Friday - Feb. 29, 2008

• E-mail insult riles industry leader - ABRN: Legal expert says note from a Nationwide director instructed employee to perform illegal act -- The memo shows that Nationwide had no intention of negotiating in good faith to try to arrive at common ground on the estimate, according to Anderson.
• Steve Regan appointed to SCRS Board of Directors - ABRN: Steve Regan, former executive director and current communications and public relations consultant of the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA), has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) where he will fulfill the remainder of the term of Chad Sulkala, who recently resigned his position.
• Hearing Held to Review Connecticut Anti-Steering Bill - glassBYTEs: If passed, the bill would amend the current law: (b) No insurance company doing business in this state, or agent or adjuster for such company shall recommend, request or require any insured to use a specific person for the provision of automobile physical damage repairs, automobile glass replacement, glass repair service or glass products. [unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the insured.]
• Nippon Sheet to Cut Jobs to Pay for Pilkington, Board Considers Revision of Articles of Incorporation - glassBYTEs: Nippon Sheet Glass Co. (NSG) said on Thursday it would aim to cut the number of managers in Japan to help pay down debt taken on for its $4 billion acquisition of British glassmaker Pilkington in 2006 by implementing an "Enhanced Early Retirement Plan."
• ASA Plans Tour of Winchester Mansion - Host City Offers Many Entertainment Options During ASA Convention
• Shop service, sans charge - A Sacramento body shop is launching a program to provide free quarterly service to needy motorists in the Sacramento metropolitan area. (2nd story down)
• Hot-Rod Visionary Boyd Coddington Dies at Age 63 -  His name became so popular that Dupont paint even came out with a Boyd Red paint color. -- Chip Foose and Jesse James went on to their own stardom after working in his shop.
• Winter windfall: Auto body shops do big business - MI: Auto body shops these days are busier than accounting firms in tax season, thanks to an endless round of snowstorms that have sent cars skidding off roads and crashing into each other.
• Snow Aftermath - NY: As a result, auto body shops are busy today with repairs. -- "We're doing bumpers, headlights, rear bumpers, fenders," says Bob Ensign, President of Ensign Autobody.
• Insurers hit by one wet winter - WI: As snow totals are growing, so are damage claims
• Car biz sees good, bad in winter weather - IL: This winter's avalanche of snow and ice has been heaven for ski enthusiasts -- but it's been hell on wheels. -- Insurance claims are up, and the availability of rental cars is down.
• Joyride: 23 cars damaged at Bend dealership - The general manager believes the $10,000 car is totaled. The other vehicles will be taken to a collision repair center.
• Top Reasons for Car Wrecks - A lot of car accidents are blamed on bad weather, but statistics show weather is not the most likely cause of a crash.  In fact, it doesn’t make the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s list of the top 5 causes of car wrecks.
• Auto program gets NATEF certified - MI: Doug Hoffman, career technical director for Van Buren Public Schools, is pleased to announce that the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation has congratulated the Automotive Service Program on their recertification and commitment to excellence.
• Major European Tire Manufacturer Purchases Advanced ID Tire Products - The RFID technology solution from Advanced ID will enable market participants to inexpensively track tires for passenger safety precautions as well as provide for automotive industry administrative benefits.
• Auto parts company fined after accident - A Mississauga auto parts manufacturer was fined $60,000 by an Ontario court after the company pleaded guilty for failing follow safe practices for its workers. -- Two workers were injured when one of them attempted to pass a bumper down from the ladder stand to his co-worker standing below.
• LKQ Corporation Q4 2007 Earnings Call Transcript - February 27, 2008, 10:30 am ET
• Parts firms say closings inevitable after budget - Canada's reeling auto-parts industry says it expects even more closings this year than in 2007 after the federal government's budget provided little immediate aid to keep companies alive until market conditions improve.
• GM, Ford cited for quality gains - Asian brands top Consumer Reports list
• Toyota to Roll Out New Five-Passenger Wagon - 2009 Toyota Venza: Think of the five-passenger Venza as a wagon offshoot of the Camry, since both share the same platform and powertrains.
• GM, Ford Sales Probably Fell as U.S. Consumer Confidence Waned - General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the two largest U.S. automakers, probably will say sales fell again this month as consumers stung by slumping home values steered clear of showrooms. -- Sales of GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC dropped by at least 14 percent from year-earlier levels, according to the average estimate of eight analysts in a Bloomberg survey.
• Options: Ford Counters GM's OnStar with SmartAlert - GM has been cashing in with their OnStar services now for years. While it hasn’t made them number one in sales, it is a unique product that many people want. Ford has now entered the fray with their own version of the satellite safety and communications system called “SmartAlert”.
• Consumer Advisory: NHTSA Warns Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Owners of Fire Hazards Involving Faulty Cruise Control Switches in Recalled Vehicles That Have Not Been Repaired - Owners of Recalled Vehicles are Urged to Bring Vehicles to Dealers Immediately to Disconnect Faulty Switches
• Tacoma Truck Owners Challenge Feds' Findings - Some Owners Claim Trucks Surge Forward
• Mechanic faces more charges - NY: A local mechanic who has been arrested twice in connection with the false registering of cars now faces more charges. -- Ferdinando "Fred" Perillo, 57, of 8 Starr Ave., the owner of Fred's Auto Body on State Street, allegedly ripped off more than 14 customers between June 2004 and November 2007.
• NDP demands inquiry into ICBC research centre - Canada: NDP Leader Carole James wants to know if staff have been repairing damaged vehicles and reselling them without informing buyers.
• Alleged leader of Santa Clara County auto insurance fraud ring arrested - The largely San Jose-based group allegedly reported at least 22 fake car accidents to various insurance companies in a five-year period, prosecutors said. -- In the course of handling some of the claims, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and Safeco insurance companies noticed something wrong and alerted the California Department of Insurance in 2004, officials said.
• While Washington Dithers, States Craft SMB Health Plans - For the past eight years, lawmakers in Washington have dithered and debated while the health insurance crisis has grown increasingly worse. At last count, skyrocketing costs have forced 47 million Americans to forego insurance and put their health at risk. The majority of those work in small businesses.
• Insurance agent remembers training, catches suspect - Warren Keith no longer wears a police badge, but his training kicked in this week when he chased down a suspected hit and run driver in Yuma.
• Driver rams into auto insurance business - Let's hope she has insurance.
• Plan to boost minimum auto insurance rates upsets industry - UT: A bill that would raise minimum mandatory auto insurance rates aroused opposition from an unlikely camp.
• GEICO Donates Thousands to Medical Center - The Medical Center of Central Georgia was on the receiving end of a large check Wednesday.
• Report: Auto Claim Frequency Drops But Claim Severity on the Rise - Falling auto injury claim frequency and rising claim severity have created an unsettled auto injury claim environment countrywide, according to a new industry report.
• Consumer Groups: Mass. Auto System Unfair to Many Good Drivers - The new managed competition auto insurance system being implemented in Massachusetts rewards many bad drivers and penalizes many good drivers based on certain supposedly-prohibited social factors, according to the latest charges by critics.
• Liberty Mutual to open office in Springfield with 300 jobs - MA: Liberty Mutual Group announced plans Thursday to hire up to 300 people for a new Springfield office, the second business to announce expansion plans in the city in as many days.

Thursday - Feb. 28, 2008

• Officials: Car Repair 'Steering' Cuts Corners - Rocky Hill, Conn. -- Some state officials believe a program designed to expedite auto body repairs could put safety in jeopardy. -- Channel 3 I-Team reporter Eric Parker reported the Painter family from Rocky Hill was startled to discover the technician working on their car had cut corners.
• AIA Testifies Against SB 288 At Connecticut Committee Hearing - The American Insurance Association (AIA) submitted testimony strongly opposing Connecticut Senate Bill 288, legislation that would require insurers to pay only the “usual and customary” labor rates and prohibit insurers from recommending the use of certain auto repair facilities.
• Copy of the AIA Testimony - This written statement is submitted by the American Insurance Association (AIA). AIA is a national trade association representing property-casualty insurance companies that write automobile insurance in every U.S. regulatory jurisdiction, including Connecticut. AIA strongly opposes Senate Bill 288, An Act Concerning an Insured’s Right to Choose a Motor Vehicle Repairer.
• Senate Bill 288
• Are Insurance Companies Steering Car Owners to Bad Body Shops?  Choosing the best body shop to repair your car is never an easy decision. Now, some customers complain that some insurance companies are steering them to body shops that might not be best for their cars.
• Defendants File Motion for Summary Judgment in Novus Non-Compete Suit - glassBYTEs: The defendants in a non-compete suit filed by Novus Franchising Inc. in Savage, Minn., have filed a motion for partial summary judgment. The suit originally was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Fourth Judicial District of the State of Minnesota against Nathan Hemperley and Corey Hemperly of the Windshield Doctor in Pocatello, Idaho, and Rande Oksendahl of Windshield Rescue.
• AIA Document: Informed Consumer Choice on Auto Repairs Under Attack - CA: SB 1167 Would Deny Consumers Vital Information About Longer Guarantees for Automotive Repairs
• Lawmakers Lead the Fight in Protecting Enthusiasts’ Rights - Pending State Legislation Would Allow Backyard Restorations
• Costly Car Repairs - Making sense of the gas price roller coaster is enough drive anyone mad. -- But the good news is that there are ways to "beat the system" so to speak- and not just when it comes to gas.
• West Fargo Auto Body & Glass takes pride in customer service - ND: Through the year’s, the professional mission at West Fargo Auto Body and Glass has remained the same – to provide its clients with the highest quality, most trustworthy, vehicle repair workmanship they’ll find anywhere.
• Vietti Auto Body Shop to mark 60 years - KS: Vietti Auto Body Shop, a fixture of Pittsburg's business landscape for decades, will mark two milestones on Friday.
• Premiere for environmentally friendly car-tuning paints - At the Paris Tuning Show, BASF Coatings’ R-M paint brand presents world premieres and real eye-catchers with CARIZZMA
• LKQ 2008 Outlook About Consensus - LKQ Corp. issued a 2008 earnings outlook above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, but said it will post hefty capital expenditures, including some that were delayed last year. -- The auto-products company expects earnings of $102 million, or 73 cents per share, to $108 million, or 77 cents per share. Those figures exclude any expenses related to its acquisition of Keystone Automotive Industries Inc. in October.
• Magna Profit Falls 3.4% on Costs, Auto-Assembly Slump - Magna International Inc., Canada's largest auto-parts maker, said fourth-quarter profit fell 3.4 percent on costs to close plants and a slowdown in the company's vehicle-assembly business.
• Axle strike shuts GM plant - It's latest fallout as auto industry upheaval stirs up labor unrest.
• BMW in talks with GM, Fiat on possible tie-ups - report - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is in talks with rivals General Motors Corp and Fiat SpA regarding a possible cooperation in engines and gear boxes, according to a pre-release of Financial Times Deutschland, citing unnamed company sources.
• Nissan Still Interested in US Partner - Nissan still sees a partnership with a North American auto company as good for its long-term strategy, but the Japanese automaker isn't in any talks now, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Thursday.
• Tata deal drives Land Rover's future - Ford is expected to seal the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata, the Indian conglomerate, next week after the American carmaker recently agreed to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into the pension fund to smooth the process.
• Ford Expects Smaller Loss, Alters Chairman Pay Accord - Ford Motor Co., the world's third- largest automaker, said its pretax loss will narrow in 2008 and set the conditions under which Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. can again draw a paycheck.
• Chrysler Loss Pegged at $2.7B - Chrysler LLC lost about $2.7 billion in the two months after Daimler AG sold controlling interest in the U.S. automaker to a New York private equity firm, Daimler said in its annual report Wednesday.
• California Auto Defect Law Firm Bisnar Chase Wins Case against Ford Motor Company - Ford Motor Company agreed to an out-of-court settlement of an automobile defect case brought by Gloria Levesque, who was seriously injured in a Ford Expedition. -- "Ford's SUVs are not built strong enough to protect the front seat occupants from being catastrophically injured during a rollover," says Brian Chase, partner in Bisnar Chase. "Ford has known this fact for years. However, Ford chooses to ignore this inherent safety problem in order to save $30 per vehicle."
• Mitsubishi must pay $11 million to family of man ejected from SUV - In a products liability case watched across continents, a jury this afternoon ordered Mitsubishi Motors to pay nearly $11 million in damages to a Maine couple whose son died after being partially ejected from a Nativa SUV.
• Ford Recalls 400,000 Mustangs - Passenger airbags pose risk to small women, large children -- Ford notified dealers of the recall February 22 and a recall was issued with a warning going out from Ford to Mustang owners February 27 and 28, 2008. -- Ford also told dealers to stop demonstrating or delivering the Mustang “until they are updated with new software for the constraint control module.”
• Feds Probe Fire Hazard in Chrysler Pacifica - More than 50,000 SUVs may be affected
• Officials Warn Of Airbag Scam - The scam targets you when you're most vulnerable, right after a traumatic accident in which the airbags deploy. -- "It comes back to the insurance industry, which bounces back to our premiums," said Billy Rutland with Sunbeam Autobody in Jacksonville.
• Auto body shops cited for labor violations - An enforcement sweep last week by the Economic Employment Enforcement Coalition resulted in 33 labor violation citations, and $130,000 in fines, according to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
• Former Greene County resident arrested - Sullivan, IN: The owner of Terry's Collision Center was arrested Feb. 11th and charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count of forgery -- all felonies.
• Farmers Insurance plans to move - CA: This spring, Farmers will move about 200 workers to an office building in the CarrAmerica Corporate Center in Pleasanton's Hacienda Business Park.
• First Auto Policy Sold 110 Years Ago Today - Jan. 27, 2008: Today marks a significant anniversary in the history of insurance: 110 years since the first auto insurance policy.

Wednesday - Feb. 27, 2008

• Industry Groups Call Calif. Auto Repair Bill "Anti-Consumer" - The Association of California Insurance Companies, the American Insurance Association and the Personal Insurance Federation of California have announced their opposition to California Senate Bill 1167, a bill that the groups say would deny consumers vital information about longer guarantees for automotive repairs. The three organizations represent more than 90 percent of auto insurers doing business in California.
• Autobody Shops Squeezed by Rising Costs and Low Reimbursements Must Get Better at Business, Eversman Says on Scene Genesis Podcast - State regulators are becoming more concerned that low payments under direct-repair programs practically force some shops to make unsafe repairs, says Eversman, general counsel of the consulting firm Vehicle Information Services, Inc., in Bath, Ohio.
• Audatex Receives I-CAR(R), ASE and AMI Training Designations - Solera Holdings, Inc., the global provider of leading claims solutions companies, today announced that it is an approved member of the I-CAR Industry Training Alliance(SM) program. The program, along with Solera's other industry training accreditations, will be administered by its North American subsidiary, Audatex - making Audatex the first claims solutions provider to receive this designation.
• LKQ Corporation Announces 2007 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results and 2008 Financial Guidance - Revenue from aftermarket collision replacement parts, paint, shop supplies, refurbished bumpers, refurbished wheels and refurbished lighting for the year ended December 31, 2007 was $401.3 million.
• glassBYTEs.com Obtains 573 Report on DOT 430 Recall - glassBYTEs: When Safelite Auto Glass learned of the issue with the now-recalled DOT 430 tempered products that were breaking in large shards, the company completed a full 573 report for the Office of Defects Investigation, a division of the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.
• Ford F-150 Service Frame Sections Available -  I-CAR: Ford Motor Company has added two large front and rear frame section assemblies for repair options on the F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT light-duty pickups.
• In the Zone - LA: Pat Felder, who owns Felder’s Collision Parts with her husband, Wayne, used a 50% bonus depreciation from GO Zone tax incentives to accelerate plans to build a 12,000-square-foot warehouse.
• 28 Years in Business - Lassen County News, CA: Gino Callegari, owner of Gino's Auto Body informs us he is celebrating his 28th anniversary this month in Susanville. His shop is located in Johnstonville, behind the CHP office.
• Slick roads equal lots of crashes - IN: Yet another round of snow Monday night and Tuesday morning layered the area with anywhere from 2 inches close to Lafayette to up to 9 inches near Rensselaer to the north. -- Compared to 2007, Twin City Collision Repair in Lafayette has had a much busier 2008 so far. -- "Business is up significantly," said Jeff Snethen, the general manager for Lafayette operations.
• Ice Cold Air offers up franchise - The company is conducting the contest on its Web site, www.IceColdAir.net, by asking entrants to submit a 200- to 500-word essay outlining why they should be the next franchise owner of an Ice Cold Air Auto Repair Center.
• The end of Collins & Aikman - Given the recent closure announcements of sister facilities in Kitchener and Guelph, the fate of the former Collins & Aikman in Ingersoll seemed an inevitability.
• Global Automotive Aftermarket to Exceed US$756 Billion by 2010, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. - Automotive aftermarket worldwide is highly competitive, dynamic and technology-savvy.
• Honda Says Aluminum Use May Increase on Steel Price - Honda Motor Co., Japan's second-largest automaker, said competition won't allow carmakers to pass on higher steel costs to consumers, which may accelerate the use of more aluminum in cars.
• Honda President Sees No Recession in US -  Honda President Takeo Fukui brushed off looming worries about a U.S. slowdown Wednesday, saying sales are strong especially on the East Coast amid growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.
• Canada's budget to aid auto industry, paper says - Canada's budget will aid the stalling auto industry and provide assistance for infrastructure construction, a national newspaper said on Tuesday.
• Nissan and Volkswagen Vehicle Recalls - Nissan and Volkswagon are taking a hit when it comes to safety. -- Nissan is recalling more than 11,000 2009 Murano's and close to 5,000 2008 Infiniti EX35's.
• Thieves targeting auto part - Catalytic converters are being removed from the bottoms of vehicles at a high rate, police say.
• Advance ID's `Tiny Chip' Can Make a Difference in Protecting from Faulty Tire Recall System; Advanced ID CEO Interviewed by NBC Affiliate in Major Investigative Reporting TV Segment - Advanced ID’s Dan Finch commented in the story that the federal government may have to insist that for the recall system to become successful there must be a tire registry and a technology solution that can identify and track tires and integrate with the registry, such as the products available only from Advanced ID.
• Did Air Bag Failure Lead To Teen's Death? - SAN DIEGO -- Once Arnold Parra encountered the 10News investigations team in Montebello, he began running. -- Parra is the owner of an auto body shop and a defendant in a lawsuit that accuses him of gross negligence and the wrongful death of 18-year-old Bobby Ellsworth.
• Rebuilt Wrecks for Sale!  Carfax Study Reveals Emerging Threat to Used Car Buyers - Five-Year Increase In Salvaged Vehicles Found Across The Country
• How cars are crash tested - Although vehicles, in general, are much safer in collisions than they used to be, about 30,000 people traveling in passenger vehicles still die in crashes every year.
• State Farm seeking repayment on auto claims - IL: State Farm Insurance filed three separate civil suits in Madison County Circuit Court Feb. 14, seeking repayment of funds that were paid to policy holders.
• Pennsylvania Insurance Department Offers Tips to Simplify Claim Filing Process for Consumers - Dealing with the aftermath of an accident, theft or disaster can be overwhelming, but when it comes to filing insurance claims, acting Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario said today there are crucial steps that can be taken to simplify the process so people can get back on their feet faster.
• Solera Holdings Swings to 2Q Profit - Solera Holdings Inc., which provides software and services for automobile insurance claims processing, said Wednesday it swung to a second-quarter profit as the company increased revenue, reduced operating costs and benefited from lower interest expense.
• Allstate Completes Leadership Transition: Liddy Sets Retirement Date, Wilson Named Chairman-elect - Hale, Crockett to Retire; DeVries New SVP of Human Resources

Tuesday - Feb. 26, 2008

• WMABA Commends State Farm for Answering the Tough Questions - It was a great night in Columbia, Maryland for repairers to hear their actual concerns hit the air at the Insurer Round Table meeting put on by the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) January 10th.
• AAA Down Sizes in Michigan - AutobodyOnline: Collision/Insurer methods of doing business used to be built on personal relationships.
• Industry advancement grants deadline approaches - Akzo Nobel has issued a final call for grant submittals for the Collision Industry Advancement Initiative (CIAI) spring 2008 review period. The deadline for applications is March 12.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car Steps Up as Major Sponsor of Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association 2008 Golf Outing - AutobodyOnline: The Thursday, June 26th outing, being held at the Potomac Ridge Golf Course in Waldorf, Maryland, will be the golf event of the summer season for the collision repairer industry in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
• ICBC investigates sales of vehicles repaired at its training facility - The investigation will also look at employee conduct in the course of these transactions.

• State Considers Bill To End 'Steering' - CT: Bill May Give Policy Holders Freedom In Repairs

• The Great Divide - ASA President's Blog: Everywhere I turn lately, I see division. How about you?
• And the Winner Is… Toyota Technicians Earn Their Moment in the Spotlight - Toyota honored two of its finest: Toyota/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year James Greshik, of Lloyds Toyota in Jamestown, N.D.; and Toyota/ASE Master Collision Repair and Refinish Technician of the Year David Harris, of Milton Martin Toyota in Gainesville, Ga.
• Glasurit score at important international trade fairs - With its automotive refinish product brand Glasurit, BASF Coatings will be represented at three major international trade shows in March and April. Glasurit will be featured at the booths of its partners and premium tuning-companies Mansory and Lorinser at the Geneva International Motor Show (March 6 to 16, press days from March 4 to 6).
• PHWT wins Ford Accident Repair Centres brief - UK: Palmer Hargreaves Wallis Tomlinson has been appointed by Ford of Britain to develop a marketing programme for Ford Accident Repair Centres.
• Auto Body Shops Busy This Winter - “About 70 percent of our business right now is insurance replacement,” Carolynn McGovern of Enterprise Rent-A-Car said. -- Even Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a handful of their own cars in the shop because of winter weather fender benders.
• NHTSA Investigates Spontaneously Shattering Side Windows on Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Corolla Matrix - glassBYTEs: The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA)'s Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) currently is investigating several complaints that the side windows on the Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Corolla Matrix have shattered spontaneously and/or that the windows make a popping/clicking noise during operation.
• NJ State Senate Helps Motoring Consumers & Small Business by Reintroducing the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, States CARE - The New Jersey state senate has once again joined forces with the state assembly to help motoring consumers have affordable, quality vehicle repairs at the shop of the consumers' choice. State Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Woodridge) reintroduced S. 1334, "The Right to Repair Act," as it is known, on February 21, 2008.
• NAPA AUTO PARTS Identifies Top Questions Every Vehicle Owner Should Ask Their Automotive Technician - Taking your vehicle to get worked on can be intimidating, especially if you’re not familiar with the lingo associated with vehicle maintenance and repair. 
• Underhood Service Readers Choose ALLDATA - ALLDATA has received the prestigious 2007 Readers' Choice Award from Babcox Publications' Underhood Service magazine for the sixth year in a row. ALLDATA was chosen by the magazine's readers for its outstanding advertising achievements and brand recognition in the automotive marketplace.
• $14 per hour: The new auto dream job - Lower-paying jobs are welcome opportunity for new Delphi workers
• Ford offers rich buyouts and job fairs for workers: NY Times - Among the incentives for some workers are one-time cash payments of $140,000 or college tuition for a family, the paper reported. Ford has 54,000 hourly workers, and analysts say the company's goal is 8,000 buyouts, the paper said. The move reflects the car maker's efforts to stem losses, the Times reported.
• New crash tests of SUVs: Nissan Murano is Top Safety Pick; 3 SUVs are marginal or poor for protection in side crashes - The best overall performer in front, side, and rear tests of nine 4-door midsize SUV models is the redesigned 2009 Nissan Murano, which earns the Top Safety Pick award. The tests were recently conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• Sheriff's office says over 40 airbags stolen from auto sales lot - VA: They say that sometime unknown between February 20th and February 21st,  some unknown suspect(s) stole over 40 airbags from assorted vehicles at the Insurance Auto Auction located in the 200 block of Production Drive in the Tabb area of York County.
• Family auto theft ring busted - LA: The recent arrests by St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies of four suspects in a multi-parish auto theft ring have given a whole new meaning to the words "family business."
• Progressive Files Rates In Mass. - The direct-to-consumer auto insurance genie may be out of the bottle in Massachusetts, as Progressive, the nation's third-largest auto insurance group, announced it has filed private passenger auto rates with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
• Progressive CEO Got $9.2M in 2007 - The president and chief executive of car insurance company Progressive Corp. received compensation valued at $9.2 million in fiscal 2007, a 5 percent decrease from the previous year, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.
• The Hartford Promotes 2 Key Execs - The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has promoted two senior execs to corporate leadership positions
• State Farm auto rates declined in 2007 - State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. auto insurance rates declined 4.9 percent in 2007, the fourth consecutive year of rate level decline, the company announced Monday. State Farm’s claims dropped 14.8 percent from 2003 to 2007.
• 5 Execs Found Guilty of Fraud in Gen Re-AIG Trial - A federal court jury in Hartford, Connecticut has found four former General Re Corp. executives and one former American International Group executive guilty of corporate fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from allegations that the five helped cook AIG's books in an effort to boost its stock price.

Monday - Feb. 25, 2008

• Body shop group hopes to educate consumers - Several body shop operators across Alabama are organizing a campaign to educate consumers about their rights when getting collision repairs. -- The group calls itself the Collision Repairers for Consumer Choice.
• Missouri Anti-Steering Bill Referred to Small Business, Insurance & Industrial Relations Committee - glassBYTEs: A Missouri State Senate bill that would require insurers to inform vehicle owners immediately on first contact that they have the right to choose the repair facility of their choice to repair vehicles has been referred to the Senate's Small Business, Insurance and Industrial Relations Committee.
• Put The Brakes On Illegal 'Steering' - CT: Some car insurers unfairly allied with auto body shops
• Bill targets insurers who push customers to select repair shops - Some insurers are "steering" customers to their approved repair shops, despite a California law that lets policyholders choose a shop they prefer, according to state Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa. -- On Friday, Wiggins appeared at a news conference at Crozat's shop to promote her bill, SB 1167. She pointed to a stack of complaints from consumers and said carriers are taking advantage of a loophole in California's anti-steering law.
• Legal Ease - glassBYTEs: Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of talking to Bob Smith, a former member of the collision repair industry. -- Smith now serves as a collision industry consultant and lobbyist for legislative issues affecting the automotive industry. By Penny Stacey
• Oklahoma House Subcommittee Stops Right to Repair Bill - Oklahoma House Bill 2820, creating the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act, was heard Feb. 19 by the House Economic Development and Financial Services' Subcommittee on Industry and Labor. Rep. Daniel Sullivan introduced the bill Feb. 4. The subcommittee voted against the bill by a vote of 7-0.
• Not Too Late To Vote - Elections for the 2008 ASA national board of directors are still being held.
• No grease monkeys in today's auto repair centers - Computers now key tool to diagnosing car ills
• Collision centers, towing companies benefit from harsh winter - The mercury in the Cedar Valley has been falling faster than the markets on Wall Street, and ice has been as plentiful as foreclosures.
• Collision Course - FL: With its recent move to a 22-acre compound, Hillsborough Community College's auto collision-repair program has been upgraded from economy to full size.
• Ground Breaking - Lubbock, TX:  Tim Benham, who has taught collision repair in the Lubbock Independent School District for 23 years, broke ground on Best Collision Repair Center, 3412 W. Loop 289 on Thursday.
• Insurance Auto Auctions acquires Southern A&S - The acquisition of Southern, at 3940 Jackson, follows IAA's purchase of Verastar and its four locations in Tennessee, including a site at 2991 Fite in Millington.
• RedChip Independent Issues Research Update On LKQ Corp. - RedChip Independent, a division of RedChip Companies Inc., today announced that it has issued a third quarter 2007 research update for LKQ Corporation.
• PPG in the News: Cost-Cutting in Europe, Beginning Remediation in Lake Charles - glassBYTEs: Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries is making headlines, as it plans to close some European coating factories and to embark on a $10.8-million renovation on its plant in Lake Charles, La. Click on the links below for more information.
• BASF Coatings now has its own team for the automotive refinishing product business in Dubai - For over 30 years, BASF automotive refinishing products have been sold in the Middle East through importers.
• MetoKote Announces New Sales Account Manager for Mexico - MetoKote Corporation, Inc., the industry leader in protective coating applications, including electrocoat (e-coat), powder coat and liquid paint, is pleased to announce the appointment of Martha Horner to Sales Account Manager. -- Prior to joining MetoKote, Ms. Horner spent seven years as an Account Manager of Industrial Coatings Mexico at PPG Industries de Mexico for the San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Silao, Aguascalientes and Guadelajara regions.
• Agri-Cover receives safety, SEMA awards - The North Dakota Safety Council has recognized Agri-Cover Inc., Jamestown, with the President’s Letter of Achievement Award for showing a 50 percent decrease in their OSHA incidence rate from the previous year.
• Deloitte to Pay $38.25M in Delphi Settlement - A judge has tentatively approved a $38.25 million settlement to be paid by Deloitte & Touche to investors in Delphi.
• Ford adds 18 jobs in Avon Lake - The Ohio Assembly Plant will add 18 new jobs at a new front-rotor assembly line that Ford Motor Co. is installing at the plant, plant manager Joe Lee said. -- The new product line could bring up to 1,400 additional jobs. Local officials are hoping that if Ford follows through on plans to have suppliers open facilities at Ohio Assembly that could mean another 1,800 jobs.
• Better Quality Cars Are Killing Auto Industry - During the 1970s and 1980s US car companies like Ford and GM got into trouble for building low quality cars. They tended to have to be in the repair shop more than the Japanese cars coming into the US and that lead buyers to move to the quality of imports.
• Ford faces lengthy lawsuits - Carmaker wins merger of cases in Texas over faulty switches, but it still has other court fights.
• Official: Stealing Disabled Cars Can Be 'Lucrative’ - Turkey, N.C. — Detectives arrested a Sampson County man for allegedly stealing disabled cars along highways and selling them for scrap metal, possibly making thousands of dollars, authorities said.
• Auto shop accused in human smuggling ring - At Chucky's Auto Repair, authorities say, business involved more than fixing customers' broken cars.
• Ontario man featured in U.S. health-care debate - "I wouldn't like to see Americans make the same mistake Canadians have made," said McCreith, a 66-year-old retired auto collision repair shop owner. "Patients in Canada are treated like Third World citizens. Our health-care system is like Cuba or North Korea.
• Acuity announces several promotions - In central claims, Michael Gelhar has been promoted to senior damage appraiser, and Kristin Van Ess, Tamara Klumb and Stephanie Walchesky have been promoted to senior inside claims representatives. -- Gelhar joined Acuity as a central claims damage appraiser in January 2001, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the collision repair industry with him.
• Auto insurance company awards $20K scholarship - A Wyncote, Pa., high school student was chosen from 300 applicants to receive a $20,000 tuition scholarship from the New Jersey-based Citizen United Reciprocal Exchange auto insurance company that has offices in the township.
• NE court refuses to reinstate suit against State Farm - Suit claimed insurance company did not deliver promised medical coverage
• Spanning the claims divide - Able Claims Service’s adjusters say they’ve seen everything in investigations for insurers

Friday - Feb. 22, 2008

• David vs. Goliath - Crestview Paint and Body goes toe-to-toe against Progressive -- At the core of the case is the insurance company’s allegation that Lowe is illegally using the "Progressive" logo to lure customers to his business and away from its "network" contractors.
• Surprise awaits Tucson soldier - Chief Warrant Officer 3, John Allen, is an Apache Helicopter pilot with the Arizona National Guard. He's been deployed for the last 22 months. During his absence, friends and family have been restoring his 1964 Plymouth Belvedere. 
• Restorers tackle automotive beauties - From the outside, it's a series of five gray buildings in a small industrial park on the outskirts of Covington, Ohio. Inside, at any given time, are 50 to 60 of the most beautiful cars in the world. Welcome to D&D Classics, one of the premier auto-restoration companies in the United States.
• Three Iowa Locations Host Celebrity Airbrush Artist for Clinic - Keystone Automotive Industries Inc., announced that it will host three airbrush clinics featuring Mickey Harris, a world renowned airbrush artist. Collision repair shops can learn the techniques and skills of airbrushing, including tips on how to use stencils and creating realistic flames.
• Training dates announced for two BASF waterborne products - BASF's second-quarter training schedule has been released. Training for the new R-M Onyx waterborne basecoat will be offered frequently in April, May and June at all three Canadian training centers, in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
• It's New, It's Green, It's Making Waves in the World of Finishes ... Ocean State Hot Coat Opens With Technology of the Future! - Ocean State Hot Coat, a new company, is serving the region with custom powder coating of car frames, motorcycles and marine parts, and other metal items. Fast becoming the preferred choice in high quality resistant finishes, the powder coating process offers a waterproof, rustproof, dent and chip resistant finish for interior and exterior uses. All powder coatings are protective and decorative and guard against ultraviolet rays, abrasion, corrosion, and resist cracking and peeling.
• Piled high at the body shop - WI: Add auto body shop owners to the list of people enjoying this winter 's severe weather.
• Prodigious Potholes - MI: Repair shops reporting increased business as weather wreaks havoc on area roadways
• Akzo Nobel Receives Approvals From Ford and Chrysler - Akzo Nobel has received approval by Ford Motor Company for use of its Sikkens Colorbuild Plus. The product line is a multifunctional undercoat system that can be used for both sanding and non-sanding applications.
• General Motors Settles in Auto Defect Claim; Plaintiff Claimed Laminated Sidelites Would Have Protected Him - glassBYTEs: General Motors Corp. has agreed to an out-of-court settlement in a case in which the plaintiff claimed his automobile accident injuries were caused by the defendant's use of tempered sidelites, rather than laminated, in the GMC Yukon in which he was riding, according to Bisnar Chase Consumer Attorneys LLC.
• PPG Wins Chrysler LLC Supplier Pentastar Award for Exterior Systems - PPG Industries announced that Chrysler LLC named it the top-performing supplier of exterior systems in the automaker's 2007 Supplier Pentastar Awards.
• Detroit Auto Show displays Future of Motoring - The F-150 is longer and taller too, with six inches added to the overall length and 21 millimeters added to the roof height. Those extra millimeters help the F-150 meet new safety requirements for rollovers enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• More vehicle design moves outside Michigan - Reeling from years of auto production cuts, Michigan's place as the center of automotive design also now faces a flattening world.
• Revised Saturn Vue takes its German roots seriously - The 2008 Saturn Vue has a nice, tight driving feel, and it's a bit more fun to drive than other SUVs.
• Whistleblower Wins Suit Over Medical Billing Fraud - Jury: Medical Group Overbilled Patients
• Safeco Corp. at Merrill Lynch Insurance Investors Conference - Final - Excerpt: Employment is very tight. So that guy in the auto body shop is going to get his price increase per hour. And we're obviously trying to push more of our insureds into network with some success but a pretty large portion of property damage is going to be outside of a network. So again, it's sort of like the property damage version of the PPO. We -- if you're outside a network. So, I think you've got that going.

Thursday - Feb. 21, 2008

• Kansas House Considers Anti-Steering Bill - glassBYTEs: The Kansas House of Representatives currently is reviewing House Bill (H.B.) 2653, which would require insurers to immediately inform policyholders that they have the right to choose a repair facility of their choice to repair their vehicles.
• MABA bills get favorable recommendation - The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Financial Services has given a favorable recommendation to several bills that the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA) had filed for this legislative session. In addition, the Committee also gave a key labor rate bill drafted by the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts/Rhode Island (AASP-MA/RI) with assistance from the Central Mass Auto Rebuilders Association and support from MABA, a favorable recommendation as well.
• State I-CAR Committee Lends Support to AASP-MN's Education Fund - The Minnesota State I-CAR Committee contributed $3,000 to the AASP-MN Automotive Education Fund. The monies will be used to support the AASP-MN scholarship program and will be awarded to collision students entering their second year of a NATEF-certified automotive program in Minnesota.
• CARSTAR Super’Stang Docks at the Kansas City Boat Show - More Than $180,000 Raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®
• Entrepreneur Shifts Into High Gear With Software For Auto Repair Field - Tony Aquila is the forceful founder of Solera Holdings , a software firm that's growing fast by tapping what it calls an underserved market -- auto insurers who want to align their efforts with repair shops, assessors and car recyclers.
• Doyle's idea: Equalized insurance - Plan would form health coverage marketplace for small businesses -- Pictured: James Ratchek, owner of Jim's Auto Body in Burlington, is struggling to find a way he can afford to offer employees health insurance through his company.
• Icy Crashes, Bangs... Boom for Auto Body Shops - With the recent snow, auto body shops in Northeast Wisconsin are seeing a lot of green. Poor visibility and slick roads are translating into a lot of accidents. -- One insurance company reports a 30-precent spike in claims this year compared to last, and one auto body shop in Menasha told us business hasn't boomed like this in at least ten years.
• Safelite Autoglass Enters Into Multi-Year Sponsorship Agreement With the NASCAR Performance Network - glassBYTEs: Safelite AutoGlass®, a subsidiary of Belron US, has entered into a three-year agreement with the NASCAR Performance Network® to become the exclusive provider of auto glass replacement and repair.
• TIA president talks counterfeit tires, check-off program - We recently sat down with TIA President Peggy Fisher to get an update on these and other initiatives.
• Copart, Inc. Enters into a Definitive Agreement to Acquire Simpson Bros. Salvage in the United Kingdom - Copart, Inc. through its subsidiary in the United Kingdom (UK) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Simpson Bros. Salvage in the UK. This latest addition to Copart’s growing UK footprint will mark the company's 11th facility in the United Kingdom and its 139th worldwide.
• Chemicals weigh on BASF profit; dividend to rise - BASF's quarterly profit missed market expectations as long maintenance shutdowns at petrochemicals plants of the world's biggest chemicals group by sales crimped earnings.
• Penton’s Automobile Red Book Launches New Web Site - Penton Media’s The Automobile Red Book™, a leading automotive valuation guide, today announced the launch of its new Web site, which provides online information for determining values of more than 45,000 unique car and light truck models.
• Illinois company offers $20.8M for Salem plant - An Illinois company is offering $20.8 million for Blackhawk Automotive Plastics, which is expected to kick off a bankruptcy court auction for the Salem company.
• Chinese Auto-Parts Industry Faces Dramatic Consolidation, According to AlixPartners Study - International Acquisitions Likely to Help Determine the Winners; 56% of Suppliers Interviewed See Global M&A in Their Futures
• US Court Approves Delphi Settlement With Accountant - A federal judge has tentatively approved a $38.25 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by investors in the auto parts maker Delphi Corp. (DPHIQ) against the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm.
• VW New Beetle Air Bags May Fail - Feds step up iinvestigation of sensor problems
• Chubb Spent Almost $2M Lobbying in 2007 - Insurance provider Chubb Corp. spent almost $2 million in 2007 lobbying on data privacy and a host of insurance-related bills in Congress.
• Email May Hurt State Farm, Miss. Truce - With the press of a button, a lawyer for the nation's largest insurance company may have ended a brief truce in its bitter dispute with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.
• OFIS Acting Commissioner Prohibits Arbitrary Vehicle Inspection Clauses - Millions of Michigan auto insurance consumers will benefit from recent actions taken by the Office of Financial and Insurance Services (OFIS) designed to ensure that policy language is reasonable and fair to insurance buyers. 
• Redesigned N.H. Insurance Web Site Offers Home, Auto Rate Comparisons - Now, consumers can compare auto and homeowner premium rate scenarios from a selection of companies, as they have been able to do for health care services.
• Allstate donates to drivers ed programs - Allstate Foundation is donating $3,000 to Fairfax County Public Schools to support drivers education programs. Five high schools - Centreville, Falls Church, West Potomac and West Springfield High Schools and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - will receive funds for their programs.

Wednesday - Feb. 20, 2008

• Supreme Court Rejects Allstate Appeal - High Court Rejects Allstate Corp. Appeal on Texas Auto Repair Law
• Insurance Company Abuse - SCRS Members Identify Some Disturbing "Trends" - glassBYTEs: The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has been monitoring for some time the actions of a number of insurance companies and how their processes and procedures have affected collision repairers, and ultimately their customers.
• Pre-Trial Conference Set in ABRA Case - glassBYTEs: A pre-trial conference date will be held April 3 in the case filed against ABRA Auto Body and Glass by two former employees alleging that the company required customer service managers (CSMs) and customer service representatives (CSRs) to work overtime without pay and that it did so by misclassifying them as "managerial," which exempted them from overtime pay.
• Troubled Times - BodyShop Business: Insurer profits are at record highs, and body shop profits are at record lows. Steering is rampant and labor rates are being suppressed. And repairers are supposed to get along with insurers? -- Part 2 of the 4-part Industry Unity series.
• Women's Industry Network Conference sponsored in part by PPG - The conference will be held on April 13-15 in Chicago, Illinois. WIN is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and cultivating opportunities to attract women to collision repair while recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and fostering a network among the women who are shaping the industry.
• ASC & I-CAR Lexington Meeting - February 20th - I-CAR is reorganizing in the Lexington area: I-CAR has requested to share our meeting to reorganize in the Lexington area.
• GMAC Insurance Launches Post Automotive Repair Inspection Service, Available Free of Charge Nationwide - SmartInspect(SM) Service Ensures Quality and Value of Repairs, Providing Customers Peace of Mind in Accident Aftermath
• How Do You Measure Success? - AutoInc: Measuring success can be tricky. Here are some exercises to help.
• Auto Collision Repair Contest - OK: Northwest Technology Center was one of five schools represented at the recent Northwest District Auto Collision Contest. Placing second in the Post Secondary Collision category was Jeff Rohrer. Placing third in the secondary category for Paint and Refinishing was Dakota Nusser. Rohrer will represent Northwest Tech and the Northwest District at the state competition in April.
• AAIA Urges Congress to Say “Yes” to Automotive Patent Repair Clause - Congressional Hearing Highlights Importance of Competition to Consumers
• Quality Parts Coalition to Collision Repairers: Beware of Car Company Patents - QPC Working to Secure a Permanent Change to U.S. Patent Legislation
• Alexis Jacobs Named Women of the Year - Alexis Jacobs, owner of Columbus Fair Auto Auction in Columbus, Ohio, was presented with the Barbara Cox Anthony Automotive Woman of the Year Award at the Northwood University Dealer Education Awards breakfast during the National Auto Dealers Association Convention in San Francisco, Calif.
• Copart Adds Facility in Alabama - Copart, Inc. today announced the opening of a new 61-acre greenfield facility in Hueytown, Alabama. This latest addition to Copart’s growing footprint marks the company’s third facility in Alabama, the 128th facility in North America, and the 138th facility world-wide.
• OEConnection Announces DMS Connect - Integration To ADP'S w.e.b.Suite - DMS Connect - Automated Data Transfer Between Internet-Based Parts Order Fulfillment and Dealer Management System (DMS) for Streamlined Dealership Processing and Improved Efficiency and Accuracy
• Solera Holdings CCR raised to 'BB-' from 'B+'; outlook stable - S&P - The outlook is stable.
• Genuine Parts profit lifted by nonautomotive sales - But earnings squeezed by weak sales of car parts, office products
• Chrysler's Motion to Reclaim its Tooling from Plastech is Denied - Chrysler's statement, to be attributed to Chrysler spokesperson, Kevin Frazier, is as follows: "We are obviously disappointed with this decision. We cannot provide
  further information at this time. However, we will continue to work with all parties to ensure that our plants continue to receive deliveries of parts."
• 'VETTE & WILD: Mean, green Z06 goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds on less gas - The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 used to play first chair in the Corvette hierarchy. It's the performance-oriented virtuoso from a powerful family; the ultimate achievement after 50 years of fabulous vehicles.
• Get Ready Detroit--Here Comes China - Vehicle sales in China are soaring, reaching just under a 9 million annual rate in January, second only to the United States. China's auto industry will soon be ready, willing and able to produce for exports as well as for domestic consumption. Let's hope Detroit is getting ready.
• Porsche recalls 19,000 Cayenne SUVs for fuel line fix - Luxury automaker Porsche AG said today that it has recalled nearly 19,000 of its Cayenne SUVs after it found instances of the fuel line coming into contact with the engine block while the car was being driven.
• Nissan recalls SUVs for air bag fix - Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 16,365 Murano and Infiniti EX 35 sport-utility vehicles to fix a software program that may lead passenger air bags to fail, Bloomberg News reported today.
• Family: Side airbags in son's car failed - Toyota had issued a voluntary recall of some of its vehicles, warning the air bags might not work.
• What's best way to prevent tainted products? - Expect more of consumers to get recalled items out of harm's way -- When it comes to making a fix, our nation's auto safety law could use a repair of its own because it fails to require anything of consumers. Endless tinkering with the law (and its regulations) hasn't corrected this flaw, either.
• Aon Unit Valley Oak Systems Implements Claims System at DaimlerChrysler Insurance Company - The iVOS(R) 'One-System' Claims Solution Will Streamline Management of Auto Claims
• A Modern Conundrum: When Work's Invisible, So Are Its Satisfactions - Jon Williams once worked in an auto-claims department where the number of new-claim calls, which could take a half hour, were tallied with the same weight as brief reminder calls to customers. Even so, his greatest sense of achievement was transforming an initially angry and frustrated customer into someone who was satisfied and even laughing. "That wasn't measured at all," he says.
• Mass. Web Site Helps Consumers Compare Auto Insurance Prices - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has launched a Web site that allows auto insurance customers to compare sample auto premiums – a move that the state says will help consumer find the best deals as managed competition shifts into high gear.
• Policyholders grade insurers well - Despite general dissatisfaction with the goods and services they bought in 2007, Americans were pleased overall with their property and casualty insurers, according to a report released Tuesday by the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index. -- Satisfaction with health insurers, however, slipped 1.4 percent, to 71.
• Allstate back in hot seat - FL: Allstate Insurance is again on the hot seat tonight for failing to give state regulators documents, for mislabeling the documents it has given the state, and for it’s CEO signing off on a rate request he did not fully read. The company again faces the loss of it’s certificate to sell insurance.

Tuesday - Feb. 19, 2008

• Auto Glass Bill Amending 2007 Anti-Steering Law Passes Washington State House - glassBYTEs: Washington House Bill 3053, which would prohibit an insurer or third-party administrator (TPA) from recommending an auto glass repair or replacement shop for a claim that only involves glass if the claimant indicates that he has chosen a facility, has passed the state's house and now is under review by the Senate.
• Power Steering - Insurers steering vehicles to their preferred shops has gotten out of control. But there are some action steps shops can take to counter its effect.
• I-CAR Refocuses Itself with Volunteers and Program Instructors -  I-CAR volunteer committee members and program instructors from around the country were given an open forum to provide feedback during the recently completed 2008 I-CAR Zone Conferences.
• Special Thanks to 2008 I-CAR Zone Conference Sponsors - The 2008 I-CAR Zone Conferences drew support from a number of industry partners and supporters.
• Automotive Service Leaders Offers Savings to ASA Members - New benefit includes AutoShop LifeLine and other online programs
• House Judiciary Subcommittee Holds Design Law Hearing - A hearing was held Feb. 14 by U.S. House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property titled "Design Law: Are Special Provisions Needed to Protect Unique Industries?" The hearing focused on the fashion and automotive industries.
• R-M, brand of BASF Coatings, with premiere and eye-catcher - With its automotive refinish product brand R-M  BASF Coatings will be represented at two major international trade shows in February/March, and April.
• The right paint for every classic car - After last year’s huge success, Glasurit demonstrates color-matching service “Classic Car Colors” again at the “Techno Classica”, the world’s largest classic car show in Essen
• Smashed Up and Backed Up - ID: Body shops around town have more repairs than they've had in fifteen years.
• Use Power Words to Boost Sales - Power words: They strike deep into the heart of a listener or a prospect. Used with skill, they can help you sell anything – ideas, support, products – to anyone.
• Bush Eliminates Technical Education Funds to Fund No Child Left Behind - What does this mean for the Automotive and Collision Repair industries?
• LTC's automotive program recertified - Lakeshore Technical College's automotive maintenance technician technical diploma program has been recertified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
• Couple restoring elegant Beaver Falls showroom to sell classic cars - When it opened in 1925, Thomas F. Daquila’s “Studebaker home” on Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls was heralded as the “finest automobile establishment in western Pennsylvania.”
• Where Were the Retailers? - glassBYTEs: One question was on the mind of many at this week's National Auto Glass Conference: where were the retailers?
• Minority suppliers face peril - Plastech's troubles highlight growing risks for auto parts makers
• Deal extends life of auto-frame plant - Martinrea subsidiary agrees with CAW workers to keep doors open to possibility of future business
• Chevy Traverse Steals Spotlight at 2008 Chicago Auto Show - Out of more than a dozen models unveiled this week the Chicago Auto Show, the one likely to attract the most buyers is a big SUV.
• Claude Burns loves the many sides of car industry - Recently nominated for Time magazine Dealer of Year, he says adjusting to the market is key
• Skipper Beck selling dealership to Sonic Automotive - Skipper Beck is selling his Mercedes-Benz dealership to Charlotte-based Sonic Automotive Inc. -- Sonic Chairman Bruton Smith confirmed the deal late Monday.
• Car Crashes Into Local Repair Shop - NC: Monday a woman lost control of her car and slammed into an auto body repair shop in Charlotte.
• Flames roar through auto body shop - Many customers at a Bensenville auto body shop will learn Monday their cars need major work following a fire.
• Body Shop Owner Fights Back - A teenager, who police say broke into a car at a body shop, needed work on his own body after the body shop owner fought back.
• New information about the local mechanic at the center of a Channel 2 investigation - After an accident last March, Nancy Rardin knew getting her daughter's car fixed could be expensive.  So like most people she shopped around for the lowest price "So we priced around in Sapulpa."
• Officials want more Allstate documents -  FL: A special Senate committee asked Allstate Insurance company executives to provide them more documents within two weeks in a letter mailed Thursday to the insurance giant’s chairman.
• The End Of The Independents? - Despite managed competition, solo insurance agents are hanging on

Monday - Feb. 18, 2008

• Soldier's Truck Gets a Makeover - Last December, Jim Garretson was asked to restore the pickup of a soldier serving in Afghanistan at no cost. "I turned around and said, 'I'll do it'," said Garretson, owner of AA Auto Body and Restoration. "They're putting their lives on the line for us, so I just figured I'll pay them back."
• Blending Within a Repaired Panel - The concept of blend within panel is not new. What is new, however, is that advancements in technology and skill set have also advanced the process, which requires repairers to be educated and savvy in addressing time and material concerns with insurance companies.
• EPA Finalizes Auto Refinishing Regulation: ASA supports final language - How the new regulation will affect collision shops.
• Design Protection Hearing Showcases Value of Competition, Choice for Consumers - Automotive Body Parts Association Urges Congress to Institute Automotive Patent Repair Clause
• SCRS Continues Efforts to Protect Repairers Data - The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Board of Directors recently released a statement regarding the use and ownership of the EMS extract in October 2007. The EMS extract was developed by the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) in the 1990’s as a means of creating an electronic standard by which estimate information could be seamlessly shared in an effort to improve accuracy and efficiency. It was subsequently adopted by the industry as the standard in which electronic information is shared. 
• LORD Corporation Receives I-CAR Award - LORD Corporation, maker of LORD Fusor® Automotive Repair Adhesives – the leading metal and composite bonding solution for automotive body repair – recently received a service award from the Northeast Division of Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR).
• LORD Corporation Adds Free Two-Sided Tape Instructional Videos to Web Site - LORD Corporation, maker of Fusor® Automotive Repair Adhesives — the leading metal and composite bonding solution for automotive body repair — has added a free video resource on their Web site for those body shop technicians seeking the latest in two-sided tape applications and installation.
• PBEPRO.com Adds LORD Repair Videos - PBEPRO.com, an online catalog for the paint and body industry, has added LORD Corporation repair videos to their Web site.
• CARFCO - Car Repair Financing Co. Announces its Grand Opening - CARFCO’s mission is to provide a solution to both vehicle repairers, who lose money by turning away customers who can’t afford the cost of automobile repairs, and their customers, by offering car repair loans that enable them to fix their vehicles and get back on the road.
• He's got a ticket to drive - Combine an interest in restoring old cars with an interest in history and you get Gary Parrish, a car restorer who has a penchant for tracking down the histories of the cars he buys.
• Georgia Collision Industry Association February 2008 Newsletter - GCIA Meeting Thursday, March 20th, 2008...more >>>
• Collision Industry Conference Meeting - April 16/17 - Philadelphia, PA: General Meeting held at: Crown Plaza - Philadelphia -- Reservations: (866) 618-0410 (CIC Rate: $162.00)
• Projects, developments and other activity in cities in and around Orange County - Fountain Valley: An application for the construction of a car wash at Sterling Autobody Center has been approved. The car wash is set to be built on Euclid Street. Natick, Mass.-based Sterling Autobody Centers is a chain of auto repair facilities that’s part of Allstate Corp.
• Auto body business spikes with snowy, slippery winter - The dented and damaged vehicles at J & H Auto Body Shop show the battle wounds of a rough winter.
• Repair business booms as slippery roads send drivers crashing - If you want to see someone who is enjoying this snowy winter weather, visit an auto body repair shop.
• 'A never-ending cycle of stupidity' - Despite winter's return each year, residents across city can't organize cleanup, resulting in much damage to their cars
• Problems For Lunenberg Car Dealer Beyond Repair - Apple Valley Ford declares bankruptcy -- Michael Nault, owner of D&G Auto Body Supply in Fitchburg, one of the businesses that Apple Valley ended up owing money, said some of Lavoie's problems may have been the result of her own mistakes.
• Green is Good - glassBYTES: At least three of the four speakers on a "Green is Good" panel in Tucson earlier this week had something in common—they're all conservatives who insist they're not "tree-huggers."
• Market Spotlight: Auto Parts Retailers - With consumer confidence in a slump and gas prices heading higher as the summer travel season approaches, drivers haven't been eager to dress up their vehicles with chrome trim or rebuild the engine of a classic car.
• Henkel's buy of Akzo Nobel's adhesives, electronic materials ops cleared by EU - The European Commission says it has approved Henkel's proposed acquisition of of Netherlands's Akzo Nobel's adhesives and electronic (A&E) materials businesses.
• PPG spent $1.2M lobbying last year - PPG Industries Inc. spent $1.2 million to lobby Congress last year, according to a disclosure form posted online Tuesday by the Senate's public records office.
• Insourcing doesn't shake suppliers - Experts see a limit to how much automakers can do
• Ford official hopes buyouts to end - Workers to decide starting Tuesday
• On the Record: Interview with GM chairman, CEO - Last week, General Motors Corp. reported a $38.7 billion loss for 2007, the largest annual loss ever for an automaker. The company then proceeded to offer a new round of buyouts to all of its 74,000 union workers.
• Big Hopes for Small Car - Are fuel savings, eco-appeal enough to get motorists to buy Smart micro-vehicle?
• Senate Passes Auto Safety Bill - Congress on Thursday sent President Bush legislation to improve auto safety for children, including measures intended to reduce backovers and accidents involving power windows.
• Loophole Allows Car Thieves To Sell Vehicles, Get Away With It - When it comes to scrap yards or auto recycling businesses, auto theft detectives say most of them are on the up and up. But not all.
• Best And Worst States To Own A Car - Ready to invest in a cherry ride? Depending on where you live, you'll be ponying up much more than the sticker price.
• Allstate Spent $4.8M Lobbying in '07 - Allstate Corp. spent $4.8 million to lobby Congress and other federal officials in 2007 on a host of issues from car safety to taxes.
• Insurance for autos to cost more - State Farm and Progressive are leading the push by auto insurers to raise premiums in at least 20 states as the $160 billion industry moves to end two years of price reductions.

Friday - Feb. 15, 2008

• Progressive Receives U.S. Patent for Concierge Claims Service - Progressive Insurance reports it has has received a U.S. patent for one of its methods of processing vehicle damage claims, which it calls its concierge level of claims service.