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On Wednesday, Nov. 14 AASP-MN will host “Audi & Volkswagen Diagnostics,” from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m., at Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis.  William Krug of IDENTIFIX will present the session, which will cover how to read Audi/VW wiring diagrams and how to use the diagrams for faster, more focused diagnostics.  Attendees will learn how the factory scan tool is set up and how the various functions can be used to find the cause of concern.  The ins and outs of late model A/C systems will also be covered.

Thursday, November 29, 2012, AASP-MN will host “No B.S. Guide to Converting Telephone Leads into Paying Customers.”  The seminar, presented by Jeremy O’Neal of Advisorfix.com, will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., at Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis.

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, one of North America’s largest multi-shop operator (MSO) networks, has announced the addition of CARSTAR Autopark Appearance Center of Escondido, CA, to its network of collision centers. Although new to CARSTAR’s national lineup, Autopark Appearance Center has served the “Hidden City” of Escondido for more than 30 years, and shop owner Scott Hillery has worked in the automotive industry since 1974. Bringing CARSTAR Autopark Appearance Center on board gives the company a strong foundation of collision centers in the Southern California area.

CARSTAR says the new store will benefit from the CARSTAR Management Systems, which provide resources to improve key business metrics such as cycle time, participation in CARSTAR’s 19 corporately managed DRP programs, and improved purchasing power from 45 corporately managed purchasing programs.

“We are excited to welcome Scott Hillery and CARSTAR Autopark Appearance Center to the CARSTAR network,” said David Byers, CEO of CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts. “We are thrilled to expand our presence in California with this new top-notch collision repair center.”

ABC Channel 7 recently announced its 2012 Bay Area A-List. Voting took place in February and March and was conducted by ABC7 and CityVoter. With 72,000 votes collected, 113 body shops were nominated out of more than 2,500 auto body shops. The top 5 are:

Coming in at #1 is Spectrum Auto Body in San Francisco.

In second place is Fremont’s Maaco Auto Body and Paint. For the second year in a row, the shop has been honored by local residents as one the top five collision centers in the community. Last year, the shop placed first. The auto body shop serves Fremont, Newark, Union City and surrounding areas.

In third place is Cars Dawydiak in San Francisco, an authorized, dealer-approved body repair facility for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Land Rover and Panoz automobiles as well as a Jaguar authorized aluminum collision repair center for structural and non-structural repairs.

In fourth place is Mike Rose’s Auto Body located in Walnut Creek, and the fifth place winner is Uptown Body Shop in Oakland.

Precision Collision Auto Body, a multiple shop operator (MSO) headquartered in Bellevue, WA, announced it acquired two new collision centers in Tacoma, WA and Kennewick, WA.

The acquisition brings the Precision Collision Auto Body network to 20 locations in Washington.

“With increased growth over the past few years, Precision Collision is one of the fastest growing auto body companies in the U.S. maintaining excellent customer service,” said Mark Lovell, marketing director.

Pohanka Collision Centers opened its 10th location in Clinton, Md.

Pohanka Collision Centers said its new 13,800-square-foot BMW-certified facility, located near St. Andrews Air Force Base, will serve the communities that surround the southern tip of the Capital Beltway in Maryland.

The company now operates six collision repair facilities in Virginia and four in Maryland.

Forty-eight years young, Grand National Auto Body in Canoga Park, CA, recently underwent a complete remodel and will celebrate its Grand Re-Opening June 21. The shop is inviting insurance managers, supervisors and local agents , and the chamber of commerce for Calabasas and Canoga Park, as well as their customers, of course.

“We want our customers to have an overall excellent experience here at our shop,” said co-owner Robert Salinas. “And that shows from the minute they step through the door. Customers can relax in our newly remodeled 1,200-square-foot waiting room that includes a flat-screen TV, and comfortable couches and chairs. We have relied on our customers just as much as they have relied on us.”

To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.

Paul Amato, who owns Amato's Auto Body in San Diego, will be the first one to tell you that he's totally nuts. When he spoke recently on shop efficiency at the San Diego chapter of the California Autobody Association monthly members meeting, Amato prefaced his presentation by saying, "I might offend some people, so be prepared."

Equipped with shop efficiency tips and a few gag props, Amato opened his presentation by handing out some nuts. "I'm really nuts--so here's some nuts," said Amato. He broke out a pink elephant nutcracker that he introduced at the beginning of the night as the anti-trust rules were read, calling it 'the elephant in the room.' He used the elephant to crack the nuts that represented topics like aftermarket parts and DRPs, but continued to reiterate, "we can't talk about it," CRACK, "but we can't talk about it."

Check it out: HERE

http://www.fox5sandiego.com/videogallery/69604959/News/Throttle-National-Auto-Body-Show-And-Shine-2012

ICC Collision Centers is proud to announce the grand opening of their new El Mirage, AZ, location. The shop hosted an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, June 5, 2010 to mark the grand opening of this new state of the art facility. The event, which was open to the public, ran from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at 12555 Northwest Grand Avenue El Mirage.

Attending were Mayor Michele Kern of El Mirage, Arizona; Sam Mirabile, Vice President of Operations; Sean Darcy, Vice President of Business Development; Ed Hovsepian, Los Angeles Regional Manager and local business officials.

The facility is strategically located in the greater Northwest Valley in order to expedite turnaround times and allow a full-service customer experience. In addition, ICC offers a 10 day free car rental, lifetime transferable registered warranty, 18 month free paint maintenance program, convenient rental car at locations provided by Hertz and towing is available.

“Our facility is laid out for lean processes. We have very quick turnarounds and that helps get our customers back on the road,” said Tracey Collins, Business Development Manager for ICC.

ICC Collision Centers is also doing their part to be conscious of their impacts on the environment in their shops; the California locations are using waterborne paints and most of the parts they use are recycled in all locations.

“Providing the highest level of service to our customers and vendors in the Northwest Valley is essential to our success, and we’re pleased to offer a dedicated location to better serve them,” states Matt Gorges, General Manager of ICC Collision Centers, Arizona, “We look forward to making a long-term contribution to the Northwest Valley economy.”

ICC Collision Centers Avondale location has been in Arizona for four years and has built a reputation as a top level service center. Established in 1986, ICC Collision Centers has 10 locations located in the heart of California and Arizona. Over the past 28 years, ICC Collision Centers has grown a reputation of being one of the premier auto collision centers in the business. For more information go to www.icccollision.com.

To see a PDF of this article PLEASE CLICK HERE.

The Northwestern Louisiana Collision Repair Association (NWLCRA) held several estimating courses May 11, 12 and 13 at the Louisiana Technical School Collision in Shreveport, LA.

CLICK HERE TO READ AS PDF.

Mitchell International sponsored the courses which were taught by Dave Gauthier and provided basic as well as advanced techniques in the collision repair estimation field.

Two Best Practices beginners’ courses were taught for free as well as an Advanced Estimating course which carried a $25 fee.

Bill Burnside, NWLCRA past president and coordinator of this event, said, “It went fairly well, we had a good turnout.” He also said that the association would not object to holding the courses again in the future if interest was expressed from industry people in the area.

The Northwestern Louisiana Collision Repair Association helps to promote the automotive collision industry as a whole as well as educating the public and people in the industry about proper repairs.

The association also tackles industry issues and news during their meetings to inform members. The NWLCRA meets monthly to talk about news events and learn from industry speakers. More information can be found on their website at www.nwlcra.org.