In early August, the California Department of Insurance (DOI) convened a meeting in which nearly 100 members of the collision repair industry met with three members of the DOI to address the issue of paint and materials price capping.

The Department of Insurance (DOI) has released its most recent notice concerning the conducting of an auto body repair labor rate survey. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has proposed text changes to Sections 2698.91 and 2698.92.

In August, Dick Strom told the story of Chris and Carol Ferrante – “You don’t have to be guilty to be hanged.” Although they were no longer owners of Gilbert Collision Center, the Ferrantes  were named in a suit brought against the business by Infinity Insurance, turning their world upside down – sullying their reputations and costly them financially.

Recently confirmed Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Chief Sherry Mehl was the guest speaker at the California Autobody Association (CAA) third quarter board meeting in Santa Clara in August.

Not lying idle during the dog days of summer, the Collision Repair Association of California (CRA) has added three board members with over 100 combined years of collision repair experience in Central and Southern California.

The first-ever Women’s Professional Development (WPD) Track will debut at the 25th annual International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE). This specialized track will feature four brand-new sessions to further develop the skills and careers of women who are directly or indirectly involved in the collision repair and automotive service industries. 

Chicago Pneumatic, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative aftermarket tools, accessories and compressors, has signed a three-year partnership agreement with hot rod designer and TV personality Rich Evans. 

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Allstate Insurance Company are each claiming partial victory as the U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, New Orleans, has affirmed the District Court ruling in the case of Allstate Insurance Co., et al., Appellants-Appellees vs. Greg Abbott, Etc., et al., vs. Automotive Service Association, et al. 

Collision repair shops regularly decry the practice by some insurers of denigrating one shop in order to influence a consumer to select a shop in that insurer’s direct repair program (DRP). But could that DRP shop be found to be engaged in an unfair trade practice based on that insurer’s behavior? 

I-CAR leaders, during the training organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, in late July, openly explained that the past year had been a tough one financially, but also pointed to a number of accomplishments as well as plans for the future that they believe will turn things around for the non-profit.

Two legislative bills that would change the way that vehicle total losses are disclosed to the public have earned the support of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). 

The designs of seats and head restraints in 21 current SUV, pickup, and minivan models are rated good for protecting people in rear impacts, but those in 54 other models are rated marginal or poor. Another 12 are rated acceptable. The latest evaluations of occupant protection in rear-end collisions by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the Institute) found that the seat/head restraints in more than half of light truck and minivan models fall short of state-of-the-art protection from neck injury or whiplash.

In what the Collision Repair Association of California (CRA) calls “a major win for repairers, the Department of Insurance has put in writing conditions intended to prevent insurers from using skewed labor rates surveys to underpay the cost of collision repairs. Specifically, Gary Cohen, former DOI general counsel at the time, in a June 2007 letter to Gene Crozat, owner of G&C Autobody and president of CRA, held that an insurer survey, regardless of how it is conducted, “does not create the presumption that these surveys accurately reflect the prevailing rates charged by auto body repair shops in a specific geographic area.”

A position statement on the “feather, fill and block” procedure presented by the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Refinish Subcommittee has been approved by the board of directors. The subcommittee drafted the text under the direction of chairman Dan Stander, Jerry Stander’s Collision Works, Littleton, Colorado.

Akzo Nobel’s Automotive Plastic Coatings (APC) site at Garcia in Nuevo León, Mexico  received the coveted State Quality Award (Premio Nuevo León a la Calidad) after an exhaustive year-long audit and judging process which put the company’s management systems through a demanding series of tests and reviews. The highly prestigious award is in recognition of the facility’s continued commitment to operational excellence

Nominations are now open for the 13th Annual Pride Awards given annually by the National Auto Body Council (NABC) to identify and celebrate those in the collision industry who selflessly perform exceptional deeds, contributing above and beyond to humanity , exemplifying the giving spirit of the industry and, thereby, improving the image of the collision industry.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law bill AB 1575 (Richardson) which increases what a repair shop may charge a finance company for services and storage. Auto repair shops occasionally are faced with the situation where the customer does not pay the repair bill.

Most Collision Repairers supported Cash for Clunkers, but SEMA Members and SAN Enthusiasts Claim Credit for Helping Block  Program

SEMA-member companies and classic-car enthusiasts helped eliminate a "Cash for Clunkers" provision from both the Senate and House versions of the economic stimulus bill.

SEMA praised the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for passing "clunker-free" versions of the economic stimulus bill. The final bill to be signed into law by President Obama has no vehicle scrappage program.