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Vol. 10 / Issue 8 / October 2019

Solving the Tech Shortage: Steps to Finding Qualified Employees

Collision Repair Students in NC Find Jobs at FTCC Draft Days

by Stacey Phillips

by Gary Ledoux

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

Finding a job after graduation is a concern for students; but, graduating students from Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) ColllisionU in Fayetteville, NC, have the opposite situation. Employers come looking for them. Twice each year, in March and October, the school holds “Draft Days” and invites executives from over 25 companies to visit the school for a two-day event. At the event, executives watch students perform various collision repairs and refinishing operations, interact with them and interview them. Upon the completion of the interview, company representatives may offer students a job right on the spot, or at a later date. Industry giants visiting the school include:

(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.”

Service King Collision Centers, Caliber Collision, Sonic Automotive, various insurance carriers and others. Since 2014, FTCC CollisionU has been training students on the finer points of collision repair. The Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology associate degree program is structured to provide students with not only technical training in collision repair and refinishing, but also industry-recognized, specialized certifications including nine professional certifications from the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) and PPG Certified refinishers. The degree program is also recognized as a Honda PACT Program provider.

Students can achieve the following ISee NC Draft Days, Page 10

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

Autobody News to Exhibit at SEMA 2019

REGIONAL

Chess - Kool Tools: Pre-SEMA 2019 . . . . . . . . 40

Auto Glass America Seeks Answers to

Ledoux - Shop Profile – Diversified Body

Auto Loan Scheme Results in Bank Fraud Conviction Due to Sham Car Sales . . . . . . . 16 Automotive Supplier Vuteq to Create 200 Jobs in Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 C4 Corvette Welcomes Traviss Technical College Students in FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

and Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Ledoux - The 1980s – Keeping up With Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sisk - 180BIZ Webinar Focuses on Making

Sisk - Protect Your Shop From the Threat

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 Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Honda-Acura Wholesale Parts Dealers. 31, 32-33

AkzoNobel Coatings, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . 60

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists, LLC. . . . . . 20

IGO Insurance Company, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Athens Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram . . . . . . 11

Island Clean Air. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Audi Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . 57

Jim Cogdill Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram . . . . 6

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

Jon Hiester Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2019 SEMA Show . . . . 61

Blowtherm USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 59

CIF Launches “Campaign of Caring” . . . . . . . . 10

BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . 61

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

Braman Honda Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Malco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Braman Honda of Palm Beach. . . . . . . . . . 13

Martin Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Braman Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Mercedes-Benz Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 61

Certified Automotive Parts Association . . . 24

MINI Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . 61

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

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

Coggin Deland Honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Mountain View Ford-Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . 36

NOROO Paint & Coatings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Dent Fix Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

ProLine Tool & Supply, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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

Radley Chevrolet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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

Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples . . . . . . . . 50

Dynabrade, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Riverside Ford-Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Eckler’s Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

SATA Dan-Am Company . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 17

ECS Automotive Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes . . . . 2

Equalizer Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sorbothane Soft-Blow Mallet . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Ford Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . 60

Southside Kia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Spanesi Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale . . . . . . . . . 38

Spartanburg Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram . . 15

Gus Machado Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Stateline Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram. . . . . 16

GYS Welding USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Subaru Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . . . . 58

Hendrick Automotive Group. . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Tameron Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Hendrick BMW/MINI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

USI of North America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach . . . . . . . 55

Volkswagen Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 56

Hendrick Kia Cary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Wedge Clamp Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Hendrick Kia Concord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

West Broad Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

of Ransomware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Caliber Collision Is Under Construction in Williamsburg, VA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center Launches in Richmond, VA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 CARSTAR TCA–Lauderdale Lakes, Assists FL Woman Living in Her Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Dealership Gives Seven Cars to Muscle Shoals, AL, Area Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Firefighters Save Dunlap, TN, Body Shop. . . . . 26 Former WV Body Shop Employee Arrested on Embezzlement, Possession Charges. . . . . 8 Gerber Collision & Glass Acquires Two Collision Shops Located in AL . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 IGONC Trainings Feature Rick White of 180BIZ and Kukui’s Jimmy Lea . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Southeast Association Event for October 2019 . . 20 Steve Serra Automotive Group in AL Donates to Boys and Girls Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WIN Atlanta Local Networking Event Benefits Kids In Need Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

NATIONAL 1Collision Adds Health & Benefits Program . . . 14 ADAS Calibrations Latest Challenge Facing Collision Repairers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Associations Endorse OEM Procedures as Standard of Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Autobody News to Exhibit at SEMA 2019. . . . . . 3

Collision Repair Students in NC Find Jobs at FTCC Draft Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CREF Partners With MCRA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Electric Buses Plugging Into School Districts . . 24 Ford Fuel Economy Lawsuit Says MPG Ratings False . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Open Letter on NH Veto of “Failing to Pay” Bill. . 30

Anderson - What’s the Cost of a Comeback? . . 46 Attanasio - Pasta, Pizza and La Pigna— a Body Shop Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Attanasio - Yelp Experts Yelp Back About Billion Dollar Bully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

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

SCRS Welcomes SCACAR as Newest Affiliate Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Solving the Tech Shortage: Steps to Finding Qualified Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

COLUMNISTS

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.

Change Stick in Collision Repair Shops . . . . 48

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Dispositive Motion in Allstate Lawsuit . . . . . 18

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-

Tesla Semi is Exceeding Range Estimates, Notes CHP in Recent Sighting . . . . . . . . . . . 61 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

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

IGONC Trainings Feature Rick White of 180BIZ and Kukui’s Jimmy Lea by Chasidy Rae Sisk

During the last week of August, the Independent Garage Owners of North Carolina (IGONC) hosted a series of free training opportunities around the state, featuring Rick White of 180BIZ and Kukui Corporation’s Jimmy Lea. According to IGONC Executive Director Bob Pulverenti, “The events went well, and we look forward to planning the next round of trainings. Our August training sessions were well received by our members who are always looking for new ways to grow their businesses and make customers happy.”

Rick White of 180BIZ. Credit: IGONC

In August, IGONC rotated topics every other night. This round of classes was led by White who taught both “Filling the Service Bays” and “Top Ten Sales Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them),” in addition to guest

presenter Lea of who focused on “You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure.” Pulverenti continued, “We like to hold regular training opportunities around the state to keep them accessible to all of our members. We also plan them within about an hour of each other so folks can attend both within a reasonable drive. We hold these meetings to make information on running a shop more accessible to our members who may not be able to close down their shop and travel, but still want information on how to run and grow their business.” White described “Top Ten Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them”: “For years I’ve been saying, ‘We’re an industry that makes sales in spite of ourselves.’ Shop owners all over the country keep telling me that they need more cars. These same shop owners are shocked when I show them how much money they’re missing out on with the cars they have in their bays right now. So what’s the issue? This fast, fun webinar recording identifies the top ten sales mistakes being made by the front counter salespeople every day and what to do to turn those situations around. Just

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

spend one hour and you’ll understand what’s happening. Implement and watch your sales go up, up, up!” “Top Ten Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” was presented on Aug. 26 at the Holiday Inn Express in Roanoke Rapids, NC, and on Aug. 29 at the Country Inn & Suites in Wilmington, NC.

Jimmy Lea of Kukui Corporation. Credit: IGONC

White’s description of “Filling the Service Bays” stated, “Every business has busy and slow periods. It’s amazing how many businesses out there know when there’s going to be a slowdown and just accept it. The reality is there are things you can be doing right now that will take and make your business busier than ever before.” During this session, White discussed the difference between hunting and farming in business, and he provided attendees with strategies they could immediately im-

plement in their daily business practice to increase revenue during slow times. The presentation took place on Aug. 27 at Famous Restaurant in New Bern, NC, and on Aug. 28 at 4182 Sycamore Dairy Road in Fayetteville, NC. During each training event, Lea presented “You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure” which focused on the importance of tracking data to assess performance, make changes and optimize your return on investment. Lea shared information on tools to help track marketing – how to use tracking numbers to increase phone conversions and the importance of integrating marketing with your POSsystem. Pulverenti believes associationsponsored training is important for the industry because it helps to “keep our independently owned shops competitive with larger chain operations. Many of our members can fix a car in their sleep, but they need support and information on the best ways to run a business and keep their customers happy. That is where the power of an association comes in. Our members lift up one another.” For more information about IGONC or its events, visit igonc.com.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

WIN Atlanta Local Networking Event Benefits Kids In Need Foundation by Chasidy Rae Sisk

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, members of the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) met up at the Candlefish store in the Ponce City Market (PCM) in Atlanta to collect backpacks for the Kids In Need Foundation before enjoying a walk along the Atlanta Beltline and dinner at the PCM food court. According to event coordinator and WIN member Mandy Wynn, “The purpose of our event was twofold: (1) Give back to our local communities and (2) Offer an opportunity for existing and potential future members of WIN to network. Attendees enjoyed the casual event of networking by taking a onemile stroll through the beltline and then grabbing a bite to eat at the PCM Food Hall.” “We had a beautiful day for networking at the Ponce City Market Wednesday afternoon,” Wynn continued. “Attendees dropped off their backpacks for the backpack drive we hosted to benefit the Kids In Need Foundation. The WIN Atlanta regional event allowed us to give back to the community by having our attendees bring backpacks to donate to the Kids In Need Foundation. This foundation

helps kids who come from lower-income families with the needed supplies to help them succeed in the classroom. In addition to helping students, they also help teachers get the supplies they need to make it a successful school year.”

WIN members gathered in Atlanta to network with industry peers during a walk along the Atlanta Beltline before dinner. (l to r) Lizette Mercado, Kathy Coffey, Mandy Wynn and Cheryl Boswell. Credit: WIN

Attendees then enjoyed an afternoon stroll along the Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile historic rail corridor with a beautiful view of the city and highlights of Atlanta’s culture. Networking continued over dinner at the Ponce City Market food court. Wynn said, “The Ponce City Market is in what used to be the historic Sears,

Former WV Body Shop Employee Arrested on Embezzlement, Possession Charges by Staff, WBOY News

A Harrison County, WV, man accused of stealing more than $4,000 worth of items from Rom Rog Automotive while he was an employee there has been arrested on multiple charges following a search of his home. On July 29, 2019, West Virginia State Police received and embezzlement complaint from Eugene Rogers, the owner of Rom Rog Automotive Inc. on East Pike Street in Clarksburg, WV, according to a criminal complaint. Rogers told troopers that Christopher Forcucci, 45, of Lost Creek stole several items from the business during his time of employment. Troopers said Rogers provided them with surveillance video of Forcucci removing items from the premises on multiple occasions. Rogers told state police that Forcucci removed $4,360 worth of items from the property between July 13–28. Items removed from the property included four wheels removed from a Jeep, a wheel from a motorcycle, fuel from vehicle tanks, and other items, according to a 8

criminal complaint. Troopers interviewed Forcucci on Aug. 12, where he admitted that he stole Jeep tires and wheels, but admitted he had permission to do so. Additionally, Forcucci admitted to taking the tire assembly from the motorcycle, but said he had permission from a person named Taryn Lackey to do so. Troopers said they interviewed Lackey, who said he did not give Forcucci permission to take any items from the motorcycle. On Saturday, Sept. 7, troopers traveled to Forcucci’s residence on Coal Road in Lost Creek to execute an arrest warrant on him, according to the criminal complaint. After serving the warrant, troopers searched Forcucci’s residence and found a small metal tin which they said contained marijuana and methamphetamine. Forcucci has been charged with embezzlement and misdemeanor possession, according to court documents. He is being held at North Central Regional Jail in Grafton, WV, and his bail has been set at $5,000. We thank WBOY News for reprint permission.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Roebuck & Co. building in Atlanta. PCM is the area’s largest adaptive reuse project, has been reinvented as a vibrant community hub housing the Central Food Hall, various shops, flats and offices, all while pointing back to the roots of its inception.” This was WIN’s fourth regional event in Atlanta, and Wynn stated, “Each time, we change something – theme, location, meeting format. I felt like we were able to accommodate something that prior attendees had requested, which is a more casual event with a more central location compared to our prior ones in Atlanta. This was a very informal event where we still got to network but also give back to our local community by hosting a backpack drive. We want to extend a big thank you to all attendees and the companies who support WIN. Please spread the word – we would love to have anyone who is interested to attend one of our WIN Regional events!” Wynn said association events, particularly regional events, are beneficial to members and to the industry as a whole because “It helps us, as an organization, come together to make an impact, big or small, not only

within our industry through networking with our industry peers but also on a local level. This is where our WIN regional events come into play and help connect those who are local

WIN’s Atlanta local networking event benefited the Kids In Need Foundation with backpack donations. Credit: WIN

and meet those who want to learn more about WIN. We open the doors to these events – you don’t have to be a WIN member to attend. Regional networking events help us connect with our WIN Members, and meet our goals of educating and supporting the women in our industry.”

For more information, visit https:// thewomensindustrynetwork.site-ym .com/.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Continued from Cover

NC Draft Days

CAR individual levels: • Aluminum Structural Technician Platinum Pro Level 1; • Auto Physical Damage Appraiser Platinum Pro Level 1; • Estimator Platinum Pro Level 1; • Non-Structural Technician Platinum Pro Levels 1, 2, 3; • Refinish Technician Platinum Pro Levels 1, 2, 3; • Steel Structural Technician Pro Levels 1, 2; • Welding Training & Certification™: Steel GMA (MIG) Welding (WCS03); and or

Fayetteville Technical Community College

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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 shoot-

ing. 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 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

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

The Honda PACT Collision program is designed to meet the growing needs of Honda ProFirst (Honda/Acura Certified) collision repair shops by recruiting, educating and training students to become qualified collision repair technicians for Honda and Acura vehicles. The Honda PACT program partners with various technical and community colleges around the country to deliver this training. Since the FTCC CollisionU program was started in 2014, 80 students have graduated with associate degrees and 37 have gained employment within the industry through the “Draft Days” program. “Sometimes graduating students 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.

get a little discouraged that they can’t find employment right here in Fayetteville,” noted CollisionU Department Chair and long-time industry veteran Doug Irish. “But Fayetteville, like any town or city has a finite number of jobs available in any field. Sometimes you have to look out of town or even out of state. Those who are willing to commute or relocate have the best opportunities.” The next “Draft Days” will be held Oct. 14–15, 2019. “Draft Days” for the spring session will be held March 10–11, 2020. For more information, contact Jen Doyle at 910486-3990 or by email at doylej@ faytechcc.edu.

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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 52

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SCRS Welcomes SCACAR as Newest Affiliate Association The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announces the South Carolina Association of Collision & Autobody Repair (SCACAR) as the newest state association to join as an affiliate association.

SCACAR was established to continually improve the professionalism and business practices of those engaged in the collision repair industry. SCACAR’s main focus is making sure our industry is repairing vehicles back to OEM specifications. “The technology, equipment and procedures continue to change at record pace in our industry, making it hard for collision shops and insurance companies to stay up to date,” shared SCACAR President Sarah MyersDaniels. “We are striving to use the

association as a way to help our members keep up with all these changes in our industry.” In May, representatives of SCRS joined SCACAR and their sister association, the North Carolina Association of Collision & Autobody Repair, at the kickoff dinner for the Carolina’s Educational Collision Conference in Charlotte, NC. The dinner served as a way for tenured association leaders to share lessons learned in association development and the development and utilization of a strong volunteer base.

1Collision Adds Health & Benefits Program

of information is extremely valuable, as is the sense of connection we get from the affiliation.” “It’s such an honor for us to be able to work with organizations like SCACAR and to be able to collaborate with them as an affiliate in bringing change to their local market,” added SCRS Chairman, Brett Bailey. “New groups like this one bring such enthusiasm, and energy, and it’s exactly what the industry needs more of. We couldn’t be more pleased to have our colleagues in the Carolinas as a part of SCRS, and anticipate

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.

“It’s great to see members from all over the country who fight the same issues, and how they overcome them,” — Josh Kent

“It’s great to see members from all over the country who fight the same issues, and how they overcome them,” added Josh Kent, executive director of both SCACAR and NCACAR. “From the content we receive from the association on a weekly basis, to the interactions both here locally and at the national meetings that we’ve attended, being able to pass on this type

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.”

great things coming from the group.” For other state and regional associations interested in joining the largest national trade association dedicated to representing the collision repair professional, please contact our offices at info@scrs.com. For more information about SCRS, visit our website at www.scrs.com.

Steve Serra Automotive Group in AL Donates to Boys and Girls Club by Shaun Szkolnik, The Trussville Tribune

The Steve Serra Automotive Group has donated $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama (BGCCA). The giant check will be presented to BGCCA with the donation at 4 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2019. The Steve Serra Automotive Group has continued to support the central Alabama community for over 30 years, with a primary philanthropic focus on children in need, including Ronald McDonald House Charities, Alabama’s Make-A-Wish Foundation and the popular perfect attendance car giveaway in which a local high school student with perfect atten-

dance and great grades receives a new vehicle. The Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama has been assisting children for over 115 years through academic, leadership and health programs. Their mission is “to enable and motivate all youth within a safe environment to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.” BGCCA has seen a high success rate (98 percent) of teen members graduate from high school with a plan for future education. We thank The Trussville Tribune for reprint permission.

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Auto Loan Scheme Results in Bank Fraud Conviction Due to Sham Car Sales by Kathleen Sturgeon, Sandy Springs Patch

A Sandy Springs, GA, man was recently sentenced to federal prison for his part in a fraudulent auto financing company. Michael Miller, 58, of Sandy Springs, has been sentenced for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy involving seven defendants, over 80 fraudulently obtained auto loans, and $1.7 million in bank and credit union losses. Four other co-defendants previously pleaded guilty, and another recently sentenced. One defendant is awaiting extradition from the United Kingdom. “These defendants’ ‘creative financing’ company specialized in ‘auto loan conversions,’ which was simply fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This scam was designed to trick lenders, which in this case were mostly credit unions, into granting loans for sham car sales. While the businesses in their scheme may have been make-believe, the federal sentences they received are very real.” The defendants and their co-conspirators started the fraud scheme by incorporating businesses that, by name, appeared to be auto dealerships

but, in fact, were just shell corporations, Pak said. These fake companies had names like “Premier Luxury Motors,” “Platinum Motors Auto Sales,” and “5-Star Motorsports,” but they had no employees, no cars, no car lots and no dealership licenses. After establishing the fake companies, the conspirators recruited individuals to apply for car loans with banks and credit unions. The loan applicants would claim that they were purchasing a car from one of the fake companies, and would supplement their applications with fake vehicle purchase orders created by the conspirators. If a loan check was issued to the loan applicant, the proceeds would be deposited into financial accounts opened by the conspirators and held in the names of the fake companies. The conspirators and the loan applicants would then split the money and never pay back the lender. Because there were no cars to repossess, the lender would be left with nothing. “Bank fraud is not a victimless crime and these defendants will now have time to reflect on their choice to obtain these fraudulent auto loans,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

treats these types of financial crimes very seriously and warns anyone considering this type of criminal activity to also consider the fate these defendants face as a deterrent.” The scheme spanned four years. Over that time, the conspirators sought over 80 auto loans, totaling approximately $2.7M in attempted fraud, and actually obtained about $1.7M. A jury convicted Miller of conspiracy and bank fraud on May 14. The defendants, in this case, received the following sentences: • Giovanni “Riq” Cartier, 55, of Austell, GA, was sentenced to four years, nine months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release, and was ordered to pay $1,706,342.74 in restitution. Cartier pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy on April 18, 2018. • Melvin Goode Wentt, 59, of Brooklyn, NY, was sentenced to two years, ten months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $765,603.25 in restitution. • Miller, 58, of Sandy Springs, GA, was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to

pay $316,826 in restitution. • Rhaine Yamabushi a/k/a Marchelle Mathis, 45, of Florence, SC, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $164,995 in restitution. Yamabushi pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy on Dec. 6, 2018. • Vladimir Marcellus, 31, of Ventura, CA, was sentenced to three years’ probation, with 240 days of home detention, and ordered to pay $164,995 in restitution. Marcellus pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy on April 27, 2018. • Kirk Evans, 46, of Ellenwood, GA, was sentenced to three years’ probation, with six months of home detention, and ordered to pay $47,799 in restitution. Evans pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy on April 18, 2018. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samir Kaushal and John S. Ghose prosecuted the case. We thank Sandy Springs Patch for reprint permission.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Automotive Supplier Vuteq to Create 200 Jobs in Alabama by Brandon Moseley, Alabama Political Reporter

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Wednesday, Aug. 21 that global automotive supplier Vuteq USA plans to invest more than $60 million to open a manufacturing facility to serve the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. auto assembly plant in Huntsville, AL.

“The automotive cluster growing around Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. is gaining another significant addition with Vuteq’s decision to open a manufacturing facility in Huntsville,” Ivey said. “Vuteq is a respected automotive supplier with an extensive overseas network that includes locations in Asia, North America and South America,” Economic Developer Nicole Jones told the Alabama Political Reporter. “The company plans to create interior and exterior plastic-injected parts as well as a myriad of subassemblies for

vehicles manufactured at the Mazda Toyota plant in the Huntsville-City annexed area of Limestone County.” “Vuteq USA Inc. is very pleased and excited to be opening our next plant in Alabama,” said Vuteq USA President Kazumasa Watanabe. “Our company is thankful for the support provided by the City of Huntsville and State of Alabama as we begin a new chapter.” Vuteq USA will produce interior and exterior plastic-injected parts and various sub-assemblies for Mazda and Toyota. The shared Alabama assembly plant is being built on a 2,500-acre tract in Limestone County. “Vuteq is a superb addition to Alabama’s rapidly growing network of high-caliber international auto suppliers,” said Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield. “I’m confident that Vuteq will benefit from the capabilities of Alabama’s skilled workforce and the state’s businessfriendly environment. I know we can build a solid future together.” Vuteq’s site is at 7306 Greenbriar Parkway Northwest, just outside the MTMUS campus. Construction is scheduled to begin in October and be

Auto Glass America Seeks Answers to Dispositive Motion in Allstate Lawsuit by Emmariah Holcomb, glassBYTEs.com

Auto Glass America, LLC (AGA) and its owner, Charles Isaly, recently filed documents with a Florida District Court regarding its dispositive motion to dismiss. According to court documents, AGA and Islay stated that its dispositive

motion to dismiss and supporting memorandum of law had not been decided on within 180 days of Allstate’s responsive filing. The lawsuit centers on claims that AGA allegedly pressured Allstate’s insureds to choose their company for windshield replace18

ments. Allstate filed the lawsuit in late December 2018, in which the insurance company details ten counts against AGA and Isaly, which claimed they “tried to pressure Allstate’s insureds into hiring them for windshield replacements, obtaining assignments of benefits (AOBs) from insureds, submitting invoices to Allstate for excessive and unreasonable amounts and fil[ing] over 1,400 lawsuits for recovery of excessive and unreasonable amounts.” Following the original compliant, AGA and Isaly requested the case be dismissed while also requesting the court “ignore Allstate’s allegations.” Shortly thereafter AGA and Isaly sought to extend the amount of time it had to respond to Allstate’s written discovery. The defendants requested to have until the end of May to file a response. Currently, AGA and Isaly are seeking the court’s response to its dispositive motion to dismiss. We thank glassBYTEs.com for reprint permission.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

completed in September 2020. Followed by initial production trials of equipment, molds and secondary systems, production is targeted to launch in 2021. “We’re pleased that Huntsville will be home to Vuteq’s first venture in Alabama and we welcome them to

our growing network of automotive suppliers,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Vuteq USA has already begun hiring the first of its Alabama workforce. The company is projected to be ramping up to its full employment at the Huntsville facility in 2021. Persons interested in working at the plant can email the company at VuteqAlabamaJobs@vuteqky.com. The company is also working with AIDT, the state’s primary workforce development agency, for hiring

and training support. Vuteq USA will host several other manufacturing companies within its Huntsville plant. One of these will be Diversity Vuteq LLC, a minority joint venture. The others are yet to be named. Mazda and Toyota are investing $1.6 billion to build and equip their joint Huntsville assembly plant. MTMUS will employ up to 4,000 workers and produce up to 300,000 vehicles annually. Construction is already underway with vehicle production expected to begin in 2021. By that time, a network of parts suppliers will be in place in North Alabama to support the Huntsville assembly operation. Counting Vuteq, five suppliers have already announced plans for facilities that will create nearly 1,700 jobs. Their combined investment in Alabama totals $440 million. “Suppliers are a vital component of the supply chain,” Jones said. “The project will yield an estimated 200 jobs and is a testament to Alabama’s leadership in the automotive industry.” We thank the Alabama Political Reporter for reprint permission.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Dealership Gives Seven Cars to Muscle Shoals, AL, Area Schools by Lisa Singleton-Rickman, TimesDaily

The Tennessee River was the backdrop on Wednesday, Sept. 4 for a lineup of seven cars being donated by Greenway Automotive to Colbert County, AL, area school systems. The cars – a Chevrolet, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia, all with less than 40,000 miles – were given to schools primarily for use in their driver education programs. Two cars each went to the Lauderdale and Colbert County school systems; one to Florence City Schools, one to Tuscumbia City Schools, and one to Muscle Shoals City Schools. Last year, Greenway Toyota of the Shoals donated a car to Sheffield City Schools. The seven cars all bear the Greenway Automotive logo, and are valued in excess of $105,000, according to company officials. Casey Coffee, chief operations officer at Greenway, said the gift came about as a result of a meeting with his general managers whereby it came to his attention that the schools’ cars were accumulating, in some cases, dangerously high mileage.

“We’re talking some of them in the 170,000 to 200,000 mile range,” Coffee said. “Hopefully, these gifts will freshen up their fleets.”

From left, Autumn Tharp and Rayanna James stand next to the new driver’s education car donated to their Colbert Heights High School by Greenway Automotive. The company donated cars to several Shoals-area schools. Credit: Courtesy Photo, TimesDaily

The keys to the cars were turned over free and clear following a short presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 4. “I know in this day and age there aren’t many free gifts given with no strings, but these are strictly gifts from

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

our company to the communities we serve,” Coffee said. Muscle Shoals High School Principal Chad Holden said he couldn’t be more grateful for the gift of a Toyota Corolla. “They were asking where a good location was for us all to meet to get the cars and I said, ‘Hey, we’re getting a nice free car so I’ll meet anywhere you tell me,’” Holden said laughing. Florence and Lauderdale superintendents, Jimmy Shaw and Jon Hatton, agreed that any day that starts out with being given free vehicles is a great day. “We just appreciate this generosity more than they could know,” Hatton said. Autumn Tharp, a 10th-grader at Colbert Heights High School, said she’ll soon be behind the wheel of a much nicer car than the one her school was using. “Oh, there’s no comparison. This car’s a whole lot better than what we had,” she said. “And I’ll get to drive it this semester.” We thank TimesDaily for reprint permission.

Southeast Association Event for October 2019 by Chasidy Rae Sisk

GCIA to Host 23rd Annual Golf Tournament for GA Collision Repairers On Oct. 3, the Georgia Collision Industry Association (GCIA) will host its 23rd Annual Golf Tournament at Bear’s Best Atlanta Golf Course in Suwanee, GA. Registration for the full-day event begins at 9 a.m., with the tournament commencing at 10 a.m.

The $100 playing fee includes a light breakfast, box lunch, unlimited drinks and snacks while golfing, and appetizers during the door prize and trophy presentation at the end of the day. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, visit gcia.org.

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

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

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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 SOUTHEASTERN Collision Repair News! southeastern.autobodynews.com

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.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

C4 Corvette Welcomes Traviss Technical College Students in FL by Andy Bolig, ChevyHardCore.com

The first day of school is often frowned upon by students. It is the official end of summer vacation, which means it’s time to hit the books once again. For students in Lakeland, FL’s, Traviss Technical College Automotive Collision Repair & Refinishing department, arriving back to school may not be quite so dreary. Just as other students are sharpening their pencils and trying to remember what all the buttons do on their calculators, Traviss Tech’s auto collision and repair students were greeted with a low-mileage, 1995 Corvette they were going to be giving a new, shiny paint job. Traviss Technical Center is a cutting-edge facility that works closely with area dealerships, equipping their students with knowledge of the types of technologies they will see in the field. The car has been around the Traviss Tech Center ever since it was donated many years ago. It mainly serves as a rolling classroom, where students learn the basics of auto body and some of the timeless areas of automotive repair. Parts have

been removed and replaced, and a few components have been swapped out due to age, but the car remains relatively stock.

Credit: ChevyHardCore.com

Keen-eyed readers will note that the car has a trailer hitch just under the rear bumper. That was installed because the car has served duty to pull the Traviss Technical Center’s parade float on several occasions. The car is drivable and does move around on its own power, but all those 300 horses that reside under the LT1’s intake will never be allowed to roam free on the open road. Several years ago, the car was repainted by a previous auto body class and those wild flames were added to give the car some additional flair and make it stand out in the school’s park-

CARSTAR TCA–Lauderdale Lakes, Assists FL Woman Living in Her Car

CARSTAR TCA – Lauderdale Lakes, located in Lauderdale Lakes, FL, was handling a typical collision repair when they learned that their customer, who had been living in her car, was sleeping on benches and under bridges while awaiting insurance approval of the repairs. Greg Felix, owner of CARSTAR TCA – Sunrise in Sunrise, FL, and CARSTAR TCA – Lauderdale Lakes, and his Amber Champion, fleet manager and estimator, went into action. They raised funds with their team members, set up a Go Fund Me page and shared her story on Facebook to generate additional support. “We decided we wanted to help and asked if anyone could come along side us and offer help also,” said Felix, owner of CARSTAR TCA Broward Collision. “It was amazing

that we were able to raise enough money for 12 nights at a hotel for this woman and provide $300 for food. What an incredible example of people loving people.” Her car was ultimately unable to be repaired, so the CARSTAR team helped her use the insurance proceeds to get another reliable vehicle. They are also helping her with local resources to find housing, food and a job. Felix, who has been in business in Broward Country for many years as Broward Collision, recently joined CARSTAR, North America’s premier network of independently owned collision repair facilities. He continues his local ownership, but now has the resources of the nationally known CARSTAR brand.

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OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

ing lot. This time, a more reserved scheme is planned, where the entire car will be dipped in a solid hue of Arrest-Me Red. More than a scuff-n-buff, the auto body students will learn the proper way to disassemble the vehicle so that all parts of the car can be repainted properly. This means all of the electrical componentry that ties the various parts of the car together will need to be addressed. The doors were removed to allow proper painting of the jambs and all the necessary body panels were disseminated to allow the paint to get into the appropriate areas. This will separate a great paint job from one that just looks good on the surface. We can’t help but think how much faster our high-school years would have gone if we had a cool project like a Corvette to help us burn up the hours. It sure beats the lawnmower engines and tractor differentials we used to get greasy repairing in our school’s technical program. Then again, our lawns were always clean and we could pull a whole LOT more than any Corvette. We thank ChevyHardCore.com for reprint permission.

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.

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

Caliber Collision Is Under Construction in Williamsburg, VA

Firefighters Save Dunlap, TN, Body Shop

by Sarah Fearing, WYDaily

by Hunter Hoagland, WRCB-TV

Those who travel on Bypass Road in Williamsburg, VA, may have noticed some recent construction underway. And there’s going to be more soon. Construction on an auto body paint and repair shop called Caliber Collision has begun, bringing a sixbay repair shop with two painting booths to 317 Bypass Road, said Sam Daniel, senior planner for York County, VA. “There will be parking up front and then storage in the back where they’ll store cars waiting to be painted or needing parts or things like that,” Daniel said. The York County Board of Supervisors approved the project’s special use permit in July 2018. The 18,869-square-foot facility is next to the site of Sam’s Xpress car wash, which is also in the process of getting all its permits for construction. Daniel said the developer hopes to file all the necessary paperwork and schedule a preconstruction meeting with the county within the next two to three weeks.

Sam’s Xpress was approved by the Board of Supervisors in May of 2018, but any project with a special use permit needs to submit the site plan for review by the planning department.

After the site plan is approved, planners will write an approval letter. At that point, the developer files various paperwork to get a review from the stormwater division, then a land-disturbing activity permit and preconstruction meeting, Daniel said. The two projects are by two different developers but will share utilities and a driveway, Daniel said. “They’re tied to Sam’s Xpress because access has to come through their property,” he added. We thank WYDaily for reprint permission.

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Fire crews are working to determine what caused an early morning fire that destroyed a body shop Sunday, Aug. 18. It happened just before 2 a.m. central time on Rankin Avenue in Dunlap, TN. An auto body shop was fully engulfed when crews arrived. Channel 3 spoke to one woman whose business was feet away from the shop. “I was just thinking Lord please save my building,” exclaimed Cindy Garner. Garner says her business is about 12 feet from the scorched building. “It was a hot furious fire. It was a mean fire,” recalled Garner. She said shortly after midnight, she got a scary phone call. “I woke up at 1 o’clock in the morning to someone saying your office is engulfed in flames and I didn’t know any different until I got here because the fire was so big,” Garner told Channel 3. Garner says when she arrived she saw flames 100 feet in the air.

“I knew that my neighbor here – his was gone. It was just fully engulfed when I got here,” said Garner. She says the man whose business was next door was more than just her neighbor. “He’s also a classmate of mine when were in elementary school. So I feel very sorry for Mr. McWilliams. He has lost everything,” Garner said. The roof had completely collapsed by the time police arrived and several cars were on fire. “They knew they had a big fire – everyone pulled together as a team and they made it happen,” Garner told Channel 3. “They saved my business of 30 years and it would be hard to recreate a lot of stuff in that old building,” said Garner. No injuries were reported. We thank WRCB-TV for reprint permission.

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center Launches in Richmond, VA CARSTAR, North America’s largest premier network of independently owned collision repair facilities, announced the opening of CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center, located at 2584 Gayton Centre Drive, Richmond, VA, 23238.

Owner of this location, Alan Conner, has been in the collision repair industry his whole life and was a part of growing his family’s inde-

CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center (Exterior). Credit: CARSTAR

pendent repair center business from one location to five. Now, with those businesses sold, Conner is looking to continue to represent his family

state-of-the-art equipment to provide premier repairs to all makes and models. Also, an I-CAR Gold certified repair center, CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center has completed its aluminum welding training and looking to pursue, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan and Infiniti OEM certifications because of the maker’s prevalence CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center (Franchise in the Richmond commuPartner). Credit: CARSTAR nity. “Being certified, whether it is “Joining CARSTAR was a partnership for me because we have the OEM or industry certifications, is same goals of providing premier qual- becoming all the more important in ity repairs with efficiency, while also building that consumer trust with growing the business,” says Conner. the communities we serve,” says “With the Conner family being in the Michael Macaluso, president, collision repair industry for 40+ years, CARSTAR. “CARSTAR Alan Conit was important for me to keep my ner Collision Center is set up for sucname and CARSTAR allowed me to cess with its premier facility and do that so I could continue on this expertly trained staff, so their pursuit of these additional certifications will legacy.” CARSTAR Alan Conner Col- help prove their expertise to their cuslision Center began as a 5,000 tomers and partners.” Please join us in welcoming the square foot facility with the team investing in significant renovations entire CARSTAR Alan Conner Coladding an additional 2,000 square lision Center team to the CARSTAR feet for increased capacity and new family! name in the Richmond community with CARSTAR Alan Conner Collision Center.

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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OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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?

Alliance of Automotive Service Providers | 612-270-6696 | www.autoserviceproviders.com Society of Collision Repair Specialists | 877-841-0660 | www.scrs.com Automotive Service Association | 817-514-2900 | www.ASAshop.org 30

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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.

Bill Adams President Alliance of Automotive Service Providers

Brett Bailey Chairman Society of Collision Repair Specialists

Ray Fisher President Automotive Service Association

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

Freeway Honda

Classic Honda

South Motors Honda

Honda of Newnan

Birmingham

Orlando

Miami

Newnan

800-987-0819 205-949-5460

888-893-4984 407-521-1115

888-418-3513 305-256-2240

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5 greg_thomas@freewayhondaal.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-4 parts@classichonda.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7 mfranceschi@southhonda.com

Coggin Deland Honda

FLORIDA

AutoNation Honda Clearwater C l e a r wa t e r

Union City

Deland

800-758-0007 386-626-1811

770-985-1444

Snellville

888-205-2564 727-530-1173

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 gperkins@careypaul.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5; Sun 10-3 santosr1@autonation.com

Headquarter Honda

Ed Voyles Honda

AutoNation Honda Hollywood

800-497-2294 407-395-7374

H o l l y wo o d

800-542-8121 954-964-8300 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-5 hernandeze@autonation.com

Braman Honda

Marietta

800-334-3719 770-933-5870 Direct Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-6 hondaparts@edvoyles.com

Hendrick Honda Bradenton

Gerald Jones Honda

Bradenton

Augusta

800-733-2210 706-228-7040

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-4 Kris.kitzman@hendrickauto.com

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-4 calvarez@bramanhonda.com

Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach

Honda Mall of Georgia

Braman Honda of Palm Beach

P o mpano Beach

Miami

305-266-1915

G re e n a c re s

888-479-0695 561-966-5185 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4:30 parts@bramanhondapb.com

954-425-8244 Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7-6; Sat 7-5; gerardbruno@hendrickauto.com

Rick Case Honda Davie

877-544-2249 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-4 robbutton@rickcase.com

866-362-8034 770-306-4646 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 8-5 hondawp@nalleycars.com

MISSISSIPPI

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 pepe.guevara@headquarterhonda.com

877-706-2021 941-752-2123

678-423-8183 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-4 samuel.trapani@henrickauto.com

Nalley Honda

GEORGIA

Carey Paul Honda

Cler mont

Buford/Gwinnett

678-318-3155

Patty Peck Honda Ridgeland

800-748-8676 601-957-3400 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 pmartin@pattypeckhonda.com NO. CAROLINA

Apple Tree Honda Asheville

800-476-9411 828-684-4400 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-4 appletreeparts@hotmail.com

Durham

855-893-8866 919-425-4711

Milton Martin Honda

Dept. Hours: M-Thu 7-11; Fri 7-6 Sat 7-5; Sun 11-5 www.southpointhonda.com

Gainesville

Crown Honda Southpoint

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 cdunlap@penskeautomotive.com

770-534-0086 678-989-5473

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 robertthomas@mmhonda.com

ACURA FLORIDA

GEORGIA

NO. CAROLINA

Rick Case Acura

Nalley Acura

J a ck s o n v i l l e

F o rt Lauderdale

Marietta

Car y

888-941-7278 904-777-1008

800-876-1150 954-377-7688

800-899-7278 770-422-3138

800-868-0082 919-657-0460

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 7-5; Sun 9-3 msweeney@acuraoforangepark.com

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

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 byoung@nalleycars.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-4:30 parts@leithacura.com

J a ck s o n v i l l e

800-352-2872 904-725-1149 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 Cecil.adams@duvalacura.com

GEORGIA

NO. CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

Gary Force Acura

Jackson Acura

Flow Acura

Roswell

Winston-Salem

Brentwood

877-622-2871 678-259-9500

800-489-3534 336-761-3682

800-653-6723 615-377-0500

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7:30-6 kmcmillan@jacksonacura.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-1 www.flowacura.com

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

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Leith Acura

Acura of Orange Park

Duval Acura

FLORIDA

D co

NO. CAROLINA

SO. CAROLINA

VIRGINIA

McKenney-Salinas Honda

Piedmont Honda

Gastonia

A n d e rson

Norfolk

888-703-7109 704-824-8844 x 624

800-849-5057 864-375-2082

800-277-2122 757-687-3453

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 parts@mshonda.com

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

Dept. Hours: M-Sat 7:30-6 honda.checkeredflag.com

Metro Honda I n d i a n Tra i l

866-882-9542 704-220-1522 Dept. Hours: M-F 6:30-6:30; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com

Vann York Automall High Point

336-841-6200 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-3 SO. CAROLINA

Breakaway Honda G re e n v i l l e

800-849-5056 864-234-6481 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-6; Sat 8-5 fmarshall@breakawayhonda.com

TENNESSEE

Airport Honda A l c oa

800-264-4721 865-970-7792 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6:30; Sat 7:30-5 parts@airporthonda.com

AutoNation Honda West Knoxville K n o x ville

Checkered Flag Honda

Colonial Honda Chester

800-564-9836 804-414-1960 Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-4 rreese@i95honda.com

Hall Honda Virginia Beach

800-482-9606 757-431-4329

800-824-1301 865-218-5461

Dept. Hours: M-F 8-7; Sat 8-5 fox@hallauto.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6 rossd1@autonation.com

Valley Honda

Bill Gatton Honda

800-277-0598 540-213-9016

B r i s tol

Staunton

800-868-4118 423-652-9545

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 9-5 bwimer@myvalleyhonda.com

Easley

Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-1 hondaparts@billgattonhonda.com

West Broad Honda

888-513-5869 864-850-1200

Wolfchase Honda

Hendrick Honda Easley

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5 christopher.gagnon@hendrickauto.com

Midlands Honda Columbia

Richmond B a r t lett

800-982-7290 901-255-3780

800-446-0160 804-672-8811 Dept. Hours: M-Fri 7:30-6:30; Sat 8-5 wbhonda@aol.com

Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7 ekerr@wolfchasehonda.com

877-273-4442 803-691-8585 Dept. Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-4 www.copytk.com

VIRGINIA

Karen Radley Acura Wo o d b r i d g e

800-355-2818 703-550-0205 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 8-3 coreythompson@radleyautogroup.com

Radley Acura F a l l s C h u rch

800-550-5035 703-824-5785 Dept. Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-6; Sun 10-5 jimgraf@radleyauto.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

National News 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.

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 innently inaccessible. surance policy to know if cyberatOne 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 edition, David Willett, gengovernments aren’t covered eral manager of the automounder insurance policies due tive industry at Intrepid to the “war exclusion” which 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 browsing the Internet. Read Good

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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 strat-

egy. 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 understanding 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 See Threat of Ransomware, Page 38

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

In Reverse with Gary Ledoux

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

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-

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

“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.” — Bobby Johnson

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. 36

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 was made by a spray booth manufac-

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turer. 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 estimated average of about 300 pounds in 1990. A September 1988 trade magazine article described repairs being

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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 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.

with position statements advocating against clipping or sectioning.

Continued from Page 35

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

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.

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.”

Threat of Ransomware

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Hey Toby! with Toby Chess

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

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 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

The next welder you may wish to consider is the Millermatic 211 (Fig. 4).

Fig. 1

MOUNTAIN VIEW Ford Lincoln 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. 40

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

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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

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.

The right part makes the difference.

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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

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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

Fig. 19

CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2019 SEMA Show

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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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.

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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National Events with Chasidy Rae Sisk

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. The main reasons that people 48

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.” The second step is to develop the process by outlining a step-by-step

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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 re-

pair 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 your staff makes all the difference in the world,” White continued. “Follow See 180BIZ Webinar, Page 60

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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:

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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:

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-

Yes, several.

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

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.

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?

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

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

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 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.

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OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

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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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-

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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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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 cus-

lead to more reviews and a higher search results placement.” 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 en-

tomer,” she said. “One of the simplest ways to work toward ensuring your shop has good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is that you claim 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

gines that you are listening to your customers and aren’t afraid to address poor experiences,” he said. “It also demonstrates your appreciation 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

“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

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.

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

David Maus Volkswagen

Orlando

Nalley Volkswagen Alpharetta

866-651-8873 407-581-0630

Fax: 678-795-2941

Fax: 407-581-0671 M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-5pm wholesaleDMVW@vtaig.com

David Maus Volkswagen North

Orlando

321-214-3169 Fax: 407-644-9408 M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-5pm spearce@vtaig.com

678-795-3472 M-F 7am-7pm volkswagenwp@nalleycars.com

MISSISSIPPI Volkswagen of South Mississippi D’lberville

228-864-6622 Fax: 228-354-8184 M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-3pm robert.myers@raybrandtautogroup.com

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

â€˘ Audi Part Professionals are experts on collision parts, replacement components and mechanical items. â€˘ Regardless of the age of your customer's Audi, Audi dealers have access to over 200,000 part numbers and are supported by a nationwide network of distribution centers to help ensure non stocked parts are delivered the next day.

Helping you do business is our business. Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers. Alabama

Audi Pembroke Pines

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Audi Birmingham

Pembroke Pines 888.434.2756 954.620.2036 Fax M-F 8am-5:30pm Sat 8am-2pm

Audi Gwinnett

Flow Audi

Duluth 678.258.2536 770.476.9311 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm

notto@holmanauto.com www.audipp.com

parts@audigwinnett.com

Charlottesville 434.951.6160 434.293.5151 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-1pm

Irondale 205.986.7410 205.986.7438 Fax M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-4pm daniel.williford@audiofbirmingham.com

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Audi North Miami

Florida Audi Jacksonville Jacksonville 866.413.8557 904.565.2216 Fax M-F 7am-7pm Sat 8am-5pm cdrake@audijax.com www.audijax.com

Audi North Orlando Orlando 407.643.2980 407.206.9565 Fax M-F 7am-6pm vswany@audinorthorlando.com www.parts.audinorthorlando.com

North Miami Beach 305.952.5952 305.944.4009 Fax M-F 8am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm amartinez@audinorthmiami.com www.audinorthmiami.com

Audi West Palm Beach West Palm Beach 866.441.3309 561.615.4175 561.615.4179 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm parts@audiwpb.com

No. Carolina

spalmer@flowauto.com www.flowaudicharlottesville.com

Audi Asheville Asheville 828.232.4002 828.350.3560 Fax M-F 7:30am-5:30pm Sat 8am-4pm www.audiasheville.com

So. Carolina Audi Columbia Columbia 888.418.8940 803.754.5840 Fax M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 7:30am-3:30pm skirby@jimhudson.com www.audicolumbia.com

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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 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 ad-

vertising 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!”

www.autobodynews.com

Think Genuine Subaru Parts.

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

GEORGIA

Stivers Decatur Subaru Decatur (800) 833-0454

Troncalli Subaru

Cumming (770) 889-8951 Direct (678) 341-4220 Fax (678) 341-4221 www.troncallisubaru.com NO. CAROLINA

Flow Subaru

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

The following dealerships are eager to serve your needs. Call your local Subaru collision parts specialist today! 58

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

Winston-Salem (800) 489-3534 (336) 725-3554 Fax Mon.-Fri. 8-5; Sat. 8-1 subarupartsws@flowauto.com www.flowsubaru.com

Jim Armstrong Subaru Hickory (888) 905-6135

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.

NO. CAROLINA

Parkway Subaru Wilmington (800) 424-9434 (910) 793-8710 Fax Mon.-Fri. 7-6; Sat. 8-2

Subaru Concord Concord (866) 905-8476

SO. CAROLINA

Peacock Subaru Hilton Head Hardeeville (866) 539-6293 TENNESSEE

Kelly Subaru

Chattanooga (423) 490-0181 (423) 385-7269 Fax Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30; Sat. 8-2 parts@kellycars.com www.kellycars.com

Kia.com

Precise fit and finish, easy installation and a limited warranty direct from Kiaâ€” all genuine advantages of Genuine Kia Parts. Your local Kia retailer has all the parts you need.

From headlights to tail lights, bumpers to fenders and hoods, there is no substitute for genuine. The only way to assure that you are getting Genuine Kia parts, backed by the Kia Warranty, is to order them from your local Authorized Kia Dealer. Contact your local Kia dealer for assistance and delivery of the parts you need. *Genuine Kia replacement parts (except battery) sold by Authorized Kia Dealer under warranty are covered for the greater of (1) the duration of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty or (2) the first 12 months from the date of installation or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Labor charges not included when not installed by an Authorized Kia Dealer. Warranty is limited. See Kiaâ€™s Replacement Parts and Accessories Limited Warranty for further details.

FLORIDA Century Kia Tampa

800-250-8864

(813) 873-8319 Fax

FREE Delivery Parts delivered by Autoway

Coral Springs Kia Coral Springs

954-344-8706

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Deland Kia

Kia of Orange Park

(386) 822-9278 Fax

(904) 674-0221 Fax

Deland

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parts@delandkia.net www.delandkia.net FREE Local Delivery

Fuccillo Kia of Cape Coral Cape Coral

239-829-1956

(239) 242-7002 Fax

M-F 8-5:30, Sat 8-3 dgarabedian@fuccillo.com

Jacksonville

877-674-0211

M-F 7-7, Sat 7-4 dcarr@kiaoforangepark.com

Southside Kia Jacksonville

904-400-6634

(904) 400-6654 Fax

M-F 7-7 jneeley@southsidekia.net www.southsidekiajax.com

GEORGIA Sons Kia McDonough

678-783-2193

(678) 783-2298 Fax M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4

SO. CAROLINA Kia of Greenville Greenville

864-516-2700

(864) 520-8981 Fax

aburgos@kiaofgreenville.net

autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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,

Continued from Page 48

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.

180BIZ Webinar

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

The RIGHT

COLLISION PARTS

TRUST FORD PARTS

For Your Collision Job. Visit these Genuine Hyundai Parts Dealers:

N. Carolina

LEE HYUNDAI OF GOLDSBORO

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE HYUNDAI

919-587-0128

888-707-0658

M-F 7:30am - 6pm, Sat 8am - 2pm hutchparts919@gmail.com www.leehyundaiofgoldsboro.com

M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm partsmanager@downtownnashvillemotors.com www.downtownhyundainashville.com

Goldsboro 304 N. Oak Forest Rd.

(919) 778-7797 FAX

Tennessee Nashville 1512 Broadway

(615) 341-3176 FAX

OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com

CERTIFIED PARTS WHOLESALING DEALERS

FLORIDA

TENNESSEE

Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale

Mountain View Ford Lincoln Mercury

FORT LAUDERDALE

CHATTANOOGA

954-390-6400 954-390-6449 Fax

800-472-0382 423-763-0367 423-763-0327 Fax

Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-2:30

Hours: M-F 7:30-6 billyandrews@mvford.com

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.

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.

CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2019 SEMA Show

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NO. CAROLINA Hendrick BMW

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North Carolina Hendrick MINI Charlotte 877-317-9568 (704) 566-6571 Fax M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 HendrickMINI.com The Dealers Above Are Original MINI Parts Distributors

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autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS

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OCTOBER 2019 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com