autobody news november 2011 southwest edition

The Northwest Louisiana CollisionRepair Association (NWLCRA) heldtheir monthly members meeting onOctober 4 at 6:30 pm. October’smonthly meeting was held atLouisiana Glass and Mirror’s new lo-cation in Bossier City, LA.

Mark Monroe, an instructor atBossier Parish Technical Schoolopened the meeting with a prayer. BillBurnside, NWLCRASecretary-Trea-surer brought the meeting to order byreading the anti-trust statement. Billalso reminded the group to start plan-ning for the NWLCRA ChristmasParty on Dec. 3. The Walker Street

Band will be the Christmas entertain-ment again this year. NWLCRA willalso sponsor the “Toys for Tots” char-ity. Everyone is encouraged to bring anew, unopened, unwrapped toy for ei-ther a boy or girl to the Christmasparty to be donated to the USMarinesthat help with the “Toys for Tots” pro-gram.

Funds and advertisements werediscussed, and the group has one moreadvertisement space available on theirwebsite. Anyone interested in adver-tising with the NWLCRA just needsto click on the “Advertise with Us”

Big changes are in store this monthfor one of the country’s biggest multi-ple shop operators (MSOs): CaliberCollision Centers.

Caliber Collision will be relocat-ing the company’s corporate head-quarters from Irvine, California toLewisville, Texas—a suburb in thenorthern area of the Dallas-FortWorthMetroplex.

“Our relocation to Texas allowsus to consolidate management spreadacross a number of locations in Cali-fornia and Texas,” said SteveGrimshaw, President and CEO ofCaliber Collision Centers.

Caliber plans to move into theirleased 16,397 square foot space at 401E. Corporate Drive in Lewisville,

Texas in mid-No-vember. Caliberwill move becauseof Dallas-FortWorth’s affordablemetropolitan area,central location,business-friendlyenvironment and

large, diversified workforce—all ofwhich will support the company’sgrowth throughout the United States,

Caliber Collision Moves Headquarters to Texas,Acquires 911 Collision Centers in AZ, NV

See NWLCRA, 0See Caliber, Page 20

by Chip Foose

The SEMA show (Specialty Equip-ment Marketing Association) has al-ways been a big part of Foose Design.

I have personallybeen attending forwell over 25 years.Some of our guysat Foose Designfirst attended morethan 25 years ago.One of them evenwent to the very

first SEMA show when it was underthe bleachers at Dodger Stadium! Forthe past ten years Foose Design has

featured or unveiled specialty vehiclesat SEMA. For three years in a row webuilt cars live in front of the SEMAaudience for TLC’s TV Show Over-haulin’. We were proud in 2005 whenFoose Design featured total of 32Foose Vehicles at SEMA, a record forany designer/fabricator and more thanany of the OEM’s that year. So, need-less to say, we have history at SEMA.

For SEMA 2011 Foose designwill be featuring three vehicles. Weare currently working feverishly likeall of the other shops to make thedeadline. This year we will be proudlydisplaying the following Foose De-

Chip Foose on Bringing it to SEMA

Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair AssociationDiscusses Glass and Adhesives Safety Issues

See Foose Brings It, Page 36

Chip Foose

The 2011 SEMA show will occupy the LasVegas Convention Center from October 31to November 4 and attendance numberscontinue to climb as the show draws closer.The show boasts over 2,000 exhibiting com-panies already registered for booths, morethan 500 of which are exhibiting for the firsttime. The ever-popular Paint, Body andEquipment section will also return this year,showcasing companies who offer products,services and equipment suited for the colli-sion repair professional. See page 40 forI-CAR and SCRS RDE Schedule.

Steve Grimshaw

Brock Bulbuck, The Boyd Group Steve Grimshaw, Caliber Collision

Cathy Bonner, Service King Rollie Benjamin, ABRA Auto Body and Glass

CEOs of Four of the Largest MSOs in the Industry holdfirst-time MSO Symposium at NACE/CARS

See MSO Insights, Page 28

SouthwestEdition

TexasOklahomaLouisiana

New Mexico YEARS www.autobodynews.com

3030ww.autobodynews.comww VOL. 29 ISSUE 11

NOVEMBER 2011

PresortedStandardUSPostage

PAIDOntario,Ca.PermitNo.1

P.O.BOX1516,CARLSBAD,CA92018

ChangeServiceRequested

2 NOVEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com

DAVID McDAVIDT H I S B R A N D S TA N D S F O R S AV I N G ST H I S B R A N D S TA N D S F O R S AV I N G ST H I S B R A N D S TA N D S F O R S AV I N G S

HONDA OF FRISCOACURA OF AUSTIN

Parts Manager: Chris EdgarPhone 972-731-3175Toll Free 1-866-442-2711Fax [email protected]

HONDA OF IRVINGACURA OF PLANO

NISSAN OF HOUSTON

HONDA OF HOUSTONLINCOLN MERCURY OF PLANO

• Over $600,000 Parts Inventory• 11,000 Parts in Stock• Trained Wholesale Crew:

Mario, Phillip

• In State Next Day Shippingw/Quick Local Delivery

• Great Discounts

Hour: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 7 PM • Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM • Sunday 11 AM - 4 PMWholesale Parts Specialist: John Raygo512-401-5976Watts 800-575-3553Parts 512-401-5976Fax [email protected]

• Over $400,000 Parts Inventory• 15,000 Parts in Stock• Trained Experienced Crew


• Great DiscountsHour: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 7 PM • Saturday 8 AM - 5 PM • Sunday Closed

Wholesale Parts Specialist: Doug GrajczykPhone 972-964-6000972-964-6044Fax [email protected]




Parts Manager: Dick GrahamPhone 800-231-9657Fax [email protected]

• Over 1.3 Million Parts Inventory• 28,000 Parts• Trained Experienced Crew

• Texas & Louisiana Next DayShipping


Parts Manager: John KeithPhone 972-964-5000Fax [email protected]



• Great Discounts

Hour: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 6 PM • Saturday 7:30 AM - 4 PM • Sunday Closed

Parts Manager: Dan ZieberPhone 972-790-6008Toll Free 1-800-492-4464Fax [email protected]

• Over $900,000 Parts Inventory• 17,000 Parts in Stock• Trained Wholesale Crew:

Gary, Marie, Jim


• Great Discounts

Hour: Monday - Friday 7 AM - 9 PM • Saturday 8 AM - 5 PM • Sunday 11 AM - 6 PM

Wholesale Specialist: Robert QuinteroPhone 800-444-1263Fax [email protected]

• Over $1,000,000 Parts Inventory• 100,000 Parts in Stock• Trained Experienced Crew



WELCOME TO THEWELCOME TO THEDAVID MDAVID MccDAVID AUTO GROUPDAVID AUTO GROUP

WELCOME TO THEDAVID McDAVID AUTO GROUP

www.davidmcdavid.comwww.davidmcdavid.comwww.davidmcdavid.com

www.autobodynews.com | NOVEMBER 2011 AUTOBODY NEWS 3

SouthwestPublisher & Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst

General Manager: Barbara DaviesAssistant Editor: Erica SchroederContributing Writers: Tom Franklin, John Yoswick, Lee Amaradio, Dan EspersenJanet Chaney, Toby Chess, Mike Causey, Tom McGee, David Brown, Rich Evans,Ed Attanasio, Chasidy SiskAdvertising Sales: Joe Momber, Sean Hartman (800) 699-8251Sales Assistant: Kristy NavarroArt Director: Rodolfo Garcia

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and adjacent metro areas, Autobody Newsis a monthly publication for the autobody industry. Permission to reproduce in any form thematerial published in Autobody News must be obtained in writing from the publisher.©2011 Adamantine Media LLC.

Autobody NewsBox 1516, Carlsbad, CA 92018; (800) 699-8251 (760) 721-0253 Faxwww.autobodynews.com Email: [email protected]

AkzoNobel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Allen Samuels Katy Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Autoland Scientech. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27BASF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13BMW Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 38Cebotech/Tecna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Chevyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Chief Automotive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Classic BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Dallas Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48David McDavid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Diamond Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Equalizer Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Ford Wholesale Parts DealersTX, OK, LA, NM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Fowler I-240 Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. 15Garmat USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Gene Messer Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . 16Global PDR Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . 6GM Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . . 40Honda-Acura Wholesale PartsDealers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25

Huffines Hyundai Plano . . . . . . . . . 32Hyundai Wholesale Parts Dealers . 39

Kia Motors Wholesale Parts Dealers. 33LKQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Malco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Mark’s Casa Mitsubishi. . . . . . . . . . 18Mattei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Mazda Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 45Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma. . . . . 34Mike Calvert Toyota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Mitsubishi Wholesale Parts Dealers. 41MOPAR Wholesale Parts Dealers . . 29Price LeBlanc Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . 19Ray Huffines Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . 5RealParts.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Replica Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Russell & Smith Ford-Mazda . . . . . 37Safety Regulations Strategies. . . . . 36SATA Spray Equipment . . . . . . . . . 23Scoggin-Dickey Buick . . . . . . . . . . 35Shop-Pro Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 31Suzuki Wholesale Parts Dealers. . . 41Toyota Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . 44VIM Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Volkswagen Wholesale PartsDealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Volvo Wholesale Parts Dealers . . . . 45Young Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Inde

xofAdvertisers

REGIONAL

ASA Texas Holds 2011 Annual Meeting in

Boerne, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Auto Insurance Rates on the Rise in Texas . 9

Caliber Collision Centers Opens New Texas

Facility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Caliber Collision Moves Headquarters to TX,

Acquires 911 Collision Centers in AZ, NV. 1

Chrysler’s Southeast & Southwest Business

Centers’ 2011 Service and Parts

Business Conference and Expo Held

in Orlando, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Dallas, Texas Vehicle Dealer Convicted in

Title Scam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

English Color Opens 42nd Store in

Austin, TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Exxon to Build New Lubricant Plant in

Baytown, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Fewer Road Fatalities Reported in OK

for September . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

GM to Reopen Spring Hill, TN Plant . . . . . . 8

Industry Bands Together to Help Texas

Wildfire Victims Speed Up Claims Process . 6

Louisiana Glass andMirror Holds Open House. 9

Louisiana Insurance Agent Arrested on

Fraud Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

NIADA Picks 2011 National Auto Auction

of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair

Association Discusses Glass and

Adhesives Safety Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Texas Independent Automotive Association

Announces Alamo Chapter Raffle Winners. 6

UAW-GM Contract Lets General Motors Axe

LA Truck Plant After 30-year Run. . . . . . 8

Volkswagen to Open New Regional Sales

Office in Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

COLUMNISTS

Attanasio - How to Use 5 Forms of Social

Media to Pack the House . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chess - SEMA’s Repair Driven Education

and Government Regulations . . . . . . . . 44

Franklin - Choosing a More Profitable

Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Gesterkamp - Taking a Fresh Look at an

Old Debate—Color Matching, Blending,

or Both? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Insurance Insider - Can the Collision Industry

Support Two Major Trade Shows? . . . . 12

Schroeder - GW & SON Auto Body

—Blending Yesterday’s Service with

Today’s Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Sisk - West Coast Collision’s Waterborne

Exclusivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Weaver - Dealing with Angry Customers

and Growing ‘Alligator Skin’ . . . . . . . . . 27

Williams - A Profile of the Evolving Collision

Repair Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Yoswick - SCRS Affiliate Groups Help

Members Address Legislative and

Regulatory Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

NATIONAL

2011-2012 Chevrolet Corvettes Recalled

for Rear Hatch Hinges . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Allstate and Progressive Agree to Settle

Patent Litigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

AM Tow Package Wiring Harnesses for

Hyundai/Kia Recalled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

California Man Guilty of Selling Counterfeit

ALLDATA Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

CEOs of Four of the Largest MSOs in the

Industry hold first-time MSO Symposium

at NACE/CARS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chip Foose on Bringing it to SEMA . . . . . . . 1

Dollar Thrifty Halts Sale Process, Hertz

Still Interested in Acquisition Despite

Missed Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

DuPont Exhibit at SEMA Show Live Paint

Demonstrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Florida and Michigan AAA Clubs Join

Forces, Now 2nd Largest . . . . . . . . . . . 30

GM Introduces Industry-First Front Center

Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

I-CAR Repairability Summit: Don’t Section

Ultra-High-Strength Steel . . . . . . . . . . . 34

IRS Offers Employers Tax Relief if Workers

Reclassified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Mitchell Partners with Enterprise Rent-A-Car,

Integrates with Update Promise.com to

Deliver Services via RepairCenter™ . . . 42

NABC Nominees for 2012 Board of

Directors Announced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Virginia Branded Title for Water Damage

Settles at $2500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Contents

The Automotive Service Associationof Texas held their annual statewidemeeting in Boerne, TX September 16through 18 at the Tapatio Springs Re-sort.

Saturdaymembers had their choiceof playing a afternoon round of golf atthe resort or touring a winery with an-tiquing in Boerne. After breakfast thatday, the group met with guest speakerSid Hurlbert who motivated and in-spired the group to be better leaders.Plus, therewere some of the group’sAs-sociate Vendors onsite with table topdisplays during Friday evening’s mixerand during all events on Saturday.

For golf the group used a scram-ble format on Saturday. In a scramble,each player tees off on each hole. Thebest of the tee shots is selected and allplayers play their second shots fromthat spot. The best of the second shotsis determined, then all play their thirdshots from that spot, and so on untilthe ball is holed.

Members that couldn’t get intogolf had plenty to do in Boerne justacross Interstate 10. Shopping inBoerne takes visitors on a journeythrough quaint historic buildings filledwith unique treasures. Outstanding artgalleries and exhibits are around every

corner, and art shows, gallery open-ings, and art events speckle the calen-dar throughout the year. The groupwas able to aprticipate in an everningwinery visit on Saturday night as well.

Cost was only $148 per attendeeand includes Friday reception, all Sat-urday educational events includingSid Hurlbert, Saturday breakfast andlunch, plus Sunday breakfast.

Sid Hurlbert brings every semi-nar to life with hilarious true experi-ences, documented facts and storiesthat touch hearts. Attendees will leaveSid’s seminar with confidence know-ing that they have practical toolswhich will make you more successfulat work, home and play.

If personal life changes are de-sired, “Don’t wait for the happy bus tocome”: take control, according toHurlbert.

Sid Hurlbert has been teachingthe art of “What to Say & How to SayIt” using his STEPS method for over30 years.

Averaging over 200 seminars an-nually, he lectures throughout theUnited States, Canada and Europe to awide variety of professional, corpo-rate, academic, and civic groups.

He combines his powerful mes-

sages, humor, and insight with enter-taining twists, creating a dynamiclearning experience that transformsthe way people relate to themselves,fellow employees, and their families.

For more information about theASA-TX please visit www.asatx.org.

More information about SidHurlbert can be found at www.sidney-churlbert.com.


NACE Booth #N531SEMA Booth #11041

NIADA Picks 2011 National Auto Auction of the YearThe National Independent AutomobileDealers Association chose their autoauction of the year honoree based on thebelief that the dealer summarizes an actof true heroism by its owner and staff,according to Auto Remarketing News.

NIADA chief executive officerMike Linn awarded the 2011 awardtoDealer’s Auto Auction of OklahomaCity, OK, during the recent NationalAuto Auction Association conferenceat the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

Linn presented the award to auc-tion owner Gary Smith and generalmanager Bruce Beam.

“This year’s recipient excels inthe area of customer service—onewhich has smiling faces and very ca-pable employees,” Linn declared.

“This is evidenced by many auc-tions, but once in a while, an auction

will do something that truly sets itapart, sometimes even heroic,” hecontinued.

According to NIADA, that’swhat happened on Dec. 23, 2010. On

that dayOdell Morgan, executive di-rector of the Oklahoma IndependentAuto Dealers Association, collapsedto the floor as the auction staff waspreparing for the day’s sale at about 7a.m.

Smith rushed to him and checkedhis pulse—and found none. The auc-tion owner began performing car-diopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) andinstructed his staff to contact emer-

gency personnel. Auction-eers, ring men and dealerswere there to assist whileSmith continued CPR untilparamedics arrived.

NIADA revealed thatMorgan had quadruple by-pass surgery following thisepisode and continues hisrecovery.

“Gary had the foresight to ask hisphysician many times how to besthandle this type situation,” Linn in-sisted.

“Based on his knowledge, he wasable to instruct staff on actions to take

and they responded without question,”Linn went on to say. “Because of ac-tions taken that day, the auction staffwas able to save a life.”

The NIADA first presented itsauction of the year award to an NAAAmember auction and its general man-agement team in 2008.

The association highlighted theaward is presented to an auction thatdemonstrates support of the used-ve-hicle industry and the independentdealers who utilize the auction by pro-viding the highest level of customerservice, providing dealers with re-sources to enhance their business, dis-playing support to the stateassociation and its dealer membersthrough participation in dealer eventsand promoting industry communityinvolvement.

ASA Texas Holds 2011 Annual Meeting in Boerne, TX

[email protected]

Want to Contribute to this Southwest Edition?

write us!write us!write us!


Call UsFor Your SaturnParts Also.

WATS:800-955-6282Parts Direct:972-202-2300Hours: Monday - Friday 7 to 7

Saturday from 8 to 5

• 9 Salesmen• Over $2 Million Genuine GM Parts• 7 Delivery Trucks• Extensive GM Collision Parts Inventory• Free Delivery within Texas (call for details)• GM Engines and Transmissions at

truck load pricing (call for details)

Ray Hu!nesChevroletPlano, TX

• We “Meet or Beat” aftermarket pricing. Ask yoursalesman about “Bump the Competition” and“GM Outlet Shop”.

• Cycle time costs you money. Let our huge GMcollision inventory work to your advantage.

• Online ordering through OEConnection (call for details)

Collision Centers & Body Shops


THE GLOBALAUTHORITYINPAINTLESS

DENTREPAIR

For more information please visit:www.globalpdr.com

1-877-GLBL-PDRe-mail: [email protected]

• We aid in growing your customerbase

• Industry leader in regards toquality, customer service andprofessionalism

• Our industry exclusive 360o repairplan aids your shop with estimates,sales, quality control, supplementsand deliveries

Global PDR

is not just Insurance

Approved, we are

Recommended!

Texas Independent Automotive AssociationAnnounces Alamo Chapter Raffle Winners

The Alamo chapter of theTexas Independent Auto-motiveAssociation (TIAA)held a chapter picnic onSeptember 24.A raffle was held during

the picnic; proceeds fromthe raffle benefit theTIAA’s Automotive Train-ing Reimbursement andScholarship Programs.The raffle winners are:Mary Rodriguez fromMAR Financial—Golf CartMario Reyes from NAPAAuto Parts—Smith andWesson ‘Governor’handgunJohnAnderson from Kay-sers Automotive—ColorTVWayne Van Den Berghefrom ThrashAutomotive—Fishing TournamentTommy Houston—$200

For more informationplease visit:www.tiaa.net.

A car dealer from the Dallas area hasbeen convicted over his role in a so-called “title washing” scheme, accord-ing to reports made byClaims Journal.

A federal jury in San Antonio onSeptember 26 found 49-year-old JerryEdwardWeaver of Rowlett guilty oftwo counts of mail fraud.

Investigators say Weaver know-ingly received, bymail, two fraudulentTexas vehicle titles.

Weaver faces up to 20 years inprison on each count. Sentencing hasbeen set for Jan. 9.

Five co-defendants earlier pleadedguilty in the scam that prosecutors saywent back to mid-2009 and involvedmore than 600 fraudulent titles.

Title washing involves changingdocuments to conceal information,such as a previous salvaged title or afinancial lienholder.

A vehicle that has a non-re-pairable or parts-only history can onlybe utilized for parts or scrap metal.

Dallas, Texas Vehicle DealerConvicted in Title Scam

In an effort to aid residents affectedby the recent wildfire that sweptthrough Bastrop County during thepast few weeks, Auto RemarketingNews reported that the Texas Depart-ment of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Ti-tles and Registration Division andvarious lenders are planning to offerservices that will speed up the insur-ance claim process on vehicles totaledor damaged.

As of September 20, BastropCounty Judge Ronnie McDonaldsaid that the wildfire that burnedabout 50,000 square miles and killedtwo people was about 75 percent con-tained.

The fire burning since Sept. 3has destroyed nearly 1,600 homes inthe area about 25 miles east ofAustin.

Further explaining the reliefmeasures that will be taken, VTR of-ficials noted that victims of the wild-fire will be able to take simplifiedsteps to obtain a copy of their vehicletitle, which “in turn can speed up theinsurance claim process on vehicleslost in the wildfire.”

The simplified steps will accel-erate a process that could take up to aweek or more and require forms ofidentification that might have been

destroyed in a fire. Now, the processcan be completed in as short of a timeas one day.

The two-week window for thesimplified procedure to obtain a certi-fied copy of a Texas Certificate ofTitle went through the end of Sep-tember.

The joint effort by lenders andTexas government officials came tofruition when VTR contacted theAmerican Financial Service’s Asso-ciation’s National Title SolutionsForum Committee to spread theword about plans for this relief pro-gram and to encourage lender partic-ipation.

AFSA officials noted that itpassed on the VTR’s request to all itsvehicle finance members.

“AFSA and its members areproud to play at least some part in eas-ing the burden of the victims of theTexas wildfires,” said AFSA directorof communications Karen Klugh.

AFSA membership includes ap-proximately 85 percent of all compa-nies that provide new-vehicle financingin the U.S.

Commenting on the relief pro-gram, one lender stressed, “If we canhelp one victim in Texas, this programwill be worth it.”

Industry Bands Together to Help Texas WildfireVictims Speed Up Claims Process

Exxon Mobil Corp. will build a newlubricant base-stock plant at its Bay-town, Texas, chemical complex tomeet growing demand for more en-ergy-efficient lubricants in industrialand automotive applications, the com-pany said Sept. 22, according to In-dustryWeek.

The plant will have a 50,000-tons-per-year capacity to produce thecompany’s high-viscosity lubricants.Facility construction is expected to becompleted in 2013.

The product, marketed underExxon’s SpectraSyn Elite brand, is amatallocene polyalphaolefin syntheticlubricant commonly used in closed-loop automotive applications, such asgear boxes, says George Pietrogallo, aspokesman for the company’s chemi-cal division.

The products from the facilitywill be commercially available toExxon Mobil Chemical customersglobally, Pietrogallo said.

Most of the jobs created from thenew facility will be construction re-lated.

Exxon to Build New LubricantPlant in Baytown, Texas

Jerry Staglik and Charlie Thrash

Full Service Parts and AC Delco had a vendor booth duringthe picnicwww.autobodynews.com

C

www.autobodynews.comwww.autobodynews.com

CHECK IT OUT!

www.autobodynews.comCHECK IT OUT!


The UAW-General Motors contracthas most of the rank and file opti-mistic about the state of GM, but theirjubilance is tempered by the officialshutdown of a factory in Shreveport,LA.

Closing Shreveport Operationsfor good was the “saddest part” of ne-gotiations, UAW negotiator JoeAsh-ton told reporters September 21.

The 3.1 million-square-foot GMShreveport Operations factory openedin 1981 and in its lifetime was hometo the assembly of nine vehicles, allof them trucks.

Assembled by UAWmembers inLouisiana before the shutdown werethe Chevrolet S-10, GMC Sonoma,GMC Syclone, Chevrolet Colorado,GMC Canyon, Isuzu i-Series, theHummer H3 and Hummer H3T.

With the exception of the S-10and Sonoma, which were strong sell-ers for years, the plant had the badfortune of being assigned to buildslow sellers.

The end of the line for the Hum-mer H3 was in Shreveport. GM an-nounced in February 2010 theHummer H3 would die after it soldonly 7,500 of them in 2009. This was

after GM had sold between 22,000and 54,000 of them in prior years. Thelast Hummer H3 made in Shreveportwas on May 24, 2010.

The Colorado and Canyontrucks that were assembled inLouisiana also fell out of favor withbuyers, as sales of the two pickupsplunged at one point as much as 70%in 2008.

The contract, when ratified onSeptember 23, officially deleted theGeneral Motors plant in Shreveportfrom UAW representation because itno longer exists.

It will be closed for good insteadof idled or put on standby by GM andall UAW members who wanted tokeep working were transferred toother facilities.

The Shreveport workers hadbeen asked by GM to take pay cuts inthe past, and refused, according toKTAL6 TV in Shreveport.

Local UAW President DougEbey said in 2010 when the plantwas still open that the workers would“not stand for” reductions that wouldgive auto workers in Louisiana“poverty” wages. Now there is nolonger a plant.

UAW-GM Contract Lets General Motors AxeLA Truck Plant After 30-year Run Along with the details of the new

labor agreement between GeneralMotors and the United Auto Work-ers, it should be noted that TheGeneral plans on re-opening its as-sembly plant in Spring Hill, Ten-nessee in order to build a pair ofall-new midsized models that wereoriginally slated to be produced inMexico, according to The DetroitFree Press.

Current GM vehicles built inMexico that are sold in the U.S. in-clude the Cadillac SRX and EscaladeEXT, along with the Chevrolet Ava-lanche. So what could the vehiclesdestined for Spring Hill be? Well,here are some possible candidates.

According to Tennessee newspa-per The Daily Herald, GMwill invest$61 million for one of the vehicleswhile adding 600 jobs, while the otherwill cost $358 million in renovationsto the plant and will spawn 1,100jobs.

For those that are bad at math,that means Spring Hill Assembly isexpected to receive a total of $419million, with 1,700 newly created po-sitions.

There are also plans for GM tobuild an undisclosed small car and

add another 500 jobs in a facilitythat’s yet to be determined.

However, the plant in Shreve-port, Louisiana is still expected to bemothballed as planned, and there areno plans to restart the plant inJanesville, Wisconsin. We wouldn’tbe surprised if the Granite ends upjoining the Chevy Sonic and BuickVerano in Orion Twp., Michiganthough.

In addition,Wentzville, Missouriwill see a $380 million investment,another shift and 1,850 new jobs tobuild an all-new midsized truck,which we’re hoping to be the all-newChevy Colorado and possibly thenext-generation GMC Canyon.

The truck assembly plant in FortWayne, Indiana will build next gener-ation full-sized trucks, which is wortha cool $230 million and 150 jobs cre-ated or retained.

Plants in Michigan will see an-other $925 million and 900 jobs fromthe deal.

These funds will be dividedamongWarren Powertrain ($325 mil-lion, 360 jobs), Romulus Engine($385 million, 285 jobs), and Sagi-nawMetal Casting ($215 million, 255jobs).

GM to Reopen Spring Hill, TN Plant


A Metairie insurance agent has beenarrested on suspicion of filing a fraud-ulent insurance claim for a car acci-dent, according to reports made byClaims Journal.

The state Department of Insur-ance says 49-year-oldAngela Boden-heimerwas arrested on September 28on one count of insurance fraud andbooked into the Jefferson Parish jail.

The department says Boden-heimer wrecked her car and then real-ized her insurance policy on thevehicle had lapsed.

She allegedly created a fraudulentapplication for insurance with a datefor the policy that preceded the acci-dent, then filed a false claim.

The department says Boden-heimer has had an insurance licensesince May 1986.

It will remain active until a six-month suspension takes effect nextmonth. She has 30 days to contest thesuspension.

Louisiana Insurance AgentArrested on Fraud Charge Many of the largest auto insurance

companies in Texas will be raisingtheir rates as a result of losses andnew liability limits that will have beenimplemented with the start of thisyear, according to reports made byLive Insurance News.

Several of the insurers are citingthe new liability limit rules exclu-sively as the cause of their increases.

According to Mark Hannafrom the industry trade group calledthe Insurance Council of Texas,these regulations require that driv-ers within the state must carry poli-cies that will provide coverage forup to $25,000 for property damageper accident, up to $60,000 for bod-ily injury per accident, and for up to$30,000 per person for bodily in-juries.

He stated that since the insurerswere not permitted to alter their ratesahead of the implementation of thenew requirements, which began onJanuary 1 of this year, “a lot of whatyou’re seeing is companies adjustingrates to factor that in.”

A spokesperson named JerryJohns from another trade group,Southwestern Insurance InformationService, said that rising physicianservice and hospital fees connected to

auto collisions have also played a rolein the insurance rate increases.

He stated that these price hikeswill be modest, but will still be re-quired in order to be able to cover theincreases in costs in these variousareas.

According to the ConsumerPrice Index report in August—whichwas released by the U.S. Departmentof Labor—when compared to the yearbefore, there has been a 3.3 percentincrease in medical costs. Moreover,there has been an overall 3.8 percentCPI increase.

Auto Insurance Rates on the Rise in Texas

Volkswagen of America is planningto open its fifth regional sales officein the Dallas metropolitan area tofurther strengthen its relationshipswith customers and dealers, accord-ing to ABR Auto ManufacturingNews.

The company said that the ex-pansion will help facilitate futuregrowth and employment opportuni-ties, while better serving the needs ofits retail network in key markets.

The new Dallas office, to be des-ignated as the ‘South Central Re-gion,’ is expected to support 96dealers in 16 states, including Texas.

The Auto maker expects the of-fice to create more than 20 new jobsin the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Volkswagen of America pres-ident and CEO Jonathan Brown-ing said, “As the company’s salescontinue to climb following theofficial opening of our new USplant in Chattanooga, and as itsvehicle line-up expands with thelaunch of new products like the2012 Passat and Beetle, it is im-perative that we maintain a strongconnection with its customers anddealer body.”

Volkswagen to Open NewRegional Sales Office in Dallas

Louisiana Glass and Mirror held anopen house for their new location inBossier City. The company movedtheir location from one side of thecity to another. The company’s newaddress is 2201 California DrBossier City, LA 71111. The openhouse was held on October 13 from6:00p.m. to 9:30p.m. Local band 3Chord Street played during the openhouse, which also included a fish fry.For more information please call(318) 747-2800.

Louisiana Glass and MirrorHolds Open House

www.autobodynews.comC

www.autobodynews.com

English Color and Supply annoucedon October 11 that they have acquiredAffordable Auto Color in Austin,

Texas, and created their 42nd loca-tion.

Chad Francis, who is the StoreManager, began his career in the paintbusiness working for his Grandfatherat Big 3 Auto Supply in Temple,Texas. In 1996 Chad started Afford-able Auto Color in Austin.

Mark Shanks has been in the au-topaint business for 25years, 12 ofwhichhas been with Affordable Auto Color.

English Color wel-comes their techni-cal expertise andexperience to theEnglish Color andSupply family.

English Colorand Supply has lo-cations in Texas,O k l a h o m a ,Louisiana,Missis-sippi, Tennessee,Alabama, andArkansas.TheAustin store

is located at 9800Gray Blvd Austin,Texas 78758.

Reach the store by calling 512-339-8447 or email [email protected].

Store Hours are Monday throughFriday from 8a.m. to 5p.m.

For more information please visitwww.englishcolor.com.


English Color Opens 42nd Store in Austin, TX

Caliber Collision Centers announcedon October 11 theMSO opened a new13,788-square-foot collision repair fa-cility in Copperas Cove, Texas. Cal-iber now operates 92 collision repairfacilities in California, Texas,Arizonaand Nevada.

“We continue to expand our ca-pacity in theAustin region to meet theneeds of our customers and insuranceclients across this high growth area ofthe state,” said Steve Grimshaw,CEO of Caliber. “The opening of thisnewest location further supports Cal-iber’s expansion plans while offeringour auto insurance clients best-in-classoperational consistency, customerfocus and cost management.”

“The addition of the CopperasCove location further extends Caliber’sposition as the largest collision repairprovider in Texas. The opening of our45th Texas center is a testament to ourcommitment tomeeting the needs of ourcustomersandclients in theAustin regionaswe continue to grow into the collisionrepair provider of choice in every com-munity we serve,” saidMark Sanders,chief operating officer of Caliber. Cal-iber’s location can be found at 840 W.Highway 190, Copperas Cove, Texas.

Caliber Collision CentersOpens New Texas Facility

Mark Shanks, English Color Tech Representative, and Chad Francis, StoreManager, at the new Austin, TX, English Color location

There were fewer highway fatalitiesin September than there were duringthe same month last year, accordingto Claims Journal.

The Oklahoma Department ofPublic Safety reports there were 46fatal accidents last month, a decreaseof 11 from September 2010.

Of the fatal accidents, nine ofthose who died were motorcyclists.Officials say the highest daily fatal-ity numbers include 12 deaths on Fri-days and 10 on Sundays.

Troopers believe four of the fa-tality crashes were alcohol-related.

Other statistics show the highestnumber of fatality crashes—16- oc-curred on state highways, while 13were on county roads.

Forty-five percent of those whodied in traffic collisions weren’t wear-ing safety belts at the time of the crash.

There were eight days in themonth of September in which no fa-talities occurred.

Fewer Road Fatalities Reportedin OK for September

link and fill out the online form ontheir website at www.nwlcra.org.

Several members of the NWL-CRA helped with the BPCC 100annual fundraiser (See AutobodyNews September 2011). This iswhere businesses compete in a raceusing go-karts, NASCAR style.For more details on the race, seewww.bpcc100.org. Kevin Adamswith Krystal Auto Collision, ChrisShepherd with Louisiana Techni-cal College, and Bill Burnsidewith Tri-State Coatings helped bybeing judges. The BPCC 100raised over $50,000.00 for scholar-ships this year. Every cent is goingto be used for Bossier Parish Com-munity College and LouisianaTechnical College scholarships.

Upcoming dates for “Job Shad-owing” will be Dec. 8, 2011, Feb. 16,2012, and April 21, 2012. ContactGary, Mike, or Tom at (318) 636-2405for more information.

This month’s guest speaker,along with the meeting place, foodand drink, were all provided by KenStephenson of Louisiana Glass and

Mirror. Rick Mathis of Sika Corpo-ration discussed the importance glassand adhesives in the automotive in-dustry. He added that Sika is involvedin glass of all kinds; auto, trucks,cruise ships, etc. If glass is involved,so is the Sika Corporation.

Mathis began his presentation byshowing a slide of a wrecked automo-bile that had the windshield replacedon a Friday and had a wreck on Mon-day where the car was flipped and slidfor over 200 feet on it’s roof. Thewindshield was still intact. It wasscratched, but it stayed in place.Mathis stated that if you are able tostay in the car in an accident, yourchances of surviving is over 95% ver-sus being ejected.

Mathis also talked about the his-tory of automotive glass. The first carsdidn’t come with a windshield. Theonly reason a glass was put on the carwas because of women; their makeupwould get dirty from riding in a car,so a glass pane was put in to keep thedirt from ruining their makeup. Aschanges occurred in the automotiveindustry, the windshield became morethan just a bug deflector. Today’swindshields, with heat and complexbends, make some with a 500%

Continued from Front Page

NWLCRA

See NWLCRA, Page 18

www.autobodynews.comC


“The Insider” is an auto insurancecompany executive who wishes to re-main anonymous. This column reflectssolely the opinion of The Insider in hisunvarnished view of various issuesimpacting the collision industry.

Can NACE Survive as a ‘traveling re-gional trade show’?Well, it’s that time of year again:lights, slots, dice, scantily-cladwomen, lavish parties, casinos andNACE? Actually, it’s not—NACE isalready over. In case you missed it,NACE (the International AutobodyCongress and Exposition) took placein early October in Orlando, the firsttime it moved from Las Vegas in morethan a half-dozen years.

Yes, I was one of a handful ofpeople that showed up to support theindustry’s longest-standing nationaltrade show. I have missed only four ofthe 29 of these annual extravaganzas,and I wasn’t about to let a trip to sunnyFlorida deter me from attending.

I have to admit, I was apprehen-sive about spending the money andtime to attend two shows this year. .How this small industry can supporttwo national trade shows (NACE andthe SEMA show in November, whichI will discuss in my next column) isbeyond comprehension. In fact, Iwould say it’s not possible.

Here’s my best guess: We will beback to one national industry tradeshow in the next three years. There’sno way that the large companies buy-ing booth space will continue to throwgood money after bad. Even asidefrom the poor economy, national tradeshows like NACE are a dying breed.Yup, even the mighty dinosaur even-tually went extinct.

The once-almighty NACE isdying a slow death. Before anyonesubmits an obituary, please note thatthe show still stands some chance ofsurvival. Although this year’s NACEwasn’t the typical NACE we’ve been

accustomed to, there was somethingdifferent and positive. Aside from thefact that there weren’t a lot of peoplethere, which made it easier to navigatethe show floor, the smaller eventmeant my feet were intact after a fewdays of walking. Usually, I can hardlywalk after the weekend marathon.

All kidding aside, the positivenews is the reality that NACE couldsurvive and possibly reinvent itself asa traveling regional trade show. Thereis a small percentage of people whohave attended NACE in the past fewyears who walk a trade show floor tofind a special deal or see somethingnew. But the vast majority of the at-tendees attend the show to participatein other related industry events, or tonetwork and reduce future travel ex-penses by meeting with large groupsof people over a short period of time.

Because this article is about shar-ing inside information and helping mydedicated readers gain a broader per-spective, I suppose I should tell yousomething you probably don’t know.NACE transforming into just a largeregional trade show didn’t happenovernight or by accident. It’s been aslow death. In the years leading up toits demise, the industry tried to tell or-ganizers it was time for change. Theyassembled a committee of industry ex-perts that were supposed to help guidethem to “NACE: The Next Genera-tion.” The goal: to actually create atrade show that met the demands oftheir customer and once again gener-ated excitement.

NACE organizers slowlychanged the direction of the show, butby then it was too late. The excitementof NACE was basically reserved forthose looking for a Las Vegas vaca-tion. Attendance plummeted. The re-ported show attendance becamesimilar to an Enron annual report:There was a lot of inflated numbersand not a whole lot to support the factthat the trade show floor looked like a

bocce ball court on the weekend. Onewould swear that they were using adog-years multiplier where every oneattendee accounted for seven [orga-nizers said 15% more attended thanlast year].

Although NACE organizersmade a lot of mistakes along the wayand often acted with arrogance, therewere other contributing factors. Thisis kind of like a murder mystery:There are a lot of suspects and clues,but we still aren’t sure of the killer orthe murder weapon.

But I think that the real killer ofNACE was the SEMAshow. SEMAisoffering something that NACE nolonger does: attendees, attendees andmore attendees. Oh, and somethingelse: attendees. SEMAcan be found inthe dictionary under the word “excite-ment.” SEMA will have about 10times the number of attendees asNACE did this year.

As far as the murder weapon, Ithink it was a vote at a Collision In-dustry Conference (CIC) meeting inearly 2010. The attendees of this con-ference were asked to vote when andwhere they would like their fall meet-ing to be held: keep it as scheduled inNovember in Las Vegas, or move it afew weeks earlier to when NACE hadbeen rescheduled to be held. Theyvoted for the conference to be held inLas Vegas at the same time as SEMA[by one vote—Ed.]. The rest is historyand we now have two trade shows tosupport.

That’s it for now. See you inVegas, baby.

The Insider is a corporate-levelexecutive with a Top 10 auto insurerin the U.S. Got a comment or questionyou’d like him to address in a futurecolumn? Email him at [email protected].


Can the Collision Industry Support Two Major Trade Shows?with The Insurance Insider

Inside Insurance The Insider is a corporate-level executive with a Top 10 auto insurerin the U.S.. Got a comment or question you’d like to see him addressin a future column? Email him at [email protected]

[email protected] us!write us!write us!

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

GW&SON Auto Body in OklahomaCity, OK, was established in 1985 byGaryWano and his sonGaryWano,Jr. Gary Senior had 17 years experi-ence managing a local dealership posthis tenure as an automotive painter.With plenty of practical knowledgeGary felt it was time for him to openhis own shop with his son.

Since the shop’s inception theyhave grown to 6 times the size of theiroriginal facility, with a 27,000 square-foot production floor. The shop nowhas 26 employees, including two of

Gary Jr’s siblings, and a nephew. GaryWano Jr, has also been afforded theopportunity to become nationally in-volved. He is currently holding andhas held industry leadership positionssuch as a past chair of SCRS the na-tion’s largest association solely fo-cused on collision repairer needs, theCEICA Repair Advisory Panel, I-Car

ISAC, Co-Chaired CIC’s Anti-fraudCommittee and is currently a voice forthe repairer in CIC’s Insurer/RepairerRelations Committee and the RepairStandards Committee. Oddly enough,

it was through this national involve-ment that spawned the business modelthat by choice limits GW&SON’s

DRP relationship’s with only one in-surer. The industry is constantlychanging, repairers of today need theaccess to industry trends and all over

data, says Gary Jr, GW&SON’s VPand operation manager. Gary Seniorstill works within the production of

the shop, offering valuable insight tothe production floor manager; with abusiness model centered on commu-


GW & SON Auto Body—Blending Yesterday’s Service with Today’s Technology

See GW&SON, Page 18

with Erica SchroederShop Showcase Erica Schroeder is assistant editor at Autobody News in Carlsbad, CA. She loves

to talk with owners about their shops and goings on in their areas. Contact herat [email protected], or 800-699-8251

Seated (l to r): Leona Wano and Gary Wano Sr. Kneeling (l to r): Chad Mason, Tammy Tomberlin,Weldon Gerdner, Kristi Wano, Ashley Ewing, (Buddy the dog), Terry Quinalty. Standing (l to r):Johnny Ellenburg, Andrea Jerman, James Coker, Inna Hadgisava, Clinton Carter, Derrick Cubie,Josh Johnson, Gary Wano Jr, Joseph Devine, David Rinehart, Weston Gardner, Tony Scarlett,Les VanVoast, Larry Van Voast

State and regional associations—thattogether represent more than 2,000body shops—participated in the sixthannual “Affiliate Leadership Confer-ence” organized by the Society of Col-lision Repair Specialists (SCRS) andheld near Chicago in mid-September.

SCRS Chairman Aaron Clarksaid the event is designed to help thenational association gather input fromits state affiliates on its direction andefforts, as well as to help those groupswork with one another and with thenational organization.

The affiliate groups reported ontheir recent and upcoming legislativeefforts, their interactions with shopand insurer regulators, and other ac-tivities and issues in which they haverecently been involved.

In Montana this past spring, forexample, Governor Brian Schweitzersigned into law a bill, sponsored bythe Montana Collision Repair Spe-cialists, that prohibits a insurer from“unilaterally disregard(ing) a repairoperation or cost identified by an esti-mating system” that the insurer andshop have agreed to use to determinethe cost of repair.

Bruce Halcro, a Montana shopowner and president of the association,said getting the state auto dealers’ as-

sociation involvedin backing the leg-islation was part ofwhat helped push itthrough the legisla-ture, where it nar-rowly failed justtwo years earlier.The Montana asso-

ciation this year had also backed a billthat would have allowed body shopsand others – rather than only con-sumers—to file complaints with thestate insurance commissioner’s office.That bill was overwhelmingly ap-proved 97-3 by the Montana House,but died in a Senate committee.

Jordan Hendler, executive di-rector of theWashington MetropolitanAuto Body Association (WMABA),said that this was the second year theassociation battled efforts in Virginiato raise the threshold of damage re-quiring a flood-damaged vehicle to re-ceive a branded title from $1,000 to

$5,000. Proponents—including a statelegislator whose vehicle was totaled

after the sunroofof his vehicle wasleft open in a rain-s to rm—arguedthat the thresholdhad been setdecades ago, andwas unrealisticgiven inflation

and the increased value of vehicles.Hendler said her group tried to pointout that today’s vehicles have far moreelectronics than cars had decades ago,and that no consumer should unknow-ingly buy a vehicle that has had thou-sands of dollars in water damage. Inthe end, she said, the threshold wasraised to $2,500.

Hendler said the association isalso working with the Virginia De-partment of Environmental Quality ona possible shop registration programthat could prohibit the large-quantitysale of automotive paint to anyoneother than registered shops.

A sales tax issue has recentlyarisen in Indiana, according to TonyPasswater, executive director of theIndiana Auto Body Association. Ashop in that state contacted the asso-ciation after a sales tax audit resultedin a $13,000 assessment plus penaltiesfor failure to collect and remit salestax on items such as sandpaper andtape consumed in the repair of vehi-cles. Passwater said the auditor reliedon a document that refers only to deal-ers of new cars and trailers.

“There’s no possible way youwould infer it had anything to do witha collision repair facility,” Passwatersaid. “The very last section says adealer must pay sales tax on shop ragsand towels and consumables that arenot billed to the customer.”

He said he is discussing the mat-ter with the state revenue departmentin a effort to clarify and resolve theissue.

Ron Stamm of the AutomotiveService Council of Kentucky said hisgroup expects to make a third attemptnext year to push for consumer notifi-cation legislation in that state. The as-sociation-backed bill, which hasnarrowly missed making it through

the legislative process this year andlast, would require insurers to includenotification of a consumer’s right toselect a repair shop on the bottom ofprinted estimates, and to tell the con-sumer of that right prior to explainingany direct repair program.

The Texas Senate this past Marchapproved a bill to establish an advi-sory board of shop, insurer, and public

representatives toprovide recom-mendations on theregulation of autoinsurance in thatstate, But the billnever gained trac-tion in the TexasHouse, according

to James Brown of the HoustonAutoBody Association.

Likewise the Senate passed (butthe House did not) a bill that wouldhave required insurance companies to

provide written notice to both shopsand consumers explaining how theirpayment policies and claims proce-dures differ between direct repair fa-cilities and non-direct repair facilities.The bill also would have required in-surers to provide to shops, upon re-quest, a written explanation of therequirements to become a DRP facil-ity with that insurer. It also wouldhave made county mutual insurers—which account for about 45 percent ofthe Texas market—subject to stateanti-steering and consumer choicelaws (from which they remain ex-empt).

More recently and even closerto home for the Houston association,Brown said his group is opposing (inits current form) new shop and autorecycler licensing requirementsbeing considered by the HoustonCity Council. The proposal sets out


4025 W. Loop 289,Lubbock, TX 79407

Gene Messer Hyundai

www.genemesserhyundai.come-mail: [email protected]

806-785-2238FAX

Call our Parts Department Today!

• Large Inventory• Exceptional

Service• Genuine Hyundai

Parts• Experienced

Sales Staff

Parts Department Hours:Mon. - Fri. 7:00am - 7:00pm

Sat. 8:00am - 6:00pm

We’re ready to serve you!

Bruce Halcro

Jordan Hendler

James Brown

SCRS Affiliate Groups Help Members Address Legislative and Regulatory Issues

See SCRS, Page 20

Industry Insightwith John Yoswick

John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has a body shop in thefamily and has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He is the editor of theweekly CRASH Network (for a free 4-week trial subscription, visit www.CrashNetwork.com).Contact him by email at [email protected].


Recycled Parts Sourcingfor the Repair Shop

To learn more, call 1-888-828-0014 or visit www.realparts.com

Try RealParts.comNOW for FREE

Quick and EasySolicit live Internet parts quotes directfrom your choice of recycled partsvendors in accordance with yourguidelines and expectations.

“RealParts.com is more thanjust a parts locator. It’s alsoa productivity and cycle timetool! There are no multiplephone calls. Part searchesare broadcast direct via theInternet to our chosen vendornetwork. Recyclers respondlive knowing who we are andwhat we expect”

Richard FishFix Auto

Oceanside and Tustin, CA

No limitations• Any part• Any year, make & model• Collision or mechanical

No hassles• Your rules• Your vendors• Your program

No hold-ups• No questionable database information• No multiple phone calls• No busy signals• No hold time• No promised call backs

nity involvement and technical train-ing more than relying on a lot of DRPrelationships to bring in customers.

“Our OEMCertifications have be-come a great niche for us,” said WanoJr. GW&SON is the only Jaguar,Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and CorvetteZO6 certified repair facility in the state.

“We’re equipped and trained torepair specific high end cars,” saidWano Jr. He also feels that this highlevel of certification reassures theircustomers driving domestic modelstheir cars will be repaired accuratelyas well.

GW&SON places a lot of em-phasis on having everything neededtechnically—from access to repairdata to the proper equipment—to ac-curately repair all vehicles.

On the shop floor GW&SON has5 Car-O-Liner Mark VI frame ma-

chines, a CarTronics Electric Measur-ing system, three (3) Celette Fixture-Style Frame Benches—required forthe shop’s Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar,Volvo, and Corvette Z06 certified sta-tus and several different auto makespecific vera-spot welding units.

GW&SON believes that investingthe training in their staff is worth the re-turn on investment in the confidence ofthe production team following setSOP’s (StandardOperating Procedures)

which drives consistency andquality.“It {training} can get costly,but in the essence of devel-oping production staff carrierpaths the investment is nom-inal,” said Wano Jr.Wano Jr. said the OEMtraining can cost the shopanywhere from $2,000 to$3,000 per day, with payroll,travel expense, course fee’s

and lost production to send their tech-nicians, but that it is definitely worth itin the end.

GW&SON cross-trains severalstaff members in different OEM repairtechnologies, but Wano Jr. said thatthey usually invest this training intoemployees that have some historywithin the operation; it’s “too costly totrain technicians for our competition.”If an employee exhibits commitmentto GW&SON they will definitely getthe opportunity to attend some OEMtraining.

The shop also relies on PPG En-virobase paint combined with propertraining and two Col-Met spraybooths to ensure perfect paint matcheson all repairs.

GW&SON has also built lastingrelationships with a lot of their cus-tomers over the 26 years of servicingthe Oklahoma City/Edmond marketsthanks to their integrity and old-fash-ioned style serviceability.

“Our repeat client base has growntoo include the grandchildren of pastcustomers now coming in to get theircars repaired,” said Wano Jr.

GW&SON’s personal servicewith each of their customers is whatkeeps repeat customers coming inagain and again, according toWano Jr.

“Our motto—balancing yester-

day’s service with today’s technol-ogy—that’s really what we do,” saidWano Jr.

Wano Jr. said that our operationdevelops personal relationships with

their customers and that helpsthem become a part of normalcontact for the customer whenit comes to collision repair.GW&SON also participatesin the local community tohelp deepen their relation-ships with their customers.According to Wano Jr. theshop donates to local athleticclubs and is active in their

local Chamber of Commerce andlocal American Indian Chamber ofCommerce. Wano Jr. and his familyare also very active in their church.

“Blast emails and discountedservices will never take the place of acustomer base that knows and trustsyou,” said Wano Jr.

For more information please visitwww.gwandson.com.

GW&SONAuto Body Inc.13417 N. Santa FeOklahoma City, OK 73113(405) 751-1446


Mark’s CasaMitsubishi

Parts Hours:Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 5:30 pm; Saturday 8 am - 3 pm

www.casanet.com

Call UsToday! 505.897.8440

Fax: 505.897.8446

9733 COORS BLVD. NW – ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87114

Lancer ‘11

Randy StephensParts Manager:

www.casanet.com

F 505 897

Lancer

Rand StephensParts Manager:

Lan

Continued from Page 14

GW&SON

GLK 350 Mercedes-Benz, loaded on one of the Celetteframe benches

The “Heavy Hit- Production Floor”

breakage strength. Now the wind-shield is strong, but collision repairtechnicians need to make sure it staysin place during a collision. If thewindshield pops out during a colli-sion, the people in the car will becomemore severely injured. Keeping thewindshield in place allows the airbags to work more effectively andkeeps the occupants in the car. Keep-ing windshields in place began byusing gaskets, but that era has comeand gone in automobiles, said Mathis.It went from gaskets to Butyl and nowto an adhesive that when fully curedhas a rate of 800 to 1500 PSI depend-ing on the adhesive used.

Mathis also had videos showinghow Sika used “unbelted” crashdummies during their sled crash testsand they are the only company thattests their products belted and un-

belted to see the action of the crashdummy and what happens during thecollision with each method. Atten-dees were amazed to see how keep-ing the windshield in place during acollision allowed other safety fea-tures to work better. Mathis said thatSika is always working on ways toimprove adhesives. Currently, Sika isdeveloping new technologies and ad-hesives. Different ways to cure thesenew high strength adhesives formany customer designs are being ex-plored, from curing with UV light tosound frequency.

Mathis also discussed otherchanges coming to automotive glasslike built in camera displays, and win-dow tinting. Camera displays in mir-rors and other glass required certainprocedures and products for removingand replacing glass that has some typeof electronic component to preventcorrosion. If the procedures and prod-ucts are not used or not used correctly,


NWLCRA

See NWLCRA, Page 32


Price LeBlancPrice LeBlanc

Parts Direct: (225) 408-1240Toll Free: (800) 960-1157Fax: (225) 408-1249

Parts Direct: (225) 408-1240Toll Free: (800) 960-1157Fax: (225) 408-1249

www.priceleblanclexus.com www.priceleblancnissan.com

Parts Direct: (225) 408-1240

* Local and Out-of-TownDelivery

* Experienced WholesaleParts Professionals

GENUINE SERVICE & PARTS

Price LeBlancPrice LeBlancPrice LeBlanc NISSAN

Parts Direct: (225) 408-1240

* Large Inventory ofGenuine Lexus Parts

* Experienced WholesaleParts Professionals

PTF

P

** L**G

* E*P

G E N U I N E P A R T S

*

*

Price LeBlancPrice LeBlancPrice LeBlancPrice LeBlanc

* Experienced, FriendlyWholesale Personnel.

* Free Freight onQualified Orders.

We are the oldest andlargest Toyota dealerin Louisiana.

13200 Airline Highway,Baton Rouge, LA 70817

Parts Direct:(225) 408-1240

Toll Free:(800) 960-1157Fax:(225) 408-1249 www.priceleblanctoyota.com

and

Brian225-408-2245

Carey225-408-1254

David225-408-1252

Jay225-408-1258

Jessica225-408-1255

Louie225-408-1243

Randy225-408-1203

Roby225-408-1242

Scott225-408-2242

said Grimshaw.“Our move to Lewisville pro-

vides us with an opportunity to con-solidate much of our managementwhich is currently spread across anumber of locations in California andTexas,” said Grimshaw.

Grimshaw also said the reloca-tion does not indicate any change inthe company’s approach to current orfuture markets. “Our first priority is toensure we have sufficient coverage inour existing markets for our clientsand customers. We also look to seeknew geographic growth opportunitiesin states contiguous to California andTexas, such as Nevada and Arizona,and finally other markets based on ourclient’s needs.”

The planned move is aimed atsupporting the company’s generalfocus on growth; Grimshaw said, “Aswe continue our strategic growthplans over the next five years, themove will allow us to consolidate theback end operations more efficientlywith future large acquisitions.”

Grimshaw said that almost allemployees currently working at theIrvine, CA headquarters were offered

their same positions in the new Texaslocation, and any associates that arenot moving are still working with Cal-iber to ensure a smooth transition.

The MSO, operator of severalcollision repair facilities in Californiaand Texas, also announced on October5 it has signed an agreement to ac-quire 911 Collision Centers; confirm-ing suspicions of the merger withinthe industry.

Recognized asone of the premiercollision repaircompanies in thesouthwest, 911Col-lision Centers hasseven locations in-cluding four loca-tions in Tucson,

Arizona, one location in Scottsdale,Ari-zona and two locations in Las Vegas,Nevada.

Steve Grimshaw, Caliber Colli-sion Centers’ Chief Executive Officerannounced, “Our acquisition of 911Collision Centers sets a new corner-stone in Caliber’s continued expan-sion plans. After spending time with911’s management team, it quicklybecame apparent that 911 CollisionCenters provides Caliber with the per-fect opportunity to enter the Arizonaand Nevada markets behind a well-es-

tablished, high quality brand.”“Partnering with Caliber Colli-

sion Centers will allow us to grow ex-ponentially over the foreseeable futurewhile sharing corporate best practicesand operational efficiencies across theArizona, Nevada, Texas and Califor-nia markets” said Michael Quinn,Chief Executive Officer of 911 Colli-sion Centers.

This is Caliber Collision Centersfirst expansion into locations outside

California and Texas and increases thecompany’s total number of locationsfrom 84 to 91.

Caliber Collision Centers is nowone of the largest collision repair com-panies in America with 91 I-CARGold Class Professional certified col-lision repair centers throughout Cali-fornia, Nevada, Arizona and Texas.

For more information about Cal-iber Collision Centers please seewww.calibercollision.com.


GM PARTS? You’re in good hands.You’re in good hands

ChevylandChevylandChevylandChevylandChevylandChevyland

gg yy nnnLLaarrggeesstt IInnvveennttoorryy iinnLLargestt IInventtory iinTTTrrriii-SSStttaaattteee AAArrreeeaaa!!!

Largest Inventory inTri-State Area!

Y

LLLLLargest Inventory inLLLLargest Inventory inLGift CertificateGift CertificateGift Certificatewith powertrain purchase.

Call for details.

We deliver to TX, OK and LA.

NEED

800-551-8189 (318) 425-3417 - (318) 425-1705 Fax

Bud Nelson — Customer Relations RepresentativeSkeeter Raney — Customer Relations Representative

7500 Youree Dr.,Shreveport, LA 71037

www.chevyland.com

51,855 Part NumbersOrder in by 5pm, Arrives Next Day7:00am - 6:00pm M-F

Online Parts Look-upsJeral Lawler, Parts Mgr.We price match! Call for quote.

new disclosure and documentationrequirements, and establishes an 11-member “automotive board” ap-pointed by the mayor (and notnecessarily including a collision re-pair shop representative). While theproposal includes no minimum re-quirements for equipment or train-ing, it has detailed rules regardingfencing around the business prop-erty, and makes it unlawful for“grass or vegetation to grow to aheight of more than nine inchesabove the ground.”

Brown said there is a lot to like inthe 28-page proposal, and he applaudsthe council’s effort to deal with thebusinesses—including shops con-nected with towing storage lots—that“hold vehicles hostage” and chargeexorbitant fees to release a vehicle thata consumer wishes to move to anotherrepair facility.

But, he said, some of the man-dates—such as requiring customersignature on any supplement over$100, and storing (at customer re-quest) old parts for up to three days toreturn to the customer—are just toocumbersome. His group is also con-cerned that the proposal essentiallygives insurers, as the “authorized

agent” of the consumer, the samerights as the owner of the vehicle.

In an unrelated effort, Brown saidthe Houston association recently hada shop labor rate survey conducted byan independent third-party. Shops arebeing urged to notify state insuranceregulators if an insurer is unwilling topay the shop’s posted labor rate bytaking a photo of the posted rate andemailing it along with the estimate atthe lower rate (with customer andclaim information omitted) to theTexas Department of Insurance.

“Right now they’re just collect-ing those and we’re laying the ground-work,” Brown said.

In addition to discussing ways to

address issues that many of the stategroups are facing, the affiliates alsodiscussed some of the issues SCRS ispursuing, including a survey to insur-ers about their policies on parts usage,and interaction with the Environmen-tal ProtectionAgency regarding inter-pretation and enforcement of its newrefinishing regulation.

John Yoswick, a freelance writer basedin Portland, Oregon, who has beenwrit-ing about the automotive industry since1988, is also the editor of the weeklyCRASHNetwork (for a free 4-week trialsubscription, visit www.CrashNet-work.com). He can be contacted byemail at [email protected].


SCRS


Caliber

Michael Quinn

NABC Nominees for 2012 Board of Directors AnnouncedThe National Auto Body Council(NABC) hasclosed nominations for theseven 2012 board positions comingopen at the end of this year’s term. Thecandidates are listed in their order ofnomination: Keith Bell, Akzo Nobel;Stacy Bartnik, CARSTAR; KennethSeavey, Hertz First Edition; Mike Jor-dan, Manchester Collision; KarenFierst; Fred Iantorno; Jon Faris, Enter-prise Car Rental; Kristen Felder, Colli-

sion Hub; Elizabeth Stein, Fix Auto;David Niestroy, 3D Body Works;Richard Perry, Chief Auto Technolo-gies; Mark Lovell, Precision Collision.Based onNABCbylaws, an official bal-lot will be sent to all NABC membersfor their consideration. The actual elec-tion will take place at the NABC annualmeeting in the Hilton Hotel in LasVegas on November 1 at 12:30 p.m.concurrent with the SEMAShow.


When it comes to Ford GenuineParts, go with a winning team.

Use Genuine Ford Parts for yourcustomers late model Ford,Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

You're always guaranteedthat they will �t right the�rst time, every time.

Take it to the End Zone.Take it to the End Zone.

Call your local AuthorizedFord Wholesaler today!

with our Genuine Ford Parts

Ranger 2011

es.

d

Bob Tomes Ford,Lincoln, Mercury

McKINNEY

800-792-1155214-544-5081

214-544-5194 Fax

Casa Ford, LincolnEL PASO

915-490-8437915-775-8259 [email protected]

Champion FordGulf Freeway

HOUSTON

Wholesale Direct800-388-4005713-371-4111

713-371-4101 Faxwww.fordparts.com/champion

Five Star FordNORTH RICHLAND HILLS

Wholesale Direct800-895-7827817-577-2781

817-577-0558 Faxwww.5starford.com

Gene Messer Ford,Mazda, Lincoln,

MercuryAMARILLO

Wholesale Direct806-355-7417

806-352-9604 [email protected]/genemesser

Helfman FordSTAFFORD

800-634-8008281-240-0642 [email protected]/helfman

Joe Myers FordHOUSTON

[email protected]

Kinsel FordBEAUMONT


866-339-7711 Fax

Lone Star FordHOUSTON

800-756-2293281-931-3300

281-931-3378 Faxwww.lonestarford.com

McRee FordDICKINSON

281-337-1529281-534-2009 [email protected]

North ParkLincoln, Mercury,Subaru, Isuzu

SAN ANTONIO

800-880-8846 Toll210-341-8846 Direct210-341-3904 Fax

www.fordparts.com/northparklm

Russell & SmithFord

HOUSTON

800-392-1983713-663-4222 Direct713-664-0965 Fax

[email protected]

Sewell Ford LincolnODESSA

800-592-4762432-498-0434 Direct432-498-0283 Fax

[email protected]

Tommie VaughnMotorsHOUSTON

800-944-4415713-869-4755

713-293-4309 Faxwww.tommievaughn.com

Waxahachie FordWAXAHACHIE

888-325-4947972-825-4578 Direct972-825-4576 [email protected]

Bob Moore FordOKLAHOMA CITY

877-831-4183405-246-2393

405-246-2348 [email protected]

United Ford PDCTULSA


800-676-8509 [email protected]/unitedford

www.unitedford.com

These dealers are Genuine Ford Parts wholesale specialists.TEXAS

OKLAHOMA

Lamarque FordKENNER

800-259-2881504-443-2500

504-712-5053 [email protected]

OKLAHOMA

Rich FordALBUQUERQUE

800-432-6822505-275-0156 [email protected]

NEW MEXICO

Make us your one-stop shop today!

LOUISIANA

I mentioned social media to a bodyshop owner recently and, to say theleast, it wasn’t received enthusiasti-cally. There seems to be a very smallgroup in the collision industry thatvalues social media and this guy wasnot one of them.

“Why would I put my shop onFacebook?” he said. “I don’t have alot of customers who are teenagegirls!” I told this gentleman thatFacebook and most other forms ofsocial media aren’t being used exclu-sively by teenage girls. Facebook’s800 million members aren’t allteenagers, and they certainly aren’tall girls.

Last month’s NACEmeeting fea-tured a keynote speaker, Chris Bro-gan, who’s a social media guruaccustomed to talking to large auto-motive groups like those attendingNACE/CARS, and the GMDealers ofCanada, for example.

What’s going on here? Whywould some shops and associationsspend valuable time instructing on so-cial media while others can’t run awayfrom it fast enough?

David Moore, the owner of Col-lisionBuilder.com, a company that de-signs web sites and develops socialmedia plans for body shops and re-lated businesses, has seen a recentspike in body shops getting involvedin several forms of social media.

“It’s unavoidable,” Moore ex-plained. “Three or five years ago, hav-ing a company web site was enough,but now your shop’s customers areusing more and more social media. It’snot just for students or people in their20s anymore. Corporate types, seniorcitizens, your employees and yourcompetitors are using it and in manycases, several times daily. To keep intouch with your clients on a regularbasis and attract new ones, more and

more body shops are gravitating to-ward sites like Facebook, Twitter,LinkedIn and even Youtube, withsolid results.”

One of the first early adopters ofsocial media in the collision industrywas Wren’s Body Shop in Dou-glasville, Georgia, a company that re-pairs 160 cars monthly, employs 20people and does approximately $3million in annual sales. OwnerJames Wren jumped into the socialmedia game with both feet severalyears ago and it’s paid off for him ina big way.

“I know for a fact we’ve receiveda good amount of business throughour involvement in Facebook andLinkedIn,”Wren said. “Sometimes weget several new customers everymonth and the social media keeps usin touch with our past customers.We’re still doing the other forms ofadvertising, but now we’re focusing

more on social media. All it costs usis our time, so it makes a lot moresense. Facebook has been great for usgetting new business. LinkedIn hasbeen booming for us more recentlyand we’re definitely interested inusing Youtube to get exposure for avideo we produced.”

Facebook and LinkedIn are idealvehicles for body shops or profes-sional organizations, such as the Cal-iforniaAutobodyAssociation, to keepits members informed are in the loopabout news and events. Rather thangetting an avalanche of e-mails fromyou, people interested in your busi-ness can check in for updates alongthe way. It’s not as disruptive as e-mail because you don’t have to worryabout spam.When your neighbors andpeers see your social media, it addsimmediate value to your message, andthe interaction among the group canrapidly build.


(214) 778-2814(214) 778-2814Fax:Fax:(800) 865-4269(800) 865-4269

Habla EspañolHabla Español

Mitch MitchellSandy PriesmeyerJavier Perez

Mitch MitchellSandy PriesmeyerJavier Perez

6800 Dallas Pkwy., Plano, TX 75024www.classicbmw.com

Monday - Friday 7am - 7pm / No Deliveries on Saturday

Classic BMW

Classic BMW

www.classicbmw.com800-865-4269

Call us for all your parts needs

Original BMW Parts & Accessories

Our parts team has 350+ years ofcollective experience with 200+of those BMW specific

We’re the Only BMW Dealer toreceive two shipments daily toboth an authorized and certifiedcollision repair center

We stock almost $2 million dollarsworth of Original BMW Parts

How to Use 5 Forms of Social Media to Pack the Housewith Ed Attanasio

Social Media for Shops Ed Attanasio is an automotive journalist based inSan Francisco, California. He can be reached [email protected].

The first thing you need to do inorder to start a social media plan, (inmy opinion), is to create a Facebookpage. Then, invite friends to your pageand spread the word. Get your em-ployees, customers and vendors whouse Facebook to invite their friends aswell. This will enable you to contactanywhere from hundreds to thousandsof people just be tapping into your em-ployees’ friends’ lists. For a direct ap-proach, it’s very easy to find specificpeople by searching for them on Face-book and sending them a messagethrough the link that’s under their pro-file picture.

What types of information shouldyou post about your shop?Well, prettymuch anything and everything to cre-ate ongoing online conversationsamong your friends. Did you recentlyrepair a rare or classic vehicle? Didsome of your techs win an award fortheir job performance or recently com-plete some I-CAR courses? Does yourpainter have an amazing hot wingsrecipe (forward it to me, please)?These are the types of things that willkeep your circle of friends engagedand continually checking out your so-cial media. Make it fun and readable

and people will come back again andagain.

The process with LinkedIn is ba-sically the same, but focusing more onyour professional contacts. With anyform of social media, setting it up is abig step, but administrating and main-taining it is also crucial. Too manyshops start doing it because their com-petitor down the street is doing it, buteventually they let their social mediasit dormant. People think “If I build it,they will come” but that couldn’t befurther from the truth. Ideally, youshould have a person dedicated to keepthe dialog flowing and your socialmedia up-to-date, with at 2-3 newposts monthly.

The advantage of Twitter is thatanyone out there in cyberland can findyour shop. I suggest putting the nameof your city in your Twitter address(like @joesbodyshopsanjose) so thatpeople can find you searching thatway. Hopefully, if you’ve been tweet-ing for sometime already, you alreadyhave a considerable Twitter commu-nity assembled, but if not you can rap-idly build one by letting all of yourcurrent and former customers, vendorsand associates about your new Twitter

account, by sending notifications toeveryone on your e-mail list.

Blogspot.com (others are blog-ger.com, wordpress.com, tumblr.com)is an easy site to use for setting up andmaintaining a blog for your shop.Blogs are stronger than ever before andthey provide advantages over websites, because they can easily be up-dated on a regular basis. Think of anewsletter concentrating on your shop.Blog readers will anticipate and expectfresh information. Give customershelpful tips; talk about your paint, partsand equipment vendors (they appreci-ate it) and continually sell your brand.It’s fairly easy to publish a blog and byleveraging it and linking it to yourmain web site, you’ll get majormileage out of it. To learn a lot quicklyabout blogging, there are a ton ofbooks and online tutorials. But, trustme—blogs are easy to create. If youknow how to attach a photo or cut andpaste text, you’re already there.

Finally, Youtube can help you toattract people to your company. Shootsome video of the shop, interviewingyour managers or your techs andcounter people. You can even inter-view your vendors and/or customers,

but get them to sign releases first. Andthen post the videos on Youtube, link-ing them to your social media, includ-ing your blog and your web site. Onesuggestion is make your videos lessthan two minutes in length, becausestudies show that people have veryshort attention spans and won’t sitthrough anything longer.

A step beyond a blog would be amore dedicated phone app which pro-vides a service but also helps cus-tomers find your shop such as thosecreated by shops like Nigro’s inPhiladelphia. See last month’s Auto-body News or go online to check thisout.

Hopefully we’ve outlined somebasic forms of social media for you touse to promote your business, attractnew customers, strengthen your rela-tionships with your existing customersand make money.All it takes is time, arudimentary knowledge of softwareand the willingness to induct yourselfinto the new age of customer-focusedadvertising.



+++

®


Allen HondaCol lege Stat ion866-680-2424979-696-2424

Dept. Hours:M-F 7-6; Sat 8-3

[email protected]

Bankston HondaLewisv i l le

800-344-8611972-219-0021


www.bankstonhonda.com

Benson HondaSan Antonio

800-727-8705210-340-0831


[email protected]

Cleo Bay HondaKi l leen

877-253-6229254-699-2478

Dept. Hours:M-F 7:30-6; Sat [email protected]

Gillman HondaHouston

800-999-8309713-776-4834


[email protected]

Honda of FriscoFr isco

866-442-2711972-731-3176

Dept. Hours:M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:[email protected]

Russell & Smith HondaHouston

800-833-0180713-663-4266


[email protected]

Wholesale Parts DirectAust in

800-234-4441512-458-2910

Dept. Hours:M-F 8-6

[email protected]

Don Carlton HondaTulsa

800-722-2379918-622-9670

Dept. Hours:M-Sat 7-6

[email protected]

Joe Marina HondaTulsa

800-722-0520918-491-0110

Dept. Hours:M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-4

[email protected]

Walker HondaAlexandr ia

318-448-8255318-445-6677

Dept. Hours:M-F 7:30-5:30

[email protected]

Patty Peck HondaRidgeland, MS800-748-8676601-957-3400


[email protected]

Superior HondaHarvey

800-943-4227504-368-5687

Dept. Hours:M-F 7-5:30

[email protected]

Garcia HondaAlbuquerque

800-677-6632505-260-5002

Dept. Hours:M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:[email protected]

Santan HondaChandler, AZ

800-765-1353480-285-2804

Dept. Hours:M-F 7-5:30; Sat 7-5

[email protected]

Showcase HondaPhoenix , AZ

800-537-8236602-230-7306

Dept. Hours:M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5; Sun 9-4

[email protected]

TEXAS TEXAS OKLAHOMA LOUISIANA

The Honda and Acura Dealers Listed Here are Subscribers:HONDA

LOUISIANA

TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS LOUISIANA

ACURA

Champion AcuraGul f Freeway

800-749-6227713-371-4700


[email protected]

David McDavid AcuraAust in

800-575-3553512-401-5976


[email protected]

David McDavid AcuraPlano

972-964-6044Dept. Hours:

M-F 7-7; Sat [email protected]

Mac Churchill AcuraFort Worth

888-824-9634817-806-0571


[email protected]

Sterling McCall AcuraHouston

713-596-2337713-596-2338

Dept. Hours:M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4

[email protected]

Don Carlton Acura of TulsaTulsa

888-550-7278918-664-2300

Dept. Hours:M-Sat 7-6

[email protected]

Acura of Baton RougeBaton Rouge

866-733-2861225-756-6166


[email protected]

Walker AcuraMetai r ie

800-359-8555504-465-8555


[email protected]

OKLAHOMA

NEW MEXICO

www.autobodynews.comwww.autobodynews.com

NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWSService, Diagnostic

and MechanicalService, Diagnostic

and Mechanicalcci Di ii Di iService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticS i i iService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticS i i igService, DiagnosticgService, DiagnosticService, Diagnosticg, DService, DiagnosticDService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticD cccccceeeeee sssoService, DiagnosticoService, DiagnosticService, DiagnosticService, Diagnosticoaaa tttggg iiinnnnnnaaService, Diagnosticaiiiiiirrrvvv ga tSSS DService, DiagnosticggService, Diagnostic

nda dda dddddaaa ddanddnnnnnnaaanda daandddandd hanicalech n caMd Mec a calllhanical Mechanicali Mechanical Mechanical Mechanicalicnhecg

Mechg

MMd Md cccccceee aaaaaa lllaa Mechanicalaiiinnnnnnaa MechanicalahhhhhhMM Mechanical MechanicalM aaMMechanicalgService, Diagnostic

MechanicalddandService, Diagnostic

and MechanicalAutobody News November 2011TEXAS • OKLAHOMA • LOUISIANA • NEW MEXICO


General Motors announced the indus-try’s first-ever front center air bag onSeptember 29. The airbag is an inflat-able restraint designed to help protectdrivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes where the af-fected occupant is on the opposite,non-struck side of the vehicle.

The front center air bag will beintroduced on the Buick Enclave,GMCAcadia, and Chevrolet Traversemidsize crossovers in the 2013 modelyear. This new safety feature will bestandard onAcadia and Traverse withpower seats and all Enclaves.

The front center air bag deploysfrom the right side of the driver’s seatand positions itself between the frontrow seats near the center of the vehi-cle. This tethered, tubular air bag isdesigned to provide restraint duringpassenger-side crashes when thedriver is the only front occupant, andalso acts as an energy absorbing cush-ion between driver and front passen-ger in both driver- and passenger-sidecrashes. The air bag also is expectedto provide benefit in rollovers.

GM analysis of the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administra-tion’s Fatality Analysis ReportingSystem database, found that far-sideimpact crashes, which the front cen-ter airbag primarily addresses, ac-counted for 11 percent of the beltedfront occupant fatalities in non-

rollover impacts between 2004 and2009 involving 1999 model year ornewer vehicles. These far-side fatali-ties, where the occupant is on the non-struck side of the vehicle, alsorepresent 29 percent of all the belted

front occupant fatalities in side im-pacts.

“The front center air bag is notrequired by federal regulation, andno other air bag in passenger vehi-cles today offers the type of restraintand cushioning this air bag is de-signed to provide for front occu-pants,” said Scott Thomas, seniorstaff engineer in GM’s advanced re-straint systems.

The front center air bag is ex-pected to add to the vehicles’ recordof third-party crash test performance.The 2012 model year editions of thesemidsize crossovers have receivedfive-star Overall and Side Crashsafety ratings from NHTSA’s NewCar Assessment Program, and 2011Top Safety Picks from the InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety.

“The front center airbag has realpotential to save lives in sidecrashes,” said Adrian Lund, presi-dent of the insurance Institute forHighway Safety. “GM and Takata areto be commended for taking the leadin this important area.”

GM and technology supplierTakata developed the front center airbag over the course of three years,testing many design iterations toachieve packaging, cushioning, andrestraint for a variety of crashes andoccupant positions. Numerous ele-ments of the air bag’s jointly patentedcushion design address the restraint’sunique performance characteristicswhile considering a range of occupantsizes.

“While no restraint technologycan address all body regions or all po-tential injuries, the front center air bagis designed to work with the other airbags and safety belts in the vehiclesto collectively deliver an even morecomprehensive occupant restraintsystem,” said Gay Kent, GM execu-tive director of Vehicle Safety andCrashworthiness. “This technology isa further demonstration of GM’sabove-and-beyond commitment toprovide continuous occupant protec-tion before, during and after a crash.”

More information can be foundat www.gm.com.

GM Introduces Industry-First Front Center Airbag

GM’s industry-first front center airbag willdeploy from the right side of the driver’s seatand protects the driver in side crashes

Curt Manufacturing is recallingabout 2,400 tow package wiring har-nesses because moisture can seepinto the converter module and defeatthe internal circuit protection, ac-cording to reports made by Con-sumer Reports.

This could potentially cause themodule to overheat, leading to a firehazard.

Sold as an aftermarket product(not through Hyundai), the tow pack-age wiring harnesses connect tow ve-hicle lighting circuits to trailerlighting circuits for 2009 through2011 Hyundai Veracruz and KiaSorento vehicles. The affected unitsthat are not water tight, will havepart number 56024.

According to the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administra-tion, Curt Manufacturing has alsoidentified a similar problem with thetow harnesses designed for 2009 to

2011 model year Hyundai Santa FeSUVs.

NHTSA and Curt have ex-panded the recall to include thesemodels, part number 55538, believedto be installed in approximately2,254 Hyundai Santa Fe vehicles.

The safety recall to notify own-ers begins this month, and the towpackage wiring harness will be re-placed for free.

Veracruz and Sorento ownerswho are uncertain the brand of towgear on their vehicle should check,as it is possible that many consumersdid not register their purchase andtherefore would be difficult for CurtManufacturing to reach.

For more information, con-sumers can call Curt Manufacturingat 715-831-8713, or contact the Na-tional Highway Traffic Safety Ad-ministration at 888-327-4236, orvisit Safercar.gov.

AM Tow Package Wiring Harnesses for Hyundai/Kia RecalledThe National Highway Transporta-tion SafetyAdministration (NHTSA)has announced a recall for 2011 and2012 model year ChevroletCorvettes, according to reports madeby Consumer Reports.

The sport coupes have rearhatches that can separate during acollision and cause further injuries.

According to NHTSA, the prob-lem stems from faulty hinges, whichmay not be able to bear the weight ofthe sport car’s rear hatch.

These rear hatch hinges, whichfail to meet federal safety standards,may have been installed in about5,755 Chevy Corvettes from Januaryto September of this year.

General Motors is currentlyworking to iden-tify whichCorvettes are in-volved in thislatest recall. Thecompany willcontact ownersaffected by thisrecall to bringtheir cars tolocal dealerships

where mechanics will replace bothrear hatch hinges free of charge.

For more information, con-sumers can contact Chevrolet (800-630-2438) or NHTSA (toll-free:888-327-4236) or visit the Safer Carwebsite: www.SaferCar.gov.

2011-2012 Chevrolet Corvettes Recalled for Rear Hatch Hinges


If there is one thing I find hard to dealwith in this topsy turvy world of theauto repair business is the way somepeople will react when they are at therepair shop. It’s the way they conductthemselves at the shop when it comestime to get their car repaired.

Over the years I’ve been praised,and degraded. I’ve been called a saintand I’ve been called the devil (orworse). I’ve heard the shouting andthe stuff I probably wasn’t suppose tohear (walls don’t always block soundyou know).After awhile you’ve heardit all before, and the attitudes that yousee at the front desk become a part ofthe daily grind. Coping with all this iswhat I call; “growing alligator skin”. Itry not to take things so personal, I’lllet the alligator skin handle it, and thentake off my protective coat before Iget back home to the wife and kids.

What gives with the need forsuch a thing as “alligator skin”? I be-

lieve there a several factors inherentto the automotive industry that bringson this crocodile coat of protection.

Mistrust of the automotive repairworld in general is what I believe isthe number one factor; but what bringson that mistrust? Is it the incompetentmechanic? I doubt that is always thecase. Is it the money out of their pock-ets which they were not expectingwhen they drove down the road to therepair shop? I believe it’s more in thehands of the unknowing consumerwho reads and watches too manyevening news reports on the un-scrupulous business practices of thefew out there that really are rip offsand not the normal operations ofcountless decent shops in this country.

If you tie that into the other part ofthe equation it starts to make somesense.What is that other part? The cus-tomer, their car, and what they do ordon’t dowith their family transportation.

As I try to tell my customers;“Maintenance on a new car doesn’tdo much to the value of the car or itscurrent condition. It’s when it’s olderand the miles are creeping up that allthe previous maintenance pays off”.The inevitable degrading condition ofthe car doesn’t happen all at once, ittakes time and miles for that to hap-pen. And, sometimes some old fail-ures will cause new failures to occur.

“GeneralMaintenance” isn’t a guyin theArmy reserves, it’s somethingweall need to do. It is almost always over-looked, and a lot of times wewill avoidor put it off, until it’s too late. That’swhen the raised voices ormistrust startsat the service counter and that alligatorskin becomes a necessity again.

Of course, there are always thoseTV scammers that will try to tell youthey have the latest greatest productto aide in the diagnosing of your ve-hicle. Let’s not forget about the inter-

net and the “wonderful” sources of in-formation out there that the customerwill no doubt inform you about whenthey show up with a complaint.

I’m sure there are doctors, lawyers,andmany other professional trades thatknow who’s the best and the worst intheir field. We sometimes hear aboutthose on the evening news, just not asoften as the car repair business seems tobe focused on. But cars are needed byeveryone, nomatter what the condition.Think about it, you may not need alawyer tomorrow morning to get towork, but I’ll bet you’ll need your car.

Educating the customer shouldstart from the time they sign on the dot-ted line and purchase their vehicle. Norecourse is given to educate the newowner on what needs to be done in thefuture with their new found horse-power. It’s up to the owner to deal withthe maintenance issues and any repairs

Dealing with Angry Customers and Growing ‘Alligator Skin’with Gonzo Weaver

Gonzo’s Toolbox This is a new story by Scott “Gonzo” Weaver as posted on his website, www.gonzostoolbox.com.Gonzo has been serving the Tulsa area at Superior Auto Electric for over 27 years. See his book“Hey Look! I Found The Loose Nut”, which provides a Good Laugh for Mechanics of Any Age.The book is available at amazon.com. Contact Gonzo at [email protected].

See Alligator Skin, Page 28


MIKE CALVERT TOYOTA

• Overnight Delivery in Most Areas of TX & LA

• Volume Discounts

• One-Stop Shopping

2333 S. Loop West • Houston, TX 77054

(713) 558-8131

(713) 558-8272

ry in Most Areas of TX & LA

s

ng

www.mikecalverttoyota.com

Fax

Local

Toll Free

1-800-527-5368Download at www.CollisionLink.com

that come up. I personally have neverbought a car and had the salesmanwalkover to me and mention, “Now youknow, you’ll need to set some moneyaside for general maintenance and theusual break downs.” Without theneeded “know-how” the car is left to itsown demise and themaintenance is leftfor another day. So, once you add up allthese factors there is only one thing thatis going to happen at the repair shop—a disgruntled owner with an issue abouttheir car.

Now we are back to the originalproblem, how do you deal with all ofthis? Start with a bit of Alligator skin,be prepared for the customer to tell youtheir life story about their car. They’regoing to tell you what they think nomatter what you say or do. Let themget it out and keep your alligator skinintact. Stay calm, but professional.

Most of the time, if you explain thediagnostic procedures and the results ofthe repair in terms that they can under-stand. Things will go a lot smoother.Sometimes Imight have to go through ita few times but it’s worth the effort.

So the key to this whole ordeal is todo a good job, be prepared to back up

what you do with an explanation thatcan be understand by the typical driver.As long as you do that you can keepyour wits about you and you won’t losetoo much skin for your efforts. Keep inmind; it can be a little rough around thewater’s edge. You may have to standyour ground and make your pointknown. Keep it as calm as possible andexplain as best as possible.

These issues usually don’t applyto the person who keeps up with theirmaintenance schedules or comes in ona regular basis. They understand theneed and respect the work you do. It’sthe ones that only show up when theircar has reached the water’s edge andcan’t go an inch further without fallinginto the crocodile infested water. Theywill stammer around trying to find away to get their car repaired withoutstepping off into the deep end and risklosing money, time, and their temper.We’ve all been there, and we can allunderstand the problems involved.

Let’s not forget that explainingthings can only go so far. You don’twant to have to resort to their tactics,that’s not good business.

But, remember one thing, thecustomer is still dealing with an alli-gator, and they can bite back if they’renot careful.


Alligator Skin

by John Yoswick

More than 400 shops were representedon a panel discussion at this year’s2011 International Autobody Con-gress & Exposition (NACE) – butonly four chairs were needed on thestage.

That’s because the four speakerswere representatives of some of thelargest multiple shop operations(MSOs) in the industry, which com-bined have more than 7,200 employ-ees and annual sales topping $1.26million.Ca

The four were speaking at a newforum held for the first time at thisyear’s NACE in Orland, Fla., a day-long session aimed at (and open to)only MSOs. Much of the content ofthe panel discussions during the sym-posium, however, could have beenequally of value to the single-locationshop owner who wants to expand hisor her business.

During the “Lessons LearnedFrom the Big Four” panel discussion,for example,Cathy Bonner, the pres-ident of the 47-shop Service King

chain in Texas, was asked what rolesocial media plays in her company’sextensive marketing efforts. Bonnersaid she thinks it’s a stretch to thinkthat people want to “socialize” with acollision repair shop, and that measur-ing return on an investment in socialmedia is difficult given how infre-quently the average driver needs ashop’s services.

Still, she said, Facebook andTwitter are reasonable inexpensiveways to help build a brand and nameawareness by helping promote, for ex-ample, Service King’s charitable ef-forts. Social media are how a growingpercentage of the population may findyour shop and understand your repu-tation, she said.

“People want to do business notjust with good-performing companies,but with companies they like,” Bon-ner said. “They want an emotional at-tachment to that company. Socialmedia can help you develop that.”

The panel was asked what, otherthan improved pricing, they expectfrom their vendors as they have grownas buyers. Rollie Benjamin, CEO of

the 110-shop ABRA Auto Body &Glass chain, said his company focusesmore on service than price whenworking with vendors. In terms ofparts, for example, ABRA looks forvendors that can do more to help withcycle time by getting the right part tothe shop at the right time.

“We survey our people to scorethe vendors on what level of customersatisfaction they giving our managersrunning these shops,” Benjamin said.“We give a report card to the ven-dors.”

Steve Grimshaw, CEO of theCaliber Collision Center chain, whichoperates 92 shops in four states, heconsiders what aspects of businessthat vendors excel in – and then looksfor ways to put that expertise to workfor Caliber.

“Rental car companies are ex-perts at customer service,” Grimshawsaid. “I expect them to leverage thatexpertise to help me train my peoplehow to be customer service experts.You have paint vendors who are ex-perts on lean processes; I expect themto dedicate resources to help improve

our operations. There’s generally a lotof willingness on their behalf to dedi-cate resources to help us achieve ourobjectives. So it becomes more of astrategic relationship than a vendor re-lationship.”

What are the MSOs looking forin terms of expanding into new mar-kets or acquiring other collision repairbusinesses? Benjamin said his com-pany operates company-owned shopsin currently six major metropolitanareas, but 35 of its shops are franchiseoperations in mid-sized cities.

Bonner said her company’smodel is to operate large shops inhigh-visibility locations. The averageService King location, for example,has 13 direct repair programs – nearlytwice that of most other MSOs – anddoes $5.4 million in annual sales. Agood candidate for Service King ac-quisition, she said, may be family-owned like Service King, will have asimilar culture, and will have room toperhaps double its sales from$250,000 to $500,000 a month.

She said that although all of the

MSOs Share Insights During First-time Symposium at 2011 NACE

SeeMSO Insights, Page 41

These days going to the movie theatercan be very expensive. Theater own-ers have come to realize that formerpatrons now get their films onlinefrom services like Netflix. To com-pensate for the loss of these cus-tomers, they have begun to add luxuryamenities like select seating and per-sonalized service in the auditorium.And of course the price of a ticket hasskyrocketed, in my area to around$14.00 for a ticket.

Sadly, in this economy, lower-in-come car owners have also migratedto cheaper paint and body providers.Shops like “One Day Paint and Body”are getting much of the business thatquality shops used to get to keep theirtechnicians busy and keep paint pur-chase volume up.

It may be time for shop owners totake a hint from theater owners andmore thoroughly focus on higher in-come prospective customers. Manyshops already do aim their marketingat higher end European vehicles likeBMWs andMercedes, but the range ofvehicle choices has also increasedgreatly. The Korean automakers havebegun to claim a larger share of themarket. Like theater owners, a shopowner has to ask, “What special ameni-ties will get all better quality car-buyersto choose my shop over any other?”

Many shops have already fo-cused on pampering their customers.They go beyond proving a rental carto taking the rental car to the customerand having a lock box for keys so thecustomer can drop off the rental car atthe shop after hours. A shop may also

choose to cover the difference in costfor a luxury rental vehicle. A luxurylounge with big TV, WIFI, computergames for kids and up-scale refresh-ments are already commonplace.Many shops offer a car wash and inte-rior clean. For higher end customers,shops may even include exterior andinterior detail. But who pays for all ofthese amenities when insurance com-panies are working to reduce whatthey will pay for?

Like theater owners who raise theprice of tickets, astute shop owners arerealizing the need to offer more self-pay options even for insurance payjobs. Unlike theater owners, they can’task for $5.00 for a box of popcorn ora cold drink. More ingenuity is calledfor. Time is a major concern for manyvehicle owners, so one new specialtycalled “Cosmetic Car Repair” in-cludes an in-house bumper repair kitthat can sometimes enable the shop toturn out a bumper repair in just a fewhours. This eliminates outsourcingcosts and also delivers the rapid repairthe customer wants.

Another aspect of the same sys-tem is a more sophisticated version ofpaintless dent repair. Once again,speed of repair is the special value.Al-though cosmetic car repair is a specificsystem, other cosmetic improvementsmay be desired. Many shops have acontract with a vehicle graphicsprovider who will do pin striping, clearcar bras and more.

Another dimension of the luxurytheater game is a focus on providingselect films specifically chosen for an

audience with those preferences. Invi-tation-only showings have alreadybegun. If a shop has managed to cap-ture sufficient information about cus-tomers, it may be in a position to doinvitation-only showings. For exam-ple, as baby-boomers age, there aremore handicapped drivers. A showingof power lifts, power running boardsand special driver’s seat modificationscould bring in previous customers whowere, or have become, handicapped.Prior customers whose children arereaching driving age may respond toan invitation to see black-box drivingcontrols and speed governor systems.

Parents of younger children aremore concerned with child car seats.These must be placed properly to pro-vide maximum protection. Manufac-turers of products like these may bewilling to send a representative to theshop to do an invitation-only demon-stration for customers with small chil-

dren. More than a million pets arekilled every year in vehicle accidents.Pet restraints and other controls arenot only another add-on a shop canoffer pet owner customers, but if ashop has collected customer informa-tion about pets, an invitation-onlypresentation of pet control products ispossible.

As a shop gets more involved inproviding a few luxury accessories,significant opportunities open up to gobeyond repairs and become an infor-mation provider. Like the child carmanufacturers or distributors, theseaccessory providers have a wealth ofrepresentatives eager to go out to gen-erate business for their companies.Allyou, as the shop owner, have to do issend out the invitations and providethe space and perhaps a few refresh-ments. In a sense, you become thenew theater owner in a business oncelimited to collision repair.


Young ChevroletYoung ChevroletYoung ChevroletParts for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac

• Same day shipping until 5:30 EST• Next-day air until 4:30 EST• 4.2 million inventory

Toll Free: 800-451-0108

Direct: 214-328-8381Fax (main): 214-328-6675

Fax (wholesale): 214-328-0716

Main: 214-328-9111, Opt. 5

Genuine GM Parts at Genuine GM PricesWe want your business!

9301 E. R.L. Thornton Fwy, Dallas, TX

[email protected]

Camaro 2010

• 60,000 part numbers• 13 parts pros eager to serve you• 15 radio-dispatched trucks

• 97,000 square-foot warehouse

Choosing a More Profitable Market

On Creative Marketingwith Thomas Franklin

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing consultant for fifty years. He has writtennumerous books and provides marketing solutions and services for many businesses.He can be reached at (323) 871-6862 or at [email protected] Tom’s columns at www.autobodynews.com under Columnists > Franklin

Two AAA clubs have combined oper-ations to become the second largestAAA club in North America. AAAAuto Club South, based in Tampa, Fla.,affiliated and combined with TheAutoClub Group based in Dearborn, Mich.,effective Oct. 1. The new enterprise,known as The Auto Club Group, nowserves members and customers across11 states and two U.S. territories. Theyare: Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan,Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin,Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Is-lands. The group also serves most ofIllinois, Minnesota and Tennessee, aswell as a portion of Indiana.

The new organization providesmembership, travel, insurance and fi-nancial services to more than 8.4 mil-lion members through about 300 officelocations. It is maintaining corporateheadquarters in both Dearborn andTampa. Robert Sharp, chair of the for-mer Auto Club South board, is nowchairman of the board of The AutoClub Group. Charles Podowski contin-ues as CEO, and John Tomlin, formerAuto Club South CEO, is chief operat-ing officer. The Auto Club Group willprovide access to a broader array of in-surance products and services in theformer Auto Club South region.

Florida and Michigan AAA Clubs Join Forces, Now 2nd Largest


Shop-Pro Equipment Inc. 1-800-242-6870www.shop-pro.com

The most versatile prep station available today, theMobile Work Station® is perfect for adding capacityand flexibility, while maximizing your workspace andproductivity. This portable prep station provides aclean, enclosed area for prepping & limited high qual-ity finishing anywhere in your shop - instantly.

MOBILEWORKSTATION ®

Breaking News: Now Certified EPA 6H Compliant!

• Runs on standard 110V power• No ventilation or air make-up• Reduces energy use• Keeps air in your shop Clean

and Clear of overspray

News: N C tifi d EPA

Eliminate your Paint BoothBottleneck and reduce yourcycle time.

a d educe your

See our short video showingthe Mobile Work Station®

in action on our website.

-800-242-688770

Works WhereThe Work Is!

The newest member of the AutobodyNews Distinctive Dealerships Groupis Audi-Mission Viejo in SouthernCalifornia. A relatively new dealer,only seven years old, Audi-MissionViejo has managed to thrive by alwaysputting quality first.

Quality is in all areas of the partsdepartment. Justin Stinnett is a partsdirector who knows how to makequality pay off. Justin began only twoyears ago, with a bloated inventoryand untrained personnel. He needed

all of his twenty years experience tochange that. Since then, there has beena steady rise to the top and is one ofthe best Audi parts departments in theregion. His secret has been to insist onquality. Quality means the newest andbest available technology for his de-

partment, and the best employees hecan find.

Justin’s investments in technologyinclude state-of-the-art inventory con-trol, and a simple and easy internetorder system. Audimv.com is a goodexample of how to set up a simple on-line parts link.Awell organized depart-ment holds over a half-million dollarinventory, and a modern communica-tions system completes the basics.

Justin has four quality counter-men, led by Armando with twenty

years experience,then Henry andRobin with eightyears, and Mariowith six. A bilin-gual crew workswell in the south-ern Californiamarket, languageissues are noproblem. Thisteam works to-

gether with common goals, to keeptheir department the best in the region.Their efforts have been rewarded,their wholesale business has tripled!

Customer service is the standardhere, promises are kept, and orders arealways completely filled. Such serv-

ice creates the friendships and loyaltyso necessary to success in these times.

Justin sees himself as a business-man, instead of a parts man, and re-gards the changes he has made asinvestments, not expenses. He believes“You get what you pay for. And if youhave great people, you will achievegreat results.” Results, for a dealer,equal profits. This parts departmentcreates profit, which is exactly my phi-losophy.With proper management, theparts department will be a dealership’sbest investment, not its worst.

Again, no dealership can succeedwithout support. Audi is a companythat wants to have the best parts de-livery system possible. They have in-stituted a “local parts council,” whichmeets quarterly, to communicate withdealers and ensure a smooth flow ofparts to all of their customers. Audirecognizes Justin’s hard work, and haschosen him for membership in their

council. When important visitors ar-rive from Germany, Audi-MissionViejo’s parts department is on theirtour, as an example of growth, organ-ization, and cleanliness.

An aside to all body shops in theMission Viejo area… Should youneed any parts for an Audi, call Audi-Mission Viejo. You are guaranteed toget great service, and I am proud to in-clude them in my list of DistinctiveDealerships.

In other areas, I’d also like to rec-ommend Audi of Downtown LA in LosAngeles andCircleAudi in LongBeach.

To see all of LarryWilliams’ arti-cles go to autobodynews.com and se-lect Williams under the Columnistsmenu. See also Larry’s popular seriesof Parts for Profit articles in his col-umn section. You can also link di-rectly at: www.autobodynews.com/columnists/williams-larry.html


Local: 972-202-2200Fax: 972-202-2195

880000 995555 55338888888888888888880000000000000000-999999995555555555555555-55555555333333338888888888888888800-955-5388Toll Free:

Mon-Fri 7am - 7pm • Sat 8am - 5pm

• Wholesale Collision Specialist• One of the Largest Inventories

in the State• Free Delivery toTX, OK, LA

HYUNDAI PLANO

909 Colt Rd., Plano,TX 75075

Parts Profileswith Larry Williams

Larry Williams is an innovative parts manager with national awards and over 30 years of experience increating and managing profitable departments. He can be reached for consultation at [email protected] read all his columns go to http://www.autobodynews.com/columnists/williams-larry.html

A Profile of the Evolving Collision Repair Marketplace

the adhesive will not bond properly orcould cause corrosion that would dis-able many of these new electronic fea-tures. In future, the tinting of windowswill be done by the car occupant bydialing up or down the tint them-selves; the Chevrolet Volt will becoming out with this feature. Whenyou turn the car off, the windows au-tomatically black out to reduce theheat build up inside the car. Mathissaid we can expect to see some typeof this tinting in 2012. Some manu-facturers are also going to offer dif-ferent colors in this tinting method.This type of tinting was invented in1974 and used in industrial equipmentin 1976.

Glass roofs are also becomingpopular. One reason is because the

more glass you have on the car, thebigger the car feels inside. For glassroofs versus metal, the biggest differ-ence is hail damage. Hail will most al-ways dent metal, but rarely breaksglass. When the glass is broken, it iseasier to replace broken glass than re-pair dented roof panels.

Mathis finished his presentationby stating adhesives are priced basedon strengths. He said that no oneshould be installing glass using butyltape and that Sika Corporation doesn’teven sell any butyl tape. For more in-formation, he directed the group tolook at www.safewindshield.com.That site is dedicated to providing in-formation about proper auto glass re-placements and is owned andmanaged by AGRSS, Auto Glass Re-placement Safety Standards Council,a non-for-profit corporation.

For more information please visitwww.nwlcra.org.


NWLCRA


LOUISIANAKia of Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge5740 Siegen Lane

(225) 490-8000(225) 490-8014 Fax

OKLAHOMACable KiaOklahoma City

Wats (866) 751-1055(405) 787-6582

(405) 789-8500 Fax

Ferguson AdvantageImportsBroken Arrow

800-880-8815(918) 317-6280 Fax

Open M-F 7:00am - 6:00pm

TEXASArcher Kia

Houston1-888-983-1425(281) 983-1437 Fax

Capitol Kia13573 North US Hwy 183

Austin(512) 583-1900(512) 583-1899 Fax7:30am - 6:00pm M-F

Central KiaIrving

(972) 257-7602(972) 257-7650 Fax

M-F 7:30-7:00, Sat 8:00-5:00

Central KiaPlano

(972) 422-9320(972) 633-5761 FaxM-F 7:30am - 7:00pmSat 8:00am - 5:00pm

De Montrond KiaHouston

Wats 1-800-392-6704(281) 872-3909

(281) 872-3914 Fax

Fredy KiaHouston

Toll Free 800-883-1933Direct (713) 941-3600(713) 947-8053 Fax7:00am - 6:00pm M-F

7:00am - 12:00 Noon SatFree local deliveryFree DSI shipping

Gene Messer KiaLubbock

888-786-8128(806) 785-2238 Fax

M-F 7:00-7:00, Sat 8:00-6:[email protected]

Huffines Kia DentonDenton

940-321-2504(940) 497-2920 Fax

M-F 7:00-7:00, Sat 8:00-5:00Local Delivery Available

www.Huffines.net

Huffines Kia McKinneyMcKinney

469-525-4450(469) 525-4459 Fax

M-F 7:00-7:00, Sat 8:00-5:00Local Delivery Available

www.Huffines.net

Moritz KiaHurst

(877) 651-4542(817) 595-8325 Fax

Southwest Kia39650 LBJ Freeway South

DallasToll Free 888-544-9249

Direct (972) 616-0069(972) 421-0294 Fax

M-F 7:30-6:00, Sat 8:30-5:00

Unless specifically recommended bythe vehicle maker, parts with a tensilestrength over 600 MPa should only bereplaced at factory seams. This is just

one of the “best practices” identifiedat a Repairability Summit hosted by I-CAR earlier this year. Summit atten-dees consisted of subject matterexperts from vehicle makers, tool andequipment makers, collision repair fa-cilities, insurance companies, and theAmerican Iron and Steel Institute.

The primary intention of thesummit was to identify best practicesfor working with ultra-high-strengthsteels (UHSS) and the new construc-tion methods found on late modelvehicles. In February 2012, I-CARwill premiere its Best Practices forHigh-Strength Steel Repairs(SPS09) course, highlight-ing issues covered duringthe Summit and other bestpractices.

While vehicle makerrecommendations should befollowed first and foremost,these best practices can beleveraged where none exist.For example, while there’s alot more information on steelstrengths in the vehicle serv-ice information with each new modelyear, sometimes the information is notthere. Summit attendees discussedvarious tests the technician can per-form in the repair facility that helpidentify if the steel is mild, HSS, orUHSS (see Figure 1).

Knowledge GapTo prepare what information wouldbe discussed at the summit, I-CARconducted a survey of technicians

in the field, asking whatkind of information theywould like to see from I-CAR in a future course onthe subject of advancedconstruction. The survey re-vealed a lack of informationamong technicians actuallymaking the repairs, and adefinite need for a courseaddressing the subject.

Summit DiscussionsThe agenda for the summit was laidout like a repair plan. After the dis-cussion on steel strength identifica-tion, the group discussed bestpractices for anchoring and pullingand different removal methods. Thecreated heat-affect zone from heatingand removal methods was a major dis-cussion point (see Figure 2).

A discussion on attachmentmethods focused on GMA (MIG)welding heat-effect on UHSS, thechanges in spot weld machine set-tings, and how destructive testing of

spot welds differs on UHSS panelscompared to HSS or mild steel.

Somewhat new attachmentmethods like MIG brazing and self-piercing rivet bonding were dis-cussed, including the applicationswhere they are recommended and

possible future uses (see Figure 3).To facilitate the conversation,

I-CAR brought in two vehicles withsimilar side damage. The vehicleswere of the same make and model,

and even though separated by onlyone model year, the later modelcontained significantly more UHSScompared to the previous model.The two vehicles were used to iden-tify the necessary changes in re-

pairs due to more use of UHSS.

SummaryIt became clear during the recent I-CAR Repairability Summit that vehi-

cles cannot be repaired usingthe same repair methods thatwere acceptable just a fewyears ago.Industry experts that at-

tended the Summit addressedthese issues and agreed on alist of best practices that canbe used when vehicle makerrepair information does notexist. The list will be avail-able in the Best Practices ForHigh-Strength Steel Repairs

(SPS09) course premiering in Febru-ary 2012.

Watch a video describing some ofthe highlights on the Best PracticesFor High-Strength Steel Repairs(SPS09) course at www.i-car.com.


O K L A H O M A

Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma CityNationwide Toll Free

1-800-657-2582(405) 272-1737 FAX

Drop Ship Available

WHOLESALE COLLISION PARTSWHOLESALE COLLISION PARTS

Quali!edMercedes-Benz

Parts Prosare available now.

Pictured:2006

SL600Roadster

I-CAR Repairability Summit: Don’t Section Ultra-High-Strength Steel

I-CAR TechThis article first appeared in the I-CAR Advantage Online, which is published and distrib-uted free of charge. I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is anot-for-profit international training organization that researches and develops qualitytechnical education programs related to collision repair. To learn more about I-CAR, andto subscribe to the free publication, visit http://www.i-car.com.

Figure 1 - Industry experts discuss steel identification

Figure 2 - Industry experts discuss anchoring andstructural straightening of UHSS

Figure 3 - Industry experts discuss MIG brazingapplications

[email protected]

Want to Contribute to this Southwest Edition?

write us!write us!write us!

Chrysler’s Southeast & SouthwestService & Parts Business Conferencewas held at the Disney ContemporaryResort in Orlando from October 12through 14. More than 375 dealers,parts managers, and service managersenrolled in the conference; represent-ing over 240 of the highest volumedealerships in the country.

The 3-day conference providednumerous educational sessions spe-cific to dealer principals, service man-agers and parts managers as well as a

vendor expo. This is the thirdyear that the show has com-bined representatives fromtheir southwest and southeastregions into one show—previ-ously each region had separateshows.The first day of the confer-

ence was kicked-off by FrankLasater, SEBC Service andParts Manager, and BillHarry, SWBC Service andParts Manager.RolfAssmuth,V.P. Technical Service Opera-

tion, followed with a ServiceOperations Update and aMopar Parts Update by JimSassorossi, Director, MoparField Service & Parts, con-cluded the morning.

The afternoon sessionsincluded Mopar Brand Visionby Trish Hecker, DirectorMopar Marketing, and Dis-ney’s Approach to BusinessExcellence by Jeff Noel fromthe Disney Institute.

The second day of theconference providedover twenty Service,Parts and Dealer Principalbreak-out sessions for the at-tendees to choose from. Thisyear's conference offeredmore flexible and diverse ed-ucation sessions as a result ofattendee feedback from theprevious years. This allowedattendees to better adapt theirsessions to their individualneeds, resulting in more

dealer principals and managers in at-tendance than any previous confer-ence.

There was also a Vendor ExpoThursday night with over 100 vendorsparticipating.

The conference wrapped up onFriday with various presentations byindustry experts and closing remarksfrom Frank Lasater, SEBC Service& Parts Manager.


BUICKBUICKBUICK

THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE FOR GENUINETHE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE FOR GENUINE

5901 Spur 327 • Lubbock, TX 79424

THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE FOR

GM PARTSGM PARTSGM PARTSManufacturer recommendedparts are an important part ofmaintaining your vehicle’soptimum performance.We offer the same high qualityparts your vehicle was built withand we keep a large inventoryof these genuine parts in stockat all times.

BUICK LACROSSE ‘10

SALES:MON-FRI 7:30 am-6:30 pmSAT 8:30 am-12:30 pm

TOLL FREE: 800-888-4251DIRECT: 806-798-4103FAX: 806-798-4086

www.sdparts.com

Chrysler’s Southeast & Southwest Business Centers’ 2011 Serviceand Parts Business Conference and Expo Held in Orlando, FL

(L to R): Chris Lashley and Clint Edwards (Tom Edwards,Inc.); Doug Stubblefield (Vero Beach CJD); Lumena Litts(Vero Beach DCJ); and Bill Brobst (DCJ of Winterhaven)

The Vendor Expo was well provided by over 100 exhibitors

(L to R): Rolf Assmuth (V.P. Mopar Technical Service Op-erations), Mike Mahalak (VP/GM, Winter Haven DCJ)and Frank Lasater (Service & Parts Operations Manager,Southeast Business Center).

sign vehicles:

1957 Mercedes 300SL “Gullwing”Built on behalf of BASF Corporationthe Gullwing was delivered to theFoose Design shop in HuntingtonBeach, California. This pristine Ger-man wonder car is going through asubtle, but significant customizationprocess. Most noticeable, the frontand rear bumpers were removed andstored, being replaced by newly cus-tom fabricated units which have beenartfully re-designed into slimmer andmore elegant versions. The newbumpers fit neatly up against the bodyfor a seamless integrated look.A slightmodification to the signature rearbulge above the rear wheel housebrings it in line with the front wheelhouse bulge. Minor modification tothe grille and grille shell will stillfocus on the elegant opening of thestock version. The nose emblem hasbeen removed along with the rearmarkers with all bodywork beingsmoothed. New side trim, hand

crafted from brass stock has been ma-chined, milled, filed and polished be-fore the final chrome plating. Newheadlight bezels have been machinedout of billet aluminum and carefully

fit to the front fenders, which weremassaged for a seamless blend offender to chrome ring. New headlightsare being installed for a clean Euro-pean look. A two tone paint job fea-turing BASFWaterborne material willcombine an upper charcoal silver anda lower bright silver separated by aninterior matching red accent line. The

separation line is still in the designphase as I want to focus on the elegantbody lines of this classic vehicle. Wewill be installing a custom made set ofsprings to bring to Gullwing to just theright ride height. A custom set ofFoose Wheels shod in Pirelli P ZeroNero tires will finish off the design. Ifyou plan on attending SEMA, makesure to drop by the BASF Booth werewe will unveil and feature the BASFFoose Gullwing Project.

SEMA Cares WD40 Feature VehicleI can’t tell you much about this car,because it will be a complete surpriseand will be unveiled to a live audienceat SEMA. For the past couple ofyears, WD40 Corporation has spon-sored the design, fabricationand auction of a vehicle onbehalf of SEMA Cars; theChildren’s Charity and theRichard Petty supported Vic-tory Junction Camp. Previousvehicles have included a Ca-maro, and a Mustang, so it’syour guess what this year’svehicle will be! All I can sayis that it will be awesome and AllAmerican Muscle!! I am designing the

paint scheme and coordinating the ef-forts on the build which is scheduledto include a full Hotchkis Suspension,Street Scene body modifications, Ma-gnacharger, Pirelli Tires, MHT/FooseWheels, MagnaFlow Exhaust,Katzkin Leather Interior, and ofcourse BASF Paint. Make sure to stopby the WD40 Booth for the unveilingof this car and stay tuned to the BarrettJackson Auction in January, PebbleBeach, Florida as this cool car goesacross the blocks for the benefit ofChildren’s Charities. I am thrilled tobe involved in such a important proj-ect with great partners.

1932 MUROC Roadster “Magnatude”Based on a design I developed some

years back for Jerry Kugel, ten fend-erless, and ten fendered versions of


Visit Us at:SEMA Booth 11068


Foose Brings It

Stock ‘57 M-B Gullwing, wait till you see theFoose custom version

this basic design were produced. Theelegant roadster body was my designand hand-formed by Marcel De Lay.The result is a custom body that islonger, lower and sleeker than a stock’32 Ford, but one that retains the all ofthe character of that iconic roadster.

When Jerry and Maureen Mag-nuson of Magnusun Supercharger

fame purchased theirs, they asked if Iwould be interested in working withthem. When finished mechanically,essentially a blank canvas, it wasturned over to us at Foose Design forthe all-important paint, interior de-sign and the Foose one-off signaturebillet wheels. We selected a two-toneBASFWaterborne butterscotch pearlpaint with champagne metallic over-

tones. The buckskin tone leather in-terior was fabricated by Jim GriffinUpholstery and provides the perfectcontrast to the paint. The subtle butartful details such as the hand-formmoldings around the Carson top andbody, a Duval-style split windshieldand the copious amounts of platedand polished components set this ’32

Ford roadster apart from allothers. It features an LS-1Chevy with an intercooledMagnacharger (not surpris-ing, being that Jerry Magnu-son is the owner and CEO ofMagnuson Products!) Magni-tude runs on custom one-offFoose Design wheels 17×7 infront and 20×10 in back andhuge Pirelli Scorpion P-Zerotires all around.

Many of the mechanical systemswere designed and fabricated by JerryMagnuson at his supercharger com-pany, Magna Charger that builds su-perchargers for cars and trucks likeCorvettes, Camaros, Hemi Chal-lengers and Hemi Rams. Magnuson’searly background included workingon Dan Gurney’s Eagle Indy cars, sohis ability to design, fabricate and in-

tegrate mechanical systems is secondnature. Unique items like the remoteactuated hideaway headlights give theMagnatude sleekness and function.The innovative air inlet scoop feedsthe Magna Charger supercharged en-gine that is monitored by a custom bil-let dashboard. All were engineeredand fabricated at Magna Charger. Wefinished it at Foose Design and de-buted it at SEMA 2009.

After SEMA, the Magnatudetoured the country hitting the GoodGuys car show circuit where it wonevery competion it entered and gar-nered the Street Rod d’EleganceCrown at the Goodguys Del MarNationals. Jerry Magnuson and hiswife Maureen accepted a challengefrom the editors of HOT ROD mag-azine who dared them to drive theMagnatude on the 2010 Hot RodPower Tour, a 1370-mile cruise thatencompassed eight days and seven

impromptu car shows. The Mag-natude, fresh off the California in-door show circuit, made the tripwithout incident. HOT ROD readerswere thrilled to see this Foose cre-ation in person.

After the Power Tour, the Mag-natude was taken to the Good Guysevent in Columbus, Ohio where it wascritically judged and won the presti-gious Good Guys Street Rod of theYear. I am proud of our work at Foosecombined with the great skills ofMagnuson, and especially with howwell it performed on Power Tour.

Hopefully the above details onthe above will whet your appetite formore and you will join us at SEMA2011. It’s bound to be another stand-out year. If you make it, stop by theFoose Booth out in the front and sayhello.

See you at SEMA 2011!!


www.russellsmith.com

713-663-4222713-664-0965

800-392-1983

Parts Direct

FaxToll Free

1107 S. Loop W.Houston,TX 77054

HOURS:Mon. - Fri.:7am - 6pm

Sat.:8am - 4pm

• Over 5 million in stock Ford Parts• Experienced personnel ready to take your call• Same day delivery in Houston and surrounding

area through RLS• Free overnight delivery to most cities in Texas

and Louisiana

FORDRUSSELL&SMITH

www.russellsmith.com

713-363-2218713-363-2219800-392-1983

PartsDirect

Toll Free

3440 S. Loop W.Houston,TX 77225

HOURS:Mon. - Fri.:7am - 6pm

Sat.:8am - 4pm

• $250,000 in stock Mazda Parts• Experienced personnel ready to take your call• Same day delivery in Houston and surrounding

area through RLS• Free overnight delivery to most cities in Texas

and Louisiana

MAZDARUSSELL&SMITH

[email protected] us!write us!write us!

Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

West Coast Collision in Cape Coral,FL focuses on customer service bymaking customers feel at home andanswering all questions, but they alsofocus on preserving the environmentthrough their environmentally friendly

habits. They were the first, and to theirknowledge, they are still the only shopin Southwest Florida to only offer wa-terborne paints exclusively, emphasiz-ing the importance they place onlowering harmful emissions and goinggreen.

West Coast Collision was origi-nally founded in 1981 by Kevin Eck,but current owners, Chuck andBrenda Romano, purchased the busi-ness in 2008. Chuck Romano had pre-viously run a shop in the Philadelphiaarea for twenty-five years, and whenthe opportunity to buy the West CoastCollision name arose in 1998, hejumped at the chance since it had avery similar history to his previousbusiness which he had sold to a con-solidator in 1997.

After acquiring the new business,the Romanos relocated to a more con-venient location two blocks away andinvested nearly $1,000,000 in newequipment, remodeling and renova-tions. They fully computerized the of-fice, adding CCCOne as amanagementsystem, and they created an internetpresence through social networking,creating a logo and creating a brand tagline, Cape Coral’s Leading Collision

Repair Center. Their website informscustomers “At West Coast Collision,we want you to know that your car is asimportant to us as it is to you. We treatevery car as if it were our own”.

Additionally, the Romanos con-verted exclusively to waterbornepaints in order to reduce hazardouswastes by 96%. According to ChuckRomano, “we were the very first shop

in Southwest Florida to use SherwinWilliamsWaterborne exclusively withno other paint line as an option…Since being the first shop to use wa-terborne and using a new Garmat

3000 with Accela cure sys-tem, there have been many,many phone calls as to howwe like the product and ourinput into the production as-pect of the product. Therehave been a number of shopsthat have added waterborne;however, I believe that weare still the only one that isexclusively waterborne”.In addition to utilizing wa-terborne paints, the shop alsocontributes to the current

green efforts by using an ultra-effi-cient air compressor and aluminum airlines. They have also installed highoutput lighting to reduce the amountof energy they use, and all recyclable


Original BMW Parts

bmwusa.com

BMW of San AntonioSan Antonio(210) 732-7121(800) 880-1430

BMW of DallasDallas(800) 245-7269(972) 241-3953 Fax

BMW of Houston NorthHouston(888) 215-7431(281) 875-4021 Fax

Classic BMWPlano(214) 778-2673 Direct Wholesale(214) 778-2674 Direct Wholesale(214) 778-2814 Fax

Texas

BMW of TulsaTulsa(800) 331-3996(918) 665-1360 Fax

Oklahoma

You only get one chance at the first repair.Original Thought #78

Sandia BMWAlbuquerque(800) 642-2697(505) 217-0289 Fax

New Mexico

• Original BMW Parts& Accessories

West Coast Collision’s Waterborne Exclusivitywith Chasidy Rae Sisk

Shop Showcase Chasidy Rae Sisk is a freelance technical writer from Wilmington, Delaware, whowrites on a variety of fields and subjects, and grew up in a family of NASCAR fans.She can be contacted at [email protected].

WCC’s paint booth

materials are recycled, helping WestCoast Collision to reduce their carbonfootprint and protect the environment.According to their website, “the trendin the marketplace is definitely mov-ing toward greener, environmentallyfriendly products and methods ofdoing business. Here at West CoastCollision, we are doing our part tohelp preserve the environment. Weare doing this before it becomesmandatory by law here in Florida as itis now in California and Canada”.

West Coast Collision receives afairly equal quantity of older and re-cent model vehicles, but they have nothave any serious matching problemsas they have been able to handle anyissue that arose by blending. This isimportant to Chuck Romano who feelsthat the industry has recently trendedtoward a requirement for more effi-ciency with no tolerance for error.

Chuck believes that the future ofthe industry lies in collision centersbecoming more like claims processingcenters as collision front offices arebeginning to work more closely withthe insurance direct repair programsand dealing directly with customers.

This is important as both insur-

ance companies and customers are be-coming more demanding.

“We see that the evolution andexpense of the automobile has createda customer that is more aware andwants to know more about how thevehicle is repaired so as to retain itsvalue at trade-in time. They are veryfearful of CARFAX reports! Also, we

see insurance partners wanting moredetail and photo documentation inhow a claim is handled for their filesand future reference, with an increas-ing amount of forms that need to bedetailed and signed”, Chuck told me.

The Romanos are proud of theircurb appeal, location and profession-

alism, listing these as reasons for theirsuccess. “My wife, Brenda, and I justlove the business. We created a typeof Feng-Shui atmosphere here in ouroffices that instantly makes peoplefeel relaxed and at east. It’s actually areal pleasure to come here to work”.

They plan to continue growing andrefining their business through the use

of Defined Measurable Im-provement (DMI).

West Coast Collision isalso involved with the com-munity through the localChamber of Commerce andsupporting the local Policedepartments. They have alsodonated to local sports teams,Jr JC’s and Toys for Tots.They even donated funds tothe roadway improvement infront of the shop to build alandscaped center island.

The shop encompasses 7,100square feet and is staffed by nine em-ployees. Of the nine employees thatwork at West Coast Collision, threeare body professionals, two arepainters and one focuses on partswhile the remaining three employeesare office personnel. The shop repairs

approximately fifty-five vehicles permonth. In addition to collision repairservices, the shop offers towing, framestraightening, paintless dent repair,detailing, scratch removal and end oflease repairs and clean-up.

West Coast Collision is stockedwith standard body equipment, as wellas ProSpot Welders, Garmat 3000with accelacure for water, GarmatPrep stations, a Chief Impulse EVHTframe rack and New International flatbed. They also use a Genesis com-puter measuring system and CCC Onemanagement and estimating system.Technicians are I-Car certified. Theshop is AMI and AAM Manager cer-tified, and they participate in direct re-pair programs with State Farm,Allstate and California Casualty.

West Coast Collision901 Country Club Blvd.Cape Coral, FL 33990239-574-1505www.westcoastcollision.net


See these Hyundai dealers below for all your collision parts needs!

QUALITY IS ALL WETHINK ABOUT. THAT

AND QUALITY.

Hyundai Sonata 2011

OKLAHOMATEXAS

Gene MesserHyundaiLUBBOCK

888-786-8128806-785-2238 Fax

Mon-Fri 7am - 7pmSat 8am - 6pm

[email protected]

Hub HyundaiHOUSTON

800-856-2212281-955-2311 FaxMon-Fri 7:30am - 6pm

Sat 8am - [email protected]

www.hubhouston.com

Allen SamuelsHyundai

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS

800-888-2079817-589-7882 Fax


[email protected]

James WoodHyundaiDECATUR

940-627-4607940-627-4653 FaxMon-Fri 7:30am - 5:30pm

[email protected]

Automax HyundaiNORMAN

866-619-6406405-364-3307405-364-6504 Fax


Van HyundaiCARROLLTON

972-512-4200972-512-4202 Fax


[email protected]

Don CarltonHyundai of Tulsa

TULSA

800-627-0705918-622-2843 Fax

Mon-Sat 7am - [email protected]

www.doncarlton.com

WCC’s paint mixing area


WANT EVERYWANT EVERYJOB TO BE AJOB TO BE ABANG-UP JOB?BANG-UP JOB?

WANT EVERYJOB TO BE ABANG-UP JOB?These dealers are Genuine VWParts Wholesale Specialists.

WE WANT TO BE YOUR SOURCE FOR REAL VOLKSWAGEN PARTS.With your skill and our parts, every collision repair will be a bang-up job. And that will addup to more repeat business for both of us. Call your order in today.

CableVolkswagen

OKLAHOMA CITY

11--880000--552222--66779933FAX: 405-789-3317

BoardwalkVolkswagenRICHARDSON

11--880000--777777--99004477FAX: 214-453-5055

www.vwoncentral.com

Oklahoma Texas

OUR PARTS IN THE TRAINED HANDS OF A PROFESSIONALTogether it’s a Masterpiece!TT

GM PartsFinish Second to None.

TTeexxaass

Ray Huffines ChevroletPLANO

800-955-6282972-202-2300

972-596-5571 FaxMon.-Fri. 7-7; Sat. 8-5

Call Us For Your Saturn Parts Also.

LLoouuiissiiaannaa

Banner ChevroletNEW ORLEANS

800-477-8603504-242-4624

504-253-8490 Faxwww.bannerauto.com

November 1

Title: Economic Pricing Considerationsfor the Collision Industry in 2012

Title: You Don’t Know What You Don’tKnow - How New Auto Regulations Im-pact the Body Shop

Title: SCRS Repairer Driven Education:Leading for Performance & Profitability

Tuesday / 8amTitle: I-CAR: Plastic and Composite Re-pair (PLA03) / Where: Las Vegas Con-vention Center, N231-242

Title: I-CAR: Exterior Panel DamageAnalysis (DAM10) / Where: Las VegasConvention Center, N231-242

Tuesday / 12:30pmTitle: Having Your Cake and Eating itToo: Marketing Practices /

Title: Load Leveling – The Hidden En-abler for Shop Performance

Title:Understanding Design Based Repairs

Tuesday / 3pm

Successful Collision Negotiations (Part II)

Title: Design Thinking for the CollisionRepairer

Title: Getting Ready for the Water Wave

New Metals and their Reactions /Where: LVCC

Title: Contracts: Terms and Ties thatBind / Where: LVCC

Thursday / 5:30pmTitle:Mission: Control – Flawless Execu-tion in Business Combat / Where: LVCC

Wednesday / 8amTitle: I-CAR: Restraint Systems Dam-age Analysis (DAM11) / Where: LasVegas Convention Center, N231-242

Title: I-CAR: Corrosion Protection(CPS01) / Where: Las Vegas Conven-tion Center, N231-242

Wednesday / 12:30pmTitle: Educate NOT Alienate: The Key toSuccessful Collision Negotiations (Part I)

Title:How to Capture More Cars, Customersand Revenues Through Digital Marketing

Title: Lean 3.0 = A Practical Path toUsing Lean to Improve Process Flow

Wednesday / 3pmTitle: Educate NOT Alienate: The Key to

November 2Thursday / 8amTitle: I-CAR: Steel Unitized Structures Tech-nologies and Repair (SPS07) / Where:LasVegas Convention Center, N231-242

Title: I-CAR: Unitized Structures andFull-Frame Damage Analysis (DAM12)/ Where: Las Vegas Convention Center,N231-242

Thursday / 12:30pmTitle: Estimology and P-Page Logic 101

Title: A New Legal Era in the Collision In-dustry: The wins, the losses and a view ofthe future

Title: Achieving Service Excellence(Part I) / Where: LVCC

Thursday / 3pmTitle: Achieving Service Excellence(Part II) / Where: LVCC

Title: Right and Wrong Ways to Repair

November 3

Friday / 8amTitle: I-CAR: Advance Material DamageAnalysis (DAM08) / Where: Las VegasConvention Center, N231-242

Title: I-CAR: Recycled Parts for Colli-sion Repair (RCY01) / Where: LasVegas Convention Center, N231-242

Friday / 12:30pmTitle: SCRS Repairer Driven Education:Using the DEG to Make Dollars and Senseof the Estimating Systems / Where: LVCC

Title: SCRS Repairer Driven Education:Exposed and Vulnerable: Learn How toCover Yourself / Where: LVCC

Title: SCRS Repairer Driven Education:Dealing with Resistance to Change /Where: LVCC

November 4

I-CAR is returning to the SEMA Showin 2011 with I-CAR training available toattendees each day of the Show.The Repairer Driven Education series de-

veloped by SCRS is over 300% larger thanthe debut year. Following are the high-lighted training sessions being offered.Nearly every collision repair related

group is meeting at SEMA: CIC, I-CAR,SCRS, NABC, The OEM Collision RepairRoundtable, AASP, and the Collision In-dustry Foundation, have all plannedmeetings and functions at the show.

17 shops Service King has added thisyear have been in Texas, the companyis interested in expanding into otherstates.

“My father used to tell me youcan plan your work, but don’t plan onit working out,” Bonner added as acaveat. “It is important to plan, but interms of growth and decisions aboutacquisitions, you have to have adapt-ability as well.”

Grimshaw said reputation withina market is critical when consideringbusinesses to acquire.

“If you think you’re going to buya (shop) that wasn’t performing welland that when you put your name onthe sign, all will be forgiven, that’sbeing a bit naïve,” Grimshaw said. “Ittakes a long time and you have tomend a lot of fences to reestablish areputation.”

The panel was asked to commenton a proposition, espoused by an in-surer in the United Kingdom, thatbusiness often “trip over themselves”trying to exceed customer expecta-

tions when they would be better offjust ensuring they consistently meetthose expectations every time.

Brock Bulbuck, CEO of TheBoyd Group, a Canadian-based firmthat also operates 128 shops in theUnited States (many under theTrue2Form and Gerber tradenames)said the problem with that concept isthat customer expectations keep ris-ing.

“If you don’t strive to wow andexceed and set the bar as high as youcan, I think you run the risk of estab-lishing a culture in your organizationwhere just doing your job is goodenough,” Bulbuck said. “I don’t thinkthat’s conducive to create promoters(among customers) and growing yourbusiness.”

Grimshaw, too, said exceedingexpectations is the key to differentiat-ing your business from the competi-tion.

But Bonner said there is somelogic in what the U.K. insurer was es-pousing.

“I think in collision repair, theprimary customer is insurance, and ifyou don’t exceed their expectations,you will not be rewarded with

growth,” she said. “The secondarycustomer is the traditional retail cus-tomer. I think it’s true that you don’thave to exceed their expectations; youjust have to satisfy them. That’s whatwe’re rewarded on by the primarycustomer, the insurance companies,whether we have satisfied those cus-tomers and given them great service.”

As the panel discussion ended,Bulbuck said he’s interested in seeingother MSOs succeed because itdemonstrates the success of the busi-ness model overall.

“I truly believe the success ofeveryone in this room is dependentupon the collective success of theMSO sector,” Bulbuck said. “So myadvice is a bit self-serving: Never putyour business at risk, never bet thefarm, either operationally or finan-cially.”

The MSO symposium was a newevent at what was the first NACE heldoutside of Las Vegas in seven years.NACE organizers said the return towhat will likely be a 3-city rotation(Orlando, New Orleans and LasVegas) appears to have paid off; re-ported attendance at this year’s event(more than 18,000 people) was up 15

percent over 2010. About 40 percentof those who pre-registered indicatedthey were first-time attendees.

Next year’s event will be heldOctober 10-13 in New Orleans, andorganizers say the success of thisyear’s MSO symposium will result ina similar session being held next year.While it will continue to be open onlyto MSOs, organizers point out thatNACE includes nearly 90 other train-ing sessions that have no such restric-tion on attendance.

John Yoswick, a freelance writerbased in Portland, Oregon, who hasbeen writing about the automotiveindustry since 1988, is also the edi-tor of the weekly CRASH Network(for a free 4-week trial subscription,visit www.CrashNetwork.com). Hecan be contacted by email [email protected].


GeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGenununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununuininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininine e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e MiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMiMitstststststststststststststststststststststststststststststststststststststststsububububububububububububububububububububububububububububububububisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisisishihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi r r r r r r r r r r r r r r repepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepeplalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalacececececececececececececececececececececececececece----mememememememememememementntntntntntntntntntntntntntntntntnt C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C Crararararararararararararashshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshsh P P P P P P P P P P P P P P Pararararararararararararararartstststststststststststs a a a a a a a a a a a a a arerererererererererererererere c c c c c c c c c c c c clololololololololololosesesese a a a a at t t t hahahahandndnd t t thrhrhrouououghgh t thehehehe f f f folololollolololowiwiwiwiwingngngngng ququququququququalalalalititity y y dedededealalalerererershshshipipipipips.s.s.s. T T Thehehehey y y y y y o!o!o!o!o!o!erererererer exexexexexexexexexexexexexexexcececececececececececececeptptptptptptptptptptptptptioioioionanananal l l l cucucucucustststststststomomomomomererer s sererererervivivivivicecececece, , , , wiwiwiwiwiwiwiwiwiwidedededededededededededededededededededededede s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s selelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelelececececececececececececececececececectitititititititititititititiononononononononononon o of f ininin-s-s-s-stotototototockckckckckckckck papapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapartrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrts s s s s s s s ananananananananand d d d d d d d d d d ththththththththththththththththththththththththththththththththththththththe e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e exexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexexpepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepepeperiririririririririririririririririririririririririririenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenencecececececececececececececece nececececececececececececececececececececessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssarararararararararararararararararararararararararararararary y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y tototototototototototototototototototototo e e e e e e e e e e e e e e ensnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsurururururururururururure e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyourururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururur

nenecececececececessssssssssssssssssssssararararararararary y y y y y totototototototo e e e e e e ensnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnsurururururururururure e e e e e e e e e yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyourururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururur rerererererererererepapapapapapapapapaiririririririrs s s s s s prprprprprprprococococococeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed d d d d d d d d d d smsmsmsmsmsmsmsmsmoooooooooooooooooooooooooothththththththththththththththlylylylylylylylylylylylylylyly....

Genuine Mitsubishi replace-ment Crash Parts are close at hand through the following quality dealerships. They o!er exceptional customer service, wide selection of in-stock parts and the experience necessary to ensure your repairs proceed smoothly.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddddddddddddd...PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooooooooooooooopppppppppppppppppppppppppppllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuusssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt...Parts you Need.People you Trust.

2011 Lancer

Don HerringMitsubishi - Irving866-375-4074(469) 443-1872 Fax

#3 Volume Parts Dept.in the Nation.

$600,000 Inventory.

West Loop MitsubishiSAN ANTONIO

800-224-1968(210) 681-4583 Fax

M-F 7:30 am - 6:00 pm#1 Volume Dealer in

All of [email protected]

TTEEXXAASS

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER... AND YOUR

CUSTOMERS HAPPIER.Don’t take chances with aftermarket parts that

might harm performance or not fit right. Rely

on Genuine Suzuki Parts from these Dealers:

Ferguson AdvantageImportsBROKEN ARROW

800-880-8815(918) 317-6280 Fax

Oklahoma


MSO Insights

Search:Autobody News

on Facebook


Virginia Branded Title for WaterDamage Settles at $2500Jordan Hendler, executive director ofthe Washington Metropolitan AutoBody Association, said a Virginia statelegislator whose vehicle was totaledafter the sunroof of his vehicle was leftopen in a rainstorm was a proponentthis year of legislation to raise thethreshold of damage requiring a flood-damaged vehicle to receive a brandedtitle from $1,000 to $5,000. Advocatesfor increasing the bar said that the four-decade-old limit was unfair, especiallybecause of inflation and rising stickerprices. They argued that the higherlevel would help consumers at resaleas well as used-car dealers that don'twant a vehicle branded because of$1,000 of damage to a luxury car's sun-roof or leather seats. Hendler saidWMABA tried to point out that today'svehicles have far more electronics thancars had decades ago, and that no con-sumer should unknowingly buy a ve-hicle that has had thousands of dollarsin water damage. The threshold wasraised to $2,500, down from the $3500proposed. The Virginia water damagethreshold had been unchanged since1966. Only Virginia, Washington,D.C., and Hawaii set thresholds—all at$1,000—on water damage allowed be-fore a vehicle's title is branded.

The IRS has launched a new programthat will enable many employers to re-solve past worker classification issuesand achieve certainty under the tax lawat a low cost by voluntarily reclassify-ing their workers. The new programwill allow employers to get into com-pliance by making a minimal paymentcovering past payroll tax obligationsrather than waiting for an IRS audit.The IRS says under the VoluntaryWorker Classification Settlement Pro-gram companies will owe about 1 per-cent of wages paid to reclassifiedworkers in the past year, with no inter-est or penalties due. The program is partof a larger “Fresh Start” initiative at theIRS to help taxpayers and businessesaddress their tax responsibilities. Theprogram will allow businesses thathave been improperly labeling theiremployees as independent contractorsto reclassify workers and make only asmall payment to cover past payrolltaxes. To be eligible, a company musthave consistently treated the workers asnon-employees; have filed required1099 tax forms for the past 3 years; andnot be under a worker classificationaudit. Part of the program will be in-creased vigilance about misclassifica-tion of workers in the future.

IRS Offers Employers TaxRelief if Workers Reclassified

DuPont Custom Finishes (DuPont) willparticipate at the annual SpecialtyEquipment Market Association (SEMA)tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nov. 1–4.DuPont Custom Finishes, exhibiting inbooth #22789 in Hot Rod Alley, CentralHall, will feature DuPont™ Cromax®Pro, Chroma Premier® and Hot Hues™custom paint products. Industry airbrushand pinstripe artists will be showcasingtheir skills with live demonstrations inthe booth using DuPont™ Cromax®Prowaterborne products. Vehicles on dis-play in the booth will include a 2012DuPont Calendar winning ’61 ChevyImpala, owned by Tim Brown of Jack-sonville, Fla.; a ’71 Challenger ownedby Bob and Karon Zeitler and paintedby John Riehn of John's Autobody andPaint. Imperial, Mo.; and a ‘50 Fleetlinebuilt by Tim Strange, owner of StrangeMotion Rod & Custom Constructionand host of PowerBlock TV series“Search & Restore.” Strange will makeappearances to sign autographs in thebooth 10 am–12 pm on Wednesday,Nov. 2 and 1–3 pm on Thursday, Nov.3. More information about DuPont Cro-max®Pro Waterborne, Hot Hues customfinishes or ChromaPremier® paint prod-ucts is available at www.pc.dupont .comor phone 1-800-GET-DUPONT.

DuPont Exhibit at SEMA ShowLive Paint Demonstrations

Mitchell Partners with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Integrates with Update Promise.com to Deliver Services via RepairCenter™Mitchell has announced a partnershipwith Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Underthe terms of the agreement, Mitchellwill directly integrate EnterpriseRent-A-Car services into both itsauto repair management softwareand insurance claims managementsoftware solutions, RepairCenter™and WorkCenter™, by automatingand simplifying the end-to-end vehi-cle rental workflow for insurancecarriers.

Planned for early 2012, the inte-gration simplifies the rental processby eliminating manual updates and“middleman” communication be-tween the insurer, body shop, rentalagency and consumer.

When a repair is delayed, an au-tomatic notification can be sent fromRepairCenter’s shop managementsystem directly to WorkCenter insur-ance users or to the Enterprise repre-sentative to let them know they needto perform a rental task. Representa-tives and claims handlers will be ableto send rental requests, extend rentalsand receive rental updates.

Paul Rosenstein, Mitchell’sVice President of Claims Solutions,said “Partnerships with respected in-dustry leaders like Enterprise Rent-A-Car are a part of our commitment tosimplify and optimize complex claims

and business environments, ultimatelycreating an exceptional customer ex-perience at every stage of the claimsprocess.”

Dave Smith, Vice PresidentStrategic Solutions Sales, for Enter-prise Rent-A-Car, said, “This is a sig-nificant opportunity for insurers tospeed up automotive claims process-ing and increase customer satisfac-tion. In addition, direct integration ofEnterprise Rent-A-Car into Mitchell’ssolutions empowers small insurers togain access to rental integration with-out having to build it themselves.”

Separately, Mitchell has alsoteamed with UpdatePromise.com™ toenhance its RepairCenter™ auto re-pair shop software with proactive re-pair status updates. UpdatePromise isa Web-based service provider that de-livers automated repair status updatesto collision customers via text mes-sage and e-mail.

This allows body shop users tomanage delivery date promises, repairstatus updates, and customer re-sponses from within the RepairCenterbody shop software workspace.

The widespread use of text mes-saging gives auto repair shops an im-proved option to communicate andconnect with their customers in a con-sistent, proactive way.

California Man Guilty of SellingCounterfeit ALLDATA ProductsOn June 28, 2011 the ALLDATA Anti-Piracy team in conjunction with theSacramento Valley Hi-Tech CrimesTask Force concluded a six-month in-vestigation into illegally copied ALL-DATA products being sold out ofNorthern California. The subject of thisinvestigation was publicly advertisingthe pirated software in his efforts todistribute it. Undercover officers con-versed with the target who agreed toprovide the illegal product in exchangefor cash. After the actions of the sus-pect placed him in violation of Cali-fornia law, he was taken into custody.The subject is being charged withfelony counts of Possession/Sale ofCounterfeit Articles in reference topenal code 350(A)(2) which statesthat the offense involves 1,000 ormore articles. On July 27, 2011 thesubject pleaded guilty to felonycharges in Superior Criminal Court.ALLDATA has a team that actively in-vestigates the illegal copying, sale anddistribution of its products and workswith law enforcement throughout thecountry to prosecute persons who sellALLDATA products illegally. TheSacramento Valley Hi-Tech CrimesTask Force includes 32 local, state, andfederal law enforcement agencies.

As a paint manufacturer’s rep, there isnot a single month that goes by with-out being put in the middle of colli-sion repairers and insurers; expectedto chime in on a dispute about what isnecessary for a proper repair. In theJuly 2010 edition of Autobody News, Iwrote an article on the debate aboutColor Match, Blending or both and nomatter how many industry expertssince then have expressed a similarpoint of view—this debate neverseems to loose momentum.

While arguing my point a monthago, I realized that we could end thisdebate once and for all. For a moment,let’s assume that in 2011, all partiesinvolved in collision repair have cometo the conclusion that blending is notonly an option, but a necessary and re-quired part of a quality repair process.I like to compare this to the restaurantexperience. If you go out for an ex-pensive dinner and the restaurant sim-

ply slaps the food on your plate, with-out creating a pleasant arrangement,the food will still tastes the same.Chances are the customer will notconsider this a satisfying experience,or be a repeat customer at this estab-lishment. Just like the owner of arestaurant, collision repairers and in-surers want the same thing to maintaina successful business. We need happyvehicle owners that give us high CSIratings and long-term customer reten-tion. Blending is for collision repair-ers and insurance companies, whatarranging the food is to the restaurantbusiness. It is a must have in today’sbusiness world.

So let’s assume we all agree onthe point of blending, where does thisleave the color match portion of theestimate? During my last conversationI had with an insurance representative,I noticed clearly why we go around incircles on this issue. It is the classical

case of misunderstanding or misinter-pretation of the term color match.

When I asked what he felt consti-tutes color match, he explained to me,what we all know as the process oftinting the color. It is not overly sur-prising to me to find this to be the casewith insurance adjusters. More oftenthen not, they didn’t repair vehicles asa professional prior to their current po-sition. It is nobody’s fault by the way,just a matter of fact. What I foundmore disturbing was the fact that somecollision repairers felt similar whenasked.

Let’s take a close look at what theterm color match really represents. Itis a combination of a number of dif-ferent tasks and operations that haveto be accomplished to get to the stageof painting. This includes locating andverifying the paint code on the vehi-cle. If you repair a wide array of dif-ferent makes and models, this can be atricky task. Paint codes are located inevery imaginable location on automo-biles. They can be located anywherein the engine department, door open-ing, glove department, the centercouncil or hidden somewhere in thetrunk. And let’s not forget some carsthat have no code anywhere on the ve-hicle.

After locating and verifying thecode, the painter has to retrieve allavailable information the paint manu-

facturer’s computer system providesfor the repair. In general, the color re-trieval systems will display more thenjust one solution. The next step fromthere is checking variant decks for theavailable solutions, or spraying outsamples for what was not available asa chip. Although paint companies tryto supply paint samples for the mostcommon variants on the market, it isimpossible to have a chip for each andevery one of them.

Now and only now are we gettingto the portion of the color matchingprocess that is debatable. Is the bestvariant found good enough for a suc-cessful blend? Reality is that 90% ofthe color matching activity has to beaccomplished simply to paint, blend-ing or not.

I am not an expert on estimating.I haven’t written one in 17 years. I amalso not a data provider to this indus-try, but it became clear to me that weneed to change the terminology. It re-quires separating and itemizing all ac-tivities currently bundled under thecolor match line item on an estimate.The vast majority of what is consid-ered color matching can be comparedto and should be handled like setuptime for frame work. A repair opera-tion on its own that should not be bun-dled with color tint time. It has to bedone, should be itemized and needs tobe paid for.

Taking a Fresh Look at an Old Debate—Color Matching, Blending, or Both?

with Rick WhiteShop Management

with Stefan GesterkampPaint Management

with Gonzo WeaverGonzo’s Toolbox

with Richard ArnoldJobber Journal

with Dale DelmegeAsk Dale

Mainstream Media

Automakers’ Actions and Analysisby Autobody News Staff

Shop Showcaseby Autobody News Staff

with Ed AttanasioShop and Product Showcase

with Ed AttanasioConsumer Callout

with Walter DanalevichShop Strategies for Savings

with The Insurance InsiderInside Insurance

with Ed AttanasioCustom Corner

with Chasidy Rae SiskCompany Connections

with Chasidy Rae SiskNortheast News

with Chasidy Rae SiskShop Showcase

with Erica SchroederShop Showcase

with Erica SchroederShop Snapshot

Stefan Gesterkamp is a Master Craftsman and BASF representative who has been inthe automotive paint industry for 27 years. He started his career in a custom shopbefore turning to collision repair. Stefan graduated from the University of Coatingsand Colorants in Germany and is the author of “How to Paint Your Show Car.”


Car rental firm Hertz Global Holdingsstill wants to buy Dollar Thrifty Auto-motive Group, despite missing a dead-line to make a final offer, and ischasing antitrust approval for atakeover of its smaller rival, accordingto Reuters.

On October 11, Dollar Thriftysaid it failed by end-October 10 toflush out any final takeover bids thatmet antitrust concerns, and planned togo ahead as a stand-alone company.

However, Dollar Thrifty, whichhas been at the center of an 18-monthtug-of-war between Hertz and rivalAvis Budget, said it would considerany changes to Hertz’s offer or anyother offer that might be made.

One of Dollar Thrifty’s biggestshareholders said it was highly likelyHertz would win antitrust approval andwould push to get a deal through early.The shareholder asked not to be identi-fied due to the sensitivity of the issue.He noted that Avis, which dropped outof the bidding last month citing volatiledebt markets and its recent $1 billionacquisition of its European arm, has thepotential to return to the bidding frayin a few months when it has paid downits debt.

Hertz was always seen as morelikely to win regulatory clearance as itserves the high-end market, and is al-ready in the process of selling its low-cost Advantage brand.

Dollar Thrifty Halts Sale Process, Hertz Still Interestedin Acquisition Despite Missed Deadline

SEMA is just around the corner andmany of you will be attending the tradeshow and SCRS repair-driven educa-tion. I am teaching a class on how gov-ernment regulations will impact thecollision industry right now, but forthose who cannot attend, I am going tohighlight my presentation here. Let’slook at the US Government CAFÉ(corporate average fuel economy)standards. By the year 2015, the CAFÉstandard for the industry (cars andtrucks combined) is 31.6 MPG (35.7for cars and 28.6 for trucks). How willthese standards affect body shops?

First, cars will need to get lighterand smaller. The use of aluminum willincrease. You will see more hoods,deck lids, fenders and other body partsbeing made from aluminum. Manyaluminum hoods are double paneledwith virtually no access to the backside. Most shops today do not the ca-pability to repair this type of damage.What is needed is an aluminum studgun.

The unit pictured first comes with

the stud gun and a number of handtools for repairing aluminum. The ma-chine pictured second is just the studgun with the puller. You will need toinvest in hand tools because aluminumtools can’t be used on steel compo-nents because of the likelihood of gal-vanic corrosion. Dent Fix, ReliableAutomotive Equipment and ProSpotare a few examples of companies thatsell aluminum repair equipment. You

will also need to invest in training. Re-pairing aluminum is not difficult, butthere are a few techniques that need tobe learned to achieve a successful re-pair.

You will also see smaller vehi-cles. With smaller cars, you will see anincrease in the use of ultra highstrength steels in cabin reinforcementsfor passenger protection. Nearly allmanufacturers require full replacementof these reinforcements and that willlead to more total losses. Let’s look atFederal Motor Vehicle safety standard216A.

FMVSS 216A deals with roofcrush. The standard for 2009 was 2.5times Gross Vehicle Weight. In otherwords, if a car weighs 2000 pounds,the roof would need to support 5000lbs. The Insurance Institute for High-way Safety did not think the 2.5 stan-dards were sufficient, so they set astandard for 2009 at 3 times GVW and4 times GVW by 2012. To gain a 5 starrating, the vehicles manufacturers hadto increase the strength of the ‘B” pil-lar reinforcements. How does this in-creased strength affect the collisionindustry?

The first thing that comes to mindis the need for OEM data. You cannotdo structural repairs or structural partsreplacement without it. For example,you can section a “B” pillar on (lowerportion) on a Toyota Venza, but youwill need to replace the entire rein-forcement on a Toyota Camry.

The following page was takenfrom Toyota’s Technical InformationSystem or TIS for short. The sheetshows where to section and the type ofwelds that are needed for a quarterpanel replacement. You can subscribeto TIS or you can subscribe to ALL-DATA (they obtain the OEM data foryou).

While at SEMA, check with the

OEMs for their current data (most ofthe time they make it available free) orcheck out ALLDATA. It is another in-vestment that any body shop will needmake. The stronger reinforcementshave also created a need for pre-mea-suring for damage analysis.

Besides the roof crush, thesesuper strong reinforcements are de-

signed to transfer energy and deform.This energy will travel to the oppositeside of the vehicle and, if not measuredbefore an estimate is written, can leadto all kinds of problems. The “B” pil-lar on the opposite side of the car canmove (side impact), but the floor maynot and this can lead to all kinds of im-proper fit issues. You will need to lookat measuring systems that can measure“A” and “B” pillars without placing avehicle on a frame machine.


THESE DEALERS ARE GENUINE WHOLESALE PARTS SPECIALISTS.

TEXAS

Sterling McCallToyotaHOUSTON

800-231-1440713-270-3942 FaxMonday - Friday 7am - 7pm

Saturday 7am - 4pm

Freeman ToyotaScionHURST

888-628-7626817-287-5349 FaxMon. - Fri. 7am - 7pm;

Sat. 8am - [email protected]

Tech Notes

National News in BriefWEB WINDOW: - www.autobodynews.com

Regional News in BriefWEB WINDOW: - www.autobodynews.com

with Jeremy HayhurstPublisher’s Page

with Karyn HendricksShop Showcase

with David M. BrownShop Showcase

Shop Showcasewith Jeremy Hayhurst

Hey Toby!with Toby Chess

California Autobody Associationwith David McClune

Collision Repair Association of CA.with Richard Steffen

Insurers Excel at Steeringwith Richard Steffen

Year in Quoteswith John Yoswick

Transition Planningwith John Yoswick

Mainstream Media

My Turnwith Joe Momber

Toby Chess is an I-CAR program instructor, Welding specialist, and former salvage yardoperator. Toby is universally known in the collision industry for his charitable works,worthy causes, and magic tricks. He can be reached at [email protected]

SEMA’s Repair Driven Education and Government Regulations

Some of the manufactures thatmake this type of equipment are,Celette, Car-O-Liner, The CollisionEquipment Group and Chief Automo-tive Equipment. You see all of thesemachines at SEMA. Still dealing withthe stronger “B” pillars, you will need

to invest in an inverter spot welder.Ultra High Strength steels are verysensitive to heat. MIG welding pro-duces a large heat affected zone.

The weakest part of the weld is inthe heat affected zone. The tempera-ture when MIG welding can approach

2000 degrees Fahrenheit and UHSSsteel becomes mild steel at that tem-perature. It’s weaker and it loses all ofits energy transfer properties. A spotweld, on the other hand, has a verysmall heat affected zone.

Inverter Spot welding machineshave computers to reduce the heat af-fected zone on HSS and UHSS metals.

Manufacturers of these smart ma-chines include Car-O-Liner, Elektron,Wielander+Schill, Tecna, and Com-puSpot. Besides being able to producea smaller heat affected zone, comparedwith their predecessors, they are fullyautomatic and can keep records on thewelds for each repair job. But don’trun out and buy one without doingyour homework. First and foremost,you will need to check your electricalsupply. These machines only work on3-phase power. They also require largegauge wires (minimum of 4 gauge isrecommended) due to the increase in


Genuine Mazda parts are specifically designed, engineered and tested for Mazda vehicles. Customers and repair professionals prefer the quality and satisfaction that only comes from genuine Mazda parts.

Ingram Park Mazda6980 NW Loop 410San Antonio

800-580-7278Direct 210-681-6018Fax 210-543-0739

Kinsel MazdaBeaumont

800-454-6735Fax 409-923-5856

Give your customers what they deserve... The Best.

TEXAS

Order your Genuine Mazda Parts from one of these parts specialists in your area.

Mazda 3 ‘11 Your Source for Wholesale Volvo Parts

Right Part. Right Price.Right Now.

Trust your order to the collision parts specialists at these fine Dealers

volvo Genuine parts

Texas

Volvo of DallasDALLAS

800-498-7402972-963-9750

972-963-9749 Fax

Heat Affected Zone

Heat Affected Zone

amps that is needed. Again, before youpurchase one of these “bad boys,’ getthe electrical needs and consult with aqualified electrician.

One more item pertaining to sideimpact, is the side curtain. Side cur-tains will be mandatory on all vehiclessold in the United States by the year2013. With more vehicles with sidecurtains, knee bolsters, and betweenseat air bags, the cost of repairs is

going to skyrocket and that will in turnlead to more total losses. Moreover,with a number of insurance companiesnot paying sublet markups (they arenow calling them handling fees), youbetter start doing the work yourself.That translates into more training andequipment.

A scan tool will be needed to resetthe codes on the SRS system. Youneed this tool to clear the codes on the

occupant classification system, whenyou R&I the front passenger seat. Youwill need this tool to reset the steering-angle sensor.

Let’s review the SAS. The gov-ernment has mandated all vehicles bythe year 2012 have some sort of elec-tronic stability system. Part of that sys-tem is the steering angle sensor. Thesteering angle sensor counts the steer-ing-wheel revolutions accordingly.The overall steering wheel angle isthus made up of the current steeringwheel angle together with the numberof steering wheel rotations. If a cor-rection is needed, the ABS is activatedand/or the engine is retarded to slowthe vehicle down to prevent skids androllovers. Every time an alignment isneeded, a complete 4 wheel alignmentis done followed by a recalibration ofthe steering angle sensor. If this is notdone, the ESC may not work properlyor, even worse, not at all. Most sys-tems will not show a fault code on thedash, therefore, a scan tool will beneeded to reset the steering angle sen-sor. A couple of other governmentalitems that are on the horizon that youshould be aware of are the new Freonrefrigerant—HFO-1234yf and, ofcourse, waterborne paints for those notyet mandated.

HFO-1234 yf is a new type ofFreon that is now being used in Eu-rope. GM will be using it on their U.S.vehicles next year. This new Freon ismuch safer to the environment than134A. You will have to invest in a newrecovery system, leak detection equip-ment, and new manifolds.

Many states have mandated theuse of waterborne paints in areas ofpoor air quality. It is only a matter of

time before the paint companies willswitch entirely to waterborne so, ifyou’re not already there, you better geton-board soon. You will have to retrainyour paint staff and invest in newequipment. It is easier to do it now andnot when it is mandated. Where areyou going to get the money to pay forall of this equipment?

It comes from profits and everytime you give something away, youare making a lot less in profits. I

suggest that you visit the Society ofCollision Repair Specialists web site(scrs.com). Scroll to the center ofthe page and click on the Guide tocomplete repair planning. There areover 800 not-included items on theirestimating guide and by adding afew of these items to all your esti-mates; you can achieve some higherprofits. The best part of all, it is freefor everyone. Enjoy SEMA, I knowI will.


AUTOBODY MARKETPLACE

WWHHEEEELLSS AAMMEERRIICCAANine Locations in the USA!

888-4-FIX-RIM$109 to repair with this ad

wwwwww.. ff iixx rr iimm..ccoomm

• Thousands of OEM Remanufactured Wheels in Stock

• Lifetime Guarantee• CNC Quality• Powder Coated

102 POLYCRACKE

RWaterborne Wax andWaterborne Wax andGrease RemoverGrease RemoverWaterborne Wax andGrease RemoverSINCE 1985SINCE 1985SINCE 1985

Available fromAvailable fromYOUR local Jobber orYOUR local Jobber or

CALL: 973.335.2828CALL: 973.335.2828FAX: 973.402.7222FAX: 973.402.7222

Available fromYOUR local Jobber or

CALL: 973.335.2828FAX: 973.402.7222

[email protected]@[email protected]

Advertise in ourCLASSIFIEDSECTION for

$50 per columninch!

And get a FREEOn-line Ad!

[email protected]

Place an ad in our AutobodyMarketplace section of

Autobody News.

Search:Autobody News

on Facebook

Allstate and Progressive Agree to Settle Patent LitigationAllstate Insurance Co., Allstate Fire& Casualty Insurance Co. and Pro-gressive Casualty Insurance Co. an-nounced they reached a settlementagreement over litigation involvingtechnology patents and questions oftrademark infringement.

In the suit, Progressive alleged thatAllstate infringed on its usage-based carinsurance and online insurance policyservicing technology. Progressive alsoalleged trademark infringement.

The companies entered into atrademark co-existence agreement in-volving the Drive and DriveWise trade-marks. They also cross-licensed certainpatent rights with each other.

“This was about protecting andleveraging Progressive’s investment ofmore than 15 years in usage-based in-

surance research, development, testingand piloting,” Chuck Jarrett, Progres-sive’s chief legal officer, said. “Wehave always said we are willing to li-cense our intellectual property rightsto others and that we will enforce thoserights when necessary.”

Allstate said: “Although confi-dent in the merits of its case, Allstateis pleased to be able to leverage itspatent portfolio in this settlement byproviding a license to Progressive andto eliminate the distraction from thislitigation.”

[email protected] us!write us!

Start Your FREEMail Subscription.

CALL 800-699-8251

The source for timely information that every

body shop needs!e-mail:

[email protected]

800-699-8251

To advertisecall Joe Momber at:


Promote your business with an exclusive article featuring

your products or services.

800-699-8251CALL: Joe Momber for details!

Promote your business with an exclusive article featuring

your products or services.

800-699-8251Call for details!

[email protected]

Want to Contribute to this Southwest Edition?Give us your opinion on matters affecting the industry.

write us!write us!


Autobody News WebsiteAutobody News Websiteat www.autobodynews.com

Register Your Email for OurSee the NEW

Free Monthly NewsletterFree Monthly Newsletter

www.autobodynews.comCHECK IT OUT!


e-mail:[email protected]

800-699-8251

To advertisecall Advertising Sales at:


e-mail:[email protected]

800-699-8251

To advertisecall Sean Hartman at:


autobody news november 2011 southwest edition

Documents

foose vehicles

years foose design

foose designwill

foose designfirst

following foose dechip

chip foosethe sema

nwlcra christmasparty

nvsee nwlcra