July 3, 2008

• Implementation of New State Law Prohibiting Insurer Manipulation of Estimating Systems - AASP-MN: One of AASP-MN’s major accomplishments in the 2008 Legislative Session was the enactment of legislation which prohibits insurers from unilaterally and arbitrarily disregarding a repair operation or cost identified by an estimating system which an insurer and collision repair facility have agreed to utilize in determining the cost of repair.
• Read the draft state licensing proposal for collision repair shops - AASP-MN: A bill for an act relating to public safety; establishing licensing standards for collision repair shops; requiring the Department of Public Safety to promulgate rules; proposing coding for a new law in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 299A.
• Know  Your  P-Pages!  - AASP-MN: With  the  passage  of  AASP-MN’s  legislation  that  prohibits  insurers  from  unilaterally  and  arbitrarily  disregarding  a  repair  operation  or  cost  identified  b  an  estimating  system,  your  knowledge  of  the  p-pages  is  all  the  more  critical.   This  program  will  take  an  in-depth  look  at  all  three  of  the  estimating  systems  –  Audatex,  CCC  and  Mitchell  –  and  the  similarities  and  differences  among  them.   
• Gear  Up  For  Waterborne - AASP-MN: Explore  the  new  legislative  and  regulatory  developments  and  the  steps  necessary  to  successfully  implement  waterborne  technology 
• Auto painting goes green at Rosemount shop - MN: The automobile business doesn’t have the best environmental record. From large automotive manufacturers to small auto body shops, where cars are worked on, hazardous chemicals usually follow.
• Attorneys in Diamond Case File May Compensation Application - While the sale of Diamond Glass’s assets to Belron US may be complete, there is still more work to be done in the area of the former company’s bankruptcy case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.
• Getting the OEM collision repair information you need doesn't have to cost a fortune: by John Yoswick - For the independent collision repair shop trying to equip itself with automaker collision repair information, expenses can very quickly add up. Buying annual access to the OEM service and repair information Web sites is no small proposition, even if you forgo access to the most expensive sites, such as those of BMW ($2,500 a year), Mercedes-Benz ($2,950), Volvo ($2,600), and Porsche ($5,200).
• CCIF provides tips for managing young workers - Laura Cole spoke about engaging the younger generation in the workplace at the June meeting of the Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) in Mississauga, Ont. About 200 people attended the all-day event, which also covered the regulatory environment for coatings, mentoring in collision repair, and global business trends.
• Jobing.com Partners with Automotive Service Association of Arizona - Jobing.com, the Valley's online employment community, has announced a new partnership with the Automotive Service Association of Arizona (ASAAZ). The partnership provides the ASAAS with a job board powered by Jobing.com technology on their newly created website housed at www.asaaz.org.
• Universal Technical Institute Announces $10 Million Student Loan Program - Program To Assist UTI Students Facing Tuition Funding Gap
• Copart Adds Second Facility in Arkansas - Copart, Inc. today announced the opening of a new 20-acre facility in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. This latest addition to Copart’s growing footprint marks the company’s second facility in Arkansas, the 131st facility in North America, and the 146th facility world-wide.
• Association Calls for More Aluminium to be Used in Vehicles to Combat Rising Fuel Prices - Buddy Stemple, Chair of the Aluminum Association's Auto and Light Truck Group, issued the following statement today in response to the Association's comment submissions for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Passenger Car and Light Truck Corporate Average Fuel Economy. These comments are not directed at what the specific CAFE levels should be; but rather at the relationship between size, weight, fuel consumption, emissions, safety and cost.
• Johnson Controls Forms Venture - Auto-parts maker Johnson Controls Inc. has formed a joint venture to acquire the interior-product assets of Plastech Engineered Products Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in February.
• $10 Million Class Action Settlement Proposed on Behalf of Purchasers of Publicly Traded Common Stock of U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. - If you purchased the publicly-traded common stock of U.S Auto between February 9, 2007 and March 20, 2007, your rights may be affected by the settlement of this Litigation.
• Some US Auto-Parts Makers May Weather Industry Downturn - A handful of U.S. automotive parts makers are in a good position to weather a brutal stretch for the American auto industry, even as many manufacturers and suppliers slash production and lay off workers at a time of deepening losses.
• Video: Chrysler LLC and Army Specialist Honor Fallen Soldiers With Mobile Tribute - All-New 2008 Jeep Liberty Features Custom-Painted Mural Showing Homage to Military Personnel
• UPDATE: Merrill: GM Needs $15 Billion, Bankruptcy 'Not Impossible' - General Motors Corp. (GM) is burning through cash faster than investors realize and may even face bankruptcy if the auto market worsens and it can't raise enough capital, Merrill Lynch warned Wednesday.
• Feds Delay New Roof-Crush Rule til October - With hours to spare before the July 1 deadline to improve the nation's vehicle roof crush standard, the secretary of the Department of Transportation informed Congress last night that the new standard is being delayed until October 1.
• Salvage yard haven for do-it-youself customers -  At one time, a crushed car would go for $20 to $25 a ton, said Automotive Recyclers Association president Sandy Blalock. -- They're now going for more than $300 a ton, and that's after a salvage yard has sold off all the parts, Blalock said. -- "It's actually become a very profitable business to be in," she said.
• Profile of New Counterfeit Product Law - Virginia consumers and businesses have new safeguards against counterfeit and unsafe products due to successful legislation advanced as part of Attorney General Bob McDonnell’s 2008 legislative agenda.
• Clovis police arrest bookkeeper for embezzling $415,000 - CA: Clovis police announced on Wednesday the arrest of a bookkeeper who, authorities said, embezzled $415,000 from Brad Scott, the owner of Brad's Auto Body shop.
• Richland auto shop fined $10,000 by state - The state Department of Ecology has fined a Richland auto repair business $10,000 for violating state dangerous waste regulations.
• State balks at insurers' request - NC: $1.4 billion separates two sides -- Technical concerns jumped to the fore as the state Department of Insurance and insurers squared off about auto insurance rates at a hearing Monday.
• GEICO and NICB consumer alert: Go to VINCheck before you buy that used vehicle - “When a GEICO-insured vehicle is declared a total loss and sold for salvage, we want to be certain that every potential buyer and consumer is aware that the vehicle has a previous salvage record with GEICO," said Shawn Burklin, vice president of claims at GEICO.

July 2, 2008

• Relay Calls Targeting Businesses -This scam has been happening repeatedly in the last few weeks. Your BBB of Northern Indiana cautions against Emails or phone calls your business may receive. We have received an email this morning from a local business that was contacted by a ‘Dr. Sherry Smith’ via a relay call because she was supposedly “hearing impaired.” ‘Dr. Smith’ wanted her 2006 Ford Focus painted, and was willing to put $1000 down using her credit card, but first wanted the business to Western Union $820 to a shipping company. 
• Reader lauds BBB for TTL scam alert - I work at Sisk Auto Body in Owings, Md., and I just wanted to say thank you for writing this article. I received a call from “Dr. Smith” yesterday evening and I was fairly sure that it was a business scam while I was talking to “her,” but I was able to get her off the phone before giving in to her requests by giving her my e-mail address.
• CIECA announces the Launch of CIECA University - The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) announces the launch of its new on-line training and instructional platform. -- “CIECA’s leadership in developing data and communication standards for the Collision Industry is transforming the way all segments of the industry communicate. CIECA University is a logical extension of CIECA’s expertise. Through a series of short, informative courses, CIECA is providing the industry, both members and non-members, with general and targeted instruction to assist in the implementation of electronic commerce,” said Fred Iantorno, CIECA’s Executive Director.
• Sale of Diamond Glass Assets to Belron US is Complete; Business as Usual for Now - glassBYTEs™: The sale of the assets of Diamond Glass to Belron US closed yesterday, as scheduled, according to both a press release issued by Belron US, and a statement issued by Diamond counsel Michael Richman of Foley & Lardner.
• Whom Do You Trust?? - glassBYTEs™: "A non-event occurred Friday when Belron US announced that its purchase of the assets of Diamond Glass' would, in its attorneys' opinion, 'not need' to invoke reporting for anti-trust review to the U.S. government." —Neil Duffy
• ASA Announces North Carolina Venues for Service Information Workshops - Designed to educate shop owners and technicians about the availability of service information to automotive repair shops, the next workshops will be held in Charlotte July 15 at the Residence Inn Charlotte Uptown; Winston-Salem July 16 at the Courtyard Winston-Salem Hanes Mall; and Raleigh July 17 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley.
• Service Information Workshop Organizers Declare Success in Rhode Island - The Automotive Service Association (ASA) recently hosted another Service Information Workshop in Warwick, R.I. Led by John Francis III, owner, Francis Automotive Services, West Chester, Pa., on behalf of the association, the workshop was held to educate shop owners and technicians about the availability of service information to automotive repair shops.
• Last call to nominate industry's most influential women - The deadline is approaching for nominations for Akzo Nobel’s 2008 Most Influential Women in the Collision Repair Industry awards. This year’s program will mark the 10th anniversary of the event. 
• CARSTAR national conference looks at best hiring practices - If a hiring firm guaranteed to find you an employee within 10 days and further guaranteed that your new hire would stay during a 120 day probationary period, would you be willing to pay that firm 10 percent of that employee’s first year salary ($4,000 based on $40,000)? In other words, would the $4000 risk be worth the potential payoff?
• Exile Auto Body joins Carstar network to boost DRP work, changes name to Main Street Carstar - Being a part of a well-known business network has its advantages.  For the owners of southwest Denver's Exile Auto Body, that meant aligning their independent shop with a group that is trusted by many insurers' direct repair programs (DRPs).
• Federal bumper rules should apply to SUVs, pickups, vans, and cars alike - Cars, SUVs, and pickups share the road but they don’t share the same standard for bumpers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has petitioned the federal government to regulate the bumpers on light trucks (SUVs, pickups, and vans) just as it regulates those on cars. The same bumper rules should apply to all kinds of passenger vehicles.
• United Auto Supply celebrates 50 years - White cars and the parts needed for them have changed dramatically over the past 50 years, one constant has remained for local independent repair shops, fleet managers and body shops: a local distributor for the parts and supplies they need. United Auto Supply is celebrating a half-century this year of serving the Coulee Region with auto parts and supplies.
• Hot Enough for You? Florida Warehouse Beats the Heat and Humidity - Tri-States Automotive Warehouse owner Walter Spence no longer has to worry about significant downtime and expense to train new warehouse workers at his 100,000 sq. ft. facility in Marianna. -- "The difference was immediate," said Spence. "The constant, comfortable temperature level has allowed us to double our employee retention rate."
• Legend in a new coat of colors - Sleek and elegant, a dream in black with brilliant red leather seats. This is the look Belgian classic car aficionado Andries Meuzelaar’s 300 SL Roadster will be sporting when it returns as king of the road in the near future.
• CARIZZMA coatings dazzle the Middle East - R-M presents special effect paint line at Automechanika in Dubai
• Top hues: white is gold, silver takes silver, black the bronze - Dupont, one of the world's largest global suppliers of paints and coatings, has the verdict on car color popularity. And the winner is white.
• 3M Acquires K&H Surface Technologies Pty. Ltd. - Acquisition Broadens 3M's Automotive Aftermarket Repair Solutions in Australia
• CSK gives more than $800,000 to charity - CSK Auto Corp., the Phoenix-based parent of Checker Auto Parts and other companies, has donated $815,538 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. -- The money was raised through sales of CSK 2007 classic-car calendars at its 1,345 retail outlets in 22 states.
• Schnitzer Steel Reports Record Quarter - A continued focus on increasing car volumes, combined with higher prices for cores and scrap, resulted in healthy year over year growth in sales and operating income for the Auto Parts Business. -- The Company’s auto parts business sells used auto parts through its 35 self-service facilities and 18 full-service facilities located in 15 states and in western Canada.
• Feel patriotic? Here’s how to buy American - The best way to boost the economy with your next new-car purchase is to buy a domestic-branded model manufactured in North America with the highest percentage of American-made parts. But figuring out exactly which models fit that criteria isn't easy.
• Suppliers suffer from high raw materials prices - Prices of raw materials have surged so much this year that 25% of manufacturers and auto suppliers surveyed by automotive consulting firm IRN Inc. say they are willing to stop shipping parts if they don't get higher prices for their products.
• Toyota dealer rejoins Ford as U.S. sales head - Prominent Toyota distributor Ken Czubay will join Ford Motor Co. as head of its U.S. sales and marketing organization, the automaker said Tuesday.
• Auto sales plunge to worst in 15 years - Companies say rest of '08 looks shaky as they try to meet call for small cars
• Carmakers say fuel economy proposal too aggressive - A lobbying group for 10 major automakers said Tuesday the government is underestimating the cost of increasing fuel economy standards and wants those standards to go into effect too quickly.
• Venture Tape Partners with Graphtec to Offer New Automotive Paint Protection Package - Venture Tape Corp., a worldwide manufacturer of specialty tapes, has announced an innovative partnership with Graphtec Corporation to offer a turnkey automotive paint protection package to car dealerships and retail customers.
• A Ford Behind The Wheel - The man whose name is on all those Ford Explorers with the defective Firestone tires is finally coming out to defend his embattled company. Ford chairman William Clay Ford Jr. formally emerged last week, promising the public that his board of directors would thoroughly review how Ford's executives are handling the recall of 6.5 million tread-shredding tires, which have already claimed the lives of 89 Americans.
• Do 3D Fake Speed Bumps Really Work? - The latest rage in trying to stop speeders is the 'fake speed bump' - a flat piece of plastic artwork that forms an optical illusion when drivers see it in the road, making the street appear to have raised speed bumps.
• ALLDATAdiy.com Subscription Addresses Recent Vehicle Recalls - Recall Information and Factory Service Bulletins Available to Consumers
• Shop Holds Car Against Owner’s Will After Unwanted Repairs - Clarksville, Tenn. - For nearly two years, a Fort Campbell soldier has been fighting to get his car back.
• Auto repairman gets 10 years for identity theft, fraud - VA: The Suffolk man will have to pay back $609,000 to defrauded customers and vendors, and serve 10 years in prison.
• Insurers Offer Some Info on Totaled Vehicles to Fight Title Fraud -The National Automobile Dealers Association - a leader in the fight for total-loss vehicle disclosure - today applauded the efforts of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) for creating a new Web-based service with total-loss data for consumers.
• Where Will the Safest Drivers Cruise on July 4th? - Fourth Annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report™” Reveals Cities with Safest Drivers; Offers New Data on Gender and Generation
• Study: Call Center Issue Resolution Drives Loyalty, Retention, Satisfaction - Despite the insurance industry's overall improvement, the study found that 17 percent of insurance customers who called the contact center did not have their issue resolved. And customers with unresolved issues are four times more likely to defect from their insurane provider. The study also found that insurance industry customer satisfaction is significantly lower for customers with unresolved issues vs. resolved (44 vs. 83).
• GEICO Introduces New Auto Insurance Rate Plan in Michigan - “GEICO is pleased to release a new rating plan that will offer the opportunity for millions of Michigan drivers to compare and save on their auto insurance premiums,” said Mary Zarcone, regional vice president of GEICO’s Midwest operations. “As one of the largest and fastest growing auto insurance companies in the Unites States, GEICO stands ready to meet the insurance needs of the good people of Michigan.”
• My $650,100 Lunch with Warren Buffett - What would you pay to have lunch with the richest man in the world? For me and Mohnish Pabrai — a friend who, like me, runs a U.S.-based investment fund — the answer was $650,100. That's how much we forked over for the privilege of dining with Warren Buffett on June 25.

July 1, 2008

• BASF Refinish launches new R-M Onyx HD products - BASF Automotive Refinish Solutions today announced that it is launching two new additives for its Onyx HD line in  the United States and Canada, further strengthening its position as the  industry leader in waterborne automotive refinish paint technology.
• Diamond Acquisition Expected to Close Today; FTC Rep Comments on Hart-Scott Rodino Act - glassBYTEs™: As of late this afternoon, the sales of the assets of Diamond Glass to Belron US had not been completed, though Belron US spokesperson Jenny Cain advised it was still expected to. Diamond Glass counsel Michael Richman of Foley & Lardner advised the court at a hearing on June 20 that sale was expected to close on June 30, barring the companies' need to file under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
• ALLDATA Supports More Than 1,000 Members of the California Autobody Association - ALLDATA Collision Provides a Single Source for Manufacturers' Collision Repair Information
• LKQ Corp. spent $230,000 to lobby in first quarter - LKQ Corp., which supplies recycled auto parts, spent $230,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on a patent reform proposal, according to a recent disclosure form. -- The Chicago-based company focused its lobbying on a proposal that would amend patent infringement rules to exempt auto crash parts used for repair, according to a disclosure form filed April 21 with the House clerk's office.
• National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Offers Free Access to Insurers' Total Loss Claims Data - Robert M. Bryant, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, announced today the expansion of NICB's popular "VINCheck" consumer protection service to include information on vehicles that have been declared "total losses" by its participating member insurance companies.
• Solving the DRP puzzle: By: John Yoswick - Manage your insurer relationships by learning their side of the business
• CrashMaster Collision Centers Award Winning “Green” Finish - When a vehicle owner brought his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro to CrashMaster Collision Centers for an estimate, we both knew that it was more than your typical car. 
• Welcome aboard, Lillian! - We are pleased to announce the addition of Lillian Maimone to the WIN Board. Lillian is the CEO of Marco’s Auto Body, Inc., which has 8 locations in Southern, California. Lillian has been in the collision industry for 25 years, and has distinguished herself by serving as the President of her California Auto Body Association chapter in 2007 and 2008.
• Hat-trick of successes - NZ: A hat-trick of Masterton automotive businesses have been named regional leaders in their fields at an inaugural Motor Trade Association ceremony on Saturday night. -- Jock Mathewson, CE-Spray Collision Repair co-owner, said winning the supreme award took him by surprise, especially given the number and size of other nominees in their category.
• SCRS is planning Affiliate Leadership Conference - The SCRS Affiliate Leadership Conference spotlights and addresses the needs of affiliate associations and their members. In the process, it leverages the grass-roots strength of state associations utilizing a regional focus distinctive to SCRS as a national industry entity.
• Blaze guts Modesto auto body shop - A fire gutted an auto body repair shop Saturday evening and slowed traffic in both directions for about an hour on South Ninth Street in Modesto, according to the Ceres Fire Department. The business was closed and nobody was inside when the fire started, said Ceres Fire Capt. Josh Cummings. No injuries were reported.
• Independent gas stations feeling the pain of rising prices - Despite record high prices at the pump, independent gas station owners are also feeling the pinch. Part of the problem is that many consumers are now using credit cards to buy gas.
• 'Junk' vehicles are cleaned up for world trade - At modern yards, cars costing thousands get inspections, bar codes
• Copart director indirectly sells 19,800 shares - A director of Copart Inc., which auctions junked cars for insurers and auto dealers, indirectly sold 19,800 shares of common stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.
• What's an Auto Industry CEO Worth? - Consider this timing: American Axle & Manufacturing ended a strike by persuading workers to accept a contract that includes significant pay cuts. A month later, management announced its decision to give bonuses to executives, including a multimillion-dollar award for the CEO.
• ArcelorMittal wants to raise car makers' steel prices - The world's biggest steel company, ArcelorMittal, wants to raise prices for car makers by about 60 percent owing to a spike in cost of raw materials, a press report said on Monday.
• GM seeks to seize tooling from bankrupt supplier - General Motors Corp has asked for court approval to seize tools from bankrupt auto parts maker Progressive Molded Products Inc, citing a potential for supply disruptions that could force the carmaker to shut its assembly lines.
• 2009 Ford Escape Delivers Best-in-Class Fuel Economy Among 4-Cylinder Compact SUVs - The 2009 Ford Escape, equipped with a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission, is the coveted fuel economy leader among all small SUVs.
• 'It's hybrid hysteria' for buyers seeking the hard-to-find Prius - Toyota's Prius hybrid already owns the so-called nerd niche – the legions of greenies, techies and trendies smitten with the little gas-electric sedan.
• Redesigned Subaru Forester Becomes Consumer Reports' Top-Rated Small Sport-Utility Vehicle - Forester outpoints Toyota RAV4 in CR's tests; Mitsubishi Outlander & Nissan Rogue rated "Very Good"
• Chrysler refutes bankruptcy rumors - Chrysler has denied media speculations that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and said that it has sufficient liquidity, Reuters has reported, quoting a company spokesperson.
• New state law aims to stop towing ripoffs - IL: The Safety Towing Law is aimed primarily at unscrupulous tow truck companies operating on Chicago streets that sometimes charge more than $4,000 for a tow that should cost about $150. -- Because auto insurance companies usually pay the bills, most car owners aren't even aware they're being fleeced.
• Who's looking at your records - In the world of business, information is almost as good as gold.
• New Jersey woman indicted in elaborate auto scam - A New Jersey woman was indicted after prosecutors said she falsely registered 32 vehicles with the Motor Vehicle Commission.
• Arbella cuts auto insurance rate to counter key rival - Arbella Insurance is lowering its auto insurance rate by one percentage point today, partly due to stiff competition posed by a new out-of-state rival that’s aggressively jumped into the Massachusetts market since deregulation.
• State Farm® Honored for Its Support of Guard and Reserve -- One of 15 Entities Nationwide to Receive Freedom Award - In recognition of support for its employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve, State Farm has been awarded the highest employer honor bestowed by the Department of Defense -- the Freedom Award.