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Vol. 37 / Issue 10 / October 2019

Solving the Tech Shortage: Steps to Finding Qualified Employees

Best Body Shops’ Tips: A Roadmap to Repair Planning

by Stacey Phillips

You may be surprised to learn that many body shops create a “repair plan” at the end of the repair when everything has been documented and the final bill is created, according to Tim Ronak, senior services consultant at AkzoNobel. Rather than a repair plan, he said this is more like an invoice that includes all of the labor, parts and materials needed to put the vehicle back to pre-accident condition. “The objective of repair planning is to accomplish this before beginning the repair, not after,” said Ronak. “The goal is to eliminate any production delays from missed parts and labor procedures by identifying them up front.” Over the years, Ronak has worked closely with body shops to

From coast to coast, collision repairers are talking about the talent pool shortage facing the industry and what can be done to address what some are calling an impending crisis. As vehicles are becoming more difficult to repair due to the increasing amount of technology being used, shop owners and leaders are recognizing the risks associated with not having qualified technicians on staff. During a recent Elite Body Shop Academy webinar, host Dave Luehr explored the issue in-depth with Erick

(l to r) Justin Stokes, the first graduate of the protype program, pictured with his trainer, Zach Serhal. Credit: Collision Career Institute

Bickett, co-founder of Fix Auto USA, founder of the Collision Industry See Tech Shortage, Page 12

Gerber Collision & Glass Acquires Two Collision Shops Located in AL The Boyd Group Inc. (the “Boyd Group”) announced on Tuesday, Aug. 20, the acquisition of two collision repair centers in Alabama. These locations previously operated as Auto Collision Experts, originating with the Moody, AL, location in 2013. The Anniston, AL, location was added in 2018. Moody is one of the fastestgrowing cities in Alabama and is located 22 miles east of Birmingham and 9 miles east of Gerber’s recently opened Trussville (Alabama) location. Anniston is located approximately 65 miles east

of Birmingham and is home to the Anniston Army Depot, a major United States military facility that produces and repairs ground combat vehicles. “We look forward to providing the same high-quality service that these customers and insurance partners have come to expect in this region,” said Tim O’Day, president and COO of the Boyd Group. “These acquisitions reinforce our brand in this area and the Annison location helps fill a gap between our repair centers in Birmingham and Atlanta.”

by Stacey Phillips

assess the effectiveness of their repair planning process. He recently spoke to a group of body shops in Honolulu, Hawaii, about the recommended steps to effectively create and implement a thorough repair plan.

(back row) Rose Graham, Honda Windward, and James Carlos, Oka’s Auto Body. (front row) Larry Soto, Honda Windward.

“A shop will never complete the job efficiently unless repair planning is done correctly and an accurate See Repair Planning, Page 18

ADAS Calibrations Latest Challenge Facing Collision Repairers by John Yoswick

A presentation at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), held in Indianapolis, highlighted some of the complexities the collision repair industry is facing in both “static”

Jack Rozint of Mitchell International said the test drive requirements for some system calibrations has led shops in some urban areas to do them at dawn when there’s less traffic congestion. Credit: John Yoswick

and “dynamic” calibrations of some advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Jack Rozint of Mitchell International and chairman of CIC’s “Emerging Technologies Committee,” said dynamic calibrations can require test driving the vehicle while connected to either an OEM scan tool or a specialized aftermarket scan tool. “Basically, only [an OEM tool or] the very best of the aftermarket scan tools are capable of doing these routines,” Rozint said. The calibrations may require that the vehicle maintains a certain speed for a set period. Road requirements can include a clear sideline and center line on a straight road in the daylight. To meet these requirements, Rozint said, some shops in urban areas are conducting dynamic See ADAS Calibrations, Page 22

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OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

CONTENTS of Ransomware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

A Year After Hail Storm, Greely, CO, Shops Are Still Repairing Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ASA North Texas Provides Training on Pre- and Post-Repair Scans . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Car Buying Service Launched by Bob Howard Auto Group in Oklahoma City. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chapman Automotive in Phoenix Agrees to Sponsorship With Pima Athletics . . . . . . . 20 Police Seek Cadillac Ranch, TX, Arson Suspect. . 6 Scam Could Leave Texas Drivers Without the Coverage They Paid For. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tate’s Auto Group Sued for Dealership Debts in Low Show, AZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Texas Couple Enters Collision Repair Industry by Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Texas Watch Requests TDI’s Public Records on “Prevailing Rate” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 YANG’s Houston Meet-Up Allows Professionals to Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

NATIONAL 1Collision Adds Health & Benefits Program . . . 23 ADAS Calibrations Latest Challenge Facing Collision Repairers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Anderson - What’s the Cost of a Comeback? . . 48 Attanasio - Pasta, Pizza and La Pigna— a Body Shop Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Attanasio - Yelp Experts Yelp Back About Billion Dollar Bully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Chess - Kool Tools: Pre-SEMA 2019 . . . . . . . . 30 Ledoux - Shop Profile – Diversified Body and Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Ledoux - The 1980s – Keeping up With Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Sisk - 180BIZ Webinar Focuses on Making Change Stick in Collision Repair Shops . . . . 42 Sisk - Protect Your Shop From the Threat

hance their core business. The 2019 SEMA Show is going to be an event you don’t want to miss. This year, 2,400 exhibiting companies, including veteran manufacturers, will be displaying their latest and most innovative new products. Stop by and visit our booth to let us know what’s going on in your area and what we can do to focus attention on issues important to your shop. That’s our job but we need your input to do it.

Associations Endorse OEM Procedures as Standard of Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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Autobody News to Exhibit at SEMA 2019. . . . . . 3 Best Body Shops’ Tips: A Roadmap to Repair Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2019 SEMA Show . . . . 62 CIF Launches “Campaign of Caring” . . . . . . . . 56 CREF Partners With MCRA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Doan Group Renews Commitment to CIECA . . 24 Electric Buses Plugging Into School Districts . . 60 Ford Fuel Economy Lawsuit Says MPG Ratings False . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Gerber Collision & Glass Acquires Two Collision Shops Located in AL . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 GM Names New Chief of Global Marketing . . . 58

COLUMNISTS

Autobody News is excited to announce that we will again be participating in the 2019 SEMA Show. The SEMA Show takes place Nov. 5–8, 2019, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, located at 3150 Paradise Road. The Autobody News booth will be #10749 in North Hall, in the Collision Repair & Refinish section. The SEMA Show offers collision repair specialists new products, technology, and innovation to en-

GM Vacuum Pump Recall Issued for 3.4 Million Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 NABC Hosts NJ Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Open Letter on NH Veto of “Failing to Pay” Bill. . 40 SCRS Announces 2019 Showcase Lineup . . . . 58 Solving the Tech Shortage: Steps to Finding Qualified Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Tesla Semi is Exceeding Range Estimates Notes CHP in Recent Sighting . . . . . . . . . . . 62 University Survey Says Most Americans Would Rather Drive Themselves . . . . . . . . . . 4 UPS Has Been Secretly Delivering Mail in Self-Driving Trucks in AZ Since May, 2019 . . . 4

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

REGIONAL

Autobody News to Exhibit at SEMA 2019

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, Kelly Hall (800) 699-8251 Office Manager: Louise Tedesco Digital Marketing Manager: Bill Pierce Art Director: Rodolfo Garcia Graphic Designer: Vicki Sitarz Online and Web Content Editor: Alexis Wilson Accounting Manager: Heather Priddy Editorial/Sales Assistant: Randi Scholtes Office Assistant: Dianne Pray

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah 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. ©2019 Adamantine Media LLC.

Accuvision-3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Fowler Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

AkzoNobel Coatings, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . 52

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists, LLC . . . . . 28

GYS Welding USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Audi South Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . 59 AutoNation Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram

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

Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . . . 48

of North Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Island Clean Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

AutoNation Collision Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . . 57

Big Mike Naughton Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Launch Tech USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Blowtherm USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Malco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . 60

Martin Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Bob Howard PDC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Mercedes-Benz of Littleton . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Car-O-Liner Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . 56

Car-Part.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 46

Certified Automotive Parts Association . . . 24

MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . 37

Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

North Freeway Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Christopher’s Dodge World . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Part of the Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Classic BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Peak Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

ProLine Tool & Supply, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Covert-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram. . . . . . 16

Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Dallas Dodge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 29

Dent Fix Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Schmelz Countryside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Diamond Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center . . . . . . . 10-11

Dominion Sure Seal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes . . 15

Dynabrade, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sorbothane Soft-Blow Mallet . . . . . . . . . . 14

Eckler’s Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

South Pointe Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . . 22

ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Emich Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Stevinson Toyota West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Emich Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . 61

Equalizer Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Toyota of Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Finnegan Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . . . . . . 2

Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . 50

Fisher Acura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

USI of North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Fisher Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . . 56

Flatirons Subaru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 39

Wedge Clamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . 53

Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

University Survey Says Most Americans Would Rather Drive Themselves Than Have an Autonomous Vehicle Drive, Attitudes Reflect Perceived Cost and Time by University of Washington Media

Many Americans use a ride-hailing service—like Uber or Lyft—to get to and from work. It provides the privacy of riding in a personal car and the convenience of catching up on emails or social media during traffic jams. In the future, self-driving vehicles could provide the same service, except without a human driver. But would consumers be willing to ride in a driverless car? Researchers at the University of Washington studied how Americans’ perceived cost of commute time changes depending on who’s driving. Through a survey, the team found that people considered a ride-hailing service at least 13% “less expensive,” in terms of time, compared to driving themselves. If the researchers told people the ride-hailing service was driverless, however, then the cost of travel time increased to 15% more than driving a personal car, suggesting that at least for now, people would rather drive themselves than have an autonomous vehicle drive them. The team published its results Aug. 6 in the journal Transportation. “The idea here is that ‘time is money,’ so the overall cost of driving includes both the direct financial costs and the monetary equivalent of time spent traveling,” said senior author Don MacKenzie, a UW associate professor of civil and environmental engineering who also leads the leads the UW’s Sustainable Transportation Lab. “The average person in our sample

would find riding in a driverless car to be more burdensome than driving themselves. This highlights the risks of making forecasts based on how people say they would respond to driverless cars today.” The team set up a survey that asked people across the continental U.S. to select between a personal car or a ride-hailing service for a 15-mile commute trip. Half the 502 respondents were told that the ride-hailing service was driverless. The researchers converted the responses to a score of how much respondents deemed that trip would cost per hour. “If someone values their trip time at $15 per hour, that means they dislike an hour spent traveling as much as they dislike giving up $15,” said co-author Andisheh Ranjbari, a research engineer at the UW’s Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center. “So a lower number means that the time spent traveling for that trip is less burdensome.” On average, respondents preferred a ride-hailing service over driving themselves: Ride-hailing services scored at $21 an hour and driving scored $25 an hour. In addition, if the researchers reminded respondents they could multitask during a ridehailing service ride, their perceived cost of travel time decreased even more to $13 per hour. Technically a ride-hailing service should be equally as convenient regardless of whether a human or an autonomous car is driving, but re-

spondents disagreed. Driverless ridehailing services scored at $28 an hour. These results make sense, according to the team. Driverless cars aren’t commercially available yet, so people are not familiar with them or may be leery of the technology. “We believe that our respondents are telling us that if they were riding in an automated vehicle today, they would be sufficiently stressed out by the experience that it would be worse than driving themselves,” MacKenzie said. “This is a reminder that automated vehicles will need to offer benefits to consumers before people will adopt them. To a first approximation, a ride-hailing service with driverless cars would need to offer services at a price at least $7 per hour less than human-driven cars, to make the driverless service more attractive.”

Abstract from the Research It is widely believed that vehicle automation will change how travelers perceive the value of travel time (VoTT), but the magnitude of this effect is still unknown. This study investigates how highly automated vehicles (AVs) may affect VoTT, using an existing mode—ridehailing services (RHS)—as an analogy for AVs. Both AVs and RHS relieve travelers from the effort of driving and allow them to participate in other activities while traveling. In a stated choice experiment, respondents chose between driving a personal vehicle or taking an RHS, with each mode characterized

by a cost and travel time. Analysis results using a mixed logit model indicated that the VoTT was 13% lower when being driven in an RHS than when driving a personal car. We also told half the respondents (randomly selected) that the RHS was driverless; and for half (also randomly selected) we explicitly mentioned the ability to multitask while traveling in an RHS. Mentioning multitasking explicitly led to a much lower VoTT, approximately half that of driving oneself. However, the VoTT in a driverless RHS was 15% higher than when driving a personal car, which may reflect a lack of familiarity and comfort with driverless technology at present. These results suggest sizable reductions in VoTT for travel in future AVs, and point to the need for caution in making forecasts based on consumers’ current perceptions of AV technology. This paper is an extension of a conference paper with the same title presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, DC, USA in January 2019.

Author contribution Study conception and design: D. MacKenzie, A. Ranjbari, J. Gao; Data collection: J. Gao; Analysis and interpretation of results: J. Gao, A. Ranjbari, D. MacKenzie; Draft manuscript preparation: J. Gao, A. Ranjbari. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

UPS Has Been Secretly Delivering Mail in Self-Driving Trucks in AZ Since May, 2019 by Chris Young, Interesting Engineering

UPS has been delivering a new kind of automated mail—and it’s not via email. The parcel delivery company has revealed a collaboration with TuSimple. In a statement, they said that, since May, the autonomous truck company has been carrying UPS cargo on a 115-mile route between Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. The Future of Mail Delivery? This Thursday, Aug. 15, UPS Ventures announced that it has taken a 4

minority stake in TuSimple, the selfdriving truck technology company. In the statement, UPS said: “Throughout the ongoing tests, UPS has been providing truckloads of goods for TuSimple to carry on a North American Freight Forwarding route between Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. “The company initiated self-driving service in May 2019, with a driver and engineer in the vehicle.” UPS and TuSimple have both been monitoring safety data and transport times, the statement says.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Cutting Shipping Costs As per Gizmodo, TuSpimple claims it can cut average costs of shipping in a tractor-trailer by up to 30 percent. UPS Ventures Managing Partner Todd Lewis said, “UPS Ventures collaborates with startups to explore new technologies and tailor them to help meet our specific needs.” “UPS is committed to developing and deploying technologies that enable us to operate our global logistics network more efficiently,” stated UPS Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Scott Price.

“While fully autonomous, driverless vehicles still have development and regulatory work ahead, we are excited by the advances in braking and other technologies that companies like TuSimple are mastering.” As the Verge reports, TuSimple’s self-driving technology is built in-house and then implemented into Navistar trucks. The tech uses nine cameras and two LIDAR sensors to allow its vehicles to drive autonomously on the road. We thank Interesting Engineering for reprint permission.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Tate’s in Show Low, AZ, Berry, and Others, Sued for Dealership Debts by RT Lynch, White Mountain Independent

It’s fair to say that Tate’s Auto Group in Show Low, AZ, is finished. The legal jeopardy entangling the four companies the public has come to know as the Tate dealerships has now ensnared Linda Tate and her son, Richard Berry and his wife, Amy, as individuals. In March 2019, Tate Ford-Lincoln Mercury, Inc., Tate’s Auto Center of Gallup, Inc., Tate’s Automotive, Inc. and Tate’s Auto Center of Winslow, Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection seeking to reorganize its debts in a combined Chapter 11 proceeding in Tucson, AZ, Bankruptcy Court. The filing came just weeks after the companies and others were sued in the Navajo County Superior Court by Ford Motor Credit Company, LLC, for about $22 million. The Ford suit was the latest in a series of Tate’s legal troubles — a total of three lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission in July 2018, sued the companies and Berry alleging they had, since at least 2014, falsified financing applications submitted by customers, falsified down payment information and “dis-

Police Seek Cadillac Ranch Arson Suspect

seminated deceptive advertisements,” according to the FTC complaint. The bankruptcy case stopped, or “stayed” all the lawsuits — the idea is to allow a struggling enterprise to reorganize its affairs and become profitable again. Berry was in charge of the companies through the reorganization.

Rick Berry, former co-owner and general manager of Tate's Auto Group. Credit: Terence Corrigan/White Mountain Independent

But the reorganization never happened. In July, Bankruptcy Judge Brenda Whinery converted the cases from a re-organization to a liquidation noting the lack of transparency, the failure to file required monthly reports with the court, and the lack of “leadership at the helm” of the reorganization. The final report of the Chapter 11 trustee says that the companies’ “balances turned over to

the Trustee” was around $891,000. From that, accountants, appraisers, the debtors’ lawyers, the trustee and his lawyers, and other administrative expenses will be paid first; if there is anything left it will go to various classes of creditors in an order set by law. All the debts that are not paid will be “discharged,” or go away. Not so for the debts of Linda Tate and Richard Berry to Ford. In a new twist in the Tate’s saga, an amended complaint was allowed by the Navajo County Court in August. The first time around, Ford Motor Credit made claims — amounting to some $20 million — against the individuals based on their personally guaranteeing the debts of the Tate companies. That includes the mortgages on the land and buildings the Tate dealerships in Arizona operated out of. Ford foreclosed on those properties through a deed of trust sale on July 17. Many of the cars one sees at a dealership come from the manufacturer, in this case, say, Ford Motor Company. The dealership buys them with money advanced by Ford Credit and gives a lien to Ford Credit for

each vehicle, and the dealership pays off the lien as each vehicle is sold. It’s called a trust agreement, because some of the money the customer pays the dealership is held in trust, to pay off the loan to Ford Credit. But at least 97 times, the suit alleges, Tate dealerships sold vehicles “out of trust,” as it’s called, and didn’t pay Ford Credit for liens Ford did, or should have had on them. Not only that, it is alleged that Tate dealerships also gave liens to other lenders, like Nissan Motors Acceptance Corporation, on the same vehicles they had given Ford liens on. This so-called “double financing” practice, says the suit, was, upon Ford’s information and belief, “authorized, directed, or caused” by Mr. Berry and that Berry also “failed to exercise reasonable care” regarding the Tate dealerships’ representations to Ford Credit that certain information about the vehicles in question, called a certificate of origin, was false. Richard and Amy Berry have both denied the allegations. No trial date has yet been set. We thank the White Mountain Independent for reprint permission.

FOWLER HONDA

by Staff, KFDA News

Authorities are asking for your help to find out what happened to one of the Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. According to officials, one vehicle was set on fire Saturday, Sept. 7. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. If you have any information, please call the Potter County Sheriff’s Office at (806) 379-2900 or Amarillo Crime Stoppers at (806) 374-4400. We thank KFDA News for reprint permission.

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ASA North Texas Provides Training on Pre- and Post-Repair Scans by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Aug. 15, ASA North Texas held a meeting, sponsored by DRiV Inc. Guest speaker Paul Stinson of North Texas Pro Solutions spoke about preand post-repair scans during the collision repair process. According to meeting coordinator John Firm, “The event went well. We had one new member and the ASA-Texas board present. We held the meeting to make members aware of changes in our industry and to provide an update from our sponsor about their recent changes.” ASA North Texas Secretary Rod Burtch added, “The meeting went as planned, and we had a great showing of membership. There were lots of questions about the change from Tenneco to DRiV Inc., but the meeting also provided a great opportunity for attendees to network with other shops, meeting sponsors and their employees.” Stinson’s presentation on preand post-repair scans was incredibly educational. Stinson recounted, “I addressed the topic of pre- and postscans for our body shop owners that were present, and I explained to our mechanical shops that cars involved in collisions may have stored trouble

codes and how the requirement to have parts calibrated once installed will impact our shops. I also explained that many new cars and trucks have various driver assistance features that will have to calibrate if removed and reinstalled, such as mirrors, windshields and mirrors. There was great participation from members.”

Stinson added, “Our goal at all our events is to inform our members of changes in our industry that will affect their business today and in the future. We also allow our sponsors to inform us of their product lines and any changes that may affect us. We know that networking with other shops and their employees, as well as meeting sponsors, such as parts suppliers, parts manufacturers and other services, help strengthen our understanding of trends and help us to adapt to changes that are coming to our industry.” ASA North Texas Marketing

Car Buying Service Launched by Bob Howard Auto Group in Oklahoma City Fans of online car buying sites can now shop online from one of Oklahoma City’s most trusted name in auto dealers. Fans of online car buying services like Carvana and Carphoria will be excited to learn that Oklahoma City’s very own Bob Howard Auto Group is now dealing online with its new AcceleRide service. This tool is now available on each of the Bob Howard Auto Group websites, and allows car buyers to shop and order cars online from the convenience of their own mobile device or desktop. To find more information about Bob Howard Auto Group’s new online car buying service, AcceleRide, visit: https://www.bobhoward.com/acceleride/. The Bob Howard Auto Group has been serving residents of Oklahoma City for over 40 years, and includes nine dealerships and two collision centers in the greater OKC area. AcceleRide is the new digital retailing arm of Group 1 Automotive, and is available directly 8

through the Bob Howard Auto Group and its local dealership websites. “We’re focused on making the complete online car buying experience convenient, interactive and even more accessible for customers.

The new AcceleRide process is currently live at 79 dealerships and will be available at all 116 Group 1 U.S. dealerships by the end of the summer,” said Group 1 President, Daryl Kenningham. Obtained via newswire.net.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Manager Jeffrey Buckley noted, “Sharing from the auto body market, it’s not always easy to get insurance companies to pay for these services. As it applies to the mechanical division, it’s important to add this service to our scope of services. With the onset of ADAS systems, it’s important to do a total scan of a vehicle. We must know what systems have problems before working on a vehicle. Many systems are connected and again, the entire system needs to be scanned after a repair. Some systems that in the past were removed and replaced must now be calibrated. Exposure to liability must be considered. As we educate our customers, the opportunity to increase revenue exists. It was great to add another connection to be able to call upon.” Representatives from Garage Gurus were also in attendance to share information about the Federal-Mogul and Tenneco merger. They discussed the different training opportunities at their mobile and training facilities. Buckley said, “The goal of the ASA North Texas Chapter’s monthly meetings is to offer relevant training and information. Each meeting allows time for fellowship and networking.

This provides an opportunity to discuss various issues that each individual shop may be dealing with. Cooperation and sharing knowledge encourages all member shops to improve at all levels.” Stinson added, “Being able to bring in industry specialists to discuss topics like ‘employee retention,’ ‘customer retention,’ and ‘pre-scan and post-scan solutions’ brings value to our members. In addition, getting to know our vendors allows a better relationship with all of them.” For Buckley, “The goal of a great meeting is obtained any time we learn at least one new thing. Whenever shops can cooperate to benefit the industry it’s a win! As we invite other shops, we become more inclusive instead of exclusive. Everyone in our industry can help improve our industry. We just have to find ways to share our gifts and be open to opportunities. Our association is the starting point.” ASA North Texas is actively looking for members who are interested in joining the chapter board and who are interested in getting more involved in the association. For more information, visit asantx.com.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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Continued from Cover

Tech Shortage

Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) and founder of the Collision Career Institute (CCI), and Amber Ritter, CCI’s chief operations officer. Luehr, owner of Elite Body Shop Solutions and the chairman of the Collision Industry Conference’s Talent Pool Committee, asked Bickett and Ritter to share the reasons behind the shortage, what the barriers are to solve it, and how shops can work with schools to attract more talent through apprenticeship programs. Available talent has been in decline for decades, Luehr pointed out. Now, with aging baby boomers retiring, the technician shortage is becoming a critical problem for businesses across the country. According to statistics from the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), the average age of a technician in 1995 was 35 years old. Today, it is over 40 years old. “As this trend continues, and the baby boomers retire, we really need to get to work on this and do some-

thing about this challenge,” said Bickett. However, there are certain barriers to address before solving the dilemma. Some of these, according to Ritter, include a lack of cohesion in the industry, the absence of business culture and little structured training. Bickett said many shop owners joined the industry as a result of working in a family business or helping a friend. As a result, structured

Bickett said the focus is typically on short-term goals and getting the job done rather than setting up programs to encourage new talent to join the business. Often, shop owners turn to hiring employees from competitors. “That has resulted in a lot of issues and challenges for us,” commented Bickett. Through his experience over the years sitting on advisory boards of local institutions and trying to help

training wasn’t often part of the learning process. “This is an industry that didn’t learn from being trained with any kind of formality,” said Bickett. “Many of us didn’t plan on being in this industry and somehow we fell into it and have become passionate about it.” As independent entrepreneurs,

support their needs, Bickett has found there is no demand for the “product” – students. “As crazy as that sounds, there are very few collision shops that reach out to schools and get actively involved and hire students,” said Bickett. “This problem is not going to go away. It’s going to get worse.” He said shop owners and lead-

We don’t think there is a shortage of candidates... We actually have a shortage of collision shops that are willing to engage with them.” — Erick Bickett

ers need to make a commitment to take action. This requires discipline, planning and an investment in time, resources and capital. “Once you have demand, you have more students; once you have more students, you get more funding,” said Bickett. Therefore, consistent industry support is going to be crucial to help make a change. Bickett founded CCI in 2016 to help bridge the gap between CareerTechnology Education (CTE) programs and industry jobs. Through the work he is doing with CCI, Bickett has observed that trades with a union involved usually have flourishing apprenticeship programs in place. The CCI is following this example and setting up apprenticeship programs for the collision repair industry. Over the past three years, the institute has been prototyping an apprenticeship on-the-job training program. Trainees, trainers and body shops are first put through an extensive series of assessments. Then, intensive training programs are put into place and CCI matches qualified candidates with participating shops.

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“Apprenticeship programs work because there is commitment and requirement, but it’s on the industry to solve this problem,” he said. Often, students haven’t experienced the same type of demands that occur in a production environment. Ritter said the challenge is to find a way for new talent to enter a production environment and learn. “It’s almost like you have to relearn each of those skills in a live production environment working with all of the additional demands that a body shop has,” said Ritter. Bickett and Ritter have found that apprenticeship programs are helping to bridge that gap. “We don’t think there is a shortage of candidates,” said Bickett. “We actually have a shortage of collision shops that are willing to engage with them.” One of the key strategies that Bickett said CCI focuses on in its business model is ensuring a trainee isn’t washing cars and running errands. Instead, the collision student is integrated into the production environment. “A lot of times, we hire them and

hand them a broom and show them the lot instead of showing them their opportunities,” said Bickett. “When you make that commitment, the natural outcome is you start to develop a learning environment.”

Alison Enoka, a recent graduate of the Collision Career Institute Estimator Track. Credit: Collision Career Institute

Students then have a clear pathway and know the steps they need to take to be successful. “A lot of times, this helps motivate them to keep moving forward,” said Ritter. However, Ritter said it’s not always easy. “You are going to have successes,

and you are going to have failures,” she said. “It’s ok to try apprenticeship with someone and have them not make it. That doesn’t ruin the whole process. It just means you have to start over.” She said the ones who make it through are going to be the “cream of the crop.” 7 Ways to Take Action Take Personal Responsibility: With recent statistics showing there are more Millennials than baby boomers, Luehr said it’s becoming increasingly important to build shops and environments they are going to want to come to work for. Bickett said you can’t just put an ad on Indeed.com and expect to find someone who is qualified, and has the aptitude, attitude and learning ability to complete the job. “It’s a great industry and a great career,” said Bickett. “It’s just a matter of us being able to articulate and demonstrate that.” Build a Learning Culture: Bickett recommends creating a system that incorporates training and becomes part of the shop’s culture. “You just

get started; sit down, write a plan and follow the plan,” he advised. When devising a plan, determining the retention rate can be beneficial. “If you have a high turnover rate, address that before you start bringing in new employees and training and developing them,” said Ritter. Make Training a Priority: Bickett said recognition is a huge part of this. One suggestion is to establish a different class of technician; for example, Triple-A Tech or Double-A Tech (AAA Tech and AA Tech). By elevating an employee’s role at the company, Bickett has noticed other workers also strive toward this goal to improve their careers. Connect With Schools: Reaching out to local schools and working alongside instructors can aid students in working toward a career path. This allows shops to share what skills are needed to be successful so students can focus on those priorities in their coursework. “I think there are plenty of the next generation who can benefit greatly from the opportunities in our industry,” said Bickett. “I think we See Tech Shortage, Page 36

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Texas Couple Enters Collision Repair Industry by Default by Ed Attanasio

Recently, a post on a Facebook page from Tiffany Reyes in Houston received major attention from the collision repair industry. “My husband and I opened our body shop last month and since day one... every person that has walked into my office has said, ‘This is a rough business to be in. You sure you can handle it?’ We’ve heard from tow truck drivers, the shop workers. Yes. Yes, I can handle it. But, I’m not sure the industry is ready for me. Feeling determined at Lone Star Auto Collision Plus.” Many industry leaders weighed in with congratulations and support, while others made comments such as “are you hiring?”; “just run it like a real business… “ One sales representative used the opportunity to pitch his products. To the naked eye, it looked like a husband and wife team opening a new small shop, which is fairly rare in an industry where many shop owners are either retiring and, or selling their businesses to large collision chains. But, once I dug a little deeper into the story behind Lone Star Auto Collision Plus, I realized it had all of the qualities of a whodunnit mystery novel or a show like CSI, except it was real. It all began when Reyes’ husband, Augustine, was approached by a friend (who we will call “David” here), who eventually described his plans for opening a body shop in the Houston area. At first, David was asking to borrow some of Reyes’ tools, and the conversation evolved from there. David said he needed a $50,000 cash infusion to get his business to the next level, so he asked if he knew anyone who could loan him the money? After looking at this fledgling shop, the Reyes decided to give David the loan and, ironically, Tiffany got into an accident during the same time. She was the last person in a three-car pileup that caused some significant damage to the bumper of her 2016 Mercedes ML 550, so she took it to Lone Star for the repair. The other two people in the accident brought their vehicles to the shop as well, which is not the 14

best way to build a car count, Reyes explained. She didn’t think about the vehicle again until one evening while she and her family were on vacation at Lake Livingston, Texas. “I got a text that said my car had just crossed a bridge, and I was shocked, to say the least,” Reyes said. “When we called Brian, he said he was picking up the car from a PDR place, but how many PDR shops are open on a Saturday night at 11:30 p.m.? My husband and I knew something was definitely wrong right then and there. I was mad at this point, and I wanted my car back!” After two weeks of excuses from their new sketchy “partner,” Reyes got her Mercedes back and none of the work had been done. “We found out that Brian received a $5,000 check from the insurance company and that was a bad sign,” she said. “Then, when we learned he cashed it at a nearby liquor store, we were really worried. We went through all of the shop’s files and saw that he took in ten cars and did nothing, but cashed all of the insurance checks–a total of $150,000!” This discovery began a story that included deception and fraud, as Tiffany and Augustine Reyes learned more and more every day. “We met with an attorney and the Houston Police Department and it was worse than we imagined,” she said. “David had done the same thing two times previously, and was being sued and charged for insurance fraud and theft. He had it down; after six to nine months, he would take flee and let other people clean up the mess. The worst thing was that he got away with it every time. He would not appear in court and the cases were all eventually dropped. He walked away, scot-free each time and was cocky about it.” David thought he was going to succeed again with his proven body shop scam, but he didn’t anticipate what would happen next. The main message here is don’t mess with Tiffany Reyes, the new co-owner of Lone Star Auto Collision Plus who never thought she would be in the collision repair industry. With a lot of previous corporate management experience working for

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

home builders for many years in the Houston area, Reyes wasn’t dissuaded by this situation for a millisecond. She would have likely been a very successful attorney or a criminal investigator if she decided to go that way. David was now on her radar and if he ever ends up in jail, I imagine he will think about her often. “We sat down and looked at the shop’s potential, and realized that it could be turned into a functional business,” she said. “Augustine went to David’s house and we bought the company’s assets, not their liabilities at $36. Suddenly, we were in the collision repair business!” After she took over the shop and drilled a little deeper, Reyes could see the big picture more clearly, which was dire but not devastating. “It was a learning experience as I waded through 16 boxes of paperwork. The shop was ordering materials and parts and stiffing its vendors, as well as getting cars to fix by bribing towing companies and paying them with lap dances at a local strip club. I followed

the money trail and began to see where it went–right into David’s pockets.” With a shop full of cars, Tiffany and Augustine worked with the insurance companies to placate their newly adopted customers without further damaging the business. After mitigating the damage, the couple officially took over the shop in May. “We came in at midnight and changed the locks,” she said. “We worked with every car owner individually and everyone got paid, even though some of the insurance companies refused to pay us.” The shop’s lean crew of two didn’t show up for work the next day, but the couple hit the ground running and hasn’t looked back since. “Our goal is to have all of our 16 bays full within a year,” Tiffany said. “We’re building a team and being totally honest with people and we already see positive results. We are going to run this shop like a corporation and the support we’ve received from the industry is definitely inspiring.”

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

A Year After Hail Storm, Greeley, CO, Repair Shops Are Still Repairing Damage by Bobby Fernandez, Greeley Tribune

Even a year after Greeley, CO, was pounded with golf ball-sized hail, local body shops and dent repair shops continue to feel the storm.

Leandro Araujo works on the hail damage on the side of a truck on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Northern Colorado Auto Reconditioning, 1020 26th Ave., in Greeley, Idaho. Credit: Joshua Polson/Greeley Tribune

That storm is one these local shops don’t necessarily mind braving. For customers, however, patience has been a must. Local shops are still working on repairs stemming from summer hailstorms a year ago. Generally speaking, smaller, local shops aren’t quite as backed up as larger national chains. Still, for Michele and Cole Fox — owners of

Northern Colorado Auto Reconditioning, located at 1020 26th Ave. in Greeley—about half of the repairs they’re doing right now are from last summer’s hailstorms. “We get calls literally daily, or people stopping in daily, for damage from last year,” Michele said. Northern Colorado Auto Reconditioning has even had customers bring cars in from out of state or the Denver metro area, Michele said. There is a bit of a domino effect, Michele added. When customers file insurance claims, they are often met with recommendations from insurance companies on where to take their cars for repairs. These repair shops are often national chains. Those larger chains have become flooded with repair jobs and, in some cases, are backlogged for upward of a year. A car could spend a couple of months in a shop awaiting repairs. Cole Fox said the turnaround time in his shop is a bit shorter, a few days to about three weeks, depending on the extent of the damage. Kevin Deubach, one of the owners of American Auto Body, in Garden City, Idaho, also said about

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

half the shop’s workload is repairing damage from last year’s hail. Shops are firmly backed up, but, fortunately, they won’t stay that way forever.

Leandro Araujo carefully watches a dent begin to disappear on the hood of a haildamaged truck on Tuesday at Northern Colorado Auto Reconditioning, 1020 26th Ave., in Greeley, Idaho. Credit: Joshua Polson/ Greeley Tribune

Matt Vesely, owner of Auto Restorations Auto Body & Paint Inc., in Greeley, said those huge backlogs are starting to taper off, at least slightly. However, similar to what the Foxes and Deubach have experienced, as Vesely’s shop starts to get caught up, other customers who have waited to get their cars fixed are starting to emerge, hoping to avoid the

prolonged wait times that have been prevalent at shops everywhere over the past year. Most auto insurance companies don’t have specific deadlines for when a customer must file a claim. Vesely keeps a two-month backlog, but his shop has stopped taking calls a few times during storm season in order to get relatively caught up and assure his shop’s backlog doesn’t build to the lofty sizes of other shops. This boom in business for local body shops — as welcomed as it is for the shops that are profiting — has created a grind, and the frustration customers are feeling may not be relieved in its entirety any time soon. “We’re getting people that have just been waiting because they thought we were going to get hail again. Or, we’re getting people who were scheduled at a larger body shop and they just keep getting pushed off and pushed off,” Michele Fox said. “So, they’re just tired of the rigmarole. They’re looking for some place that can get it done in a reasonable amount of time.” We thank The Greeley Tribune for reprint permission.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Continued from Cover

Repair Planning

work order (repair plan) is created before you start production,” he said. The following is based on information shared by Ronak in the class, which was sponsored by Island Concepts, based in Honolulu.

Q: A:

How would you describe repair planning?

Repair planning is not just taking a car apart and trying to figure out all of the damage. It is fully documenting everything you are going to need done to that car to fix it 100 percent. In essence, it’s a roadmap to follow. Repair planning is not just taking a car apart and trying to figure out all of the damage. It is fully documenting everything you are going to need done to that car to fix it 100 percent. In essence, it’s a roadmap to follow. When a vehicle leaves the body shop, the assumption is that the vehicle has been repaired correctly.

You don’t want to wait until the very end of the repair to make sure everything is done properly.

(l to r) Rozanna Matuu and Sabrina Dela Rama, Tony Collision.

Typically, shops began repair planning to reduce delays and supplements, and improve cycle time, efficiency and customer service. Many shops continue to follow the process to some degree, but they aren’t always consistent or working to a defined standard that achieves predictable results.

Q: A:

How has repair planning evolved over the years?

Traditionally, shops would write an estimate and then follow up with supplements, which were sent to the insurer for reim-

YANG’s Houston Meet-Up Allows Professionals to Network by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Aug. 22, the Young Auto Care Network Group (YANG) held a regional meet-up event at Seasons 52, a restaurant in Houston. The meeting was sponsored by XL Parts along with a supplier partner, Motorcraft. According to Jeremy Fisher, director of marketing for XL Parts and an active YANG member, “The event went well! The attendees seemed to have a great time. For many of the attendees, it was their first event. We had a great turn out, and everyone had ample time to network.” “Our goal was to host an event where people in our industry could get together and network,” Fisher continued. “The group consisted of some employees from my company, as well as members from suppliers, distributors, and service companies. Some of the time was spent getting to know each other where we were from and our backgrounds, which led to finding sim18

ilarities and tied into how our work overlaps and how we could learn and benefit each other.” Several industry executives attended the networking event to share insights into the industry. According to Fisher, “They expressed that getting involved in the industry is very important because this group is part of the new wave of industry professionals. It was great to have that type of support. Younger people in our industry need to know that it’s a great industry, a unique industry with a lot of great people, and that it’s a place where you can build a career. It allows them to get exposure and meet like-minded people from various levels of the supply chain. It’s always great to learn from others and hear their perspectives.” Attendees expressed the desire for YANG to host more frequent networking events in the Houston area. For more information about YANG and its future events, visit autocare.org/yang.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

bursement. Over time, shops began to routinely tear down the vehicle during the repair process. Eventually, they started tearing down vehicles and fully disassembling them prior to the repair. This led to what we consider ‘informal repair planning’ where the shop focuses on a complete initial estimate or repair plan. Some shops now engage in formal repair planning where everything is fully documented. Highly-evolved shops will audit the repair planning process as a step toward continuous improvement. This involves measuring the accuracy of the repair plan, tracking supplements and creating action plans to ensure future repair plans correct for these errors or omissions, achieving a continuous improvement loop.

What is the purpose of an estimate and how does it fit in with repair planning?

These days, writing estimates is still the norm in the industry. Ironically, an estimate is a guess—a rough approximation of what we think the job is. It helps a

shop decide if it is going to be working on a small, medium or large job. It also allows an insurance company to determine how much it should put away in reserves. It’s important to keep in mind that until you can perform electronic scan diagnostics on the vehicle, you can’t ascertain what it is going to cost to fix that car.

(l to r) Leo Cariaga and Jaime Dela Cruz, Street Image, and Todd Stogdell, Island Concepts.

Even when shops write a repair plan, many still find value in writing a preliminary estimate. Not only does it help demonstrate to the customer that your shop is detailed and going to do a thorough job on the repair, but it can also help identify the critical or difficult-to-source parts See Repair Planning, Page 26

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Chapman Automotive in Phoenix Agrees to Sponsorship With Pima Athletics

Scam Could Leave Texas Drivers Without the Coverage They Paid For

by Damien Alameda, KOLD News 13

by Staff, KWTX

The Chapman Automotive Group in Phoenix has agreed to become the exclusive automotive sponsor for the Pima Community College Athletics Department. The deal is for three years and is worth $210,000 for the Aztecs program. That total could increase to as high as $350,000 because of other piggy-back sponsorship opportunities. Chapman also has a right of refusal for a fourth year. In addition, Chapman agreed to give $30,000 worth of regular scholarships over the course of the three years. The Pima Community College Board of Directors gave the deal its approval during a meeting late Wednesday, Sept. 11. This is the first time Pima has ever received a sponsorship of this magnitude in the community college’s 50-year history. Pima’s athletic budget has been slashed over the last few years, coming to a headwind in 2018 when the football program was cut. Threats of more cancellations

loomed including the possibility of having to cut track, tennis and golf. Between the 2018-2019 and 20192020 academic year, the budget was chopped by $700,000, from $2.6 million to $1.9 million or around 27 percent. Chapman’s sponsorship does not cover all the deficit, but it gives Pima athletics a huge shot in the arm. The money will first be used to upgrade Pima’s soccer fields which will include new signage, scoreboards, lights and even a walk of fame. Men’s soccer coach Dave Cosgrove got the ball rolling with Chapman after Athletic Director Jim Monaco put out the word to his coaches about the need for help. The deal took two months to close. The first payment of $35,000 was made in August but had to stay in the bank until the board could approve the deal. The second payment of $35,000 will be made in January. We thank KOLD News 13 for reprint permission.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued a warning on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to Texas drivers hunting for bargain auto insurance about a scam that could leave them without the coverage they paid for. Vi c t i m s of the scam think they’re buying the liability coverage the state requires from an insurance agent, but instead of sending the payment to an insurance company, the scammers keep the money and issue fake insurance cards and other documents, the TDI said. “Most people wouldn’t realize they’d been scammed until they get

in an accident or get pulled over for a traffic violation,” said Chris Davis, TDI’s fraud chief. Officials are advising residents to make payments directly to insurance companies rather than directly to an agent; to check with insurance companies to make sure they have valid policies, and to make sure they’re dealing with licensed agents. Residents who suspect fraud or who want to check on whether an agent or a company is licensed may call the department’s Help Line at 800-252-3439. We thank KWTX for reprint permission.

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Continued from Cover

ADAS Calibrations

calibrations at dawn when there are fewer traffic congestions. “And if it’s snowing or foggy or raining, or if there’s been sand placed on the road that’s covering or obscuring the lines, it won’t work,” Rozint said. “If you get stopped half-way through, in some cases, depending on the vehicle and the scan tool, you might have to start all over again.” Matthew McDonnell, a member of the CIC committee and a Montana shop owner, said such calibration test drives are becoming more common as more vehicles have lane-departure warnings and other such systems. He pointed to the requirements for the 2017 Ford F-150, which call for a ten-minute drive at 40 mph after any repair involving a windshield replacement, change in tire size, suspension repair or alignment, front airbag deployment or interior mirror replacement. While static calibrations done in the shop rather than as part of a test drive may seem simpler, Rozint said

they can require specialized targets and equipment. For example, the ultrasonic blind spot radar in some newer Honda, Toyota and Kia vehicles requires the use of a metal reflector cone, laser and a goniometer jig, a device that measures angles. Some of the newest Audis, he said, include

Montana shop owner Matthew McDonnell said calibration of some systems on the 2017 Ford F-150 requires a ten-minute drive at 40 mph after many repairs, including those involving a windshield replacement, suspension repair or alignment, or front airbag deployment. Credit: John Yoswick

360-degree cameras and Doppler devices to monitor what’s going on around the entire vehicle in real-time. “To calibrate that, you need this aluminum structure with magnetic

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

panels on it, and there are laser distance meters built into that,” Rozint said. The BMW 7-series includes a pedestrian detection system that is based on body heat. It requires a pole-like target with a 98.6-degree device at the top that you place a set distance in front of the car to simulate a person as you use a scan tool to calibrate the system. “So if you thought you were getting yourself positioned for some basic target calibrations and some dynamic drive calibrations, that’s great, but welcome to what’s coming this year and next year, with even more coming behind that,” Rozint said. “Those who aren’t training in this area may want to consider doing so.” Subletting this work to dealers may not alleviate the need for shops to understand what those dealers need to be doing, he cautioned. “In some cases, they’ve never done it before themselves,” Rozint said of some dealers. “So if you don’t have the training yourself, you may not even be able to properly identify someone who is qualified to do it.” Following the presentation at

CIC, Ray Fisher, executive director of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), urged the industry to consider safety when conducting dynamic calibrations on the road. “When technicians go on a test drive with a scan tool, they are at risk. That is ‘distracted driving,’” Fisher said. “So I really encourage shop owners to protect your technicians. Realistically, [such test drives] may require two people.” The CIC “Parts and Materials Committee” in Indianapolis highlighted some of the challenges shops face in understanding exactly what type of part they are buying and who backs any warranty on it. The California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) has said for many years that parts in that state must be described on consumer paperwork only as new, used, rebuilt, reconditioned, OEM or non-OEM. As far back as 2016, the BAR has made it clear from that the ambiguous or inconsistent use of “alt-OE” or “opt-OE” designations meant the terms could not be used on customer paperwork in that state without providing additional information about such parts, including

what warranty they carry. In response, Mitchell International has recently eliminated from its estimating system parts labeled as some variation of “OEM.”

Eric Mendoza of Toyota said the only way for a shop to ensure it has purchased a Toyota OEM part backed by the manufacturer is to purchase it directly from a Toyota dealer. Credit: John Yoswick

Speaking at CIC, Eric Mendoza of Toyota said the only way for a shop to ensure it has purchased a Toyota OEM part backed by the manufacturer is to purchase it directly from a Toyota dealer. In North America, he said, Toyota sells its parts only to its dealers. But, Mendoza also acknowledged those dealers often sell nonToyota parts – at a minimum, such

things as vehicle accessories – and some also may sell Toyota parts to other parts distributors. If a shop is buying a part from a non-dealer distributor that says it’s a Toyota part, Mendoza said, the shop may want to confirm that the distributor bought the part from a Toyota dealer. “If it was not bought from a Toyota dealer in North America, then all bets are off,” Mendoza said. “If you can get whoever you are buying your parts from to show proof that they bought it from a Toyota dealer, you’re safe. Otherwise, not so safe.” Furthermore, even a Toyota part bought from such a distributor likely would be warrantied only by the seller, not Toyota, he added. “If you buy that part from a middle-man supplier … you as a shop don’t have the proof that the part was bought from a dealer,” Mendoza said, noting that the Toyota warranty “doesn’t go to someone downstream.” “So I think [it’s up to] the distributor that bought the part from the dealer to give that part a warranty. The shop isn’t going to be able to get that same [Toyota] warranty,” he said. Mendoza confirmed that an

OEM service part – one sold by the dealer as a replacement for the one installed at the factory when the vehicle was built – “may be made to a different standard than the original equipment that was made for the [vehicle] rolling down the [production] line.” Why would an automaker deviate from the production line part for a service part? “A lot of it comes down to costof-ownership” of the vehicle, Mendoza said. “We recognize that sometimes we’re not always price-competitive with the market. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to make that original equipment part that we were making at a competitive price [for a service part].”

Your leading source for SOUTHWESTERN Collision Repair News! southwestern.autobodynews.com

1Collision Adds Health & Benefits Program

The 1Collision Network has recently partnered with a national benefits provider to offer a complete HR Management Platform to add to their offerings for affiliated collision repair centers. The webbased application includes: • National Group Health, dental & life insurance (includes coverage from most major providers in all 50 states); • 401K plan; • Payroll solution; • All in one convenient app for employee benefit management; and • National support team that includes recruiting service. 1Collision President Jim Keller commented, “As it becomes increasingly more challenging to attract and retain employees, we believe this National HR Plan, available to qualified 1Collision affiliated collision repair businesses, will greatly benefit our partner shops by automating HR management, while offering a convenient and cost-effective benefit solution to employees and their families.”

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Texas Watch Requests TDI’s Public Records on “Prevailing Rate” by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On July 17, Texas Watch, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, contacted the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), asking for copies of all public documents and information related to “prevailing rate” policy language. When asked why the advocacy group got involved in this topic, Texas Watch Executive Director Ware Wendell explained, “Prevailing rate is really, at base, a safety issue. If repair professionals can’t get paid enough to do the job the right way, consumers ultimately are the ones who suffer. They are under indemnified, their vehicles are devalued, and their lives are endangered. Insurers have been cherry-picking rates and forcing policy language on us that only benefits them. That needs to stop.” “We pride ourselves on rigorously analyzing and presenting only the most reliable information to the public,” Wendell continued. “Through this open records request, we should obtain the exact policy language auto insurers are using today to artificially suppress rates - policy language that is unjust and deceptive should be disapproved by regulators.” According to Texas Watch’s blog later in July, “We filed this open records request with the [TDI] to see the language auto insurers are using to limit the amount they pay for repairs. Inadequate payments lead to corner-cutting. Safety suffers. Insurance companies shouldn’t be able to threaten your family’s safety by writing policies that game the system.” In the letter emailed to the TDI, Wendell wrote, “Please provide all documents, communications, and other public information within your possession pertaining to private passenger and commercial automobile policies and endorsements submitted for approval, approved, and/or disapproved by TDI within the last ten years containing the terms ‘prevailing rate’ or similar language. To be clear, we seek information about how insurers define the rate with which they will compensate facilities for repair work. We view adequate compensation as crucial to public safety because it supports investment in training, education, proper equip24

ment, and the necessary time to make thorough and safe repairs to damaged vehicles.” Citing Texas Government Code Chapter 552 as grounds for the request, Wendell reminded the TDI, “The Office of the Attorney General ruled in our favor on a similar public information request submitted by our organization several years ago. The policies and endorsements within your possession should be properly produced to the public under Chapter 552. They are open records.” Chapter 552 encourages official to lean towards liberality in granting information requests because “it is the policy of this state that each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.” Regarding insurance policies, Subchapter A of the Insurance Code Chapter 2301 deems auto insurance policy forms to be public information: “Each filing made, and any supporting information filed, under this subchapter is open to public inspection as of the date of the filing.” Although Texas Watch was established over 20 years ago, the organization got involved with the topic of quality collision repairs after the Seebachan lawsuit of 2017, and the group also worked extensively with the Houston Auto Body Association (HABA) and the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) earlier this year in support of House Bill 1348, which intended to require proper compensation for OEM repair procedures by insurers. Prevailing rate isn’t the only topic related to the collision repair industry that Texas Watch is currently monitoring and attempting to address. Wendell shared, “We just launched a petition to make it easy for folks to tell federal officials to preserve the 1963 consent decree

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

that keeps auto insurers from gaming the collision repair process. The Department of Justice has proposed repealing it. That would be a disaster for consumers and a giveaway for the auto insurance industry.” Wendell added, “You can send your letter by visiting texaswatch.org/form/autobodysafety. It only takes a minute. Be sure to tell your friends and family to take action as well. Insurance companies don’t need even more power over our lives. In addition, we’ll be taking up the fight again next legislative session for a bill that ensures quality parts are used to make quality repairs by a quality shop of your choice.” For more information, visit texaswatch.org, or follow them on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.

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Doan Group Renews Commitment to CIECA

The Doan Group recently renewed its commitment to CIECA and the CIECA standards. Based in Covington, GA, the company is an independent physical damage appraisal firm that was established in 1981. “When Doan began the process of building a proprietary claim management system (eDoan), we recognized the need for CIECA integration immediately and became members in 2016,” said Amanda Hughes, vice president of The Doan Group. Hughes said the company is able to download CIECA’s legacy standard to import into the various estimating systems as well as upload the completed standard back into eDoan to be “scrubbed” for guideline compliance. “With an ever-changing industry, it is important that we have CIECA standards to ensure a consistent product and service across the board,” said Hughes. For more information about The Doan Group, visit www.doan.com. For more information about CIECA, visit www.cieca.com.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Continued from Page 18

Repair Planning

needed, allow you to compare and quantify different repair strategies, meet the insurance requirements, assist with scheduling and eliminate bottlenecks. However, while an estimate provides an approximate cost of the repair, a repair plan will ensure you determine the exact cost as an accurate repair plan is the definitive guide to the precise process you will follow to restore the vehicle to pre-loss functionality. What should shops be aware of during the repair planning process?

There are three primary areas of focus in the repair planning process. First is compliance with the manufacturer recommended and required procedures, while considering insurer mandates if you are in a contractual agreement. We are finding that the manufacturers’ guidelines are mandatory and coming on ex-

tremely quickly. Shops must read and follow OE procedures every time. The materials used in vehicles today are very different than they were 20 years ago. There are very specific ways to repair a vehicle, and in some cases, extremely specific ways to disassemble a vehicle as

(l to r) Van Takemoto and Thomas Uyeda, Island Fender.

well. It is important to know this prior to beginning any work on the vehicle. Most importantly, deviating from these procedures places shops in the position of assuming some avoidable repair-related liability for the repair. It’s important to remember that liability differs from a warranty. A warranty is a limited scope that guarantees you’ll redo the work. It’s very different from liability in that you assume all of the conse-

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

quences of how that car is repaired. You’re liable for life and several recent court verdicts have validated that as a legitimate concern. Another part of the repair planning process includes administration. To ensure you are doing it effectively, you absolutely have to be auditing. This includes auditing for accuracy and complying with the insurer and manufacturer guidelines. I advise shops to set up a good system for uploading information to the management system and insurer. It’s also important to obtain approvals, communicate, and order all necessary parts one time. The third part of the planning process is disassembly. Shops should identify all damaged parts up front, including clips and fasteners, as well as all structural and suspension labor operations, and body and refinish labor operations. They should also be aware of all mechanical, sublet and non-included operations and the specific repair methodology.

plan?

What is important to know in regard to a complete repair

There are four key factors to consider: accuracy, efficiency, speed and value. Accuracy is key in repair planning. To ensure accuracy, there must be a reduction in supplements, downstream work stoppage and parts orders.

Scot Takemoto, Island Concepts, the sponsor of the event, and speaker Tim Ronak, AkzoNobel.

In terms of efficiency, a repair planner needs to stay focused with minimal distractions, pay close attention to over- and under-scheduling and have a standardized process in place. Repair planning can impact the speed of the overall process. Although a repair planner should ideSee Repair Planning, Page 28

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Continued from Page 26

Repair Planning

ally work at an aggressive pace, remember that the desired end result is quality over quantity. Rather than massive throughput, we’re interested in accurate throughput. Finally, repair planning can add value to the downstream operations. This enables continuous flow, reduces stoppage, and allows a facility to produce more billable hours. It can also improve cycle time and CSI.

Q: A:

What is the best way to get started with repair planning?

To set up a good repair planning process, it’s critical that a shop has a good parts process in place. In the average shop, parts are about 42 percent of sales. Therefore, in a shop that brings in $100,000, that represents $42,000 in sales. If the average shop makes 25 percent, that’s $10,500 profit, leaving $31,500 per $100,000 in sales. Ordering parts is often a big, complicated and poorly-managed process in

a body shop and yet is the single largest expense. If you address the inefficiencies you have with your parts process, many of the challenges you have in production and the business will go away. Once you create a process, it’s critical to find someone in the shop who can maintain it.

How does repair planning “feed” production?

Ronak: Think about the concept of having two separate businesses. Shop “A” is repair planning, also referred to as build-down, that feeds Shop “B,” which is production. The purpose of repair planning is to reduce the variability of typical collision work. Shop A accomplishes this by transforming a damaged vehicle into a predictable state of work for Shop B. One of the challenges shop leaders often have when they implement repair planning is that the structure of the business isn’t necessarily capable of supporting repair planning on an ongoing basis. As a result, the moment the process breaks

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

down, they default to their previously used method.

Q: A:

How can anyone ensure their shop is successful?

One of the single biggest things shops need to do is make sure they have a complete repair order. When a damaged vehicle is completely dissembled and all of the operations are identified, the parts department is able to order and verify the parts prior to the vehicle entering Shop B. The goal is to understand that repair planning feeds production. By having that complete repair order in Shop A, it almost guarantees that that car is going to flow right through Shop B.

Q: A:

What is the importance of measuring effectiveness?

Shop leaders and owners often don’t measure their repair planning efforts, but it’s very important to do so. All successful organizations measure effectiveness in critical operations or activities. It’s

all about scheduling and understanding the capacity of each stage of production. The only way you can do that is understanding what is needed at the beginning of the repair. Many shops find that estimators and repair planners are writing supplements, sometimes daily. That’s a defect in the repair planning process. If this is happening, I recommend investigating why those defects occur and then creating strategies to minimize them as much as possible. Another important component is auditing. As I mentioned previously, to really be doing repair planning, you absolutely must be auditing the process to be successful in the long-term. The key to repair process speed and efficiency is to slow the process up front to ensure a free-flowing and disruption-free production event that will not deviate from the accurate initial repair plan. Part one in a two-part series.

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Hey Toby! with Toby Chess

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

Kool Tools: Pre-SEMA 2019 I have been conducting I-CAR mobile welding tests for 15 years now. I’ve taught nearly 6,000 techs in ten states and have driven over 400,000 miles. During these travels, I found a few things in common: • Many technicians have poor welding helmets. • Proper MIG gloves are not used; most of them are torn. • The majority of MIG welders being used today need to be scrapped. Before SEMA starts, let’s talk about MIG Welders as well as a new repair process using hot glue. There are three welders to look at: • Pro Spot PR-205 MV; • Millermatic 211; and • Millermatic 255.

Both the Pro Spot PR-205 MV and Millermatic 211 are multi-volt machines. You can plug into a 120 plug (with an adapter) or 220 volts (Fig. 1).

The machine will then set the wire speed and volts/amperage for that metal thickness. There are steel settings for .024 wire, .030 wire, and .035 wire. You can weld aluminum with up to 1mm wire (non-pulsed welding) and .8mm copper selenium wire (non-pulsed welding only).

diameter and the material thickness and machine will set the wire speed automatically.

Fig. 5

Fig. 3

1. Amperage/Wire Speed Display 2. Indicators 3. Voltage/Thickness Display 4. Amperage/Wire Speed 5. Weld Mode (Select between MIG, Synergic MIG, TIG, Stick & Manual Modes) 6. Thickness/Voltage The next welder you may wish to consider is the Millermatic 211 (Fig. 4).

The last welder you should look at is the Millermatic 255. This welder is a great entry-level machine, and is a smaller version of their top of the line 350 Power Auto-

motive MIG Welder. (MSTP as shown is $4,725, but you can check with a dealer for a better price). The Millermatic 255 MIG welder (Fig. 6) is a complete 250-amp pulsed welder that comes standard with pulsed MIG welding capability. Auto-Set Elite technology allows you to use preset welding parameters based on metal thickness, shielding gas and welding wire type to achieve optimum welds. You can also set your voltage and wire feed speed manually for a custom welding arc. In addition, the Millermatic 255 comes complete with a full-color, seven-inch LCD screen and has simple controls. It seamlessly switches between welding with a standard MIG gun or with an optional

Young Chevrolet

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Fig. 1

Fig. 4

Fig. 2

The Pro Spot 205-MV machine (Fig. 2) is synergic – you tell the machine the wire type and diameter, and then you can set the metal thickness. 30

Just like the Pro Spot PR205MV, this welder has a multivoltage plug (MVP), which allows connection to common 120 or 240 volt power receptacles without the use of any tools. You simply choose the plug that fits the receptacle and connect to the power cord. The Millermatic 211 is a modified synergic welder (Fig. 5). You select the material, and then the wire

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

P HONDA COLORADO

Mike Maroone Honda Colorado Springs

888-431-0294 719-785-5045 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 rick.williams@mikemarooneauto.com

Mile High Honda

Denver

800-548-4730 303-369-7800 Dept. Hours: M-S 7-6 lhoover@autotree.net LOUISIANA

Superior Honda Har vey

800-943-4227 504-368-5687 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-5:30 parts@superiorhonda.net

Walker Honda Alexandria

318-448-8255 318-445-6677 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 hondaparts@walkerautomotive.com

ACURA ARIZONA

Acura of Peoria Peoria

866-347-4507 623-792-2559 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 dcavanaugh@vtaig.com COLORADO

Mile High Acura Denver

800-548-4730 303-369-7800 Dept. Hours: M-S 7-6 lhoover@autotree.net

Pikes Peak Acura Colorado Springs

800-456-9568 719-955-1715 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 joe_benson@pikespeakacura.com

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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

Garcia Honda

TEXAS

Honda of Frisco

Russell & Smith Honda

Albuquerque

Frisco

Houston

800-677-6632 505-260-5002

866-442-2711 972-731-3176

800-833-0180 713-663-4266

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:30-5 Jscott@garciacars.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:30 cedgar@mcdavid.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 7-4 ggregory@russellsmith.com

Honda of San Marcos

Rusty Wallis Honda

San Marcos

Dallas

866-392-1313 512-392-1313

877-466-3272 214-328-3891

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 csmith@hondasanmarcos.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 darryldotsy@rustywallis.com

Kelly Grimsley Honda

Wholesale Parts Direct

TEXAS

Bankston Honda Lewisville

800-344-8611 972-219-0021 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 www.bankstonhonda.com

Northside Honda San Antonio

800-727-8705 210-340-0831 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-5 hondaparts@mynshonda.com

Honda Cars of McKinney McKinney

972-569-4276 972-569-4222 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 Gene.chenault@hendrickauto.com

LOUISIANA

Odessa

Austin

844-453-5594 432-334-6632

800-234-4441 512-458-2910

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-12 april@kellygrimsley.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 sales@wholesalepartsdirect.com

McDavid Honda Irving Ir vi ng

800-492-4464 972-790-6003 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6 srichardson@mcdavid.com

TEXAS

UTAH

Acura of Baton Rouge

David McDavid Acura

Baton Rouge

Aust i n

S a l t L a ke C i t y

866-733-2861 225-756-6166

800-575-3553 512-401-5976

800-234-0875 801-323-0492

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 dlavigne@acurabr.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 mkratky@mcdavid.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rick@jodywilkinson.com

Walker Acura

David McDavid Acura

Mike Hale Acura

Metairie

Pla n o

M u r ra y

800-359-8555 504-465-8555

972-964-6044

800-292-4595 801-263-0202

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@walkeracura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 dgrajczyk@mcdavid.com

Sterling McCall Acura

Jody Wilkinson Acura

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 pgoold@mikehale.com

Hous t o n

TEXAS

Autonation Acura League City

800-749-6227 713-371-4700

713-596-2337 713-596-2338 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 jlambert@sterlingmccallacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 CarranzaB1@autonation.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Spoolmatic™ spool gun. Moreover, it has a MIG brazing program that can be switched from pulsed to synergic (Fig. 7).

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Now, I will give you my thoughts on all three welders. If you are going to purchase a

new MIG welder, I would recommend the Pro Spot PR-205 and, or the Millermatic 211. The 120-volt standalone MIG welders are excellent machines and they are cheaper than the multi-volt machines; however, they will not be able to handle 0.35 wire (truck and SUV frames) or aluminum wire. A 220-volt or 120volt machine allows you to perform more collision operations without an additional welder. If I’m conducting a training session, I always have my PR-205 and 211 with me, in my trailer. I’ve been using Miller welders for over 15 years now, and only one of my welders broke down so far; but, it’s been repaired under warranty. So, they are work horses, but I do prefer my Pro Spot, because of the overall feel of the gun and the ease of use. Miller changed their “M” series MIG guns (M10, M15 and M25) to the MDX series MIG guns. Besides a different feel, the consumables are completely different. The nozzle on the “M” series guns was a press-on part, but the MDX nozzle screws on, which takes more time to remove in order to clean it. Lastly, Miller should consider adding the metric system

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

unit of length, millimeter (MM), since the metric system is of choice when it comes to working in the collision industry. Speaking of consumables, Miller can be found at all your local welding stores; but, you will need to go online or contact your area’s Pro Spot dealer to get more consumables. Pro Spot dealers will help with the set-up of your new welder, whereas with Miller, you’re on your own. Now, let’s move to the Millermatic 255. If you are in the market for an entry level aluminum/MIG brazing pulse welder, try this one out. The controls are easy to navigate – switching between pulse and synergic when welding aluminum or MIG braze is done by just a touch of a bottom. I like how it welds, but as I stated before, I wish Miller would have the option of using millimeters instead of inches. At the time of this article, the MIG brazing program is for .035 millimeter wire, but I told Miller employees that they need to add for .030 millimeter wire (which is the most commonly used today). One final note, this machine has no OEM certifications at this time. I, now, want to switch gears and

talk about using hot glue tabs (Fig. 8) to repair dents.

Fig. 8

Why glue tabs? With vehicle manufacturers utilizing more high strength and ultra-high strength steels and aluminum in today’s vehicles, repair standards are becoming increasingly high. The Glue Tab Kit is another tool that can be used to meet OEM standards and produce quality dent pulling results. No heat will destroy the OEM applied corrosion protection on the exterior and interior panels being repaired, which is what I loved about hot gluing the tabs. The hot glues they are utilizing today will allow a technician to repair larger and stronger damage on both aluminum and steel panels. All three companies have a wide range of pulling tabs, but the one I liked the best is called “viper” from KECO. It allows the tech to build their pulling tab to fit any odd shaped dent.

Pro Spot International. Fig. 9 Fig. 15 Keco Tabs. Fig. 11

Dent Fix), hand pullers (separate with Pro Spot), Ding Hammer (separate with Dent Fix) and DING Boards and Lights.

18-volt light from Keco Tabs (comes with body repair kit). Fig. 13

Repair Without Damaging the Undercoat

Step 1: Plug in the glue gun, so it’ll be hot and ready when the area and tabs are prepared (Fig. 15).

Dent Fix Corporation. Fig. 10

All three companies – Pro Spot International, Dent Fix Corp, and Keco Tabs – have kits, including bridge pullers (separate with Pro Spot and

Fig. 14. Credit: Pro Spot International Non-lighted by Dent Fix. Fig. 12

Applies in Four Easy Steps

Fig. 16

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Step 2: Clean the area you are planning to repair with 91% alcohol (Fig. 16).

Fig. 17

Step 3: Heat the area you are repairing to remove excess moisture – no more than 100 degrees (Fig. 17).

going to pull and then apply it to the area you are repairing (Fig. 18).

All three companies have kits, but the most complete is the Keco Tabs system, especially with the wide range of glue-on tabs. It also costs the most compared with the other two companies. I will show you all the tricks that I have learned in a near future article. Please seek out these manufacturers at this year’s SEMA for demos of their systems. Here is a welding helmet and a pair of MIG gloves – two top of the line items – that I have been using with great success.

This mask is under $295. It comes with three sensors, utilizes digital operation and is light weight. I have been using these helmets for the last 15 years. Recently, three of the analog helmets have stopped working, so I replaced them with digital and they are the best. MIG Welding Gloves #39 Made by Black Stallion

Miller’s Perfomance Mask

Fig. 20

I have tried virtually every glove on the market and these are by far the best. They have a great feel, they last long, and they provide excellent heat protection. These gloves do cost more, but they are well worth the investment.

Fig. 18

Step 4: Place glue on the tab you are Continued from Page 13

Tech Shortage

have to figure out how to get to them sooner and we have to find a position in the marketplace for the young people.” Incorporate Mentoring: One of the fundamental aspects of a successful apprenticeship program, according to Luehr, is mentoring. Ritter recommended having mentors share information in “bite-sized” pieces to help trainees retain the information. Also, she said to spend time pairing people who work well together. Ritter said apprentices who are trained in this way are going to be a shop’s best mentors because that’s how they learned. “That’s when your culture starts shifting,” she said. Research Alternative Funding: Funding is often available through workforce development boards and state boards. Ritter said to start building relationships with state and local government officials to find out more about the programs available in your 36

Fig. 19

area. Community programs are also a potential source of funding that can be explored. Collaborate: In order to create positive change, Ritter stressed the importance of collaboration. “We really need to make sure we are collaborating and working together, lifting each other up and supporting each other,” said Ritter. “It’s an industry problem; it has to be an industry solution. We can’t impact change unless we have the involvement of all,” said Bickett. “When an industry comes together and can standardize and speak the same language, I think it can make a tremendous impact.” For more information about CCI, visit https://www.collisioncareer institute.com/. To watch the free replay of the webinar and all of the Elite webinar series, visit https://events.genndi.com /replay/818182175026316819/c019 72848e/0/0.

www.autobodynews.com

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

NABC Hosts NJ Veterans

On Sept. 4, deserving New Jersey area veterans had an opportunity to experience a day on the golf course with leaders from the collision repair industry, courtesy of the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and the annual Drive Fore Courage program.

The program was held as part of the NABC Garden State Pars for Cars Golf Fundraiser at the Mountain View Golf Club in Ewing Township, NJ. 20 veterans participated in the event. All Star Auto Lights, Subaru, Enterprise and Caliber Collision sponsored the Drive Fore Courage program. “It has become a tradition at our yearly NABC golf fundraiser to work with our sponsors to host several foursomes for area veterans,” said Keith Egan, NABC board member and NABC executive committee member. “They valiantly served our country, and this is a way for us to say ‘thank you’ for their contributions.”

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

In Reverse

Gary Ledoux is an industry veteran with 48 years’ experience in the automotive and OEM collision parts industry. His column appears exclusively in Autobody News. He can be reached at YesterWreck@yahoo.com

with Gary Ledoux

The 1980s – Keeping up With Technology It seemed like we had just gotten over the decline of the hippie movement, and the rise and fall of disco and a TV actor being president of the U.S. And bang … the 1980s were on top of us. It was a decade of big hair, big phones and new, bigger problems. We had to worry about who shot J.R., what would happen to Hawkeye, Radar and Major “Hotlips” Houlian now that the Korean war was over – and we had to worry about how to get a dirt-free finish on collision repairs. On-Stage With Two-Stage In the 1980s, paint technology was advancing rapidly. In a 1985 trade magazine column, industry leader and Texas shop owner Bobby Johnson wrote, “… the use of acrylic lacquer is down across the industry and will continue a downward trend in most shops. You can expect to use more catalyzed acrylic enamel, ure-

thane and related products if you intend to duplicate texture, finish and durability.” Indeed, by 1985, most paint manufacturers had introduced their own two-stage base-coat/clearcoat paint systems. This was another thing driving the purchase of paint booths. More exotic paints meant more exotic means of application. Although waterborne paint had been around for years at the OE level, it had not yet hit the refinish market. In early 1988, an article about modern refinishing techniques notes:

• From 1981 to 1988, use of basecoat/clearcoat colors on domestic cars has gone from 6.5% use to 64.9%. • In 1988, more than 50% of all import vehicles will feature OE basecoat/clearcoat finishes. • More than 90% of all vehicle repairs in the U.S. will be spot and panel jobs.

A trade magazine article in the summer of 1989 notes; “New products are being introduced at such a rapid pace that it can be both confusing and frustrating for many of the ‘older than average’ painters. Many of us still recall when the introduction of new products only happened occasionally. The enormous number of changes in technology, equipment and training taking place in the last nine years (since 1979/1980) have been just short of overwhelming to many of us.” (Note: This was written 30 years ago, but it could have been lifted out of any industry magazine of today). Spray Booths Become More Important With the changes in paint technology, spray booths became more important. The downdraft spray booth began to really catch traction thanks to the introduction of clear-coats and the need for a dirt-free finish.

Shop owners were realizing that time saved in buffing out a dirty finish covered with overspray was money in the bank. An article appearing in a trade magazine in the summer of 1984 said of spray booths, “They are the latest trend. They are the wave of the future for body shops across the country. They are the only way to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. They can mean the difference between a shop that progresses into the demanding, everchanging 1980s and one that too soon hangs out the FOR SALE sign.” An industry survey conducted early in 1984 revealed that of 430 respondents, 257 or 60% of shops said they had a spray booth, 173 or 40% said no. For those respondents answering “yes” to have a spray booth, they were further asked if their booth See The 1980s, Page 46

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Open Letter on NH Veto of “Failing to Pay” Bill September 5, 2019

On Aug. 30, New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner John Elias penned a column expressing support for Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto of House Bill 664, a bill drafted to protect consumers in post-collision auto body repairs. This bill would have amended the Unfair Insurance Practices Act to prohibit automobile insurance companies from “knowingly failing to pay” for auto body repairs conducted in accordance with the original manufacturer’s repair instructions. Automobiles today are packed with new technology. To return a vehicle to pre-collision condition, automobiles need to be repaired by highly trained professionals, following automaker repair instructions. Proper auto body repairs are a matter of safety. On Dec. 21, 2013, Matthew Seebachan, 33, and his wife Marcia were nearly killed when their 2010 Honda Fit was struck by another car on US 281 in Texas. What should have been an unremarkable vehicle crash turned into a life or death situation, when the structural integrity of their vehicle was compromised and the couple was trapped within the burning vehicle. In the court case that followed, it was found that the crashworthiness of their vehicle was diminished as the result of an earlier auto body repair that did not follow the proper repair procedures recommended by Honda. Instead of using 100 separate welds to reattach the roof panel, as documented by the manufacturer in the very type of procedure this bill addresses, the repair shop simply used a tube of adhesive, an unapproved method of repair. When the Seebachans’ vehicle was struck, the now compromised vehicle collapsed around them in a manner inconsistent with how it would have reacted had the approved repair procedure been followed. Court documents indi-

cate the couple was conscious while their bodies burned. The Seebachans won their case against the auto body shop and the shop was ordered to pay $31.5 million to the couple in damages. The key to the case, and something Commissioner Elias seems to ignore, was the sworn testimony from the auto body shop manager who explained the shop consciously did not follow the vehicle manufacturer’s repair instructions because they believed they would not receive payment from the automobile insurance company for the more complicated repair. Because the shop bent to perceived pressures from the insurance company and used an unapproved repair procedure, the Seebachans will live the rest of their lives in pain from this accident. Instead of recognizing the possibility that implied pressure and claims settlement practices from insurers could yield an unsafe vehicle repair, Commissioner Elias questions whether the bill passed by the legislature would actually improve safety, and suggests that the safe repair of a vehicle is not an issue in the state. As evidence, he points to the fact that his office has not received any consumer complaints on the topic. The commissioner seems to forget that the very purpose of government regulation is to protect consumers from such practices which they would not be well equipped to understand on their own. For most consumers, as long as their vehicle is returned with matching paint and body panels, roughly aligned, they are satisfied. The repair procedures that impact occupant safety are largely obscured once a vehicle is reassembled. Should the Seebachans have carried the obligation to inspect their vehicle, and somehow divine that the use an adhesive to reattach the roof was an improper repair?

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Commissioner Elias also asserted that requiring auto body shops to follow manufacturer instructions would increase insurance rates on consumers. Such a belief is an acknowledgement that repairs are not being conducted in accordance with automaker instructions today. If they were, there would be no reason for rates to change. The very reason consumers buy auto insurance is to make sure their vehicle is made whole if they are ever in an accident. We are aware of no insurance discounts offered in the state for policies that allow for corner-cutting repairs. As such, New Hampshire consumers should be guaranteed their vehicle will receive a safe and proper repair if their vehicle is ever in an accident, and to do so repairers need to follow automaker repair procedures every time.

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National Events with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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@chasidyraesisk.com.

180BIZ Webinar Focuses on Making Change Stick in Collision Repair Shops In August, Rick White of 180BIZ presented an informative webinar on “Making Change Stick” in collision repair shops. He began by asking, “How many times have you put something in place in your shop, thought you had it going, and then realize it’s gone right back to where it was before? This is one of the most frustrating things you go through as a business owner. Often, owners blame their staff, but I’m going to show you it’s not their fault and explore how to get change to stick.”

White defined change as “to make the form, nature, content or future course of something different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone; to alter,” and he identified two types of change: reactive change which occurs as a result of a situation, such as a new shop opening nearby, and proactive change which results from taking advantage of an opportunity, such as the chance to obtain new business when a nearby store closes. “The overlapping area is where you watch for trends and proactively react to growing trends,” White explained. The five change drivers are situation, crisis, improvement, opportunity and trends. White shared some truths about change. Change is inevitable, but it can be a good thing if it’s intentional. Still, people will always resist change, but collision repair shop owners can anticipate this and proactively work to overcome those issues. Owners expect to train their staff on a new process, and then their staff will get good at it; however, White said this is why many fail because, in reality, people regress and then require feedback and more training, often multiple times before reaching the desired level of proficiency. 42

The main reasons that people don’t implement change are that they forget, they’re afraid of the hassle, or they suffer from what White calls “analysis paralysis.” He explained, “Perfect is the lowest standard you can set for yourself because perfection is an illusion created by the devil to rob men of their dreams. It’s better to get something together, get people on board, and get started than to get stuck waiting for perfect and nothing ever changes.” “Instead of setting unrealistic expectations, give yourself permission to fail and to learn,” White continued. “You have to go through suck to get to great. You’ll never grow as a business from a place of fear.” When it comes to implementing change, a shop’s team members are going to fight change, especially if the owner or manager attempts to change a bunch of stuff at once, White said. White recommends mastering one change at a time. “The age of compliance is gone; we are in the age of commitment – you want their involvement emotionally, intellectually and physically.” Sometimes, attempts at change in a collision repair shop fail because the owner declares victory too soon, doesn’t own it, and doesn’t follow up. According to White, “You’re responsible for this and need to give feedback to make it stick. Your team will try and regress, but their proficiency is better than when they started, though not where you want it. You have to have commitment, follow up and accountability to make it work.” White identified a five-step formula for making change work, emphasizing that each step takes time and is equally important. First, collision repair shop owners must create a vision by developing a picture for the future that goes beyond the numbers. They should identify what happens without change, what objections they may encounter, and what their staff gets out of the change. “Creating a vision focuses on your team and creates a sense of urgency.”

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The second step is to develop the process by outlining a step-by-step game plan, including what will be measured and how it will be monitored. Third, owners must communicate the vision and the process, providing staff with consistent communication about the plan that makes staff feel valuable. Next, remove obstacles, which will occur and can be internal or external. The final step is to implement the process which includes structured training, measurements and consistency. White said, “You have to do the right things, the right way, at the right time, EVERY TIME. Implementing change requires providing feedback and training on what to get better at, and you keep going until you get the desired behavior. This is the investment you have to sign up for when you are implementing change – that’s the key.”

When it comes to convincing staff to buy in to change, collision repair shop owners must build up the reason to do it, but don’t make it about profits. Instead, focus on how it improves your staff members’ lives and your customers’ lives. “Measuring progress gives you an opportunity to celebrate and holds staff accountable.” White added, “Communicate every day for the rest of your business life.” Lack of consistency is a major problem when it comes to implementing change. “When you’re not consistent, you have to start over, which takes a lot of effort and becomes frustrating, so eventually, you give up,” White warned. “Hold yourself accountable by being consistent, never giving excuses, being patient, and keeping staff focused.” “Going through the process with See 180BIZ Webinar, Page 48

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Shop Showcase

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

with Ed Attanasio

Pasta, Pizza and La Pigna—a Body Shop Vacation In the land of four-foot pizzas, pasta cooked al dente each and every time and breathtaking scenery everywhere you look, Autocarroseria La Pigna in Longobardi, Italy, is a second-generation shop with five employees that recently celebrated its 52nd anniversary.

collision repair industry there and to, hopefully, deduct some of my trip on my taxes. When my cousin and tour guide, Frank Aloe started asking around for the best shop in town for an interview, most mentioned Autocarroseria La Pigna. Who needs Yelp? I thought. The old word-ofmouth has been the best way to rate any business for centuries; so, when I walked into this immaculate shop, I was fairly confident that it would be one of the area’s best collision repairers. My cousin speaks fluent Italian, so I had a good inMaurizio’s crew also repairs and restores motorcycles and terpreter for the interview. high-end scooters in an area where they compete with In addition, he knows nearly cars on the region’s tight roads. Credit: Ed Attanasio everyone in my family’s While I was on vacation in Italy hometown of Longobardi, in the Calthis summer, I decided to interview abria region of Italy (pop. 2,200). a shop owner to get a glimpse of the During the one-hour interview, I re-

alized I wasn’t getting a full translation from my cousin every time. Whenever I asked La Pigna’s Owner, Raia Maurizio, a question about topics such as DRPs, OE vs. aftermarket

a little harder to learn some Italian before embarking on this trip. Maurizio’s father, Rocco, purchased La Pigna in 1989 until he stepped aside and gave the reins to his son a few years back. His dad passed away earlier this year at the age of 75, but he taught Raia the right way to fix cars without cutting corners. Today, Maurizio’s wife, Luisa, runs the front office to accommodate the shop’s growing clientele. Three years ago, he doubled the size of his facility when he acquired the mechanical The break room for the employees at Autocarroseria La Pigna features a photo of Sophia Loren and free lunches. shop next door, so he needs Credit: Ed Attanasio a steady flow of work to pay parts, etc., his responses were rather the bills, he said. When he was ten years old, Maulengthy. But, each time my cousin would offer me a one-sentence an- rizio began prepping and polishing swer. I knew this wasn’t going to be Fiats when school was out, and after a easy and thought I should have tried while, the crew taught him how to do

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basic metalwork. His strength during those years was rust repair, but eventually, he was permitted to do it all, including paintwork. I was trying to find some statistics about how many accidents take place in Italy. One of the things I noticed immediately was that these people drive fast but in control. Their ability to pass each other on tight roads is pretty amazing, and I flinched more than a few times as my cousin’s rattling old Volkswagen Golf flew around blind turns in the middle of the night. In a land where there are more scooters than cars, the crew of five at La Pigna works on scooters and motorcycles and also does restoration work to complement the 30-40 collision jobs they perform every month. The two-wheel repairs are mostly cosmetic, and the car re-building business is limited to three to five vehicles annually, but they do fill in the gaps when business slows down. Unlike most body shops in the United States, there are no DRPs in Italy, but drama with the insurance companies seems to be universal. “We work for the client, not with the

insurance company,” he said. “They bring their cars here and we give them an estimate and then they take it to their insurance company. In some cases, they will go through their insurance company, but half of the time,

cept our labor rate, which is 35 euros plus tax, so that is where we will often disagree.” When it comes to parts, Maurizio gives each of his customers three options—OE, used or aftermarket.

From left to right, Painter Pietro, Owner Raia Maurizio, Metal Technician Dante and Apprentice Giovanni at Autocarroseria La Pigna in Longobardi, Italy. Credit: Ed Attanasio

they ask us to fix the car without their insurer involved.” If there are any discrepancies between estimates, the tug-of-war begins and “we battle it out,” Maurizio said. “Sometimes they do not ac-

“We are well known here in southern Italy for having access to good parts, which is important when we are working on Maserati’s, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. We can get factory parts in three to four days; aftermar-

ket parts next day and if we need a part fast, we can go to the wrecking yard in Cozensa and do it that way. Before we ever install any part in any car, we make sure that the customer knows and agrees.” One thing that Italy is very strict about is modifying any vehicle even slightly and that’s something Maurizio has to keep in mind, especially when he is restoring an old classic car. “We have to get documentation from the owner before we touch it,” he said. “If you get caught driving a vehicle that was modified without approval, there’s a serious fine and they can take the car from you too.” Maurizio believes he will succeed as long as he follows his father’s advice. “He told me don’t compromise the work and always do the right things for our customers and workers,” he said. He explained that if he can continue to repair cars correctly and maintain his reputation for being a good shop, everything else will fall into place. In Italy, they say, “Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto” which means “Eat well, laugh often, love much … and repair cars using OE procedures.”

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Continued from Page 38

The 1980s

was made by a spray booth manufacturer. To that, only 107 or 25% responded yes, while 43% or 187 respondents said no, and indicated that they may have a home-made unit of some sort. (These could have been very old – going back to the 1940s). A third question asked if the respondent did not have a spray booth, did they plan on buying one in the next 24 months. 68 or 39% said yes. Construction Materials Change Changes were coming in the vehicle construction materials used by carmakers. A 1984 trade magazine article noted that “… more and more plastic has been used in various parts of car bodies particularly in the front end in the bumper and front extensions, in soft front fascia’s and aprons, grill opening panels, stone shields and elsewhere. Because these parts are much lighter in weight than sheetmetal, they have become an important part of every U.S. manufacturers fuelsaving weight reduction program.” In the fall of 1987, a trade magazine article notes that the use of plastics in the average Ford car has more than doubled since 1975 – from 4% of the car’s total weight to 8.5% of the total in 1985. Projections have determined that 11% of the typical 1990 model year Ford will be made of plastics. This is in relation to a decrease in the use of mild steel – down 10% in 1985 from 1975s 60% of the total and projected to drop another 3% by 1990.” In an unrelated article appearing near the end of 1989, a chart provided by BASF Corp. shows that automotive use of plastics went from about 50 pounds per car in 1970 to an esti-

mated average of about 300 pounds in 1990. A September 1988 trade magazine article described repairs being made to a current model (1988) import and restoration being made to a 1960 Chrysler Imperial, side-by-side in the shop. The outside body of the import used a number of different plastics in various spots. The outside of the Chrysler was all metal—heavy metal—and chrome. The only plastic

section cars in their shops; although, when asked, only 45% of shops said that the insurance companies are requesting that cars be sectioned. Of those that do perform sectioning, 70% said they weld at the factory seams. Almost two out of three (64%) said sectioned cars are safe, while 11% said they were not. Some shops said sectioned cars were actually stronger than the original, while others said just the opposite. The article

used on the Chrysler was in the cabin. The Chrysler had heavy glass, and lots of it secured with hardware and chrome pieces. The import had glass sitting almost flush with the body, secured with urethane. In fact, the article’s author and then-industry leader Bobby Johnson posited, “The chrome on the fender of the big car probably weighed more than the entire front fender of the import.” By the end of the decade, highstrength steel was becoming more prevalent. A trade magazine article appearing in January of 1989 notes more high-strength steel is used in auto construction than ever before; the high strength steel has been used since the mid-1970s. The problem now becomes, where it is used and how to identify it, as well as making sure that little to no heat is used on high strength steel, because doing so adversely affects the steel’s molecular characteristics.

noted, “Although clipping, or sectioning, makes up a very small portion of the work in the collision repair field, it receives the lion’s share of publicity because of the dangers involved in an improperly sectioned car and because of the instances of fraud by used car dealers.” Despite the possibility of clipping or sectioning having a severe negative impact on their brand image, OE’s did not start addressing the issue until around 2007

Clip and Snip Repair procedures became more of a bone of contention. According to a 1984 industry survey, 58% of shops

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with position statements advocating against clipping or sectioning. Changing Labor Operations With changes in car building and repair technology came changes in labor operations. Industry veteran Tony Lombardozzi explains, “Back in the late 70s and early 80s with the change to unibody vehicle design came the change from ‘combination man’ to specialized job descriptions. In most cases, it allowed the shops to become more efficient with production and allowed shops to hire more lower-skilled workers that were led by a professional and worked as a team. This allowed shops to maintain a higher gross profit on labor, which was beginning to diminish. A combination man who may have been a decent body man, but was an expert refinisher was moved to the refinishing department and vice versa.” Here, in the second decade of the 21st century, Radar, Hawkeye and Major Houlihan, and many who were in the collision industry of the 1980s (and earlier) have retired; but, the fight continues to keep up with repair technology.

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From the Desk of Mike Anderson with Mike Anderson

What’s the Cost of a Comeback? It’s a question most shops haven’t considered; fewer shops have actually calculated the cost of a comeback. If you figured out the actual cost each time a customer has to bring their vehicle back into the shop, you’d be investing more of your time, systems or other resources to prevent it. I’m not talking about a customer coming back for a trim piece or other another part that was on backorder at the time the vehicle was delivered. I’m talking about the customer coming back that you didn’t expect to see until their next accident. They could be returning because of a paint issue, wind noise, or some vehicle system not functioning properly – something related to the quality and completeness of the repairs you performed. Clearly, most of the issues leading to such comebacks are avoidable through the use of such practices as having a good (preferably electronic) quality-control process in place throughout the repairs (something I discussed in a previous article), conducting a post-repair scan and test drive, and adhering to the OEM repair procedures researched at the time the repair plan for the vehicle was developed. If you don’t have those practices in place – or if you do and something still manages to fall through the cracks – you’re likely to have a comeback.

So let’s do the math and figure out how much that costs your business. First, let’s think about some of the other indirect costs to which we might not be able to attach a dollar figure. How does that comeback impact the trust and reputation you’ve built with that customer? How much potential future business will you lose from that particular customer – or from others who hear, or read online about that customer’s experience? But leaving those intangible costs aside, you can actually measure the other bottom-line financial costs of that comeback. Here’s how. Start with the cost of your body technician’s time addressing the comeback. The average collision technician produces about $55,000 or $65,000 per month in sales. At a 45 percent gross profit, a $55,000-permonth technician generates $24,750 in gross profit. Divide that by the number of hours they work in a month (let’s say it’s 195 hours) and you’ll see that technician is generating $126.92 in gross profit for each hour worked. So if that technician has to spend two hours on a redo or comeback, that just cost your shop $253.84 in lost gross profit. If there’s paintwork involved in the comeback, you can use a similar calculation to add in what it cost in paint shop labor gross profit.

Continued from Page 42

dictator, the pushover or the evangelist, and White encouraged, “Be the evangelist – believe so deeply in what you’re recommending that you’d die for it … It’s not our actions that create success in our lives, it’s our habits.” Concluding his presentation, White quoted Joel A. Barker: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

180BIZ Webinar

your staff makes all the difference in the world,” White continued. “Follow the process, and you’ll end up with change that sticks.” So when are you done? White advised that change must be anchored to the company culture. He also cautioned against declaring victory too soon and said to avoid micromanaging which is all about activities, not results. Management under stress shows up in one of three ways: the 48

For more information on 180BIZ and its future webinars for collision repair shops, visit 180biz.com.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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.

How about the estimator who worked with that customer and who took the call when the customer found a problem with the vehicle? He had to spend the time to speak with the customer, schedule the car back in, order any necessary parts, look up any additional OEM repair procedures, convey the information to the necessary staff, and coordinate getting the vehicle back to the customer a second time. Each of those small steps adds up, and they often interrupt work the estimator was doing, adding to the time lost in getting back into that work. An estimator making $60,000 a year cost you about $25.64 per hour ($5,000 per month divided by 195 hours worked per month) so if that comeback eats up 1.5 hours of their time, you’ve just added $38.46 to the dollars and cents cost of that comeback. Does your $15-per hour detailer

need to spend another hour re-cleaning the vehicle? Add that in. Were there any paint materials needed? Add that in. Hopefully, the comeback didn’t require additional scanning or calibrations, but if so, you can add the cost of those in as well. It’s easy to see how a comeback for even a relatively minor issue can rack up $500 or even $1,000 in costs for your business. Even just three of those a month can put an $18,000 ding in your shop’s annual bottom line – and I suspect there are a lot of shops dealing with far more than three comebacks a month. So let’s talk about what you’re doing to avoid comebacks. Send me an email (mike@collisionadvice.com) about your quality control process or other insights you can share. Let’s start taking some of the wasteful cost of comebacks out of your shop and out of the industry.

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Truck Topics with Gary Ledoux

Shop Profile – Diversified Body and Paint In 1989, Mark Gibson started painting Peterbilt hoods in his father’s garage - an inauspicious beginning to what would later become one of the premier heavy-duty truck body shops in the country; Diversified Body and Paint Shop located in Denver. Later, Steve Wolfe would join the company, become a partner, and in 2002, buy-out Gibson’s share to become sole owner along with his family. Autobody News caught up with Wolfe to discuss his growing business. Wolfe said 50% of their work is commercial Class 8 trucks, about 23% RV’s, 15% emergency vehicles such as fire trucks or ambulances, 10% are buses and 2% are food trucks. When asked which type presents the biggest challenges, he replied, “They all present their own special challenges. Much of what we work on are ‘one-off’ vehicles where body panels and other parts must be custom made. And you never know what you will run into.” Wolfe noted that a few years ago they had two RV’s in the shop at the same time, made by the same manufacturer, same model year, same model, even the same color. Surprisingly, they were only three serial numbers apart from each other. When they started repairs, one had an aluminum body frame; the other was wood requiring two completely different repair protocols. We posed a few other questions to Wolfe. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: A:

From how far away will a customer come to you for repair?

Being where we are located, it’s not uncommon for a customer to travel 300 to 500 miles to see us. Denver is a city in a vast area of open land.

Given the type of vehicles you repair, it would appear that you do a lot of custom fabrication, something that I assume is not in the conventional estimating systems. How do you estimate that type of work? Are the insurance companies

accepting of these types of estimates?

There really is no system to accurately estimate the work we do. It is only through years of experience and knowing custom fabrication that we can create an estimate. Fortunately, insurance companies are largely accepting of what we provide them. They may ask a question or want something clarified but they know how this works. We even put on classes for insurance adjusters so they can learn what it takes to repair a fire truck, ambulance or a bus. It is not uncommon for us to have a five-day class with 15 to 20 insurance company adjusters.

Many RV enthusiasts live in their RV and travel full-time. When they have an accident, it can be devastating because their “house” is damaged. To help them, you offer overnight parking for RV repair. What is the longest someone has stayed in your lot?

you can’t get technical information or any information at all. In some newer Class 8 trucks with ADAS systems, we can see the DTC codes but don’t have the ability to clear them. It just depends on the vehicle.

Your business operates on several days and hours – weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. and on weekends from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. How many different shifts do you have? How many technicians do you employ?

We have 35 employees, including 20 technicians. We run two shifts Monday through Friday as well as a shift on Saturday and Sunday. Yes, there is plenty of work; in fact, we will be opening a new 50,000 square foot shop by the end of the year. But it’s more than just the volume of work. Because of the na-

ture of our business and our clientele, it’s more about being available when they need us. A Class 8 truck down costs the trucking company money every day that truck isn’t rolling. When a fire truck is down, you can’t run down to Enterprise and get a rental fire truck. That municipality will have to depend on neighboring communities for ‘mutual aid’ when there is a call for that particular truck. For instance, a drunk driver ran into the back of a ladder (fire) truck while the truck was at a working fire causing extensive damage. Even with all those flashing lights, the drunk driver never saw the truck. (The truck featured a hydraulic bucket and mounted water nozzle enabling a firefighter to pour water on a fire several floors above street level). Not every municipality has a snorkel truck and when you need it, you need it. That fire department

A full-time RVer lived in our lot for two months while we waited for parts.

When a collision impact intrudes the interior space of an RV, especially a late model Class A, Class C motorhome or Fifth Wheel, and damages interior cabinets or furniture, do you try to secure the replacement pieces from the RV manufacturer, get parts from the component manufacturer, or fabricate them yourself?

We use a combination of all of the above. Unlike a car, RV parts, especially interior parts are usually only available for a short time after the unit is built so we have carpet guys, cabinet guys and other specialists who will custom-make the interiors.

Of all the vehicles you work on, which one is the biggest challenge and why?

Q: A:

Some are a challenge because you can’t get parts, for others

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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called us about every day for three months while we repaired the truck.

How do you keep your technicians trained? Do you use I-CAR?

I-CAR is good and I respect what they do, but they haven’t quite caught up with this type of work yet. They are more attuned to work that is repetitive in nature - on vehicles that are built with a lot of consistency and for which parts and information are readily available. We rely on classes put on by equipment manufacturers, paint manufacturers and people like John Spoto of 3M, our rep from Axalta, and many more.

Q: A: Q:

certain operations. Is that the same way in the truck collision world?

Some adjusters try to play that game. We simply explain that this is not the auto world. We perform on a different level. Due to the complexity and size of the vehicle, the na-

In the auto collision repair world, insurance companies (especially those with DRP arrangements) are notorious for trying to reduce the shop’s labor rate or not cover

Is your shop equipped and trained to diagnose, repair and recalibrate ADAS systems on any brand trucks?

We are equipped to work on most. Others, we have to send back to the dealer. This changes on what seems like a daily basis. On the auto side, OE’s have had years to figure out why and how to provide the repair aftermarket with repair information. The truck side is just now realizing what they need to do and are slow in providing it.

Are you a direct repair shop for any insurance companies? Yes, several.

adjuster in to see us. We have to educate them on what we do, and why we need to get our rate and our hours.

ture of the repair, and the amount of space that such a vehicle occupies in the shop, we need to get paid for each operation—and, at a rate that is commensurate with the nature of the repair. It’s that simple. Sometimes an insurance company will send an auto

Q: A:

Are you involved with any trucking industry associations?

Yes, I am on the advisory board for the HD Repair Forum. In addition, we are a member of the Truck Frame and Axel Repair Association (TARA), the Rocky Mountain Fleet Management Association (RMFMA) and the Fire Mechanics Association. We are also part of the

Colorado Motor Carrier’s Association.

What is your biggest challenge today as your body repair business is concerned?

Our biggest problem is finding enough quality techs. We have been hiring new techs and putting them through an apprentice program. We have also hired techs that came to us from the auto side and brought them up to speed. But we could grow at a faster rate if we had some experienced HD techs. The other big challenge we run into is OE repair information, or the lack thereof. We are working on this with our associations and forums.

years?

Where do you see the truck collision repair industry in ten

I see us finally catching up to the auto repair world in terms of OE information availability. I am hoping to see custom work be more consistent in the way it is done, so we can have certifiable repairs and certified shops like the auto side.

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Protect Your Shop From the Threat of Ransomware With an alarming increase of ransomware attacks plaguing the collision repair industry, cybersecurity has become an important topic for shop owners to educate themselves on for the safety of their businesses. A type of cybersecurity risk, ransomware attacks are when someone seizes control of an organization’s computer system or digital information, agreeing to release it only after a ransom has been paid. Ransomware is typically spread through phishing emails with malicious attachments or by visiting an infected website, but shops have also been hacked through open ports. After infecting the victim’s system, the ransomware virus encrypts every data file it finds and displays a demand for ransom, usually in untraceable cryptocurrency, in exchange for the decryption keys needed to restore the locked files. Failure to pay the

ransom leads to those keys being dis- purposes. If paying the ransom is the carded, which makes the data perma- only choice, be familiar with your insurance policy to know if cyberatnently inaccessible. One component of ensuring a tacks are covered; according to an shop is protected involves acquiring April report by the New York Times, and maintaining adequate insurance. many insurers have argued that certain cyberattacks tied to foreign In Autobody News’ August governments aren’t covered edition, David Willett, genunder insurance policies due eral manager of the automoto the “war exclusion” which tive industry at Intrepid prevents insurers from payDirect Insurance, shared, ing for costs related to dam“This is happening to other ages caused by war. industries, but it’s becoming “The normal ransomware more frequent in our indusDavid Willett, provision pays for rebuilding try. The number of automogeneral manager of the automotive the system and database, tive repairers with cyber risk coverage in their garage in- industry at Intrepid which can take 30 days or Direct Insurance more. It doesn’t reimburse or surance package is growing but still represents a small percentage.” pay the actual ransom request (usuMost experts do not recommend ally bitcoin), which offers an immepaying the ransom since there’s no diate fix,” Willett stated. “Intrepid’s guarantee that the hacker will restore provision pays for the ransom request the files or that they haven’t already because it was designed for what’s acgleaned information for nefarious tually happening in the industry, and

we plan to continue strengthening it for our customers’ protection.” The best way to prevent damage from hackers is to avoid being a victim of a ransomware attack altogether. In “Awareness Briefings on Combating Ransomware,” published by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the organization offered tips for businesses seeking to protect against ransomware attacks which are also available on their website: • Update software and operating systems with the latest patches. Outdated applications and operating systems are the target of most attacks. • Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails. • Backup data on a regular basis. Keep it on a separate device and store it offline. • Follow safe practices when See Threat of Ransomware, Page 56

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Social Media for Shops

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

with Ed Attanasio

Yelp Experts Yelp Back About Billion Dollar Bully Body shop owners and Yelp experts who work with the collision repair industry weighed in recently about last month’s article (Does Yelp Bully Body Shops?) in the wake of Billion Dollar Bully, a documentary about how Yelp can adversely impact small businesses. It claims that Yelp extorts small business owners for advertising fees in return for promoting positive reviews and hiding negative ones. So, I asked four marketing gurus about the role of Yelp in this industry, and how can a shop avoid being bullied by it? Micki Hazz, owner of Hazz Marketing: “Yelp comes up frequently in my talks with clients in building their brand online,” she said. “As frustrating as the platform can be for business owners (and understandably so), it is a tool that is not going anywhere; so, your best bet is to embrace it and maximize it! I’d recommend that your business claim its free Yelp listing and fill it out to the best of your ability. “Make sure to add pictures of not only your logo but the front of the building, check-in area, employee pics (as long as you have had them sign a waiver) and some before and after photos of the work you’ve done,” she said. “Make sure to add an explanation to each photo and please use proper English with decent grammar! When customers give you a good review, you’ll want to click the ‘Thanks’ button in your dashboard at the very least. If you can, write a short, public response thanking them for taking time out of their day to write a review for your shop. “Yelp is a tool that Americans nationwide turn to for validating a business of any kind. Even if you have some grumpy customers, it’s your opportunity to put your best foot forward and represent yourself honestly to make visitors to your Yelp page feel like you really care and that they won’t just be ‘a number’ getting processed like so many places of business have left them to feel.” Chief Marketing Officer Megan Williams at Lefler Collision & Glass

Repair Centers: “With the majority of people utilizing smartphones, having a high-ranking website is crucial because we only have mere moments to get in front of that potential customer,” she said. “One of the simplest ways to work toward ensuring your shop has good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is that you claim

President of Phoenix Solutions Group, Nick Schoolcraft: “I always tell my clients to respond to every review, because this is your best way to show the world and search engines that you are listening to your customers and aren’t afraid to address poor experiences,” he said. “It also demonstrates your appreciation

and keep your Google Business, Yelp, and Yellow Page profiles updated with photos, events, special offers, etc. “Yelp was previously considered to only be used for restaurants but we are seeing an increasing amount of consumers using Yelp for research as well as leaving reviews following their repair experience. I would go as far to say that Yelp is the most important to be working on right now because they are the largest listing provider for voice search and within the next six months, research shows that 50% of all searches are going to be conducted by voice. “Nearly 70% of all voice searches are conducted on Amazon or iPhone devices which are controlled by Yelp. This shows the influence that Yelp has by running the majority of the quickly growing voice search market. Having an updated Yelp account, mentioning to your customers the opportunity to leave a review, and responding to all reviews – whether good or bad, can help position your shop at the top of the search engine results. “To conclude, review profiles such as Yelp, Google Business, and Yellow Pages are a crucial step towards a prominent search engine ranking. Applications such as Podium can help facilitate more customers to your review profiles, which can then lead to more reviews and a higher search results placement.”

for all of your customers. We feel strongly about the benefit of review response and believe that it’s one of the more critical components to ensure a well-rounded digital presence for your business. “The best thing a business can do is deliver an amazing experience, but shops often get so caught up on how to get reviews that they lose sight of what their customers may be saying. How can a shop avoid being bullied by Yelp? “I think it all starts with understanding how your customers actually get to your shop and recognize that Yelp is not the predominant driver of collision traffic in most cases. Regardless of your belief, arming yourself with details that are easily gained by marketing research, or even Google Analytics to a certain degree, can go a long way in understanding Yelp’s value to your business. “At Phoenix, we have never purchased an ad plan from Yelp on behalf of a client. We’ve been asked many times from customers to look into exploring that option for them. But we’ve ultimately found the value to not warrant the cost, or the opportunity cost, of not having all of your reviews shown. If a shop can provide a differentiated experience, then it will absolutely show through, not by the number of reviews a shop has, but by the quality of the reviews. Improving your relationship with your customers should be the first effort

“We had a real problem for a while with fake reviews, but now we are proactive about contacting Yelp whenever we see a fake review,” — Angel Iraola

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

in trying to generate more positive reviews online.” Angel Iraola, owner of Net Business Consulting & Solutions: “We have a long track record working with Yelp, and although things have improved, they are still not ideal,” he said. “We have clients who have refused to join Yelp and punished for not taking part. They have also been accused of withholding positive, genuine reviews and won’t remove fake reviews unless you advertise. “We had a real problem for a while with fake reviews, but now we are proactive about contacting Yelp whenever we see a fake review,” he said. “In some cases, they’re very willing to take it down right away, but they will always hit us up for advertising at the same time. They’ll give you the hard sell. But, if they keep the bogus reviews upfront because you won’t pay, now we have a problem that needs to be addressed. “For our clients who are fed up with Yelp, we often now suggest that shops focus more on other review sites, such as Google, Glassdoor, Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List, for example,” Iraola said. “Google is well-known for being accountable and transparent, and they won’t try to sell you something every time you contact them. “In the end, small businesses need to address these review sites, because from what we have learned from Billion Dollar Bully, Yelp is a fixture in our society now. We can complain about it all day long, but in the end, Yelp can impact your shop in a huge way, so you have to monitor it constantly. It’s like a naughty kid—once you forget about it for a minute, that’s where the trouble can start!”

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Continued from Page 53

Threat of Ransomware

browsing the Internet. Read Good Security Habits for additional details. • Restrict users’ permissions to install and run software applications, and apply the principle of “least privilege” to all systems and services. Restricting these privileges may prevent malware from running or limit its capability to spread through a network. • Use application whitelisting to allow only approved programs to run on a network. • Enable strong spam filters to prevent phishing emails from reaching the end users and authenticate inbound email to prevent email spoofing. • Scan all incoming and outgoing emails to detect threats and filter executable files from reaching end users. • Configure firewalls to block access to known malicious IP addresses. There are several tips reiterated by cybersecurity professionals that are fairly simple and should be adhered to by all shops interested in protecting their digital information against ransomware and other cyber-attacks. First, educate employees on the dangers of malware and common hazards; many companies choose to include expectations in their codes of conduct. Second, back up data since your ability to restore the files diminishes the hacker’s power. Lastly, be sure to update all software and operating systems since that is the only way to ensure protection against new

approaches developed by hackers. Willett agrees that insurance is only one component of managing cyber risk. “It’s important to have extortion coverage for ransomware, but trying to simply buy enough coverage isn’t the wisest risk management strategy. Shops should implement a variety of risk management tools, including firewalls, segmented networks and file encryption at a minimum – just like

shops have fire suppression systems on their paint booths, they need to have a system to protect their business from cyber risk.” As a result of their belief that education is paramount to prevention, Intrepid Direct Insurance has worked with RiskAnalytics to provide insureds with three safeguards included at no charge. The InsCyt Safe Browsing Tool (Sinkhole) protects against clicking on a link directed to an infected or suspected IP address by providing a warning in the browser. Intrepid also offers Online Employee Training to Defend Human Threats, a video teaching employees how to recognize and deal with malicious attempts, as well as a sample Security Awareness and Training Policy. Willett believes, “Our understand-

CIF Launches “Campaign of Caring”

In the wake of the recent tragic mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, the Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) has committed to assist one of our own in a “Campaign of Caring.” The Anchondo family, owners of Colormaster Auto Body Shop in El Paso, lost their son Andre, 23, and Andre’s wife Jordan, 24, in the mass shooting. The couple leaves behind three young children. CIF has committed to match the industry dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000. 100% of the donations will 56

be given to the family to provide for the children’s needs. “We typically respond after natural disasters to assist our brothers and sisters in need, but this senseless tragedy has struck a family and small business owner in our industry and we encourage everyone to come together and assist them,” said CIF Board Chairman Michael Quinn of AirPro Diagnostics. To donate please visit: https:// www.collisionindustryfoundation .org/donate.html.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

ing of cybersecurity will eventually mature to the point that cybersecurity policies are just as important as zero harassment policies. You need training for the human elements. Many of our customers pay for sophisticated cybersecurity management, and those companies appreciate Intrepid’s safeguards as much as the shops do.” “We worked with RiskAnalytics to create solid tools to enhance our customers’ cybersecurity,” Willett continued. “As an insurance company, Intrepid expects losses, but we try to provide customers with viable risk management tools to sensibly mitigate the risks as much as possible. We always want to help insureds manage as much as they can within their own shops. This mentality is going to become more prevalent within our industry over the next couple years.” If a ransomware attack occurs, immediately disconnect the infected machine from the network to prevent the virus from spreading, and restore files from backups if possible. Take

a photo or screenshot of the message to file a police report. Hiring a cybersecurity company can help determine how the system was hacked and help implement measures to prevent future attacks. Willett pointed out, “Intrepid’s customers should rely on what’s in their cybersecurity awareness training and already have action steps lined out. Shut down the impacted system to prevent the virus from infecting all of the shop’s computers, and contact your cybersecurity management team to assess the damages.” Cybersecurity risks aren’t going away anytime soon; in fact, they advance every day to circumvent the protection that is developed against them. Willett stated, “I’m excited and relieved that everyone is finally talking about this issue. In the past, it was easy to say that only big companies were affected so it was difficult to get people to pay attention to cybersecurity, but that’s not the case anymore – anyone could be impacted, and being educated about all the risks and ways to protect yourself is the surest way to avoid being a victim of a cybersecurity attack.”

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

GM Names New Chief of Global Marketing by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

In an effort to build General Motors’ (GM) brands and improve customer service, the automaker has a new global marketing boss. GM has promoted Cadillac marketing Chief Deborah Wahl, 56, to the job of global chief marketing officer. Wahl has been the chief marketing officer for Cadillac since March 2018. She was charged with “redefining Cadillac’s reputation and repositioning it for the future,” CEO Mary Barra said in a company memo Thursday, Sept. 5. “This move will help us continue the transformation of our marketing organization while leveraging the team’s expertise,” said Barra in the memo. “By aligning marketing across GM under Deborah’s leadership, we will build stronger brands while ensuring more effective, efficient and agile customer engagement.” This spring, Cadillac finished moving its headquarters from New York back to Warren, MI, to be closer to designers as the brand embarks an expansive product launch,

rolling out a new vehicle every six months through 2021. Wahl was chief marketing officer at McDonald’s USA before coming to Cadillac. But she spent more than a decade in the auto industry, at Chrysler, Lexus, Toyota, LincolnMercury, Mazda and Ford of Brazil.

General Motors Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl. Credit: General Motors

In her new role, she reports to Barry Engle, GM’s president of the Americas. GM hasn’t had a chief marketing officer since Joel Ewanick in 2012. GM’s then-CEO Dan Akerson fired Ewanick, reportedly because of an expensive sponsorship deal between Chevrolet and the Manchester United soccer team. Chevrolet’s marketing boss, Tim

GM Vacuum Pump Recall Issued for 3.4 Million Vehicles by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A GM vacuum pump recall for more than 3.4 million SUVs and trucks has been issued in the U.S. because brake assist could be lost and drivers could experience hard brake pedals and longer stopping distances. The General Motors vacuum pump recall includes these models in the U.S. • 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade • 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado • 2014-2018 GMC Sierra • 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban • 2015-2018 Chevrolet Tahoe • 2015-2018 GMC Yukon The vacuum pump recall was announced for 3,456,111 vehicles in the U.S. about two months after a similar recall was announced for about 300,000 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles in Canada. The U.S. recall also follows a federal investigation opened in November 2018 due to complaints about vehicles losing their ability to properly brake because of the vacuum 58

pumps. GM says at least 110 crashes and 13 injuries have allegedly been caused by the engine-mounted mechanical vacuum pump output decreasing over time. Drivers will notice hard brake pedals, longer stopping distances and likely see a “service brake assist” alert that will activate two to five minutes after the vacuum level drops. The automaker says the problem begins with the vacuum pump which is lubricated with engine oil that flows into the pump through a filter screen. Oil sludge can build up on the filter screen and block the flow of oil into the vacuum pumps and reduce the vacuum pressure. GM says failing to change the oil as recommended can contribute to the problems by allowing debris to turn into sludge. The automaker also says the vehicles have secondary hydraulic power brake assist systems that activate to provide power brake assist if the vacuum drops. However, the hydraulic brake boost is limited when the vehicles are travel-

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Mahoney, oversaw most of GM’s marketing after Ewanick left. He retired March 1. Melissa Grady, director of Cadillac media and performance marketing since September 2018, will replace Wahl as Cadillac’s chief marketing officer, Barra said. The marketing leaders at Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, OnStar, CCA and GM Financial will report to both Wahl and the leader of their respective business unit, Barra said. GM reported a net profit of $2.4 billion for the second quarter, up 1.6% from the year-ago period, driven by sales of SUVs and redesigned pickups. GM has been restructuring since late last year in preparation for a potential economic slowdown and consumers’ shifting tastes from cars to SUVs and pickups. It idled four U.S. plants, cut about 4,000 white-collar jobs and left some 3,745 U.S. factory jobs in transition or at risk, 2,800 of whom are active hourly workers. GM said this restructuring will

ing at lower speeds. In addition to longer stopping distances, hard brake pedals and warning messages, a driver may feel vibration in the brake pedal and hear a ticking noise coming from the engine compartment. General Motors doesn’t know when the vacuum pump recall will begin, but dealerships will need to reprogram the electronic brake control modules. Truck and SUV owners may contact Chevrolet at 800-630-2438, Cadillac at 800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 800-462-8782. GM’s vacuum pump recall number is N192268490. We thank CarComplaints.com for reprint permission.

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save it at least $2 billion this year, but some experts said GM could be looking at more cost-cutting as demand for autos is expected to stall. In the Thursday, Sept. 5 memo, Barra outlined other leadership changes to help the company included moving Travis Hester, 47, president of GM Canada, moves into a newly created position: global vice president of customer experience. Hester will be responsible for “maximizing customer engagement across” the company, Barra said in the memo. He reports to Engle and GM President Mark Reuss. Scott Bell replaces Hester as president of GM Canada. He’s been vice president of GM Canada Marketing, Sales and Service since June 2018. He will report to Engle. We thank the Detroit Free Press for reprint permission.

www.autobodynews.com

UPDATED DAILY SCRS Announces 2019 Showcase Lineup

Registration is open for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) IDEAS Collide Showcase from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, in Las Vegas at the 2019 SEMA Show. To register for the IDEAS Collide Showcase, visit: scrs.com/rde. The IDEAS Collide Showcase features ten, fast-paced presentations delivered in ten minutes, designed to stimulate thought, innovation and resolution of business challenges with brash, outspoken and provoking concepts from thought leaders both in and out of the industry. “Last year, SCRS launched the first-ever IDEAS Collide Showcase, and we are excited for its return in 2019” stated SCRS Chairman, Brett Bailey. “It was one of our most talked about events of the series last year, and the format really seemed to resonate with attendees.” For more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, please visit: scrs.com, call 1-877841-0660 or email info@scrs.com.

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Electric Buses Plugging Into School Districts

Across North America, some students going back to school this fall will ride electric school buses. More than 100 electric school buses, powered by a Cummins fully electric drivetrain, have been ordered from Blue Bird Corporation, a school bus manufacturer focused on alternative fuel technologies. “The amount of interest has been outstanding; people are very excited about a 100-percent electric-powered school bus,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. Blue Bird has been working with electric technology in school buses since 1994, and recently partnered with the Cummins Electrified Power business segment. “Cummins and Blue Bird are committed to supporting customers and ensuring that we are safely transporting our children and improving air quality for communities,” said Julie Furber, vice president of electrified power at Cummins Inc. Obtained via Business Wire.

Ford Fuel Economy Lawsuit Says MPG Ratings False by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com

A Ford fuel economy lawsuit alleges the automaker cheated owners and lessees of 2017-2019 vehicles, including the 2019 Ford Rangers and 2018 Ford F-150 trucks. The proposed Ford fuel economy class action lawsuit is just one of at least ten suits that allege Ford sold and marketed vehicles with false mpg ratings. According to the lawsuit, the 2019 Ford Ranger and 2018 Ford F150 trucks underwent inaccurate Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing that overstated fuel economy. Illinois plaintiff Ryan Hubert purchased a new 2018 Ford F-150 XL that had a window sticker which allegedly said the miles per gallon ratings were 24 highway, 19 city and 21 combined. But according to the plaintiff, the mpg ratings were wrong and Ford should have told him before he purchased the truck, although he doesn't say what mpg rating his truck gets in real-world driving. Lawyers across the U.S. started filing class action lawsuits after Ford told the Securities and Exchange

Commission (SEC) in February 2019 the automaker had “become aware of a potential concern involving its U.S. emissions certification process” and Ford “cannot provide assurance that it will not have a material adverse effect on [Ford].” The automaker then announced it had opened an investigation after employees reported possible problems in September 2018 concerning emissions and fuel economy testing. Ford hired an outside company to investigate possible problems with “road-load” testing, although the automaker said the investigation had nothing to do with emissions “defeat devices.” At that time Ford said there was no evidence to suggest emissions certification or fuel economy labels were wrong on the Ford Rangers or any other models. According to Ford, road load is the resistance levels used during tests on a dynamometer for fuel economy ratings and to certify the levels of emissions. Road load uses engineering models and physical track tests referred to as “coastdown testing,” which “simulates aerodynamic drag,

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tire rolling resistance, and drivetrain frictional losses and provides the technical data used to program the test dynamometers that generate EPA fuel economy ratings.” The lawsuit says to perform a coastdown test, the vehicle travels at a high speed on a straight flat road and is shifted into NEUTRAL until it slows to a low speed. Estimates are produced by recording the time the vehicle takes to slow down, modeling the forces affecting the vehicle. Ford allegedly advertised its 2019 Ranger trucks as the “most fuelefficient gas-powered midsize pickup in America,” while the automaker said the 2019 Ranger provided a “superior EPA-estimated city fuel economy rating and an unsurpassed EPA-estimated combined fuel economy rating versus the competition.” According to the fuel economy lawsuit, Ford allegedly knew about the mpg problems in 2017 but failed to inform consumers. The Ford fuel economy lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois – Hubert v. Ford Motor Company. We thank CarComplaints.com for reprint permission.

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Associations Endorse OEM Procedures as Standard of Repair The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced at their July 2019 board of directors meeting a collaborative effort with the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and a consortium of state and regional associations representing the collision repair industry to establish industry-wide recognition of the documented OEM repair procedure as the standard of repair. The statement and the full list of signing organizations can be found on the SCRS website at https: //scrs.com/oem-procedure-position. It is the position of all undersigned organizations that if a vehicle manufacturer documents a repair procedure as required, recommended or otherwise necessary as a result of damage or repair, that those published procedures would be the standard of repair. Disregarding a documented procedure that is made available to the industry creates undue and avoidable exposure to the consumer’s safety

and liability to the repair facility performing the repair.

As such, we support efforts that aim to ensure consumers are properly indemnified for repair operations and procedures in accordance with documented technical procedures to repair the vehicle as issued by the original vehicle manufacturer. For additional associations that wish to be added as an endorsing organization, email Aaron Schulenburg, SCRS executive director, at aaron@scrs.com.

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CREF Partners With MCRA

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is partnering with the Montana Collision Repair Association (MCRA) to support the state’s lone collision repair training program. Montana State University – Billings in the only school providing pre-employment training in the state. Through the partnership, the MCRA and the CREF will raise funds to provide the school and its students with: • Hand tools; • Aluminum repair tools/equipment; • New frame rack; • Student scholarships; • Epoxied program floors; and • Student work uniforms. “MCRA is proud to team with Collision Repair Education to enhance the future of collision repairers in the state of Montana. Programs such as this are a lifeline to the repairers, schools, trainers and students supporting the collision repair industry,” said Paul Flores, owner/general manager of Rick’s Auto Body in Missoula, MT, and president of the MCRA.

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At this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, CARSTAR, North America’s premier network of independently-owned collision repair facilities, will host an exhibit on the show floor, located in the 2019 SEMA Show Westgate Hall, Booth No. 16320. The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. “It is an exciting time for us at CARSTAR as the network is experiencing accelerated growth and we are grateful to participate in the SEMA Show as it is another opportunity for us to highlight why we are known for collision repair excellence,” said Michael Macaluso, president of CARSTAR. Show attendees interested in learning more about joining the CARSTAR family may contact Lauren Schoonover at lschoonover@carstar.com to arrange appointments with the CARSTAR leadership team.

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Tesla Semi is Exceeding Range Estimates Notes CHP in Recent Sighting by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati.com

The Tesla Semi was recently spotted by officers of the California Highway Patrol in the Donner Pass, CA, area. Images of the vehicle taken by the CHP show the all-electric truck hauling several concrete blocks, as the vehicle continued its real-world testing in the lead-up to its initial production run. Fortunately, the Tesla Semi’s sighting this time around proved to be a bit more special, as the CHP-Donner Pass officers were able to speak with the upcoming truck’s driver, who was gracious enough to give some details about the vehicle. According to the Semi’s driver, the matte red all-electric truck is currently operating at approximately 75,000 pounds with its trailer and cargo. What’s particularly impressive is that the vehicle is reportedly meeting or exceeding its range estimates despite its heavy load. “Tesla is out testing the new electric truck tractor. The driver stated the concrete blocks are for testing purposes only. According to the driver the truck is operating at approximately 75,000 pounds and the truck is meeting or exceeding the

range estimates. Electric trucks are definitely the future. We look forward to seeing more electric trucks on the road,” the group wrote. This is not the first time that the CHP shared images of Tesla’s upcoming all-electric truck. Last year, the silver Semi prototype, complete

The Tesla Semi. Credit: CHP-Donner Pass, Facebook

with a trailer full of cargo, was inspected by the CHP at the Donner Pass Inspection Center, which is located just off Interstate 80. The vehicle was met with notable excitement from the group, who noted in a Facebook post that “the future has arrived.” When asked about the inspection, a representative from the CHP-Donner Pass group stated that the Semi was “very easy to inspect” and the vehicle was “very clean.” No violations were found by the CHP during its inspection of the Semi then.

CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2019 SEMA Show

The Tesla Semi holds a lot of potential, particularly as it is a vehicle that can tap into the immensely lucrative trucking market. The Semi definitely has what it takes to cause a disruption in terms of raw specs, considering that the vehicle is equipped with four Model 3-derived electric motors and a range of up to 500 miles. Tesla has continued to make improvements to the Semi since its unveiling too, with Elon Musk stating on Twitter that the vehicle’s range will likely be closer to 600 miles per charge. The Semi has attracted the attention of several notable businesses, particularly those which are looking for ways to actively reduce their carbon emissions footprint while cutting transportation and logistical costs at the same time. Among the Semi’s reservation holders are PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch, J.B. Hunt, FedEx, and UPS in the United States, as well as Bee’ah in the United Arab Emirates. Production of the Semi was initially slated for 2019, though Tesla has adjusted this estimate to sometime in 2020. We thank Teslarati.com for reprint permission.

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