The Refinish Subcommittee of the Automotive Service Association's (ASA) Collision Operations Committee is continuing its examination of primed versus unprimed bumpers, with a goal of having all bumpers supplied to repairers in a primed state. Currently, replacement bumpers are supplied in both primed and unprimed condition, depending on the source. 

As part of this effort, ASA recently shared the results of its time and materials study with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which is in the process of reviewing its Recommended Practice for Optimizing Automobile Damageability (J1555).

ASA's Collision Division requests that Revision No. 73 contain a standard recommendation for bumpers to be supplied as primed. ASA's time and materials study was conducted late last year and shows an additional materials cost of $14 to $23 and additional labor of 1 to 1.3 hours are required when working with unprimed bumpers.

Another issue being examined by the Refinish Subcommittee is the ability of the estimating databases to account for repair and materials costs associated with unprimed bumpers. To date, the database times are based on refinishing a primed bumper, which requires repairers to make a manual line entry for the additional prep time and materials required to get from a raw bumper to the primed-bumper state.

"We're hoping SAE will adopt the recommended standard and that vehicle manufacturers will provide all plastic bumpers in a primed state," said Jerry Burns, AAM, assistant division director and owner of Automotive Impressions Inc. in Rio Rancho, N.M. "This will help eliminate the additional labor and materials required on behalf of repairers, and eliminate the adhesion problems paint manufacturers and shops have with raw bumpers."

Web sites for members

ASA is now offering multi-page web site design, hosting and online marketing for its members to help members establish and retain an internet presence.

ASA can create a multi-page, interactive site using the latest trends in online technology including online appointment scheduling, an "Ask-An-Expert" form and an opt-in customer retention mechanism. Members can choose from several professionally designed templates that can be customized specifically to their online needs. ASA members will receive a home page with five additional pages for a setup fee of $495.

ASA also has the capacity to host and maintain new and existing member web sites for a small monthly fee. The sites are hosted on a reliable server built exclusively for ASA. Unique e-mail accounts and real-time tracking software is included with ASA's hosting services.

"ASA understands the overall need for our members to have an Internet presence that is both beneficial to the shop and convenient for their customers. Our web solutions are designed specifically for the independent automotive repair facility," said B.J. Johnson, ASA's director of membership development and affiliate relations. "More and more consumers are looking to the Internet to find a reliable repair shop. ASA is committed to offering a convenient and reliable venue for members to market their shop online."

For more information about ASA's web design and hosting solutions for ASA members, call (800) 272-7467, ext. 295 or visit webservices.asashop.org.