The U.S. auto industry rebounded from last January's sales collapse with one big exception: Toyota, which lost an estimated 20,000 sales after it stopped selling eight models because of defective gas pedals.

Last month, U.S. sales of cars and light trucks to consumers rose 6 percent from a year earlier, thanks to increases in fleet sales and strong demand for newly redesigned vehicles such as the Hyundai Tucson SUV and Buick Lacrosse sedan.  Big winners included General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., which all posted double-digit sales increases.

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Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the company received feedback from the government, but he would not say what that was or when it intends to start sending out parts. The company has said it plans to announce the fix the week of Feb. 1.

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Toyota Motor said on Feb. 1 that repairs to accelerator pedals in millions of recalled vehicles would begin later this week as it tried to reassure customers and show that it had the situation under control.

Toyota said many dealers would have extended hours and some would stay open around the clock so that the pedals could be fixed as quickly as possible.

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The latest addition to the recalls was announced Wednesday, with 1.1 million vehicles added to the 4.2 million recalled in November to fix a problem in which the gas pedal can become caught on the edge of the removable floormat, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably.

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Collision Week has reported that efforts by Autobody News columnist Toby Chess have led to GEICO issuing an order to inform  its staff of the companywide policy change this week citing the recent industry dialog surrounding the quality of aftermarket bumper reinforcements.

The company communication states: "As of today, and until further notice, companywide procedure will be to specify only new OEM or recycled OEM bumper reinforcements, absorbers and brackets. It is important that this message be clearly communicated to everyone on your staff."

For background on what led to this directive, see Toby Chess column, Hey Toby 20, in Autobody News February edition.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) issued the following statement today on the Toyota recall:

"Toyota is doing the right thing. The safety of the customer is of paramount concern. Toyota has a reputation for resolving problems quickly. We certainly hope that's the case in this situation as well.

"This is creating a very difficult situation for dealers, in an already tough market. NADA is working with Toyota to identify a plan to help get dealers through this. In the meantime, we are encouraging Toyota dealers to check to see if they have business interruption insurance that might help them weather this crisis.

"For the consumer, Toyota has set up a toll-free number to answer customer's questions. That number is 1-800-331-4331."

NADA, founded in 1917 and based in McLean, Va., represents about 17,000 new-car and -truck dealers, both domestic and international.  

SOURCE National Automobile Dealers Association

General Motors has returned $140 million of the $290 million it received from the government to support is parts suppliers.

The Treasury Department said Nov. 24 that the $140 million was part of the $2.5 billion pledged to GM to help the automaker's parts suppliers. The money came from the government's $700 billion bailout fund.

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Toyota has found a way to reconfigure the pedal and, in some cases, alter the floor surface to address the issue and lessen the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Toyota will recall about 110,000 Tundra vehicles sold in the United States due to safety concerns. The move was triggered by excessive corrosion on the frame rear cross-member of certain Tundra vehicles which operate in areas with high road salt use. "In the worst case, the spare tire stowed under the truck bed may become separated from the rear cross-member. Spare tire separation will create a road hazard for following vehicles and increase the likelihood of a crash," said the Japanese auto maker in a statement.

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The statement was made by quality general manager, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, following the release of Toyota's fiscal third-quarter earnings, which showed an above-forecast return to profit against the year earlier period. 

Dow Jones Newswires cited the executive as saying Toyota first heard about complaints involving Prius brakes from dealers last autumn. He said the braking system was revamped in January and denied the company had tried to cover up the problem, according to the Dow Jones report.

The Associated Press quoted a Toyota spokeswoman as saying that while the problem was corrected on Prius models sold since late January, the auto maker was still deciding on how to deal with those sold earlier.

The Nikkei business daily cited unnamed sources close to the company as saying that Toyota would soon advise its domestic dealers on steps to take to make sure Prius models already sold are safe.

Dow Jones also cited Yokoyama as saying Toyota was considering various steps to limit the impact on sales from large recalls prompted by different issues involving accelerator pedals and floor mats on several models.

Toyota believes that recall will cost it $2 billion, according to Reuters.

This month we introduce---for fun---a humorous column excepting short stories from Scott "Gonzo" Weaver's book, HEY LOOK! I FOUND THE LOOSE NUT! Scott is an auto electric shop owner in Oklahoma. His stories are true.

Check out his website at www.gonzostoolbox.com, or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Matt Edmonds, vice president of Tire Rack www.tirerack.com, America’s largest independent tire tester and direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories will be at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas to gauge and evaluate the pulse of the industry as a whole on Monday Nov. 2nd – Thursday Nov. 5th.  As a result of the worst recession in decades, several major tire manufacturers are unable to attend this year’s show as you know.  What does this mean for the industry as a whole and what’s new at the show despite several manufacturers not in attendance?

Tire Rack works with every OEM tire brand, leading performance brands and will have an impartial take on what’s new, hot, not so hot, troubled or just plain silly at SEMA this year.  I can have Matt Edmonds available to comment and feed you content pertaining to:

Tire Industry Pulse  - apprx. 10 of the major tire brands will not be exhibiting this year, what does this mean for the industry? Which manufacturers are left to steal the limelight at the show?

Lean and Green - top 5 new green products (Tire Rack just completed a low rolling resistance tire test which could be a possible hook for you as well?).  So what products are new and exciting in this category?  With consumer interest focusing on reducing fuel consumption and being eco-friendly, tire manufacturers are scrambling to develop ‘green’ products that appeal to their concerns and new CAFÉ standards. 

Winter Travel - should you be discussing winter travel, Matt can discuss the winter tire and accessories options at the show.

Richard Zenteno, the Marketing Director for the Americas for Autoland Scientech U.S.A., has recently seen a movement throughout the country in which body shops are incorporating diagnostics along with mechanical repair and adding it to their menu of capabilities, he said. The reasons for this new trend are many, Zenteno explained.

To read this article in PDF format with photos CLICK HERE

    “Nine out of every 10 body shops we visit in this country are seeing the need,” Zenteno said.  “Body shops that consider getting into mechanical repair can’t avoid from performing diagnostics on some level,” Zenteno said.  “I tell body shops two main things about doing diagnostics. First, if you’re not in; get in; it is a fact that electronics in vehicles are increasing. And secondly, develop a habit for diagnosing vehicles in your shop. Become versatile and expand your services—if you become capable and eventually adept at performing any and all types of diagnoses, you’ll benefit in many ways, because you’ll be more valuable to both your customers by providing a better customer experience and the insurance companies by increasing your accuracy in the initial vehicle estimate and submitting fewer supplements.”
    Time, which equals money, is probably the foremost factor for body shops to consider getting into diagnostics, Zenteno said. “Whenever a car comes into a body shop you assess visual damage to the vehicle, however, in that process it is important to assess the damage that has been done to the electronics. One of the first things they should do is run a complete scan of the vehicle to assess what electronic components will need to be changed. If they’re not doing the diagnostics in-house, the shop will have to send the vehicle out to either a dealership or to a mechanical shop. The car is now in someone else’s hands and you’ve lost control of the repair. You could wait up to a week or more to get that vehicle back. In the interim, your cycle times are trashed. It’s a situation of failing to capture revenue, as well as losing money through expenses.”
    Without the correct diagnostic system, body shops are essentially working in the dark on the mechanical side, Zenteno said. “You need the basic diagnostic tools to determine the electronics within the vehicle are damaged. You’re guessing without the proper equipment and don’t even know what to fix. Air bags, crash sensors, fuel sensors, weight sensors, engine issues, abs—so many things can go wrong with a car today that without the proper diagnostic tools, you’re lost. Without the right equipment and the knowledge to support it, a body shop trying to do mechanical repair is like a captain at sea without a compass.”
    Body shop owners who are reluctant to consider incorporating mechanical repair capabilities should be aware of the two major misconceptions about diagnostics, Zenteno said. “If shops are thinking that diagnostics equipment is expensive, think again. For $3,000 to $8,000, a shop can get the proper diagnostic tools to work on 99% of every make and model car coming through their doors. Secondly, the skill level of your techs isn’t as involved as you’d imagine. A few hours of simple training will get them up and at a level of efficiency to do the job properly. It’s a matter of plugging in the scanner and reading the codes. You don’t need to be a computer engineer or programmer to do diagnostics in today’s world.
    “It is not a matter of ‘if you will have ROI’ with our tools,” Zenteno said. “Collision shops that have used a good OE level diagnostic tool like ours have saved up to 80% reduction in sublet repairs. Moreover, our scan tool has the capability of being both a handheld and PC-based tool simultaneously giving the shop the capability to document the trouble codes and needed electronic repairs to include in customer files ensuring reimbursement from the insurance company.”
    Autoland Scientech was founded 20 years ago, developing engine analyzers initially, Zenteno said. “We’ve been doing something right in this business for two decades to be around this long. We’re leaders in this area and our excellent reputation is the result of hard work.”
    In 1999, Autoland Scientech made huge news when they released the OB91 base unit. “It was the most innovative full-featured automotive scanner at the time, providing technicians with dealer-level diagnostics on fine European and Japanese vehicles. It was the product that put us on the map when it was selected as Motor Magazine’s Top 20 Tools that same year.”
    Over time the Autoland product line evolved to offer coverage for a wide range of vehicles catering to sophisticated technicians as well as general mechanical repair techs, Zenteno explained. “We make scanners for every level. On the professional-dealer level, we developed the D91 iScan, the tool-of-the-choice for upper echelon import repair shops. At the other end of the spectrum, we designed the D51 VScan for the general auto shop niche, and recently debuted the innovative shop-level VeDIS diagnostic system as well.”
    In addition to aftermarket automotive diagnostics equipment, Autoland Scientech specializes as a manufacturer of diagnostic equipment for companies such as Honda Taiwan Co., Ltd. and Kwang Yang Motor Co., Ltd. (Kymco). It’s a worldwide company working with the top diagnostic minds on the planet, Zenteno said.
    “We’re constantly in the process of designing new diagnostic equipment globally,” Zenteno said. “We have R&D teams in Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, U.K. and in the U.S., developing new products all the time, for the purpose of providing the finest diagnostic scanners in the world for the aftermarket industry. This universe of automotive diagnostics is ever-changing, so our goal is to stay on the cutting-edge; which involves a ton of hard work and R&D led by the leading minds in the world.”
    What does the future in auto diagnostics for body shops look like? “The collision repair industry will become increasingly keen about getting into diagnostics and mechanical repair,” Zenteno said. “It comes down to profitability, versatility and flexibility. They will see the value in expanding past paint and body repair, especially during tough economic times. Will it be the norm? Probably not, but the shops that step up and adopt diagnostics will pay substantial dividends immediately and down the road.”

Autoland Scientech USA
1001 Cypress Creek Rd. Ste 101
Cedar Park TX 78613
(512) 336-5152
www.autolandscientechusa.com
www.autotechforum.net