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Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes A-Plus™ Network has announced an expanded affiliation with Cadillac Media Solutions to offer a full suite of customized preferred marketing services to its collision repair facility members – all at special membership discount prices.

Cadillac Media Solutions, a full-service marketing services supplier, has been serving the collision repair business for 25 years and is a subsidiary of Cadillac Looseleaf Products, Inc.

The firm has now been named to provide customized website, social media broadcast and digital printing services to members as needed.

Beginning July 1, drivers in Michigan will start paying a little more to support the state entity funding the no-fault coverage system there.

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) oversees the fund that reimburses insurers for claims exceeding $500,000. Claims in the state can run relatively higher than most states because of no-fault laws there that allow policyholders lifetime medical coverage for crash-related expenses, a one-of-a-kind system used by no other state in the U.S.

The MCCA fee is charged per-vehicle to insurers, but policyholders generally pay for that in the form of higher premiums.

The MCCA fee will increase $30, from $145 to $175. It was $143 in 2010, $125 in 2009, and $104 in 2008

Sullivan PDR Estimator™ has launched what it calls a “game changer” for the PDR process, making it possible for anyone to accurately and easily estimate the cost of using paintless dent repair (PDR) for dents of any size. Up until now, the only way to estimate for door dings and large dents has been to call a PDR technician for an in-person appraisal. This has been an inconvenience for body shops and dealerships, and also has resulted in estimate delays for waiting customers---wasting time for everyone involved. The recent launch of the Sullivan PDR Estimator™ web application has changed that, allowing anyone to get quick, accurate estimates on the spot.

Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) has saved the automotive industry billions of dollars compared to conventional repair costs over the last several decades. Until now, however, PDR use hasn’t reached its full potential because it has simply been too difficult for body shops and car dealers to get accurate estimates in a timely fashion. The Sullivan PDR Estimator web-app is the solution, giving shops the ability to give a customer two bids for a job---one for conventional repair, and one for PDR. Giving the customer a choice has proven to be very effective at capturing the business of self-pay customers on their first visit. Shops that have aggressively gone after self-payers have been able to build their self-pay business to as much as 20-30% of their overall revenue.

Owner Jim Sullivan explains his vision of “PDR for every car!” by pointing out that nearly every vehicle that arrives for service at a body shop, a dealership, or any other type of automotive service center, has various dents and dings that could be fixed by PDR. These customers could be captured by using this easy-to-use estimating software to write accurate PDR repair estimates, and then having in-house PDR technicians do the repairs, or teaming up with a local PDR company in order to get the repairs done. “Taking two minutes to estimate dents during an oil change or when a vehicle is brought in for other collision repairs could earn the shop some considerable add-on revenues,” Sullivan explains.

For additional information about Sullivan PDR Estimator, please visit the website at: http://www.sullivanpdrestimator.com

Steve Guinn, owner of the two Hodges Collision Centers, has announced that the company broke ground on their third location in Tomball, TX, off of Hwy 249. Hodges Collision Center has two other South Montgomery County area locations at 130 Lane Lane and 1002 Rayford Road.

The new Hodges Collision Center, located at 18711 Hwy 249 north of Grant Road, will be the 3rd area location for the collision repair company. The 10,000 square foot location will house an Enterprise Rent-A-Car location as well as insurance adjuster offices. It is scheduled to open in early 2013.

Haddick's Auto Body & Towing, in conjunction with the cities of Industry and La Puente, will hold its 2nd Annual Charity Hot Rod & Car Show at its primary facility on Saturday, July 14.

Sponsored by local businesses and larger corporations, the family-friendly event will feature food, games and a live band. Proceeds go to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Industry Station's Youth Activities League (YAL) program that supports and helps at-risk youth in the area with free after-school sports and activities. Last year's event raised $12,500 for YAL.

Volkswagen Group's decision to take full control of Porsche Automobil Holding SE's automaking business is seen as positive by analysts and ends a long struggle for control between the two automakers.

VW said it has agreed to buy the remaining 50.1 percent of Porsche SE's automotive business that it doesn't already own for 4.46 billion euros ($5.6 billion), ending a seven-year takeover saga that divided two of Germany's most powerful families.

The agreement means Volkswagen can now fully fold the Porsche automaking business into its stable of brands, which includes  Audi and Bentley.

It leaves Porsche SE, which is controlled by the Piech-Porsche family still owning 50.7 percent of VW's common stock.

"To have the Porsche clan as owners and the anchor shareholder is good for Volkswagen and for Germany," said Christoph Stuermer, an IHS Automotive analyst in Frankfurt. "This has changed the cultural heart of the company. Volkswagen has become substantially stronger and long-term oriented."

The Women’s Industry Network has launched a new website focusing on one of the organization’s foundational goals: enabling networking among women in the collision industry. The redesign of WomensIndustryNetwork.com is a result of feedback from WIN members as well as cross-industry input. The new site offers significant enhancements to WIN’s efforts to deliver support, education and networking opportunities to its members as well as the industry at large.

The new social media based website presents a user-friendly opportunity to get to know the organization, its mission and activities through traditional as well as multimedia content.  Visitors will be able to learn more about the organization through news, videos, and photos, along with having the ability to apply for membership and scholarships directly from the site. WIN members will also be able to network through a “members-only” section of the site, enabling quick and easy mutual support among colleagues across the country.

“As an organization, we see this new website as an opportunity to spread the word about WIN and offer our members an easy way to reach out to other women in the collision industry,” said Ruth Weniger (Airbag Solutions), Chair of the Web Site Task Force. “One of the best ways to empower women to achieve success is to give them a solid platform and sense of community. That is WIN’s mission and we are thrilled to be able to offer this new opportunity to learn and stay connected.”

The efforts of WIN’s all-volunteer Website Task Force were critical to the development and launch of this new venture. The group includes Mia Bonthron (Enterprise Rent-A-Car), Melissa Miller (CARSTAR), Jennifer Justice Haley (former Body Shop manager) and Victoria Jankowski (State Farm). Working closely with Kristen Felder and Liz Blackman of Collision Hub, the organization’s web development partner, WIN developed this flexible site to meet the needs of the fast growing organization. WIN gratefully acknowledges Collision Hub for the generous donation of development services to make this exciting launch possible. 

To learn more about WIN, visit WomensIndustryNetwork.com or contact the organization at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Beacon Journal has reported that Car Tech Collision, closed since flames burned through the building it shares with another company, has relocated to 727 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road in Green and will hold a grand reopening party for its customers from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the new location.

The business, along with All American Box & Supply, was damaged in a $2 million fire in its former location at 2984 Chenoweth Drive on Feb. 14.

The fire started in a truck inside All-American Box & Supply, Green fire officials said.

Jason Rettberg, owner of Car Tech Collision, said it has been hectic since the fire as he and employees cleaned up the old space and as he arranged for the relocation to the new space for the four-year-old business.

All American Box has relocated to 708 Killian Road in Coventry Township.

Rettberg said the morning of the fire, he and other workers were able to get five customer cars out of the shop in time so that they were not damaged by smoke and water and falling debris from the blaze. No one was hurt in the fire.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car will also be located in the building with Car Tech, Rettberg said.

Car Tech employs seven people, including Rettberg. The shop phone number remains 330-644-6400.

The Northwest Louisiana Collision Repair Association will not have a meeting for the month of July. The association's next meeting is set for Aug. 7 at noon. Location is to be determined. Special guest will be Denise Caspersen, Collision Division Manager of Automotive Service Association (ASA). ASA is researching a State Farm pilot program currently being tested for electronic bidding of parts. Collision industry professionals and parts vendors will want to attend this meeting.

AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings Americas (A&AC) announced its plans to host the second annual Sustainable Leadership Symposium on July 20 at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, Texas.

The symposium launched in 2011, and collision repair industry professionals discussed their role in advancing and leading sustainable business practices, according to a news release.