AAIA Issues Complaint to FTC in Defense of Aftermarket Parts
Last week, American Honda released position statements on Honda and Acura Genuine Parts, which state that failing to repair Honda and Acura vehicles with OEM parts could compromise vehicle safety and performance, along with warranties. As a result, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) announced that it has filed a formal complaint with the Federal
Honda Recommends Against Repairing with ‘Aftermarket, Counterfeit or Gray Market’ Parts
American Honda has released position statements on Honda and Acura Genuine Parts. The statements say that failing to repair Honda and Acura vehicles with OEM parts could compromise vehicle safety and performance, along with warranties. The position statements are reprinted below: HONDA GENUINE PARTSThe original parts used on a Honda automobile are designed and built
CAPA to Establish New Certification Standard for Aftermarket Bumpers
The new standard will enable the market to identify high quality bumpers as the industry responds to recent disclosure of bumper quality problems, CAPA says.
Breaking Away
It was evident by the way CARSTAR CEO Dick Cross bypassed the stairs to the stage and leapt up onto it instead that this year’s annual CARSTAR conference was going to be a high-energy affair. The leader of the largest group of independently owned and operated auto body repair stores in North America couldn’t have
Sectioning the 2007 Ford F-150 Front Lower Frame Rail
Each day, as you prepare to evaluate and repair structurally damaged vehicles, you and your team must ask many questions: Should I repair the damaged area or replace it? Should I section this part or replace it with a complete piece? Does my technician know where the weld locations are? Do my technicians have factory
Proprietary Repairs
“Do you think that in the near future, other car manufacturers will follow Jaguar’s lead and require repair shops to be ‘certified’ to fix their vehicles?”
Sexual Harassment 101
When one of my employees sued my shop manager for sexual harassment — along with me for not putting a stop to it — I was sure I’d done nothing wrong. Little did I know that my almost nonexistent company policy on harassment was about to be put to the test — and fail miserably.
Standard Operating Procedures – Working Smarter, Not Harder
Maximize productivity by standardizing “best practices” across your organization. “Since we started truly implementing standard operating procedures, it’s a statistical fact that I only spend two hours a week in three locations and that we grew from five employees to 50 in a four-year time period,” says Troy Gates, owner of a three-shop operation called Gates
Play It Safe: “Culture of Safety”
Establish a “culture of safety” in your shop and insist your techs wear
(and properly use) safety equipment. Their families will thank you.
The Cynic’s Guide to Structural Repairs
After 30 years of working on critically wounded vehicles, I can safely say I’ve pretty much done it all when it comes to surgical frame and structure repairs. I can also safely say that timely, quality repairs can still be done in our time-and-labor-hostile environment.
