Reader Question
Is a company legitimate if it’s willing to refer work at a 5 percent commission taken from the customer’s deductible?
Barenaked Ladies Spotted With Volkswagens
Despite the presence of Barenaked Ladies at Volkswagen’s recent “Driversfest,” held at the Pond of Anaheim, Calif., no one objected. In fact, many people cheered — men and women alike — as the Barenaked Ladies tirelessly performed onstage for nearly two hours.
Gore/Bush on a Collision Course to November
Next month, U.S. citizens (this includes shop owners) will have a chance to elect a new American president. Since Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman aren’t running, the choice comes down to George W. Bush and Al Gore. How will the 2000 election result affect your shop, and will the president have the power to keep his promises?
Reaching New Heights: Separating Types of Painters
What separates the average painter from an extraordinary one? The “best of the best” pay meticulous attention to their technique, gun maintenance, gun selection – and everything else involved with painting a vehicle. In fact, the best paint techs are scientists, students, sleuths, housekeepers and dancers all rolled into one.
The History of Sprayguns
If it weren’t for a maintenance supervisor at a department store and a doctor trying to cure sort throats, you might still be painting vehicles with a brush – taking up to a month per vehicle. Can you say “cycle time nightmare”?
Made in Taiwan Part 3: Aftermarket Parts
We continue our look at Taiwanese aftermarket parts manufacturers. This month, we analyze the Tong Yang Group and Depo Auto Lamp and hear from industry members who’ve seen the operations firsthand
A License To Repair
"Why isn’t it mandatory for all collision techs to be licensed?" — Don Marshall, manager, Fresno Chrysler/Plymouth, Fresno, Calif. The collision repair industry is the ultimate example of irony and paradox. In most (if not all) states, the damage appraiser needs a license to prove he’s capable of determining the cost and procedure of repairing
Price Fixing or Price Negotiating
“Why do insurance companies control a shop’s labor rates? Isn’t this price fixing?” –– Ron Humphress, former parts manager, Good News Auto Body Shop, Salisbury, Md. Black Law Dictionary, 7th Edition, defines price fixing as an “artificial setting or maintenance of prices at a certain level contrary to the workings of the free market.” Price
Should You Get Into Bedliners?
Sure, starting a spray-on bedliner business sounds like guaranteed money in your hands, but if you aren’t informed on the technical aspects, then you may soon find yourself empty-handed instead.
Antitrust in Insurer- Repairer Business Relations
‘Antitrust’ is spoken of frequently in the collision repair industry but is still often
misunderstood. Here’s a clear definition of what it is and how it relates to insurer- repairer business relations.