Florida Toyota Dealership Opens 34,000-Square-Foot Facility
While the National Automobile Dealers Association is predicting that 900 of the 20,770 new-car dealers in the United States will be out of business by the end of this year, one Florida dealership is hoping to boost business through its body shop. Legacy Toyota in Tallahassee, Fla., opened a new 34,000 square-foot collision center on
Assured Performance Selects Saint-Gobain as Preferred Vendor
Assured Performance Network announced that it has selected Saint-Gobain Abrasives, makers of Norton and Carborundum brand products, as a Preferred Vendor. Assured Performance Co-op members will now be eligible for special training, service, incentives and rebates on Norton and Carborundum products. Norton and Carborundum products are now part of a lineup of over 20
ASA Announces Renewing and New Associate Members
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) announced many associate members have renewed their memberships and several new companies have joined ASA as associate members. Associate members renewing their ASA membership during the third quarter of 2008 include: 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, Access Fleet, Airtex Products, American Impact Media Corp., Atlas Copco Compressors Inc., Auto Profit Masters,
I-CAR Education Foundation Establishes Lon Baudoux Legacy Scholarship Fund
The I-CAR Education Foundation has created the Lon Baudoux Legacy Scholarship in memory of I-CAR Development Manager Lon Baudoux, who passed away suddenly on Nov. 11. The fund was created by several I-CAR instructors nationwide to honor Baudoux’s memory and many contributions to the collision industry. The scholarship will support a high school or college
ASE and BodyShop Business Name Technician of the Year
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) honored 38 automotive professionals who were top performers on ASE certification tests at an awards banquet Nov. 19 in San Diego, Calif. James Zuege of Kewaunee, Wis. was named the BodyShop Business/ASE Automotive Technician of the Year at the event. Zuege is the production supervisor for Williams
Car-O-Liner Welder Awarded to Wisconsin Career and Technical School
Jerome Goodson, an industry instructor at Fox Valley Technical College located in Appleton, Wis., has won a Car-O-Liner CR 55 Aluminum Stud Welder and Dent Repair Tools in a giveaway sponsored by Car-O-Liner, I-CAR, ASE, the I-CAR Education Foundation and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). For the fifth year in a row, these
PPG and ASE Honor Master Refinish Technician of the Year
Richard Knieper was given the PPG/Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Master Refinish Technician of the Year Award at ASE’s annual Board of Directors Industry Awards Dinner held in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 19. Bill Troyer, PPG Automotive Refinish manager of training, presented the award to Knieper. The award is given annually to the PPG collision
Collision Industry Foundation Seeks Support for Detroit Charities
The Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) is asking for donations to help support its ongoing project, Blanket the City: Detroit. Announced in August, the foundation hopes to raise $200,000 nationally and encourage 3,000 volunteer hours in service by Dec. 31, 2009, to support charities serving the Detroit area. As evidence of the pressure charitable organizations in
Photo Enforcement Aims to Cut Collisions in Arizona
Many factors have been cited as reasons why the number of collisions has decreased from the early 1990s to the present: introduction of the third brake light, safer roads, the increasing prevalence of accident avoidance technology, etc. But now at least one state is claiming that crime-fighting cameras located on busy interstates are also helping
PCI Says Aftermarket Parts Save Consumers $2.8 Billion Per Year
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) met with the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) and other insurance industry participants on Nov. 20 in Washington, D.C., to discuss preserving the availability of aftermarket crash parts. PCI, along with the Quality Parts Coalition (QPC) and other groups, are concerned about a growing number of OEM
STRANGE BUT TRUE: Donated Bodies Used for Crash Tests
A Kansas City, Mo., TV station uncovered a little-discussed component of impact tests funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA): sometimes, the test dummies aren’t dummies at all, but cadavers donated for medical research. The report by KSHB-TV Channel 41 raised concerns that those who donate their bodies to research may not realize
PPG Names Hot Wheels Spectraflame Paint Your Ride Winner
PPG Automotive Refinish awarded the 2008 PPG Hot Wheels Spectraflame Paint Your Ride Contest trophy to Jim and Melinda Cooper of Laguna Hills, Calif., co-owners of the winning entry, a 1956 Chevrolet Handyman 2-door station wagon. The award ceremony took place at the PPG exhibit booth at the SEMA show in Las Vegas Nov. 5,