Cloudaccess - Joomla! as a service

Mike Orso of Nick Orso’s Body Shop in Syracuse, N.Y., said last week he has settled assignment of proceeds cases with Esurance over “short-pay claims” totaling more than $6,000. Orso, who said he filed more than $1 million in new assignment of proceeds cases in April alone, said the amount owed by Esurance involved charges for OEM versus non-OEM parts, omissions of P-page procedures, labor rate differences and “caps” on paint materials. “Many companies, at least the smarter ones, now negotiate and settle those claims,” Orso said.

Nissan is supplying New York City with fuel-efficient cabs, including six electric cars for testing, but acknowledged uncertainties about an ongoing “debate” over charging standards for electric vehicles.

The battle in fast-charging stations, the equivalent of gasoline stands for electric vehicles, is threatening to turn into a futuristic replay of other major platform wars like VHS of Panasonic vs. Sony’s Beta in video.

Insurance companies are pushing for Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee to veto a bill passed by the General Assembly  which is currently on the governor’s desk. The bill would allow auto body shops to directly sue insurers for reasonable reimbursement. Insurers are urging a veto to prevent a flood of lawsuits.

The legislation was originally sponsored by the Auto Body Association of Rhode Island (ABARI) and sought by body shop owners, including the father and sister of state Rep. Peter Petrarca. It cleared its final legislative hurdle at 3:00 am on the final day of the legislative session.

The Amador County District Attorneys Office, in conjunction with the Calaveras County District Attorneys Office,  obtained a “no contest” plea to a single count of insurance fraud from a body shop owner in Valley Springs, CA, as a result of their investigation.

Larry Robbins, owner of Franks Frame and Body Shop, was sentenced to 36 months felony probation, 60 hours of community service, ordered to surrender his Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) license and pay approximately $28,000 in restitution.

The CAA’s Glendale-Foothill Chapter held a special meeting at the Brookside Country Club, 1133 Rosemont Ave, Pasadena, CA, on June 13 to hear details about the new California Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF). The presenters at the meeting included Mark Janatpour, Senior Deputy Labor Commissioner, Freeman Baldwin, Bureau of Automotive Repair representative, Aston Ling, Cal/OSHA Senior Safety Engineer, Nicole Zouein, Board of Equalization Compliance and Outreach Lead, and Tracey York, California Employment Development Department Joint Enforcement Agent.

Despite strong lobbying and grassroots opposition from CAWA and other aftermarket organizations, SB 750 passes key committee. According to CAWA, consumers and the automotive aftermarket suffered at the hands of big car companies seeking a monopoly that will keep consumers and their repair professionals from having the information they need to repair their vehicles as SB 750 authored by Senator Hernandez and sponsored by BMW passed the Assembly Transportation Committee by a vote of 8 to 5. If ultimately passed and signed into law, SB 750 will exempt automakers from providing electronic key code information to locksmiths, requiring motorists to contact the automaker to get a replacement key for their vehicle. CAWA and aftermarket industry advocates have been battling this legislation for nearly a year and have argued their concerns about motorists being inconvenienced and often stranded in dangerous situations because they were not able to obtain a replacement key from a locksmith due to automakers refusal to provide this information. In addition, CAWA argued that this bill is anti-consumer and anti-competitive, and while this resonated with many legislators, it was not enough to convince them to vote against the measure.

The CAA San Diego Chapter held its 18th Annual Golf Tournament Saturday, June 2nd at Twin Oaks Golf Course in San Marcos. The event was a great success with over 100 players participating in perfect weather.

Noted Hop Sanchez (Finishmaster Inc.) and CAA San Diego Treasurer, “It was another great day with a group of fun-loving auto body industry people. Special thanks to Dee and her group from Enterprise for all their help in making this event a success.”

And the winners were:

Low Gross 1st Place: Team Toyota Carlsbad – Marty Edmonds, Rudy Romero, Michael Heller
Low Gross 2nd Place:  Team I-CAR – Wayne Krause, Mark D’Angelo, Gene Lopez, Ryan Swanson
Low Gross 3rd Place: Team Milo Johnson AB / Henson & Son – Ross Johnson, Jeff Johnson, Kirk Henson, Cory Clarke
Net / Peoria 1st Place: Team I CAR – Wayne Krause, Mark D’Angelo, Gene Lopez, Ryan Swanson
Men’s Closest to the Pin: Larry Haley (Team Enterprise)
Women’s Closest to the Pin: Karen Vinkemulder (Team Drew Ford)
Men’s Longest Drive: Wayne Krause (Team I-CAR)
Women’s Longest Drive: Barbara Davies (Team Autobody News)

Google’s driverless cars should not be allowed on U.S. highways unless adequate privacy protections for users of the new technology are implemented, Consumer Watchdog said May 31. The nonpartisan, nonprofit group urged the California Assembly to defeat a bill, S.B. 1298, that would allow Google’s driverless cars on California’s roads unless the legislation is amended to provide adequate privacy protection for users of the technology. The bill is now under consideration by the Assembly after the California Senate passed it unanimously.

Lakeside NAPA in Tahoe hosted a car show and customer appreciation day on May 31. More than 20 classic vehicles were showcased. Locals, including Charlie Struve from Struve Automotive with his 1956 Ford T-Bird; Rick Taylor of South Y Fireplace with his 1937 Packard; Ryan Feliciano of South Side Auto Body with his 1964 Chevy Chevelle; and Bob Lopez, a local retired fireman with his 1934 Ford Pick-up and 1940 Ford Woody, all made the show a success.

“Locals serving locals” was an appropriate motto for the event. Lakeside gives any classic car enthusiast the opportunity to bring out a cruising ride for the community to admire.
“Everyone had to come together to make this happen,” said Bob Pederson, owner of Lakeside NAPA Auto Parts.

A group of corporate NAPA Auto Parts members came out to judge the Best of Show contest for all the vehicles there. This year, Gert Lehman of South Tahoe Refuse took the prize with his 1939 Chevy sedan, a shiny, two-tone, silver and burgundy car.

Mike Rose Auto Body based in Concord, CA, announced the opening of its ninth collision repair facility in Fairfield, CA, on June 18.

Mike Rose Auto Body’s acquisition of the new 16,000-square-foot shop, previously known as Watson’s Auto Body of Fairfield, is its second expansion effort in 2012. The company opened a facility in Lafayette, CA, in January.

“I wanted to sell the business to an organization that believed in the same principles that we at Watsons have built our reputation on, being very community-minded and putting the customer first. Mike’s Auto Body was the company of choice because they clearly embrace the same principles,” said Scott Watson, former owner of the shop.

“We’ve been looking for the right location to expand and Scott Watson has established himself over the last 30 years as a high integrity, community-based quality operator, and that fits our model perfectly.  We are in a growth mode right now and diligently looking for quality repair facility’s to join the Mike’s Auto Body team,” said Brennan Rose, vice president of Mike Rose Auto Body.