BodyShop Business Staff Writers, Author at BodyShop Business - Page 1554 of 1641
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Texas Shops Drop State Farm’s Select Service

Six body shops in the Temple, Texas, area have dropped out of State Farm’s Select Service program after becoming fed up with the way the company treats shops and consumers, CRASH Network reported. The last straw for Mark Holladay, Don Ringler Chevrolet body shop manager, was when State Farm reportedly refused to postpone a training

AMI Announces 2008 BodyShop Business Scholarship Recipient

The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and Babcox Publications jointly announced today that David Solmes, president of Dewey’s Auto Body, Inc., in Hastings, Mich., is the recipient of this year’s “BodyShop Business Magazine Scholarship.” AMI and Babcox present the scholarship annually to recognize management-oriented members of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Collision Division. The recipient receives

BASF Bringing Chip Foose, Custom Cars to NACE and SEMA

BASF Automotive Refinish Solutions’ booths at the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas will feature appearances by automotive designer Chip Foose and custom-car displays, the company announced. Foose will promote the new Foose Signature Line of BASF paint, which is available in both R-M

CAA Applauds Anti-Steering Bill Veto

The California Autobody Association (CAA) recently applauded Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto of S.B. 1167 (Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa), an anti-steering bill, because it would have delayed the Department of Insurance from taking any action against steering. The bill, which the Collision Repair Association of California (CRA) originally co-sponsored until it was revised, would have

Property-Casualty Sector Loses Billions in First Half of 2008

The U.S. property-casualty insurance sector has suffered its worst losses since 2002, according to two leading industry organizations. The sector’s net income dropped by $13.9 billion in the first half of 2008, a 57.4-percent drop compared to income in the first half of 2007, Insurance Services Office (ISO) and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of

Chrysler Approves DuPont Cromax Pro Waterborne Basecoat

Chrysler LLC has granted global approval of DuPont Cromax Pro waterborne basecoat, per the requirements of Chrysler LLC’s global paint refinish material and process certification. GM also recently approved the use of Cromax Pro. “The approval required us to complete a rigorous testing protocol, and we’re pleased to have met and exceeded those demanding requirements,”

Automotive Cooling Products Acquired

1-800-Radiator is expanding into new markets with its acquisition of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Automotive Cooling Products Inc. (ACP), whose seven Midwest locations distribute automotive heating and cooling products. ACP served the Minneapolis, Minn.; Kansas City, Kan.; Rock Island, Ill.; Omaha, Neb.; and Madison, Appleton and Milwaukee, Wis., markets. Most of ACP’s roughly 80 employees will now

Toyota to Introduce Rear-Window Air Bag

Toyota has developed a rear-window air bag to upgrade protection for backseat passengers. The air bag will debut in the car manufacturer’s new microcar, the iQ, which industry reports say will likely be available in the United States in 2010. The iQ is set to be sold in Europe and Japan in 2009, and Toyota

STRANGE BUT TRUE: Explosive Discovery Made in Body Shop’s Shed

A Sonora, Calif., body shop owner was shell-shocked last week when an employee cleaning out an old shed discovered a 21-inch-long, WWI-era artillery shell. Isaac Leal, one of two owners of The Body Shop for You, told local newspaper The Recorder that the employee found the shell on a shelf that was on the verge

AAIA Testifies on Right to Repair Bill Before House Committee

Aaron Lowe, vice president of government affairs for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) testified before the House Small Business Committee in to brief legislators on the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2694) on Sept. 25. H.R. 2694 (Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-NY), introduced last year, would require car companies to make the

California Capping Bill Passed; Invoice Sharing Bill Vetoed

As part of a flurry of legislative activity taken in California recently, S.B. 1371, which outlaws the capping of material prices by insurers in California, was signed into law and A.B. 2825, which would have forced repairers to share wholesale crash parts invoices, was vetoed. S.B. 1371 (Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana) was designed to

Parts Invoice Bill Vetoed in California

This week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed A.B. 2825 (Assemblywoman Wilma Carter, D-62nd), which would have required repairers to give customers wholesale invoices for crash parts that cost $50 or more and mandates that estimates and final invoices contain a disclosure that parts switching is illegal. The Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Action and Consumers Union