Talkin’ Shop in Cincy
They sure do eat well in Cincinnati. During my and Managing Editor Mike Peltier’s daylong visit to Elite Collision Service in Cincinnati last month, it was pecan squares the size of fuel doors for breakfast, Papa John’s pizza for lunch and, for a mid-afternoon snack, “cheese coneys” from Gold Star Chili. General Manager Phil Mosley
DRPs Have Run Their Course
Where I live, there’s quite a battle going on between grocery stores to get more and more shoppers to come through their doors and earn their loyalty so that they keep shopping with them over and over again. These “frequent shopper” programs come in all shapes and sizes across all types of retail markets. Until
Reader’s Choice – Raising Rates Without Losing Business
“How do you raise rates and tell insurance companies what they should be paying for without losing business?”
— John Thompson, estimator, West Herr Collision Center,
Hamburg, New York
Reader’s Choice – Used Parts: Structurally Proper Repair?
“Is putting on a used part (e.g. quarter panel) considered a structurally proper repair when only the outer skin needs to be replaced?”
— Gary Atherton, general manager, Devoe Collision Center, Naples, Fla.
Reader’s Choice – Corrosion Protection
“When repairing a vehicle, what is the best corrosion protection method to use?”
— Craig Chaffee, owner, Chaffee’s Autobody, Franklin, Mass.
Industry Unity Finale: What Have We Learned?
As our Industry Unity series comes to a close, we look back at our examination of major industry issues and key in on what we’ve learned.
Talking to Body Shops that Have Made Waterborne Conversion
A check in with body shops on their progress in transitioning to waterborne paint reveals no major problems…as long as paint manufacturers’ guidelines are strictly adhered to.
Practice Makes Perfect in PDR
A steady flow of paintless dent repair work is crucial to keeping a PDR specialist’s skills sharp, and can serve as justification for a select few shops having a specialist in-house. For most shops, however, outsourcing is the way to go.
South Carolina Shop Accuses Allstate of Steering
When State Farm announced its switch to Select Service in 2006, Gus Mallios had a business decision to make. The new Select Service agreement asked that shops match rates and discounts equal to the lowest rates and/or highest discounts they were giving to other customers. Mallios, owner of the multi-location Summit Collision Centers in Columbia,
Liability Coverage
Lancer Insurance Company specializes in providing liability and collision coverages to entrepreneurial body and repair shop owners who rent vehicles to their customers. Rather than referring clients to third-party auto rental firms, Lancer policyholders keep the rental revenues in-house. Call (800) 782-8902, ext. 3027.
