body shop business, november 2012

November 2012//Vol. 31 No. 11 www.bodyshopbusiness.com

Legal Advice » Custom Painting » NACE Review

Body shops tell their stories of

helping police bring criminals

to justice.

Circle 1 for Reader Service

InsideNovemberNovember 2012 Vol. 31 No. 11

BODYSHOP BUSINESS (ISSN 0730-7241)(November 2012, Volume 31, Number 11): Pub-lished monthly by Babcox Media, Inc., 3550 Em-bassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone(330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Copyright2012 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 andadditional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to BODYSHOP BUSINESS,P.O. Box 13260, Akron, OH 44334-3912.

Member, BPA Worldwide

Guess the Car ....................................................................................4Industry Update ................................................................................8NASCAR Performance ......................................................................14Tech Tips ......................................................................................24Product Showcase............................................................................75

Cops and ShopsBody shops can serve a crucial role in helping the police bringcriminals to justice.

ON THE COVER

16

34

48

61080

FEATURESLEGAL

Thumbs Down to ‘Rule of Thumb’The “rule of thumb” paint and materials reimbursementmethod used by insurers could get shops into trouble – sincethey would be selling goods at below acquisition cost.

SHOP PROFILE

Learning from the PastThis third-generation shop owner has his own way of doingthings...influenced by a grandfather and father who preceded him.

58 CUSTOM REFINISHING

Wild to MildWhat is the perfect custom paint job? It depends largely onwhat kind of vehicle you’re putting that wild or mild job on.

SHOP TALK

Editor’s NotesConsolidation? What consolidation?

Web Presence ManagementGetting Google+ to reward your shop.

Publisher’s PerspectiveParts, parts...and more parts.

DEPARTMENTS

Jack

Dag

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Pho

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.com

Guessthe Car

4 November 2012 | BodyShop BusinessCircle 4 for Reader Service

What vehicle MODEL does this picture represent? Fax your guess to

(330) 670-0874. Include name, title, shop name, city, state and phone

number. Or submit your guess with our online contest form by visiting

bodyshopbusiness.com/guessthecar. The winner will be randomly

selected from correct

entries and awarded

$50. Entries must be

received by Nov. 30.

*Only one winner will beselected. Chances ofwinning are dependentupon the number ofcorrect entries received.Employees of Babcox,industry manufacturersand BSB advertisers arenot eligible to enter.

Eek-won-ox = (Chevrolet) Equinox#116

Reader Contest! Win $50!

Brian Albrecht, manager, Ken’s Auto

Body, Frenchtown, N.J.

Jenny’s sis = (Hyundai) Genesis

WINNER!

#114

Eek! I won?

She’s my sis!

#115

SOLVED!

See the December issue for winner

of Guess the Car #115.

“Consolidation? What’s that?” oneof them asked.

I suddenly felt a little dejected. Icome to work every day with thegoal of educating the collision repairindustry on the latest trends and top-ics, and with this one question I felt alittle like all my effort had been fornaught.

“But wait!” I said to myself. “Isn’tit naive for you to believe that every-one in the entire collision repairindustry knows everything that’sgoing on?” Of course it is! In years

past, when I wouldattend an educational

event in our indus-try, I wouldassume theindustry wasbetter offbecause a packed

house of 200

people was there with me. And theindustry was better off...but still, that200 represented only a minute por-tion of the total collision populace –the 1 percent, or 10 percent, or what-ever percent you believe stay activeand involved in what’s going on.

So I responded, “It’s this trendgoing on of big shop operations get-ting bigger by buying other shops.”And then I handed them the Septem-ber issue of BodyShop Business withthe cover story titled (what else?),“Consolidation.”

“Oh,” the shop owner said.“That’s not going on in our area.”

And she was right...at least not onthe scale it’s happening in otherareas. But her reply reminded me ofthe fact that all of us need to keep oureye on what’s coming, not justwhat’s already here. If you see thebus bearing down on you at the lastminute, it’s going to be a little diffi-cult to get out of the way. Single-storeindependents should be figuring outright now how they’ll compete with

an ABRA, Gerber or Service King,if and when they come to town.

We showed how some shopsare doing just that in ourOctober issue. Keep your eyeout for more of that contentin future issues!

Editor’sNotes Publisher

S. Scott Shriber, ext. 229 ([email protected])

EditorJason Stahl, ext. 226 [email protected]

Associate EditorGina Kuzmick, ext. 244 [email protected]

Contributing EditorsCharlie Barone, Mitch Becker,Mark Clark, Mark Claypool,Erica Eversman, Tom Ferry,John D. Lyman Sr., HankNunn, Carl Wilson

Graphic DesignerLisa DiPaolo, ext. [email protected]

Advertising ServicesKelly McAleese, ext. [email protected]

Director of CirculationPat Robinson, ext. [email protected]

Director of eMedia & Audience DevelopmentBrad Mitchell, ext. [email protected]

Subscription ServicesEllen Mays, ext. [email protected]

Tel: (330) 670-1234Fax: (330) 670-0874Web site: bodyshopbusiness.com

Corporate

Bill Babcox, PresidentGregory Cira, Vice President,

Chief Financial OfficerJeff Stankard, Vice PresidentBeth Scheetz, Controller

A limited number of complimentary subscrip-tions are available to those who qualify. Call(330) 670-1234, ext. 288, or fax us at (330) 670-5335. Paid subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at: U.S.: $69 for one year.Canada/Mexico: $89 for one year. Canadian ratesinclude GST. Ohio residents add current countysales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds.Mail payment to BodyShop Business, P.O. Box75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. VISA, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

Iwas at NACE last month and ran into a couple of body shop owners fromNew York whom I had never met before. They weren’t exactly fountainsof words, so I thought I would jump-start the conversation with, “So,what do you think about all this consolidation going on?”

What Consolidation?

Jason Stahl, Editor

Email comments to [email protected]

The National High-way Traffic SafetyAdministration(NHTSA) recently

held a press conferenceto issue a warningagainst airbags that werereplaced in the past three

years, stating they mayhave counterfeit systemsthat won’t function prop-erly. NHTSA has statedthe airbags look identicalto certified, originalequipment parts, buttesting has shown mal-

functioning ranging fromnon-deployment of theairbag to the expulsion ofmetal shrapnel duringdeployment.

NHTSA has identifiedvehicle makes and modelsit believes may contain

these airbags, and be-lieves they affect less than0.1 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet.

NHTSA noted that vehicles that have had anairbag replaced within thepast three years by a re-pair shop that is not partof a new car dealershipmay be at risk.

A Look Back atNACE 2012

The 2012 International AutobodyCongress & Expo (NACE) is offi-cially in the books, and collision

repairers and industry representativesare counting their Bourbon Streetmemories. There was the NationalAuto Body Council’s Recycled Ridesgiveaway, where the industry showedits generosity in restoring and givingaway numerous vehicles to needyfamilies. There were the 80-plus edu-cational sessions that repairers used

to satisfy theirhunger for up-to-date training on to-day’s advanced vehicles. There wasthe trade show chock full of games,giveaways and new, innovative, nev-er-before-seen product developmentsdesigned around making shops fasterin delivering a higher quality workproduct. What hand will be dealt atthe 2013 NACE in Las Vegas Oct. 17-19? The industry is betting on more ofthe same.

IndustryUpdate

8 November 2012 | BodyShop Business

NHTSA Declares Dangers ofCounterfeit Airbags

Continued on pg. 64

Circle 120 for Reader Service »

Babcox Media is saddened to

announce the passing of Mary

Rebecca “Becky” Babcox, a long-

time automotive aftermarket indus-

try veteran. Becky died peacefully

on Oct. 15, 2012, in Akron, Ohio,

after a long battle with Multiple Sys-

tem Atrophy (MSA). She was 60

years old.

For many years, Becky was co-

owner of Babcox Media, along with

her brother, Bill Babcox. Together,

they were the third generation of the

Babcox family to run the company founded by their grandfa-

ther, Edward S. Babcox, in 1920. Becky retired from the

company in 2006, after nearly 30 years in the business. She

was named “Woman of the Year” by the Car Care Council

Women’s Board that same year.

In addition to serving as corporate secretary of Babcox,

Becky was publisher of Automotive Rebuilder magazine,

known today as Engine Builder magazine. She was an active

participant in the rebuilding industry, serving as a board

member of the Production Engine Remanufacturers Associ-

ation (PERA) and numerous other aftermarket associations,

including the Engine Builders Association (AERA), the Auto-

motive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) and the

Car Care Council Women’s Board.

Becky was well-known and respected for her contribu-

tions to the industry and made many friends among after-

market professionals during her years of service. With her

warm and friendly nature, Becky couldn’t walk down the

aisles at trade shows without receiving abundant hellos

from admiring industry peers. All those who knew her

would say her generosity was unmatched. She lived life with

a positive attitude and even in the end stages of life never

relinquished her characteristic grace and humility.

In addition to her significant career accomplishments,

Becky served her beloved Akron, Ohio, community by giving

time and energy to Goodwill Industries, Planned

Parenthood, Junior League of Akron, The Akron Garden

Club, Old Trail School and many others.

Becky was a graduate of Emory University and received

her MBA from The Ohio State University. She is survived by

her son, Rob.

A memorial service was held at First Congregational

Church in Akron, Ohio, on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. In lieu of

flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Goodwill

Industries of Akron, Ohio, Inc., 570 E. Waterloo Rd., Akron,

Ohio 44319, or to the charity of your choice.

»| Industry Update |«

BodyShop Business Names

2012 Collision RepairShop Executive of the Year

www.bodyshopbusiness.com 9

Longtime Babcox Media Executive

Becky Babcox Passes Away

ASA Repairers Meet with State Farmto Voice Concerns About Parts Pilot

BodyShop Businesspresented Jeff Mid-dleton with its Colli-sion Repair ShopExecutive of the YearAward at the 2012 In-ternational AutobodyCongress & Exposi-tion (NACE) in NewOrleans. Middleton isowner of ExhibitionAutomotive CAR-STAR and BallardCollision CARSTARin Washington.

The award hasbeen given since 1984

to a true collision repair visionary who has experi-enced great success by being forward-thinking, over-coming challenges and persevering.

Middleton has been in the collision repair industryfor more than 30 years, starting at a dealership in 1978and eventually opening his own shop in 2002.

Aside from achieving tremendous business success,Middleton has served on technical school advisoryboards since 1985 and has participated in manyCARSTAR-led charity projects.

BodyShop Business Publisher ScottShriber (left) hands Jeff Middleton theCollision Repair Shop Executive of theYear plaque at the 2012 NACE.

Members of the Automo-tive Service Association’s(ASA) Collision DivisionOperations Committee,board of directors andstaff met with staff mem-bers of State Farm Sept.27 in Bloomington, Ill.

The meeting contin-ued discussions startedpreviously by the partic-ipants concerning StateFarm’s electronic partsordering pilot currentlybeing tested in GrandRapids, Mich.; Tucson,

Ariz.; Birmingham, Ala.;and Charlotte, N.C. It isscheduled for furthertesting in the Chicagometropolitan area by theend of 2012.

At the meeting, ASAparticipants stressed re-pairers’ core concerns,which center aroundparts profit, administra-tion, agreement expecta-tions and datacollection.

State Farm partici-Continued on pg. 65

« Circle 121 for Reader Service

Web PresenceManagement

Google+ — The Powerof 1 Locally

Last month, I covered Google+ andwhether it was a plus for businessor not. The answer was yes, it is.I’m more convinced than ever

that Google+ will have an impact onyour position in a Google search whenthe public searches for the services yourbusiness provides.

Google Local » For years, Google has hadsomething called Google Local, but Googleis starting to make a transition from the oldGoogle Local to Google+.

Google probably has a Google Local pageof your business. Your next step should be tocreate a Google+ page of your own and getyour business verified by Google. Then,Google will merge your old Google Localpage with your new Google+ page, givingyou full control of your content.

All Line CARSTAR in Bolingbrook, Ill., recently built a new website. It was well optimized and is now ranking No. 1 in theirhometown. They’ve been participating wellon Facebook and Twitter. Take a look at thegraphic of a Google search. We used the No.1 term the public uses, “auto body,” and“Bolingbrook IL.” Notice there are twosponsored pay-per-click listings at the top,then the Google+ Local listings start. Theseare showing up with map pointers labeled A to G. Notice who is now top dog: letterA…All Line CARSTAR. Notice the link totheir website and a link to their Google+ Local page.

Google has clearly rewarded All Line forits well optimized website. There is a link tothe Google-created Google+ page. We’veclaimed a separate Google+ page for them aswell. Google will be sending out a validationpostcard verifying that this shop actually ex-

ists and the shop owners want to controltheir own Google+ page. When this valida-tion takes place, Google will merge the oldGoogle+ Local page with the fully validatedGoogle+ page. Here’s what that looks like:

By the time this article hits the streets,we’re hoping that All Line will have receivedthe postcard from Google and its businesslisting will have been validated. If so, whenthey show up on a search, hopefully in that

By Mark Claypool


Google has rewarded All Line CARSTAR for their well-optimized website with links to their site and Google+Local page.

All Line CARSTAR’s Google+ page.

coveted “position A” at the top,their actual Google+ page will bewhat people see. All Line can de-fend this position by actively post-ing and seeking followers who “+1”their business (same as “Liking” onFacebook), write testimonials, shareposts, etc. I believe that active, goodquality posting and interacting withfollowers is what will determinewho earns that top “letter A” posi-tion, and then B, C, D, etc. Google ismaking Google+ a priority one wayor the other. You can either partici-pate and have a chance to win, orfall behind the crowd.

But wait, there’s more! Watchwhat happens when your cursorhovers to the right of the listing: adouble arrow shows up and a snap-shot of All Line’s Google+ page ap-pears in the panel to the right.

When the validated page comesonline, we’re hoping to see evenmore information showing here –photos, reviews and recent posts.That will be even more powerful.

Confusing But Necessary »

There’s no doubt this is all confus-ing. Google’s transition hasn’t beenvery smooth. But follow my advice,and these steps, and it will be a snap.

You need to claim your listingand control the way your informa-tion is being portrayed. To do so,you must first set up a personal pro-file on Google+. Follow these steps:

1. Go to www.google.com. See the+You button? Click on that.

If you don’t have a Gmail account, you’ll create one by clickingon “Sign Up.” Otherwise, sign in.

2. Fill in your user information,agree to their terms of use andyou’re on your way.

3. Add a profile photo that rep-resents you (not your businessjust yet).

4. Continue on to Google+ byclicking on the button.

You’re still creating your individ-ual Google+ page at this point;choose things of interest to you,then click on “Continue.”

5. Choose a photo that representsyou; fill in the rest of the details inthe fields provided.

6. Once this has been set up, it’stime to start creating your businesspage. Click on the following link:https://plus.google.com/pages/create. Then, click on “Local Busi-ness or Place.”

7. Next, enter your businessphone number. Google will searchfor your business and ask you toconfirm that this is you.

It’s really self-explanatory fromthere. It only takes a few minutesand is well worth the effort.Next, have your webmaster putthe Google+ badge on your website and start inviting peopleto “+1” you.

Start experiencing the power of 1!It won’t happen overnight, butyou’ll be on the cutting edge. And Ifirmly believe that participating inGoogle+ will boost your rankingpotential and your local map posi-tioning over time. BSB

BSB Contributing Ed-itor Mark Claypool has30 years of experiencein the fields of work-force development,business/educationpartnerships, appren-

ticeships and Web presence management.He is the CEO of Optima Automotive(www.optimaautomotive.com), whichprovides website design, development,search engine optimization (SEO) serv-ices and Social Media Management serv-ices. He’s also the Director of BusinessDevelopment for Metro Paint Suppliesin Chicago. Claypool’s work history in-cludes VP of VeriFacts Automotive,founder of Mentors At Work (now a division of VeriFacts), executive directorof the I-CAR Education Foundation andthe National Auto Body Council(NABC), co-founder of the Collision Industry Foundation and national direc-tor of development for SkillsUSA. Clay-pool served, on a volunteer basis, as theSkillsUSA World Team Leader for theWorldSkills Championships.

»|Web Presence |«


Track Talk

When Vic Russell first touredthe Universal TechnicalInstitute-Avondale campus in2002, he had no idea thatdecision would change his lifeforever.

It was during this initialcampus visit that Russell men-tioned his love for racing, and itwas that conversation that ulti-mately led him to NASCARTechnical Institute (NASCARTech) in Mooresville, N.C.

“I wasn’t always interestedin a career in racing, but when Ifirst saw the campus inMooresville, I was hooked,”said Russell. “I was really inter-

ested in a career in forestry, so atthe time I was more of just aracing fan.”

After some thought anddiscussion with his family,Russell made the move fromStanfield, Ariz., to Mooresvilleto pursue an education atNASCAR Tech. It was his timeon campus that helped bringout his passion for the sport,but even after graduating inAugust 2003 Russell still was-n’t convinced that a job on arace team was possible.

“After graduation, I thoughta lot about applying for jobswith notable manufacturerssuch as BMW and Volks-wagen,” said Russell. “The rac-ing industry is so niche with solittle spots available; I thought Iwould have a better opportuni-

ty finding employ-ment with a mainstreambrand.”

Luckily for Russell, he gotthe help he needed to breakinto the industry he hadalways loved.

“I was talking to a friendone night and he mentionedhe knew somebody withRoush Yates Racing Engineswho said there was a spotavailable and thought I shouldapply,” recalls Russell.

After a friend made the ini-tial introductions, Russell wasin the shop interviewing, and ashort time later he was a full-time employee with a majorteam. Starting in a teardownposition, Russell had to workhis way up the ranks.

“When I first started, I wasresponsible for takingengines apart and inspectingthem when the team would

return from a race,” saidRussell. “I was willing to dowhatever it took to be a partof the team so I was excitedfor the opportunity.”

Now almost 10 years and afew different job descriptionslater, Russell is on the sub-assembly crew where he istasked with maintaining oilpumps, oil lines, distributors,bell housing, plug wires andclutch assembly.

Day in and day out, Russellhelps put the horsepowerunder the Ford powerplants inNASCAR’s top three series. He,alongside coworkers, hashelped Roush Yates RacingEngines earn top honors likethe 2011 MAHLE CleviteEngine Builder of the YearAward in both the NASCARSprint Cup and NASCARNationwide Series.

Regardless of his career suc-cess, Russell always rememberswhere he got his start.

“NASCAR Tech did a lot forme, and it was a positive experi-ence that helped me get where Iam today,” said Russell. “I meta lot of great people and willalways remember the cama-raderie among fellow studentsand instructors. Those are mygreatest memories of all.”

Russell remains motivatedabout what the future holdswith Roush Yates RacingEngines.

“Each day I think about theidea that the engine I am work-ing on is the one that couldpossibly win the Daytona 500,and that’s what continues tomotivate me.”

NASCAR Tech Graduate Finds Homewith Roush Yates Racing Engines

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Loews Miami BeachMonday, Nov. 19

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Wynn Las VegasFriday, Nov. 30

NASCAR Camping World

Truck Series

Loews Miami BeachMonday, Nov. 19

2012 NASCAR Series Awards

Banquet Schedules

Working on engines that could potentially win the Daytona 500 is what

motivates Vic Russell. Photo courtesy of Scott Hunter, NASCAR Productions

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto ■ www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

Good citizens support the localpolice whenever they can.Body shop owners are in-cluded in the community of

those who are just as interested ingetting bad guys off the streets. Some-times the police come to the bodyshop looking for help. Other times, acar comes into the shop and the driv-er’s story – typically one involving

COVER STORY

Body shops can serve a crucial role in helpingthe police bring criminals to justice.

By Curt Harler


was determined to help find the killerand knew he had the skills to do sothanks to his 45-plus years in the col-lision repair industry.

In the early morning hours of Sun-day, Jan. 20, 2008, Brianna Denisonwas abducted from the couch of afriend’s house she wasvisiting in Reno. Atless than 100 pounds,she was no match forthe 6-foot-tall, 200-pound kidnapperwho would eventuallyrape and murder her.

Metz, now retired,was manager of theBill Pearce CollisionCenter in Reno and isa founding presidentof the Nevada Colli-sion Industry Associ-ation State Board. Hereached out to Detec-tive Dave Jenkins ofthe Reno Police De-partment and offeredhis help. He says Jenk-ins was initially skep-tical that he couldnarrow the search forthe vehicle.

“I explained to himhow parts personneldetermine and iden-tify replacement com-ponents by identifyingthe vehicle, the func-tion of the part, loca-tion, size, etc. Giventhe correct informa-tion, a replacementpart can be supplied,” says Metz. “I then explained that it might be pos-sible to reverse that process to reason-ably determine a manufacturer and date range.”

Using Mitchell and CCC Pathwayillustrations, Metz determined thatthe vehicle was a Toyota Tacoma. Heconfirmed his findings by viewing theillustrations and specifications on Cars-direct.com. Metz and Jenkins werethen able to build a partial VIN number,

and the DMV was able to provide alist of vehicle registrations.

A suspect, James Biela, was arresteda few months later and eventuallytied to other rapes in the area. He waseventually convicted of five chargesof kidnapping, rape and murder and

sentenced to death bylethal injection. For hisproactive stanceagainst crime, Metzwas one of five peoplewho was honored atthe 15th annual Na-tional Auto BodyCouncil (NABC) Pride Awards at the Collision IndustryAchievement Lunch-eon in 2010.

State Programs »The Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders-New Jersey(AASP-NJ) started aprogram 15 years agoto aid the police in theirinvestigations. It beganas an effort to help im-prove the industry’simage.

In the very first case,they identified a vehi-cle and it led to an apprehension.

“We gave the policethe year, make andmodel of the car. Theofficer was tickled todeath,” says AASP-NJExecutive Director

Charles Bryant. “We’ve been so suc-cessful with our program that it hasbecome a full-time job.”

As word spread through the lawenforcement community, it got almosttoo hectic to handle the requests forhelp. Sometimes, AASP-NJ got a half-dozen calls a week. Today, they shyaway from cases that are only propertydamage. The program now limits in-vestigations to severe injury or fatalaccidents. They ended up developing

COVER STORY » Cops & Shops


an out-of-pocket repair – just doesn’tfeel right.

Required by Law » Not only is it agood idea to work with law enforce-ment, but in many jurisdictions, it’srequired by law.

It didn’t take legal action to get AlanIrlbeck to put aside the daily schedulefor a bit to help local police.

“It’s not much of a story,” says amodest Irlbeck, owner of Irlbeck Col-lision Center in Manning, Iowa. Infact, he found it amusing at first. “Actually, it was fun working with the police.”

The local police had found severalscattered auto parts at the scene of ahit-and-run accident.

“They came in with a bunch of bro-ken parts in their hands from the hit-and-run,” Irlbeck says. “They askedus to take a look and to identify theparts to a specific make of vehicle.”

Almost right away, Irlbeckrecognized the ear

A Heinous Crime » It’s notalways fun or easy. Sam Metz wasjust as horrified and sad as the rest ofthe Reno, Nev., community when heheard about the abduction, rape andmurder of a young Santa Barbara CityCollege student in 2008. As BodyShopBusiness reported two years ago, Metz

tabs offa Trailblazer. There

were a few paint scrapes, too.A second recent case involved kids

“messing around, four-wheeling,” herecalls. In the process, they broke off afog light, which Irlbeck identified as a

part from a 1999 Silverado.

Brianna Denison, victim of serialrapist/murderer James Biela.

James Biela was convicted of fivecharges of kidnapping, rape andmurder.

a template with the traffic officers as-sociations for a more efficient reportingprocess. Over the years, they’ve re-ceived many honors for the program.

Most other state groups don’t havea formal policy on assisting the police.Neither does the Society of CollisionRepair Specialists (SCRS), accordingto its executive director, Aaron Schulenburg.

David McClune, executive directorof the California Autobody Associationin Sacramento, says they get ap-proached only occasionally for help.One high-profile case involved a callfrom the FBI, which was working abank robbery. The getaway vehiclewas damaged and they wanted a de-scription. In another case, the CaliforniaHighway Patrol (CHiP) approached aSouthern California Ford dealershipwith pieces of a headlight and grill.

“By the angle, I could tell right awaythat it was an F-150,” says the service

manager. “I knew within a couple ofyears the age, and I knew the color.”

He checked with the shop guys,who found an engineering part numberand confirmed his diagnosis.

CHiP had a grocery store video ofthe fatal hit-and-run that they thoughtshowed a white car. The dealershipwas able to ascertain that it was actuallysilver. This led to an identification ofthe vehicle right down to its VIN.

One or two weeks later, police spot-ted the vehicle at a bar in Alpine, Calif.They made an arrest, and the culpritis now serving time. Still, the shopwants no publicity about the case.

Justice Is Served » Sometimes, peo-ple at a shop just feel bad even thoughjustice is served. Olmsted Township,Ohio, police knew they were lookingfor the driver of a dark-colored sportutility vehicle who they said struckand killed a 13-year-old boy.

A day or so later, a woman broughta maroon Sable into the Ganley AutoBody Shop in nearby MiddleburgHeights. This was not to be a “who-done-it.” Dina Hanrahan, who works



“We’ve been sosuccessful with our

[police assistance]

program that it hasbecome a

full-time job.”— Charles Bryant, executive

director, AASP-NJ

the front desk at Ganley, says therewas something strange about thewoman’s demeanor.

“I tried to get incident and insuranceinformation from her. She was veryshort with me. She wanted to get outof here,” Hanrahan recalls. “She didn’t want her insurance involved.She wasn’t clear on how her car was damaged.”

Hanrahan had read about a hit-and-run in a nearby community online,and she got to thinking. In the mean-time, Rick English, manager of theshop, was writing an estimate.

“I saw the damage on the right sideof the car,” Hanrahan says. “I told theboss right away that it looked like ithit a person.”

Police confirmed it was the car theywere looking for.

“When they came and started match-ing up pieces, it was a sickening feel-ing,” she said.

Hanrahan downplays her role. “Itwas just a coincidence,” she says. “Itjust caught my eye. And the way sheacted made us suspicious.”

Assessing Damage » When a pedes-trian is hit, the accident almost alwaystakes off the side-view mirror. Theseglass pieces have a specific templateand shape. The frame backing plate isusually plastic, and often will have aGM or Chrysler manufacturer numberon it. However, even without the num-ber, the shape and texture of the glassis specific to certain series of cars. Atechnician who regularly handles themirrors can often tell at a glance wherea broken part came from.

Glass shops have a template for theshape of the mirror glass. An investi-gator can take a broken mirror, put iton a clear overlay and go page-by-page until it’s possible to map the spe-cific contour of the part.

In a recent case, a shop was able totie a 2005 Dodge Caravan to a brokenmirror, and the state police were ableto make an arrest.

Some motorists try to fool the policeand technicians. Ed Kizenberger, ex-ecutive director of the Long IslandAuto Body Repairman’s Association(LIABRA), recalls a shop that had acustomer who claimed they hit a deer.

“The car did not present itself thatway,” Kizenberger says.

For one thing, the telltale deer hairwas missing. “The shop realized theywere not given the whole story,” hecontinues. The police were notified,and they responded to the shop. Shortlythereafter, the driver was apprehendedand pled to a hit-and-run charge.

Making Mistakes » The police domake mistakes. Once, police ap-proached Bryant and asked him tohelp put out an APB for a specific



year’s Buick Park Avenue. Bryant’sbrother, Jim, looked at the parts thepolice had and declared, “That’s not aBuick. It’s an Olds.”

Jim Bryant knew for sure – he ownedthe same make and model Oldsmobile.He took the policeman out to his carand matched the header panel andgrill pieces. The police checked theDMV records for an Oldsmobile…anddiscovered the vehicle that was in-volved in the hit-and-run on the thirdcar they came across.

Kizenberger notes that some drivershave a guilty conscience about theiraccident. “With all the press coveragewe get, they know our body shopscooperate with the police and theyfigure they don’t have a chance,” hesays. “They turn themselves in.”

In one sad case, the police were ableto identify a vehicle by glass parts andwent to the woman’s house. She an-swered the door, saw the cop, andfell, sobbing, into his arms. She was aschoolteacher who never had been introuble before. But she panicked, leav-ing a person dead. She already hadthe windshield on her car replaced,but the body shop had one of thewipers that had broken off the carduring the accident. It matched bothbrand and wear perfectly to the re-maining wiper. AASP-NJ got a CivilServant Award for that catch.

But not all cases are sad.

Fun Times » Manning, Iowa, is asmall town. Alan Irlbeck – and thepolice – know just about everyone. Asthe town’s tow truck driver and soleproprietor of one of only two bodyshops in the area, the police knowhim well. In the case of the hit-and-run, he was pretty sure he knew whothe Trailblazer’s owner was.

“I called the owner’s uncle. He calledher and told her what was up,” Irlbeckrecalls. The owner got to the policebefore they got to her.

The Silverado case was even simpler.“They just went up to the high school,”Irlbeck chuckles. The police trolled theschool parking lot until they found avehicle with a missing light.

Even easier might have been a casein New Jersey where someone side-swiped a newly finished car parkedin front of a body shop. The offendingvehicle’s mirror and some paint scrapeswere left behind. A woman and herson came in a couple of days laterasking for a repair estimate on theircar – which matched the mirror per-fectly. The shop owner looked at thedamage and called police.

Why would anyone bring a dam-aged car back to the shop where theaccident occurred? The boy’s motherhad chosen the shop as one of severalto approach for estimates. The boytold the police he was more afraid ofhis mother than the cops.

Not Always Easy » It’s not alwayseasy to help solve a case. “Sometimesyou can’t identify the car or can’t findthe car,” Bryant says.

When LIABRA sends out an emailblast of a vehicle description to its listof shops, the descriptions range fromdetailed to sketchy, Kizenberger says.In addition to body shops, they includedealers and suppliers in their coverage.One never knows if a culprit will tryto fix damage at home.

Several associations have been work-ing with police for decades.

“We have networked with all thepolice departments on Long Island,”Kizenberger says. “Unfortunately, westill get quite a few calls.”

Like other associations, they typicallylimit bulletins to serious injury or fatalaccidents.

Not all cases give instant gratification.The Ohio hit-and-run case still hasn’tbeen settled more than a year later. Infact, it took the police almost threemonths to arrest the woman – despitethe overwhelming shop evidence.

Still, shop owners across the countrypoint proudly to what they’ve accom-plished and how their skills play akey role in nabbing criminals. BSB

Harler is a Cleveland-based freelancer spe-cializing in the auto, technology and en-vironmental areas. He can be reached [email protected].



Perhaps no aspects of a col-lision repair are of greaterconcern to you and yourcustomers than the systems

designed to protect drivers andpassengers.

Insurers, vehicle owners and re-pairers have a vested interest in asafe repair. The only surefire way toensure a proper repair of seat beltand airbag systems is to complywith OEM procedures. After all, who is better qualified to supplythe information you need than the vehicle manufacturer?

Here are the OE removal and re-placement procedures for the service,repair, removal and replacement ofthe inflatable restraint side impactsensor on a 2011 Cadillac Escalade.

Service Information » Always referto ALLDATA Collision for safety procedures, identification of materialtypes, recommended refinish materials,removal and installation procedures.Always refer to the manufacturer forquestions relating to applicable or non-applicable warranty repair information.

Model » 2011 Cadillac Truck Escalade AWD V8-6.2L

Repair Procedure » Warning: Whenperforming service on or near the SIRcomponents or the SIR wiring, theSIR system must be disabled. Referto SIR Disabling and Enabling. Failureto observe the correct procedure couldcause deployment of the SIR compo-nents, personal injury or unnecessarySIR system repairs.

Warning: Do not strike or joltthe inflatable restraint side impactsensor (SIS). Before applying powerto the SIS, make sure that it’s se-curely fastened. Failure to observethe correct installation procedurescould cause SIR deployment, per-sonal injury or unnecessary SIRsystem repairs.

1. Disable the inflatable supple-mental restraint (SIR) system. Referto SIR Disabling and Enabling.

2. Remove the front side doortrim panel. Refer to Front Side DoorTrim Panel Replacement.

3. Remove the front side door wa-ter deflector. Refer to Front SideDoor Water Deflector Replacement.

Parts Information » (1) Inflatablerestraint side impact sensor modulebolt (Quantity: 2) (Figure 1)

Caution: Refer to Fastener Caution.Procedure: Loosen bolts and slide

sensor out of key hole slots.Tip:� When removing the bolts from

the inboard side, the bolts are re-moved as having right-hand threads.

� When removing the bolts fromthe outboard side, the bolts are re-moved as having left-hand threads.

TechTipsSafety Systems Are Priority One

By Dan Espersen and Jeff Webster


Repairs and Inspections » Re-quired after a collision accident withside seat airbag deployment – com-ponent replacement and inspections

After a collision involvingdriver/passenger side seat airbagdeployment, replace the followingcomponents:

� Left/right side impact sensorson the side of the impact. (Figure 2)

� Left/right roof rail airbag onthe side of the impact.

� Inflatable restraint sensing anddiagnostic module (SDM), if SDMhas DTC B0052 56.

� Inflatable restraint seat belt an-chor and/or retractor pretensioner.

� Driver or passenger seat backcushion cover replacement.

Warning: Do not repair or replacethe seat stitching or seams in theseat back trim cover with an internalmounted seat side airbag module.Replace the complete seat back trimcover from the OEM. Non-OEM seatstitching may cause improper airbagdeployment, which could result inpersonal injury.

Perform additional inspections onthe following components:

� Mounting points or mounting

Figure 1

PIN WIRE CIRCUIT FUNCTION

A 0.5 WH/BK 6629 Low Reference

B 0.5 D-GN 2134 Side Impact Sensing Module – Right Signal

Inflatable Restraint Side Impact

Sensor (SIS) — right front.

Figure 2:Componentconnector end views.

hardware for the side impact sensors,and driver/passenger side seatairbags on the side of impact – In-spect for any damage, and repair orreplace each component as needed.

� Mounting points, mountinghardware, headliner and trim piecesfor the left/right roof rail airbag onthe side of impact – inspect for anydamage, and repair or replace eachcomponent as needed.

� Mounting points or mountinghardware for the SDM and seat beltanchor and/or retractor pretension-ers – inspect for any damage, andrepair or replace each componentas needed.

� Seat cushion frame� Seat recliner and cover, if

equipped� Seat adjuster� Seat back frame� Door trim assembly� Impacted seat cushion side cov-

ers and switchesNOTE: These repair/service pro-

cedures are excerpted from infor-mation published by the vehiclemanufacturer, and are intended forthe purpose of promoting OEM col-lision repair information to trained,professional technicians with theknowledge, tools and equipment todo the job properly and safely. Beforeattempting the repairs described, refer to the complete article in ALLDATA Collision S3500. BSB

Dan Espersen is ALLDATA’s seniorcollision program manager, holds anAA degree in automotive technology,and has 46 years of experience in theautomotive industry, 19 in collision.

©2012 ALLDATA LLC. All rights reserved. All technical information, im-ages and specifications are from ALL-DATA Collision S3500. ALLDATA isa registered trademark and ALLDATACollision S3500 is a mark of ALLDATALLC. Toyota and Sienna are registeredtrademarks of Toyota Motor Corporationand/or Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Allother marks are the property of their respective holders.

»|Tech Tips |«



To some Americans, football ispractically a religion. For GeoffMcCollom, his mecca is Penn

State’s Beaver Stadium, where he’swatched every home game for thepast 21 years. After tailgating under-neath a tarp strung between two mini-vans for some time, he decided thathe was long overdue for an upgrade.That’s when he found the trailer.

Nothing Special » When he boughtit four years ago, it wasn’t anythingspecial – just a six-foot-by-10-footwhite cargo trailer. But McCollom,owner of Dutch Valley Auto Body in

Lancaster, Pa., saw its potential tobecome a work of art.

“It was just a big canvas,” he said. He recruited one of his body techs,

Matt Remick, to give the trailer amakeover two summers ago – a taskthat Remick didn’t take lightly. Hespent the entire summer devising de-signs and then airbrushing them ontothe trailer, and after 400 hours ofwork and a few all-nighters, the tail-gater was finally ready to make itsdebut the day before the first gameof the season. And McCollom couldn’thave been more proud.

“Just seeing the reaction of all my

peers and the people who wouldtailgate there, it was just amazing,”he recalled.

The Lion Roars » One side of thetrailer features an enormous PennState Nittany Lion crawling down aseries of boulders. Nestled in thebackground among mountains isBeaver Stadium, which was paintedto replicate the first “whiteout” gameagainst rival Notre Dame.

“You can superimpose the trailerdesign [with the mountains] and itmatches up,” said McCollom. “[Matt]did it in such detail that each one of

Detours

Bringing a Lion to Life


By Gina Kuzmick

those boulders took about eight hoursto do.”

The other side showcases anotherLion, but this one’s a bit more men-acing. He’s airbrushed so that it ap-pears he’s clawed his way out of thetrailer, and his left paw is clutchingthe Notre Dame Leprechaun.

“There’s just something about whenPenn State and Notre Dame play that’sspecial,” said McCollom. “I remembera lot of great games in the ’90s betweenthose two schools, so that’s why wedid the whole Notre Dame theme.”

The amount of detail that Remickput into the design is astounding – and

sometimes hard to spot. For example,he painted “PSU” inside the Lion’seyes, and the stadium’s scoreboarddisplays the final score of the

»| Detours |«


A huge tarp connected between the trailerand the car towing it creates a raintight andspacious enclosure.

Penn State-Notre Dame whiteoutgame. McCollom looked at the mu-ral for months and didn’t noticethe little details until Remick point-ed them out.

All Electric » The artwork isn’tthe only remarkable feature. Whenit’s time to set up, McCollom con-nects a huge tarp between the trailer and the car towing it, creat-ing an enclosure that’s raintightand spacious. Heaters providewarmth during the chillier games,and there’s a 40-inch high-definitionTV with satellite and a gas grill.The two 8D truck batteries that arebuilt into the trailer ’s floor provide enough power to run a40-hour tailgate.

“There is all electric power withbattery, so there’s no fumes and nofuss,” said McCollom.

Despite some inclement weather,

the tailgater’s durability stands againsteven the toughest conditions.

“We’ve [tailgated] through six inch-es of snow to 30-mile-per-hour wind,”said McCollom. “And that’s part ofthe fun, just the challenge of theweather up there.”

The tailgater brings a sense of unityto Beaver Stadium. One of McCol-lom’s traditions is to invite the com-petition inside for some warmth andgame day spirit. He recalls a gameagainst Oregon State when a limofilled with 20 people pulled up tothe tailgater.

“They liked what they saw andjumped out and became our bestfriends,” he said. “That’s what it’sall about. You meet strangers andsometimes you make friends for lifeout of them.”

Billboard » During the off-season,the tailgater mainly serves as an artsy

billboard as it rests on display atDutch Valley. But despite weighing3,000 lbs., McCollom tries to take itout as much as possible.

“We do a big pig roast for em-ployees and vendors every year,which gets about 300 people,”he said.

He also totes it to the annual PikeCounty Penn State Club golf outing,where Nittany Lion fans pose forphotos beside it.

Penn State fans can count on see-ing the tailgating sanctuary for yearsto come. It’s rarely had any main-tenance issues, and despite its heftysize and large amount of features,McCollom says it’s easy to set upand tear down.

“Like anything else in life, youmake improvements incrementally.It’s like a business. You get better atit, and now we could do this in oursleep.” BSB

»| Detours |«


nature of each repair or other variables like dif-ferences in paint product price. Instead, this pay-ment method is based solely on a “rule of thumb.”

Rule of Thumb » Check out some definitions ofrules of thumb I found on the Internet:

“A rule of thumb is a homemade recipe for making aguess.”

“A hundred years ago, people used rules of thumbto make up for a lack of facts.”

“Rules of thumb are used as a handy guess mechanismwhen there is no way to determine something specifically,or when precision isn’t important.”

“A means of estimation made according to a rough-and-ready practical rule, not based on science or exactmeasurement.”

Shops may find themselves the subject of criminal or civil investigationinto improper selling activities if they allow insurers to use the “rule ofthumb” method to reimburse for paint and materials.


to‘Rule of Thumb’

ThumbsDown

LEGAL

By E. L. Eversman, J.D.

Paint and material payments have typicallybeen tied to the number of paint-relatedlabor units allotted for repair of a vehicleat half the body labor rate.

This method has come under criticism of late –with good reason. No one has ever demonstratedwhat relationship the number of work units hasto do with the amount of paint and materialsnecessary to complete a repair. Likewise, no onehas ever demonstrated how a value reflectinghalf the body rate multiplied by the number ofrefinish units is an appropriate measure of thegoods incorporated into the customer’s vehicleor consumed during the repair. This method issimply a one-size-fits-all multiplication task thatfails to account for any distinctions in the unique

Rules of thumb, then, are an un-scientific method of attempting toarrive at a result. With the advent ofpaint and materials calculators, how-ever, using an antiquated methodto determine how much to charge –or more precisely, how much an in-surer should be reimbursing the con-sumer – is unwarranted.

Still Around » Now that the collisionindustry has an accurate method ofdetermining the amount, and therefore,cost of paint and materials used in arepair, we would expect it to be em-braced and used everywhere – includ-ing by insurers. But many repairersare not being reimbursed accordingto this method, largely because they

report that insurers simply reject paintand material invoices and insist oncompensating via the rule of thumbmethod of multiplying refinish hoursby half the body labor rate.

In every industry, businesses striveto be equipped and capable of pro-ducing products and services that are“state of the art.” The term “state ofthe art” refers to the “highest level ofgeneral development, as of a device,technique or scientific field, achievedat a particular time.”

Progress, especially technicalprogress, is expected. Therefore, wehave to ask ourselves why this fakeformula for paint and material calcu-lation based on an unscientific rule ofthumb is continuing to be touted byinsurers as the “industry standard”for determining these costs.

Repair documentation has evolvedto the point where everyone expectsrepair blueprints to be generated froma computer estimating and manage-ment system rather than paper andpencil. Now that the repair industryhas a more accurate method of deter-mining the true cost of paint and ma-terials used in any given repair, it’sinappropriate for insurers to insist onmaking payment based on the anti-quated rule of thumb.

Insurers Love Invoices » One ofthe most interesting questions on thisissue is why insurers reject invoicesgenerated by paint and material cal-culators designed to identify theactual costs associated with usingthose products.

Insurers love invoices. How manytimes has an insurer demanded that arepairer hand over the towing or partsinvoices (internal and proprietary busi-ness documents) before it reimburseson behalf of a consumer? So why areinsurers suddenly dismissive of a bonafide invoice generated by a computerprogram expressly created to capturethe true cost of paint and materialsused in a repair?

The answer is clear. Paint and ma-terial calculators typically demonstratethat the true value of the products

LEGAL » Rule of Thumb


used in the repair is higher than thosevalues being reimbursed using therule of thumb formula. The rule ofthumb is also directly tied to the influ-ence insurers exert in keeping the “av-erage” body labor rate payable toshops artificially low.

There’s no doubt that if the paintand materials programs produceda lower dollar value than the rule

of thumb, insurers would have im-mediately switched to those pro-grams and dropped the old methodlike a hot potato. The fact that in-surers haven’t moved on to a mod-ern and more accurate method ofidentifying true costs, as the colli-sion repair industry has, demon-strates their refusal to properly andfairly compensate consumers for

the losses they suffer in exchangefor those premium dollars we allpay for auto insurance.

By insisting on using the old rule ofthumb method, insurers can disguisedeliberate underpayments to consumerswho file legitimate insurance claimsand continue to justify those under-payments as “industry standard” tothe state departments of insurance.



States Against Low-Cost SellingA number of states besides Oklahoma condemn below-cost selling

as a matter of state public policy:

Arkansas — A.C.A. § 4-75-209

California — Bus & Prof Code § 17043

Hawaii — HRS § 481-3

Idaho — § 48-404

Louisiana — R.S. 51:422

Maine — 10 M.R.S. § 1207

Massachusetts — ALM GL ch. 64C, § 14

Minnesota — Stat. § 325D.04

Montana — Code Anno., § 30-14-209

North Dakota — Cent. Code, § 51-10-03

Pennsylvania— 73 P.S. § 213

Rhode Island — Gen. Laws § 6-13-3

Tennessee — Code Ann. § 47-25-203

West Virginia — Code § 47-11A-1

Wisconsin — Stat. § 100.30

Industry Standard » The rule ofthumb formula is the industry standard.Or is it?

We repeatedly hear that the rule ofthumb formula is still the industrystandard for determining paint andmaterials costs. The question thatshould be asked is, “The ‘industrystandard’ as determined by whom?”

As discovery produced by StateFarm in one of the lawsuits broughtby Gunder’s Auto Center Inc., againstthe insurer indicates, State Farm per-sonnel changed the repair shop’s an-swer to the survey question abouthow the shop charged for paint andmaterials from the use of a paint andmaterial calculator to the rule of thumb

formula. (See article, “Gunder’s ClaimsState Farm Altered Prevailing Rate Sur-vey,” at www.bodyshopbusiness.com).

Similarly, other repairers have re-ported they were warned by an insurerthat if they answered a survey questionstating the use of a paint and materialcalculator rather than a rule of thumbapproach, all of their responses wouldbe automatically excluded from thesurvey results. Accordingly, we shouldbe deeply suspicious of any claim thatthe rule of thumb formula is the currentrepair industry standard.

Breaking the Law? » Perhaps mostinteresting is an analysis of the reim-bursement amounts produced usingthe rule of thumb method versus thepaint and material calculators. In manyinstances, the rule of thumb approachactually compensates repairers at be-low-cost levels. This is troubling asfederal and state laws take a dim viewof the practice of selling goods at aprice below the acquisition cost. Sellingproducts at a below-cost price – espe-cially doing so on a routine basis with-out the benefit of legitimate reasonslike minimizing losses on perishablegoods or reducing unsuccessful in-ventory – is presumptively predatoryand can be a violation of the Robin-son-Patman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 13(a) andmany states’ laws.

Oklahoma’s Unfair Sales Act, forexample, states:

“It is hereby declared that any ad-vertising, offer to sell or sale of anymerchandise, either by retailers orwholesalers, at less than cost as definedin this act with the intent and purposeof inducing the purchase of other mer-chandise or of unfairly diverting tradefrom a competitor or otherwise injuringa competitor, impair and prevent faircompetition, injure public welfare, areunfair competition and contrary topublic policy and the policy of thisact, where the result of such advertising,offer or sale is to tend to deceive anypurchaser or prospective purchaser,or to substantially lessen competition,or to unreasonably restrain trade, orto tend to create a monopoly in any



line of commerce.” (15 Okl. St. § 598.3)Enforcement under the state unfair

sales laws can be easier to obtain asthese state laws, unlike federal law,typically do not require a demonstrationof the market share of the below-costseller and its power to hurt competition.Instead, the state’s inquiry is whetherthe below-cost selling occurs for awrongful purpose that’s actionable –often as a crime – under the state’slaws. As the Tenth Circuit Court ofAppeals found when reviewing a be-low-cost sale case under the OklahomaUnfair Sales Act, “The purpose of [theAct] is simply to prevent loss leaderselling and to protect small business.”Star Fuel Marts, LLC v. Sam’s East, Inc.,362 F.3d 639, 648 (10th Cir. 2004) (applyingOklahoma law).

The Inquiry » The question we mustask ourselves is, “What effect does be-low-cost selling of paint and materials

have on the collision industry?” It’ssimple to argue that insurers demandthat their DRP shops sell paint andmaterials calculated via the rule ofthumb method, resulting in below-cost rates, because they can then usethat activity to try to impose below-cost selling across the board on all col-lision repair facilities. Successful, forcedbelow-cost selling of paint and materialsthroughout the industry enables in-surers to decrease their claims payoutsand increase their profits.

It’s also apparent that – whetherthe DRP shops are overtly aware ornot that their acceptance of the insur-er’s required rule of thumb paint andmaterials reimbursement method oftenresults in the sale of these goods atless than their cost – the DRP shopsare willing to go along with the be-low-cost selling of paint and materialsbecause their volume work arrange-ment with insurers coupled with be-

low-cost selling allows them to capturemore repair work for themselves andhelps drive independent shops outof business. Therefore, criminal andcivil inquiries should investigatewhether insurers and their DRP shopsare engaged in a conspiracy to sell(and purchase) paint and materialsat below-cost prices with the desireto reduce the insurer’s overall claimpayment and capture more customersand work for the DRP shops at theexpense of independents.

Conclusion » It seems that the timeto address the forced below-cost sell-ing of paint and materials in the col-lision repair business is at hand.Such activity is not only improperbut is typically illegal. Any repairshop, whether a DRP shop or non-DRP shop, needs to immediatelylook at its method of determiningpaint and material costs to ensure



it’s not using a method that resultsin sales of these goods below theshop’s acquisition cost. Otherwise,shops may find themselves the sub-ject of a criminal or civil investigationinto improper selling activities. BSB

E. L. Eversman is the chief counsel forVehicle Information Services Inc., andthe author of the Forbes.com “Best of theWeb” award-winning blog, AutoMuse.She has served as the chair of the Cleveland

Bar Association’s Unauthorized Practiceof Law Committee, vice chair of that as-sociation’s International Law Section andis listed in the National Registry of Who’sWho. Eversman is a frequent speaker andauthor on automotive legal topics andhas been quoted in such publications asThe Wall Street Journal Online, USAToday, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance,Cars.com, Yahoo! News and numeroustrade magazines. She was also honoredas the 2006 All Auto Appraisal Industry

Conference hall of fame inductee. She isrecognized nationally as an authority ondiminished value and collision repair issues, and she served as an industry resource for the National Conference ofCommissioners on Uniform State Laws’Uniform Certificate of Title Act draftingcommittee. Prior to launching the Auto-Muse blog addressing automotive legaland consumer issues, Eversman wrotethe legal column for the Web directory,AutoGuide.net.




“Learn from the past” is a key

mantra for Mike Schoonover.As a third-generation shop own-er of a family-run business, the

collision industry runs vigorouslythrough his veins. While he has appliedthe knowledge he has gained from

his predecessors to his business prac-tices, he also strives to make SchoonoverBodyworks & Glass his own.

With two locations in Shoreviewand Stillwater, Minn., the stores offerTwin Cities customers not only collisionrepair but other auto-related services.

SHOP PROFILE


Learningfrom the Past

“You have to give [customers] theextra effort to make them go ‘wow’and want to return, or refer familyand friends,” Schoonover says.

And by paying attention to his cus-tomers, as well as the business’ previousowners, Schoonover does just that.

Past to Present » It was a differentworld back in 1938 when Schoonover’sgrandfather opened the business. Per-haps the biggest change in the industryhas been related to insurance, whichSchoonover recently discovered afteruncovering a few old photographs.

This third-generation shop owner has his own way ofdoing things…influenced by a grandfather and fatherwho preceded him.

By Gina Kuzmick

The photos, taken from multiple angles,were of some damaged vehicles thathad suffered fresh collisions.

“It looked like [my grandfather]was taking pictures for the insurancecompany,” he says. “It’s just kind offunny. Back in his day, insurers didn’thave claims offices. Shops dealt directlywith each insurance agent, and the in-surance agent would pay the bill. Ob-viously, there were no DRPs or anythinglike that at that point.”

Schoonover got a taste of the industryat a young age. His father, Dick, fre-quently brought him along to NACEand other industry functions. Andwhile technology and other aspects ofcollision repair have evolved over time,core issues have not.

“I was in a room as a little kid lis-tening to the same things that we’retalking about today…these thingsabout insurance companies and whatthey were doing at the time andwhat they were requiring shops todo,” he said.

After his father retired in 2000, ittook 10 years for Schoonover to gainfull ownership. Following in his fa-ther’s footsteps, he decided to get ac-tive in the industry by joiningorganizations that advocate for repairshops and their owners: the Auto-motive Service Association, I-CAR,the Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of Minnesota, as well asthe CAPA technical committee.

“I think volunteering my time and

getting active in these different asso-ciations and groups has been verybeneficial,” said Schoonover. “I’m ‘inthe know’ of what’s going on, and Iget to meet the Randy Hansens andGeorge Averys and the guys that areout in the industry.”

His Own Way » Although he haslearned some valuable things from hisfather, Schoonover has his own methodof running his business. While hisfather was a well-respected industrymember, he was also a hard-nosedbusinessman.

“You knew where you stood withhim,” Schoonover recalls. “He wasvery quality-minded, detail-orientedand customer service-minded, and he

SHOP PROFILE » Learning from the Past


Schoonover Bodyworks & Glass

Gross Sales: $5,000,000

Repair Volume/No. of Cars Per

Month: 200-plus

Average Repair Cost: $2,900

DRPs: 12 (State Farm, Allstate,

Progressive, Farmers, Liberty Mutual,

MetLife, etc.)

Location: Shoreview and Stillwater, Minn.

Established: 1938

Square Footage: 14,000 square feet

Owner: Mike Schoonover

No. of Employees: (14) – 2 administra-

tive, 2 sales, 1 parts & production

manager, 3 bodymen, 1 glass worker,

1 mechanic, 2 painters, 2 detailers

expected everybody to give their best. If there was anissue or disagreement with an insurance adjuster orexecutive, he would let them know his displeasure.”

Schoonover, on the other hand, takes a more under-standing approach when dealing with these situations.“I’ll sit down and chat with someone about a problem. Idon’t want to say [my dad and I] are polar opposites, butwe have our own way of doing things.”

Schoonover also attributes the differences in his man-agement style and that of his dad’s to the industry itself.

“I think back in those days, it was probably more roughand tumble. [My dad] was in an era where there were a lotof changes to your vehicles and your equipment and howyou ran your shop and how your customers were expectingto be treated. And we’re just kind of used to those changesnow. We live in a society where cars and phones and com-puters are disposable. There may not be the same type ofcommitment between employer and employee or cus-tomer-type relationships, so it’s just a different world. Ithink you’ve got to be more prepared for change andadapt to it these days and going forth.”



Rapid Repair

Adjusting to the needs of its customers and adapting

to a less than healthy economy, Schoonover Body

Works & Glass developed a “rapid repair” service as a

cheaper alternative to restoring the vehicle to pre-acci-

dent condition and OEM standards.

“When the

economy turned

south, we only

repaired [a vehi-

cle] one way, and

that was to

restore it to its

pre-accident

condition and

make it perfect,”

Schoonover says.

“And the No. 1 reason we weren’t having people come

back was that it was too expensive.”

Schoonover listened to his customers’ requests and

crafted a new service to better suit their needs. With

the rapid repair option, customers can choose to lower

their repair costs by having aftermarket parts installed

or getting dents roughed out instead of having the

repairer do a complete overhaul of the vehicle.

“Our closing ratio has gone up,” says Schoonover.

“We’re probably fixing more things that we wouldn’t

have fixed in the past. With this, [customers] know

what to expect, and they’re pleasantly surprised by

what it looks like.”

Going with the Flow » Adapting tochange is core to Schoonover’s prac-tices, and he’s often quick to do it.After noticing that print media wasdiminishing, he decided to step uphis marketing by renovating his busi-ness’s website. It took a couple of yearsto put together, but it was worth theeffort. The once dated-looking site nowsports a clean, user-friendly and eye-

catching design. A lively animation ofa car crashing grabs visitors’ attentionas soon as they enter the home page.The phrase “We can fix that” thenflashes across the screen as the car ismagically fixed, reassuring visitorsthat they’ve made the right choice.From there, customers can check theirvehicles’ repair status, learn aboutrepair processes and view shop specials.

Schoonover also decided to go greenlong before most shops by switchingto waterborne paint. His shop hasbeen solvent-free for about five years,and he has never looked back.

“It’s better for the environment, andwe have good, color-matching finishes,”he said.

Similar to adapting to evolvingtechnology and industry standards,



Behind the BaysEstimating System: CCC ONE

Management System: CCC ONE

Spraybooth: Sterling waterborne booth

Lifts: Nussbaum

Measuring/Dimensioning System: Chief/Car-O-Liner

Welding Equipment: Pro Spot i4 spot welder

Paint Mixing System: Sikkens AutoWave

Paint: Sikkens AutoWave

Future Equipment Purchases: None

Schoonover also sees adjusting toinsurers’ role in the industry as avital component to survival. Oneway he does this is by sponsoringcontinuing education classes for in-surance agents. These AkzoNobel/

Sikkens-conducted classes allow thebusiness to build a stronger rela-tionship with its agents. The courses,held twice a year at two differentlocations, focus on ethics and helpinsurers understand the repair

process. After each class, attendeesventure back to the shop for a tour.

“It’s a good way to get them to un-derstand what’s going on in the busi-ness,” said Schoonover. “This was oneof the things we could do to get toknow the agents in the area and actuallyhave something that’s worthwhile in-stead of doing the usual sales call. Wewanted to be more than that.”

Expanding Services » As its namesuggests, Schoonover Bodyworks &Glass provides expanded services,such as glasswork and detailing, whichoffer extra incentives for customers toreturn to the shop.

“If we have a really good customer,we’ll give them the works for free,”Schoonover says.

The shop also offers discounted oilchanges for less than $20, allowingcustomers to maintain their vehicleswithout breaking their budgets.

In addition, Schoonover Body-works & Glass is a Volkswagen-Cer-tified Collision Repair Center.Schoonover chose Volkswagen as astrategic business move, since theaverage American isn’t driving aJaguar or another high-end make.

Schoonover sees becoming a man-ufacturer-certified repair center as along-term investment. While he mustpurchase all-new equipment to meetVolkswagen’s standards, he believesit will pay off in the long run.

“It’s the way the industry could po-tentially be going, with more certifi-cations from OE manufacturers, and Iwasn’t going to miss that opportunity,”he says.

Expand and Strengthen » It seemsthat Schoonover Bodyworks & Glasswill only continue to expand andstrengthen its practices. And whileMike Schoonover is offering moreservices than his grandfather did, hesays that it’s not all about glitz andglam.

“Keep it simple, honest and upfront,” he advises. “It’s how we operateevery facet of our business on a dailybasis.” BSB




By Tom Ferry

The perfect custom paint job depends largely on what kind of vehicleyou’re putting that wild or mild job on. There are artists who use onlyblack and create realistic-looking fire over the top. There are peoplewho are obsessed with fades and other techniques. And there are

painters who do a variety of three-dimensional tears, shadows, candies,pinstriping, etc. My philosophy is to do a theme that fits the car.

What the Customer Wants » Theobjective here is to do something thecustomer wants. If they don’t knowexactly what they want, it’s fun toguide them through the process. I likeit when a customer comes to me andalready has a car that has been paintedin a candy color but wants somethingsimple to go with it.

I’ve done many stripes that are fadestopped off with a quarter-inch or lesspinstripe around the work. I’m cur-rently working on a 1978 Chevy pickup

Or maye you have a plain car like a1970 Dodge Dart swinger. It’s yellowwith a black vinyl top – a perfect can-didate for something on the exteriorto “wow” it up. So I’m thinking two-tone. Just define where you want theline and paint it a dark pearl black ontop to blend with the black vinyltop. After the top side is painted, youneed some sort of dividing line, maybesilver with some ghost images or what-

ever tickles your fancy, outlined ina non-offending pinstripe.

Snoopy and Wine » I once paintedSnoopy riding his doghouse as

the Red Baron for a Long E-Zhomebuilt aircraft because thecouple who owned it lovedthe Peanuts character. Withno stencils, I hand-painted it

on with some sterling paint. One of my custom painters is

working on a black Pantera rightnow. It’s super straight like a mirror,

but when you pop the back lid to lookat the engine, it has grapes, bottles ofwine, leaves, a full fizzing wine glass,etc., all over the engine bay and un-derside of the lid. Yep, he loves wine.

Money Talks » One guy loved money,so we did his ’73 Camaro Z28 in PPGRadiance Indy Green over shamrockgreen. Then we put a tasteful hole inthe hood for his blower to stick out abit. Radiance is my favorite candy asit has micro crystals in the base thatmake light refract in all directions.

I found out how Radiance worksfrom painting stripes on a new blackFord F-150 that faded from red to blue

CUSTOM REFINISHING

What is the perfect custom paintjob? It depends on the vehicle.


to

Mild

Wild

that a customer wants to use to trans-port his Harley to events. Thus, I’mmaking it a tribute to Harley-Davidson.I two-toned it with black on top, silveron the bottom. The interior will bemade black and silver to echo thetheme, with the seats black with silverinserts. The break line will be donewith a gold leaf around the edges ofthe design and some subtle skulls andfire inside the art area. The truck’s in-terior/exterior have been painted a laChip Foose, which finishes the theme.

(Above) Where “Plymouth” normally wouldhave been spelled out in big letters on thequarters of this 1970 Superbird Icustomized in 1986, I put “Black Ice” —the name of the band I was in at the time.

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AudaNet provides optimized outcomes to insurers bymaximizing efficiencies and customer satisfaction, whilealso reducing loss adjustment expenses (LAEs). For repair facilities, AudaNet delivers peak operationalperformance by increas-ing repair accuracy, reducing cycle times,maximizing customersatisfaction and optimiz-ing shop success. Finally,AudaNet enables maxi-mum vehicle owner

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The platform harnesses business rules engines, robustdata connections and predictive analytics to deliver intelligent and seamless customer solutions. AudaNetsolutions serve our clients throughout the automotiveclaim life cycle – from collision, to appraisal, andthrough repair or total loss settlement.

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to green from back to front. As we ap-proached it one night, you couldn’tsee the truck from afar but you couldsee the stripes lit up like a street sign.

Super Bee » I’ve dreamed of custompainting my brother’s 1970 Super Beewe drove around in high school. Thecar has been sitting since 1976 andwas supposed to have been completedfor my his 30-year high school reunion.But we might make it for his 40th.

It would be a bright yellow basePPG 643 light chrome toner with asplash of 617 orange toner. This wouldbe the perfect color for the car that hasyellow in the bumblebee emblems.

Then I would do what legendarycustomizer Gene Winfield does: usemy clearcoats on the vehicle to get adeep yellow with three different pearls.After basecoating with the yellow base,I would put on two wet coats of 2kclearcoat. Then I would mix up someclearcoat with an orange pearl in it.

When you put pearls in clearcoats,you have to be careful of them slidingdown or moving around. They haveto be frozen in the spot where theywere sprayed. I would use fast reducerwith some accelerator and fog on theclearcoat without any concern as toglossing it out. I would bake it at 140degrees for 38 minutes and wait for it

REFINISHING » Custom Refinishing


A.Since the sill plate is not as

exposed to the elements as the

exterior of your Porsche, the paint

should still be in pretty good condi-

tion, i.e. glossy and not faded too

much in the door jamb areas. I

assume the damage to be repaired

is simply from shoes scuffing paint

off the sill area through typical wear

and tear.

Most Porsches use a very fine

metallic on their silvers, so you have

to assess the gloss level. Keep in

mind that the prime paint formulas in

most mixing systems for Porsches

are usually very close.

You’re going to have to basecoat

the entire sill plate and blend the

silver into the inner door quarter

panel lock pillar area, then clearcoat

the job.

I would first polish the quarter

panel lock pillar to see what kind of

gloss appears. If it polishes out

glossy, then you’ll have the true

patina and, when you spray your

clearcoat, both sides will match. If

you leave the opposite side alone and

want to match the patina and don’t

succeed and your newly painted side

is too glossy, then you could hand

polish the unpainted original side to

try and get some more gloss out of it.

You’re going to have to blend in

your base silver and clearcoat the

area without having to get into paint-

ing any of the exterior surfaces.

I would mostly be concerned about

the coarseness of the silver. One color

can have 10 different variances. I

experience this a lot, and the color

formula variance cards come in handy.

I’ve tried to outline what I believe

are the things you need to consider.

Sometimes the door jambs are

almost a semi-gloss finish because

they don’t put much clearcoat on the

inner panels compared to the exte-

rior. If this is the case, when clear-

ing, turn up your air pressure, use

fast reducer and thin it out twice as

much as normal, then add some

accelerator to dull out your clear if

need be. You’ll get coverage but less

gloss to match the factory sheen as

close as possible.

Q.I need to repair the RHS sill panel on a Porsche, which is

attached to the quarter panel. The color is metallic silver and

the car is 10 years old. What can I do to make this job turn out great?

Painting the Metallic Silver RHS Sill Panel on a Porsche

to dry for a full three hours. I wouldthen lay down a full wet coat of clear,bake that and wait a day. I would

then fog on a coat of clear with a tan-gerine pearl, making sure that all thepearl didn’t move around. I would

repeat this whole process with goldpearl as my last pearl. Winfield didthis all the time but used lacquer so hecould do it fast. With urethanes, youhave to wait longer.

Some painters are probably won-dering why I don’t use pearlbasecoats. It’s because I don’t wantthe binder in my clears that turnstoners into basecoat because it ruinsthe clarity, and the paint job wouldn’thave the depth I desire. My finalstep would be to top it off with threethick coats of 2k clear. Now I havethree layers of pearls sandwichedbetween coats of thick clear, whichoffers a depth you normally don’tsee in most pearl jobs and eventhree-stage pearl jobs. In the end,the pearls will tone down thebright yellow somewhat, but overallwill have some good depth to it.

Wild to Mild » So what is the perfectcustom paint job? The secret lies some-where in between, with the interiorand wheels playing an important role.The most important thing is to impressthe owner. After all, beauty is in theeye of the beholder. BSB

Tom Ferry is the head painter at KetchikanAutobody and Glass in Ketchikan, Alaska.He can be reached at [email protected].

REFINISHING » Custom Refinishing



NHTSA suggests thatconsumers whose vehi-cles have been in a crashand had the airbags re-

placed within the pastthree years by a repairshop that is not part of anew car dealership, orwho have purchased areplacement airbag on-line, should contact acall center connected totheir auto manufacturerto have their vehicle in-spected and the airbag

replaced if necessary. “Although NHTSA

does a good job high-lighting the need for con-sumers to be vigilant

about counterfeit airbagsand to contact their auto-mobile manufacturerwith questions, they arenot as clear as to inspec-tion and repair optionsfor consumers,” said BobRedding, ASA’s Washing-ton, D.C., representative.“Independent shops aremore prevalent in the col-

lision marketplace andshould be included inany NHTSA consumerrecommendations for in-spection and repair. In

addition, it is notat all easy to dis-cern whether au-tomotivemanufacturers orinsurers will payfor these inspec-tions and repairs.

These are important con-sumer questions that willhave to be answered.”

NHTSA has beenworking with govern-ment agencies, includingthe U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforce-ment, U.S. Customs andBorder Protection andthe Intellectual Property

Rights Division of theU.S. Department of Jus-tice, to better understandthe issue of counterfeitairbags and how to pre-vent them from beingpurchased and installedin vehicles.

NHTSA is currentlygathering informationfrom automakers abouttheir systems for verify-ing the authenticity of re-placement parts and isworking with the indus-try to make the drivingpublic aware of the po-tential safety risk posedby counterfeit airbags. Ithas also posted to itswebsite (www.nhtsa.gov) alist of vehicles for whichcounterfeit airbags maybe available.


64 November 2012 | BodyShop BusinessCircle 64 for Reader Service Circle 87 for Reader Service

Airbags continued from pg. 8

“Independent shops are more prevalent in the collision

marketplace and should be included in any NHTSA

consumer recommendations for inspection and repair.”

— Bob Redding, ASA’s Washington, D.C., representative

pants acknowledgedASA’s concerns and saidthey appreciated the lev-el of accuracy ASA hasprovided to the industryso far in reporting on thepilot. State Farm’s repre-sentatives at the meetingalso expressed a willing-ness to continue conver-sation with ASA’scollision leaders to ad-dress repairer concerns.

As part of last week’sonsite discussion, StateFarm provided an in-depth look at whythey’re piloting an elec-tronic parts ordering ap-plication. “Why’s”included State Farm’sanalysis of repair delaysrelated to parts ordering,

relating a $43 million-per-day expense forrental vehicles, and de-tails on their future ex-pectations for the overallcollision industry, basedon a decline in driver’slicense registration, in-creased crash avoidancetechnology, ride-sharingand claim frequency.

According to StateFarm, “Electronic partssourcing and ordering isone of many efforts StateFarm is pursuing to pro-vide customers with anexceptional experience.Customers and repair fa-cilities benefit from ef-forts to repair morevehicles (less total loss-es), improve the distri-bution of quality

recycled parts and im-prove cycle time.”

Hearing this, ASA re-pairers provided ques-tions centered aroundthe inefficiency of thecurrent State Farm sys-tem of “priced perfect”recycled parts and howthis is to be addressed inthe future. The ASAteam also raised ques-tions about the currentdecline of claims han-dling efficiency at StateFarm and asked howthis is being addressed.

An important take-away from the meetingwas that State Farm offi-cials said the size of theSelect Service communi-ty is not expected togrow. Another impor-

tant takeaway was thatthis application is notthe conclusion of recom-mendations to comefrom State Farm to theirSelect Service shops, butrather a part of a largerglobal strategy.

During the meeting,ASA representatives alsoemphasized their con-cern centering arounddiscounted MSRPs andthe potential negativeimpacts of this applica-tion on a repair shop’sbottom line. State Farmacknowledged this con-cern, stating: “MSRPpricing has not changed,and the margins havenot been affected, duringthe test. In fact, theMSRP discount price col-


www.bodyshopbusiness.com 65Circle 65 for Reader Service

ASA continued from pg. 9

umn has been removedfrom the tool. State Farmis not collecting data onMSRP discounts.”

State Farm also said –similar to its earlier ex-ploration of parts pro-curement involving theoriginal equipment man-ufacturers and OECon-nection – it is cognizantof the parts profit con-cern and, to date, there isno data from the pilotdemonstrating that thisapplication is having anegative impact on parts profit.

“What is vital here,”said Denise Caspersen,manager of ASA’s Colli-sion Division, “is thatASA continue to pressState Farm for data on

this point and advocatefor greater assurancesagainst any negative im-pacts on parts profit. It isalso vital to get a clearunderstanding of datacollection and the impli-cations of the usage ofthe data on the repaircommunity.”

The ASA team also dis-cussed State Farm’s useof repairer data and its effect – and implication –on the Select Servicescorecard, including therelationship between re-pairers and their localState Farm claims repre-sentatives. According toState Farm, “Repairersare under no obligationto purchase the least ex-pensive part(s). Select

Service repairers shouldcontinue to balance thescorecard components –quality, efficiency andcompetitive price –when servicing StateFarm customers.” WhatASA believes is critical– and was stressed byASA repairers at themeeting – is the nega-tive psychological effectof the repairer selectingthe appropriate part forthe job, and that choicepotentially having anegative impact on theirSelect Service scorecard.This, followed by a con-versation between therepairer and the localState Farm claims repabout parts selection af-ter the transaction has

occurred, createsgreater confusion andmistrust between the re-pairer and State Farm.At the end of the day,ASA stated, it’s the re-pairer who is responsi-ble for providing thebest possible repair andmaking judgments onwhat part to pick, notState Farm.

ASA collision leadersthen asked State Farmrepresentatives, “If ASAwere to join others in op-posing this pilot today,would that stop ad-vancement of the pilot?”State Farm replied, “No,this is a pilot, and thetesting of the applicationwill continue. Becausemany acknowledge the



need for electronic partssourcing and ordering,State Farm does not seevalue in stopping this test.”

“As the industry hasseen, a ‘no’ to the pilotwill not stop it, nor is‘no’ changing the pilot,”said ASA’s Caspersen.“It’s not a ‘yes’ fromASA; it’s engagement.And, in order for repair-ers to bring forth theirconcerns and negotiatepositive outcomes – in-cluding a reduction inthe two-hour processingtime (now lowered to 30minutes); more efficientintegration with thethree major estimatingsystems; additional con-trols within the quoting

process (supplier quoteplaceholders); and theremoval of the discount-ed MSRP column (ourbiggest accomplishmentto date) – it’s essentialthat the ASA team con-tinue to ad-dress StateFarm, Parts-Trader and allothers willingto participatein analysis ofthe pilot.”

ASA commends themany collision repairmembers speaking up onbehalf of repairers na-tionwide. Caspersensaid, “It’s not one personspeaking to State Farm;what State Farm repshear from ASA repre-

sents the consensus ofASA’s collision repairleaders, all of whom are shop owners and managers.”

Caspersen added, “Ac-complishing removal of

the discounted MSRPcolumn is a prime exam-ple of the importance ofrepairers being at thetable of discussion. I can-not over-emphasize thevalue of the engagementof the ASA collision lead-ership – a diverse group

of shop owners repre-senting businesses largeto small, from independ-ent to MSO, and fromnon-DRP shops to SelectService shops – as ASA navigates through

the piloting of this application.”

ASA says additionalinformation was collect-ed and provided duringAutomotive Service andRepair Week (ASRW) inNew Orleans Oct. 10-13,2012.


www.bodyshopbusiness.com 67Circle 67 for Reader Service

“What is vital here is that ASA continue to press State

Farm for data on this point and advocate for greater

assurances against any negative impacts on parts profit.”

— Denise Caspersen, manager, ASA Collision Division

The Boyd Group Inc. has

acquired Preferred Auto

Body in Portage, Ind., which

will now operate under the

Gerber Collision & Glass

name. With the addition of

this 5,950-square-foot facil-

ity, the Boyd Group owns and

operates nine repair centers

in Indiana, which brings the

total number of U.S. loca-

tions to 154.

“Portage is the largest city

in Porter County and the

third largest in northwest

Indiana,” said Tim O’Day,

president and COO of the

Boyd Group’s U.S.

operations. “The addition of

the new Portage repair cen-

ter expands our footprint to

better serve customers and

insurance partners in this

growing market.”

Caliber CollisionCenters announcedthat it has acquired

Hooman Collision Centerin Inglewood, Calif.

“Today’s acquisitionand grand opening of ournew Ladera Heights loca-tion increases our LosAngeles locations to 18 aswe continue implement-ing our 2012 expansionplans,” said Caliber CEOSteve Grimshaw. “Thisnew center provides ad-

ditional Caliber Collisioncapacity in the largest au-tomobile market in theU.S. while providing ourinsurance clients the cus-tomer focus, operationalconsistency and costmanagement they de-mand in today’s competi-tive insurance market.”

Caliber Collision’snewly acquired 30,000-square-foot collision re-pair facility is located lessthan two miles from the



Consolidators Gerber Collision &Glass Opens NewLocation in Indiana

Caliber Collision Opens 18th Los Angeles-Based Store

LAX airport at 737 NorthLa Brea Avenue.

Added Caliber COOMark Sanders, “Ournewest Los Angeles loca-tion provides yet anotherexample of how we con-tinue to grow across theCalifornia market as thecollision repair providerof choice in every com-munity we serve. To-day’s opening brings thetotal number of CaliberCollision locations to 112as we restore the rhythmof our customer’s livesacross California, Ne-vada, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma.”

Maaco Launches New Incentivesfor Multi-Shop Operators

Maaco announced that it has launched a new multi-

store operator (MSO) program that includes incentives

such as lower license fees and royalty reductions for

additional locations.

The price of one Maaco license is $30,000 under the new

program, with more discounts for each additional store. Two

licenses are $45,000, three are $55,000, four are $60,000

and five are $65,000. After the fifth license, each additional

license is $5,000. Opening multiple stores also comes with

royalty reductions for the additional stores for the first three

years. Royalties will be 2 percent for the first year, 4 percent

for the second and 6 percent for the third.

“Multi-unit operators are an excellent way for franchise

systems to grow, and we wanted to make sure we were

offering incentives to entice these kinds of owners,” said

Jason Barclay, vice president of franchise development for

Maaco. “We want to build on the success our existing multi-

unit operators have had by making it easier for new

franchisees to get more than one license. We think there are

Continued on pg. 70

Service King Collision RepairCenters has closed its acqui-sition of Auto Body World

Inc., which has eight large-scale,high-volume locations throughoutmetro Phoenix and Casa Grande.Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

By joining Service King, AutoBody World becomes a part of thethird largest collision repair com-pany in North America with 51Texas locations throughout theDallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, SanAntonio and Austin areas.

Service King’s expansionacross Texas over the last threeyears has taken it from the sixthto the third largest collision re-pair company in North America,doubling revenue and locationcount.

“We welcome our new team-mates in Arizona to the ServiceKing family,” said Service KingCEO Chris Abraham. “We’re excit-ed about the opportunity here. Ari-zona is special because it’s our firstventure outside of Texas, but it’snot our last.

“Service King is committed tocontinuing Auto Body World’slong tradition of excellent cus-tomer service and quality repairswith good relationships in the in-surance industry. We are honoredto add Auto Body World’s talent-ed teammates and skilled techni-cians to our base of over 1,400Service King teammates through-out Texas, and bringing our samelevel of health, retirement and ca-reer benefits to all new teammatesin Arizona.”

Added Auto Body World Presi-dent Mark Turner, “We are veryexcited about Auto Body Worldjoining the Service King Team.Both companies believe that we’rea great match for each other inthat we share very common cul-tures, and while Service King

brings national insurance relation-ships and financial strength, AutoBody World brings dominance in

a new market, with a strong oper-ations team and platform for rap-id growth.”





Service King Closes Acquisition of Auto Body World

attended the event. In ad-dition to Heights Body &Motor Works1, Pascucciand his staff have operat-ed Wheel-Inn Body &Motor Works for the past30 years.

According to 1Colli-sion Network, HeightsBody & Motor Works1 isa modern, state-of-the-art facility featuring thelatest technology in colli-sion repair, an expertstaff of trained profes-sionals and a comfort-able customer area withall the amenities.

“Our expert staff isproud and enthused to beserving the collision re-pair needs of our friends

and neighbors inProspect Heights and thesurrounding communi-ties,” said Pascucci.

Added 1Collision Net-work President Jim

Keller, “We’re proud tohave Wheel-Inn Body &Motor Works andHeights Body & MotorWorks1 join the 1Colli-sion family of locations.”



1Collision Adds Two Illinois Body Shops to Network

1Collision, a Midwestchain of independent col-lision repair shops thatoperate with an estab-lished set of standard op-erating procedures,announced the additionof WHEEL-INN Body &Motor Works in Wheel-ing, Ill., and HEIGHTSBody & Motor Works1 inProspect Heights, Ill., toits network.

The grand opening ofHeights Body & MotorWorks1 was held Sep-tember 26 at its new loca-tion at 871 E. Palatine Rd.in Prospect Heights.Owner Joe Pascucci, em-ployees, friends, businessassociates and the press

a number of potential franchisees interested in expanding

quickly that will appreciate these MSO incentives.”

Maaco has nearly 500 franchised locations across North

America and system-wide sales of nearly $500 million. The

company plans to continue to expand its presence in mar-

kets across the U.S., and growth projections call for approxi-

mately 60 new centers to be opened by July 2013. Markets

targeted for expansion include Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago,

Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix,

Pittsburgh and Rochester, N.Y.

The estimated initial investment for a Maaco repair center

ranges from $300,000 to $400,000, including a $30,000 fran-

chise fee. Maaco provides veterans with a 25 percent

discount off its franchise fee through VetFran.

Maaco continued from pg. 68

The last straw was when TimWall accidentally knockedover one of the “Christmastree stands” or tripods in his

booth set up to facilitate the dryingof waterborne paint. The stand,mounted with air amplifiers, fellonto the car Wall was painting,denting the door he was blending.And that’s when he knew there hadto be a better way.

This was three years ago. Wallhad been forced into painter dutyafter his regular painter quit dueto problems the shop was havingadjusting to the transition to wa-terborne. And that’s when he real-ized the shortcomings of thetripod stands.

“They were always in my way,”says Wall. “Especially if I was mov-ing down the side of a car, youwould have to stop, shut the airvalves off and slide it out of theway. Plus, I had to contend withthe air hose from my air-suppliedrespirator I was dragging aroundwith me.”

So Wall started getting quotesfrom companies to retrofit the boothwith an alternative drying system.Wall says one system cost $34,000,and the other was $24,000 to$27,000.

“That just wasn’t an option for usat the time, especially since the re-cession was in its prime,” he says.

The tripod stands worked wellas far as drying the basecoat, butWall thought they would be better

if he could swing them out of theway. So he came up with the“Wall Dryer,” a flexible arm withan air amplifier attached to it thatcould be affixed to sprayboothwalls via magnets.

Wall’s original design had theWall Dryer bolted to the boothwall, but he soon discovered mag-nets worked better. The develop-ment process, which consisted ofthree different designs, took twoyears. Once he enlisted the help ofone of his body technicians tobuild a prototype, he started usingthem in his booth and found thatthey worked great.

“I brought in a few people fromthe industry to come by and checkthem out and they said I would becrazy not to patent this and that Icould make millions,” says Wall.

Wall took their advice, got a



Circle 71 for Reader Service Circle 91 for Reader Service

NationalVirginia Body Shop OwnerInvents New WaterborneDrying Device

Tim Wall, inventor of the Wall Dryer.

patent and took on the production of the Wall Dryer inhis own shop.

“If it really takes off, we’ll have to add on to the cur-rent facility or set up production in a different facility,”says Wall.

And that just might happen. Wall has already re-ceived an order from a distributor for 1,000 units.

Wall estimates he has invested almost $20,000 intoturning the Wall Dryer from an idea to reality, and feelsthe sky is the limit as far as future sales.

“Was my idea to get rich off this? I would love to re-tire off this, but I don’t foresee that,” Wall says. “I proba-bly wouldn’t retire but keep on investing in it. It hasdone wonders for my crew here at the shop. A coupleguys have actually come up with other ideas here thatwe may end up doing once [the Wall Dryer] gets going.This could turn into a whole other business becausethere are some other simple little tools we’ve made foryears that some of the guys are now saying, ‘Hey, whydon’t we put some patents on these things and see if wecan sell them, too?’”

Wall wouldn’t exactly call himself Thomas Edison, buthe, like other shop owners, has come up with tools in thepast to help his shop run more efficiently. For example, hecreated racks for storing parts that hang from the ceiling,which saves floor space and keeps his 7,000-square-footshop organized. But the Wall Dryer is the first thing hedreamed up that he actually thought was patentable.

How many Wall Dryers would a typical shop need?Wall recommends 10, which is the number he has in his15- by 28-foot booth: two in the front, two in the rear

and three down each side. With eachunit costing less than $200 (not in-cluding the air amplifiers), the totalcost would be under $2,000.

When Wall initially transitionedto waterborne, dry time was 10 to12 minutes in the humid environ-ment of Virginia. But now he claimsthat in the most humid months ofthe year, dry time has been reducedto three minutes.

“The reason is because you haveair flow right at the panel forcing thewater out versus having a systemwhere you just have turbulent airthat moves around the booth softly,”he says.

The color of the Wall Dryer?Green. “We thought it was perfectbecause of the whole waterborneconcept: earth- friendly and goinggreen.”



Circle 122 for Reader Service »


American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

has announced the launch of the

ProFirst body shop recognition

program. Open to both dealer-owned

and independent collision repair

shops, the program is designed to

promote the correct, complete and

safe repair of Honda and Acura vehi-

cles and provide support to shops

that have demonstrated a commit-

ment to a high level of customer care

and satisfaction.

To qualify, shops must conduct a

minimum number of transactions

using OEConnection’s CollisionLink

software, be a designated I-CAR Gold

Class Professionals business and

have at least one person presently

employed by the shop who has com-

pleted the Collision Repair for Honda

and Acura Vehicles course (HON01).

“CollisionLink is a component of

the ProFirst program because of the

numerous benefits it provides to both

shops and dealers," said Bill Lopez,

director of OEM program

development at OEConnection.

“Through CollisionLink, shops can

take advantage of Honda’s Collision

Select parts program, which enables

them to use more genuine Honda and

Acura parts while managing their

overall repair costs. CollisionLink

also helps to increase efficiencies

and parts ordering accuracy, which

means fewer returns, faster cycle

times and, ultimately, more satisfied

customers."

Qualifying shops will receive a

plaque, a place on the shop-locator

tool on the recently-launched Ameri-

can Honda consumer website, free

access to the Honda and Acura parts

catalog, parts bulletins, and service

and repair information.


Circle 93 for Reader Service« Circle 123 for Reader Service

CorporateNewsHonda Launches ProFirst BodyShop Recognition Program

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

(Act of August 12, 1970; Section 3685.Title 39. United States Code.)

BodyShop Business is published monthlyat 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, Ohio44333-8318, Summit County. Headquartersand general business offices are also lo-cated at 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron,Ohio 44333-8318, Summit County. Publica-tion no. is 0730-7241. Filing date is 9/20/12.Issue frequency is monthly with 12 issuespublished annually. Annual subscriptionprice is $69.

BodyShop Business’s publisher is S. Scott Shriber. The editor is Jason Stahl,and the associate editor is Gina Kuzmick.All are located at 3550 Embassy Parkway,Akron, Ohio 44333-8318, Summit County.

BodyShop Business is owned by William E.Babcox, located at 3550 Embassy Pkwy.,Akron, Ohio 44333. Known bondholders,mortgagees and other security holders own-ing or holding 1 percent or more of totalamount of bonds, mortgages or other secu-rities: none.

BodyShop Business’s Extent and Natureof Circulation are: (Issue date for circulationdata below is August 2012.)

Average no. Actual no. copies each copies of issue during single issue preceding nearest to 12 months filing date

A. Total No. Copies (net press run) 52,693 52,605

B. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mailand Outside the Mail)1. Individual Paid/

Requested MailSubscriptionsStated on PSForm 3541. (Includedirect written requestfrom recipient, tele-marketing and Internetrequests from recipient, paid subscriptions in-cluding nominal ratesubscriptions, adver-tisers’ proof copies and exchange copies) 52,100 52,140

C. Total Paid and/orRequested Circulation 52,100 52,140

D. NonrequestedDistribution (By Mail and Outsidethe Mail) 238 110

E. Total NonrequestedDistribution (Sum of15d (1), (2) and (3) 238 110

F. Total Distribution(sum of 15c and e) 52,338 52,250

G. Copies notDistributed 355 355

H. Total (Sum of 15fand g) 52,693 52,605

I. Percent Paid and/orRequestedCirculation 99.5 99.8

I certify that all above statements madeby me are correct and complete.

Pat Robinson, Circulation Manager


Sherwin-Williams Au-tomotive Finishes an-nounced it will hold

its A-Plus Network annualVision Conference at theLa Quinta Resort and Spain Palm Springs, Calif.,Dec. 5-7, 2012. The confer-ence will provide morethan 100 North Americancollision facility ownersand managers with train-ing, top industry speakersand group breakout ses-sions, all with an emphasison continued success in adifficult economic climate.

The A-Plus Network ismade up of an exclusivegroup of collision repairspecialists who reflect theindustry’s highest stan-

dards. They are part of theSherwin-Williams valueadded program that com-bines business solutions tohelp them improve cus-tomer service, employeegrowth, insurance relation-ships, process refinement,productivity and prof-itability.

The conference agendawill feature many out-standing industry leadersand speakers from the col-lision repair and businessarena, including:

� Keynote speaker: RexGreen, managing director,BB&T Capital Markets

� Matthew Ohrnstein,managing director, Sym-phony Advisors

� Susanna Gotsch, di-rector and industry ana-lyst, CCC InformationSystems Inc.

� Tom Hablitzel, presi-dent, Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes

� Roundtable conductedby Steve Feltovich, man-ager of business consultingservices, and Lee Rush,strategic account manager,multiple shop operators(MSO)/auto auctions; bothwith Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotive Finishes.

After the keynote andguest speakers are fin-ished, a number of break-out sessions will be held intandem with peer-to-peerdiscussion groups

throughout the three-dayevent. The discussiongroups will give attendeesthe chance to review finan-cial performance, discusslean implementation, buildmarketing plans and de-fine their goals.

“This upcoming nation-al conference is just one ofseveral meetings our Vi-sion Group members at-tend and interactextensively with theirpeers. These are all de-signed to keep their busi-nesses at the industryforefront,” said TroyNeuerburg, manager ofmarketing business servic-es at Sherwin-Williams Au-tomotive Finishes.



Sherwin-Williams to Host Annual Vision Conference in Palm Springs, Calif.

ProductShowcase

Quickly Secure Vehicle Title The IAA Title Management and Title Tracker havebeen developed in collaboration with insurancecompanies, enabling IAA to understand the user’sand the industry’s need for both a full service anda self-service title procurement offering. These solutions help to reduce the length of time it takesto secure a vehicle title and sell the vehicle at oneof IAA’s 160-plus auctions. This translates into im-proved cycle time, increased returns and overallresource savings.Insurance Auto Auctionswww.iaa-auctions.com


Color-Coded Polishing SystemThe siachrome Polishing System utilizesa color code to ensure process-reliablepolishing. The system includes “CUT,” ascratch remover in a yellow-accentedbottle; “FINISH,” a micro-scratch andswirl mark remover in a black-accentedbottle; and “PEARL,” a white-accentedbottle that contains a glossy paintsealant. The “MAGIC” cleaner can alsobe used with the system. sia Abrasiveswww.sia-USA.com


Speedy ‘Green’ Clearcoatclick&go from AkzoNobel is a “pouch andframe” packaging solution designed tomaximize productivity and efficiency.Painters simply open the package to com-bine the clearcoat and hardener. Once thepackage is closed and given a quick shake,it’s immediately ready to be secured onthe paint gun – reducing prep time andenvironmental waste while speeding upthe job.AkzoNobelwww.akzonobel.com


Eliminate FilmyResidueWizards’ Mystic Spray Wax pro-vides an instant bond on all painttypes with a glossafter applicationand sustained waterbeading and slick-ness wash afterwash, according tothe company. It’sdesigned to elimi-nate hazing andwhite filmyresidues, and can beused on any hardsurfaces as a drywash, quick detaileror wax extender. Wizards Productswww.wizardsproducts.com


Expand Your WebPresenceSummit Site Builder helps shops expand their website presence socustomers can find what they needwhen they need it. SCI handles thedesign, development, maintenanceand hosting. The result is a collisioncenter website that’s more informa-tive, interactive and searchable. Summit Consulting Internationalwww.sciusa.com



»| Product Showcase |«

Battery-Operated Hot StaplerThe Cordless Hot Stapler is Ameri-ca’s first battery-operated hot staplerplastic repair kit. It uses heat to em-bed one of the included stainlesssteel Breakaway StapleClips into theplastic to “stitch” tears in plasticback together. The staples can beused on any part, while a light-weight, cordless construction givesthe technician maneuverability andagility. The kit includes seven typesof Breakaway StapleClips, three in-terchangeable angled tip adapters, acharging adapter and a storage box.Dent Fix Equipmentwww.dentfix.com


iPad-Friendly Estimating SystemThe CCC ONE Tablet expands the system’s mobile presence to the iPad 3.With a larger, easy-to-read screen, users can more easily capture customerinformation, view estimates and manageproduction. They can also scan the VIN,capture administrative information andtake photos – all from the same device. CCC Information Services Inc.www.ccc.cccis.com


User-Friendly LiftThe new PCL-18 portable column lift sys-tem features an easy-to-use design that reduces operator fatigue. The six-inch di-ameter Cush-Ride front wheels feature anadjustable active leaf spring design thatprovides variable up-front ground clear-ance for smooth traveling over unevenfloors, deteriorating asphalt, expansionseams and thresholds. Intuitive touchpad controls allow users to oper-ate, view and change operation parameters directly from each individ-ual, touch-sensitive display. BendPakwww.bendpak.com


Eliminate EstimatingGuessworkALLDATA Compliance automatical-ly verifies estimates against regula-tions applicable to repairs, DRPguidelines and shop business rules.This eliminates guesswork and re-duces lookup times, ultimately re-sulting in greater shop productivity.Shop owners can create and complywith customized internal businessrules as well. ALLDATAwww.alldata.com


Protect Customers from Faulty PartsAs the nation’s leading automotive parts certifica-tion organization, CAPA protects you and your cus-tomers from inferior replacement parts. Only partsthat pass specific tests earn the right to be calledgenuine CAPA Certified replacement parts.Certified Automotive Parts Associationwww.capacertified.org


Permanently Repair CracksThe MS-2500 Magna-Stitcher Plastic Repair System has all the power and accessories need-ed for structural repair of plastic parts. It worksby welding a rigid stainless steel stake into thesurface of the plastic, resulting in a permanent repairof the crack. This American-made system features apowerful work light in the gun to illuminate hard-to-seeareas and comes with an assortment of Magna-Stakes. Motor Guard www.motorguard.com



»| Product Showcase |«


Remove Moisture forSuper Dry AirThe Solution from Martech workswith the existing compressed airsource to generate clean, dry, heatedatomizing air. When placed near thepoint of use, the four-stage filtrationis outfitted with an automatic mois-ture discharger. The clean air is thenfurther filtered to remove moisture content for super dry air. A controller allowsusers to set the temperature of the atomizing up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.Martech Services Companywww.breathingsystems.com


No Towers in the WayThe Multiple Vector Pull gives you to-tal access to the bottom of a car with-out having to push big, bulky pulltowers out of the way. Being able toput multiple pulls close together onone rail makes pulling safer by evenlydistributing the pull load. BlackJack Frame Machineswww.blackjackframe.com


Ultra Velocity ClearcoatLightning Clear is a high quality, ultra velocity urethane clearcoat thatcan be used for spot and panel re-pairs. It features outstanding gloss,fast air dry and easy buffing in 20 to30 minutes, according to the compa-ny. It performs well in all boothtypes, allowing increased productiv-ity and reduced cycle times. Used asdirected, the ready-to-spray VOC is2.1 lbs./gal. (251.66 g/L).Vogel Automotive Coatingswww.axiscoatings.com


Unlock Vehicle from OutsideBigEasy Lockout Kits make gettinginto a locked vehicle a cinch. Simplyinsert the included non-marring orinflatable wedge to relieve enoughpressure to open the door, then usethe tip of the BigEasy to manipulatethe electric/sliding lock button ordoor handle. Kits also include a lockknob lifter and a paint protector.Steck Manufacturingwww.steckmfg.com


Air Cleaner for Small ShopsU.S. Body Products/Airomax has a new smaller air cleaner suitable for shopsup to 700 square feet in size. After using the Model 700, the shop air will be

75 to 90 percent cleaner, claims thecompany. With an included silencer,this product features a special priceof $1,095 until Dec. 31, 2012. U.S. Body Productswww.usbodyproducts.com


High Performance Waterborne PrimerEnvirobase High Performance EPW115 Waterborne SpeedPrime is the latest addition to PPG’s waterborne product line.It offers direct-to-metal performance and may be applied overproperly prepared substrates, including cold rolled steel, alu-minum and galvanized metals, plastic, E-coat, OEM or previ-ously repaired refinish paints. It air dries quickly and is readyto sand in 30 minutes. It has a 24-hour pot life and is currentlyavailable in gray, with black and white options available soon.PPG Automotive Refinishwww.ppgrefinish.com



www.morganmfg.com

Body Shop Tools • [email protected]

3/8" and 1/2" Diameter heat treated alloy steel slide hammer hooks.

3/8" Diameter right angle hooks now available. Part No’s JR-16R & JR-16RF

MarkiNgpeNdepot.coMCollision Shops, Towing, Auction Sites,

Dealers, Recyclers, OEMs

Tow Pro $2.50Autowriter $3.50Posca $3.50Bopagla $2.00Unipaint $3.86MPD-15 $1.30Volume Discounts!

Call 888-906-9370 or online atmarkingpendepot.com

MIG / TIG / PLASMA / SPOT* Fixed & Flex-Neck Torches * Tips / Nozzles / Caps / Diffusers

* Wire / Rods / Tungsten * Helmets / Gloves / Safety Gear

The Body Shop SpecialistsToll-Free 1-866-568-3170

WELDINGDIRECT.COM

»| Classifieds |«

»| Classifieds |«


Body Shop Inventory & Web Softwareby Rossknecht Software www.rossknecht.com

A Windows® inventory system for BodyShops that also salvage vehicles or havenew/used parts to sell – vehicle and parts

inventory, invoicing, reports, instant sales totals,bar-code labels, digital pictures, electronic cata-log of body parts. NEW: Put your inventory on yourWebsite included.No monthly fees. $895 complete. Free Demo [email protected] phone 303-884-5315

Order your Wheels at:www.newwheel.com

or 800-486-0931

• Original Equipment Wheels In Stock• Limited Lifetime Guarantee• 1000s of Wheels In Stock• Affordable Prices

We ship from eight different locations:Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles,Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami

Alloy Wheel Remanufacturing

BodyShop Business ClassifiedCall Tom Staab today at 330-670-1234 ext. 224

1-800-472-4551Wholesale Body Shop REFINISHING SUPPLIES:Sherwin Williams, Sunfire, Spies, House of Color, Dimen-sion, AWLGRIP, 3M, Marson, Fiberglass-evercoat, USC,SEM, Mequires, Pin Stripe, Binks, DeVilbiss, SATA, Tools& Equipment!

Great Service & Lowest Prices.Paints Plus, Stover, MO.

www.paintsplus.com

1.800.529.2640W W W . K AY C O S P R AY B O O T H S . C O M

QualitySolutions forthe Collision

Industry

Now Dismantling 2011 HondasNew, never used � Most models � Fronts,

doors & clips � Mechanical & interiors

View @ partsbyweller.comOr call 616-538-5000

Parts, Parts... and More Parts

Then, around 1980, the Escort arrivedon the scene and brought with it the FL400. Today, the Ford stores tell me thereare about six different kinds of filters.

I know that doesn’t sound like a bigjump, but that’s only the number of fil-ters – and on one manufacturer! What

about all the other manufactur-ers (the number of them has

also doubled in the sameamount of time) and all theincreased number of modelseach of them produces?When you add in the com-ponents and technologythat’s in and on vehicles today, it all adds up to the

condition known as “partsproliferation.”

Parts prolifera-tion is not entire-

ly new in thisbusiness. Ithas been onthe increasefor many

years. The OEs individually have tried toget the condition in check over the last 10years, but with all the other influences Idescribed above, it continues to grow ex-ponentially. With the intense competitionat the automaker level to bring out newproducts, and the rate at which technolo-gy is changing, don’t look for this phe-nomenon to decrease anytime soon.

The good news is that we have excel-lent inventory and catalog systems avail-able to assist us in managing all therequired inventories. Logistics is lightyears ahead of where it used to be, andthe supply chain has been streamlined totake unnecessary steps and time out ofmoving it through the system. Remem-ber, this is the aftermarket. For morethan 60 years, we have solved the prob-lems of parts and keeping the nearly 240million vehicles in the U.S. on the road. I know we’re up to this particular chal-lenge, too.

By the way, did you know that the2014 Honda Accord Hybrid goes on salein January?

Publisher’sPerspective

S. Scott Shriber, Publisher

Email comments to [email protected]

When I started my official career in the automotive business 33 years ago, theNo. 1-selling SKU was the FL1-A. This Motorcraft spin-on filter fit every Fordproduced with a spin-on filter, except for a few applications that required ashorter filter – and that was an FL 300. That’s all you needed to know and have

on the shelf to cover oil filters for all the Fords out there.

body shop business, november 2012

Documents

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