It’s Getting Easier Being Green
“What’s the future hold for VOC compliance? With all the new regulations and the trouble it took to become compliant and to learn new techniques for materials, will it all have to be done again in the next two to five years? What’s next?“ – Sterling Wayne Stirewalt, shop manager, Mr. Dent, West Plains, Mo.
How Feds Dodged the Consent Decree in ’93
A group of shop owners – armed with reams of documentation and the 1963 Consent Decree – visited the Department of Justice in ’93 to provide what they considered proof of insurance industry wrongdoing. For whatever reasons, the DOJ dismissed their allegations, sweeping the Decree back under the rug. But how long can the dirt remain hidden?
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
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
Diminished Coverage for Diminished Value
Recently, the Insurance Services Office concluded that diminished value (DV) isn’t covered in the language of Personal Auto Policies. This may soon lead to head-to-head battles between insurers and consumers, since both sides interpret DV differently. But what effect will the exclusion –– and the head butting –– have on the collision industry?
Seeing the Light
If you’re not afraid to try, refuse to quit and focus on the positive, you’ll reach the light at the
end of the tunnel, where success will shine on you.
Reducing Hazardous Waste
Managing waste should be done with the same care and attention to detail as any other integral part of your business because, after all, it affects your bottom line.
Aftermarket Crash Parts vs. OE
Some people view the aftermarket crash parts vs. OE parts debate as a war, with the sides being the collision repair industry (wearing the armor of the OEMs) battling the insurance
industry (sporting aftermarket armor).
The Vote is Cast: National Rule Regarding the VOC (Volatile Organic Compound)
In currently regulated areas, many shops had a learning curve with new low-VOC products that will be shortened considerably for the rest of us. What they discovered when they began using high-solids products was that their main problems were getting the finish to lie down smoothly and getting the paint work to dry in the
Info on Permits: Spraybooths
Spraybooths come with many decisions: what type to buy, from which manufacturer, where to place it in the shop, etc. And not only do they come with decisions, but they’re also attached to responsibility.