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Product News (223)
Compressor design shifts towards energy efficiency
Written by Ed SullivanFord strives to keep OEM crash parts competitive by expanding quantity buying
Written by Richard NeubauerFord wholesale dealers are getting help from Ford Motor Company in lowering prices on certain OEM crash parts through an expanded quantity-ordering "truckload program."
Business finds growing niche in franchise mobile airbag services
Written by Autobody News staffDoug Hansen had always been a car guy. After a college education in mechanical engineering and experience in the aerospace field, he found himself in 1991 designing passenger-side airbags while thinking more and more about leaving the corporate world. While getting a car repaired at Showcase Collision in Kirkland, Washington, he started talking with the manager about airbags. "You ought to start a company that goes around and fixes airbags at body shops, " the shop manager told Hansen. So he did.
New company tests and certifies salvage airbags to work as new
Written by Richard NeubauerWith 359 million airbags in use today and the average cost for a replacement airbag at $650, it should come as no surprise that some insurers are looking at the feasibility of using salvage airbags to reduce the cost of collision repair. Unlike sheet metal, there are no aftermarket airbags, as manufacturers are restricted by law to selling their products to auto manufacturers. The only alternative to a new OEM airbag then, is a salvage OEM airbag. While no American insurers have yet endorsed salvage airbags, a Canadian insurer, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, last year started writing estimates that included tested and certified salvage airbags.
Quality features offered in new, lower-priced booth
Written by Autobody News staffA new, high quality but moderate cost downdraft spraybooth has been introduced by USI. Designed for shops that require the spraying and curing features found in USI's more expensive booths but don't have the volume to justify a high-end "production" booth, the new Techno spraybooth can be "delivered and installed for less than $40,000," according to Luigi Zucchet, Vice-President of USI North America
Partners build a better mouse trap with crash wrap film
Written by Richard NeubauerRain, hail and snow are good for business in the collision repair industry, but those same elements cause additional interior damage to an unprotected car sitting on the back lot waiting for parts, reassembly - or an adjuster. Protecting the cars with plastic trash bags and duct tape - a standard industry practice for years - is not only ineffective, it also leads to hours of detailing time to remove the tape adhesive from the vehicle.
August 2000 - The scene is a crowded paddock at last year's prestigious Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway. Amid the sweet music of rare vintage racing engines and the nearly inconceivable beauty found in rows of priceless four-wheel motorsports artifacts, a crowd gathers in a tent adorned with a distinctly American nameplate. Jaded journalists and ever-present enthusiasts, familiar celebrities and full-time dreamers collectively gasp as the silk cover is taken off the next great American supercar - the Saleen S7. It's swooping but purposeful lines intentionally toned-down with a stunning combination of silver BASF paint and Connolly leather interior; the newly created automotive icon became the instant object of desire to all of those fortunate enough to witness its stunning introduction.
Spray booth specs can be misleading to the uninformed
Written by Special correspondentCertain specs about spray booths can be misleading. Think about the engine size measure of an automobile. Assuming that a 4.0 liter engine will always make a car quicker than a 3.5 liter could lead you to buy the wrong car. You really need to know the horsepower and torque that the engine develops and delivers to the power train. It's similar with paint booths. Here are some common misconceptions presented by engineers from NorAM, a spray booth manufacturer.
Users rate CCCs Pathways system best overall
Written by Richard NeubauerCCC Information Services used NACE Las Vegas to ballyhoo the fact that estimating system users ranked Pathways® as their preferred estimating system in an independent survey published last August. The survey, conducted by Collision Repair Industry Insight, a subscription newsletter (www.collision-insight.com), gave the CCC system an overall ranking of 3.6 out of 5.0, with Mitchell earning a 3.39 and ADP 3.19. The body shops polled in the annual survey ranked each system in 14 categories. CCC scored highest in several key categories, including "ease of use" with a score of 4.08; "telephone support" with 3.88; "cost of ownership" 2.85; "ease of making custom entries" 4.05; and "response to labor review requests" 2.95. The "accuracy of the labor data base" category saw CCC and ADP equal at 3.54. Mitchell had the edge in "accuracy of parts price information" with 3.96.
