New Jersey Automotive April 2015

April 2015$595

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALLIANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS/NEW JERSEY (www.AASPNJ.org)AND THE AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY (www.ARANJ.org)

www.grecopublishing.com

TM

NJA0415.qxp_NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE 4/1/15 6:01 PM Page 1

2 | New Jersey Automotive | April 2015


New Jersey Automotive | April 2015 | 5



14 11th Annual Lou Scoras Memorial Golf Outing Registration

FEATURES 16 Legal Battles, Legislation Highlight NORTHEAST Leadership Meeting20 Predictive Estimating Spotlighted During Montanez-Felder NORTHEAST Debate

NORTHEAST 2015 COVERAGE by Joel Gausten24 SALES AND SUCCESS: VENDORS REFLECT ON AN UNFORGETTABLE NORTHEAST

53 AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY Wharton Insurance Briefs

P.O. Box 734 Neptune, NJ 07753

EXECUTIVE DI REC TORCharles Bryant732-922-8909 / [email protected]

2013 - 2015 OFFICERSPRESIDENTJeff McDowell, Leslies Auto Body732-738-1948 / [email protected]

COLLISION CHAIRMANDave Laganella, Peters Body and Fender201-337-1200 / [email protected]

MECHANICAL CHAIRMANKeith Krehel, Krehel Automotive Repair, Inc.973-546-2828 / [email protected]

TREASURERTom Elder, Compact Kars, Inc.609-259-6373 / [email protected]

SECRETARYThomas Greco, Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc. 973-667-6922 / [email protected]

BOARDJerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Inc. 732-494-1900 / [email protected]

Sam Mikhail, Prestige Auto Body908-789-2020 / [email protected]

Ted Rainer, Ocean Bay Auto Body732-899-7900 / [email protected]

Anthony Sauta, East Coast Auto Body732-869-9999 / [email protected]

Randy Scoras, Holmdel Auto Body732-946-8388 / [email protected]

Anthony Trama, Bloomfield Auto Body973-748-2608 / [email protected]

BOARD ALLIEDJoe Amato, The Amato Agency732-530-6740 / [email protected]

Mike Kaufmann, Advantage Dealer Services973-332-7014 / [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT ATTENDINGTom Elder, Compact Kars609-259-6373 / [email protected]

PUBLISHERThomas Greco ([email protected])DIRECTOR OF SALESAlicia Figurelli ([email protected])EDITORJoel Gausten ([email protected])MANAGING EDITORJacquelyn Bauman ([email protected])ART DIRECTORLea Velocci ([email protected])OFFICE MANAGERDonna Greco ([email protected])CONTRIBUTING EDITORSCharles Bryant Tom Greco Jeff McDowellMitch Portnoi Dave Laganella Ron Ananian

Published by: Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.244 Chestnut Street, Suite 202, Nutley, NJ07110Corporate: (973) 667-6922 / FAX: (973) 235-1963

www.grecopublishing.com

VOLUME 45, NUMBER 4 | April 2015

8 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES10 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE66 NJA ADVERTISERS INDEX

NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE is published monthly and is sent to AASP/NJ and ARANJ members free of charge. Subscriptions are $24 per year. NEW JERSEYAUTOMOTIVE is published by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc., 244 Chestnut St., Nutley, NJ 07110. The editorial contents of NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVEare copyright 2015 by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher and/or editor. Articles in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. Images courtesy of www.istockphoto.com. Cover photos courtesy of Mike Petzinger, www.mikepetzinger.com

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey

Joe Amato, Sr.Ron AnanianJim Bowers

Charles BryantDon ChardGuy Citro

Ed DayDave Demarest

Tom ElderBob Everett

Thomas GrecoRich Johnson Wes KearneyNick KostakisJim KowalakJoe Lubrano

Michael LovulloSam Mikhail

Ron MucklowGeorge Petrask

Russ RobsonJerry RussomanoGeorge Threlfall

Cynthia TursiLee VetlandPaul VigilantRich WeberBrian Vesley

Glenn VillacariStan Wilson

HALL OF FAME

CONTENTS



OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES

Am I the only one who has noticed that the once vi-brant casino industry in Atlantic City is slowly washingaway into the Atlantic Ocean? Now, I was never a big gambler, and I was never ahuge fan of Atlantic City. I mean, after all, once you left theboardwalk or the marina, you were basically in a war zone.Still, it saddens me to see something that was once abenchmark for our state fade away into a memory while noone seems to care. My earliest memories of Atlantic City deal more withentertainers than with gambling. I knew that Dean Martinfirst teamed up with Jerry Lewis there. I knew the Beatlesplayed there. But until gambling was legalized, I dont thinkI ever ventured south of Seaside Heights. I could tell my dad was excited by it, though. In the late

70s, he would come home from work and say to my mom,Mate, go to the bank and get a grandski. Were going toAC tomorrow! The next day, he would pile my mom, my sister, me andanyone else who wanted to come into the Caddy and wewould head down the Parkway. Once we got there, hewould hand each of us a hundred and say, Go win a mil-lion! I wasnt old enough to gamble, but I guess I musthave looked it. My sister and I would head to the blackjacktables and play five dollar hands. My mom searched out aslot machine of her liking and my dad would run to thecraps tables. Man, did he love craps. He tried to teach it tome many times, but I could never get the hang of it. To thisday I still dont understand the game. We would do this maybe twice a year for the next few

by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER

Meet Me Tonightin Atlantic City



years. I dont remember any of us ever winning, but we al-ways had a ball. The lunches and dinners were alwaysmore fun than the gambling for me. Since we never reallytraveled much as a family, they were times I look back onand treasure. Another big part of the fun was the ride downand back. My dad NEVER stayed over, so we spent thetwo-and-a-half hour drive playing games and singingsongs. One particular time stands out when my oldestbrother Ralph came along (yes, thats the same FamilyFeud iron and steel Ralph). On the way home, the oldShangri-Las song Leader of the Pack came on the radio.Ralph cleverly changed the song to Leader of the Crackand made up an entire pornographic version of the song,singing different variations of it the entire way home. Goodtimes. Unfortunately, not all of my Atlantic City memories aregood. My first great love affair came to an end there onesummer night in 1983. My girlfriend and I had spent threeyears waiting for a time to spend an entire night together.After a five-year crush and a three-year relationship, wehad finally worked up the nerve to tell her parents we weregoing to spend the weekend in Atlantic City to celebratemy college graduation. We had planned this weekend for

months, but on the way down she suddenly became sick.By the time we got there, she went straight to her bed andnever left. At 22, I didnt have the maturity or the patienceto deal with that kind of situation. Things were said. Wallswere punched. Tears were shed. And eight years werewashed away with a single four-letter word and the slam-ming of a car door. A little over a year later, my dad asked me to take aride with him. We had been spending more time togetherthan ever. Work was slow for him and I had Friday after-noons off, so we started a tradition of going to movie mati-nees together. Being the youngest, I never got to spend alot of alone time with my dad, but over those last couple ofyears of his life (and with me being the only one still athome), we grew closer. That ride we took was to AtlanticCity. It was the only time I ever remember going there alonewith him. We had such a great time. He played his craps; Iplayed some blackjack and roulette. We ate at a deli on theboardwalk and he even let me drive home. I think that mayhave been the last time we did anything together. It was aday Id forgotten until I started thinking about writing thisarticle.

continued on page 59


I am writing this message shortlyafter returning from AASP/NJsNORTHEAST 2015 Automotive Serv-ices Show, and all I can say is, I couldnot be more proud of the successfulweekend our association hosted at theMeadowlands. Wall-to-wall exhibitorsand attendees braved the snow andcame out to the Meadowlands Exposi-tion Center to show their support forour 38th annual event, participate inproduct demonstrations and networkwith their industry peers. Throughout the NORTHEASTweekend, I was pleasantly surprisedby the amount of industry profession-als who stopped me to discuss theirgreat experience with this years semi-nar offerings. Every year, we put ourheads together to try and offer a bal-anced educational experience for our

attendees. This year was no different,with informational presentations fo-cused on topics ranging from paintingwith nitrogen and I-CAR training to insurer-shop relations and everythingin between. The attendance rates onthese seminars were among our high-est in recent memory and illustrate ourareas desire to better ourselves asbusiness owners and technicians. Its apromising trend, and I hope it contin-ues for years to come. Id like to personally thank eachand every exhibitor, sponsor and at-tendee who walked the NORTHEASTfloor this year, as it is your support thatcontinues to help our flagship eventgrow by leaps and bounds. I lookforward to seeing you all next year,and cannot wait to see what newinnovations and technologies will be

showcased at NORTHEAST 2016. As we get deeper into the spring, Iam also looking forward to anotherhighly anticipated AASP/NJ event: ourannual Lou Scoras Memorial Golf Out-ing. I hope to see all our familiar faces- as well as new ones - at the ColoniaCountry Club on May 18, as we cometogether for a fun day of golf in honorof our dear departed friend. For moredetails on this years Golf Outing,please see page 14. If youre not agolfer, dont worry; neither am I! Its aterrific day of getting together with ourindustry friends for a great cause, asproceeds from the outing help fund ascholarship in Lous name. I hope tosee you there!


PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

ANOTHER TRIUMPHby JEFF MCDOWELL

NJA


Please make checks payable to AASP/NJMail to: AASP/NJ, c/o Charles Bryant P.O. Box 734, Neptune, NJ 07753

_____ Check Enclosed OR _____ Bill My Credit Card___ Visa ___ MasterCard ___ Amex ___ DiscoverCard #: ______________________________________________Name on Card: ____________________________Exp. Date:____________________________________________Security Code: ____________________________Billing Address: ________________________________________________________________________________

11TH ANNUAL 2015 AASP/NJ LOU SCORAS MEMORIAL GOLF OUTING

Contacts: Charles Bryant: (732) 922-8909Randy Scoras: (732) 946-8388

The Colonia Country Club: (732) 381-9500www.aaspnj.org for more information or to register

PLAYER REGISTRATIONPlease list your players, company and phone number below:

Number of players: ___ x $225.00 = $ ____________________

Dinner only: ___ x $75.00 = $ ____________________

Hole Sponsorship: ___ x $400.00 = $ ____________________

Total Amount: $ ____________________

Sponsor/Shop Name

______________________________________

Street: ________________________________City: __________________________________State: ______________ Zip Code: ____________Phone: ________________________________Fax: __________________________________Email: ________________________________Contact: ________________________________

___ Hole Sponsorship___ Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze Sponsorship

All payments must be received prior to the day of the outing.

Monday, May 18, 2015THE COLONIA COUNTRY CLUB 300 Colonia Blvd., Colonia, NJ

10:00am Registration Begins11:30am Lunch Served1:00pm Shotgun Start

5:30pm Cash Bar6:30pm Dinner

This years outing is dedicated to the late Lou Scoras of HolmdelAuto Body. Part of the proceeds from this years outing will gotoward a collision industry scholarship fund.Ask about our

Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze

Sponsorship Opportunities




FEATURE by Joel Gausten

Considering the various actions taking place in courtrooms andState Houses across the country, it wasnt surprising that discussionson major movements in the legal and legislative arenas took centerstage at the 2015 East Coast Resolution Forum and Leadership Meeting at the NORTHEAST 2015 Automotive Services Show.

Co-presented by AASP/NJ, SCRS and NYSACTA/LIABRA and heldMarch 20 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, the afternoon session saw a variety of state associations provide extensive updates on their activities on behalf of the industry.

Legal Battles, Legislation Highlight

LEADERSHIP MEETING

AASP/NJs Charles Bryant, SCRS Aaron Schulenburg and NYSACTA/LIABRAs Ed Kizenberger were among the industry leaders whoparticipated in the 2015 East Coast Resolution Forum & Leadership Meeting at the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show.



In his report to attendees, AASP/NJ Executive DirectorCharles Bryant shared that an encouraging number of his mem-bers are putting in the work necessary to address issues with paintand materials reimbursement in the Garden State. To date (andsince the State of NJ issued a bulletin encouraging insurers to usea paint and material cost accounting program), members of theAASP/NJ community have submitted more than 350 complaintsto the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOI)regarding instances where insurers failed to recognize the use of apaint and material cost accounting program or to justify their al-lowances. However, Bryant stated that the DOI has recently toldone member of the association that they will no longer acceptcomplaints that are not either directly submitted by consumers ordirectly authorized by the consumer for submission. I found it interesting that they told me to encourage ourmembers to put in enough complaints to show that this problemhas reached a level that would be considered a general businesspractice, and once we started to really put them in and get thembuilt up like they asked for, now they are telling our membersthey cant put any more complaints in, he offered. In [a 2007DOI bulletin regarding paint and materials], it says that an insurermust be able to justify their allowance. I dont think there is anyway you can justify a number thats pulled out of the sky that isnot related to the variables such as the color or type of paint mul-tiplied by the amount of hours on the job. Despite record snowfall in Massachusetts slowing down ac-tivities in the Legislature, AASP/MA Executive Director JillianZywien told attendees that her association currently has five billsfiled at the State House in support of the states collision repairindustry. These include a consumer notice piece that would man-date that insurers notify the customer in writing of their rights(i.e., having their work guaranteed by any shop, their right tochoose a shop, etc.), as well as a bill that would eliminate the useof aftermarket parts if their use voids the consumers warranty.Additionally, AASP/MA is promoting passage of a bill that wouldplace the states Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board(ADALB) under the direction of the Division of Professional Li-censure. The Board is currently under the authority of DOI, whichgoverns insurance companies and insurance policies, she said.Appraisers are neither of those things. Appraisers are licensedprofessionals, and most licensed professions in the Common-wealth are governed by the Division of Professional Licensure. Although he is currently promoting a bill on behalf of hismembers that would restrict an insurer from telling a body shopwhere to purchase auto parts, NYSACTA/LIABRA Executive Di-rector Ed Kizenberger warned that anyone looking to pursue leg-islation could have a long and frustrating mountain to climb.

We are severely outgunned, he observed. I would cautionanybody who would be proposing legislation to look at it fromseveral different angles. Make sure you understand what yourein for, because it doesnt get any easier once you get involved init. Mike Parker, president of the Vermont Auto Body Associa-tion (VABA) and owner of Parkers Classic Auto Works in Rut-land, informed attendees of his recent $53,000 victory againstAllstate for short-pays in a multitude of areas including paint andmaterials, sublet markup and P-Page operations. Initially filed inOctober 2012, the suit enabled Parkers Classic Auto Works tostand in the shoes of 70 Allstate insureds and request compensa-tion for the work performed at the shop. We, Parkers Classic Auto Works, did not sue Allstate, heexplained. We took the Assignment of Money Due [option]; itgives us the opportunity to do any legal measure that the con-sumers themselves can do to collect the money, including suingthe insurance companies. In addition to awarding Parker $35,091.58 for the short-pays,Parker also received $18,167.69 in pre-suit interest. This pre-suitinterest is a matter of law in Vermont. The rate was set by the leg-islature at 12 percent per annum and accrued from the date eachinvoice was presented to Allstate to the date of the jury verdict onFebruary 18. With so much mainstream media attention (including the re-cent report by CNN) currently being placed on the automotive re-pair industry, it isnt shocking that lawmakers are payingattention. Tony Ferraiolo, president of the Auto Body Associationof Connecticut (ABAC), praised Connecticut Senator RichardBlumenthal for his push to get the Department of Justice to inves-tigate the insurance industrys influence over parts usage (Sena-tor Calls for Department of Justice DRP Probe, NJA, March2015). Im very proud that hes our senator; he has stepped up and is going out there and letting everybody know that theres aproblem in the repair process, he said. It could be a safetyissue. Hopefully, we can all support him in his efforts and itll finally get somewhere sometime.


I would caution anybody who wouldbe proposing legislation to look at itfrom several different angles. Makesure you understand what youre in

for, because it doesnt get any easieronce you get involved in it.

- Ed Kizenberger


In 2011, the Alliance of AutomotiveService Providers (AASP), the Society ofCollision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and theAutomotive Service Association (ASA) is-sued a joint statement acknowledging OEMrepair information as the standard of repair.One of the most prominent responses to theassociations position subsequently camefrom Toyota, who has spent recent years de-veloping what is commonly known to theindustry as their predictive estimating (orRecommended Procedures) system.Slated to be officially launched this summerafter some delays, the system is said to bedesigned to allow collision repair estimatesto be completed in just minutes, as the sys-tem will provide end-users with a completelist of all the parts, documentation and criti-cal information required for repairing Toy-ota vehicles to pre-accident condition. The collision industrys interest in thepredictive estimating concept was one of

the major topics discussed during IndustryShowdown: Montanez & Felder Tackle theIssues, a spirited March 20 debate betweenindustry figures Larry Montanez and Kris-ten Felder during the 2015 NORTHEASTAutomotive Services Show in Secaucus,NJ. One of the East Coasts most popularand influential industry speakers, LarryMontanez (Lange Technical Services/P&LConsultants) offered a collision repair tech-nicians perspective, while Collision HubCEO Kristen Felder (a former corporatetrainer for State Farm and past DRP man-ager for Nationwide Insurance) stepped intothe role of the insurance industry for an in-depth look into the possible advantages andpitfalls of predictive estimating. Looking back at her time in the insur-ance field, Felder shared that she wouldhave embraced this technology if it hadbeen available at the time.

Predictive estimating is very interest-ing, she said. At one point, I think I had900 estimators who reported to me. Its hardto hire [them], hard to train them and hardto keep them on the road and engaged intheir jobs...Having an estimating system thathelps them do that job and be less influ-enced by the people around them and moreinfluenced by the system is kind of excit-ing for me. Despite Felders enthusiasm, Montanezwas quick to express a multitude of con-cerns over the developing system. I think its an insult to the industry; itsa slap in the face, he proclaimed. Any-body who supports it obviously wants todownplay the importance of collision repair.What has happened over the years is thatshops want things easier. For those out therewho hate the DRP system, hate steering andhate anything else about the whole idea ofinsurance companies forcing customers totheir shops, lets all go back to about 10-15years ago. [Some shops said], I dont wantto deal with customers. Just send me the carand let me repair it. Well, you got what youwanted; Progressive is here with theConcierge program. Now you want to cryabout it. Really? You asked for it; you got it.Now you want predictive estimating. Doyou think its going to make your jobs eas-ier? All that means is that someones goingto put together a list of stuff that [for exam-ple] you have to do to this door per themanufacturer. Then, all of a sudden theyregoing to take out all the overlapping, takeout all the extra procedures and it doesntgo across all three database systems. Youredumbing down the system; youll make lessmoney on it. Additionally, Montanez noted that cer-tain databases do not properly accommodate


Predictive Estimating Spotlighted During Montanez-Felder NORTHEAST Debate

FEATURE by Joel Gausten

Ed Kizenberger (center) moderated a discussion between Larry Montanez (left) and Kristen Felder (right) during the 38th annual NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show.


AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder wasone of many attendees who took advantage of the open-mic questionsegment of the debate.


the needs of technicians because they donot include enough lines for the estimate.He claimed to average around 350 linesin a typical estimate, including proce-dures that automakers dont take into ac-count. Felder called an estimate of thissize an anomaly and not an example ofthe kind of estimates commonly found inthe field. In her mind, the majority of car-riers and high-volume shops are lookingfor an easy-to-use system to help themwrite estimates based on OEM proce-dures. I have not talked to an insurer yetthat is upset at Toyotas predictiveestimating program, she said. We hopefor [the attendees here], it eases somefrustration. Focusing on Toyotas program inparticular, Montanez insisted that predic-tive estimating as it is currently beingpresented is far from a complete solutionto estimating problems on the shop floor especially when there are still elementsto the repair process not included in theproposed system. Toyota doesnt care about howmany car covers you need; Toyotadoesnt care about color, sand and buff,he says. Toyota is not going to careabout how many test drives youre goingto have to do, how many cleanings of thecar youre going to have to do or exactlywhat Mitchell, Audatex or CCC are goingto include in that labor procedure for re-placing an upper rail. Theyre only con-cerned with what they look at. Additionally, when Toyota is goingto do it, its going to go by the book -meaning that theyre going to use me-chanical-type processes, actual time.Youre going to lose money in the longrun, probably.

NJA



NORTHEAST 2015 by Joel Gausten

OEMS AND TECHNICIANS CONNECT AT NORTHEAST 2015

The true sign of success for a regional trade showis not only the number of people it reaches, but the geo-graphical relevance it has as well. This year, the NationalAutomotive Service Task Force (NASTF) hosted its SpringBoard and General Meetings at NORTHEAST for the firsttime in the shows history. While NORTHEAST has had anational reach by hosting the AASP National Board Meet-ings and the annual Leadership Meeting and ResolutionForum (co-presented by AASP/NJ, NYSACTA/LIABRA andSCRS), this is the first time an organization dedicated toconnecting technicians and manufacturers has been repre-sented at the annual event. The General Meeting, whichwas live-streamed during the presentation and is availablefor viewing at nastf.org, covered a variety of different top-ics from various OEM representatives from manufacturerslike Volkswagen, BMW and Honda. These representatives

discussed education, equipment and tooling, serviceinformation and communication topics which all heavilyaffect day-to-day business in the shop. One panel featured VeriFacts Farzam Afshar, I-CARsJohn Bosin, Assured Performances Aaron Clark, AmericanHondas Gary Ledoux and G.W. & Sons Auto Bodys GaryWano. These industry experts, moderated by ASEs TeresaBolton, discussed the current status of the automotive repair field, as well as what is most likely to affect techni-cians next. Dont just assume you have the knowledge set to repair these new vehicles coming out, because that in andof itself is dangerous, said Wano. Today is the day tojump in and create a business model based on education.This will prepare you as time goes on.

(Left to right): Gary Wano, Gary Ledoux, Aaron Clark, John Bosin and Farzam Afshar

Even snow on the first dayof spring couldnt stopNORTHEAST.

Despite some annoying conditionson the road, AASP/NJs 2015NORTHEAST Automotive

Services Show arrived at the Meadow-lands Exposition Center in Secaucus onMarch 20 to welcome the largest crowdin its 38-year history. Of course, thismeans that the hundreds of vendors thatpacked the show floor also enjoyed theirbest three days ever at the show. In addition to highlighting their R-MOnyx HD and SmartTRAK color tools attheir sizable booth, Platinum SponsorBASF hosted a guest appearance andautograph session by Ryan Friedlinghaus

SALES AND SUCCESS: VENDORS REFLECT ONAN UNFORGETTABLE


ASSIGNMENT OFPROCEEDS, CNNHOT TOPICS ATAASP NATIONALMEETING

On March 20, prior to the start ofNORTHEAST 2015, representativesfrom a number of AASP state affili-ates gathered at the Meadowlands Ex-position Center for the spring AASPNational Board Meeting. The morninggathering included representationfrom AASP/NJ. During his update, AASP/NJ Ex-ecutive Director Charles Bryant noteda recent upswing in members usingthe Assignment of Proceeds to get in-surers to pay the full amount to bringa customers vehicle back to pre-losscondition. For the most part, theyre notgetting into court, he shared. Theinsurer will do everything in theirpower to try to shut the shop downprior to getting to court. Most of thetime, if it gets [close] to the courtdate, it gets settled...Obviously, they

dont want to get these issues in frontof a judge or jury through the Assign-ment of Proceeds. During a discussion on the recentCNN report on the insurance indus-trys use of aftermarket and salvageparts, AASP/NJ representative NickKostakis expressed concern that thebroadcast didnt offer a complete andaccurate portrayal of the issue. One thing that I thought was in-accurate about it was the fact that itimplied that if your vehicle goes to anetwork shop, its going to be proneto all these cost-cutting measures,he said. Thats certainly true, butdoes that same pressure apply almostto the same extent no matter whatshop it winds up in? The market thatthe insurance company createsthrough their networks gets cut andpasted through the entire industry.

AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant representedthe association at the AASP National Board meeting.


of West Coast Customs on March 21. Ob-viously, this resulted in heavy traffic to thebooth throughout the weekend. BASF always enjoys participating inthe NORTHEAST show, as it allows ourregional team the opportunity to interactwith the customers while demonstratingwhat BASF has to offer the industry, saysTina Nelles, marketing services managerfor BASF Automotive Refinish. Attend-ing the NORTHEAST show is important toBASF, as it demonstrates to the industrythe importance of the region and the abilityto interact with our customers. It allows usfirsthand to hear our customers challengesand opportunities to help drive customersuccess. After earning considerable attention atlast years show with their extensive dis-play including a cutaway of the aluminum-intensive 2015 F-150, Ford MotorCompany returned to NORTHEAST thisyear to reach out to attendees now that themuch-discussed vehicle is officially in themarketplace. In addition to being availableto answer questions or concerns from shopowners and technicians on the show floor,

The autograph session with West Coast Customs Ryan Friedlinghaus was a big hit at NORTHEAST 2015.

Photos by Mike Petzinger


NORTHEAST 2015Ford engineers Larry Coan and GerryBonanni hosted special seminars inthe Demo Area at the AASP/NJ booththroughout the weekend to help attendeesbecome better acquainted with the new F-150s design, features and approved repairprocedures. Encouraged by both the sizeof the audiences that gathered for thesepresentations and the positive feedbackfrom show-goers on the F-150 itself, Coansays that NORTHEAST showed Ford thatthe industry has taken positive steps toprepare for this exciting new era of vehiclerepair and technology. Were getting a lot of folks sayingtheyre ready to do the repairs and arewaiting for a truck to come in, he offeredfrom the floor during NORTHEAST2015s closing day. What weve beenhearing a lot [at NORTHEAST] is, Weretrained and ready to go. While the need to inform the industryof the 2015 F-150 has required Ford to

Innovative Solutions & Technology appeared at NORTHEAST to promote Pro Spot.

Ford attended the show to help educate the industry on the new aluminum-intensive F-150.




TAPPING INTO THE MOBILE MARKET If you think youre ahead of themarketing game because you have anice website, think again. These days,you need to be able to effectivelymarket yourself to mobile phone usersas well as those customers who sit infront of a conventional computer.During the Mitchell International-sponsored Marketing to theConnected Consumer on March 20,Frank Terlep of Summit eMarketing

Sherpas explored ways that theindustry can better communicate withGeneration C (Connected) - aconsumer base not exclusive to anyspecific age group or demographic.According to Terlep, there arecurrently 570 million daily activemobile users on Facebook, whileGoogle has announced that they willbe implementing a new algorithm intheir search function on April 22 thatcould knock any website that isntmobile-ready off the all-importantfirst page of search results. If youveever considered upgrading yourwebsite to a mobile platform, now isthe time. Fifty percent of mobile userstoday use their mobile phone to getInternet, Terlep said. If Im lookingup auto body shops Connecticut orauto body shops New York and I pullup a website and it looks [bad], Imgoing to go to someone else.

MANAGEMENT FOR CARS...AND PEOPLE On March 21, noted speaker LeeRush (who serves as Sherwin-Williams manager of businessconsulting services) presentedDamage Analysis and Blueprintingand Administration PerformanceManagement. The first class coveredthe importance of a full and accurateRepair Order and its role in a leancollision facility. It delved deeply intothe mechanics of a comprehensiveDamage Analysis, with specific stepsoutlined to ensure that participantslearned how to conduct a thoroughanalysis of a vehicle and transfer thatdata into a blueprint/RO prior tolaunching that job into production. If I completely disassemble thevehicle, does that increase ordecrease the chance that Im going tohave a 100-percent accurate repair?Rush asked. Its going to increase it.Its not perfect; I can make mistakes.But it certainly gives me anopportunity to capture all thedamage.

Rushs second course covered theimportance of performancemanagement and its role in a leancollision facility. Rush outlinedspecific steps to ensure thatparticipants left with critical insightinto how to manage employeeperformances in sales and service including those instances when afamily member is working for you. In a family or out of a family,human behavior is the same, hesaid. Unaddressed, behavior willcontinue to trend in the way itstrending. Addressed, most of the time it will improve.

promote the vehicle at a variety of nationalevents in recent times, Coan believes thatthe manufacturers outreach on a locallevel has been equally important in gettingshops up to speed. I think doing a regional show has itsadvantages, he says. Youre probablyreaching out and getting to folks whowouldnt necessarily go to a nationalshow, but are able to get to a show likethis. Its great that Ford Motor Company isable to send representation to these showsand get out to these areas. We wanted tomake sure that we reached out to the colli-sion industry in every way that we could;we wanted to make sure we got everyoneequipped and ready to go as soon as thetruck hit the street. Our communicationplan and coming to different trade showsis a very important piece of that. With the F-150 starting to hit thestreets, shops need the right equipment tohandle the demands of these new vehicles.Thats where Innovative Solutions andTechnology comes in. As a distributor forPro Spot, Innovative is getting the righttools and equipment directly into the shopsthat will soon repair the truck and otheraluminum-intensive rides. Moving for-ward, the field will see more aluminum,higher-strength steels and composites tolighten vehicles for better fuel economy.There is also a huge buzz about SiliconBronze and its use on higher-strengthsteels as used in the Honda Accord andAcura MDX. Naturally, the company usedNORTHEAST as a way to reach out to thisgrowing market. The show is growing in a great direc-tion, offers Innovative Solutions repre-sentative Todd Witten. The buzz is outthere that its a great show to come to andis very informative, especially when tryingto move forward with an ever-changing industry. In addition to hosting a weld simula-tor contest at the show, Innovative usedtheir time at NORTHEAST to connect di-rectly with the shops that use Pro Spots

Industry instructor Lee Rush


Internet marketing expert Frank Terlep


rivet guns, welders and aluminum repairstations every day. Additionally, Wittenwas pleased to see shop owners gatheringat the display to share their aluminum ex-periences with one another. Some people were very skittish aboutgetting into aluminum, but they could talkto another shop owner who was in thebooth, Witten says. It worked reallywell. Gary Ledoux, assistant national man-ager for American Hondas Collision PartsMarketing group, flew in from Californiato attend NORTHEAST for the first timeand was immediately blown away by whatAASP/NJ had put together. This is a wonderful show, he offers.There is a lot of energy and people here.We chose this show to be the springboardfor our ProFirst Certified shop program.Weve had a lot of buzz about it already,and people have been stopping by thebooth to talk about it. It worked out great.With the program, we want to put an em-phasis on making sure the car is repairedcompletely and safely so that Honda andAcura owners have a good, safe post-repaircar to drive. While major companies like Hondaare utilizing the Internet more and more fortheir marketing, Ledoux believes thatNORTHEAST still offers the automaker and the many other vendors that appearedthis year a great opportunity to meet withcustomers on a personal level. As he says, Theres no substitute forgood old face-to-face communications and thats what you get at this show. Theres nothing like having interac-tion with a customer on a face-to-facebasis, concurs Carmine Mirtuono of Sher-win-Williams, who has personally attendedthe show for more than two decades. Ifwere purely selling a widget or a piece ofsandpaper something thats more of aconsumable and a transactional sale thenyou can easily do that online. The type ofservices and products we offer are reallymore in-depth and are closer and more in-volved in the collision industry. You really


NORTHEAST 2015 continued from page 27

WASTE THERIGHT WAY Lets be honest; collision repair isntthe cleanest business in the world. Eventhe tidiest, most organized shopsgenerate waste of some kind that needsto be disposed of in a legal andprofessional manner. In an effort tobetter inform shop owners of their risksand responsibilities, Scott Hubbard ofEnvironmental Compliance Monitoringappeared at NORTHEAST to presentWaste Disposal Techniques for Automotive Service Facilities on March 20. Thehour-long discussion offered attendees an overview of waste disposal methodsand practices for automotive service facilities to comply with Federal and Stateregulations regarding solid waste, hazardous waste, universal waste, waste oilheaters, wastewater and more. Not surprisingly, Hubbard stressed the importance of shops maintaininggood recordkeeping when dealing with removing waste from their facilities. Forexample, they should ensure that the used oil transporters and receivingfacilities they utilize are licensed with the NJDEP. Additionally, shops shouldobtain the necessary documentation to help protect them in case the waste issomehow disposed of improperly by the third party, or if something goes wrongonce the material is out of their hands. Theres always a liability when youre getting rid of batteries, tires oranything, he said. [In case] those tires and batteries fall through the cracks, Ialways recommend that you get a reliance letter from whoevers taking yourwaste. For information on a free voluntary program that helps businesses cutcosts through environmental best practices, visitwww.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/wastweise/brbn03.htm.

Environmental consultant Scott Hubbard

Valspar enjoyed a fantastic weekend at NORTHEAST.


need to have that touch time with yourcustomers so they can ask you questionsand you can understand what their realneeds are and develop a positive approachto help them out. Longtime NORTHEAST participantsValspar used their 2015 display to spot-light the House of Kolor line of premiumcustom finishes for the first time ever atthe show. This special attraction, coupledwith the presence of a beautiful 65 Mus-tang as part of their presentation, added anew level of excitement to Valspars spoton the floor. Additionally, Valspar cur-rently boasts approvals by GM, Ford andChrysler another key factor in the steadyand enthusiastic traffic they enjoyedthroughout the weekend. Valspar Market-ing Manager Gina Mahan credits much ofNORTHEASTs success to its stellar loca-tion in the region. The unique thing about the North-east is that its population is so dense; thisshow brings in a lot of people in onespace, she says. We see entire bodyshops coming out, whereas we may only

see one or two people from a shop at a na-tional show. Keeping it regional in NewJersey is great because we have so manypeople coming out with their entire staff tolook and see what this show is all aboutand interact with Valspar. I like that wehave customers coming up to us and say-ing, Ive used House of Kolor for years!

I love it! I just love talking to the cus-tomers here and hearing why they love usand what they want to see from us movingforward. An exhibitor for well over 20 years,PPG appeared at this years show to take

New Jersey Automotive | April 2015 | 31continued on page 37

Sherwin-Williams supported NORTHEAST by exhibiting in additionto facilitating two seminars.

Clockwise from left: Honda used the show to promote their new ProFirst Certifiedshop program; custom painter Javier Soto showcased his talents at the show, painting

unique works of art on various items such as skateboards and car hoods; withno shortage of artistic talent at the show, Nub from Nub Grafix (courtesy of Matrix

System Automotive Finishes) created custom designs with intricate pinstriping.


NORTHEAST 2015: ON THE FLOOR




advantage of the unique access to theNortheast marketplace. Its absolutely imperative for us tobe here to not only support our customers,but also to focus on what were tryingto accomplish for them, offered PPGBusiness Development Manager TaylorBowes. Were here to make sure wereengaging the markets were a part of. In addition to promoting their ownproducts and value-added programs, PPGrepresentatives used the show as an oppor-tunity to visit with other exhibitors to gaina greater perspective of the industry.

As Bowes told us during an espe-cially busy Sunday afternoon, Werestopping at other vendors booths, andwere constantly communicating withother vendors to bring the most value toour customers, because we understand thatevery business has a different need. Considering NORTHEASTs reputa-tion throughout the industry, it comes aslittle surprise that the show consistentlyattracts exhibitors from far beyond the im-mediate region. Although based in AgoraHills, CA, Estify signed up to have a pres-ence in Secaucus to promote their onlinerekeying services. Speaking with New

Jersey Automotive on the floor after trav-eling to the show from his office in Col-orado, Estify Director of Sales andMarketing Jim Wilde was impressed bythe high level of visibility his companywas enjoying on the floor during theirfirst-ever NORTHEAST appearance. With the amount of traffic we haveat the NORTHEAST show, we get thebrand out there and get people familiarwith us, he says. This is not the lastproduct that were bringing to market; we plan on being in the game for a longtime. In Wildes mind, Estify was enjoying

AASP/NJ Hosts Jam-Packed NORTHEAST Demo Area In addition to being right inthe center of the exhibit area (andthus, right in the middle of all theaction), AASP/NJ hosted a spe-cial Demo Area that boasted a fullslate of seminars and trainingevents throughout the NORTH-EAST weekend. The shows threedays saw attendees flock to thearea for How to Get Paid Equi-tably for Paint and Materials(presented by Richard Palmer,president and CEO of Computer-

Logic, Inc.), 2015 Ford F-150 Re-pair Information (presented byLarry Coan and Gerry Bonanni ofthe Ford Motor Company), Adhe-sives Refinishing Training (pre-sented by Craig Chaffee of SaintGobain/ Norton Abrasives), ItsNow or Never! Calculate and Col-lect Market-Based Labor RatesUsing the Variable Rate System(presented by Sam and RichardValenzuela, president and CEO ofNational AutoBody Research) and

Smart Power Management andStructural Collision Repair, 2015GM Vehicles (both hosted byNUCAR and presented by JimMickle of General Motors). Addi-tionally, the neighboring MiracleSystem booth was the site ofNot Just Dings and Dents! a se-ries of live panel repair demon-strations on steel and aluminumheld throughout the weekend.

Sam Valenzuelaof

National

AutoBody

Research

Ford's Larry Coan presented an overview of the new F-150.



NORTHEAST 2015

success due to the fact that the show oc-curred over a weekend allowing atten-dees a chance to finish work before takingin everything that the event had to offer. Some of the other shows might bewinding down on a Saturday, so that isusually not a very active day, he offers.Here, you have a lot of demographicsconcentrated in a really small geographicarea, and Im really excited about theturnout. We dont see them at some of theother shows on a weekend. The last time Ilooked, there was a line about 30 deep ofpeople trying to get into the show. Every-thing Ive heard about NORTHEAST hasturned out to be true! Even with Fridays snowfall, returningvendor Keith Egan of RW Mallon sawmore traffic to his booth this year than thealready-impressive response he experi-enced in 2014. He believes that his debutat the show last year set the stage for evenmore consumer engagement this timearound.

The Progressionof Paint A lot has changed since spray paintingwas first introduced in the 1920s. As agrowing number of technicians arediscovering, painting with nitrogen is thenext wave in the evolution of automotivecare. To give the industry a broad view ofthe many benefits of this trend, NitroHeatWorldwide President and CEO Derek Naidoopresented Lean Processing in the PaintShop: Painting With Nitrogen on March 21during the NORTHEAST AutomotiveServices Show. Thanks to Naidoos extensive industrial engineering background, attendeesof this Future Cure-facilitated seminar learned the same technique for PaintShop Processing that is used in the industrial sector for maximum efficiencyand cost savings. The key to achieving these results is using nitrogen in placeof compressed air as a superior fluid carrier.

What we have done is taken the nitrogen and separated it out of thecompressed air and added a heating process to it, he explained By addingheat to it, what we have done is increased the temperature...By lowering theviscosity of the paint, it actually applies a lot better; the final application is alot smoother than it is without the heat.

Accudraft was easily one of themost frequented exhibitors at NORTHEAST 2015.

Derek Naidoo of NitroHeatWorldwide





I think the customers are muchclearer on what they want [this year], hesays. I think a big part of that is the inter-est in aluminum repair and the things thattook place last year, so people are comingback saying, Hey, I have to go look at thisstuff! They know what theyre coming tolook for, and I think thats a great thing. Naturally, it helped that Egan doubledthe size of his display for 2015, includingbuilding a mixing room in the RW Mallonbooth to showcase to customers how thecompany would develop a mixing room intheir facilities. Already planning to gobigger and better at next years NORTH-EAST, Egan is quick to credit the show or-ganizers for making the weekend such amemorable and successful time. Were always treated with the utmostrespect, from the unions to the people whocoordinate the show, he says. One of NORTHEASTs longest-run-ning exhibitors, Accudraft returned to the

Straight Talk onSteel, Aluminum Regular attendees of AASP/NJtraining events and readers of NewJersey Automotive know that industryexpert and presenter Larry Montanez(P&L Consultants) tells it like it is. OnMarch 21, he arrived nice and early todeliver a pre-show course on some ofthe realities of aluminum and steelrepair. Facilitated by Metropolitan Car-o-liner, Estimating and Diagnosis ofStructural Damage on Aluminum-Intensive Vehicles and JoiningMethods saw Montanez explore avariety of topics including howaluminum and steel vehicles absorband manage collision impact forcesand energy, welding and attachmentmethods and the some of thedifferences between the current OEMmanufacturer certification/recog-nition programs for aluminum repaircurrently available to technicians. Of course, this information wasdelivered in Montanezs no-nonsense,one-of-a-kind style. For example, his

inimitable personality shone throughwhen he warned attendees to becareful of how they interpret certainterminology in the industry, such aslightweight steel. Its an oxymoron, like jumboshrimp, he said. Theres no suchthing as lightweight steel...Its lighterthan other steels, but in no way is it alight substrate. An archive of Montanezstechnical articles is available atwww.pnlestimology.com.

Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants

During his special broadcast at theNORTHEAST Automotive Services Showon March 21, radio star Ron Ananian(The Car Doctor) recorded a specialsegment for his show that celebratedJeremy Hellpap, an enterprisingautomotive student at the BergenCounty Technical High School inTeterboro, NJ. Hellpap was a proud and surprised recipient of a $250check from K&N Air Filters on behalf ofthe company and The Car Doctor to helppromote the students automotiveeducation. During his interview with The CarDoctor, Hellpap shared his views on anumber of industry-related topics. If you were going to design the nextevolution of automobile, what wouldpower it gasoline, diesel, hybrid,electric? asked Ananian. Electric, replied the high schoolsenior. In this day and age, its reallywhere the industry is moving towards, inmy opinion. Electric cars [utilize] arenewable energy source...petroleum-based fuels just aren't really cutting itanymore.

Ananian was duly impressed byHellpaps composure and insightsduring the interview. I think youve got a lot on the ball,he said. I think you are what I was 40years ago...If youre good to thisindustry, this industry will be good toyou. Bergen County auto instructor andformer AASP/NJ Board member Bob

Magee, who recommended Hellpap toAnanian for the award, couldnt be moreproud of all that his student has alreadyaccomplished in his journey. Hes a worker; he always volunteersto do things and always helps everybodyout, he says. When other kids aresitting there playing around, hesworking. Hes the best of the best.

THE CAR DOCTORMEETS THE FUTURE



NORTHEAST 2015: ON THE FLOOR


New Jersey Automotive | April 2015 | 45New Jersey Automotive | April 2015 | 45


MONEY LOST...AND FOUND

show to showcase the the new Ventus PROcrossdraft/crossflow paint booth. The newbooth offers a lower-end alternative to Ac-cudrafts popular TITAN booth, which wasalso on display. By having both boothspresent at NORTHEAST, Accudraft easilyhad one of the weekends most talked-about and heavily frequented displays. It was snowing and people showedup, offered Guido Pippa, Accudrafts di-rector of North American sales and distri-bution. We had a great Friday! In addition to taking up a largeamount of floor space, Accudraft usedNORTHEAST as the site of their nationalsales meeting and plans to host similargatherings during the show in the future. The NORTHEAST show is great; itbrings a lot of people, and we always havegreat success with it, Pippa says. After decades supporting andexhibiting at NORTHEAST, MetropolitanCar-o-liner enjoyed some of the heaviesttraffic theyve ever seen at the show. Although the company is known to

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER Have you ever pausedout of frustration andwondered how thecollision repair industrybecame as difficult as itis? On March 20 andMarch 21, AEII presidentand Indiana shop ownerTony Passwater offeredsome intriguing answersto this question duringHow Have We GottenWhere the Industry IsToday? a seminar thattraced the strategies,practices and tactics the insuranceindustry has methodicallyimplemented to direct the collisionindustry in the direction it follows in2015. A repair professional since theearly 1970s, Passwater argued thatthe insurance industrys influenceover repairers happened very slowlyover many years, beginning with thehoneymoon period of the early DRPera of the 90s, through the bigsqueeze of KPIs, scorecards andhour suppression that defined thefollowing decade to where we are now

a depressing era thatPasswater bluntly calledthe death of theindustry.

I 100 percent believethat if it doesnt stopvery soon, there isntgoing to be an industryleft, he said.

Fortunately,Passwater believes thatsocial media and othertechnologies haveallowed repairers acrossthe country to share

common struggles and solutions likenever before and this gives himhope. We never had the opportunityuntil pretty recently [to know that]everything that happens to us...can beheard everywhere, he said. TheInternet, social media and being ableto share information has neverhappened until fairly recently. Now allof a sudden, people are realizing,That just happened to me justyesterday or [Theres] a guy doing itright now.

Tony Passwater


After scoring big last year with their joint seminar, Unleashing YourSecret Power, John Niechwiadowicz of QLC, Inc. and AASP/NJ Boardmember Jerry McNee (Ultimate Collision Repair) returned to NORTHEASTto present Stop Leaving Money on the Table! a two-hour businessmanagement seminar presented twice on March 21. The quality of an auto body estimate has a far-reaching impact on notonly the financial health of the collision repair company itself, but also onmany other critical aspects of the process. Company profitability,technician wages, administrative staff bonuses, parts issues, vehicle cycletimes, shop stress levels and much more can all be affected positively ornegatively by the accuracy of the damage analysis. With this in mind,McNee argued that it is critical that estimators make a concerted effort toget everything they can get out of each vehicle that enters the bay. If youre not getting paid for everything you do...youre leaving moneyon the table, he said. If youre not writing that estimate correctly, andyoure not asking for everything that youre entitled to and everythingyoure doing, thats a problem. If youre not spending the time on it, thatsyour own fault. Niechwiadowicz advised that anyone looking to get the most sales outof a job should first take a good look at their skills behind a camera. Pictures can [offer] a world of benefit for you in justifying yoursupplemental items, he said. In some cases, [the pictures] are beautifulworks of art that you want to hang up on the wall because you get thesunlight streaming behind it and the rays are breaking through the clouds but I cant see any damage! Whats that going to lead to?

Jerry McNee (left) and John Niechwiadowicz





NORTHEAST 2015 had attendees going home with bags full of goodies from booths around the show, from pensand chocolates to light sabers and sunglasses. However, a few lucky individuals got the opportunity to takehome special gifts, thanks to prize sponsor Axalta. Select guests of the show took back a variety of prizes fromtelevisions to Kindles to iPads.

Longtime NORTHEAST supporter Metropolitan Car-o-liner was a prominent attraction this year.


ARANJ 2015 OfficersPresident Bob Dirkes / Dirkes Used Auto Parts

609-625-1718 / [email protected]

1st Vice President Ian Szoboszlay / Ocean County Auto 732-349-0332 / [email protected]

2nd Vice President Darryl Carmen / Lentini Auto Salvage 908-782-6838 / [email protected]

3rd Vice President Joe Goodman / Leesville Auto 732-388-0783/ [email protected]

Executive Director Brian Snyder / Auto Recyclers of NJ 609-714-2339 / [email protected]

ARANJ 2015 Board of Directors

ARANJ The Automotive Recyclers Association of New Jersey


Mike Ronayne Tilghmans Auto Parts

609-723-7469 [email protected]

Mike Yeager EL & M Auto


Rodney Krawczyk Ace Auto Wreckers


Mike Caputo Lacey Used Auto Parts, Inc.

[email protected]

Bert Witcraft Auto Express 856-728-8367

Ed Silipena American II Autos

[email protected]

Harry Shover Porchtown Auto 856-694-1555

Norm Vachon Port Murray Auto

[email protected]

Wharton Insurance BriefsAn ARA Member

Extra Expense insurance coverage can bedescribed as the extraordinary expenses thatmust be incurred to continue operations followinga physical loss or damage to covered property,which would otherwise cause the business toclose. This coverage will pay for any necessaryexpenses incurred to reduce the business in-come loss. It will also cover the necessary ex-penses you incur during the period of restorationthat would not have been incurred had there notbeen direct physical loss or damage to propertyfrom a covered cause. For example, your officeburns down and you need to rent an office trailerto continue operating. Extra Expense will paythe additional cost you incur for the rental of thatoffice trailer. The cost of this coverage is determined bythe limit you choose and can be added to yourpolicy at any time prior to the loss. As always, please feel free to contact us todiscuss this or any other insurance concern.

Mario DeFilippis, AAI, Vice President800-221-0003 (1320) 908-513-8588 (cell)

[email protected]


participate in the larger national gatheringsto promote their products, President DaveDemarest, Jr. believes there is somethingtruly special about being a part ofAASP/NJs flagship event. For us here in the New York-basedarea, its an easy drive or a one-day visit,he says. You dont have to worry about

hotels or anything that has to do with flightarrangements. Its easy, convenient andright in the heart of the New York market. In addition hosting a special Saturdaymorning presentation by Larry Montanez,Metropolitan Car-o-liner spent this yearsNORTHEAST assisting customers inmaking the jump to aluminum repair.

A lot of the buzz right now has to dowith whats going on in the area of alu-minum structural repair, explained De-marest from the show floor. Of course,Ford has their booth here to spread theword on what theyre going to be doingwith the 2015 F-150 vehicle and the factthat it has so much aluminum built into it.Its going to be different, and Car-o-liner ishappy to make sure we have a lot of theequipment that is going to be needed to re-pair that vehicle. Appearing at NORTHEAST for thefourth time, Nissan maintained their highvisibility through an eye-catching 20-by-20 display and the distribution of materialon a slew of impressive offerings includ-ing the Certified Collision Repair Networkand the Value Advantage line of radiators. We want to make sure were reach-ing out to the vehicle service providersand giving them the most up-to-dateinformation on what were doing to sup-port the industry, explained Mark Zoba,Nissans manager of collision parts salesgrowth. This years NORTHEAST wasprobably the best so far. [Saturday] wasoutstanding the busiest day of the week-end. There was a constant flow of trafficthrough the booth, and that gave us a lot offace time with collision shops and repairprofessionals here in the Northeast. Although his experience as aNORTHEAST vendor goes back decades,this was the first time Indasa Vice Presi-dent Peter Stein brought his company tothe Meadowlands Exposition Center. As heshares, he was very pleased by what thisyears show provided him. For us, it was a great show, offersStein, who also serves as the company'shead of national accounts. It did every-thing I wanted it to do give us visibilityand presence and let everybody know wewere still around. After missing the cutoff to participatein last years show, David Graham ofWestbury Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge inWestbury, NY made sure that his parts

ALUMINUM AND OTHER TRENDS: AN I-CAR PERSPECTIVE


On March 21, I-CAR showed theirsupport for the AASP/NJ community byhosting two extensive training coursesduring the NORTHEAST AutomotiveServices Show. Aluminum Panel Repairand Replacement helped attendeesbetter understand the properties, char-acteristics, design and construction ofaluminum, including how to properlyassess damage and repair or replaceexterior panels as required. The secondI-CAR class, Vehicle Technology &Trends 2015, provided an auto showview of vehicles that will soon becommonplace in many repair facilitiesand delivered information that repairprofessionals needed to know to beprepared to perform complete, safe and quality repairs. Both classes weretaught by veteran I-CAR instructors Pete Fryzel and Mike Bonsanto.

Considering the material beingdiscussed, its no surprise that the duospent considerable time addressing theeffect that heat has on aluminumrepairs. If I have a panel that Im repairingand theres [adhesive on the] matingflange, I have to be careful that Im notoverheating [that area], Fryzel said.Managing heat is going to be very, veryimportant. Anybody know what the deal is ifyou heat it up and it gets too hot forthat piece of adhesive around the edgeof the flange? asked Bonsanto. Whatyou have to do is take off the entireamount of adhesive and re-apply it. More information on these andother I-CAR classes is available atwww.i-car.com.

Veteran I-CAR instructors Pete Fryzel (pictured) and Mike Bonsanto presentedtwo classes at NORTHEAST 2015.



operation was represented at NORTH-EAST 2015. We had been looking at ways to di-versify our soliciting campaign and de-velop new customers, he says. When[the vendor deadline] came up again thisyear, I immediately jumped on it, startedmaking phone calls and got involved. Despite the snowy Friday, he was sur-prised to meet attendees who braved theweather to travel from Massachusetts andRhode Island to be at the show. Addition-ally, he was thrilled by the incredibleturnout on Saturday and fully intends to beback next year. Nearly four decades after debuting asa modest tabletop show, NORTHEAST isenjoying its best moments in the here andnow. As evident in this feature, the showsurely has plenty of great years and greatopportunities for exhibitors to shine stillahead of it.


NJA

and

Micro-Mix Paintand

Materials Calculatorin Bergen, Passaic, Essex andHudson Counties in New Jersey.

CALLOffice: (973) 696-3176or Cell: (201) 452-0987

Mike LovulloDistributor for


OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES continued from page 9

Fast-forward 18 years, and I waspublishing a music magazine calledLiner Notes. Earlier that year, the com-pany that paid us to do the magazinefired us, but out of nowhere, the publi-cist for Dream Street (the latest boyband sensation) called and asked ifId like to interview the band for ourmagazine. Before telling her that weno longer were with the publishers, Iasked my seven-year-old daughter,Michelle, if she liked them. She saidshe had never heard of them, but Iknew these kids were gonna be huge.I accepted the chance to go to theirsoundcheck, do the interview and seethem in concert in Atlantic City. By the time of the interview,Michelle knew very well who DreamStreet was, so I asked her if shed liketo come with her dad to meet them. Ithink she was in the car before I fin-ished the sentence. When we arrivedat the casino, we were brought intothe arena for the soundcheck. Therewas the publicist, some band staff,the band, Michelle and me. Thatsright. Michelle got a mini-concert allby herself. She was on cloud nine.When we were showed into the back-stage area to meet the band and dothe interview, she was on cloud 10. Istill get chills when I picture her hold-ing the recorder for me as I inter-viewed her idols. When I went to taketheir picture for the magazine, theystopped me and asked her to get in itwith themwell, what does that com-mercial say? Priceless. After the show, I took Michelle tothat very same deli on the boardwalkmy dad and I went to almost 20 yearearlier. As we sat there, she looked atme with a very serious look on herface and said, You know Dad, this isthe greatest day of my life. That wasone day I could never have forgotten. The old Atlantic City may be gone.But it will never be forgotten.

Over this past weekend at theNORTHEAST show, I received a fewcompliments on my column and thatis always thrilling and humbling. Whatmany of you dont realize is that theselittle tales from my life are a sort of

therapy for me. They inspire me to digdeep each month and many timesthey bring back memories that I hadforgotten, memories like the onesmentioned here. I cant thank all ofyou enough for that.


NJA


To help this effort move forward, Fer-raiolo encouraged attendees who have theproper equipment and documentation andknow the laws of consent to start record-ing negotiations taking place in theirshops. I dont know how many of you aresitting there with your customers [while]theyre on the phone doing their claim and[the insurer] is trying to steer them while

[the customer] is in your shop, he said.This is the stuff that our US Senatorneeds. Additionally, Ferraiolo provided anupdate on the class action suit filed byABAC and hundreds of body shopsagainst the Hartford Fire Insurance Com-pany for (according to an association pressrelease) [engaging] in unfair businesspractices by using its in-house employee

appraisers and network of Direct Repairshops to artificially suppress Labor Ratespaid in the State of Connecticut. In No-vember 2009, a Supreme Court jury inStamford awarded the shops $14.7 millionfor compensatory damages. Three yearslater, a Connecticut Superior Court judgeawarded an additional $20 million in puni-tive damages. The Hartford appealed theorder, with closing arguments heard onJanuary 13. The final verdict is expectedthis calendar year. Its taken 14 years to get to the finaldecision on this thing, Ferraiolo said.Even if they do have to pay that amountoff, can you imagine what they made bynot having to change the way they dobusiness in 14 years? SCRS Executive Director AaronSchulenburg offered a brief update on hisassociations activities, including theireducation initiatives through the RepairerDriven Education (RDE) program at therecent SEMA Show and their news andinformation initiatives through their newlylaunched www.RepairerDrivenNews.com site. Responding to an attendeesconcern that the growth of aluminum-intensive vehicles and other technologiescould lead shops to fall victim to hypeand buy equipment they dont need,Schulenburg noted a potential risk in thisline of thinking. I think there is cause for concern thatthe industry isnt being forced to buy du-plicative equipment if there are pieces thatmeet the appropriate specs and could bemade to work for all [manufacturerlines], he said. Those are things that weneed to work with the manufacturerson...However, as the mainstream [news]starts focusing on improper repairs andthings along those lines, we want to becautious that were not passing it off asunnecessary to equip or unnecessary tokeep up with the technology that theOEMs are prescribing.


FEATURE continued from page 17

NJA


Acme Nissan ..............................................22

Amato Agency ............................................23

Audi Group ................................................34-35

Axalta Coating Systems ..............................6

BMW Group ..................................................18-19

Bridgewater Acura ......................................54

Cadillac of Mahwah ....................................15

CCC Comp-Est ..........................................56

Classic Audi................................................60

Continental Auto Parts ................................10

Crashmax Equipment ..................................9

Cycan Industries ........................................53

Dover Dodge ..............................................45

Empire Auto Parts ......................................56

Flemington Audi..........................................5

Flemington Group ......................................IBC

Fred Beans Parts ........................................28

Future Cure ................................................59

Glen Toyota ................................................OBC

Grand Prix Subaru ......................................63

Hyundai Group............................................65

Ikotec ........................................................61

JMK BMW..................................................29

JMK Saab/JMK Fiat ....................................8

Klean Frame ..............................................56

Levittown Ford............................................63

Maxon Mazda ............................................11

Maxon Hyundai ..........................................44

Mazda Group..............................................49

Mercedes Benz of Freehold ........................64

Mini Group ................................................40

Mitsubishi Group ........................................61

Mopar Group ..............................................4

NORTHEAST 2016 ..................................66

NUCAR.......................................................12-13

Paul Miller Audi ..........................................48

Porsche Group............................................52

PPG ..........................................................3

Prestige Motors ..........................................51

Princeton BMW ..........................................39

Princeton Mini ............................................64

Sherwin-Williams........................................36

Subaru Group ............................................55

Town Audi ..................................................51

Toyota Group ..............................................58

Toyota of Hackensack ................................IFC

Valtek ........................................................57

VIP Honda ..................................................54

VW Group ..................................................50

Westbury Jeep ..........................................62

Wheel Collision Center ................................57

ADVERTISERS INDEX

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NORTHEAST 2015!Save the Dates for 2016!March 18, 19, 20, 2016



New Jersey Automotive April 2015

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Transcript of New Jersey Automotive April 2015