National Motor Vehicle Title Info System in Effect, But Not All States on Board
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) took effect Jan. 1 – 17 years after the law calling for it was enacted – but not all states are sharing information with the database, the Baltimore Sun reports. Four states – Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi and Oregon – and the District of Columbia aren’t participating in
Oregon Shops Collaborate to Restore Iraq Soldier’s Beloved Pickup
Oregon Army National Guard Spec. Chris Robertson had always hoped to fix up the 1977 Ford F-150 he acquired as a teenager, but college and service with the National Guard meant he had to leave the truck to sit and rust at his parents’ home in Medford, Ore. But thanks to the work of several
Appraiser Targets Insurers, DRP Shops in Book on Consumer Fraud
In his 25-plus years of experience in the collision repair industry, including seven as a licensed motor vehicle damage appraiser, Dan Wyatt has seen it all. Most of what he has seen has led him to the conclusion that insurance companies, adjusters and DRP body shops have colluded together in a massive scheme to defraud
DETOURS: Art Exhibit, Anyone?
What better place to hold an art exhibit than at a body shop? After all, smoothing the wrinkles out of panels without ever letting anyone know you were there can be considered fine art itself. Marrying both seems natural. No one has to convince Giovanna Tanzillo of that. The co-owner of Uptown Body & Frame
STRANGE BUT TRUE: Backyard Bodyman Admits to Driving Recliner Drunk
La-Z-Boys and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly, but take that bastion of the living room out on the open road and you’re asking for trouble. Just ask Dennis LeRoy Anderson a 62-year-old resident of Proctor, Minn., who pleaded guilty last week to driving his La-Z-Boy while intoxicated and crashing it into another
CAA Named Energy Star Partner
The California Autobody Association (CAA) announced it has been named an Energy Star Partner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recognition of the CAA’s efforts to help its members increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CAA says it’s committed to achieving energy efficiency targets and has set energy conservation goals for
TECH FEATURE: Nuts and Bolts of Suspension Repair
Repairing vehicle suspensions may seem daunting, but if you stray out of your comfort zone and give it a shot, you may just be able to add more dollars to your bottom line.
More Shops Joining Facebook, Twitter to Increase Market Presence
Recently, a teenager who attends a high school near CARSTAR Mundelein “friended” the Illinois collision repair facility on Facebook, the most popular social networking Web site on the planet. Owner Jeanne Silver’s presence with the school was already strong due to her participation in its career fair and on its career advisory council, but this
CAPA Says Survey Questioning Quality of Its Parts Is False
The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) has warned California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that a survey released in September by the California Autobody Association (CAA) is based on faulty data and that its assertion that CAPA-certified auto body repair parts are not equivalent to OEM parts is false. In a letter to Schwarzenegger, CAPA Executive Director
Antitrust Gets More Buzz as Legislator Now Targets Health Insurers
As Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and collision repairers take aim at property-casualty insurers by seeking a repeal of their anti-trust exemptions under the McCarran-Ferguson Act (click HERE for story), one legislator is also now striving to do the same in the health and medical malpractice world. U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)