it. Every time someone doesn’t, it’s game over. We need to take back our businesses and be treated as the professionals we are.” Source: AASP/NJ

www.autobodynews.com

CHERRY HILL DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM 1708 Marlton Pike West Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 Wholesale Hot Line: (856) 382-1690

PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS, YOUR REPUTATION AND YOUR INSTALLERS’ SANITY. MOPAR® FENDER

Mopar® Collision sheet metal is not only corrosion tested to outperform the aftermarket, it’s 100% factory original, so there’s no bending, welding or banging to get the part to fit. And that makes for happy installers, happy customers and a solid reputation for your store.

Minimal corrosion

No rust through

AFTERMARKET FENDER

Send your electronic insurance estimate to your local FCA US LLC dealer for competitive pricing against aftermarket or salvage collision parts. Visit MoparRepairConnection.com for complimentary resources, promotions and technical information. 14 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com 58285_COL17_H_AB.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 14

Extensive corrosion

24 Hour Fax: (856) 382-1674 www.cherryhilljeep.com Mon.–Sat. 8:00 a.m. –4:30 p.m. We are a PartsTrader and CollisionLink dealer! COLLISION CONOUEST

Rust through

12/11/19 1:24 PM

9/22/2020 7:25:56 PM

Balise Collision Repair Receives Toyota Triple Crown Award for Third Consecutive Year Balise Collision Repair in Rhode Island was named the 2019 Toyota Certified Collision “Shop of the Year” Triple Crown winner for the third consecutive year.

The award, presented by Toyota Motor Sales, recognizes the top Toyota Certified Collision Center in the country in areas of customer satisfaction, training specifications and Key Performance Indicators within the collision repair industry. Balise Collision Repair has three Rhode Island locations, including a brand new 10,000-square foot facility on Quaker Lane in

West Warwick, opened in May 2019. “I always talk about how important this award is because it’s a team award,” said Brian Stone, vice president of collision for Balise Motor Sales. “We couldn’t reach this achievement without every single member of our team buying into our mission to do the right thing and put the customer first.” Balise Collision has been a Toyota Certified Collision Repair Center since 2010; is also certified for 19 other manufacturers, including Honda, Acura, Volkswagen, Nissan, Infinity, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Hyundai, Ford (aluminum cert), Kia, Chrysler, Ram, Mopar, Dodge, Fiat, SRT, Jeep and Subaru; and is I-CAR Gold Class certified. Source: Balise Collision Repair

AUTOBODY

AASP/NJ Extends Virtual NORTHEAST 2020 Show The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/ NJ) has announced it will extend the NORTHEAST® 2020 Virtual Trade Show through Labor Day weekend. Live meetings with exhibitors will no longer be available; company product info and contact details will remain through Sept. 7. The show, originally scheduled in its traditional in-person format this past March, was moved to the weekend of Aug. 21-23 and ultimately held as a complete virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘We wanted to try and stay as true to the event as possible by holding it over the weekend,” said Thomas Greco, AASP/NJ secretary, and president of Greco Publishing, NORTHEAST event managers. “But we then considered the benefit of keeping it available to the many automotive repairers who might want the opportunity to check out our exhibitors online while they’re in their shop. With that in mind and to benefit shops and exhibitors alike, we decided to keep the virtual show content up through the end of the summer.” While the option to schedule live

one-on-one virtual meetings with exhibitors concluded Aug. 23, exhibitor contact information and details on their products and services will remain through midnight Sept. 7. “From the start, we saw the virtual NORTHEAST show as a resource for connections,” added Greco. “By extending the availability of our exhibitors to the NORTHEAST audience, our hope is that we’re able to continue fostering those connections in a more open-ended way benefiting all parties.” The virtual NORTHEAST 2020 show is available at this link, and is completely free to enter. Tuition-based educational opportunities are also available for registration through the Collision P.R.E.P. (Professional Repairer Education Program), presented by the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA.) The NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show is the annual flagship event of AASP/NJ. For more information on NORTHEAST, visit aaspnjnortheast.com. To learn more about AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org. Source: AASP/NJ

Automatic Windshield Repair S ystem

• MINIMAL TRAINING REQUIRED FOR BUSINESS OWNERS • CONVENIENT AND CSRS ALTERNATES BETWEEN PRESSURE • AUTOMATICALLY & VACUUM CYCLES FOR BETTER RESULTS • VIRTUALLY HANDS-OFF Auto Glass Tools

800.334.1334 • sales@equalizer.com • www.equalizer.com autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 15

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 15

9/22/2020 7:25:57 PM

Continued from Page 12

Toby Chess

New Jersey Granting $37 Million to Small Counties That Previously Missed Out on COVID-19 Relief

little uncomfortable about the GoFundMe page at ﬁrst, but now he has decided to accept it graciously. “My wife laid it out to me. Why not let someone do something for you and not complain about it? I am so grateful for everyone who has donated, but to be honest—I hope I won’t need the money.”

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square

GoFundMe account link: https:// www.gofundme.com/f/payitforward -to-toby-chess

Your leading source for NORTHEASTERN Collision Repair News! northeastern.autobodynews.com

Nearly $37 million will be split among 12 New Jersey counties deemed too small to receive initial funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. The counties, Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Salem, Somerset, Sussex and Warren, have populations under 500,000, but represent a third of the state’s population, Murphy said at a news conference Aug. 20. The money will be doled out in three parts. The ﬁrst $15.6 million will be split among the counties for reimbursement of money already spent on coronavirus testing and expenses. The second allotment will give each oﬀ the 12 counties $4.3 million each for new or existing testing sites, a total of $4.3 million. Counties must submit a testing plan for high-risk and vulnerable populations to the New Jersey

Department of Health to receive a portion of the additional $17 million, which is based on size and population. The funds will come from the funds from the CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for the Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases. “Now is not the time to bury our heads in the sand,” Murphy said. “If we let up for even a moment, if we don’t put our money where our mouth is and offer our commitment, the support they need to combat this virus, the effects will be many-fold.” Murphy and Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer emphasized there is a need for additional funding. Gottheimer said a fifth stimulus bill needs more Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses, money for schools and funding for testing. Murphy once again called for direct funding for states, saying, “Red and blue alike need the federal government to step up.” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, and Bill Cassidy, R-LA, have

a bill pending that would allot money directly to states. “No corner of our state has been immune from the pandemic as communities across New Jersey bleed resources to combat COVID-19 and maintain essential services, while revenues continue to plummet due to the pandemic’s economic fallout,” Menendez said in a statement. “While this funding will help alleviate some of the strain on local budgets, our towns, cities and counties need more federal assistance to address their growing needs.” We thank The Center Square for reprint permission.

TWITTER:

@autobodynews

HIGHER QUALITY • LOWER PRICES THE ONE-STOP SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR RESTORATION AND MODIFICATION NEEDS Visit Ecklers.com and MacsAutoParts.com for all the classic Chevy and Ford restoration and modification parts and accessories your customers need

WHOLESALE INQUIRIES WELCOME • CALL FOR YOUR FREE CATALOG USE CODE WHL-ABODY TO RECEIVE UP TO 10% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER, PHONE ORDERS ONLY • CODE VALID UNTIL 8.31.20

Ecklers.com

MacsAutoParts.com

800-276-6805

16 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 16

9/23/2020 5:01:49 PM

ORIGINAL.

JUST LIKE OUR PARTS.

Mopar® Parts. There’s nothing like them. Compared to aftermarket replacement parts, Mopar Collision Parts offer better fit, function and reliability. What an original concept. RIGHT ON TIME PARTS – WE ARE YOUR ONE STOP SOURCE FOR MOPAR OEM COLLISION PARTS.

WHOLESALE DIVISION

1015 Saw Mill River Rd. Bldg. #5 Yonkers, NY 10710 P: (800) 967-5298 F: (914) 361-1508 Saturday Only: (914) 961-5424

Mon.–Fri. 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Sat. 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. www.centralave.com

©2020 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. FIAT is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used under license by FCA US LLC.

62457_COL20_F_AB.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 17

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 17 12/11/19 1:52 PM

9/22/2020 7:25:59 PM

Continued from Cover

Training & Networking “SOPs help walk you through each step of the repair process,” said Chess. “Body shops are going to need more of this in the future.” I recently talked to Chess about his predictions for the industry as a result of COVID-19 and what shops will need to be successful in the future. What changes have you seen at shops since COVID-19 and how do you think this will affect their businesses? Although volume is down in many shops, the good news is that most shop owners I have talked to say their bottom line is better today than it was before. This is because they were forced to make adjustments in the current environment and look at incorporating “lean” practices at their companies. Shops are rethinking how they operated previously and changing their business practices to become more efficient. Afterward, they often say they’ll never go back to doing things the way they did before. The key is to set up a good foundation by creating SOPs throughout your shop, such as picture taking, blueprinting and parts handling. If you don’t have good processes to follow, it doesn’t do your business any good. How can SOPs help shops repair vehicles more effectively and efficiently? When I ask body shops what they do, they usually tell me, “We repair vehicles.” Think about the following: Does a body shop not give a guarantee that the car will behave in the same way as before the repair? Do they not guarantee the car is back to its original length, width and height dimensions? Do they not guarantee the paint for the life of the repairs? Do they not guarantee that it will have the same corrosion protection as the OEM provides? My contention is that’s not repairing a vehicle; it is remanufacturing one. There’s a difference. If you agree that it’s a remanufacturing process, you can look at what OEMs do during that process and put it to use at your shop. OEMs have an SOP for everything; body shops should have them too. When cars come to a facility, technicians ideally fix them the same

way every time. Obviously, each dent on a car is going to be different, yet the process used should be the same. If I were a shop owner, I would have an SOP for every process in the shop to ensure a quality and proper repair. Once those are in place, training becomes key. What will collision repair training look like in the future? It’s going to be a mixture of hands-on and in-person. Like many other training organizations, I-CAR has transitioned the majority of its classes online right now. Typically, shop owners haven’t learned techniques online and many of us aren’t big fans of learning this way, relying on hands-on instruction for most of our careers. We need to recognize that many companies will be offering virtual training in the future and shops will need to adapt. However, when it’s available, I find that hands-on training is extremely beneficial. With the tremendous need for good-quality training, new opportunities are being offered through organizations such as I-CAR, the Automotive Management Institute (AMi), VeriFacts Automotive and VECO Experts. I also think more and more OEM training will be required in the future. Auto manufacturers are starting to take an active role in saying how they want their cars repaired. Just look at the John Eagle case. The insurance company didn’t pay the difference to have the vehicle repaired the proper way and the shop acquiesced and didn’t follow the OEM procedure. Who should the shop have been working for? It’s critical to remember that shops always work for the customer. OEM certification programs continue to grow and are offered by most manufacturers, including Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, just to name a few. There is also the University of Toyota, which is called Toyoland. Although certification programs are being offered across the country, I find many shops aren’t taking advantage of these opportunities. If technicians don’t have proper training, they will not be able to repair vehicles based on the OEMs’ specifications. Shops usually find that once they receive training on a procedure, it makes all the difference in the world.

How can shops learn more about the issues affecting the collision repair industry? They have to read! There is so much information offered by industry publications and other information available on the internet but often, people don’t take the time to look at it. Not only do they need to read about the industry, they also need to become part of the industry. I recommend that shop owners and managers get out and network. Industry events, such as the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), offer attendees the opportunity to interact with others and find someone who has a similar way of looking at things. It also allows you to learn new ideas. Many of today’s successful operators have realized the importance of getting out of their environments to see what is going on across the country. I highly encourage shops to join an industry association, such as the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS.) They offer so many helpful resources and are dedicated to supporting the industry. There is a lot of free information on their website and the membership fee is money well spent.

As a result of your involvement with the March Taylor Foundation and other initiatives to train technicians, what advice can you offer to find qualified workers? In the past, a technician could just open the hood and figure out how to repair the car. That’s no longer the case. As new technology is developed, shops will not only need the proper tools and sophisticated equipment, but they will also need to know how to use it properly to ensure the vehicle is brought back to the car manufacturer’s specifications. One of the biggest challenges shops are starting to have and will continue to have in the future is finding someone who can address the electronics on a car as well as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS.) The need for calibration is going to be paramount in the industry and many dealers don’t have the ability to do it. I think mentoring is really important, but we don’t do it enough. Everyone talks about the need to find good talent and train people, but shop owners and managers need to step out of their comfort zone and take the initiative to make a change.

the newest generation of

SCAN

spray booth

THE CODE AND WATCH THE VIDEO

info@symach.com

www.symach.com

18 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 18

9/22/2020 7:26:00 PM

SuperAssilex

FLEXIBLE SANDING SHEETS & DISCS

Test Drive the best DRY sanding system from prepping to finishing... TRY SuperAssilex

STARTER KITS

These kits come with everything you need to start saving time and increasing productivity!

SP19115 - SuperAssilex Sheet Finishing Kit SP19124 - SuperAssilex Sheet Production Kit SP19315 - SuperAssilex 6â&#x20AC;? 15H Disc Finishing Kit SuperAssilex available in grades K-240 to K-1500

Ask your local representative or SCAN for more details

www.EagleAbrasives.com Tel: 888-68-EAGLE (32453)

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 19 ABN202008 - Assilex Kit.indd 2

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 19

9/3/2020 3:12:05 PM

9/22/2020 7:26:06 PM

AASP/NJ Meets With Legislators and Industry Reps on Claim Settlement Issues On Aug. 28, representatives from the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/ NJ) joined Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer (R-Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean), Assemblyman Jon M. Bramnick (R-Morris, Somerset and Union) and representatives from the Insurance Council of New Jersey for a special virtual meeting to discuss a host of issues between the collision repair and automotive insurance industries. The meeting was organized in response to a letter sent to the legislators by AASP/NJ Collision Chairman Dennis Cataldo Jr., of D&M Auto Body in Old Bridge, calling for assistance in addressing insurer-related issues, including constant violations of Title 11 of the New Jersey Administrative Code, Unfair Claims Settlement Practices and lack of care or responsibility when trying to negotiate a fair claim settlement for a properly and safely repaired vehicle. The letter stated AASP/NJ had already made numerous unsuccessful attempts to work out these mat-

ters through the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant explained although there are regulations governing auto physical damage claims and unfair claim settlement practices in the

state, insurers are not subject to a private right of action to hold them accountable if they violate them. This only leaves the option to make a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. However, the Department will only act once it has received enough complaints to show a general business practice. To illustrate a remedy to this

problem, the AASP/NJ representatives discussed the association’s ongoing support of the New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act (A1659). Co-sponsored by Dancer, the legislation would establish “a private cause of action for first-party claimants regarding certain unfair or unreasonable practices by their insurer.” Additionally, successful claimants would be entitled to, among other things, reimbursement for their loss and court and attorney’s fees. According to AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee, of Ultimate Collision Repair in Edison, insurance representatives who attended the meeting expressed intentions to work to block passage of legislation of this nature. Despite this pushback, he believes the bill would provide a level playing field between shops and insurers in their legal obligations. “Nowhere in an insurance policy does it say that an insurer will under-indemnify the consumer and short-pay the bill,” McNee said. “Unfortunately, there are no repercus-

sions for these actions. If I, as a body shop owner, can be subjected to legal consequences if I defraud somebody, why would that not also apply to insurers? There is nothing that stops them from doing what they’re doing.” In regard to proper repairs, AASP/NJ voiced its concerns over the use of certain aftermarket parts, noting these items have not been recommended by vehicle manufacturers and could pose potential safety risks to vehicle occupants. Stressing cost-containment, an argument was made by the insurance side that a vehicle could run in the six-figure range if it were rebuilt from scratch using only OEM parts. Bryant offered the following statement in response to this position: “There are several parts for a vehicle, including the frame, that do not have an aftermarket option. That was an argument that didn’t hold water.” Despite the friction points between the two industries represented, Bryant was pleased to have the opportunity to attend the meeting,

TRUST MOPAR® FOR THE PERFECT FIT AND FINISH. Don’t take chances with aftermarket parts. If it’s not Mopar®, it’s not engineered to the original specs for the most durable performance and highest safety standards. An aftermarket part hasn’t been through the same rigorous testing, so it’s not designed to work in concert with the vehicle as a whole. Don’t compromise the integrity of the whole safety system for a lesser part. Partner with us to get it done right the first time with authentic Mopar parts.

MCGOVERN CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

THERE’S NO MARKET FOR AFTERMARKET HERE. 20 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com 60673_COL14_H_AB.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 20

777 Washington Street Newton, MA 02460

Order Hot Line: (800) 741-7563 Mon.–Fri. 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. www.mcgovernauto.com

12/11/19 1:43 PM

9/22/2020 7:26:06 PM

voice collision industry concerns with the other attendees and promote the benefits of the New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act. “The meeting was successful in opening the lines of communication,” Bryant said. “We brought up some important points that the legislators may not have been aware of, and we had an opportunity to express our concerns with insurance industry representatives. The bottom line is that our industry needs something strong enough to make insurers in our state follow the rules.” “The legislators in attendance appeared very receptive to our needs,” adds Cataldo. “I feel the biggest takeaway from the discussion was that our industry needs to continue to advocate for consumers, as they are the ones who are most affected by current insurer conduct and need to feel secure in knowing their vehicles are being repaired in a safe and proper manner.” Source: AASP/NJ

www.autobodynews.com

Continued from Page 6

Kidney Disease AB blood means a recipient can use a kidney from any of the four blood types. Rh factor (the + or – associated with a blood type) only matters “in some very rare cases,” Paschke said. It’s still possible for a donor to help their intended recipient even if both parties aren’t a match, Paschke said. A donor who isn’t a match for their intended recipient can be set up with a paired exchange. Here’s how it works. Let’s say Person A wants to donate to Person B and Person C wants to donate to Person D, but neither is a match for their recipient. But if A and D are compatible and B and C are compatible, then A donates to D and C donates to B. The two donors have still given a kidney, and the two intended patients received one, so it all works out. The transplant center would set up such a pair donation. The transplant center can sort all the willing donors and their de-

sired recipients and see if a paired match would work. Paschke said some trades even involve more than two pairs of donors to obtain the required results. Even if a pairing scenario doesn’t work with the known donor-recipient pairs on the books, it’s possible that a new pair or even a single, nondirected donor—a person willing to donate a kidney to anyone—will arise to set off the chain. In the case of the latter, “they will start another link in the chain,” Paschke said. It’s even possible sometimes with certain medical techniques to achieve a transplant using an incompatible donor, but Paschke said “they are not common” at every location. Paschke called the need for donations “really grave.” There’s 110,000 people on the transplant list, and about 80% are waiting for a kidney, she said. As of late the morning of Sept. 2, 92,215 of the 109,215 people on the transplant list needed a kidney. Between January and July, 7,153 deceased and 3,110 living people donated at least one organ.

A living organ donation isn’t for everyone, but Paschke did encourage everyone to sign up to donate after death. “That’s something that we all should do,” she said. Those who didn’t register to be a deceased organ donor through their DMV could sign up through a link on her organization’s website. (It’s all the same database, but there’s no harm in signing up on both if you want—you won’t be double-counted, she said.) You might help more than one person after death. For example, though 7,153 people donated organs after death between January and July, physicians performed 19,013 transplants, according to the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. We thank Repairer Driven News for reprint permission.

INSTAGRAM: @autobodynews

THE BRIGHTEST WAY TO MEASURE. F

ast and ultra-accurate, the Eclipse Plus uses laser scanners that record and transmit frame measurements to your computer screen so you can compare to (included) databases of manufacturer specifications. Deviations glow red or yellow; green means full restoration. Comes with Windows 10 operating system, under-hood measuring, comparative side body measuring and live online training and technical support. A brilliant upgrade for every shop.

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 21

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 21

9/22/2020 7:26:06 PM

Continued from Cover

Alfred State Instructor repair program, which he graduated from in 1999. After earning his degree, Tremper worked in several collision shops through December 2005, developing his skills as an autobody technician and painter. In January 2006, he transitioned into automotive restoration when he started working at RJ Cars in Arkport, NY. “At the collision shops, I started out as a body man fixing dents and changing panels,” he said. “As I developed those skills, I also began to do some basic paint work. By the time I was ready to transition from auto collision to restoration, I was doing a lot of painting—probably about a 50-50 mix of repair work vs. paint work at that point. When I got hired at RJ Cars, I was the most experienced tech there other than the shop owner.” Within a couple of years, Tremper became the lead technician and was officially named the body/paint shop manager.

“As the shop manager, I worked to train any new auto body techs so that they were familiar with our methods of repairs and made sure they knew the quality that was expected of them,” Tremper said. “I was the only painter for several years but as our staff grew, one of

had in the industry, that started with my degree from Alfred State, and pass it along to the next generation of students that are working toward being technicians themselves.” Tremper began working at Alfred State in February 2017, teaching a partial semester of engine repair. At

“The interactions with the students and seeing their progression as they work their way through the program is very rewarding,” — CJ Tremper the other techs also began to paint some of the projects that he worked on.” Throughout his time at the restoration shop, many projects Tremper worked on were featured in national magazines such as Mopar Muscle, Mopar Collectors Guide and Muscle Car Review. After years of honing his skills in the field, however, Tremper decided it was time for a career change. “When the opportunity came along to work at Alfred State, it seemed like the perfect fit,” he said. “I could take the experience that I

the end of the semester, he applied for a full-time auto body instructor position that became available and was hired for the job. Tremper was asked what he enjoys most about teaching. “The interactions with the students and seeing their progression as they work their way through the program is very rewarding,” he said. “When you see them face challenges that they don’t think they can get through so you guide them to the best of your ability and then they figure out that they can do it, that’s when it’s the most rewarding.”

The student interactions, Tremper admits, keep him on his toes. “I had some preconceived notions of what I thought it was going to be like teaching and the students quickly made me realize that it is much different than I thought it would be,” he said. “When you are an experienced technician, it’s all about repetition and productivity. Getting things done and doing it fast is the name of the game.” In addition to interacting with the students, Tremper also greatly enjoys working with his fellow faculty members. “My coworkers in the automotive trades department are truly the best,” he said. “They have given me a ton of support as I started out teaching and I appreciate every one that has helped me along the way. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be surrounded by on a daily basis.” We thank the Olean Times Herald for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com

Ford OEM Parts, Quality, Value & Peace of Mind Power Stroke Diesel Headquarters

800-367-3232 Call our Wholesale Parts Hotline Today!

717-354-4907 Parts Direct 717-354-9633 24 Hr Fax

Hours Mon - Fri 7:00am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - 12pm

• Over $1.5 Million in Inventory of Ford OEM Auto,

Truck and Power Stroke Diesel Parts • Manufacturer - Trained, Professional, Wholesale Staff Ready to Help You

• Free Daily Deliveries to Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks and Chester Counties • Internet Ordering Available via our Website www.fordparts.com/newhollandparts

New Holland Auto Group 508 West Main Street | New Holland, PA 17557

22 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 22

9/22/2020 7:26:08 PM

HUDSON VALLEY’S LARGEST DEALER

One Call We Stock Genuine

Does it All! GM, MOPAR, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia Parts ♦ Free Daily Delivery to NY, NJ & CT with Our Large Fleet ♦ Highly Trained Staff of Parts Professionals to Assist You ♦ Join Our Growing List of Satisfied Customers. Save Time, Improve Profits and Keep Customers Loyal ♦ Over 2 Million Dollars in Inventory Restocked Daily and Ready for Delivery

845-220-9200

Wholesale Parts Hotline: 24-Hr Wholesale Parts Fax: 845-220-9201

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00

MOPAR Conquest Parts autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 23

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 23

9/22/2020 7:26:10 PM

Big Car Show in Carlisle, PA, Allowed Despite State Attendance Limits by Julian Routh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After arguing in court that holding an outdoor gathering expected to draw tens of thousands would “put the lives of Pennsylvanians at risk” and threaten to reverse progress on the state’s mitigation of COVID-19, Pennsylvania officials gave the green light to a June car show in Carlisle— as long as organizers capped total capacity at 20,000 people on the fairgrounds at one time. The state Department of Health had sued in Commonwealth Court to put a stop to Spring Carlisle, a massive automotive flea market, but agreed to a settlement that was under wraps and marked “confidential.” It was obtained by the Post-Gazette this week after it surfaced in a different legal case. The settlement revealed the state said Spring Carlisle “may continue as a flea market” as long as organizers “[enforced] all applicable social distancing, masking, area cleaning and hygiene requirements” and limited capacity. No more than 250 people were to be allowed inside a building on the premises, and no more than 20,000 people were to be allowed on the fairgrounds at once. The event normally draws 100,000 people from all over the world, the suit noted, and anticipated that crowd size again. Meanwhile, the state—as of the time of the June 19 settlement—was continuing to prohibit “any gathering for a planned or spontaneous event of greater than 250 individuals,” which included “a concert, fair, festival, conference, sporting event, movie showing or theater performance.” The Department of Health’s lawyers included this phrasing in its original filing as it laid out its case for why the car show should be shut down. When asked a series of questions about the confidential settlement, Maggi Mumma, deputy press secretary for the Department of Health, said due to the terms of the settlement, the department couldn’t comment on it specifically. But Mumma did say the state’s guidance for settings such as outdoor flea markets “where individuals do not congregate for discrete events or shows” has “always been different

than the guidance offered on large gatherings for an event or show.” “Throughout the pandemic the administration has maintained open communication with any entity with questions on the administration’s guidance and will continue to do so as necessary,” Mumma said. When it sought to shut down the event, though, the health department had said on the record its undertaking of “unprecedented measures to save lives and reduce the number of deaths caused by the COVID-19 virus”— including limiting the size of public gatherings—was succeeding, and warned of the potential consequences of going forward with the car show. “When individuals choose to ignore those safeguards—such as by holding an event anticipating 100,000 attendees—they put the lives of Pennsylvanians at risk and threaten to reverse the significant progress that has been made to resolve this crisis,” the health department wrote in its filing. “That dangerous conduct must be stopped before it can occur.” At a hearing for the case in June, Brian Downey, the Department of Health’s lawyer, said “the risk we are looking at right now is so significant” with Spring Carlisle because it could draw tens of thousands to the fairgrounds, including travelers from virus “hot spots” in and outside of the state, according to a report in PennLive. According to the original suit, the car show’s organizers had originally inquired with the state about obtaining a waiver permitting them to allow more than 250 people into their event. The state responded by reiterating the 250-person limit, and again reminded the organizers afterwards they were obliged to follow the rules. The health department said the Carlisle organizers made it clear they intended to proceed without abiding by the attendance restrictions, which led the state to take action in court over the potential “public health threat.” The confidential settlement— signed by the parties on June 19— was sought by plaintiffs in a different lawsuit in U.S. District Court this past week. In that case, Butler, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, as well as businesses and politicians in

those counties, are suing Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine for violating their constitutional rights, asserting that the state’s business closure orders were “arbitrary, capricious and interfered with the concept of ‘ordered liberty’ as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment,” among other claims. They filed a motion requesting the Carlisle settlement agreement, insisting the terms were relevant in their own case because “it is believed that the agreement permitted thousands of visitors to attend the [car show] in direct violation of the congregate and other business closure restrictions” they were suing over. “That Defendants’ action in permitting commercial speech and preferring it to political speech is concrete evidence of violations of the Constitutional Rights of various of the Candidate-Plaintiffs in this case,” they wrote in the motion seeking the agreement. “It also evidences discrimination as regards to other commercial events, such as golf tournaments and county fairs, testified to by

the County Commissioners.” A spokesman for Carlisle Events, the organization that ran the car show and was the defendant in the health department’s suit, declined comment because “the agreement was signed with an understanding of confidentiality.” He pointed to a joint statement from both parties, which was the only public comment the two had agreed to make. “The Pennsylvania Department of Health is committed to protecting the health of Pennsylvanians, and our mission of a healthy Pennsylvania for all,” the statement read. “We are pleased to have worked with Carlisle Events to improve its efforts to protect Spring Carlisle vendors and patrons and the public from COVID-19. “As a result of those efforts the Department and Carlisle Events have resolved the current litigation,” the statement continued. “We will continue to work to protect the health of Pennsylvanians, while also assisting businesses as they work to reopen.” We thank the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for reprint permission.

24 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 24

9/22/2020 7:26:10 PM

CAR-O-LINER MEASURING SYSTEMS

ents, how ealth ment gned ntialment only reed

FAST – ACCURATE – EASY TO USE

ment cting d our ania e are lisle propa-19. s the have the conh of sting n.” -Ga-

OEM

APPROVED PRODUCTS

Navigate from estimating through the most difficult repairs with THE POWER OF VISION2 SOFTWARE VISION2 X3 • • • • •

POINTX® II

Lower and upper body measuring High Measurement Point (HMP) Upper body point-to-point measuring Suspension and surface damage diagnosis Works with EVO™ anchoring, fixturing and holding systems Advanced software features are only available on Vision2 X3

• Quickly find correct measuring points with the photo-based system • Electronic documentation with printed report – Get paid for your work. • Vehicle datasheet search-ability • User-friendly interface with an easy-to-learn intuitive workflow

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR A DEMO TODAY! METROPOLITAN CAR-O-LINER

Metropolitan Car-o-liner (201) 934-9787 davejr@metrocol.com

New England Collision Equipment (774) 719-2033 andyfederline@gmail.com

B&R Associates (301) 417-7777 tparsons@bandrassociates.com

Great Lakes Car-O-Liner (716) 627-5658 nick@greatlakescol.com

NEW ENGLAND COLLISION GREAT LAKES CAR-O-LINER

B&R ASSOCIATES

www.car-o-liner.com • 1-800 521 9696

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 25

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 25

9/22/2020 7:26:10 PM

Continued from Cover

Pre-Pandemic Sales needs to keep adapting and working collaboratively, said Carla Bailo, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research. “Everyone is predicting this year about 13 million [vehicles sold], pre-COVID we were about 17 million. We expect it’s going to take another two years, but that’s predicated on a good recovery and continued recovery throughout this year,” Bailo said during a legislative hearing. “Should we have another hit in the fall, we’ll have to adjust those figures. So about two years to come back to where we were.” Bailo joined Michigan manufacturers and industry authorities in briefing lawmakers on the pandemic’s impact on the automotive world. Every speaker agreed the auto industry’s ability to produce personal protective equipment helped save lives and jobs, but there are real and practical problems that operating

during a pandemic will present for the foreseeable future. The discussion comes as every industry tries to maintain a tenuous grasp on operating during a pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to soon allow movie theaters, gyms and similar businesses to start operating again on a limited basis. But she’s repeatedly warned she may need to institute another shutdown if coronavirus case rates spike again. Automotive manufacturing shut down like most industry in March, even as suppliers and large manufacturers looked for ways to produce vital health and safety equipment to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Any new halt in production, even a short one, would be crippling, said Brian O’Connell, General Motors regional director of state government relations. “The shutdown had a huge impact on our industry and our company. And we cannot afford a shutdown. We cannot afford a week shutdown,” O’Connell said. Demand for new and used vehi-

CRISWELL CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM 84 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20878

WS Parts Hotline: (301) 212-4453 24 Hour Parts Fax: (301) 212-4532 Mon.–Fri. 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Sat. 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. www.criswellchryslerjeepdodge.com chryslerparts@criswellauto.com We accept orders online via CollisionLink, CCC True Parts, OE Connection, OPSTrax , PartsTrader and RepairLink.

cles is down, but Bailo said the drop was not as much as some expected. Although overall vehicle sales were down 25%, sales of pickups are down only 10%. At the same time, there are 20,000 fewer jobs in the automotive industry compared to the second quarter of last year. Michigan’s jobs in the industry are down 18%. Bailo said that’s the lowest level since 2009, during the Great Recession. “There was a lot of doomsday forecasts early on, but the automotive industry has stayed resilient and most of the plants have been able to stay open,” Bailo said. Now GM, Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles say they continue to follow strict testing and quarantine protocols for employees who may be sick or who came in contact with someone who has COVID-19. The UAW, which represents roughly 150,000 workers from the Detroit Three, repeatedly advocated for strict safety practices and heralded the manufacturer’s recent decision to continue testing employees even if they showed no symptoms of

the virus. Workers must be healthy and feel safe to keep production moving, noted John Walsh, president and CEO of the Michigan Manufacturers Association. Manufacturing in the state has rebounded since the start of the pandemic, but as of July there are roughly 69,000 fewer Michiganders employed in manufacturing than the 628,000 who had a job in the industry in July. While working from home or virtually may not substantially disrupt other industries, it’s essentially not an option for most manufacturers, Walsh said. Bailo and others agreed that finding and keeping an employee who can work on site while handling the daily rigors of life during a pandemic is difficult. “This is going to continue to be an issue. It’s a strain on the manufacturing sustainability and keeping the production line running,” Bailo said. “You don’t have the option to work remotely when you’re on the line. And if you’re a single parent trying to educate children, that’s a

GET MOPAR QUALITY AT AFTERMARKET PRICES. ®

Send your electronic insurance estimate to your local FCA US LLC dealer and get the parts that fit true and finish right. We price match* against aftermarket or salvage collision parts. *Some exclusions apply. See dealer for details.

COLLISION CONOUEST

Check out MoparRepairConnection.com for resources, promotions and technical information.

See us for all the parts you need!

2020 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. © FIAT is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used under license by FCA US LLC. Magneti Marelli is a registered trademark of Magneti Marelli S.p.A.

26 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com 60433_COL19_H_AB.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 26

12/11/19 1:30 PM

9/22/2020 7:26:11 PM

significant problem.” Although Rep. Vanessa Guerra, D-Saginaw, agreed GM and other companies may have strong safety plans, she questioned whether they’re always followed. Without providing specifics, she said she’s heard from constituents saying some employees are not informed when colleagues are sick and companies are not doing enough to adequately clean sites where infected people may have worked. GM relies on the safety practices every day, requiring masks at all times while on site, O’Connell said. Echoing comments from other speakers, he said the company prioritizes employee health in a way that ensures operations can continue. “We cannot have an outbreak at our plants. It shuts us down. It shuts our suppliers down. The impact is tremendous on us,” O’Connell said. “We have not had a transmission at our plant where people are following safety protocols. Now, have we had employees who had it? Yes, but it was when they were home over the weekend and not working.” Shape Corp. President and

CEO Mark White said his company employees about 3,500 people worldwide, including approximately 1,000 on any given day in Grand Haven. The supplier, which designs and builds components that manage the forces that occur when a vehicle is in a crash, instituted temperature checks and socially distanced work sites for its facilities, White said. The company had 168 potential cases of the coronavirus among employees and 16 confirmed cases in Grand Haven, White said. Many were either prevented from entering a facility due to a potential fever or reported symptoms, or left work after reporting symptoms during a shift. White said his company is working with its employees to provide flexibility for those who do have child care and other needs. He also said they provided across the board raises. But he said concerns about child care, catching the coronavirus and “the financial security of the enhanced unemployment benefits” is causing unprecedented absenteeism and turnover. “Our government needs to de-

velop incentives to work, not incentives to stay on unemployment,” White said. “With respect, the incentives created to stay home go beyond physical well-being. They create a false sense of financial well-being, and keep people from coming to work at Shape and other good employers.” Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents have filed for unemployment since March. Federal legislation provided an additional $600 per week for unemployment benefits in the first months of the pandemic, but those benefits are no longer available. The state recently received federal approval to provide $300 in extra unemployment benefits, but this funding is not expected to last very long. Lawmakers and industry leaders highlighted efforts by many companies to produce personal protective equipment. GM and Ford recently announced they provided the federal government with tens of thousands of ventilators, fulfilling the terms of their contracts to built the live-saving machines that

were in short supply. Ford delivered 50,000 ventilators in conjunction with a $336 million contract. The company also donated 1.5 million masks as part of a free mask initiative led by the governor. GM plans to donate 2 million masks to Michigan public schools. That’s in addition to the 30,000 ventilators it built as part of a $489 million federal contract. Moving forward, companies want to see lawmakers take action to provide some protection from lawsuits. This week, legislators took up bills that would make it harder to sue an employer or producer of protective equipment due to coronavirus concerns. The bills still require several votes before they could make it to the governor. We thank the Detroit Free Press for reprint permission.

FREE

4x Monthly E-Newsletter.

www.autobodynews.com

OIL FILTER

Scan with your Smartphone for a quick video!

WRENCH

with Spring Activated Arms and Strong Magnetic Connection!

• Universal design made for spin-on oil filter sizes from: 2.4 to 3.6 in. (60 to 93 mm).

UFWM

• Compact unit fits in tight spaces for easy accessibility in a vehicle engine. • Three spring-loaded arms and a built-in magnet establish a strong, secure grip, preventing the wrench from slipping and the filter from being dropped, crushed, or ripped when torque is applied.

Magnetic!

• Works with any 3/8 in. square drive tool like a breaker bar or ratchet. • Durable steel construction with a nickel-plated and phosphatizing finish to help prevent corrosion for long life and performance. Malco Products, SBC | Annandale, MN. U.S.A. | www.malcotools.com | ©2020 Malco_Autobody News 8.62x5.1 Sept. 2020.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 27

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 27 7/24/20 3:32 PM

9/22/2020 7:26:12 PM

Coronavirus Raises Fears of Increase in Insurance Fraud by Alicja Grzadkowska, Insurance Business Magazine

As if the insurance industry didn’t have enough to worry about amid the coronavirus pandemic, from how business interruption coverage lawsuits will be decided to how longer term remote working arrangements will impact insurers’ services, they also have to keep an eye out for an uptick in insurance fraud. After all, hard economic times often bring about an increase in fraud, including more opportunistic fraud, such as policyholders faking claims or exaggerating the nature of a loss, as well as a potential increase in liability and casualty fraud as businesses come under greater stress. “The last three or four months when [the pandemic has] created economic instability in our country and around the world, it has also created, unfortunately, some desperate and opportunistic circumstances, so we see an uptick in fraud, particularly on the auto side,” said Mike Flato, chief claims officer for Liberty Mutual, during a Q&A on the future of insurance at the Connected Claims USA virtual summit. Looking back at the 2008-2009

economic recession, the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud reported a 21% increase in referrals compared to 2007-2008. More broadly, as incomes fell, the most common types of fraud that spiked included vehicle insurance fraud, mortgage fraud and workers’ compensation premium fraud, according to a report by BAE Systems. Even in good times, insurance fraud is pervasive. Fraud accounts for 5% to 10% of claims costs for U.S. and Canadian insurers, as noted by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, and 32% of insurers have said that fraud was as high as 20% of claims costs. “It’s really hard to get out in front of fraud. Oftentimes, the reality is we’re reactionary, not proactive, to new schemes because we don’t sit around trying to dream up how to defraud ourselves,” said Flato. Despite these challenges, the Liberty Mutual executive added he does believe the insurance industry is getting better at identifying and preventing fraud. Anti-fraud efforts are a significant area where carriers look for the opportunity to establish their competitive advantage. Nonetheless, innovation in insurance and, specifically,

the application of data and analytics will be needed to support these efforts. “Everything you plant, you have to water and weed, as my florist dad used to say,” explained Flato. “Sometimes, you have to make a call on whether or not you can find commercially viable products or partners who are willing to innovate with you … There are also things you can do with data internally and still have some localized fraud models.” On the workers’ compensation side, insurance fraud is a significant concern for insurers, especially as the coronavirus pandemic continues to have an impact on the job market. Guy Dougherty, head of workers’ comp at Farmers Insurance, has spoken with several of his peers about this topic and explained, “We really felt like fraud had been squeezed out of workers’ compensation [since] the economy was doing so well.” However, fraud suddenly started sneaking back into workers’ comp with the advent of the pandemic in the U.S. “There are two levels of fraud— real fraud, which is people trying to rip you off, and that’s harder to do

in workers’ comp, and then there’s the individual fraud, where someone tries to abuse the system,” said Dougherty. “We’re starting to see a little bit of that come back in.” One example of individual fraud appearing now might be an employee who states they have a back injury because they know they’re about to be let go. They can then claim workers’ compensation and avoid being fired. “Hopefully, if there’s a quick recovery, [fraud] will be abated some. Otherwise, it’s going to creep back into workers’ compensation,” cautioned Doughterty. With insurance fraud appearing across many lines of business and the current crisis bringing out more participants in fraud, insurers have to be on high alert and deploy the anti-fraud resources available to them to fight back the fraud wave. “This is not just localized—it’s a global activity that has to be managed,” said Daniel Regan, VP of financial services for SAP. “It’s a risk that all should be concerned about in today’s market.” We thank Insurance Business Magazine for reprint permission.

Your #1 Source for GM Collision Wholesale Parts • Free Delivery to Northern New Jersey, Rockland, Westchester, Orange and Putnam Counties in New York and the Bronx

• Register with Cadillac of Mahwah to Receive an Introductory Discount on Your GM Parts Order

• A “Bump the Competition Conquest” Dealer

• Extensive Inventory of Genuine GM Parts

201.579.6497 201.579.6506 FAX

www.cadillacofmahwah.com

Parts Hours:

Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 5pm Sat. 8am - 3pm

319 Route 17 North // Mahwah, NJ 07430

28 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 28

9/23/2020 4:54:46 PM

SATAÂŽ trueSunâ&#x201E;˘ The Daylight Solution The selection of the correct color shade for refinishing a vehicle requires a source of light that preferably reproduces the entire color range of visible light (daylight) as accurately as possible. The SATA trueSun LED lamp which was especially designed for this purpose allows a professional color shade evaluation and identification within the paint shop. Any rework caused by an incorrect color identification and the respective rectification cost involved does not leave any room for compromise when selecting the daylight lamp. Even avoiding a single rework covers the purchase cost of this high quality product. Available from your local SATA distributor.

For further information, please check our website at www.sata.com/SATAtrueSun 1012129

SATA trueSunTM, includes battery and charger

1010082

SATA trueSunTM battery

1006445

SATA trueSunTM charger

The exclusive independent distributor of SATA products in the US and Puerto Rico

Call Today! 800-533-8016 The SATA trueSunTM allows you to see that the color shade and metallic effect match.

email: satajet@satausa.com

www.satausa.com

SATA, SATAjet and/or other SATA products referenced herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SATA GmbH & Co. KG in the U.S. and/or other countries.

ABN SPS vision 5000.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 29

9/3/20 8:34 AM autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 29

9/22/2020 7:26:14 PM

Turn Eight Common Shop Owner Mistakes into Positive Life Lessons with Mike Anderson by Chasidy Rae Sisk

Mike Anderson of Collision Advice recently explained how to turn eight common collision shop owner mistakes into life lessons to benefit their businesses. “When you look at mistakes you’ve made, you have to realize that they aren’t mistakes if you’ve learned from them, and when you learn from them, they become life lessons. I’ve got a lot of life lessons I’d like to share today,” Anderson began. While presenting “Life Lessons of Collision Shop Owners” on Sherwin-Williams’ Ecolean University, Anderson was joined by Mike Lanza, manager of business consulting services at Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, as they discussed why shops struggle and how to fix it. Anderson’s first life lesson focused on the importance of cycle time. He explained, “Cycle time should be important for DRP and independent shops alike because the basic goal in business is to get to breakeven as soon as you can every month. Fixing cars in a reasonable and timely manner will improve your customer satisfaction rate, and if you fix vehicles faster, that allows you to bring more cars in sooner and make more money.” Consumers aren’t the only ones who care about cycle time. This is a vital factor for insurers, particularly those with which the shop has a DRP relationship, because it leads to improved loss adjustment expenses, reduced rental expense and higher CSI scores. OEMs also care about cycle time because it impacts their brand; customers inconvenienced by shop delays are more likely to have a poor opinion of the vehicle manufacturer. Shops should strive to repair vehicles two to four days faster than their market average. “Cycle time is important to all stakeholders in the repair process, but it should be most important to you as a business owner because it’s the key to your breakeven point, which is how you put more money in your bottom line,” Anderson emphasized. Cycle time can be broken into three micro-cycles: pre-repair, repair and post-repair.

Pre-repair cycle time can be positively impacted through scheduling innovations, streamlining the administrative process, 100% disassembling, obtaining the right part the ﬁrst time as fast as possible, dispatching in a timely manner and avoiding the pitfall of having too much work-in-progress onsite.

Mike Anderson

According to Anderson, “Pre-repair is the biggest opportunity for most shops.” Post-repair delays occur when there are issues with paperwork, last minute supplemental approval delays, notifying the customer the repair is complete too late in the day and struggles with payment verification. “These are self-inflicted,” Anderson stated. “Most of this is caused by doing things incorrectly during pre-repair.” The second mistake shops make, which can be turned into a life lesson, is inappropriate staffing. Build the team’s bench by cross-training technicians to fill each other’s shoes, and improve gross sales per collision tech by alleviating admin work from their shoulders. Anderson urged shop owners to consider the value of a parts person as well: “Shops often tell me they can’t afford a parts person, but I’ve found that the average tech makes a shop between $100 to $135 per hour in gross profit—you can hire a parts person for less than that, allowing techs to focus on fixing the vehicle, so the vehicle moves through the process quicker, making room for more cars and allowing the shop to ultimately make more profit.” Undervaluing culture and trust was the next life lesson discussed. Obtaining the trust of the OEMs, insurers and employees is vital for a shop to dominate in the future. “Broken promises lead to a loss

of trust. Sometimes, we have to go the extra mile to earn someone’s trust,” Anderson said. Lanza added information about weekly Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence (PRIDE) meetings held at Sherwin-Williams, where everyone shares their needs, successes and failures. “Everyone in the business is responsible for providing excellence, plus this allows management to hear everyone. Just being heard is so important,” Lanza said. Regarding the fourth life lesson—having a lack of financial knowledge—Anderson explained the purpose of a profit and loss statement is to determine where you’re making money, losing money and not maximizing profits. “When a shop is making a lot of sales, we don’t focus on what made us profitable,” he pointed out. “Lots of sales cover lots of sins.” Relying on position statements to get paid is another common mistake amongst collision repairers, according to Anderson. The 14 manu-

facturers that represent 98% of U.S. vehicles sales have position statements, but when asked what to do about the OEMs that don’t, Anderson insisted, “Quit relying on position statements. We need to dig deeper into OEM repair procedures. Often, repair procedures indicate that a scan is needed to complete a process.” Anderson’s sixth life lesson focused on the importance of hiring an in-house mechanic as it pertains to labor hours per estimate, the growth of mechanical labor operations and the impact this can have on both cycle time and gross proﬁt. The penultimate mistake shop owners make is not mentoring others. “In the old days, people learned by working alongside a master, and everything they did was observed by the master,” Anderson shared. “Today, things move so fast that managers often aren’t around when their people ﬁrst use their new knowledge. Many managers also have a ‘let me just do it’ mentality, but great leaders tell, show, watch, correct and repeat; you have to adopt this

ADVANCED RESPIRATORY PROTECTION TSUNAMI BREATHING AIR SYSTEMS Meets OSHA requirements for Grade D breathing air quality The complete system features industry-leading Tsunami 3-stage filtration Continuous carbon monoxide monitoring

NEW

Contact your local distributor or call 1.800.782.5752 WWW.TSUNAMI.US.COM

30 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 30

9/23/2020 4:55:08 PM

4JODF 3BQJE 5BD IBT QSPEVDFE JOEVTUSZ MFBEJOH 4VSGBDF 1SFQ WJOZM รถMN BQQMJDBUJPO BEIFTJWF SFNPWBM QSPEVDUT GPS 4JHOT BOE (SBQIJDT 8F BSF /08 TVQQMZJOH UIF "VUP #PEZ JOEVTUSZ 4P ZPV DBO TBWF UJNF BOE NPOFZ .BYJNJ[F ZPVS QSPรถUT XJUI 3BQJE 5BD QSPEVDUT

APPLICATION FLUID - ADHESIVE REMOVER - WAX AND SILICONE REMOVER - FINAL FINISH SPRAY - DURAFLEX SQUEEGEES

R a p i d Ta c I n c . M e r l i n , O R 8 0 0 . 3 5 0 . 7 7 5 1 w w w. r a p i d t a c . c o m -ADE IN THE 53!

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 31

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 31

9/22/2020 7:26:16 PM

philosophy for building future leaders. Take a chance, mentor others.” Teaching allows you to learn twice. Make sure you’ve set clear expectations, provided the proper training and equipment, and allowed time to acclimate to the new information. Quoting Bob Goshen, Anderson added, “Leaders… should influence others… in such a way that it builds people up, encourages and edifies them so they can duplicate this attitude in others.” The eighth and final mistake to turn into a life lesson Anderson shared was playing not to lose, instead of playing to win. “Most of us start out playing to win! We move to playing to not lose. If I do this, my employees might quit, I might lose a DRP—we are focused on what we might lose, not what we might gain. Get off the sidelines and into the game! Don’t focus on what you might lose; focus on what you could gain!” Anderson closed with an anecdote about his 23-year-old self being discouraged by the constant complaints he heard from collision

repairers. His father told him he had a decision to make: “Once you’re gone, will folks look back and say the collision repair industry sure changed Mike Anderson? Or will they look back and say Mike really changed that industry? What’s your legacy?” For more information about Collision Advice, visit collisionadvice .com Throughout the presentation, Lanza shared insights into how Sherwin-Williams can assist shops with each life lesson. More training videos are available at www.ecolean university.com.

Your leading source for NORTHEASTERN Collision Repair News! northeastern.autobodynews.com

Mercedes GLB250 Recall Issued for Rear Spoilers That Detach by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A Mercedes-Benz GLB250 recall is necessary because the rear spoilers above the tailgates may not have been welded correctly and could allow parts of the spoilers to ﬂy oﬀ the SUVs.

The 2020 Mercedes GLB250 recall includes 11,450 SUVs— 10,644 in the U.S. and 806 in Canada. The upper surface of the rear spoiler might not have been welded correctly or not welded at all to the base part. In the beginning of March, Mercedes launched investigations

based on a complaint describing how the rear spoiler detached from the SUV. The rear spoiler consists of an upper shell and a base part, with the upper surface welded to the base part. Mercedes found the weld connection between the upper surface and base part of the rear spoiler was missing. The supplier determined a production mistake couldn’t be ruled out that caused welding mistakes or missing welds. A driver may notice noise when opening the tailgate, scratches in the coating of the roof in the area of the tailgate or by seeing a spoiler that doesn’t look like it ﬁts correctly. Mercedes dealerships will inspect and if necessary replace the GLB250 rear spoilers once the recall begins Oct. 13. Model year 2020 GLB250 owners may contact Mercedes at 800-367-6372. We thank CarComplaints.com for reprint permission.

GENUINE MOPAR PARTS.

DELIVERED FAST.

® We come off the line in record time when you need the quality and value of Mopar Parts. Our commitment to same-day delivery helps you achieve faster repair times and more satisfied customers. Keep your shop running at peak performance with our Authentic Mopar Parts. ®

Visit MoparRepairConnection.com for the latest complimentary resources, guides and repair manuals. T I R E D O F H O L D I N G U P YO U R M O N E Y A N D C U STO M E R S — C A LL U S F I R ST !

SECURITY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM 16 Sprague Avenue Amityville, NY 11701

Order Hot Line: (718) 76-PARTS or (631) 789-2255 Fax: (631) 789-2043

Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Sat. 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. www.securitydodge.com

We accept orders via CollisionLink, RepairLink and CCC True Par ts. ©2020 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. FIAT is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used under license by FCA US LLC.

32 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com 42885_GEN8_H_AB.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 32

12/11/19 11:56 AM

9/23/2020 4:56:46 PM

America’s Best-Selling Electric Cars in 2020 by Danielle Ling, PropertyCasualty360

As innovative brands like Tesla continue to advance in technological developments, accessibility to consumers and sales, the popularity of electric cars continues to grow steadily, as well. There were close to zero electric cars on the road anywhere in the world in 2010. That may seem hard to believe now, as the global stock total topped 7.2 million in 2019— and that’s not even including new car sales so far in 2020. 2019 recorded 2.1 million electric passenger car sales, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports, culminating in a global stock total of 7.2 million electric and plugin hybrid passenger cars—more than doubling the international stock total in just two years—up from 3.2 million in 2017. With this explosive growth in a new market comes a need—or opportunity—for new insurance products. There are many factors to consider in car shopping, including price, fuel costs, safety and more. In shopping for an electric car, these main con-

siderations are much the same—but what about insurance coverage? Insurance basics for electric cars According to Allstate, auto insurance policies for electric cars aren’t much diﬀerent than traditional coverage for standard fuel-run vehicles. One additional consideration drivers should consider, however, pertains to more than just your new battery-charged ride. According to Allstate, the installation of vehicle charging stations may aﬀect homeowners’ insurance policies. The American Association of Insurance Services reports that laws in at least two states, Oregon and California, require some homeowners and condo owners to have liability coverage that protects the charging equipment. Where electric cars dominate the roadways Insurers should take note of where electric cars are most populated. Breaking down electric car ownership by region, China dominates the market. According to the IEA’s 2019

Global Outlook report, China accounted for more than half of electric car sales globally in 2019, and 3.35 million of the global total todate. Europe takes second place with 560,000 sales, followed by the U.S., with roughly 330,000 electric passenger cars sold in 2019. Despite rapid year-over-year growth, electric cars and plug-in hybrids accounted for just 2.6% of global passenger car sales in 2019, according to the IEA’s 2019 Outlook. Looking at 2020, the IEA expects electric cars to outperform the automobile industry as a whole this year. Sales of electric cars are expected to be in line with 2019’s total, while the global passenger car market is expected to decline by 15%, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say. Facing the latter-half of 2020, a new report from Statista sourced data from Clean Technica to determine the estimated sales of electric vehicles from January through June 2020 and rank the best-selling models in the ﬁrst half of 2020. We thank PropertyCasualty360 for reprint permission.

GM Helping Uber Switch to Electric General Motors is teaming up with Uber to help accelerate the rideshare industry’s transition to an all-electric, zero-emissions future by offering drivers on Uber’s platform special pricing on the purchase of a new electric vehicle and charging accessories. For current eligible drivers on the Uber platform in the U.S. and Canada, GM will extend the same discount it offers its employees on the purchase of a new 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. U.S. drivers will also have access to 20% below MSRP on Bolt EV accessories, including athome charging equipment. Starting in Los Angeles and Denver, well-qualified drivers with Uber Diamond-tier status will also be eligible for special financing through a pilot program with GM Financial. GM data suggests rideshare drivers can experience significantly lower maintenance costs when using a Bolt EV compared to traditional gas-powered vehicles. Drivers also cite in-vehicle technology and the spacious interior as benefits. Source: GM

Mirka® Bulldog Gold Line Now Extended! Introducing Mirka Bulldog Gold Film – Our best-selling abrasive line now extends into finer grits, P800-P1500 with a film backing. FEATURES + BENEFITS: • Designed for fine finishing • Aluminum oxide grain delivers a fast and long lasting cut • High strength resin bonding provides superior grain support • Special stearate coating is used to maximize resistance to loading • Semi-open coat produces an even, consistent scratch pattern

THE ORIGINAL DUST-FREE SANDING PIONEERS

Contact your local Mirka Sales Rep for more details.

mirka.com mirkacollision.us 1.800.843.3904 custserv.us@mirka.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 33

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 33

9/23/2020 4:58:00 PM

Automakers Urge Dealers to Enforce Strict Coronavirus Precautions by Jordyn Grzelewski, The Detroit News

Strict health measures such as mandatory mask-wearing and daily temperature checks have been the norm in auto plants since mid-May, when the U.S. auto industry resumed production of cars, trucks and SUVs after a pandemic-induced shutdown. But in showrooms and on the lots where customers actually purchase vehicles, the rules are less uniform as auto dealers navigate a patchwork of local and state orders, and varying degrees of COVID-19 outbreaks. Many automakers are oﬀering dealerships guidance, and some are urging dealers to exceed local orders and follow the stringent protocols used in manufacturing facilities. For automakers and dealers alike, the goal is the same: to keep employees and customers safe, so plants and showrooms can remain open amid a fragile recovery of the U.S. vehicle market. “No dealer wants to get called out as having an outbreak in their store,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service for Ford Motor Co. “Nobody wants to have that happen, both for moral and business reasons. It’s not a tough sell with the dealers.” Changing business practices Dave Haack of Livonia, MI, stopped by George Matick Chevrolet in Redford, MI, recently to pick up his family’s new 2020 Chevy Trax. He opted to purchase the vehicle in the traditional way— stop by the dealership to check out his options, take the Trax for a test drive and then drive it oﬀ the lot. As required by an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, he wore a mask into the showroom. He reported a seamless experience, and he felt safe at every turn: “It seemed like everybody had masks, and they had [disinfecting] sprays. And [the dealership employees] stay away from you.” Face coverings, constant sanitization and social distancing are now ingrained into the way Matick does business, said vice president and partner Paul Zimmermann. “Between the adherence to in-

tuitive processes and practices by our employees, and the cleaning that we do, everyone is conscious and aware of it but not scared,” he said. The pandemic and state orders aimed at stopping the spread of the virus have drastically altered the way Matick and other dealerships do business. Matick developed its protocols based on the state mandates, plus guidance from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. (Matick also operates a Toyota dealership.) Here’s what the new normal looks like: prominently placed signage reminding customers to wear a mask and practice social distancing, Plexiglas barriers at desks and constant cleaning of facilities and surfaces. Vehicles also are disinfected before and after they arrive for service work, and after test drives. The showroom and oﬃces have been reconﬁgured to promote social distancing. Similar practices are in place at Matthews-Hargreaves Chevrolet in Royal Oak, MI. “We go by what the governor says and what the laws are and what General Motors” recommends, said general manager Walt Tutak. GM provided safety guidelines and has helped its dealers procure supplies, such as masks and hand-washing stations. The pandemic also has changed how sales are completed, with more of the experience being handled virtually. Zimmermann estimates at Matick that 90% of the sales process is handled virtually for most customers, compared with 30% to 40% before the pandemic. The dealership is now comfortable with operating this way, but evolving state orders have at times proved challenging to navigate, he said. And as mask mandates have become a political issue, the dealership has sought to keep employees from having to enforce Michigan’s order, which requires masks be worn in indoor public spaces. Most customers comply, but employees will simply provide those who are resistant an explanation of the executive order and the option to either move outdoors or conduct the sale virtually.

“We are trying to earn a living by selling and servicing cars,” Zimmermann said. “We shouldn’t have to be police, judge and jury.” Outreach from automakers In the U.S., the stores where customers buy vehicles are independent businesses that are aﬃliated with, but not owned by, the manufacturers. That means automakers cannot control how dealerships respond to the pandemic. But many have been in close communication about best practices—and some are now ratcheting up their outreach to dealerships to encourage them to put in place stricter protocols. LaNeve of Ford recently visited 17 dealerships in eight states to check on their protocols. “From the beginning, going back to March, we’ve been in constant communication with our dealers,” he said. “We were really encouraging them to use masks with their employees and practice social distancing.” Now, as COVID-19 cases soar across parts of the country, partic-

ularly in the South and West, Ford has “doubled down” on reaching out to dealers, said LaNeve. “Part of [Ford dealers’] salesand-service agreement is they have to follow the state and local government laws,” he said. In states where masks are not mandated, “We’re re-emphasizing Ford’s protocols. We’re asking them to do the same things, and showing them the data on why this is a really good idea.” Ford has collected data from customer surveys indicating that customers strongly favor safety measures such as contact-less service and mask requirements. “The states that closed down their showrooms [at the start of the pandemic] really got hurt,” LaNeve said. Dealers “don’t want that to happen again. So it’s in their best interest to really do what they can.” Subaru of America Inc. has issued “readiness checklists” of best practices to its 635 retailers across the U.S. “We believe our customers’ expectations are typically stricter than

EMPIRE AUTO PARTS

Spend more time running your business and less time worrying about your parts.

www.empireauto.us

Lamps

Bumper Covers

Radiators

Hoods & Fenders

Door Mirrors

Steel Bumpers

Cooling Fans

Grilles & Bezels

TOTOWA, NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

800.624.4561

Binghamton, NY • Cinnaminson, NJ • Colonie, NY Hicksville, NY • Kingston, PA • Rocky Hill, CT

SAVAGE, MD DISTRIBUTION CENTER

888.700.8074 Fredericksburg, VA • Harrisburg, PA Seaford, DE • Winchester, VA

TAUNTON, MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

888.366.5155 Derry, NH • Windham, ME • Williamstown, VT

Parts Accuracy Friendly Sales Team

Quality Assurance Fast, Free Delivery

34 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 34

9/23/2020 4:58:32 PM

PANEL PAINTING JUST KEEPS GETTING EASIER! Innovative UltraRack > Holds hoods, tailgates, doors, lift gates, deck lids, cargo doors and fenders > Efficient single-hand operation, uninterrupted spraying > Complete paint coverage inside and out > Seven locking positions mimic the part’s position on the vehicle for a seamless match > Complete system – no accessories needed to buy > 4 industrial-grade Total-Lock caster wheels for stable mobility; zero movement when locked

> INNOVATIVE ULTRARACK PART # URPS

Innovative Door-Fender Single

> INNOVATIVE DOOR-FENDER SINGLE PART # I-DFS

> Securely holds a fender or door > Complete paint coverage inside and out > Easily adjusts to perfect working height > Eliminates missed edges > Mount parts in the same positions as on the vehicle for best color and texture match > Wide stance adds uncompromised stability > Protective rubber boots keep critical areas free of overspray > 4 industrial-grade Total-Lock caster wheels for stable mobility; zero movement when locked > Durable powder-coat finish > Three-year warranty > 32″W x 22″D x 40″H > Weight rating: 50 lbs.

VISIT WWW.INNOVATIVETOOLS.COM TO VIEW VIDEO DEMONSTRATIONS AND TO FIND A DISTRIBUTOR NEAR YOU autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 35

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 35

9/22/2020 7:26:22 PM

local government guidelines for COVID-19 health and safety,” said Jim Pernas, director of fixed operations for Subaru of America, in a statement. The sales-and-service model does pose a challenge in getting retailers on the same page as the automaker, Pernas acknowledged: “Yes, there are challenges and our customers often contact us if they have issues with a specific retailer following COVID-19 guidance. Our Customer Advocacy Department works closely with our field team, and directly with retailers, to ensure customer concerns are shared and addressed at the store level.” Subaru does not have any financial incentives in place to encourage dealer compliance, but notes that one of its awards program for dealers factors in customer experience—and “we know our customers are factoring COVID-19 safety concerns into the purchase and service experience surveys,” said Pernas. Volkswagen Group of America Inc. says it’s working with NADA, which has a coronavirus hub online, to provide guidance to

its dealers. “We have also worked to provide critical dealer and consumer recovery measures during the pandemic including ﬁnancial support, digital touch-free tools, expanded pickup and delivery options and the sharing of best practices among our dealer network,” spokesman Mike Tolbert said in a statement. Honda and Nissan North America say they, too, have shared guidelines with their retailers. “Every Honda associate, contractor and visitor who enters a Honda facility receives a temperature check is required to wear a mask and is required to practice social distancing,” Honda spokesman Chris Abbruzzese said in a statement. “We have suggested to Honda and Acura dealerships that they follow these same guidelines, as well as comply with all local laws and requirements.” Hyundai Motor America has gone so far as to incentivize dealer compliance with its COVID-19 protocols. The automaker has also put an emphasis on getting its dealers to take advantage of digital sales and

CIECA Holds Semi-Annual Meetings by Emmariah Holcomb, glassBYTEs.com

The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) recently held its semi-annual member meetings virtually and covered topics including scanning and calibration, repair order and status, vehicle damage and imaging, as well as first notice of loss and glass. Each topic was discussed in a 30-minute session and was followed by a question and answer period. The meeting hosts, Charley Quirt, *former CIECA technical project coordinator, and Paulette Reed, current CIECA technical project coordinator, began the scanning and calibration meeting by explaining the association’s committee development process. “As part of CIECA’s Committee Development Process, a workflow document is created to help define which messages will need to be identified and what they will communicate. The messages can then be developed for the industry,” said Quirt. “After a workflow was created by the CIECA Calibration Committee, it was

presented to the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in July for use by the industry.”

service tools that help reduce contact with customers. “There’s value in dealers having their own ideas about how things can be done,” said Barry Ratzlaff, Hyundai Motor America chief customer officer and vice president of retail experience and after-sales. “One of the most challenging things about the situation is that every community is experiencing it differently, and it really is necessary for each dealership to understand their market and their local health guidelines and be in tune with what’s happening in their market. Our role is to help enable that.” Hyundai has added a new COVID-19 category to an incentive program that rewards retailers for being in alignment with the automaker in certain areas. Dealers are rewarded for publishing their own best practices for handling the coronavirus. “That’s one thing we can reinforce,” said Ratzlaff, “that every dealer should at least study the issue and have a position.” We thank The Detroit News for reprint permission.

CREF Supporting COVID Impacted Schools The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) wants to publicly thank the insurance industry for rallying behind it during a time when raising funds is extremely diﬃcult. Six extremely generous insurance organizations have stepped in to oﬀer their support, donating funds that can help CREF make good on its mission of connecting the next generation of collision repairers with education and resources to help further advance the industry at large. Donations to CREF are down nearly 50% due to COVID-19, putting critical programs, including school grants and support, in jeopardy for 2020 and beyond. CREF would like to thank the following insurers for their generous 2020 donations: Allstate, Erie Insurance, Farmers Insurance, GEICO, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Nationwide, State Farm and USAA. Source: CREF

WHITE PLAINS VOLKSWAGEN

NEW HOLLAND TOYOTA

410 Saw Mill River Road Elmsford, NY 10523 According to Quirt, the CIC committee is looking into the possibility of creating a video that explains the calibration workflow. Both Quirt and Reed went through the process of finding specific committees and viewing the latest documents on the association’s website. *Editor’s note: Quirt was in his final week at CIECA when the meetings were taking place and Reed was transitioning into her new role. Quirt’s last day as the technical project coordinator was Aug. 28. We thank glassBYTEs.com for reprint permission. https

528 W. Main Street New Holland, PA 17557

888.774.9926 914.372.7056 Fax

800-367-3232 717-354-4907

www.whiteplainsvolkswagen.com jmershon@whiteplainsvolkswagen.com

M-F 7:30am-5:30pm w/ Delivery Sat 8am-2pm No Delivery    

Free Daily Delivery Professional Staff Competitive Pricing Extensive Inventory

717-354-3906 Fax www.newhollandauto.com

M-F 7am-5:30pm 

Wide Delivery Area



Competitive Pricing

36 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 36

9/23/2020 4:59:06 PM

WE ARE FULLY STOCKED AND OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

(

Deliveries Being Made 6 Days A Week! *

NJ PARTS OF FLEMINGTON

NJParts Warehouse & Distribution Center, 8 Minneakoning Road, Flemington

FIAT

HUMMER MERCURY PONTIAC

SPRINTER

1-877-NJ-PARTS (877-657-2787) â&#x20AC;¢ NJPARTS.com A Superior Level of Customer Service With FREE DELIVERY!

Thank You For Your Business! *State and other restrictions may apply.

FLM-1406 Auto Body News 8.6x10.35.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 37

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 37 5/14/20 9:07 AM

9/22/2020 7:26:42 PM

HONDA CONNECTICUT

NEW

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

MAINE

Berlin City Honda South Portland

800-640-6685 207-774-6685

D sba

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

Prime Honda Saco

207-391-7910 207-282-0900

Dept. H anth

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

Criswell Honda

Dept. H ms

Germantown

866-738-2886

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

Dep

LIA Honda Northampton Northampton

800-369-7889 413-587-2900

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

De rt22h

ACURA MASSACHUSETTS

Acura of Boston Brighton

800-254-1169 617-254-5400

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

Acura of Peabody

NEW

D kristen

Peabody

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

D m

800-878-3600 978-532-9110

D b

38 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 38

9/22/2020 7:26:43 PM

Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs. NEW JERSEY

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

Clinton Honda

Sussex Honda

Lia Honda of Williamsville

Shadyside Honda

877-657-2787

800-842-0557 973-579-3500

877-659-2672 716-632-3800

800-468-2090 412-390-2908

Annandale

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

Honda of Turnersville Turnersville

800-883-0002 856-649-1584

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

Hudson Honda West New York

866-483-6917 201-868-9500

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

North Plainfield

908-753-1680

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

Williamsville/Buffalo

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

Ray Laks Honda West Seneca

716-824-7852

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

NEW YORK

Brewster Honda

PENNSYLVANIA

Brewster

Apple Honda

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

800-960-9041 717-848-2600

845-278-4177

York

Pittsburgh

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

Sussman Honda Roslyn

800-682-2914 215-657-3301

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

Madison Honda

Dick Ide Honda

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

800-648-0293 973-822-1710

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

Baierl Honda

802 Honda

724-940-2006

802-223-9700

Madison

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

Rossi Honda Vineland

800-893-3030 856-692-4449

Rochester

Dept. Hours: M-Thur 8-8; Fri 8-5:30; Sat 8-5 parts@dickide.com

Syracuse

Route 22 Honda

Lia Honda of Albany

973-705-9100

800-272-6741 518-482-2598

NEW JERSEY

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

315-471-7278

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

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

Berlin

Lamacchia Honda

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

Hillside

Wexford

VERMONT

Albany

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

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

Acura Turnersville

Park Ave Acura

Curry Acura

Baierl Acura

888-883-2884 856-516-6060

888-690-7621 201-587-0028

800-725-2877 914-472-7406

800-246-7457 724-935-0800

Turnersville

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

Bill Vinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bridgewater Acura Bridgewater

908-704-0307

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

Elite Acura Maple Shade

856-722-9600

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

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 / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 39

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 39

9/22/2020 7:26:43 PM

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.

Five Years of Data Shows ‘Who Pays’ Surveys Making a Difference It’s been five years since I launched the first of our quarterly “Who Pays for What?” surveys, and I’ve been excited to see some of the changes in the industry I believe can be traced back to the industry’s participation. In the very first “Who Pays” survey back in 2015, for example, less than half of shops reported being reimbursed on behalf of the consumer on a regular basis by the eight largest insurers for tinting color. That has crept up gradually ever since, with 58% of shops this year saying they are reimbursed on behalf of the consumer from insurers for that procedure all or most of the time. Five years ago, about four out of five shops said they would bill for the labor to denib a vehicle if that procedure was necessary for the job—which it is on half or more of refinished vehicles, according to more than 75% of shops. But also

five years ago, fewer than one-third of shops said they were regularly reimbursed from insurers on behalf of the consumer for the denib operation by the eight largest insurers. In fact,

on behalf of the consumer by the largest insurers for the “not-included” denib procedure, but the situation has certainly improved. In a “Who Pays” survey this year, just 22% of

A “Who Pays for What?” survey earlier this year found more shops were being paid regularly for the “denib” procedure

44% of the shops that billed for it said those insurers “never” reimbursed them for it. Now five years later, shops are still not getting regularly reimbursed

shops said the eight largest insurers never reimburse them on behalf of the consumer when denib was necessary, exactly half of the percentage in 2015.

And just 12% of the more than 750 shops that participated in the survey said they never bill for the procedure when required, a 40% reduction over five years in the number of shops that had been doing the procedure “for free.” This is a measurable change on a very common repair procedure. I’m not the only one who thinks the surveys are having an impact. Among the shops that took our most recent survey, 88% said participating in the surveys has helped them improve their business. About twothirds said participating in the surveys offer a good reminder about “not-included” procedures they are doing but for which they may not be itemizing and billing. And more than three-quarters said they use the survey to train and remind their staff about such procedures. September is your next oppor-

40 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 40

9/22/2020 7:26:45 PM

tunity to participate in a survey. It can be completed by anyone in a shop familiar with the shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of at least some of the largest national insurers. We do not share information or individual responses with anyone. Visit this website to start: https:// www.crashnetwork.com/collision advice

Here’s a bit more of what the surveys have shown us this year. About 57% of shops that bill for the time it takes to mask internal areas for refinish or cut-in are reimbursed by the eight largest insurers on behalf of the consumer “always” or “most of the time,” yet nearly one in three shops (32%) never get paid for it. That’s because half of them (16%) acknowledge having never thought to charge for it, and the other half (16%) be-

lieve—presumably based on experience—the insurers never pay for it. The situation also has at least improved over time; in 2015, only 32% of shops reported being paid regularly for this procedure, and more than 40% of shops—twice the percentage as of today—believed the insurers “never” paid for it on behalf of the consumer. The surveys have also shown that some insurers are much more likely than the eight largest to reimburse shops on behalf of the consumers for “not-included” procedures when they need to be done. When asked how often they are paid to spend the extra time it takes to match the OEM paint texture on a repaired area, for example, shops said they are almost twice as likely to be reimbursed for that procedure by insurers like PURE or Chubb than they are by some larger insurers. Of the shops that negotiate to be paid for matching OEM texture, 74% said they are reimbursed on behalf of consumers “always” or “most of the time” by Chubb, compared to just 41% who said that one large insurer did.

Even more mainstream insurers like Erie Insurance (No. 12 in terms of market share) pay shops for these same “not-included” procedures much more frequently than the eight largest insurers. Shops taking the survey reported the payment frequency for five additional insurers (Acuity, Amica, Chubb, Erie and PURE) on four different repair procedures (denib; feather, prime and block; mask for prime; and match OEM texture.) Across all four procedures, Chubb had the highest payment frequency, with, on average, 76% of shops that negotiate for the procedures reporting they are paid “always” or “most of the time” by Chubb on behalf of the consumer. PURE, which like Chubb, targets more aﬄuent customers, had the second-best payment frequency, with 74% of shops, on average, saying they are paid “always” or “most of the time” for the four procedures. The three other insurers—Acuity, Erie and Amica (No. 22 in terms of market share)—were not far behind, with averages of 70%, 72% and 68%, respectively.

These averages are all far above the percentage of shops reporting the eight largest insurers reimburse them for these procedures on behalf of the consumer. For each survey you complete, you receive a free 65-page report with all the findings, and resources and ideas to help you put them to use in your business. You can also use the link for the survey above to download previous survey reports for free. So if you’ve taken the surveys in the past but it’s been a while, make this the month you get back to it. It takes just a few minutes of your time, four times a year. If you’ve not participated, consider this my personal invitation to check it out. I truly believe it can help your business, which helps the industry as a whole. As I like to say, “Don’t delay. Do it today!”

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANEL: Autobody News

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 41

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 41

9/22/2020 7:26:45 PM

Co be Th ve

52 En (8

CR JE

84 Ga (3

OU DO

12 Cl (4 Fa

OU DO

24 Bo (2

24 W (8 (3

FIT AND FINISH IS NO PLACE TO GET CREATIVE.

35 Ly (8 Fa kjc

Â©2 FIA 42 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com ABN_Northeast_2pgSpread_2018.indd 1

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 42

9/22/2020 7:26:46 PM

GET IT DONE RIGHT WITH ORIGINAL MOPAR PARTS. ®

Collision repair is no place to cut corners. It’s also no place to drill holes or do extra welding to make the wrong part fit better. Only Mopar® parts are made from the original specs for durability, performance and the highest safety standards. They’ve also undergone rigorous testing as part of a whole safety system. So don’t compromise the integrity of the whole vehicle for a lesser part. When you partner with us, you’ll get the right part for the job – Authentic Mopar. CONNECTICUT

ARTIOLI CHRYSLER DODGE 525 Enfield Street Enfield, CT 06082 (888) 436-6727

MARYLAND

CRISWELL CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

84 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20878 (301) 212-4453

OURISMAN CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM

12430 Auto Drive Clarksville, MD 21029 (410) 988-9570 Fax: (410) 988-9591

OURISMAN CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM 2406 Crain Hwy. Bowie, MD 20716 (240) 245-1966

WALDORF DODGE

2450 Crain Highway Waldorf, MD 20601 (866) 843-1905 (301) 843-1905 MASSACHUSETTS

KELLY JEEP CHRYSLER

353 Broadway – Route 1 North Lynnfield, MA 01940 (800) 278-8558 Fax: (781) 581-2490 kjcparts@kellyauto.com

HERB CHAMBERS CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

107 Andover Street Danvers, MA 01923 (978) 774-8840 or (978) 223-4135 Fax: (978) 774-7121

MCGOVERN CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

777 Washington Street Newton, MA 02460 (800) 741-7563 NEW HAMPSHIRE

NH O.E. PARTS

40 East Main Street Tilton, NH 03276 (603) 286-3146 NEW JERSEY

CHERRY HILL DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM

1708 Marlton Pike W. Cherry Hill, NJ 08002 (856) 382-1690

DOVER DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP

NIELSEN DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM

175 Route 10 East Hanover, NJ 07936 (973) 515-2010

TURNERSVILLE CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM 3100 Black Horse Pike Turnersville, NJ 08012 (856) 875-2627

5827 Rome Taberg Road Rome, NY 13440 (315) 337-0512 Fax: (315) 337-7497

VISION DODGE

920 Panarama Trail South Rochester, NY 14625 (585) 385-1275 Fax: (585) 385-6049

NEW YORK

CARBONE CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM

PENNSYLVANIA

BROWN-DAUB CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE

5017 Commercial Drive Yorkville, NY 13495 (315) 736-3371

CENTRAL AVENUE CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE WHOLESALE DIVISION 1839 Central Park Avenue Yonkers, NY 10710 (800) 967-5298 Fax: (914) 961-4313

EASTCHESTER CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE

158 S. Salem Street Dover, NJ 07801 (888) 676-6727

4007 Boston Road Bronx, NY 10466 (914) 597-7018

FLEMINGTON CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM

NEMER CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM OF SARATOGA

204 US Route 202/31 Flemington, NJ 08822 (877 657-2787

617 Maple Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518) 584-0058

FRANKLIN SUSSEX AUTO MALL

SECURITY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP

315 Route 23 Sussex, NJ 07461 (888) 528-2200

VICTORY CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM

3903 Hecktown Road Easton, PA 18045 (800) 274-3151

NEW HOLLAND CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM 508 West Main Street New Holland, PA 17557 (800) 367-3232

RHODE ISLAND

BALD HILL DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP “We’re As Close As Your Phone.” Warwick, RI 02886 (800) 822-3015

16 Sprague Avenue Amityville, NY 11701 (718) 76-PARTS (631) 789-2255

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 43 8/18/20 9:56 AM

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 43

9/22/2020 7:26:46 PM

with Stacey Phillips

Techs of the Future with Stacey Phillips

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.

Preparing & Training the Agents of Change in Future Technology A few years ago, when people talk- mechanical systems.” ed about connected vehicles and She recalls attending the SEMA self-driving, Elaina Farnsworth said Show in 2016 and listening to John it was perceived as a computer-based Waraniak, vice president of vehicle industry. technology at SEMA. The CEO of The NEXT Educa- “He said that many years ago, tion said every person interested in we would be standing up on this stage intelligent transportation and saying, ‘I have the fastest, coolest and loudest car,’” mobility systems was expectsaid Farnsworth. “In the next ed to have computer science 10 years, we are going to be and engineering skills. Very quickly, organisaying, ‘I have the most conzations realized the need nected car.’” for technicians to repair the Anticipating the changes infrastructure and technolo- Elaina Farnsworth ahead, Farnsworth set out gy in these vehicles after a to create a learning path for collision. the next generation of workers inter “It is no longer your dad’s auto- ested in being part of the automotive mobile,” said Farnsworth. “Cars are industry. evolving where most of all vehicles “We need technicians to underare built with sensor technology and stand the coolness around these vemove data. As a technician, you will hicles and we need the repairers to need to know a little about sensors, understand this is a very interesting technology, electrical systems and field that pays a lot of money,” she

said. “It doesn’t take a four-year degree.” Instead, she said technicians can learn the necessary skills through targeted education. Farnsworth has focused on certification, training and upskilling programs in intelligent transportation, connected and autonomous vehicles and new mobility systems for more than 20 years. In 2018, she established The NEXT Education, offering certification and credentialing programs related to connected transportation systems, autonomous vehicles and cybersecurity. This year, Farnsworth partnered with Regina Hopper, who has a background in transportation, communications, energy public policy, media and law, and serves as the chief strategy officer. “Our mission is simple: we want to create agents of change who will lead critical new mobility systems

development and deployment,” explained Farnsworth. The program is based on what she refers to as “MicroTraX,” a hybrid education model that combines self-paced learning with instructor interaction. The online live training is presented by subject-matter experts who are leaders in their respective fields. Each seven- to 10-minute module is built to be a consumable piece of competency-based education to prepare organizations and individuals for the future. Since COVID-19, The NEXT Education has been focusing on online live instruction, but plans to return to in-person seminars in 2021. The learning is geared to a cross-section of the industry and is targeted to both new technicians entering the industry as well as those seeking professional development.

Since 1927

Insist On Genuine GM Parts. Direct:

800-982-2298

Fax#: 508-879-1212

parts@longauto.com www.longautoparts.com Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 5pm

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FIT AND FINISH • CONFIDENCE • WARRANTY • Internet Based National Parts Locator • Over 2 Million in inventory • 40,000 sq/ft. Warehouse • 30,000 Part Numbers in-Stock • Fleet of 18 Wholesale Delivery Trucks GPS-Equipped • GM and ASE Certified Staff

218 Turnpike Rd. Southboro, MA 01772

• Snap-On Electronic Parts Catalog • Experienced and Accurate Sales Staff • Competitive Discounts • Liberal No-Hassle Return Policy • GM Bump the Competition Conquest Program • OE CollisionLink Dealer

The Right Part The Right Price, , at The Right Time !

44 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 44

9/22/2020 7:26:48 PM

learn nolo beca “one tinua info vant ting we h as w ture,

rt, ce,

Fixed Operations Director Recognizes Need for Training in Future Technology About a year ago, Jamie Powers, the fixed operations director at Lujack Auto Group, learned about The NEXT Education’s certification program in autonomous vehicles. He explored what the organization offered and whether it would be a good fit for his technicians at 20 stores in Michigan, Indiana and Iowa. With autonomous features becoming more prevalent in cars today, Powers recognizes the need to have all sensors on a vehicle correctly set when a customer leaves the shop. “We are under a new liability,” he said. “That started waking me up to learn the new processes

Farnsworth said students can learn the latest in 5G or satellite technology without being overwhelmed, because the information is presented “one bite at a time.” Content is continually added every quarter, so the information remains current and relevant. “My real passion has been getting the word out about the dire need we have today for technicians as well as what we are going to see in the future,” she said.

that are coming our way.” Four of his body technicians enrolled in two online courses from The NEXT Education, focused on the electronic components included in autonomous vehicles. They have been impressed with the instruction, and the ultimate goal is to earn a certification in this area. Eventually, Powers plans to have all of his technicians participate in the educational learning. “There’s always an evolution in the car industry and I think autonomy is the next evolution,” he said. Powers said OEMs are slowly taking control

Since COVID-19, The NEXT Education has experienced an increase in usage, especially due to the short training sessions offered. The team of 20 has found organizations are reaching out to have technicians learn additional skills during the current downtime in their businesses. “Many have worked in the industry for years and are moving into a new position due to the unforeseen circumstances worldwide as a result of the pandemic,” said Farnsworth.

over what collision shops will be required to do to repair vehicles properly. A decade ago, customers could take their cars anywhere. Now, they need to be certified by a certain manufacturer. Autonomous vehicles are going to be part of that, according to Powers, and technicians will need to be certified. “If technicians aren’t certified on autonomous vehicles, insurance companies will not ok a customer to bring in an autonomous vehicle to any shop,” he said. “If we’re not on the leading edge of being certified on autonomous vehicles, that is going to be a big part of the business we’ll miss out on.”

With the collision repair industry evolving, new businesses have been established over the past few years related to predictive analysis and connectivity. Farnsworth said having highly skilled technicians in this new environment encourages workers to remain in the industry and allows shops to stand out from their competitors. “It would be a huge competitive advantage for a small shop to be able to understand the technology changes

that are coming both in sensor technology and data transmission,” she added. In addition to the core competencies every technician will still need to repair a vehicle, Farnsworth encourages shop owners and managers to determine where the majority of their business is coming from. “Instead of seeing this as so vast that you want to start over, take into consideration the skillsets you have See Preparing & Training, Page 65

JAGUAR LAND ROVER CHERRY HILL parts

856.324.3630 856 324 3630

JAGUARLAND ROVER FINALLY TOGETHER IN CHERRY HILL

Jaguar Land Rover Cherry Hill

M-F 7:30am -5pm

2000 Route 70 East Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 landrovercherryhill.com

856.663.2800 Local 856.663.1663 24hr Fax jasons@Irch.com

—

ALL THE PARTS YOU NEED, NOW IN ONE PLACE

• Comprehensive Inventory of Quality Genuine Jaguar and Land Rover OEM Parts • Professional and Highly Knowledgeable Wholesale Specialists to Help You • Free Daily Deliveries to the Greater Philadelphia / South Jersey Metro Area

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 45

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 45

9/23/2020 5:00:04 PM

Filterworks USA Becomes Autotality to Reflect Expansion Within Automotive Equipment Industry Filterworks USA, a leading equipment distributor within the automotive repair industry and part of Inc. Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in the United States four years in a row, on Oct. 1 announced a rebrand to its title and visual identity. The new company name is Autotality, reflecting recent accelerated growth within the automotive repair equipment space stemming from Filterworks USAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acquisitions of Carolina Collision, Moore Equipment, Trans-Star and Seifert Equipment Company. The new title demonstrates the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full spectrum of automotive equipment services to provide quality support for premier manufacturers across the automotive industry, and captures the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 360-degree roster of services for automotive service departments and collision repair centers. The new tagline, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design. Equipment. Service.â&#x20AC;? clearly conveys the centralized mission of the brand to provide customers with unparalleled facility design, industry-leading equipment and unrivaled service.

Autotalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing fleet of vehicles to serve customers throughout the southeast U.S. will incorporate the new logo and tagline.

departments and collision centers, and our new, modern identity will drive continued advancement and growth within the space.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our new brand, Autotality, brings together five of the leading automotive collision equipment distributors in the country with decades of combined experience,â&#x20AC;? said Gregg Strandberg, founder and CEO of Filterworks USA and president of Autotality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Autotality is rooted in a passion for top-tier automotive facilities and a commitment to providing customers with industry-leading equipment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our new brand name better reflects our growing scope and capabilities as a world-class provider of equipment for automotive service

Autotalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current market area includes the entire southeast: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina. Autotality is a licensed general contractor in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, with additional states likely to be added soon. Autotalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concrete and general contractor capabilities, collision expertise, new dealer experience and network of equipment manufacturers and dealer relationships will complement continued growth across the automotive space for years to come.

800-874-8341 choicebumper.com

Rust Repair & Restoration Adhesives Sealers Body Panels Weather Stripping Paint Fuel Lines/Tanks Cooling & Heating Radiators Condensers Intercoolers Cooling Fans Cabin Air Filters Body & Collision Bumpers Fenders Grilles Mirrors Lights Pre-Bent Lines & Hoses Brake Lines Fuel Lines Oil Lines Transmission Lines

Acquisition Details Filterworks USA is an authorized distributor for leading equipment manufacturers in the collision and automotive repair industry, inducing Garmat USA, Car-O-Liner, Hunter Engineering, Rotary Lifts and more. Founded by Strandberg in 1988, Filterworks USA offers complete design, permitting, installation, training and services solutions for automotive collision centers and service departments, all in-house. In 2019, Filterworks acquired Trans-Star Automotive, Seifert Equipment and Carolina Collision Equipment. In 2020, Filterworks initiated its partnership with Moore Equipment Sales. Jim Seifert will continue to run and grow the Seifert division of Autotality. Larry and Lori Brolsma, the previous owners of Carolina Collision Equipment, remain in key leadership positions within Filterworks, continuing to run the CCE business. Mickey Moore, the previous owner of Moore Equipment Sales, continues to run the MES business for Filterworks. Source: Autotality

The New

Auto Body Shop

Go to www.AmericanIconFinishes.com/autobody FOR SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

PROFESSIONAL RELIABLE INNOVATIVE DEDICATED 100 N 9th Street l Philipsburg, PA 16866

ÂŠ 2020 P.O.R. Products

â&#x201E;˘ American Icon Automotive Finishes is a registered trademark of P.O.R. Products

46 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 46

9/22/2020 7:26:51 PM

Wholesale Parts Network Our knowledgeable and helpful parts professionals want to earn your business and will provide you with the highest level of customer friendly service.

• We We stock over $2,000,0000 in collision colllision & mechanical parts • We deliver throughout Massachusetts, We Massachussetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire every day New • Our Our reputation is built on providingg you the best SERVICE • Save Sav a e time, improve profits and keepp your your customers loyal • Place any order on line with our parts order buy ycolonial.com Pla lace or form at buycolonial.com • Daily Dai aily shipping available throughout New England Eng ngla land nd and and the the Northeast • Joinn our growing list of satisfied customers

Colonial Ford 147 Samoset St., Plymouth, MA 02360 Ph: 800-233-8109 / Fx: 508-830-1658 Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 7:30-4

Colonial Ford of Marlboro 428 Maple St., Marlborough, MA 01752 Ph: 888-617-3599 / Fx: 508-460-3464 wtrottier@buycolonialfordmarlboro.com

GENUINE SERVICE & PARTS

Colonial Nissan 104 Mystic Ave. Medford, MA 02155 Ph: 781-395-3025 Fx: 781-475-5063 Hours: M-F 7:30-5 Sat 8-4

North End Mazda 747 Chase Rd. (Rte.13) Lunenburg, MA 01462 Ph: 800-322-1241 Fx: 978-582-9841 Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 Sat 8-4

Colonial Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram 24 Coolidge St. (Rte. 62), Hudson, MA 01749 Ph: 978-568-8000 / Fx: 978-562-1213 Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 www.buymoparpartsnow.com Colonial South Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram 42 State Rd., Dartmouth, MA 02747 Ph: 508-984-1900 / Fx: 774-328-9915 Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-3 parts@buycolonialsouthcjd.com www.buymoparparts.com

Colonial Honda of Dartmouth

225 State Rd., Dartmouth, MA 02747

Colonial Volkswagen 89 Turnpike Rd. (Rte. 9), Westborough, MA 01581 Ph: 888-322-6570 / Fx: 508-616-0445 Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 7:30-4

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

Wellesley Volkswagen 231 Linden St., Wellesley, MA 02482 Ph: 800-228-8344 / Fx: 781-237-6024 Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 7:30-4 wellesleyvwparts@aol.com Contact: Dan Bettencourt / Wholesale Parts Manager

Toll Free: 888-240-2773 Parts Dir: 508-997-2919 Fx: 508-730-6578 Hours: M-Th 7-7; F 7-5:30; Sat 8-4:30 jdelcolle@buycolonialhonda.com www.hondapartswholesaledirect.com

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 / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 47

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 47

9/22/2020 7:26:59 PM

with Erica Schroeder

Industry Insight

—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.

with John Yoswick

Committee Demonstrates How Same Part Can Be Described Differently by John Yoswick

Shop Showcase parts platforms and estimating sys-

list of parts categories varies among

industry will move in the direction to break those two part types out,” Marrello said. “Certainly we need to agree upon those definitions. But

The Collision Industry Conference tems. Ed Attanasio (CIC) Parts andwith Materials Commit- CCC ONE has six parts type cattee is continuing to push for more egories, for example, while Audatex and Mitchell have seven. Audatex has an “OE surplus” category, while CCC has “optional OEM” and Mitchell has “OE discount.” with Ed Attanasio The parts platforms that feed into the estimating solutions have their own categories. APU Solutions, for example, segments out “surplus OEM” from “recovered OEM,” two categories not Ken Weiss said some parts suppliers are even found—by those names—in the genuinely unclear as to how to identify their estimating systems. APU’s Eric Marwith EdorAttanasio parts in electronic parts platforms estimatrello said “surplus OEM” parts are ing systems, while others may be trying to new OEM parts in OEM packaging, “game” the system whereas “recovered OEM” are takeconsistency in how parts are defined off parts, OEM parts that may have and described within the industry. been temporarily installed or painted During the virtual CIC this sumwith Ed Attanasio and then removed. mer, the committee showed how the “We hope longer term that the

segmentation.” The committee showed several flowcharts that demonstrate how all these variations in parts categories

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

Figure 1. A CIC committee used a flowchart to show how a part the suppliers describes as “OEM surplus” can end up with one of three different labels on estimates.

Media and Publicity for Shops we saw five or seven years ago that

those really aren’t the same part category. They need to have a different

can result in the exact same part being described two different ways on estimates.

Shop Strategies with Stacey Phillips

Body Shops Giving Back with Stacey Phillips

Tips for Busy Body Shops with Stacey Phillips

My SEMA

Superior Superior Service Huge Fleet of Delivery Vans Highly Competitive Discounts Over 30 Years Experience and $1 Million Inventory

with Stacey Phillips VIP Honda 700 Rt. 22 East N. Plainfield, NJ 07060

Start something special.

Shop Strategies

PH FX

908.753.1680 908.753.5135

www.viphonda.com

Mon-Fri 7:30am-6:00pm Sat 8:00am-3:00pm

with Victoria Antonelli

48 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 48

9/22/2020 7:27:00 PM

In the first (Figure 1), a vendor selling OEM parts outside of the authorized OEM channel enters those parts into a platform that uses the “OEM surplus” category for such parts. That platform feeds into an estimating system that uses the “optional OEM” label for those parts. California regulators, however, prohibit the use of the “opt-OEM” label. “So while that part can go into the estimating platform as ‘opt-OEM,’ the end-user is required to choose what they are going to call it on the estimate,” said Aaron Schulenburg, who co-chairs the CIC committee. “You then have a situation where a shop repair plan, and an insurance company estimate, may each potentially choose different nomenclature for the exact same part. One may identify that as an aftermarket part, and one may identify it as an OEM part, and you have an estimating platform that allows for that choice.” In another example the committee showed (Figure 2), a parts supplier may choose to refer to a part as a “Tier 1 replacement” part because it is manufactured and sold by Tier 1 suppliers, such as Denso and Bosch,

who manufacture parts for automakers. But that’s a parts category none of the parts platforms or estimating systems currently use. So that part might be identified as “OE discount” in one parts platform and estimating system,

Ken Weiss, who co-chairs the CIC committee, said parts suppliers may be genuinely unclear as to how to identify parts they are putting into the parts platforms, or directly into the estimating systems.

Figure 2. If a parts supplier describes its part using a term – like “Tier 1 replacement”—not used by either the electronic parts platforms or estimating systems, how it appears on an estimate may vary

but as “aftermarket” in another parts platform and estimating system, resulting in the same part being labeled differently on estimates. In a third example, the committee showed where an “OEM take-off” part can end up categorized on an estimate as “recycled” or “OE surplus.”

“But there are others who deliberately will elevate their part to the highest possible scenario they can,” Weiss said. “This is where specific terms with specific definitions benefit the industry, rather than leaving things open to supplier interpretation or decision,”

Schulenburg said. “We need to be doing our best to be as transparent as possible. There’s a big difference in someone looking at something called an ‘OE surplus’ part and assuming that’s an OEM part, versus the impression of what a ‘recycled’ part is. I think we need to do everything in our power to make sure we are distinguishing parts appropriately.” The committee, however, has had difficulty reaching a consensus on what definitions and names for the parts types should be. The committee had been so polarized on the issue that Weiss and Schulenburg decided to break it into two “more like-minded” work groups to each form a proposal on how to most clearly describe parts available in the marketplace for those making parts decisions. Weiss said his work group came up with six different categories of new parts, whereas Schulenburg’s work group simply defined four attributes of an OEM part, and said any new part not having all four of those attribute were “non-OEM.” “That’s the struggle we got hung up on last year,” Weiss said at CIC this summer.

Partner with BICAL Auto Mall for All Your OEM GM Parts • $500,000 + Onsite Inventory of Genuine OEM GM Parts • Competitive 33% Discount Offered • Free Delivery to the Five Boroughs and Long Island

• 10,000 + sq. ft. Cutting Edge Wholesale Warehouse • 6 GM Wholesale Parts Consultants Dedicated to WS Clients • Two GPS Equipped Delivery Trucks

Your Source For Genuine GM Parts in the NY City Metro Area

Parts Hours:

M-F 8am - 5pm Sat 8am - 4pm 24 Hr. Fax:

718-484-6624 2859 Flatbush Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11234

Call Us Today!

718-484-6903

Partner with BICAL Auto Mall for all your OEM GM Parts (formerly Kristal Auto Mall)

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 49

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 49

9/22/2020 7:27:01 PM

Historical Snapshot with John Yoswick

Associations Assembling

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

AWAF Hosts Training, Awards Scholarships and Continues to Inspire Despite COVID

Southeast News

Although in-person meetings are on sona (your brand) and be authentic. hiatus due to the threat of COVID-19, “With a wealth of experience the Automotivewith Women’s Alliance gained working for numerous ForChasidy Rae Sisk Foundation (AWAF) has not al- tune 500 companies—including her lowed the chaos of 2020 to prevent current role as a senior-level global them from inspiring and enlightening executive for a $4 billion corporamembers. tion, Linda shared some of the wis From increasing the number of dom she’s gained throughout her own virtual professional development of- career journey—including some very with Chasidyand Rae Sisk ferings to awarding scholarships personal early traumas that helped more, AWAF refuses to let any glob- shape the trajectory of her career,” al pandemic stop these motivated la- shared AWAF Professional Developdies from carrying out their mission. ment Committee Co-Chair Sherry Educational content has been Muir Irwin. coordinated with the current situa- Christina McKenna, founder tion in mind. with Chasidy Rae Sisk and president of Bluestone Execu “Faced with an invisible enemy tive Communications, shared advice and a temporarily diminished automo- related to “Power Presenting for the tive marketplace, working remotely or Virtual Presenter” on July 23. being furloughed can play havoc with According to Muir Irwin, “Chrisour daily lives, and eachChasidy programmed tina brought her knowledge, wisdom with Rae Sisk session has been specially selected to and wit to our members, emphasizing address stressors and ease transition that communication is more importto the ‘new normal’ brought on by ant now than ever—and with the inCOVID-19,” said AWAF Profession- creased emphasis on virtual platforms al Development Committee Co-Chair for communication, we must be intenCorinne Smereka. tional in projecting our professionalwith Chasidy Rae Sisk “Tapping into our talented mem- ism and purpose.” bership expertise and experience, McKenna shared “Seven SeAWAF has provided and will contin- crets to a Commanding Virtual Preue to provide a series of free, virtual, sentation”: one-hour sessions via Zoom technology. These sessions designed Rae to Sisk • Use the video option whenever poswithare Chasidy explore new perspectives, gain new sible. skills and promote networking op- • Know that while style matters, conportunities during these challenging tent is king (or queen). • Assume your audience is distracted times,” Smereka continued. The first session in AWAF’s and adjust. withwas Chasidy series, held in May, “Clarity Rae in Sisk • Frame the flattering shot. the Midst of a Crisis: How to Find • Leverage good lighting. Your New Normal” with Dr. Priscil- • Pay attention to audio. la Archangel, president of Archan- • If your event is recorded, scrap the gel and Associates, LLC, followed laptop. by “Difficult Conversations: Open with Chasidy Rae Sisk Heart, Open Mind,” presented June During “Diversity, Equity & In4 by Diane Morrison and Marian clusion 101” on Aug. 13, Cheryl Morlock, co-creators of Expanding Thompson, CEO and founder, and Leadership Capabilities. Margaret Baxter, executive direc On June 25, Linda Taliaferro, tor, of the Center for Automotive founder and CEO of The TEE—The Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement Extra Effort, LLC, discussed “Turn- (CADIA) shared important insights with Ed Attanasio ing Career Trauma into Career Tri- to “help attendees gain an underumph,” sharing six tips: find your standing of the diversity, inclusion voice and use it, know your worth, and equity (DEI) fundamentals rerelationships are everything, focus quired to value differences and be on being, establish your unique per- more inclusive in order to enhance

Western Associations

Southwest Associations Southeast Associations Northeast Associations Midwest Associations

personal and organizational contribution,” Muir Irwin said. AWAF is coordinating additional seminars for the remainder of the year and has scheduled a Virtual Annual Holiday Party for Dec. 2, when the association will be joined by Lisa Drake, Ford COO of North America and vice president of global purchasing, as they celebrate the second annual AWAF Awards. During the pandemic, AWAF also awarded seven scholarships. Danielle Didia, a junior at Kettering University in Flint, MI, received a $2,500 scholarship, provided by Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, while Kettering senior Kathryn Cesiel received $2,500 provided by Magna International. Christian Brothers Automotive provided two $2,500 scholarships, received by Eva Muller of Michigan Technological University and Kathryn Mueller from Wayne State Uni-

versity. AWAF awarded a $2,500 scholarship, in honor of the Automotive Heritage Foundation, to Twanda Dixon, a freshman at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. The association also sponsored a $2,500 scholarship to Jacqui van Zyl, a freshman at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, as well as a $2,500 scholarship to Jennifer Mazzola from Vanderbilt University. Additionally, AWAF has gotten creative with ideas to virtually advance and empower young women in STEM by introducing a contest for high school and college students to submit ideas for a STEM Kit to be offered to young women in middle school. For more information about AWAF, visit awafoundation.org.

d T S the roa R A P n I N E back o U G E N t them

e a i og t t i f K d

lity Qua

National Associations

Northwest Associations Shop Showcase

Advertising Advantages

• Team of Kia Wholesale Parts Specialists • Competitive discounts - Extensive inventory We’ll help you save time, increase profits and satisfy your customers Parts Dept.

718-683-5300

Fax

718-489-9889

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30-5; Sat 8-2

www.northstarkiany.com 46-05 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101

with Ed Attanasio

50 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 50

9/22/2020 7:27:03 PM

PARTS

Right on Time!

Tell us what you want and when you need them by, and we’ll get them to you.

What we offer: • 80 wholesale professionals ready to serve cturer deliveries • Same night manufacturer ry on-site • $6.2 million inventory y • Open 22 hours a day elivery y • Automated order delivery and tracking • Regional / national parts locating • 24 hr. return / creditt process

CLOSED 9 - 11pm

O OPEN OP PE N

Here to Help

with Any Parts Needs. For new customer inquiries, email: parts@nucar.com or call Nick Halliday at:

302-613-5593 “Call me with any questions you have”

PH: 800-633-6606 FAX: 800-346-5285

email: parts@nucar.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 51

9/22/2020 7:27:05 PM

Will Burgeoning E-Commerce Hurt the Collision Repair Industry? by Gary Ledoux

For many months prior to March, the collision repair industry had been preoccupied with ADAS systems and autonomous cars and trucks and their effect on the collision repair business. The systems are purported to greatly reduce accidents and mitigate the severity of accidents that do occur. Many in the industry were afraid this would have an ill effect on the collision industry—fewer accidents and less severity means less work for body shops. According to Frank Terlep, industry veteran and author of the recently released book, “Auto Industry Disruption,” only about 21% of the U.S. fleet currently has ADAS capability. If past history is any indication, it could be years before ADAS-equipped cars reach a crucial mass where accident prevention and severity mitigation have a profound impact on the number of cars requiring collision repair. For instance, hydraulic brakes for cars were patented in 1917. Ford

would be the last auto manufacturer in the U.S. to adopt the hydraulic system in 1939. What might have a more immediate and long-lasting effect is the burgeoning concept of e-commerce, most lately exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

can business is continuing to find new and innovative ways to reach and engage them through online services and products. Granted, online purchasing is nothing new. It has been growing for years. But the past few months has seen some dramatic changes and increases.

COVID 19 Hits With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, people started working from home if their occupation allowed it, or many were furloughed if they couldn’t. Travel came almost to a standstill. Highways were empty, airplanes were empty, restaurants and hotels closed and American business was brought to its knees for weeks. With so many people no longer commuting and/or minimizing their trips, even locally, collision shops reported a decrease in business by 40% to 50% or more. Fortunately, American business is not only resilient but also innovative and resourceful. Despite many consumers staying home, Ameri-

Online Shopping Goes Wild QuantuMetric, a digital consulting and intelligence company, estimates an increase of 146% in online retail orders from March through June. Neilsen, an independent consulting company in the UK, notes that in March, more than 600,000 people who had never used e-commerce before ordered some product online. Similar consulting companies listed similar results. One of the commodities most affected is weekly groceries and related products. According to Joshua Schall of J. Schall Consulting, an Austin, TX-based consultant for the consumer packaged goods industry, in 2015, only 15% of those consumers surveyed had bought groceries

online. In March, that number had climbed to 55%. A survey conducted by Rakutan Super Logistics, a national leader in e-commerce order fulfillment and freight brokerage, shows a 250% increase in groceries sale volume for the month of March. Other products seeing a sizeable uptick were baby products, medical and cleaning products. Not surprisingly, there was a rise in online orders of alcoholic beverages. Again, this equates to fewer trips to the supermarket and related stores, fewer miles traveled and fewer traffic accidents. Lifting Stay-At-Home Orders May Do Little To Change Customer Behavior According to Rakutan, once stay-at-home orders are lifted, most consumers are more likely to stick to their newly-developed traits of buying products and services online. Those that stopped mall shopping, due to social distancing concerns, and used online shopping instead may opt to stay away from the malls

Your Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Connection

Three Locations One Goal 100% Customer Satisfaction

Call today for our New-Customer Incentives

WHOLESALE TEAM MBPartsWholesale@YourMercedes.com Direct e-Fax: 201-765-9760

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington

Look us up on Collision Link and Repair Link for price matching www.oeconnection.com | www.repairlinkshop.com Earn rewards today for all Mercedes-Benz Wholesale parts purchases Log onto www.MBStarRewards.com

Mon-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 7:30-5

267-419-1414 215-540-0263

Order Fax

404 Pennsylvania Ave. Fort Washington, PA 19034

Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester

Mon-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 7:30-5

609-645-9310

484-313-1110 215-540-0263

215-540-0263

Order Fax

www.YourMercedes.com

Newark

Allentown

Fort Washington

G E N U I N E PA R T S

Lancaster Baltimore

New York

Trenton

Reading

West Chester

Daily delivery to PA, NJ, DE and MD in our fleet of 8 trucks Look us up on Collision Link, Parts Trader and Repair Link Team of Mercedes-Benz Parts Professionals to better serve you

Order Fax

6623 Black Horse Pike Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234

1260 Wilmington Pike West Chester, PA 19382

Philadelphia Wilmington on

Atlantic City

52 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 52

9/22/2020 7:27:06 PM

completely. And speaking of malls, they have been dying for years. According to a study done by Credit Suisse and reported in Business Insider Magazine in November 2019, between 20% and 25% of America’s 116,000 shopping malls will be closed by 2022. Note this was announced prior to the pandemic. Experts note not the least of the reasons for the mall’s death-spiral is online purchasing exasperated by stores’ slow adaptation to changing consumer demographics and subsequent buying habits. Fewer malls, less reason to drive to them, fewer traffic accidents. Rakutan also notes “some consumers have invested in fitness equipment to use at home and may never return to a gym. Others have learned how to cut their kids’ hair and may never pay for a professional cut, for as long as their kids will allow it. Many organizations will have also noticed how cost-effective allowing employees to work from home can be. It won’t come as a surprise when the remote working population increases from the current 4.7 million

to even double the figure. “The point is, once consumer behaviors change, it’s hard to get back to the old way of doing things. When these changes in behavior become permanent, shoppers will stick to the e-commerce brands they discovered over the brick and mortar spots they once frequented.” PaySafe, a UK-based company similar to PayPal in the U.S., conducted a survey of more than 8,000 consumers in seven countries. When asked how their spending habits would be impacted in the future, 38% of all surveyed consumers said they plan to do more online shopping next year regardless of the end of social distancing. In the U.S., that number was 49%. Two-thirds (65%) of consumers that plan to shop online more following the conclusion of the pandemic are doing so because they find online more convenient, and 42% of consumers who plan to shop online more say it is more enjoyable. Of those people who said they would not increase or maintain a higher level of online shopping, it was because they already conduct

the majority of their shopping online. Again, all this online buying could mean fewer cars on the road, fewer miles traveled, fewer accidents and less collision repair work. Change In Shopper Preferences Eventually COVID-19 will be beaten but, according to Rakutan, but what will remain is a “permanent change in shopper preference.” Many people will become more germ conscious. Many shoppers will prefer no-touch deliveries, while social businesses and outlets like communal buffets may suffer a loss in popularity. Consumers may also be less attracted to using public keypads, something which will force retailers to switch to no-touch technology with more focus on general hygiene. Body shops may need to be “sanitizing” customer cars for some time to come. Fighting Fire With Fire It’s more important now than ever, especially since so many people are online, for businesses, including body shops, to have a prominent e-commerce presence so customers can find them. Business owners should

INFINITI OF NORWOOD

look at their website and Facebook or other social media presence, or better yet, have a disinterested friend look at it. How does it compare, not necessarily against other shops, but the presence of other businesses? I will expand on this in a subsequent article. Looking To The Future Rakutan suggests “consumer views on shopping in a new ‘socially distant era’ will likely remain beyond the pandemic.” Consumers must now deal with what is becoming a “longterm side effect” of the pandemic and a “new normal.” The pandemic acted as a catalyst for consumers’ swift transition to digital commerce and it will likely remain. Rakutan says the post-pandemic situation is similar to the effect of the 2003 SARS epidemic in China. Like the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., SARS caused the closure of shops, schools and factories, but opened the gates for e-commerce merchants. Alibaba, the Chinese equivalent of Amazon, received a See Burgeoning E-Commerce, Page 57

888.340.4442 FX

781.702.6804

Proud Recipient of the 2013 Award of Excellence for outstanding customer service

√ 24-Hour Delivery √ Full Parts Inventory √ Overnight UPS Service √ Serving All of New England √ Call before 7pm for Next Day Delivery Genuine Infiniti Parts and Accessories deliver model-specific enginee engineering, perfect fit, reliability, and ent Manufacturer. like new performance for your vehicle you would expect from an Original Equipment Genuine Infiniti Parts and Accessories fit the first time, helping you save time and money. “You have my guarantee of personal service. We do what it takes to get the right Infiniti parts to you u on time.” -Kevin Donnelly, Parts Manager

866 Boston Providence Highway Norwood MA autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 53

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 53

9/22/2020 7:27:07 PM

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT THE FIRST REPAIR.

Orig

Connecticut

Kee

BMW of Watertown

Watertown 844-895-6839 860-274-5471 860-274-0617 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm Sat 7:30am-4pm John.musco@hoffmanauto.com

BMW of Darien

Darien 203-328-1325 203-978-0043 Fax M-F 8am-5pm wholesale@bmwdarien.com

BMW of Silver Spring Silver Spring

301-890-3015 800-288-6982 301-890-3748 Fax M-F 7:30am-5pm wholesaless@mileone.com www.bmwofsilverspring.com

New Hampshire BMW of Stratham

Stratham 800-989-5200 603-772-9436 Fax jmaxwell@group1auto.com www.bmwofstratham.com

Maryland

New Jersey

Catonsville 855-996-2906 410-818-2600 Fax M-F 8am-5pm www.bmwofcatonsville.com

Morristown 973-796-3145 973-796-3146 Fax M-F 8am-6pm

BMW of Catonsville

BMW of Morristown

BMW of Newton

Newton 973-579-6020 973-579-6702 Fax M-F 8am-5:30pm www.bmwnewton.com

BMW of Flemington Flemington (877) 657-2787 (908) 782-1795 Fax M-F 7:30am to 6pm Sat 8am to 2pm www.njparts.com

BMW of Tenafly

Tenafly 877-276-9159 201-567-2712 Fax M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm bmwtenaflyparts@penskeautomotive.com www.bmwoftenafly.com

wholesaleparts.bmw@openroad.com

www.bmwofmorristown.com

Circle BMW

Eatontown 732-440-1238 732-440-1239 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-3pm Wholesale@circlebmw.com www.circlebmw.com

Park Ave. BMW

South Hackensack 888-349-5168 201-291-2376 Fax M-F 8am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm al@parkavebmw.com www.parkavebmw.com

New York

BMW of Bayside

Bayside 516-304-3733 516-570-4268 Fax M-Sat 8am-5pm bmwparts@bmwbayside.com www.bmwbayside.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 54

9/22/2020 7:27:08 PM

Lath 877 518 518 M-F Sat bmw www

Penn

App

York 717 717 M-F Sat appl www

Original BMW Parts & Accessories. Keeler BMW

Latham 877-553-3909 518-785-4197 518-785-4710 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-4pm bmwparts@keeler.com www.keelerbmw.com

Pennsylvania Apple BMW

York 717-849-6597 717-843-2948 Fax M-F 7am-5pm Sat 8am-4pm applebmwparts@appleauto1.com www.applebmwofyork.com

Rhode Island

BMW of Newport

Middletown 401-847-9600 401-841-0680 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm gromani@metromotorgroup.com wwwbmwofnewport.com

When you repair a BMW, use the parts that are identical to those used in Series production – and just as reliable. Choose Original BMW Parts and Accessories. Because you can’t repair your reputation.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 55

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 55

9/22/2020 7:27:09 PM

Restore Crashworthiness with Corrosion Protection—Keys to a Safe and Proper Collision Repair by Chasidy Rae Sisk

“Today’s vehicles are highly engineered and not forgiving of imprecise repair processes. When it comes to crashworthiness after the repair, millimeters and milliseconds matter!” according to Scott Peirce, strategic account manager at 3M, during ASA’s Aug. 19 “Webinar Wednesday.”

“If you can effectively access the area with a traditional paint spray gun, corrosion protection is best achieved by applying a direct to metal primer, followed by the vehicle’s color and clearcoat to achieve recommended dry film thicknesses, if and as required, per the specific paint company and vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines,” he said.

“The responsibility to restore crashworthiness lies with you, your business and your technicians,” — Scott Peirce “The responsibility to restore crashworthiness lies with you, your business and your technicians,” Peirce said. “Many products and processes combine together to restore the initial condition of the vehicle so it’s capable of handling a subsequent collision.” Peirce explained corrosion protection is vital to restoring a vehicle’s crashworthiness. Corrosion can impact airbag timing, and fatalities are more likely due to rust.

“If you cannot effectively access the area with a traditional spray gun, that is when materials like weldthrough primer and cavity wax may be the most appropriate solution to help restore corrosion protection,” he continued. “A vehicle’s ability to resist corrosion could be significantly compromised if the vehicle manufacturer’s corrosion protection is not restored. This could also lead to future issues with safety and/or resale

value.” 3M Business Development Manager Mark Algie joined in to look at a case study of a damaged bumper and examine the requirements related to 1500 MPA high strength steel frame rails. “OEM repair procedures need to be reviewed to determine repairability,” Algie said. “It looks like a simple repair, but the OEM procedures tell us the left rail has to be replaced and there are a lot of other major components that could be impacted by this collision. You have to take the rail apart, and it’s going to involve a lot of parts. It becomes a very intrusive repair, but that’s what it takes to correctly restore this vehicle to its pre-accident condition.” Moving on to welding, Peirce said six different weld conditions are required just for the front stiffener, and this part cannot be removed and reinstalled because of the spot welding conditions. “There are a number of manual weld settings that need to be adjusted to properly perform this repair,”

Peirce said. “You can’t just move forward with replacement using automatic settings on welders. You need to stop, identify the different weld settings and adjust to get the proper welds.” After Peirce finished discussing weld-through primer recommendations, Algie shared information on several OEMs’ requirements related to bonding adhesive selection. “You always need to refer to the OEM repair procedures because they’re constantly being changed and updated,” he stressed. Bare metal seam sealers can help with corrosion protection and are designed for rapid production, but 3M recommends priming before seam sealing. “The market demands it because it’s good for production and speed,” Peirce said. “Bare metal seam sealers can be acceptable, but you have to ensure that all bare metal is covered. Any seam sealer is only effective if it is coated properly, but bare metal sealers are especially vulnerable if the coatings are too thin or

Acura of Westchester

Choose Original MINI Parts. New York

Maryland

Keeler MINI

MINI of Montgomery County

Latham 877-553-3909 518-785-4197 Parts (518) 785-4710 Fax M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4 miniparts@keeler.com keelerMINI.com

Gaithersburg 240-238-1204 Parts (240) 238-1493 Fax M-F 7:30-6:30; Sat 8-5 minipartsmd@ miniofmontgomerycounty.com

HOURS:

Mon. - Fri.: 7:30am - 8pm

Sat.: 8am - 4pm

Sun.: 9am - 4pm acura.parts@yahoo.com

2155 Palmer Ave. Larchmont, NY 10538

Call or e-mail us Today!

• Large Inventory • Delivering to Westchester, Rockland, Putnam • NYC 5 Boroughs & Connecticut • Fast Free Delivery • Great Discounted Prices

914-834-8887 914-833-1812 FAX

www.acuraofwestchester.com www.oeconnection.com

56 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 56

9/22/2020 7:27:10 PM

do not achieve full coverage.” “Refinish technicians must be especially thorough while refinishing and be sure to paint from both directions to ensure full coverage of the ‘shadow side’ of the bead profile,” he added. Identifying the most difficult areas to achieve full paint coverage as the door hem flanges, wheel openings, lower rockers flanges and any flange sealed near a tight corner, Peirce cautioned, “These also happen to be the most corrosion vulnerable areas of the car, so caution should be exercised.” Epoxy seam sealers provides better coverage then aerosol seam sealers, and it’s imperative to research OEM position statements and repair procedures in order to duplicate the original appearance and function of the seams. Next, Algie discussed cavity wax OEM requirements, emphasizing, “Cavity wax must be applied to all interior cavities, weld flanges, hem flanges as well as any area affected by the repair, especially where any type of welding was performed.” According to Peirce, a lack of

corrosion protection inside cavities and on the back side of the welds is the most common problem found by post-repair inspection companies. He also discussed some of the quality control tools that shops should invest in, such as a borescope and a mil gauge, in order to perform their own post-repair inspections. “Post-repair inspections are more common than many of us want to admit due to a more educated public— the educated consumer is much more aware,” Algie said. “We ALL have a responsibility to restore crashworthiness, and that can only be achieved by researching and documented that you’ve followed the OEM repair instructions,” Peirce said in conclusion. “You need documentation to prove that you followed the instructions, and you have to follow those recommendations; don’t choose equivalents because it’s definitely not worth a little bit of savings. Conduct your own post-repair inspection, and protect your shop.” The webinar ended with a Q&A session. For more information on ASA and future educational webinars, visit www.asashop.org/asa-webinars/.

Continued from Page 53

Burgeoning E-Commerce

Nonprofit Finds, Matches Living Organ Donors

huge boost. According to GlobalData, a UKbased data analytics and consulting company, “COVID-19 will have a long-term positive effect on the e-commerce sector, with even the most skeptical consumers forced to abandon physical stores in response to restrictions on movement.” According to PaySafe, “winning in this new e-commerce environment means an even greater focus on consumer experience. To win and keep these new customers that want to shop online more frequently, merchants must offer a seamless product via both browser and smartphone app.” For body shops, this means they must make it easy for customers to reach them via the e-commerce experience.

MatchingDonors is the nation’s largest living organ donor nonprofit organization finding and registering living organ donors for people needing organ transplants in the U.S. Twenty-two people die every day in the U.S. waiting for a kidney transplant, most waiting seven to nine years. The team at MatchingDonors.com is working hard to make sure that does not happen by finding altruistic living organ donors for people needing kidney transplants. Many patients get their transplant through MatchingDonors.com within only six months, or less. In conjunction with various health organizations, MatchingDonors has created a successful PSA campaign to help people realize they can save lives by being a living organ donor, to encourage them to register as an altruistic living organ donor, and to make them realize they can help save the lives of people needing organ transplants by donating other things. For more information. see MatchingDonors.com. Source: MatchingDonors

FREE

4x Monthly E-Newsletter.

www.autobodynews.com

* Large Inventory of Genuine Mercedes-Benz and Sprinter Parts * Free DailyDelivery to DE, NJ, MD and PA * Attentive and Professional Service. Call our Wholesale Parts Experts for All Your Repair and Collision Parts Needs

GENUINE PARTS

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington

TOLL FREE PARTS:

800-800-1949 800-800-1949

PARTS PART PA RTS LOCAL LOCA LO CA AL L DIRECT: DIIR D DIRE RE EC CT T:

302-995-5030 302-995-5030

FAX: FAX FA X::

302-995-5033 302-995-5033

www.mbofwilmington.com parts@mbofwilmington.com

Hours: Mon. - Fri. 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Sat. 8:00 am - 2:00 pm 3801 Lancaster Pike / Wilmington, DE 19805

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 57

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 57

9/22/2020 7:27:13 PM

SEMA Show Goes On with Ed Attanasio

Media and Publicity for Shops

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

with Ed Attanasio

Are You Defending Your Good Name Online? Your reputation online is always im- as a result. In another scenario, a body shop portant, but during the pandemic it’s that was producing subpar work himore vital than ever. with Everyone can agreeStacey there willPhillips be red a company to defend its reputafewer cars on the road moving for- tion by creating a ton of fake reviews ward, as more and more people will and posting positive things about the shop to push its bad reviews down continue to work virtually. With more competition fighting the line. for less work, a shop’s reputation on- In yet another case that occurwith Stacey Phillips line will carry more weight, and that’s red recently, two shops in a small when some shady operators might re- town started manufacturing false sort to doing sketchy things, such as negative reviews against each other, posting fake reviews to disparage the but in the end Google black-hatted shop down the street. both of them and took down their re In one case, a disgruntled for- spective websites. mer employee with wreaked havoc Phillips on- You can have amazing empStacey line for a shop. A body shop owner loyees, great DRPs and a lot of refired a tech, who had a couple sons peat customers, but in the end all who were computer whiz kids, and you have is your reputation. Compethey destroyed the owner’s online tition is healthy, but sometimes peoreputation within months. It went ple’s passions make them do things from being just business to being they wouldn’t normally even consiwith Phillips der. personal, and the shopStacey in question lost a significant amount of business In 2008, I began writing for

Shop Strategies

a growing company that provided “digital privacy solutions.” Their approach was to create a deluge of

Body Shops Giving Back

Tips for Busy Body Shops My SEMA

Shop Strategies

Luke Middendorf at WSI Connect in Concord, CA, said the best way for a shop to manage its online reputation is to proactively request positive reviews from its customers

positive content about an individual or company so any bad things online about them would be bumped down

the ratings. The goal was to get the negative articles, reviews or blogs off Google’s first page, because 75% of all browsers never look past page one, according to Junto Research. During that same period of time, I was also contacted by a company that wanted to pay me well to write fake negative reviews. They had established a ton of bogus emails and online profiles and were targeting companies identified by its clients. When I asked them if it was illegal, they said no, although they admitted it was at least immoral, so I opted out. Luke Middendorf at WSI Connect in Concord, CA, protects his clients’ online reputations, including body shops. “We’ve been implementing reputation-building campaigns for almost all of our clients,” he said. “The best way for a business to manage its online reputation is to proactively

Dedicated Wholesale Staff! Find all your Genuine Kia Parts With Us

DEPENDABLE AS THE PARTS YOU SELL with Victoria Antonelli Always Trust Genuine Nissan Parts

856-667-8010

Competitive Prices and Discounts Always Fast, Free Daily Delivery to MA and RI

Call our Wholesale Parts Hotline Today!

Product Innovation with Ed Attanasio

fmedeiros@kiaofattleboro.com www.kiaofattleboro.com

Parts Hours

Kia of Attleboro

PARTS 508-761-9300

FAX 508-761-0768

795 Newport Ave. • South Attleboro, MA 02703

OE Shop Certification

Purchasing Nissan OEM parts has never been easier and more cost effective. It’s a huge benefit to your customers to offer OEM parts at aftermarket prices!

with Gary Ledoux

Courtesy Mitsubishi PARTS 508-761-9700 FAX 508-761-4285 16 Scott St. • South Attleboro, MA 02703

Parts Hours: Mon-Thu 8am-7pm / Fri-Sat 8am-5pm parts@cherryhillnissan.com

Fax 856-667-9422

2325 Route 38, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

M, W 8am-8pm TU, TH, F 8am-5pm SAT 8am-4pm

Genuine OEM Parts for the Perfect Fit Every Time Find all your On-line Mitsubishi Parts With Us

www.PartsAdvantage.NissanUSA.com

Product Innovation

www.drivecourtesy.com wbrown@courtesy-mitsu.com

The Best for Much Less

Aggressive Price Matching Available with Stacey Phillips Free Daily Delivery to the Greater Philadelphia Metro area including South/Central NJ and Northern Delaware Large Inventory of Genuine OEM Nissan Parts Updated Daily

Order Parts Online at: www.cherryhillnissan.com

Parts Specialist: sean@mitsubishima.com

Committed to Excellence! Find all your Genuine Mitsubishi Parts With Us

Parts Hours

M-F 8am-5pm SAT 8:30am-2pm

From the Desk of Mike Anderson

58 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

with Mike Anderson Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 58

9/22/2020 7:27:15 PM

the logs 75% page h. ime, pany write estaonomhen I said as at

Conhis ding

g rer al“The nage vely

INSIST ON GM GENUINE PARTS

Call Any of These Wholesale Parts Dealers Below Maryland

Massachusetts

New Jersey

New York

Criswell Chevrolet

Mastria Buick Cadillac GMC

Nielsen Chevrolet

DePaula Chevrolet

888-572-1045

973-366-5867 Fax

GAITHERSBURG

866-922-1636

301-590-1457 Local 301-670-0936 Fax

M-F 7 - 7:30; Sat 7 - 6 partssales@criswellauto.com

Ourisman Chevrolet of Rockville

RAYNHAM

M-F 7:30 - 6; Sat 8 - 5 parts@depaula.com

Open Road Cadillac

East Syracuse Chevy

New Jersey

973-845-3014

315-437-5464

301-424-5332 Local 301-294-6381 Fax

800-220-1452

DELRAN

856-461-8417 856-764-1498 Fax

Massachusetts

M-F 7 - 6; Sat 8 - 4 pseay@barlowautogroup.com

Balise Chevrolet Buick GMC Business Elite

Cadillac of Mahwah

413-233-2185

201-579-6506 Fax

SPRINGFIELD

413-733-8617 Fax

M-F 8 - 5 lvazquez@baliseauto.com

MAHWAH

201-579-6497 M-F 7 - 5

Boch Chevrolet

Flemington Buick GMC Cadillac

800-559-9210

877- 657-2787

NORWOOD

781-762-9210 800-991-1009 Fax

M-F 7:30 - 5 bchwholesale@boch.com

Long Cadillac SOUTHBOROUGH

508-820-9322

FLEMINGTON

908-782-1795 Fax M-F 7 - 5; Sat 7 - 3 www.njparts.com

Malouf Buick GMC NORTH BRUNSWICK

800-669-6256 732-821-5410 732-821-7549 Fax

800-982-2258 508-879-1212 Fax

M-F 8 - 4:30; Sat 8 - 1 bsnyder@malouf.com

Marty’s Buick GMC

Malouf Chevrolet Cadillac

800-870-7573

800-769-6256

M-F 7:30 - 5 tschube@longauto.com KINGSTON

781-585-7570 781-585-2966 Fax

M-F 7:30 - 5:30; Sat 8 - 4 brucem@martysbuickgmc.com

800-727-8357

518-489-0184 Fax

M-F 7 - 4:30; Sat 8 - 4:30 parts@nielsenchevy.com

508-822-4074 Fax

Barlow Chevrolet

M-F 7 - 5:30

973-366-1730

ALBANY

M-Th 7:30 - 7:30; F 7:30 - 6 Sat 7:30 - 5 wholesale@mastria.com

ROCKVILLE

800-345-4640

DOVER

FLORHAM PARK

973-538-6978 Fax

EAST SYRACUSE

315-437-0878 Fax

M-F 7 - 5 martin.kolbusch@openroad.com

M-F 7:30 - 5; Sat 8 - 3 partsdept@esyrchevy.com

Open Road Chevrolet

West Herr Chevrolet

UNION

800-981-9451

908-686-2727 908-687-4267 Fax

M-F 8 - 5; Sat 8 - 4 david.connell@openroad.com

New York

Bay Ridge Chevrolet BROOKLYN

718-232-4488 347-218-9771

Mon-Sat 8 am - 5 pm parts@bayridgechevy.com

ORCHARD PARK

716-662-7707

716-688-5519 Fax

M-F 7:30 - 5; Sat 8 - 4 sgraham@westherr.com

Pennsylvania

Blaise Alexander Chevrolet GREENCASTLE

717-597-2131

717-597-6932 Fax

M-F 8 - 5; Sat 8-2 jsnyder@blaisealexander.com

BICAL Automall

Tom Hesser Chevrolet

718-484-6903

800-435-9586

BROOKLYN

718-484-6624 Fax M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4

SCRANTON

570-558-3677 570-342-8645 Fax

M-F 8 - 5; Sat 8 - 2 mhanson@tomhesser.com

NORTH BRUNSWICK

732-821-1517 Fax

M-F 7:30 - 5 kdiperi@malouf.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 59

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 59

9/22/2020 7:27:16 PM

request positive reviews from its customers. Google and Facebook allow businesses to proactively solicit reviews and there are a lot of automated tools that make the process easier to manage. It is against Yelp’s policies for businesses to request Yelp reviews of their business so it’s much more difficult to work with.” Middendorf said you can’t rely on websites like Yelp to monitor reviews or check for their authenticity. “All of the review sites do a very poor job of combating fake reviews. Most of the time they avoid getting involved in any disputes,” he said. “They will remove reviews that violate their policies which include personal attacks and explicit language. However, those need to be reported/flagged by someone so that they can be reviewed and considered for removal.” How can you continually monitor your online presence? It’s actually not that difficult. First, perform a search on your shop name in Google, Bing, Angie’s List, Yahoo and other search engines. Delete what you can, including all of your own social networking pages,

where you can easily delete your own posts, photos, comments and videos. Ask people who have posted negative things about you to delete their comments, videos and photos. If they refuse to delete a photo, for example, you can usually untag yourself, so that the photo will not appear in any search including your name.

maged reputations to deal with. You don’t want to be linked to anyone with a questionable reputation, because one rotten blueberry can ruin the whole bunch. On a regular basis, check for any email jokes or other items people send to you or share with you online. We all have that one buddy or

“All of the review sites do a very poor job of combating fake reviews. Most of the time they avoid getting involved in any disputes,” — Luke Middendorf If there are news articles, blog posts, videos, photos or other mentions about your shop that are unflattering, you can always request the page’s publisher to remove them. Not everyone will cooperate, but try anyway. If that doesn’t work, or if you can’t get a hold of the people who posted it, push them down in search results by creating positive content. In many cases, the personal approach may be the best way to go. Quietly unfriend people who are apt to post negative things about you, as well as those who have their own da-

associate who sends silly videos all the time, but think twice before you share them with anyone else. You don’t want to share anything that is sexist, ageist, racist or political because you never know who might see it and be offended. Just delete them if you’re not sure, and avoid sharing inappropriate content. If the situation gets really bad for any reason, it might be time to lock down your pages. Change all of your privacy settings on all your websites so that only certain people can see what you post and respond.

Another smart move is to limit what others can post about you. For example, in Facebook’s privacy settings, you can easily block other people from tagging you in photos without your permission. They can still tag you, but it won’t be public until you approve it. When none of these techniques work, start drowning out the bad content with new positive content. One of the best methods out there is to advertise the fact that you help the community, mentor local auto tech students, give cars to deserving people, etc. You worked hard to earn fivestar Yelp reviews or positive comments on Facebook, so why not take the time to protect them? As more and more people go online to search for a body shop, your reputation is more vital, because just one negative review can affect you in many ways and none of them are good.

FREE

4x Monthly E-Newsletter.

www.autobodynews.com

Comprehensive inventory of high quality OEM

VOLVO GENUINE PARTS Dedicated Wholesale Staff

Competitive Wholesale Prices

KUNDERT Volvo 140 Route 17 N

Exceptional Customer Service

URCE

Prompt & Dependable Delivery

O PARTS S YOUR KIA

The right part makes the difference.

Parts Dept.

Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604

201.288.8895 201.288.8 8895

Parts Dept. Hours Mon-Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sat: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

www.volvoofhasbrouckheights.com

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 60 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 60

9/22/2020 7:27:17 PM

KIA HECU Recall Issued Following Engine Fires by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A KIA HECU (hydraulic electronic control unit) recall has been issued for more than 440,000 Optima and Sorento vehicles in the U.S. after eight fire-related complaints. In Canada, KIA is recalling 1,243 model year 2019 Stingers due to problems with the HECUs. The 2013-2015 KIA Optima and 2014-2015 KIA Sorento vehicles have HECU components that may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short-circuit, starting fires in the engine compartments. In February, KIA received a complaint about a 2015 Sorento that concerned electrical failures. The dealership found the HECU had melted and it was later learned the HECU connector and circuit board near the connector suffered heat damage. KIA worked with the supplier and determined the HECU had internal damage caused by brake fluid. Two more incident reports

were filed and more fire and heat damage reports arrived about KIA Optima and Sorento vehicles. The supplier also discovered the same HECU component used in the KIA vehicles was also causing problems in Hyundai vehicles, which today recalled more than 151,000 Santa Fe Sports following 15 engine compartment fires. KIA owners may notice burning odors, smoke from the engine compartments or illuminated warning lights. KIA dealers will inspect the HECUs for leaking brake fluid and replace the HECUs if needed. The HECU recall begins Oct. 15, but concerned Optima and Sorento owners may contact KIA at 800-333-4542 and refer to recall number SC197. We thank CarComplaints.com for reprint permission.

AUTOBODY

PPI: August Shows Upswing in Auto Glass Material Pricing by Emmariah Holcomb, glassBYTEs.com

Prices for materials used in the auto glass industry showed mostly increases in August, according to recently released Producer Price Index (PPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The monthly PPI, which includes auto glass*, increased by 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. The PPI went down by 0.1% from July. According to the BLS, the commodity classification “organizes products and services by similarity or material composition, regardless of the industry classification of the producing establishment.” Prices for motor vehicle parts went down by 0.1% from August 2019, and in that index, in the commodity grouping, month-over-month prices remained the same. The PPI for molded rubber mechanical goods (automotive)

remained the same when compared to its reading last month, and also saw a decrease of 1.4% when compared to last year. Adhesives and sealants saw an increase of 0.2% when compared to last month and saw an increase of 1% from last year. Motor vehicle repair and maintenance, in the services grouping, went up by 0.1% on a month-over-month basis, as well as going up by 2.1% for the year. The cost of private passenger auto insurance services went down by 0.3% when compared to last month, which resulted in a 0.7% increase on a year-overyear basis. Commercial auto insurance went up by 0.4% on a month-over-month basis and was up 3.5% year over year. *This number is for the specialty glass category in August under the commodity category. We thank glassBYTEs.com for reprint permission.

TRUST FORD PARTS

CERTIFIED PARTS WHOLESALING DEALE DEALERS MARYLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

Bob Bell Ford

Colonial Ford of Plymouth

Ditschman/Flemington Ford

Nielsen Ford

410-689-3038 410-766-1275 Fax

888-754-3380 508-830-1650 508-830-1658 Fax

877-657-2787 908-782-1795 Fax

973-702-8000 973-875-7016 Fax

GLEN BURNIE

Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 tpurcell@bobbell.com www.bobbellford.com

PLYMOUTH

Hours: M-F 7:30-5; Sat 7:30-4 www.buycolonialford.com

Packer Norris Parts

Sarat Ford Lincoln

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

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

BALTIMORE

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

AGAWAM

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

SUSSEX

Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-3:30 gbraden@nielsenford.com

PENNSYLVANIA

New Holland Ford NEW HOLLAND

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

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 61

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 61

9/23/2020 5:00:19 PM

with Erica Schroeder

Industry Insight with John Yoswick

Latest in Lawsuits Involving Shops, Insurers and an Auto Recycler

Shop Showcase

There was activity recently in three its third version of the lawsuit, after legal battles involving body shops, the first two were dismissed. insurance companies, an auto recy- Presnell granted GEICO’s mowith Ed Attanasio tion, noting Eaves’ firm failed to file cler and consumers. A U.S. District Court judge in an opposition to GEICO’s fee request. Florida this summer agreed that a law- But Presnell reduced the amount owed suit in which two Mississippi shops are suing Progressive Insurance for tortious interference should be returned to a federal courtEd in the shops’ with Attanasio state. The two shops were part of a larger federal antitrust lawsuit, originally brought against multiple insurers in 2014, consolidated to the Florida court with about two dozen similar suits involving shops in othwith Ed Attanasio er states. Mississippi attorney John Eaves Jr. began The Mississippi shops’ suit signing body shops on to antitrust lawsuits against insurers back in 2013 was largely dismissed earlier this year, but because AutoWorks Collision Specialists in Jackson, MI, and to $30,298—GEICO had sought just Center in Pica- over $40,000—and said only the atWalker Collision with Ed Attanasio yune, MI, each pointed to a specific torneys, who he said pursued the matcustomer they said they lost because ter “unreasonably and vexatiously,” of steering tactics they say Progres- must pay those fees, not the shops. sive used, dismissal of their portion Another insurer, Nationwide, of the lawsuit was overturned on ap- also got a court victory in August. peal. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Progressivewith arguedStacey the Florida announced it was deadlocked in its Phillips court should continue to oversee the review of a lower court’s decision lawsuit, but Judge Gregory Presnell that overturned a $21 million bad said it should return to the Mississip- faith verdict against Nationwide repi federal court where it was origi- lated to repairs made by one of the nally filed. In remanding the case to insurer’s “Blue Ribbon” direct reMississippi, however, pair shops. with Presnell StaceyindiPhillips cated that court might choose not to Because the six justices—a sevallow it to proceed because the fed- enth justice didn’t participate in the eral antitrust claims in the original case—were “divided in a fashion lawsuit have been dismissed. That which prevents a majority disposileaves Progressive facing only accu- tion,” the lower court’s decision to sations of violating Mississippi state throw out the 2014 verdict against Nawith Stacey Phillips anti-steering laws. tionwide stands. “Since no federal claims remain, The lawsuit arose after Daniel that court may decide that it is pru- and Sharon Berg took their coldent to decline to exercise jurisdic- lision-damaged 1996 Jeep Grand tion over the state law claims,” Pres- Cherokee to a Nationwide Blue Ribnell said. bon shop. An appraiser there rec He also ruled this summer on ommended the vehicle be declared with Stacey Phillips GEICO’s request that the other a total loss, but the Bergs alleged Mississippi shops—and their at- that Nationwide, without informtorneys—involved in the portion of ing them, had the vehicle moved to the lawsuit that was dismissed cover another Blue Ribbon shop where it GEICO’s legal fees fighting the case was repaired. The Bergs sued over since 2015. That’s when Mississippi the condition of the repaired vehicle, attorney John Eaves Jr.’s firm filed claiming Nationwide knowingly re-

Social Media for Shops

SEMA Show Goes On

turned an unsafe vehicle to them as part of an effort to avoid totaling the vehicle. The couple won an $18 million verdict, plus $3 million in attorney fees, but a three-judge Superior Court panel in 2018 overturned that decision. The Bergs appealed to the state’s Supreme Court. Two of those justices issued an opinion in August saying they were in favor of reversing the lower court’s dismissal and reinstating the verdict, while two others said they believe the dismissal should be upheld; the views of the remaining two Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices is not known, but it would seem they were likely split in their views, giving neither side a majority. The justices arguing to reverse the Superior Court’s decision said such verdicts should be overturned only “in the most egregious of cases

Media and Publicity for Shops Shop Strategies

My SEMA

Shop Strategies

See Latest in Lawsuits, Page 70

The RIGHT

COLLISION PARTS FOR YOUR COLLISION JOB.

Body Shops Giving Back

Tips for Busy Body Shops

when the trial court has committed reversible error.” The justice’s arguing to uphold the reversal of the verdict said there was some question about the trial judge’s impartiality, pointing to that judge’s “protracted we-the-consumer discourse spanning six pages of the opinion,” in which he appeared to step beyond his “judicial role and align himself personally with the interests of insurance consumers.” In yet another legal matter that could provide a lesson for all employers, an auto recycler is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which says the company violated federal law by denying an employee’s requests for reasonable accommodations—and then fired her—while she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Visit these Genuine Hyundai Parts Dealers

Maryland

ROUTE 2 HYUNDAI

Glen Burnie 7117 Ritchie Hwy.

888-240-3495

BOB BELL HYUNDAI

410-689-3038 410-766-1275 Fax

Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5:30pm bobbellhyundai.com

Leominster 743 North Main St.

978-534-9933 Fax

Mon-Thu 7:30am - 7:30pm Fri-Sat 7:30am - 6pm parts@rte2hyundai.com www.rte2hyundai.com

Massachusetts BOCH HYUNDAI Norwood 391 Providence Hwy.

800-559-9210 781-762-9210 800-991-1009 Fax

Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5pm bchwholesale@boch.com

with Victoria Antonelli

62 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 62

9/23/2020 5:00:53 PM

ge 45

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

Audi dealers strive to make you an Audi Genuine Parts fan. 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

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

NEW YORK

Audi Southampton Southampton

Audi Albany Latham

518.783.5554 518.213.8182 M-Sat 7:30am-6pm audiparts@audialbany.com

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

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

Audi Queens Flushing

929.297.0788 917.809.6442 Fax M-Sat 8am-5pm parts@audiqueens.com

Regardless of the age of your customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 63

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 63

9/22/2020 7:27:20 PM

Is Your Shop and Insurance Coverage Prepared for A Riot? by Gary Ledoux

We have all heard about the rioting going on across the country. For months, at least a dozen cities experienced businesses being burned, looted and extensively damaged. Government instituted curfews closed off whole sections of cities and shortened business hours causing businesses to lose income. It’s unnerving for everyone. Fortunately, it would appear collision shops have dodged the bullet, so far. Industry leader Brandon Eckenrode, of the Collision Industry Foundation, indicated no shops have requested financial help from the organization due to riot damage.

Any business owner can’t help but wonder if the mayhem will stop, or if it will expand into their area of the city. This must be especially perplexing for body shop owners who, besides worrying about their own property and equipment, are entrusted with customers’ vehicles, which must not only be repaired, but kept safe in the meantime. To find out how collision shop owners can help protect themselves if faced with civil unrest, we contacted several insurance company representatives to ask their advice. Generally speaking, they were very helpful and we are grateful for their contribution, but they preferred not to have their name or company mentioned publicly. Here are some of their major points: Coverage for Civil Commotion The riot (civil commotion) insurance coverage you may have, or may not have, is predicated on the state in which you operate your business, the

insurance carrier and how your policy is written. Check with your own insurance agent and see exactly what is covered, and, equally important, what is excluded. One representative noted, “In general terms, basic property insurance won’t be enough, but the shop owner can purchase a business operations policy and a garage keepers policy, which would usually extend coverage for damage done by rioting, fire and civil commotion.” Having Enough Coverage When talking with your insurance agent, consider not only what is covered (building, contents, equipment, company vehicles, customer cars) but also the amount of coverage in terms of dollar amount. One insurance representative noted it is not uncommon for small business owners to request the barest minimum of insurance coverage; for example, just enough to meet a standard set by the local municipality so they can get their business license or meet some other prerequisite. Business Interruption Business interruption coverage can be rather complex and beyond the scope of this article. This coverage can include loss of business hours due to official curfews and complete closure of the business due to riot damage. Policies may require a waiting period of 72 hours before claims can be made, and may be limited to a certain number of weeks of closure. Documentation of all facets of the loss are critical. Damage Mitigation Shop owners should take reasonable steps to minimize damages. This may mean boarding up windows or moving customers’ cars to another safer location. The cost of such actions, such as hiring people to board up shop windows or move cars to another location, may be reimbursable under the insurance policy, or not. Shop owners need to check with their agents.

Vehicle Accesories If you are working on accessorized vehicles, especially those with expensive items like high-end stereo equipment, custom tires and wheels, or light bars and lift kits, check with the vehicle owner to see if their insurance will cover those items if they are lost due to civil commotion. Chances are, the shop’s insurance will only cover standard accessories that came with the vehicle from the vehicle manufacturer and not something that was added after the fact. The vehicle owner’s insurance may only do the same unless they purchased some sort of rider policy. Building and Rubble Removal If your building becomes a total loss, you may be required under a city ordinance to remove the rubble of your building. It may sound morbid, but, before this becomes necessary, check to see how much it would ordinarily cost to remove and dispose of a building of your size. If your building is wrecked, chances are many

Genuine Nissan & INFINITI OEM Wholesale Parts are Superbly Crafted to Strict Quality Standards.

others are as well. Building removal experts may see this as an opportunity to charge premium rates. Make sure you have enough coverage. Terrorists and Vandals So far, those committing the many acts of civil commotion have been largely deemed “protesters.” However, insurers may assert they are not protesters, but terrorists, and thereby the damage is not covered. Also, if your building is left unattended for a certain amount of time, your insurer may invoke a vacancy exclusion deeming damage inflicted by vandals rather than rioters, which may not be covered. Again, and this cannot be stressed enough, check with your own agent to see if you have the correct coverage, in large enough amounts.

FREE

4x Monthly E-Newsletter.

www.autobodynews.com

The following dealers proudly stock genuine parts for your Nissan or Infiniti repairs.

NISSAN MARYLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

Bob Bell Nissan

Boch Nissan

800-638-4967

781-619-7270

Baltimore

(410) 282-2432 (410) 285-1376 Fax M-F 7-7, Sat. 8-5 smelson@bobbell.com

Norwood

(781) 619-7280 Fax M-F 7-5, Sat. 7-4 rlindner@boch.com

GENUINE SERVICE & PARTS

64 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 64

9/22/2020 7:27:21 PM

Continued from Page 45

GM CEO Mary Barra: Demand is Coming Back Quicker Than we Thought by Brian Sozzi, Yahoo Finance

The race by car on the part of households to decamp to suburbia from congested cities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a tailwind for at least one U.S. auto giant. “Actually, you know it varies across the globe,” General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra told Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade on current demand trends. “We’re seeing the China market come back as well as the United States and North America in general, a little faster than we thought. I would say we’re cautiously optimistic. There’s a lot that we need to see start going in the right direction. But right now we’re seeing especially retail demand come back more quickly than we expected.” Barra’s comments come on the heels of GM shelling out $2 billion for an 11% stake in electric truck maker Nikola this week. The deal will make GM the lead manufacturer of Nikola’s 906-horsepower Badger pickup truck and supplier of batteries for the upstart’s semi-trucks.

To be sure, the latest data on the broader U.S. auto market is a little bit more mixed than the trends GM is seeing at the moment. Toyota reported earlier this month that sales in August plunged 23%, marking its ﬁfth straight monthly decline. Sales at Hyundai

loss and an uncertain presidential election. “Our initial take on August: The market recovery remains on track. There are headwinds holding back sales—limited inventories, fewer cash incentives---and those likely suppressed some activity as

“But right now we’re seeing especially retail demand come back more quickly than we expected.” — Mary Barra tanked 8.4%. Even Subaru—which has been riding high on the back of interest in its Outback and Forrester—saw sales fall 17.4%. The saving grace for automakers, as Yahoo Finance sister publication AutoBlog points out, is that transaction prices for new vehicles are up as they pull back on incentives. That should help oﬀset weaker volumes in the near-term. Nonetheless, the auto industry is likely to have a challenging fall as dealers battle with low inventories, caused by plant shutdowns at the height of the pandemic, and cautious consumers dealing with ﬁnancial

potential buyers could not ﬁnd what they wanted,” said Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough. “The industry is also wrestling with a shortage of MY2021 vehicles, which normally the OEMs would be rolling out at this time of year. The lack of fresh product likely kept some buyers on the sidelines. The inventory situation is going to take some time to improve, and when coupled with an ongoing pandemic and weak economy, vehicle sales could face a diﬃcult period this fall.” We thank Yahoo Finance for reprint permission.

Preparing & Training and then look at where you want to specialize,” she said. She encourages those in the industry, especially collision repairers, to realize how great the new world will be with these technologies and try to become part of it. “Talking about all of this technology sounds awesome and it is, but when you boil it down to what really makes it work is the people,” said Farnsworth.

LIKE US ON

FACEBOOK: Autobody News

Confidence through the corners, because we never cut them. Porsche Genuine Parts and Service, only at your local authorized Porsche dealer. Porsche Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD 800-288-6982 301-890-3748 Fax

Flemington Porsche Flemington, NJ 800-216-5124 908-782-9397 Fax

Porsche Princeton Lawrenceville, NJ 609-945-1500 609-799-0879 Fax

rmuir@flemington.com

princetonporsche.com

Porsche Norwell Norwell, MA 781-261-5230 781-261-5274 Fax

Porsche Monmouth West Long Branch, NJ 732-483-8560 M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4:30

Porsche of Southampton Southampton, NY 631-204-2565 631-204-2559 Fax

wholesales@mileone.com

porschenorwell.com

avacchiano@penskeautomotive.com

Porsche of The Main Line Newtown Square, PA 610-886-1010 610-886-1020 Fax parts@potml.com

gspano@porscheofsouthampton.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 65

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 65

9/23/2020 5:02:09 PM

Honda Agrees to $84M Multistate Settlement for Defective Airbags Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced Aug. 25 a more than $84 million multistate settlement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Honda of America Mfg., Inc. (collectively “Honda”), over allegations Honda concealed safety issues related to defects in the frontal airbag systems installed in certain Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. The systems were designed and manufactured by Takata Corporation, a longtime Honda supplier, and were first installed in Honda vehicles in the 2001 model year. The settlement, reached between the attorneys general of 48 states, territories and the District of Columbia and Honda, concludes a multistate investigation into Honda’s alleged failure to inform regulators and consumers that the frontal airbags posed a significant risk of rupture, which could cause metal fragments to fly into the passenger compartments of many Honda and Acura vehicles. The ruptures have resulted in at least 14 deaths and over 200 injuries in the U.S. alone. “Our Consumer Protection Division represents the interest of Kentuckians and fights on their behalf when there is a widespread product

Daimler AG to Pay $1.5B for Emissions Cheating The U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced Sept. 14 a proposed settlement with German automaker Daimler AG and its American subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law associated with emissions cheating. Under the proposed settlement, Daimler will recall and repair the emissions systems in Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. between 2009 and 2016 and pay $875 million in civil penalties and roughly $70.3 million in other penalties. The recall program and federal mitigation project are expected to cost the company about $4.36 million. The company will pay another $1.1 million to fund mitigation projects in California. Taken together, the settlement is valued at about $1.5 billion. Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice

safety concern, like we’ve seen with the defective airbags in these vehicles,” said Cameron. “This multistate settlement ensures that product safety standards are strengthened going forward.” Anyone who owns a Honda or Acura vehicle is urged to visit the airbag recall website at https://hondaairbaginfo.com to learn more. The states have alleged Honda engineers suspected the airbags’ propellant, ammonium nitrate, could burn aggressively and cause the inflator to burst. Despite these concerns, Honda delayed warning consumers or automobile safety officials, even as it began partial recalls of affected vehicles in 2008 and 2009. Further, Honda continued to represent to consumers that its vehicles, including its airbags, were safe. Since 2008, Honda has recalled approximately 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the suspect inflators. The states have alleged Honda’s actions, or perhaps more accurately its failures to act, as well as its misrepresentations about the safety of its vehicles, were unfair and deceptive, and that Honda’s conduct violated state consumer protection laws. Under the terms of the consent judgment, which will be filed in Frank-

lin Circuit Court, Honda has agreed to strong injunctive relief, which, among other things, require it: To take steps to ensure that future airbag designs include “fail-safe” features to protect passengers in the event the inflator ruptures. To adopt changes to its procurement process for new frontal airbags, to ensure that its suppliers have the appropriate industry certifications and satisfy key industry performance standards, as well as improve record-keeping and parts tracking. To implement recurrence prevention procedures such as requiring that Honda approve all new frontal airbag designs before the company will consider them for use in new Honda vehicles. To abide by prohibitions on misleading advertisements and point of sale representations regarding the safety of Honda’s vehicles, including the airbags. To make improvements in critical areas such as risk management, quality control, supplier oversight, training and certifications, and implementing mandatory whistleblower protections. Honda also agreed to pay the participating attorneys general a total of $84,151,210.15. Consumers who own a Honda or

Acura vehicle are strongly encouraged to visit Honda’s airbag recall website at https://hondaairbaginfo.com, or call its Customer Service toll-free number at (888) 234-2138, to see if their vehicle is subject to a recall. Consumers may also check for open recalls by going to Safercar.gov. All safety recall repairs are free at authorized Honda dealers. Consumers in Kentucky can also contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at (502) 696-5389 with any questions about this settlement. In addition to Kentucky, the multistate group includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Source: Kentucky.gov

Speaker Highlights Common Challenges Involved in ADAS Calibration around the vehicle,” Pattengale said. “If you’re a shop and you have a Speaking at August’s Collision In- brand new tire on the right rear, but dustry Conference (CIC), Bob Pat- the other three are at the 70% or 80% tengale, technical systems manager worn level, what’s the decision? Is for Opus Intelligent Vehicle Support, the insurance company going to pay discussed some of the challenges for all four new tires? Or just the collision repairers face in calibrating one? That’s something the industry various advanced driver assistance needs to answer. Technically you systems. should have a matching set of tires.” Using the Honda procedures to calibrate the blind spot monitoring system on a late-model Accord as another example, Pattengale noted proper calibration requires a full tank of gas. Sandbags could be used to simulate the weight of the gas—about 5 lbs. per If sandbags are used to simulate the weight of a full tank gallon—in a vehicle withof gas while calibrating a vehicle’s ADAS, they may need out a full tank, he said, but to placed in particular parts of the vehicle, based on they need to be placed in the where the tank is located portion of the vehicle just above the fuel tank. On the Accord, Pattengale cited as an example that means some weight on both the a vehicle that had one or two tires left and right sides of the vehicle, bedamaged in an accident. cause it has a saddle fuel tank. “Typically we’re looking to “We need to try to be as accumake sure the vehicle has the same rate as we possibly can to mirroring wear patterns on the tires all the way a full tank of fuel,” he said. by John Yoswick

Pattengale, who prior to last year spent more than a dozen years with Bosch, said he realized early on in his current position he needed to think differently about calibrations in a body shop versus a mechanical facility. On one of the first vehicles he calibrated in a body shop, he found the Allen screw used to adjust a radar unit was seized up, a common problem depending on vehicle age and geographical area, he said. “The area in that shop being used for calibrations happened to be in the paint prep area,” Pattengale said. “I’m thinking that since this thing is locked up, I’ll spray a little WD-40 on it. I had to take my mechanical hat off and think about that that spray could definitely create an issue with paint.” In some cases, he said, such ADAS units may need to be replaced because they cannot physically be adjusted. “The physical radar itself is not bad, but the bracket that holds it, or the device that adjusts it, is not functioning or in the proper position,” he said. “That can be an unexpected item [during repairs.]”

66 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 66

9/22/2020 7:27:22 PM

Contact These Dealers For Your Kia Genuine Parts Needs MASSACHUSETTS Kia of Attleboro

South Attleboro 508-761-9300 (508) 761-0768 Fax 8am-8pm Mon, Wed; 8am-5pm Tue, Thu, Fri 8am-4pm Sat frank@courtesyma.com www.courtesyma.com

MARYLAND Bob Bell Kia

Baltimore 800-638-4967 (410) 285-1376 Fax 7am-7pm Mon-Fri 7am-5pm Sat smelson@bobbell.com

NEW JERSEY Liberty Kia

Ramsey 201-818-8995 (201) 783-8848 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Sat parts@libertyhyundai.com

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

New Hampton 888-374-6575 (845) 374-4718 Fax 8am-5pm Mon-Fri 8am-3pm Sat

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 / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 67

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 67

9/22/2020 7:27:23 PM

Liability Exposures on the Rise Globally: AGCS by Ryan Smith, Insurance Business Magazine

Liability exposures for companies around the world are increasing, according to a new report from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS.) Rising litigation, collective redress and large court verdicts, frequent recalls in the automotive and food sectors, civil unrest, environmental concerns and other factors will likely impact businesses and insurers, according to the report, which highlighted five trends for the sector. “Pricing in the liability insurance market may have turned in recent months. However, social inflation trends and large court verdicts continue in the United States,” said Ciara Brady, global head of liability at AGCS. “This, combined with expanded exposures for non-U.S. companies doing business in the U.S. and an increase in automotive part recalls, is putting pressure on liability insurers. “Overlay this with the uncertain economic outlook, political instability and unknown impacts from coronavirus, and this is creating a challenging market for clients, brokers and insurers alike.” Trend 1: Social inflation in the U.S. and the rise of collective redress globally Social inflation is particularly prevalent in the U.S., driven by the emergence of litigation funders, higher jury awards, more liberal workers’ compensation claims and new tort and negligence concepts, AGCS said. The median settlement amount of the top 50 U.S. verdicts from 2014

to 2018 nearly doubled, from $28 million to $54 million. Litigation funding is also on the rise in the UK, Europe and elsewhere, contributing to a growing trend of collective redress as benchmarks for consumers to file class actions are lowered. While AGCS said it was too early to identify a definite trend, court closures due to COVID-19 may slow down social inflation as plaintiffs realize that it may be years before their case is tried and therefore may be willing to settle out of court. Trend 2: Rising automotive repair and recall costs Recent years have seen a growing number of recalls in the auto industry, both in the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S., there were 966 safety recalls affecting more than 50 million vehicles in 2019. In Europe, 2019 saw 475 recalls—the highest single-year figure in the 2010s and an 11% year-over-year spike. In many cases, auto components are produced by one of only a few suppliers that serve the entire industry, which can make it prone to accumulation risks. As a result, recalls have become larger and more expensive over time, AGCS said. Industry losses are also driven by the increasing complexity of technology, which can increase time and labor rates for repairs. Trend 3: Food safety risks and recalls Food recalls are increasing globally, driven by factors like global manufacturing, fewer suppliers in complex supply chains, enhanced regulatory scrutiny, and improved technology that allows better traceability and

Honda, GM Sign MoU General Motors and Honda on Sept. 3 announced they have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding following extensive preliminary discussions toward establishing a North American automotive alliance. The scope of the proposed alliance includes a range of vehicles to be sold under each company’s distinct brands, as well as cooperation in purchasing, research and development, and connected services.

Under the proposed alliance, Honda and GM would collaborate on a variety of segments in North America, intending to share common vehicle platforms, including both electrified and internal combustion propulsion systems that align with the vehicle platforms. Co-development planning discussions will begin immediately, with engineering work beginning in early 2021. Source: Honda, GM

pathogen detection, AGCS said. The COVID-19 pandemic could have a significant impact on food recalls in the future, AGCS said. While dramatically increased hygiene standards could reduce contamination risks, risk exposures could also rise due to temporarily closed and restarted factories, decreased regulatory visits and erratic supply chains. Trend 4: Riots and civil unrest Recent civil unrest in the U.S., Chile, Hong Kong and elsewhere are high-profile examples of the rise of civil unrest globally, AGCS said. “Political violence increasingly causes property damage, disruption and loss of attraction and revenues to many businesses,” AGCS said. “For example, civil disorder in the wake of the death of George Floyd in many U.S. cities is expected to have caused losses of more than $1 billion.” While the COVID-19 outbreak may have temporarily suppressed civil unrest in some countries, AGCS warned that the underlying social is-

sues remain—making it likely that further protests will occur in the near future. Trend 5: Indoor air quality after COVID-19 Two environmental risks are particularly paramount for businesses right now: indoor air quality concerns with legionella and mold growth, and the increasing risk of environmentally driven prosecutions, fines and remedial actions as public awareness of pollution and natural capital depletion grows, AGCS said. Mold and legionella risks have been exacerbated by the pandemic-related shutdown of commercial buildings and hotels; when certain air quality or water installation systems are dormant for a time, they are more susceptible to bacterial contamination. Undetected mold growth can also result from real estate companies delaying planned maintenance or renovation activities, AGCS said. We thank Insurance Business Magazine for reprint permission.

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

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

Rockville

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

rockvilleparts@ourismanautomotive.com

Fairfax

703-385-3994 Joe.wood@brownscar.com www.brownscar.com

www.rockvillemazda.com

68 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 68

9/23/2020 5:01:18 PM

S t.

Commercial Fleet Sales Fall 16.8% in August Commercial fleet sales from nine manufacturers totaled 57,571 in August, representing a 16.8% overall decrease compared to the same time last year, following a 6.3% drop from the previous month. Total fleet sales for the month—which is comprised of commercial, rental and government sales—came in at 101,159, which represented a 51% drop from the same time last year. The declines seen in the rental market continue to contribute to these significant drops, as have a 19.6% drop in commercial truck and SUV sales and a 17.5% decline in government car sales. However, commercial car sales are up 18.7% in August, though sedans represent the smallest segment volume for commercial fleets. This growth reflected the second month of consecutive growth for this segment since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. The rental fleet segment has continued to maintain its low numbers, and saw an overall 83% decline in August, close to the 84.5% drop in July.

Through August, rental fleet car sales fell by a drastic 88.9%, totaling 4,673 units. Truck and SUV segment sales decreased 79.8% at 15,074 units. Combined, rental fleet sales totaled 19,747 for the month of August. Meanwhile, the government fleet continued its overall recovery in August, despite the decline in car sales. There were 2,065 cars sold to government fleets, representing the 17.5% decline. However, this was offset by a 17.7% increase in truck and SUV sales. Combined, truck, SUV and car vehicle sales for government fleets amounted to 23,841 units, which reflected a 13.5% increase. Year-to-date, as of August, overall fleet sales from nine manufacturers total 1,129,531, 44% less on a year-over-year basis, indicating there is still a long road to recovery for 2020. So far car sales are down 59.3% year-to-date and truck and SUV segment sales are down 38% year-to-date, impacted heavily by the declines of the rental market. We thank Auto Rental News for reprint permission.

Think Genuine Subaru Parts.

Intoxicated Tesla Owners Leave Driver’s Seat Empty to Keep Drinking by Loukia Papadopoulos, Interesting Engineering

Social media is all about attention-seeking and very often it goes too far. Such is the case with a bunch of irresponsible guys who decide to continue drinking and singing off-key to Justin Bieber’s 2010 hit “Baby” while letting the Autopilot in their Tesla Model S drive by itself. You might be wondering how we know that this event actually happened. Well, because these smartypants actually posted video evidence of their many crimes, including drunk driving and having open fluid containers in their car, to TikTok. According to The Drive, the singing friends were going down a highway at 65 mph with the driver’s seat completely empty and just Autopilot to guide the speeding car. If you would like to see the video, but don’t want to reward bad behavior with more views, you can watch the clip on TMZ. The media outlets refer to

these dangerous boys as clowns, morons and idiots, and explain how Tesla’s Autopilot is not meant to be used as a designated driver, despite Elon Musk’s attempts at making the software completely autonomous. A Tesla on Autopilot always requires a driver behind the wheel particularly to avoid accidents, which these young men seem to be heading straight for. In fact, even with a driver behind the wheel, Teslas on Autopilot have seen their fair share of crashes that have killed at least four people so far. This is something many followers on Tik Tok pointed out to the video’s poster, blurr.tv, but something he clearly ignored as the clip is still online and gathering ever more likes and views. Needless to say, it is dangerous and irresponsible, to give attention to such behavior that’s why we declined to embed the video here. Here’s hoping more people will not seek to emulate blurr.tv’s actions. We thank Interesting Engineering for reprint permission.

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Cityside Subaru

Subaru of Keene

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

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5 tschube@longauto.com

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

Keene (866) 832-0013 (603) 757-0013 (603) 719-0932 Fax

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30; Sat 7:30-5 ztheodorou@fentonautosales.com NEW JERSEY

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

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5 bseymour@flemington.com www.njparts.com

Mon.-Sat. 7-9 parts@metrowestsubaru.com NEW HAMPSHIRE

Belknap Subaru 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.

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

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

Mon.-Fri. 7:30-6 parts@libertysubaru.com www.libertysubaru.com

Mon., Wed., Fri. 7:30-5 Tue., Thu. 7:30-7; Sat. 9-3 awright@belknapsubaru.com

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 69

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 69

9/22/2020 7:27:24 PM

SEMA Data Co-op Acquires PartsHub

The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) has acquired PartsHub, a comprehensive catalog management solution that will enhance a participating manufacturer’s ability to create and update industry standardized product information, regardless of their product data knowledge or expertise. The SDC is the leading product data service in the specialty equipment aftermarket. Using PartsHub’s expanded product information management (PIM) software, SDC manufacturers will be able to easily organize their data, reach more resellers and sell more products. Integrating PartsHub’s interface with the SDC product information management system makes it easy for manufacturers to organize and update their data for industry resellers. The updated interface also allows possible datasets that can easily be exported in formats that meet reseller needs. Source: SDC

Continued from Page 62

Latest in Lawsuits According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the employee immediately notified the owner of K&L Auto Crushers in Tyler, TX, when she was diagnosed, and told the company the estimated length of her chemotherapy treatment. Shortly after starting chemotherapy, the owner told the employee, who was K&L’s comptroller, the company had secured temporary help and that she should stay home until she was finished with her chemotherapy. The comptroller asked the owner if she could work from home, and later requested a modified work schedule, while she was undergoing chemotherapy, but K&L denied both

Allstate, GEICO Among Large Auto Insurers Facing COVID-19 Rebate Backlash by Autumn Heisler, Risk & Insurance

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many large car insurers realized that their policyholders were not driving to work, school, practices, shops and more as social distancing and shelter-in-place became the norm. In order to reflect this drop in cars on the road, large insurers began to offer rebates to customers. Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Geico, Allstate and more offered some level of premium relief for drivers. However, in some cases, it did not appear to be enough. Several lawsuits have been brought to light in recent weeks alleging certain insurers failed to provide “fair and appropriate” rebates and, instead, unfairly profited from high rates. In Illinois specifically, policyholders have come for Allstate and Geico, as well as Progressive, Travelers and a few others, with six separate lawsuits filed in the last week of July alone. The policyholders are alleging the insurance relief offered during

requests. K&L fired her, but did not tell her she had been terminated until she finished chemotherapy. Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA.) The EEOC, which filed suit after first attempting to reach a settlement with K&L, seeks back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, as well as an order barring K&L from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future. “This comptroller was a hardworking, loyal employee who sought multiple avenues to continue working during her illness and chemotherapy treatment,” said Meaghan Kuelbs, senior trial attorney with the EEOC. “Employers should fairly consider an employee’s accommodation request and deny an accommodation only if it would create an undue hardship.”

FREE 4x Monthly E-Newsletter. Subscribe Today!

AUTOBODY

www.autobodynews.com

the pandemic did not go far enough when accounting for the drop in claims these auto insurers were seeing during the same interval. Statistics show miles driven by Illinois motorists dropped by nearly two-thirds during March and April. To the policyholders, the 15% credit offered by Allstate specifically “falls short of the relief that any fair and reasonable actuarial analysis would require.” Many of the complaints have also compared the auto insurers to their competitor State Farm, which, in April, offered most policyholders a 25% credit. The Illinois-based news source Herald & Review reports, “The suits allege the insurers violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. In addition to Allstate, American Family Insurance, Progressive, Geico, Erie Insurance and The Travelers Company are named as defendants.” At this time, attorneys representing the Illinois consumers are seeking class-action status for the

suits. Some predict thousands of policyholders represented by the named defendants could join each suit before the end of the year. Scorecard: Several large car insurers will have to prepare for incoming suits regarding their rebate response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Takeaway: Across the country, businesses and individuals alike are seeking restitution for lost income during the pandemic. Business interruption and auto lines are just the start. We thank Risk & Insurance for reprint permission.

LIKE US ON

FACEBOOK: Autobody News

P&C Trends in the Age of COVID-19

SafetyNest™ Helps Drivers Stay Insured

Mitchell International, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the property and casualty claims and collision repair industries, on Sept. 15 released its third quarter Industry Trends Report for 2020. The report shares important data-driven trends impacting the property and casualty industry, along with expert insights, opinions and guidance that can help businesses navigate this year’s new environment. Throughout this quarter’s report, Mitchell experts share insights important to the industry, including new vehicle repair trends based on an analysis of diagnostic scanning data, complications introduced by automobiles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), the challenges of the insurance industry workforce’s most experienced adjusters thinking about retirement and the impact of COVID-19 on health care employee workers’ compensation claims. Source: Mitchell

SafetyNest, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created and funded exclusively by Branch Insurance, will be providing financial assistance to drivers who have suffered from reduced income or loss of work due to the pandemic. SafetyNest and Branch Insurance share the belief that by helping more people become insured, insurance can be more affordable for all. It’s with that belief that SafetyNest announces it intends to pay car insurance premiums, now through the end of 2020, up to $250 per approved application, to prevent the possible financial devastation that can result from being uninsured. The program will help those who are facing financial hardship to stay insured and be better protected from life’s uncertainties. Those affected can apply for financial assistance at safetynest. ourbranch.com if they have recently lost a job, are experiencing reduced income, or had their car insurance cancelled Source: SafetyNest

70 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 70

9/23/2020 5:02:46 PM

Finish It Like a Masterpiece with Genuine Parts.

The Dealers Below Are Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts Specialists:

DELAWARE

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW JERSEY

PENNSYLVANIA

Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington Wilmington

Mercedes-Benz of Burlington Burlington

Mercedes-Benz of Atlantic City Egg Harbor Township

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Washington Fort Washington

781-229-1600 617-275-2185 Fax

215-540-0263 Fax

800-800-1949 302-995-5030 302-995-5033 Fax M-F 7:30am - 5pm Sat 8am - 2pm

844-200-MBOB (6262) M-F 7am-7pm Sat 8am-5pm

parts@mbofwilmington.com www.mbofwilmington.com

parts@mbob.com www.mbob.com

MARYLAND

NEW YORK

Mercedes-Benz of Annapolis Annapolis

Mercedes-Benz of Goldens Bridge Goldens Bridge

443-875-0290 443-875-0315 Fax

914-232-5733 Fax

888-801-2369 M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-1pm

rhamilton@mileone.com

914-232-8146 M-F 8am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - 2pm

dkorkatzis@mercedesbenzgb.com

Mercedes-Benz of New Rochelle New Rochelle

800-581-2705 914-206-3797 Fax M-F 8am - 6pm Sat 8am - 5pm

parts@mbnewrochelle.com www.mbnewrochelle.com

609-645-9310 M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 5pm

267-419-1414 M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 5pm

mbpartswholesale@yourmercedes.com

Mercedes-Benz of Newton Newton

Mercedes-Benz of West Chester West Chester

888-302-2369 973-383-1284 Fax

215-540-0263 Fax

800-842-0557 M-F 8am - 5pm

realmercedesparts@mbofnewton.com

Mercedes-Benz of Paramus Paramus

888-30-PARTS 201-265-7808 201-483-2782 Fax

M-Th 7:30am - 7:30pm F 7:30am - 5pm Sat 8am - 5pm parts@prestigemb.com

800-220-7278 M-F 7:30am - 6pm Sat 7:30am - 5pm

mbpartswholesale@yourmercedes.com

RHODE ISLAND

Viti Mercedes-Benz Tiverton

800-544-5580 401-624-6181 401-624-4817 Fax M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 5pm eric@viti.com www.viti.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 71

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 71

9/22/2020 7:27:26 PM

As Hurricane Season Arrives, CARFAX Provides a Flood of Information by Auto Remarketing staff

A musty odor in the interior. Damp carpets. Rust around doors. With the arrival of hurricane season and more waterlogged vehicles showing up around the country, CARFAX is releasing information on various aspects of the situation, such as telltale signs of vehicle flooding.

CARFAX is also highlighting statistics such as the fact that 446,836 flood-damaged cars are on the roads in 2020. That is according to annual CARFAX data, and the company says that number could rise in the wake of Hurricane Laura. CARFAX says Laura damaged as many as 5,000 vehicles.

“This nationwide surge can put unsuspecting buyers at risk,” CARFAX wrote in a news release. The company also released a list of the top 10 states with the most vehicles reported as flood damaged by entities such as departments of motor vehicles and insurance companies. Although Texas leads the nation in flood-damaged cars, vehicles with flood damage show up in states where flooding might not be at the top of car-shoppers’ minds, according to CARFAX research. CARFAX general manager of data Faisal Hasan said car shoppers should do their homework, and Hasan reiterated that “flood-damaged cars surface in every corner of the country.” “Con men can quickly clean up these cars up, move them and then resell them,” Hasan said. “Once a car has been waterlogged, it will never be the same. These cars literally rot from the inside out, and the mechanical, electrical or safety systems can fail at any time.”

California motorist Carole Ross can relate. She was driving her vehicle home from the dealership and owned it for less than two hours before it broke down. “We ran a CARFAX Report while we were on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck, and that’s when we saw the car had been in a flood in Louisiana a few years ago.” To help consumers avoid such situations, CARFAX has released its list of the seven telltale signs of flooding. Those include: • A musty odor in the interior, which sellers sometimes try to cover with a strong air-freshener • Upholstery or carpeting that may be loose, new, stained or doesn’t seem to match the rest of the interior • Damp carpets • Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals or inside the hood and trunk latches • Mud or silt in the glove compartment or under the seats • Brittle wires under the dashboard • Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, exterior lights or instrument panel

CCC AutoClaims Snapshot—August 2020 Overall repairable appraisal counts for the industry were down 14.9% in August 2020 versus August 2019. Severe weather in the Northeast from Hurricane Isaias, significant hail in South Dakota and Minnesota and dangerous derecho event in Iowa and Illinois led to an increase in comprehensive losses in the first half of the month. For example, comprehensive losses in Iowa accounted for 70% of all total loss valuations and 66% of all repairable appraisals. This underscores both the severity of the storms and the fact that non-comprehensive losses overall remain down. Losses from the wildfires in California and Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and Texas also continue to come in. Increases in comprehensive losses overall will help offset the decline in non-comprehensive losses and if September weather is as volatile, could result in claim counts for the year down only about 5%. Excluding comprehensive losses, counts also remained down over 25% year-to-date, although August 2020 non-comprehensive counts were down only 20.5% versus down

24.7% in July 2020. Areas hit hardest by the wave of COVID-19 infections in California and Texas have slowed claim

count recovery in late July and early August, with areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and El Paso still seeing non-compre-

hensive appraisals down between 27% and 30%, while volume in other areas such as NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and others is down between 15% and 20%. Government data from early August reveals interstate miles are still down most among all road types, and this is consistent with data from other sources showing rush hour traffic is still below average in many cities. The primary factor most highly correlated to accident frequency is vehicles per road mile—i.e. how many vehicles on a given road at any given point. This is also typically referred to as “congestion,” which right now in most areas still seems to be below normal. With the number of COVID-19 cases rising again as many return to school, and the approach of normal flu season, many companies plan to keep at least part of their staff remote through the remainder of the year. This will likely mean non-comprehensive may remain down 10% to 15% for full year 2020. Source: CCC

CARFAX offers a free Flood Check tool at carfax.com/flood to help protect consumers. The tool includes a national map showing where flood cars have washed up, and a flood damage checklist consumers can perform. The following states have the most flood-damaged vehicles, and all of them have seen an increase since 2019: Texas: 98,400, +13% Florida: 31,300, +8% Kentucky: 26,400, +6% Pennsylvania: 23,400, +18% North Carolina: 19,300, +3% Illinois: 17,800, +14% New Jersey: 14,500, +15% Louisiana: 14,000, +22% California: 12,400, +10% South Carolina: 12,000, +10% The CARFAX information also included a list of the top 10 cities with flooded cars. Houston, New York, Philadelphia and Miami-Fort Lauderdale lead the way. We thank Auto Remarketing for reprint permission.

ASE Survey Finds Adaptions ASE conducted a comprehensive survey to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the automotive service industry. While 19% of those surveyed have seen an increase in business since the start of the pandemic, 56% reported a decrease. The survey found that 34% of service facilities have reduced business hours, and the effect on technicians has come in the form of reduction of hours (34%), temporary furloughs (14%) and terminations (8%). Results show nearly 70% of those surveyed are using protective equipment, while 63% have implemented social distancing measures and 62% have added supplemental sanitizing measures. More than 65% said they have done some type of selfstudy or enhanced training, while 46% participated in a webinar or online training course.More than 42% of respondents said they have increased their usage of social media somewhat or significantly, with Facebook and YouTube named as the top platforms used. Source: ASE

72 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 72

9/22/2020 7:27:26 PM

Best Practice for Air Conditioning Repair, R&I and Replacement Before starting the A/C process, make sure all technicians are EPA approved with 609 certification https://www.epa.gov/mvac/ section-609-technician-training -and-certification-programs • Determine if vehicle is R12, R134A or R1234YF (possible sublet) • Get proper equipment ready for evacuation • Check for Refrigerant or Evacuate the system at teardown • Print out OEM data on A/C • Note amount of refrigerant removed* on estimate/repair order • Remove receiver drier and seal • Remove A/C condenser and seal if necessary • Seal off all A/C lines • Assemble A/C system using all new “O” rings with correct lubricant • Replace refrigerant • Any additional refrigerant needs to be added to the estimate/repair order • Add PAG oil to system if necessary and charge as necessary (Check

OE for specific oil and warranty) • Hybrids and EV vehicles may need a different oil (check OE data) • Check for leaks • Note temperature at center vent on dash and note on repair order (best practice would be to take a picture • Check A/C equipment for scheduled filtration service * Note—If there is no refrigerant in the system due to the accident, the descant in the receiver drier is compromised and the part should be replaced. Always refer to OEM procedures when an A/C has been opened. Lines Highlighted in red are non-included items

Don’t Miss the Weekly Industry NEWS Your Shop Needs. Sign Up Free Today! www.autobodynews.com

Uber Plans to Have an All-Electric Fleet by 2030 and a Zero-Emissions One by 2040 by Loukia Papadopoulos, Interesting Engineering

COVID-19 was hard on all of us but it did have some positive sides. As the world slowed down nearly to a stop, pollution also faded. This trend caused some changes in people everywhere who became ever more eco-conscious. This has caused a desire for more and more companies to go green. One such company is Uber. Let’s face it, the pandemic could not have been good for the ride-sharing firm. As people sought to avoid others at all costs, they opted to choose locations they could either walk or bike to or took their own cars. Can you think of any time recently where you used an Uber? This could be why Sept. 8, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi released a blog where he spoke of his company going green during the pandemic recovery. “The pandemic has caused many cities to rethink their infrastructure, transforming parking into parks and creating more space for

walkers and cyclists. We’ve had a glimpse of what life could be like with less traffic and cleaner air—in cities built for people, not for cars,” wrote the executive. Khosrowshahi revealed his firm would not be going back to business as usual. Instead, it will seek to reduce its environmental impact. “It’s our responsibility as the largest mobility platform in the world to more aggressively tackle the challenge of climate change. We want to do our part to build back better and drive a green recovery in our cities,” he added. This will be no easy task as Uber has very ambitious plans. The company is committed to developing a fully zero-emission platform by 2040. Uber plans to have 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles by 2040 and 100% of rides take place in electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2030. Can this lofty goal be achieved? Only time will tell. We thank Interesting Engineering for reprint permission.

Best Practice for Pre and Post Scans

THESE DEALERS ARE GENUINE WHOLESALE PARTS SPECIALISTS.

Maine

Downeast Toyota / Scion BREWER

800-432-0220

207-989-4610 Fax M-F 7am-5pm; Sat 7am-4pm partsdepartment@downeasttoyota.com www.downeasttoyota.com

• Discuss diagnostics, scanning and ADAS functions and calibrations with vehicle owner if possible • Make sure that an authorization for repairs has been singed • Move Vehicle to scanning stall • Note vehicle VIN, Miles, RO# and MIL illuminations • Inspect vehicle for ADA components and controls such as cameras, radar sensors, lane departure/blind spot indicators and steering wheel/ dash controls • Print out documented OE procedures for vehicle being scanned • Hook up battery charger to maintain voltage • Hook up scan tool and put vehicle in proper state for scanning • Perform all system DTC scan • Review individual system data values with scan tool related to codes retrieved and/or required data revised such as air bag deployment history steering angle, seat weight, camera or radar angle values • Note 3 case scenarios 1. No accident related codes 2. accident codes 3. Accident related and non accident codes • Research codes and data values

to determine repair options (OE procedures OEM pertinent data • Determine ADAS options (See Airpro Data Retrieval) that will require calibrations with or without DTC”s or Data faults • Blue print vehicle and pay particular attention to the ADAS components • Repair Vehicle back to its preloss condition. On reassembly, check OE data to determine if an assembly needs to be removed for calibration. • Document Initialization, Programing and module set up using procedures from OEM documentation • Perform Post Scan after vehicle assembly and determine New as well as Old DTCs • Clear all possible DTC and correct faults codes that shop equipment will handle and document. Even with all codes that have been cleared, it still may be necessary to send the vehicle for calibration as per OEM ADAS service information • Scenario 1—All codes have cleared and no calibration is necessary, all OEM procedures have

followed and documented, vehicle goes to the next step in the repair process. Scenario 2 vehicle codes have cleared, all OEM procedures have followed and documented, vehicle needs certain system calibrated, vehicle goes to in house calibration center, an outside vendor or OEM dealership. It is highly recommended that another post scan be performed and documented. Scenario 3, vehicle accident codes have not be cleared, an outside vendor is requested and/or vehicle is sent to OEM dealership to clear the codes and perform any calibrations that are required by OEM procedures. Also documentation is essential. Scenario 4, all accident codes have cleared, calibrations performed if necessary, but non accident codes have not been cleared. Customer needs to be notified and a release signed before vehicle is released. • Final step is to determine by the OEM procedures if a road test needs to be performed. Test drive procedures will be outline in the OEM data. A final test drive documentation needs to be filled out and added to the repair order jacket

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 73

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 73

9/22/2020 7:27:27 PM

GM Tells Most Salaried Workers to Stay Home Till Next Summer by Mark Phelan and Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

General Motors salaried workers in the U.S. have been told to plan on continuing to work from home until at least June 30, 2021, according to an internal document provided to the Free Press. “In coming weeks, you will receive instructions from your site leader regarding the process to retrieve personal belongings and any equipment necessary to work remotely,” according to an email signed by GM Global Human Resources Chief Kim Brycz and GM Chief Sustainability Officer Dane Parker. Hundreds of GM salaried employees are already working at factories, tech centers and other facilities, but the vast majority have been working remotely since the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear in March. “Our current outlook is to continue operating as we are today until June 30, 2021,” the memo said, adding GM is working to create “a more flexible work culture” after the

pandemic. The memo concluded with a reminder for all employees to practice good safety protocols: “Wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, physically distance whenever possible and get a flu shot when they become available this fall.” GM had been considering bringing some employees back later this year. The revised schedule is the latest sign U.S. business leaders think we’re a long way from having the pandemic under control with treatments or a widely available vaccine. “Every company is struggling with when and how to bring employees back into corporate offices, particularly since mass availability of a vaccine remains months away,” Cox Automotive Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs said. “Configuration of workplaces and common areas, like the cafeteria and restrooms, have to be contemplated. Ventilation is a consideration. “Getting people to and from

their offices using elevators is a conundrum. Sure, you can try to limit the number of people in an elevator, but then how do you manage people gathering to wait for the elevator.” Separately, employees at Wards Communications cleared out their offices in Southfield, MI, this week at the company that has covered the auto industry for nearly a century. Ward’s employees will work remotely, using a portion of their previous workspace for supplies, occasional meetings and a video studio. “Employers have discovered that their workforce has been surprisingly productive working from home, albeit not ideal especially for parents with children being schooled at home,” Krebs said. “And no company—like schools and colleges— wants to get people back into the office only to suffer a virus outbreak and send everyone home.” We thank the Detroit Free Press for reprint permission.

ProColor Collision to Enter U.S. Market Mondofix (Fix Network World) has announced plans to launch the ProColor Collision brand in the U.S. “There is tremendous potential for the continued growth of the automotive aftermarket space in the United States, in particular the collision business,” said Steve Leal, president and CEO of Fix Network World. “We look forward to growing the ProColor Collision brand by directly pursuing aggressive new strategies that leverage our global track record and benefit industry partners and customers in the U.S.” Fix Network World acquired ProColor Collision in September 2019 with a vision to expand the valuable brand outside Quebec. The first ProColor Collision location in Ontario, Canada, opened in July of this year, with another 14 locations expected to launch across Canada by December. In the U.S., ProColor Collision will initially focus on building its network in California, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Source: ProColor Collision

AUTOBODY MARKETPLACE

The Secrets of America’s Is noblwe for aila Greatest Body Shops avpurchase!

When all you need to do is move a vehicle, use:

by: Dave Luehr and Stacey Phillips

The Book That Will Challenge Everything You Know About the Collision Repair Business.

> EASY TO USE <

SAVES YOU TIME AND MONEY

Order your copy today and join the Body Shop Secrets community!

Go to www.forkliftwrecker.com and watch our video.

www.bodyshopsecrets.com

877.593.6959

Waterborne Wax and Grease Remover SINCE 1985

R CKE

R C Y L PO

Available from YOUR local Jobber or CALL: 973.335.2828 FAX: 973.402.7222 polycracker@netscape.com

For more information, contact the authors at info@bodyshopsecrets.com

Looking for Good Collision Personnel? •1,262 Collision Techs resumes online •1,295 Painters resumes online •1,177 Estimators & Mgs resumes online •11,256 Mechanical Tech resumes online www.actautostaffing.com or 727-733-5600

FREE 4x Monthly E-Newsletter. Subscribe Today! AUTOBODY

www.autobodynews.com

Advertise In Our CLASSIFIED SECTION For $50 Per Column Inch! Place an ad in our

AUTOBODY MARKETPLACE section of Autobody News.

800-699-8251

ltedesco@autobodynews.com

74 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 74

9/22/2020 7:27:29 PM

From helpful direction to assistance with your next order of Genuine Volkswagen Collision Parts, our team is well read on ways to make your job easier.

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

Open Road Volkswagen of Bridgewater Bridgewater

908-685-1068

Fax: 845-224-3686 M-F 7:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-5pm billsantoro@thepremiercollection.com

Platinum Volkswagen Hicksville

516-822-4800 Fax: 516-822-4831 M-F 7:30am-5:30pm parts@platinumvw.com www.platinumvw.com

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

PENNSYLVANIA

Paul Miller Volkswagen Bernardsville

Volkswagen of Newtown Square Edgmont

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

484-427-2100 Fax: 610-441-7597 M-F 7:30am-5pm www.lovevwautos.com wholesaleparts@lovevwautos.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. ©2020 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS 75

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 75

9/22/2020 7:27:29 PM

No Money Down & No Payments For 6 Months*

ITALIA ALTO

The perfect paint booth for commercial vans

Insulated Dual Skin Construction

SmartPad Digital PLC Controls With EnergySmart*

EZ-Clip Ceiling Filters

Smooth Glide Hinges

Vertical Light Fixtures Full Lower Lights on Every Wall

Free LED Light Upgrade

Includes: (2) 10 HP VFD’s Digital PLC control panel “Standby” Economy mode Full lower lighting package (every wall)

(2) 10HP VFD Package

12’

EvenFloTM Downdraft Balancing System

(2) 14,000 CFM Direct Drive Turbines

Superior Ceiling Filtration

*Automatically drops to idle when no spraying is detected

Choose Your Exterior Color Accudraft Blu™

Finishing Systems

Ultra White™

Furia™

Grigio™

SAIMA of North America Inc. | Randolph, New Jersey 07869 | (800) 524-0340 info@accudraftpaintbooths.com | www.accidraftpaintbooth.com

76 OCTOBER 2020 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Northeast_Issue_1020.indd 76

9/22/2020 7:27:29 PM