Western Edition California Nevada Arizona
30
YEARS
www.autobodynews.com ww ww.autobodynews.com
California DOI Meeting Reviews Regulations Affecting Aftermarket Parts and Accountability by Ed Attanasio
In the first major policy meeting directly affecting the collision repair industry, representatives of Insurance Commissioner David Jones called a pre-notice public meeting for discussions on regulations regarding standards for reasonable repairs and the use of aftermarket parts on November 16th in San Francisco. In preparation for the “pre-notice public discussions,” the Commissioner released a series of proposed revisions
INSERT
Shop and Product SHOWCASE
to the California Code of Regulations that was discussed and reviewed in depth at the meeting (see sidebar p. 53). Jones and his department plan to issue an official Notice of Proposed Action. The meeting was chaired by Teresa A. Campbell of the DOI’s Legal division and attended by 50–60 invitation-only repairers, insurers, and representatives of both OE and Aftermarket parts manufacturers. In a letter to invited participants sent to body shops, insurers and aftermarket parts vendors and manufacturers, the Commissioner’s office wrote: “The purpose of these discussions is to permit certain
about 217 CAA members, insurance executives and aftermarket representatives at the LKQ/Keystone warehouse in Ontario, CA, on November 9. CAA members came from several chapters in California. Featured speakers included CAPA’s Jack Gillis, Bob Frayer of NSF Corp, Charlie Hogarty with the ABPA, and LKQ’s VP of Government Affairs, Eileen Sottile, representing QPC. Attendees were encouraged to take a tour of the warehouse with one of the location’s representatives prior to the speakers’ presentations. The See Parts Symposium, Page 30
Change Service Requested
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
The Inland Empire chapter of the California Autobody Association (CAA) held a parts symposium meeting with
Voices Heard Amid Revving Engines at SEMA —What Collision Repairers Said and Heard by John Yoswick
See DOI Meeting, Page 52
Inland Empire CAA Chapter Hears Discussion of A/M Parts Certification Issues, Tours LKQ/Keystone Warehouse
Approximately 217 industry members came to the LKQ/Keystone warehouse in Ontario for an Aftermarket Parts Symposium meeting
VOL. 29 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2011
One of three SEMA Show Halls hosting 2,000 vehicles and 135,000 attendees
When you read a sampling of comments from among the 135,000 people in Vegas during SEMA week—no matter how you look at it—you realize SEMA has all the diversity of an automotive city. A city where, for love or profit, all the citizens share a car obsession, but it’s a city-sized population nonetheless. About 132,000 people flooded into Las Vegas in November for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) tradeshow, with about half of those pegged by show organizers as “buyers.” That’s about a 17 percent jump in show attendance over last year. They could have spent a day just checking out the approximately See SEMA Heard & Said Page 12
California Court Grants Joint Motion to Dismiss Perez et al. Aftermarket Antitrust Case, Allows Plaintiffs to Refile Case A California federal judge granted a joint plaintiff and defendant motion to dismiss an antitrust class action against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and other insurers Nov. 15, saying the plaintiffs do not have standing to sue several wholly owned subsidiaries of the insurance companies. The plaintiffs had filed a fourth amended complaint in July against State Farm, Allstate Indemnity Co., Geico
General Insurance Co., Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), a purported independent regulatory body created by the auto insurers. The complaint added the subsidiaries as named defendants and alleged that the auto insurers set up a sham organization to prevent competition over auto repair parts. U.S. District See Antitrust Dismissal, Page 26
Toby Chess Asks Repairers to Email Details of Parts that Don’t Fit or Appear Substandard in Materials Toby Chess wants repairers to email him the details of ill-fitting or poorquality parts—whether OEM or nonOEM, certified or non-certified. “I’m not against aftermarket parts,” Chess has repeatedly said. “My message is that all that shops want are good quality parts that don’t require margin-eating extra days or hours of returns and refitting. Where they come from is not the issue.” Email him with the details at tcspeedster@ yahoo.com.
At CIC in Las Vegas Chess (l) addressed the Alternative Parts Subcommittee by holding up a certified—but, he contended, mismatching —replacement fender and headlamp assembly. Chess says such parts are underreported.
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ontario, Ca. Permit No. 1