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CREW Hosts New CIC Chairman Mike Quinn in Webcast
The February webcast of the Collision Repair Executive Webcast (CREW) hosted new Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Chairman Mike Quinn. Quinn also owns 911 Collision Centers with 7 locations in Arizona.
The webcast detailed Quinn’s goals for his 2011-2012 term at CIC Chairman. Quinn’s main goals are to increase attendance and participation, increase trust, make CIC a place for people to voice issues without fear of criticism, create a process where committees can develop work product that is valued by the industry and formulate processes to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of CIC as a body.
Quinn further explained what he means by process by using the class A standard of a work facility that came from CIC previously as an example. He also mentioned the effectiveness of CIECA and their work with electronic commerce as a good process that was brought by a committee before his term.
Class Action Judgments: GEICO Wins Appeal vs. Greenberger & Progressive Wins 2/6 vs. Blue Ash Inc.
Two collision-related class action lawsuits against major insurers have recently been decided in favor of the insurers. In the GEICO case on appeal partially due to lack of evidence (the vehicle). In the Progressive case a summary judgment was returned on two of six counts charged. The plaintiffs in the Progressive case have decided to drop the remaining existing charges to facilitate an appeal of the summary judgment.
ABPA Says Aftermarket Bumper Outperformed Ford Counterpart in Lab Crash Test
ABPA is saying that a laboratory crash test performed in December 2010 by MGA Research Corporation determined that an aftermarket bumper reinforcement bar outperformed its original equipment supplied (OES) equivalent, the Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) announced.
The trial involved sled-testing a pair of 2007 Ford Mustangs into a front-end barrier at 5 mph (the same test presented by Ford at the Collision Industry Conference last November), measuring the effectiveness of the reinforcement bars and estimating the costs of repair to the aftermarket and OES-equipped vehicles.
"We decided to incur the expense of further testing to illustrate comparable performance and to disprove the claim that it costs more to repair aftermarket-equipped vehicles than those with only OEM or OES parts," said Eileen A. Sottile, co-chair of the ABPA Legislation & Regulation Committee. "Tests have consistently demonstrated that aftermarket parts perform just as well as original equipment components, and consumers should feel good about having these parts on their vehicles."
While both parts effectively absorbed the impact and protected the vehicle occupants, a piece of the bumper fell off of the Mustang outfitted with an OES reinforcement bar. The low-speed test did not result in the deployment of the air bag systems on either vehicle.
Two repair shops which ABPA says are "highly regarded" were asked to calculate the costs of repair to the test vehicles without knowledge of the parts used in the crash test. One of the shops gave an identical estimate for repairs, while the other (a Ford dealer body shop) estimated that it would cost approximately $200 less to repair the aftermarket-equipped vehicle than the one with original equipment parts, which sustained more damage, according to ABPA.
"When aftermarket and OEM parts performed equally well in trials at 35 mph, some industry members complained that the tests were conducted at too high a rate of speed, making all rebars 'toast' even though the government requires tests at 35 mph in order to test for occupant safety," said Sottile. "Now that this low-speed test has vindicated the aftermarket in terms of quality, safety and damageability, the focus should return to preventing more cars from becoming total losses, which means everyone wins — the repairer, the insurer and, most importantly, the vehicle owner."
The ABPA says it will perform additional testing and also make those results public.
All Diamond Standard Bumpers Are Now Certified
“To achieve the distinction as the only U.S. manufacturer to have all its Alternative primed and plated front steel bumpers Certified is an accomplishment that validates the single minded purpose of the Diamond Standard Brand.
Four I-CAR Instructors Join Collision Repair Education Foundation's Industry Leadership Circle through Donations
Four I-CAR instructors join Celette's Tim Morgan and Audatex's, Tony Aquila as Collision Repair Education Foundation Industry Leadership Circle donors in 2010 through their personal contributions of over $1,000. Each instructor elected to have part of their I-CAR class fees go towards specific programs within the Foundation. These I-CAR instructors include: Paul Holman - donated to the Foundation's Lon Baudoux Legacy Scholarship Fund Tony Passwater - donated to the Foundation's Lon Baudoux Legacy Scholarship Fund Roy Taylor - donated to the Foundation's Lon Baudoux Legacy Scholarship Fund Michael Minutillo - donated to the Foundation's Collision Repair Education Campaign Fund Collision Repair Education Foundation Executive Director Scott Kruger said, "These individuals have made an extraordinary commitment to collision repair schools and students and an investment in the future of our industry. They represent a small sample of our colleagues, co-workers, and friends who have supported the Education Foundation out of their own pockets. Thank you all for your support."
Inter-Industry Provides $1.1 Million in Support to Schools Through Collision Repair Education Foundation in 2010
The Collision Repair Education Foundation would like to thank the inter-industry for providing $1.1 million in support to collision schools, instructors, and students in 2010.
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U.S. Rep Stearns Introduces Bill Calling for Greater Vehicle Disclosure
U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, has introduced H.R. 164 directing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require greater disclosure of information relating to the market value and safety of damaged motor vehicles.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and is known as the “Damaged Vehicle Information Act.” The proposed legislation includes the following requirements.
All persons who terminate a contract related to a motor vehicle due to flood or water damage, collision, fire damage, theft and recovery, or any other circumstance that adversely affects the fair market value of such motor vehicle, to disclose to the public in a commercially reasonable, electronically accessible manner the following information for every motor vehicle that has been identified in such contract:
A) The vehicle identification number of the motor vehicle.
B) The date of the termination of the contract.
C) The odometer reading of the motor vehicle on the date of the termination of the contract.
D) Whether, as a result of the incident that resulted in the termination of the contract, one or more airbags in the motor vehicle were deployed.
E) The cause of the termination of the contract, including whether such cause was flood or water damage, collision, fire damage, theft and recovery, or another cause.
The bill goes on to state that the private sector will be responsible “to collect, aggregate and disclose to the public the fair market value and safety information described in paragraph (1) and all such information shall be accessible by vehicle identification number.”
In January 2009, The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System was implemented, providing a national database of vehicles compiled from state, salvage and insurer reporting. It requires insurance companies and salvage yards to report vehicles that are severely damaged or totaled, giving consumers access to such information as odometer readings and theft records. The data is more comprehensive, up-to-date and less expensive than some private sector reports.
The implementation stemmed from the 2008 court case, Public Citizen Inc., Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, and Consumer Action v. Michael Mukasey, Attorney General of the United States. Public Citizen filed the suit to fight for a used car database that was established by Congress in 1992 in the Anti-Car Theft Act. However, the U.S. Department of Justice had never made the system available to the public.
ASA encourages independent repairers to go to the ASA legislative website, www.TakingTheHill.com, to review U.S. H.R.164.
Rich Evans on Speed Channel's New Show CAR WARRIORS
Never one to let the grass grow, Rich Evans is hard at work on a new all-star TV build show, called CAR WARRIORS, to debut on the Speed Channel this Feb. 23.
Iconic Hollywood car designer George Barris selected top judge for SPEED's Car Warriors...
ICONIC HOLLYWOOD CAR DESIGNER GEORGE BARRIS SELECTED TOP JUDGE FOR SPEED’S CAR WARRIORS
CREATIVE MIND BEHIND BATMOBILE, MUNSTER KOACH LEADS PANEL FEATURING EXPERTS JIMMY SHINE AND ‘MAD MIKE’ MARTIN
With decades of experience under his belt, having designed some of Hollywood’s most recognizable custom cars ever, George Barris, ‘King of the Kustomizers,’ joins fellow automotive geniuses Jimmy Shine and “Mad Mike” Martin as judges for SPEED’s new all-star build show, Car Warriors, set to premiere Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. ET.
The one-hour weekly series, shot on a purpose-built set developed on the grounds of Ted Moser’s famed Picture Car Warehouse in Northridge, Ca., features a hand-picked, eight-person All-Star automotive team taking on shops from around the country in a pressure-packed, 72-hour restoration project, matching wits, skills and stamina on a wide variety of vehicles. Barris, Shine and Martin review the results and determine the winning team.
I-CAR Announces July 2011 Industry Event to Take Place in Salt Lake City
I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, has announced its 2011 Industry Event will be held July 19-21 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Sheraton Salt Lake. Registration is expected to be available starting March 1 on the I-CAR website.
Tom Moreland, Chair of the I-CAR International Board of Directors said, “The I-CAR 2011 Industry Event will be held in conjunction with the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) and other industry events taking place throughout the week. I-CAR is pleased to have the opportunity to meet with key stakeholders and inter-industry members in conjunction with the Event and share updates on recent developments and plans for 2011.”
EPA Compliance Deadline is Jan 10, 2011
As of today, Monday, January 10th 2011, every collision repair facility in the United States is required to be in compliance with the EPA NESHAP 6H rule which was issued in 2009. The required reporting/recordkeeping in the rule is as follows:
- Initial Notification (informs EPA that the facility is subject to the standards and when the source will be in compliance.)
- For new sources: July 7, 2008 or 180 days after startup
- For existing sources: January 11, 2010
- Notification of Compliance (certifies that the source is in compliance with the applicable requirements)
- For new sources: As part of the initial Notification
- For existing sources: March 11, 2011
*** THE DEADLINE FOR FULL COMPLIANCE IS TODAY, JAN. 10, 2011 EVEN THOUGH COMPLIANCE STATUS NOTIFICATION IS NOT DUE UNTIL MARCH 11, 2011***
Copies of the rule and other materials can be found here.