new jersey automotive december 2014

December 2014$595

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALLIANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS/NEW JERSEY (www.AASPNJ.org)AND THE AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY (www.ARANJ.org)

www.grecopublishing.com

TM

2 | New Jersey Automotive | December 2014

New Jersey Automotive | December 2014 | 5


NORTHEAST 2015 SPOTLIGHT16 NORTHEAST 2015 Sees Increased Presence from Exhibitors

LOCAL NEWS by Jacquelyn Bauman18 AASP/NJ Annual Meeting Provides Excitement and Education for Guests

24 Car-o-liner Opens New Facility in Mahwah, NJ

INDUSTRY WEEK RECAP by Joel Gausten28 AASP/NJ Provides Year-End Report at National Affiliate Meeting

32 Car Crazy: Fun Moments at SEMA 2014

NATIONAL NEWS38 GMs Competitive Pricing Platform Rescheduled to Launch

FEATURE44 The Downside of Upselling: When Getting the Job Goes Too Far by Joel Gausten

COVER STORY by Jacquelyn Bauman46 Tesla Meets Tesla, Past Meets Future

54 NEWS FROM AASP/PA

THE LIST58 My New Years Resolution Is...

P.O. Box 734 Neptune, NJ 07753

EXECUTIVE DI REC TORCharles Bryant732-922-8909 / [email protected]

2013 - 2015 OFFICERSPRESIDENTJeff McDowell, Leslies Auto Body732-738-1948 / [email protected]

COLLISION CHAIRMANDave Laganella, Peters Body and Fender201-337-1200 / [email protected]

MECHANICAL CHAIRMANKeith Krehel, Krehel Automotive Repair, Inc.973-546-2828 / [email protected]

TREASURERTom Elder, Compact Kars, Inc.609-259-6373 / [email protected]

SECRETARYThomas Greco, Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc. 973-667-6922 / [email protected]

BOARDJerry McNee, Ultimate Collision Repair, Inc. 732-494-1900 / [email protected]

Sam Mikhail, Prestige Auto Body908-789-2020 / [email protected]

Ted Rainer, Ocean Bay Auto Body732-899-7900 / [email protected]

Anthony Sauta, East Coast Auto Body732-869-9999 / [email protected]

Randy Scoras, Holmdel Auto Body732-946-8388 / [email protected]

Anthony Trama, Bloomfield Auto Body973-748-2608 / [email protected]

Brian Vesley, Valtek, Inc.973-278-1444 / [email protected]

BOARD ALLIEDJoe Amato, The Amato Agency732-530-6740 / [email protected]

Mike Kaufmann, Advantage Dealer Services973-332-7014 / [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT ATTENDINGTom Elder, Compact Kars609-259-6373 / [email protected]

PUBLISHERThomas Greco ([email protected])DIRECTOR OF SALESAlicia Figurelli ([email protected])EDITORJoel Gausten ([email protected])MANAGING EDITORJacquelyn Bauman ([email protected])ART DIRECTORLea Velocci ([email protected])OFFICE MANAGERSofia Cabrera ([email protected])CONTRIBUTING EDITORSCharles Bryant Tom Greco Jeff McDowellMitch Portnoi Dave Laganella Ron Ananian

Published by: Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.244 Chestnut Street, Suite 202, Nutley, NJ07110Corporate: (973) 667-6922 / FAX: (973) 235-1963

www.grecopublishing.com

VOLUME 44, NUMBER 12 | December 2014

8 OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES10 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

12 EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE62 NJA ADVERTISERS INDEX

NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVE is published monthly and is sent to AASP/NJ and ARANJ members free of charge. Subscriptions are $24 per year. NEW JERSEYAUTOMOTIVE is published by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc., 244 Chestnut St., Nutley, NJ 07110. The editorial contents of NEW JERSEY AUTOMOTIVEare copyright 2014 by Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher and/or editor. Articles in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Thomas Greco Publishing Inc. Images courtesy ofwww.thinkstockphotos.com

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers/New Jersey

Joe Amato, Sr.Ron AnanianJim Bowers

Charles BryantDon ChardGuy CitroEd Day

Dave Demarest

Tom ElderBob Everett

Thomas GrecoRich Johnson Wes KearneyNick KostakisJim KowalakJoe Lubrano

Michael LovulloSam MikhailRon MucklowGeorge PetraskRuss Robson

Jerry RussomanoGeorge Threlfall

Cynthia TursiLee VetlandPaul VigilantRich WeberBrian VesleyGlenn VillacariStan Wilson

HALL OF FAME

CONTENTS


OUT OF BODY (AND MECHANICAL) EXPERIENCES

December is always a month forreflection. Its the end of another year.A year that may have brought good orbad things, but still a year of your lifethat you wont get back. Personally, Ialways try and reflect on the goodthings, such as catching up with someof the people I have lost touch withalong the way.

A few weeks ago, I received anote from a guy named Ron Mucklow,complimenting us on the magazine.Now, its always nice to get a compli-ment, but when it comes from some-one who played a huge part in helpingme get the opportunity to publish thismagazine, well, thats a very specialthing.

Im sure Rons name rings a bellfor some of you old timers. Ron ownedthe Plastic Shop in Prospect Park inthe 70s and the 80s. He was an inte-gral part of the growth of the NorthJersey Auto Body Association, whichwas one of the associations that ulti-mately evolved into the Alliance ofAutomotive Service Providers of NewJersey (AASP/NJ). Ron was the formerpresident (and a Hall of Famer), butmore importantly (at least to me), heand George Petrask were the heads ofthe associations magazine committee.

Back in 1984, Ron and Georgewere publishing something calledFender Bender. (No, not THAT one. Wehad the name long before the current

one.) Considering both guys ran theirown body shops, the idea of putting amagazine together every month be-came too big, so they looked for apublisher to come in and produce it forthe association. Thats where JohnMaxman came into the picture. Max-man owned a company namedMaxco, which published a businesstravel magazine, as well as an insur-ance industry publication called TheAdjuster. Ron and George advised theAASP/NJ Board to sign with Maxmanwho, in turn, assigned the editor posi-tion to a recently hired employee. A24-year-old kid named Greco.

Ron, George and I worked closelyon making the magazine better and

by THOMAS GRECO, PUBLISHER

ANYTHING YOU NEED


better and in 1987, we all agreed tochange the name from Fender Bender(no, not THAT one) to New Jersey Au-tomotive. And the rest is hist

Not so fast.Maxman sold Maxco in 1988 to a

company that specialized in makingcopies. No joke. The new manage-ment waslet me think how to putthis. Inept? Insane? Dumb? Unprofes-sional? Cheap? All of the above.

Needless to say, I didnt hit it offwith the new owners from the start.Ron and George realized that fact al-most as soon as I did, and they werenot happy with them, either. So, amaz-ingly, the three of us began wondering(separately, of course) if it might bepossible if I could go out on my own,take New Jersey Automotive with meand start anew. The associationscontract with the new company wasabout to end in December 1988, and Iwas thinking about starting ThomasGreco Publishing in January 1989.What a coincidence! Ron went to theAASP/NJ Board with the plan to not

renew and to sign a new contract withmy company. The Board, as it shouldhave been, was a little concernedabout putting all their eggs in one bas-ket - a basket that, at the time, wasempty and had no experience on itsown. But Ron and George went to bathard for me. And eventually, the Boardagreed. Things were in motion until

My mom died in September of thatyear, and my world stopped. My dadhad passed away only four years ear-lier and I was the last one living athome with her. It was a difficult time,losing her while at the same timetrying to start a new business and

prepare for a fight from the companythat thought they had acquired severalmagazines from Maxco. All thesethings were going through my mind asI sat at the wake, when two familiarfaces came through the crowd. It wasRon and George. Ill never forget Ronswords as I thanked him for coming.

Were family. Anything you need.The rest is history.There are few people that I owe

my career to. Ron Mucklow is one ofthem. It was great to hear from himafter all these years, and as you cansee from the photo, he hasnt changedmuch. A little grayer maybe, but stillthe guy who loves to fix cars and enjoylife. He and his wife, Jane, are doingwell in Tennessee. To me, still alwaysfamily. PS: I received another complimen-tary note literally a few hours beforeRons. Believe it or not, it was fromnone other than John Maxman. Whatare the odds? Merry Christmas!

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The temperature is dropping andhouses are covered in twinkling lights,which can only mean one thing: Theholidays are here once again. While Ioften use this space to discuss the

pressing issues in our association andtrends throughout the industry, for thismonth, Id like to remind our readersthat December is the timeto gather ourfamilies close to us, reflect on our

blessings and be thankful forthe lifewe are able to have because we live inthis great country. In our industry, the struggle to suc-ceed and survive can often be over-whelming. Some days we feel likeweve won, and some days we feel likeweve fallen flat. That is just the natureof our business. But regardless ofwhether we consider 2014 to havebeen a failure or a success, I think itsimportant for all of us to take a momentand reflect on the opportunities that weare provided by living in this land, andto give thanks for that privilege. Wehave been granted the choice to liveour lives as we see fit. Remember thatnot everyone is lucky enough to haveour lifestyle and our freedoms, and thatthese things come at a cost. Lets givethanks and honor to those who havegiven their all, and to those who con-tinue to do so. There are those less for-tunate than us who have paid the pricefor our freedom. Keep those still fight-ing to keep this country great in yourhearts this Christmas, and if possible,reach out to someone in need, donateto a local food pantry or support veter-ans in your local community who maybe in need of help. Remember that the holidays arenot just about giving thanks, but alsofor giving back. During this winter sea-son, I hope you all stay safe, stay hum-ble and stay grateful. Happy holidaysto all AASP/NJ members, all our read-ers and all the hard-working peoplewho make this industry great.


PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Reflectionsby JEFF MCDOWELL

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE

What Makes It So Hard For Insurers toUnderstand the Collision Industrys Problems?

by CHARLES BRYANT

If someone with extensive experience in the collisionindustry were to really think hard about it for a minute, theanswer to this question would be as clear as day. Let meexplain. What is the most common saying that collisionshops across the nation hear from insurance appraisersduring the negation process, when trying to come to anagreement on the cost to fix a vehicle when an insurer isresponsible for paying for the repairs? Let me give you ahint. The answer to this question is so common and univer-sal that at one point, certain members of the industry actu-ally created a pin for collision shops to wear when dealingwith insurance appraisers in an attempt to reach an agreedprice to repair a damaged vehicle. The answer is: You arethe only one. For years it has been - and still is - so common for aninsurance appraiser to use this saying when discussing thecost to repair a damaged vehicle that it is not even funnyanymore, yet they continue to say it every day. I am talkingabout a situation where an appraiser and a shop owner, orthe person in charge of negotiating the cost of a repair, arediscussing a particular procedure or necessary operationto repair a damaged vehicle properly. The appraisers de-fense for refusing to pay for the operation or procedure is,

You are the only one who charges for that. In reality,every shop in the area charges for that particular operationor procedure because it is something that has to be done. Iguess they think the collision shops dont talk to eachother. Once the shop and the appraiser get past the lie, thenext common phrase comes right out of the appraisersmouth. What might that be? We dont pay for that. Ihave looked through policy after policy and, for the life ofme, I just cant find those words in any one of them. I amnot talking about an exclusion in a policy, like for customcoverage items. I am talking about things like blending anadjacent panel to get a match of the paint or repairingpinch weld damage created by attaching a vehicle to aframe machine to repair frame damage. These are thingsthat have to be done to finalize the repair. Yet, appraiserssay this phrase to shop owners every day, over and overagain. Eventually, the appraiser and the shop representativewill get to the discussion about the Labor Rate. Whenthe shop tells the appraiser what his Labor Rate is, theappraiser will most often look at the shop representativelike they are absolutely crazy and simply say, We onlypay $X per hour, period. It is usually said like a parenttalking to a child in a strong effort to end the conversationand lay down the law, so to speak. Once again, I havesearched through policy after policy and for the life ofme I cant find a statement or provision that even closely

THE BRYANT BROTHERSBACK TOGETHER AGAIN!Recently, the original Bryant Associates -Charles and Jimmy Bryant - were reunitedat the SEMA show in Las Vegas, whereJimmy now resides. A fixture in New Jersey for many years, Jimmy, along withCharlie, made Bryant Associates the collision repair industrys greatest ally during the 80s and 90s.

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resembles that statement. I have foundprovisions that say things like We willpay the amount necessary to repairthe damaged property to its pre-losscondition or We will pay for directand accidental loss to your coveredauto or any non-owned auto, includ-ing their equipment, minus any ap-plicable deductible shown in the

declarations. Yet, the appraisersstand strong and limit their amounts towhat they have been instructed byupper management to pay. In most cases, when the two par-ties are deadlocked, the shop will sur-render and just accept the appraiserslimited assigned Labor Rate, in fear ofhaving the job steered away from their

shop. In the cases where the shopdoes not surrender, it is common prac-tice for the insurer to call the insuredand tell them that the shop of theirchoice is being unreasonable. Theywill then try and convince the insuredto have their vehicle removed from thatshop to have it repaired by one of thecompanys DRP shops, who will repairthe vehicle for the amount of the in-surers estimate. The whole idea is toteach the shop a lesson and makethem understand that if they fightagain, they will ultimately lose everyjob. I could go on and on about theproblems that the collision shops faceand explain how most of the problemsultimately get resolved. However, itwould be like preaching to the choirbecause most of our readers arecollision shops that are faced withthese problems on a daily basis.Therefore, lets get back to the originalpoint of this article. What makes it sohard for the insurers to understand thecollision industrys problems? Afterthinking about this question over andover and applying all the knowledgethat I have gained over the years, Itruly believe I have the answer. Letsstart with the issue of the Labor Rate.Shops that truly have a handle on theircost of doing business have set theirLabor Rates at approximately doublewhat insurance companies want topay. An outsider would probably lookat that and say the shop is beingcompletely unreasonable. This isespecially true because the insurancecompanies say that they can get the


EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE

continued on page 56

NORTHEAST 2015 SPOTLIGHT

NORTHEAST 2015Sees Increased Presence from Exhibitors

It is no secret that the buzz around the industry about theAlliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey(AASP/NJ)s NORTHEAST 2015 Automotive ServicesShow has been so abundant that it is almost deafening.With a hugely successful SEMA behind us, local busi-nesses and industry heavy hitters are looking into the rap-idly approaching future for the regional NORTHEAST show,the largest of its kind in the country. With only a little overthree months left, this years show already has a swiftly in-creasing number of contracted exhibitors, and will featurean expanded presence from a number of familiar faces.

A large amount of exhibitors of all sizes have alreadysigned on to the 2015 installment of the show, includingMetropolitan Car-o-liner, BASF, Axalta Coating Systems,LKQ, Team PRP, Auto Body Distributing, Medallion RefinishSystems, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Future-Cure Paint Booths, Maxon Hyundai/Mazda, Ikotec USA,Valspar Automotive and Nucar, just to name a few.

Additionally, AASP/NJ is noting an increased appear-ance of a substantial amount of vendors including ProSpot/Innovative Solutions, one of the top local manufactur-ers of welding equipment in the state, and Accudraft, theworlds leading spray booth manufacturer, who will be dou-bling their space from last year and will now have two40x30 booths.

AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell is beaming with ex-citement for the upcoming show, which will not only featureexhibitors, but will also include a number of seminars anddemonstrations.

I am very pleased with the current progress of our2015 show, he says. I have heard from a great deal ofmy industry peers about their enthusiasm for this yearsNORTHEAST. Its looking to be our largest one yet.

The 2015 NORTHEAST Services Show will be heldMarch 20-22 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center inSecaucus. Registration is currently open at www.aaspnjnortheast.com.

For more information on NORTHEAST, visit www.aaspnjnortheast.com, the NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show on Facebook, the NORTHEAST AutomotiveServices Show YouTube page (www.youtube.com/user/AASPNJNORTHEAST) oron Twitter @AASPNJNORTHEAST / #NORTHEAST2015. For more information onAASP/NJ, please visit www.aaspnj.org.

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AASP/NJ is gearing up for another large turnout as the association prepares for NORTHEAST 2015.

Top-notch educational opportunities

Over 150 industry-leading exhibitors

Fun for the whole family and more!

Save the Dates for NORTHEAST 2015!

Proudly Presented by

WWW.AASPNJNORTHEAST.COM

MARCH 20, 21, 22

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ANNUAL MEETINGANNUAL MEETINGANNUAL MEETINGANNUAL MEETING


LOCAL NEWS by Jacquelyn Bauman

On October 30, a full house of au-tomotive service providers gath-ered at the Holiday Inn of Clarkfor the Alliance of Automotive ServiceProviders of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) An-nual Meeting. Beginning at 7pm, guestsarrived and were greeted by associationbenefit providers and a cash bar. Attendeessocialized for a half an hour while theyfound their seats and the presentationbegan. First up to the podium was AASP/NJExecutive Director Charles Bryant, whoprovided those in attendance with a briefoverview of what the night would entail,as well as a review of recent developmentsin the industry. I fully believe that this industry is atits turning point right now, Bryant said.Insurance companies have refused toacknowledge how complicated these new

vehicles are; its impossible to fix them forwhat theyre willing to pay. Weve doneeverything we can: Negotiate, make dealsand go on programs. But it never seems towork. Now, weve been pushed around forso long that all the industry has left to dois bring it to the courts. After a brief break for dinner and con-versation, the meeting was reconvenedwith a Treasurers report from Tom Elderand the distribution of awards. The firstaward presented was the Stan Wilson/NewJersey Automotive Body Shop of the Year. This is always an honor for me togive out because its named after my bestfriend, said AASP/NJ President Jeff Mc-Dowell, who presented the award. Stanloved auto body repair, and he loved all ofthe people who work in this field. The award was given to Ricca AutoBody in Hackensack and accepted by part

owner, Carl Ricca, who thanked the asso-ciation and his fellow repair colleagues fortheir work in bettering the industry. The next award was the Russ RobsonScholarship Award, which is a monetaryendowment given to a promising auto re-pair student to fund the continuation oftheir studies. As this industry moves forward, it isimportant to remember the people whomolded it, said Elder. Russ Robson hada dedication to training young people inour field. Im sure he has sat in the back-ground since his passing, looking after thisgroup and moving us forward. The award was presented to HerminioTorres, Jr. from Riverside Auto Body, whowas given a plaque in addition to fundingto further his collision repair training. For the last award of the night,Charles Bryant stepped up to the podium

Provides Excitement andEducation for Guests

A full house of guests attended the AnnualMeeting to become better informed onevents affecting their industry.

to present the AASP/NJ Hall of Fameinduction. Every year, we honor someone whois special to our association by grantingthem a spot in the Hall of Fame, Bryantnoted. If somebody asked me five yearsago if we would consider inducting an in-surance guy, I would have said, No way.But Joe Amato has earned this award, ourconfidence and our trust. Joe sticks up forwhats right. As an allied member of the Board ofDirectors, Amato humbly and graciouslyaccepted the award and advocated for fur-ther participation in the association. Once the awards were given out, thetitle exhibition of the night began. TheNew American Revolution was presentedby industry renowned attorney, EricaEversman, who discussed an assortmentof lawsuits and litigations of various sizesand claims happening around the countryin the collision repair industry. Things really are changing, Evers-man began her presentation. Theyre notchanging fast enough - not changing inhuge sweeping tides - but they are chang-ing. While some of the lawsuits occurringmake me a little nervous, I do feel verypositive about many of the things that arehappening right now in this industry. Some of the lawsuits she discussedwere small, between one or two shops andinsurers such as Mid Island Collision v.Allstate out of New York. Others hadsmall parties with large issues, such asCrawfords v. State Farm and other insur-ers (that alleges racketeering on the part ofthe insurance company,) or the case be-tween State Farm and the Louisiana Attor-ney General. Some cases Eversmancovered were class action lawsuits withmultiple plaintiffs, such as the case she isrepresenting in Ohio. The last case of thenight that she addressed was what she re-ferred to as the free-for-all multi-districtlitigation led by John A. Eaves, Jr. against

multiple insurers out of Mississippi andbeing heard in Florida. She went throughthe minute details of the case while ex-pressing her concerns, alleging that Eaveshas not spent enough time in the industryand may not be fully aware of the possibleramifications of rushing into a case of thismagnitude. One of the issues she has isthat the ruling on his litigation may set

precedent for cases that will later bebrought up by firms who have spent theeffort and time to do all of the necessaryresearch. She is hopeful that the outcomeof the case is positive and lauded Eavessenthusiasm, as well as his ability to getothers involved, but she is wary of hisactions overall. New Jersey Automotive | December 2014 | 19

30th AASP/NJ Hall of Fame inductee, Joe Amato, Sr., with Executive DirectorCharles Bryant and President Jeff McDowell.

Stan Wilson/New Jersey Automotive Body Shop of the Year winner Carl Ricca ofRicca Auto Body with Treasurer Tom Elder and President Jeff McDowell.


LOCAL NEWS

Industry renowned attorney EricaEversman provided a presentation onthe current legal atmosphere in theautomotive service industry, informingguests of litigation that may affecttheir business in the near future.

AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell

At the conclusion of the night, Vice-Chairperson of the National Salvage Vehi-cle Reporting Program (NSVRP) HowardNusbaum got up to speak about his organi-zation. NSVRP collects total loss salvagevehicle information for a variety of differ-ent groups such as law enforcement andthe National Insurance Crime Bureau.

They collect this information especially inlight of natural disasters such as HurricaneSandy. Guests left the event with their stom-achs full and with a greater awareness ofwhat is occurring in their industry thatmay affect their future.

and

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NJA


LOCAL NEWS by Jacquelyn Bauman

Just before GMwas ready to releaseits first mass-marketed, U.S.-builtuni-body vehicle almost 35 yearsago, Metropolitan Car-o-liner first openedits doors from within a small space atStateline Auto Body in Northvale, NJ. OnOctober 28, Metropolitan Car-o-liner hada grand opening celebration at its new9,200-square-foot building. The new facil-ity in Mahwah, NJ is nearly double in sizeof its former location and hosts a largerwarehouse, as well as an expanded train-ing facility and larger office space. We moved to accommodate the nexttremendous change occurring in ourindustry, says owner and founder ofMetropolitan Car-o-liner, Dave Demarest,Sr. Theres a whole host of massivechanges with the vehicles coming out inthe next few years. We need technicianswho know how to handle these changes.Thats why we thought it was important tofind a place that could better host largertraining classes. Metropolitan Car-o-liner PresidentDave Demarest, Jr. shares his fathersenthusiasm about the possibilities that thenew space provides. Not only is it twice the size of ourformer building, but it allows us to have afull-time and expanded hands-on trainingarea for our customers, he notes. Dave,Jr. also drew attention to the fact that theMahwah facility has a permanent area forservice, so work that cannot be repaired inthe field can be repaired by techniciansin-house. Plus, because of how much larger itis, we can house more inventory, Dave,Jr. explains. This is obviously a hugebenefit to our customers. Having more onhand means we can deliver productsfaster. At first, the size was daunting,Dave, Sr. reveals. But we quickly grewinto it. The new facility opened with an offi-cal grand opening reception hosted by theowners, employees and families withopening remarks from Dave Demarest, Jr.and Jeff Kern, managing director of the

Car-o-liner company. Almost 100 guests,including customers, vendors and spe-cially invited individuals were encouragedto tour the new building while theyenjoyed food and beverages. For additional information regarding

Metropolitan Car-o-liners products andservices, please visit www.metrocol.com,(800) 526-0318 or connect with them onFacebook: www.facebook.com/metropolitancaroliner.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:Dave Demarest, Jr. cuts the Grand

Opening ribbon on the 9,200 squarefoot building in Mahwah, NJ.

The expanded site allows for more in-house inventory, which means

faster delivery time.

Jeff Kern, managing director andpresident of the Car-o-liner company,

spoke at the opening of the new facility.

Dave Demarest, Sr., Alison DemarestCorcoran and Dave Demarest, Jr.

NJA

Opens New Facilityin Mahwah, NJ


On November 5, the Alliance ofAutomotive Service Providers(AASP) held its National AffiliateBoard Meeting at the Westgate Las VegasHotel & Casino in conjunction with the2014 SEMA Show. The morning meetingdrew participation from nine AASP stateaffiliates and allowed attendees to gain in-sight into each organizations efforts tosupport the industry. In his state affiliate report, AASP/NJExecutive Director Charles Bryant de-tailed many of the associations current ac-tivities on behalf of its membership. Notsurprisingly, the ongoing fight against un-licensed mobile repair shops remains a toppriority. Our licensing law says that any per-son who repairs a car damaged as a resultof a collision must be licensed, he said.

Were getting ready to fight that battle. Bryant reported that AASP/NJ plansto work with the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association(NJGCA) in pushing Right to Repair leg-islation in New Jersey. Although a Mem-orandum of Understanding between theAlliance of Automobile Manufacturers,the Association of Global Automakers, theAutomotive Aftermarket Industry Associa-tion (AAIA) and the Coalition for Auto-motive Repair Equality (CARE) wasannounced in January, Bryant says that theagreement doesnt pertain to heavy dutyvehicles, nor does it have the same rules -and ramifications for breaking them - thatan official law might carry. Most people are happy with [theMemorandum], but were not, he said.

On the national front, Bryant notedthat the proliferation of legal actions cur-rently taking place in the industry (includ-ing the Louisiana Attorney Generalsrecent suit against State Farm and Missis-sippi attorney John Eaves, Jr.s multi-dis-trict litigation against numerous insurers)has succeeded in generating interest frommainstream news outlets and the generalmotoring public. The main thing were seeing as a re-sult of these suits is a lot of media atten-tion, he said. Thats what we really need to get the public aware of whats goingon. Above all, Bryant sees the industrysgrowing work in the legal arena as a clearsign that shops are no longer willing to putup with the practices of certain insurers. Its showtime, he offered. If westand up, we can make a difference. Everystate and every shop has to pull together. Ireally believe its coming. Closer to home, AASP/NJ continuesto monitor the controversial PartsTraderprogram. In addition to the program beingutilized by State Farm Select Serviceshops, the association continues to receivereports that PartsTrader is actively solicit-ing non-State Farm shops to use their pro-gram. Bryant stated that he has yet toreceive word of a single shop using thesystem without a mandate. Were watching where [the Parts-Trader situation] is going now, and westand ready to help if people decidetheyve had enough and want to fight it,he said. In addition to a presentation byAASP-PA Board member Greg McVickeron his recently co-founded initiative,www.TheTalentMonger.com (describedon the site as a career marketplace thatconnects collision shop owners with local,qualified local auto technicians), AaronLowe of the Auto Care Association (for-merly the Automotive Aftermarket Indus-try Association [AAIA]) presented anoverview of the organizations endeavorsin relation to telematics in vehicles (from

INDUSTRY WEEK RECAP by Joel Gausten

AASP/NJ ProvidesYear-End ReportAT NATIONALAFFILIATEMEETING

Left: AASP/NJ Executive DirectorCharles Bryant (left) and TreasurerTom Elder represented the associationat the AASP National Affiliate Boardmeeting in Las Vegas.


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both the diagnostic and driver/end-useraspects). Our contention is that the driver - theowner of the vehicle - should have controlof the data collected on their vehicle,Lowe explained. Right now, the manu-facturer controls all of that data. The Auto Care Association is devot-ing time and resources to educate the in-dustry on how they can connect to theircustomers with this information, and isgearing up for an eventual legislative pushto return data control to vehicle owners. The main goal is to work together totry and develop technical solutions for thetelematics issue, he said. In other news, AASP National Presi-dent Bruce Tschida and other AASP Affili-ate representatives participated in a specialIndustry Summit and planning sessionheld at the Venetian Hotel on November 4by the Auto Care Advocacy Network, anewly formed organization comprised ofrepresentatives from AASP, the Auto Care

Association and the Alliance of StateAutomotive Aftermarket Associations(ASAAA). Initially organized last year,the grassroots Network exists to enable itsparticipating member associations to ad-dress anti-industry issues, educate law-makers, promote positive industryinitiatives and speak to the general motor-ing public in one collective voice. Moving forward, the Network plansto include at least one key state or regional

association from every US state. The Net-work will be guided by a Steering Com-mittee, comprised of two members fromthe three main associations, and managedby the Auto Care Association. In order for the Network to support oraddress a particular industry issue, a con-sensus must be met among all participat-ing associations that engagement wouldnot pit one sector of the industry againstanother. Engagement would be at theSteering Committees discretion. The Net-work plans to issue regular news and up-dates to the automotive media throughout2015. A structure and call-to-action centerfor facilitating a comprehensive and sys-tematic response to confront anti-industryinitiatives and to promote initiatives thatare in the industrys best interest is longoverdue, said Tschida. AASP is pleasedto lend its support to such an importanteffort.

Were watching where[the PartsTrader

situation] is going now,and we stand ready tohelp if people decide

theyve had enough andwant to fight it,Bryant said.

Audi dealers strive to make you an Audi Parts Professionals are Your Subject Matter Experts on Collision Parts, Replacement Components and Mechanical Items.

Many Audi dealers offer technical service support hotline access that can reduce your repair times and help you meet an on-time promised delivery.

I

R

Flemington Audi213 Route 202/31Flemington, NJ 08822Toll Free: 800.216.5124Fax: 908.782.9397email: [email protected]

Classic Audi655 North Macquesten Pky.Mount Vernon, NY 10552914.663.2870Fax: 914.663.2878email: [email protected]

Bell Audi782 Route 1, Edison, NJ 08817732.396.9360Fax: 732.396.9090www.bellaudi.com

Audi Turnersville3400 Route 42Turnersville , NJ 08012856.649.7560Fax: 856.649.7565www.turnersvilleautomall.com

Paul Miller Audi179 Route 46 EastParsippany, NJ 07054Toll Free: 800.35.MILLERParts Direct: 973.575.7793Fax: 973.575.5911www.paulmiller.com

Schneider + Nelson Audi270 Highway 36West Long Branch, NJ 07764732.389.1743Fax: 732.935.7585email: [email protected]

Palisades Audi127 Route 59Nyack, NY 10960Toll Free: 888-349-6075Parts Line: 845-353-4870Parts Fax: [email protected]

Town Motors Audi400 South Dean StreetEnglewood, NJ 07631201.227.6506/6536Fax: 201.541.0314www.townmotors.com

Helping you do business is our business. Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select dealers.


an Audi Genuine Parts fan

Installing Genuine Audi Collision parts contributes towards improved cycle time that makes both your customer and their insurance company happier.

Regardless of the age of your customers Audi, Audi dealers have access to over 200,000 part numbers. No other supplier comes close.

DCH Millburn Audi2211 Millburn AveMaplewood, NJ 07040Toll Free: 800.553.9250Direct: 973.762.0262Fax: 973.821.2040www.millburnaudi.com

Jack Daniels Audi of Upper Saddle River243 Route 17Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458Phone: 201.252.1500Fax: 201.254.1552email: [email protected]

Audi Meadowlands4700 Westside Ave.North Bergen, NJ 07047Toll Free: 888.416.2834Fax: 201.223.7842www.audimeadowlands.com

Cherry Hill Audi2261 Marlton Pike WestCherry Hill, NJ 08002Wholesale: 856.665.5660Fax: 856.665.4645email: [email protected]

Audi Bridgewater701 Route 202-206 NBridgewater, NJ 08807Toll Free: 888-685-5712Parts Direct: 908-800-9000Fax: 908-595-0237email: [email protected]

Audi Manhattan800 11th AvenueNew York, NY 10019212.515.8200Wholesale Direct: 212.515.8275www.audimanhattan.com

Atlantic Audi6820 Tilton RoadEgg Harbor Township, NJ 08234Phone: 609-641-1788Fax: 609-646-2331

Audi Brooklyn211 63rd StreetBrooklyn, NY 11220Phone: 718-492-6400Fax: [email protected]

Jack Daniels Audi1601 Mc Bride AvenueFairlawn, NJ 07410201-398-1209Fax: 201-475-8666www.jackdanielsmotors.com



INDUSTRY WEEK RECAP by Joel Gausten

a three-day photo and signing session. As a primary spon-sor of Playboy, MINI was happy to give Horton her first-ever SEMA experience. Outfitted in a special Union JackPlayboy Bunny suit to go with MINIs British auto theme,the model was quick to share her excitement over the mas-sive car show with New Jersey Automotive. I can never get over how huge this convention centeris! she marveled. The second thing I notice is the veryrubbery smell! Over at the Red Kap booth, fans of the band SocialDistortion were treated to a special November 4 postersigning by frontman Mike Ness, who recently became abrand ambassador for the company. Speaking with NewJersey Automotive during a quiet moment prior to hisSEMA appearance, Ness was thrilled to be able torepresent Red Kap to his fans.

CarCrazy:Fun Momentsat SEMA 2014Even if you spent every second of the31 hours that SEMA 2014 was open toshow-goers on the convention floor,you still couldnt have seen it all.

With more than 100,000 automotive fans hitting theLas Vegas Convention Center from November 4-7, ex-hibitors from around the globe stepped up their game tooffer something truly memorable. Not only did severalcompanies display some of the most amazing custom carson the planet, but many of them also boasted unforgettablecelebrity appearances to boot. For this years festivities, MINI welcomed Pamela Hor-ton, Playboys Playmate of the Month for October 2012, for

The Scion x Slayer Mobile Amp tC


If you work hard, you need clothes to wear to workhard in, he said. It was a natural fit when I got asked to dothis for Red Kap. A longtime auto fanatic (I was a car enthusiast before Icould afford to be a car enthusiast, he joked), Ness waslooking forward to hitting the SEMA floor after his meet-and-greet to check out Snap-on and some of the other toolvendors at the show. And Social Distortion fans take note:He told us that the band will start work on a new album their first since 2011 next year. Of course, Ness wasnt the only musician making wavesat SEMA. One of the heaviest bands in the world, Slayer,teamed up with Scion to create the Scion x Slayer MobileAmp tC, which made its public debut in Las Vegas. Thebands aggressive style easily carried into the tC sportscoupes exterior look and band-inspired details, including a

custom paint job with airbrushed logos and skulls. The inte-rior turned up the volume even higher with a custom Pio-neer audio system with towers of speakers, a custom mixerand a 32-inch monitor for media playback. Slayer guitaristKerry King believes that Scion was the perfect brand to rep-resent his bands fearless, independent spirit. Working with Scion has given us another way to reachnew audiences and inspire them to keep going down theirown paths, he said. Other eye-opening vehicles spotted at SEMA include theBarris Batmobile, Hot Wheels life-size, 150-mph DarthVader car and the TRONAudi R8 (a special collaborationbetween Llumar and West Coast Customs).

NJA

Legendary skateboarder Sal Barbier (center) chats with TomAraya (left) and Kerry King of the band Slayer about theirMetal-inspired car at SEMA.

Musician Mike Ness (Social Distortion) appeared at SEMAon behalf of Red Kap.

On November 4, General Motors (GM) announced a newinitiative to effectively change the way collision repair-ers obtain list pricing on parts from the manufacturer.

As reported by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists(SCRS), the tool - www.MyPriceLink.com (MPL) - would elim-inate GMs provision of a list price to Information Providers (IPs)in favor of a Web-based portal that would allow GM to provide amore dynamic list price direct to the repairer based on the marketat the time the estimate is written. GM executives made a priorityto arrange several meetings with SCRS leadership prior to the ini-tial launch, and during the 2014 SEMA Show, GMs WholesaleDealer Channel General Director Kris Mayer sat down for an ex-clusive interview with the association. As he explained, the newprocess has been designed to simplify the repair process for cus-tomers while also providing competitive pricing and encouraginguse of OEM parts. Today, we provide a list price and then a body shop can useour Conquest program to try and get a more competitive price tocompete against the aftermarket parts, he said. With MPL,well be able to provide a competitive price without having to useany Conquest initiatives or program disruptions at the end of theestimate process. Well provide more competitive pricing upfront, versus after the fact.


NATIONAL NEWS

In response to questions about the decision-makingprocess leading up to the unveiling of www.MyPriceLink.com, Mayer stressed the intent of providing more fluid pric-ing and improving a clunky process. We felt that it was [previously] an after-the-fact way tobe competitive, he said. With this, based on market condi-tions, we can look at the market or a particular price and itscompetition and offer a price based on our intelligence andmarket pricing. Our pricing is currently updated once amonth; in the future, well be able to update pricing much,much more dynamically. Our focus is on the GM customer and the collision re-pairers fixing their vehicle; our end result is to offer the bestOEM part that has been designed, built and produced forthat vehicle, so that it can be repaired in a safe manner topre-crash condition, he continued. The safety of our cus-tomer is the most important consideration, and they shouldbe offered the best and safest parts up front. When asked if www.MyPriceLink.com would affectshops profitability, Mayer maintained that the aim of theprogram is to ease repairers troubles, not increase them. It really isnt our intent to change margins, and acqui-sition pricing to the dealers is not changing, he said.[MyPriceLink.com] does affect our ability to be more dy-namic and provide mark-up pricing, but we dont see itchanging margin structure for the people who are involved.That is not our goal - were just offering the price in a differ-ent way. Shops just want to be able to get a decent price, becompetitive, repair the vehicle and move on to the next.They shouldnt have to be procurement experts. On November 10, GM announced that it had resched-uled the previously-announced December 1 launch date ofthe initiative to early 2015, citing workflow pressures onoutside parties [that have] brought to light enhanced solu-tions and the increased desire for integration opportuni-ties...To this end, GM has listened, and has agreed to pauseand extend the implementation of MyPriceLink.com...[al-lowing] for all parties to prepare and adjust as needed inorder to begin getting GM list prices from the MPL priceengine. The objective of MyPriceLink.com - to provide dy-namic pricing up-front in the estimate versus at the end ofthe process, at no charge to the user - has remained the

GMs Competitive PricingPlatform RESCHEDULED to Launch

same, Mayer stated in a follow-up interview with SCRS. Weare listening to some of our technology partners who havecome forward with more seamless, less disruptive solutionsfor us to explore. The willingness, support and input from ourindustry partners is really what made us change directions andsay, Okay; lets see if this makes it better for everyone. Without mentioning which facet of the industry in particu-lar influenced the decision, Mayer noted that we do havegood workarounds with our dealers that would have been inplace by December 1; they would have been the least dis-rupted. Well have some more upcoming announcements inthe near future that will clarify our position and provide moreinformation. For now, we are working on fine-tuning MPL tomake it as seamless and helpful to our industry partners aspossible. GM will continue to publish list prices until the platformhas been launched in earnest. For more information on Gen-eral Motors, please visit www.gm.com.

NJA



For Original BMW Parts, contact one of these authorized BMW centers:

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER WAY TO BUY THEWORLDS BEST ENGINEERED PARTS.

JMK BMW391-399 Route 22 E.Springfield, NJ 07081Toll Free: 800-648-0053Fax: 973-467-2185www.jmkbmw.com

Princeton BMW3630 Quaker Bridge RoadHamilton, NJ 08619PH: 609-570-1611Fax: 609-570-1602www.princetonbmw.com

BMW of Roxbury840 Route 46 EastKenvil, NJ 07847PH: 973-627-7999Fax: 973-598-0339www.bmwrox.com

BMW of Freehold4225 Route 9 NorthFreehold, NJ 07728PH: 732-462-6286Fax: 732-577-0518www.bmwoffreehold.com

Flemington BMW216 Route 202/31Flemington, NJ 08822PH: 908-782-2441Fax: 908-824-9913www.flemingtonbmw.com

Prestige BMW985 Route 17 SouthRamsey, NJ 07446Toll Free: 888-30-PARTSDirect: 201-327-8485Fax: 201-760-5525www.prestigebmw.com

Wide World BMW125 East Route 59Spring Valley, NY 10977PH: 877-817-3895Fax: 845-425-5080www.wideworldofcarsbmw.com


Circle BMW500 Route 36Eatontown, NJ 07724Parts Direct: 732-440-1235Fax: [email protected]

BMW of Morristown111 Ridgedale AveMorristown, NJ 07960PH:973-796-3145Fax:973-796-3146www.bmwmorristown.com

Open Road BMW731 US Highway 1Edison, NJ 08817Parts Direct: 732-692-6918PH: 732-839-4505Fax: 732-650-9815www.openroadbmw.com

Paul Miller BMW1515 Route 23 SouthWayne, NJ 07470PH: 973-696-6060Fax: 973-696-8274www.paulmillerbmw.com

BMW of Mount Laurel1220 Route 73 SouthMount Laurel, NJ 08054PH:856-840-1486FAX:856-222-0506www.bmwofmtlaurel.com

Park Ave BMW530 Huyler StreetSouth Hackensack, NJ 07606PH: 201-843-8112FAX:201-291-2376www.parkavebmw.com

BMW of Bridgewater655 Route 202/206Bridgewater, NJ 08807PH: 908-287-1800FAX:908-722-1729www.bridgewaterbmw.com

BMW of Newton119 Hampton House RoadNewton, NJ 07860PH: 973-579-6020FAX:973-579-9632www.bmwnewton.com

Original BMWParts

The UltimateDriving Machinewww.bmwusa.com

Theyre called Original BMW Parts for good reason. For uncompromising precision and incomparable quality, your BMW center is your One-Stop shop for everything BMW.

With winter just around the cor-ner, automotive repair and serv-ice shops around the GardenState are gearing up for the inevitable in-crease in sales. But is every job that willland in shops this holiday season going tobe legitimate? As the race to grab thosecustomers keys gets more intense, NewJersey Automotive has received reportsthat some auto service entities bothdealer-connected and independent are

coming up with questionable ways ofelevating the number of repair orders intheir bays. Still feeling a shortage of work in hisarea due to increased new car sales in thewake of Hurricane Sandy, formerAASP/NJ President Bob Everett (BayvilleAuto Care, Bayville) has been dealingwith a new foe as of late: Competitors oilchanges. While it normally wouldnt havethat much of an impact on Everetts

bottom line if someone else scores that$35 job, it certainly affects his livelihoodwhen that job ends up being a $500 under-taking for one of his regular customers. Hetells us that many drivers including someof his clients are being lured to certainfacilities that offer free oil changes. Oncethey have the car in their possession, theyjust happen to end up diagnosing major re-pair work in the process. Were seeing a couple of different


FEATURE by Joel Gausten

The Downside of UPSELLING:When Getting the Job Goes Too Far


things, he explains. Not only are cus-tomers not coming into our shop at all be-cause its a free oil change, but a fewdealers we know are really getting intohigh-pressure additional sales. Theyreusing that opportunity when the customersare in the bay to pressure them into gettingrepairs done. Heres a brand-new car, andall of a sudden theres a $700-$800 repairbill on it. It just doesnt make a lot ofsense. In some cases, Everett has been fortu-nate enough to have some of his regularcustomers return to him when they sensedsomething might be fishy after being pre-sented with a hefty estimate somewhereelse. In one case, a customer walked inwith a $4,000 estimate for a litany of un-necessary procedures including replacingthe timing belt which Everett had al-ready done 30,000 miles prior to his cus-tomer getting the dealers free oilchange offer. Although Everett himself often sendsout free oil change coupons to new home-owners in the area, he makes it clear that

he uses the incentives for their intendedpurpose to meet new customers andnot as an upselling tool. If we see something wrong with thecar thats dangerous or really, really seri-ous, we will mention it to the customers,he says. But other than that, we take avery light approach to it. Over in Hampton, Rick Allen of RickAllens Auto Repair tells us that hes had afew customers contact him after they go toa dealer for a recall notice and end up witheyebrow-raising estimates. In some cases, we found that itwasnt needed work, he says. Allen says hes heard similar recallstories in his meetings with fellow mem-bers of the national Elite Pro Servicegroup. Its not a chronic problem in myarea, he says. But out of 100 shopowners [in the group], everybodys talkingabout it, and Ive seen it myself. Despite these issues, Allen is quick tostress that there are certainly more dealersout there doing the right thing than there

are ones working to squeeze every last bitof work out of recall notices. He citesMuller Toyota in Clinton as one dealer inparticular that has gone out of its way toassist independent shops in the area byholding seminars by factory service reps. They feel that they cannot service allthe Toyota vehicles theyve sold, but theywant their customers to have a good serv-ice experience whether its at the dealeror the independent, he says. In the tough business world of autoservice, companies both great and smallhave to duke it out to win motorists trust and dollars. While no industry can sur-vive without healthy competition, it is areal problem when some people fail to rec-ognize the difference between good sales-manship and consumer exploitation. A few bad apples make everybodylook bad, offers Allen. Its always beenthat way in the automotive field. This is a classic case of consumerbeware to me, adds Everett. It could belooked at as another black eye on theindustry. NJA


COVER STORY By Jacquelyn Bauman

For some people, thename brings to mind thebrilliant and underappreci-ated 20th-century scientistand electrician who revolu-tionized the world with very

little acknowledgment. Forothers, the name is moreclosely associated with thehigh-end, noiseless electriccars, which use the AC en-gine invented by its name-sake. And still, for others,the name brings with it

almost no familiarity. Re-cently, one group of volun-teers set out to increaserecognition for this com-monly forgotten genius andhis contributions to theworld.

TESLA.


In Shoreham, Long Island there sits a 16-acre facility, cov-ered in overgrowth, almost obscured from sight by nature.In the 80s, it was owned by Peerless Photo Products, Inc.and then later by the Agfa Corporation - photography supplycompanies that dumped tons of chemicals on the grounds,making it nearly completely toxic. But what stood on the sitebefore they got their hands on it is what makes this locationso important. In 1901, a 45-year-old Serbian inventor purchased 200acres of land called Wardenclyffe from James Warden, an en-deavor funded by J. Pierpont Morgan and costing $150,000($4,252,200 in todays dollars). The man, Nikola Tesla, in-tended on erecting a 187-foot tower there to transmit energyaround the world. Seeing as this was right before the advent ofthe discovery of radio waves, at the time this seemed a lot likescience fiction. Tesla was known for taking science fiction andturning it into science fact. He has been credited with either thecreation or major discovery of a multitude of things that haveshaped our society, such as radio, AC electricity, X-rays, hy-droelectricity and radar, among numerous others. However,due to his feud with famous inventor Thomas Edison and be-cause the importance of his discoveries were not immediatelyfully realized, his work goes largely unrecognized. Yet, overtime, Teslas accomplishments have gained traction, slowlygaining recognition. Some groups who are passionate about thecontributions that Tesla made to our society have set out toadvocate his message to the general public. One of theseorganizations is the Friends of Science East, Inc. The Friends of Science East, Inc. are currently in posses-sion of the 16 acres left of the original Wardenclyffe facility.The organization aims to clean up and restore the site so that itmay be used as a museum to educate the public on NikolaTesla, as well as to provide a hub for innovation and technol-ogy. We want to teach people who he was, why he was impor-tant and why it matters now, says Secretary of the Board ofthe Friends of Science East, Inc., Neil Baggett. We want toshow the public the value of science, technology, informationand education. The site was originally sought after by the Board Membersof the Science Museum located at Shoreham Wading RiverHigh School, as they were unable to accommodate the audi-ence, activities and exhibits they wanted to display. Theyformed the Friends of Science East, Inc. to oversee the acquisi-tion of the property. However, as the economy was in a down-turn, the owners of the land at the time, the Agfa Corporation,listed the price as $1.6 million in order to make a profit. To

purchase the land, they were offered a matching grant fromNew York State for up to $850,000. Yet they still needed toraise that amount of money first. In order to do so, MichaelInman, the creator of popular Internet comic, The Oatmeal(www.theoatmeal.com) and Nikola Tesla advocate, created acrowdfunding project online to fund the purchase, asking hisreaders from around the world for whatever they were willingto donate. Over the course of the donation collection, 33,000contributors from countries all across the globe raised$1,370,461, the largest crowdfunded project at that point intime. In May of last year, The Friends of Science East, Inc.were finally able to purchase Wardenclyffe. The goal of the organization is to dedicate one of thebuildings on site to a Tesla museum, one building to a learningcenter and one to an Innovation Accelerator. The purpose ofthe museum will be to educate the public on Teslas contribu-tions to society, and the duty of the learning center will be toprovide science education and create a positive environmentfor school trips. Lastly, the Innovation Accelerator will serve asa laboratory where start-up companies and inventors can bring

AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell poses with a bannerdepicting Nikola Tesla on the Wardenclyffe grounds.

Twenty-five Tes

la owners volun

teered to displa

y

their cars for th

e event. Above:

AASP/NJ Pres

ident

Jeff McDowell

browses histor

ical photos of t

he site

throughout its h

istory.


COVER STORY

their ideas and have a place to improve them. Ultimately, thissite will serve as a memorial to a brilliant scientist and con-tinue his philosophy of innovation into the future. Due to asbestos and the damaging effects of chemicaldumping on the part of previous property owners, the site iscurrently in a very expensive clean-up process that requires anumber of volunteer events and donations. On October 25, the head of the Tesla Owners Club, JimThompson, organized an event called Tesla Meets Tesla. Atthis event, the public came to tour some of the grounds, viewTesla cars on display from private owners, hear presentationsabout Tesla and the status of this project and help to clean upthe site. For those who do not know, the Tesla car includes anAC motor that is based off of Nikola Teslas designs. It is anentirely electric and completely silent vehicle that getsabout 265 miles to one charge. At various super-charging sta-tions located around the country (including one in Hamiltonand one in Edison), Tesla owners can get a full charge in onehour at no cost to them. One member of the automotive repair industry who sawthe value of this project for both his field and for the generalpublic was Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of NewJersey (AASP/NJ) President Jeff McDowell. He became in-volved in this event through his son, an electrical engineer whois a friend of Jim Thompson and who has an affinity for Tesla. One of the most interesting things was all of the cars,McDowell explains. At one point, one of the owners had toleave to go get something. He jumps in his car, starts it andtries to leave, but the crowds werent moving out of the waybecause no one heard the car behind them! The things are liter-ally completely silent! However, the motor is not the only technological updatethat sets the Tesla apart from other cars. McDowell went on toexplain one individuals ability to connect his Tesla to hisGoogle Glass a head mountable, hands-free wearable tech-nology similar to a smartphone which allowed the owner tostart the car through remote voice command. Plus, some Teslavehicles feature an autopilot option that relies on sonar, radarand obstacle-recognizing cameras. From the sci-fi ideas of theoriginal motors creator to todays science fiction, the nameTesla remains associated with technology at the forefront of theindustry. It is no secret that the Tesla cars are not affordable toeveryone. The cheapest model checks in at around $70,000.However, according to McDowell, what is important is the

technology and what it will mean for the future of the automo-tive industry. This is a whole different way of looking at travel, hesays. Before the Tesla, I always looked at hybrid cars andthought, Yeah, right. But when you see one of these cars andyou see what they can do, its obvious that this can definitelyhappen; its the wave of the future. I bet in a couple of years, alot of these other manufacturers are going to jump on the band-wagon and start producing electric cars the same way, or in-clude at least some of these other features. Tesla is proving thatit works. Everyone else will eventually take advantage of that. While most of the industry is focused on the advent of thealuminum-intensive 2015 Ford F-150, some repairers are al-ready recognizing the constantly evolving nature of the fieldand looking even further into the future. The reason aluminum threw so many people off was somany people had no idea it was coming, McDowell explains.Thats why this museum is so important. It raises awarenessabout technological changes not only for our industry, but forthe public as well. It keeps us prepared for what could bearound the corner and it lets our consumer stay up-to-date aswell. For more information on the restoration of the Warden-clyffe facility and the Friends of Science East, Inc., as well asfor future events including their annual tree lighting ceremony,visit www.teslasciencecenter.org.


NJA


NEWS FROM AASP/PA

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Penn-sylvania (AASP-PA) formed in 1955 as the IndependentGarage Owners of PA. The aims and purposes of formingthis association included educational, technical and man-agement programs; bonding shops; registering of me-chanics; safety inspection law; mechanics lien law; groupadvertising; group insurance of all types and liaisons withthe government and other automotive associations. In al-most 60 years, some of the goals have changed a bit, butour purpose remains the same to educate, assist withlegislative issues, provide money-saving benefits andgenerally promote the automotive industry within the stateand nationally. While we have always been a member association forshop owners, we have now expanded our membership toinclude student and technician membership levels. Thegoal in creating these new levels is to continue and fur-ther our initiative of education for all automotive serviceproviders in Pennsylvania. Getting younger generationsto value education, leadership and involvement in associ-ations is of utmost importance to us. As Leonardo daVinci said, Learning is the only thing the mind never ex-hausts, never fears and never regrets. Our Student Membership level is available to allPennsylvania high school, technical school and univer-sity-level students studying in the automotive field. Somebenefits to our student members will include:

An electronic version of our bi-monthly magazine, Pennsylvania Automotive &Insider News;

Invitation to select chapter meetings and training events;

And free enrollment in ASEs Student Certification Program. A $30 savings!

Our Student Membership is FREE. For more informa-tion, or to sign up, students can visit www.aasp-pa.org/member-resource/student-membership.aspx. Our Technician Membership level is available to alltechnicians, towers, service managers and anyone elseworking in the automotive industry within Pennsylvania.Some benefits to our technician members will include:

The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Penn-sylvania (AASP-PA) is pleased to announce the 2015dates for their annual training weekend. Previouslynamed TechTrain, the 2015 weekend will feature a newname and a new format! Shop Survival Summit will be held May 1-3, 2015 atthe DoubleTree by Hilton in Lancaster, PA. AASP-PA willkick off the weekend on Friday with a welcome receptionin the evening. Saturday morning will begin at breakfastwith a keynote speaker. Management, technical, collisionand towing sessions will all be offered both in the morn-ing and afternoon. New this year will be a dessert and vendor show afterdinner. For two hours, attendees will be able to talk withvendors about their products, have the chance to receivesome great prizes and connect with other attendees. Sunday will again offer more training opportunities formanagement, technical, collision and towing, as well as aspecial peer-to-peer roundtable for shop owners. New this year will be a discounted pricing structurefor multiple technicians coming from one shop. Also,spouses of attendees will be offered a special packagethat will include their meals during the event, couponbooks to local shopping complexes, transportation to anearby farmers market and special gifts. AASP-PA asks that you save the date for this event.Additionally, if you would like to be added to their ShopSurvival Skills mailing list, please contact their office at(717)-564-8400.

An electronic version of our bi-monthly maga-zine, Pennsylvania Automotive & Insider News;

Invitation to select chapter meetings and train-ing events;

Potential discount on personal electric bills;andReimbursement for the cost of up to three ASE

Certifications. Technician Membership is $50 annually if the em-ployer shop is a member of AASP-PA, or $100 annually ifemployer is not a member. For more information, or tosign up, technicians can visit www.aasp-pa.org/mem-ber-resource/technician-membership.aspx. For further information, please contact Jeff Walter orAmanda Henry at AASP-PA, (717) 564-8400 or throughemail at [email protected] or [email protected]

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE AASP-PA2015 ANNUAL TRAINING WEEKEND

NJA

NEW MEMBERSHIPOPPORTUNITIES FOR 2015

vehicle repaired at any of their DRPshops for the amount of their estimate.What the insurer leaves out, however,is the part about the DRP shop be-coming the appraiser and thus havingthe ability to adjust the hours to com-pensate for the restrictions on the pro-gram, therefore still realizing areasonable profit. So what makes it so hard for theinsurers to understand the collision in-dustrys problems? Here is the answer.In simple terms, the Labor Rate hasbeen artificially suppressed for solong that it will have to be doubledto catch up to where it actuallyneeds to be today. For that reason,the collision industry looks bad. In re-ality, it is the improper actions of theinsurance industry that resulted in thisartificial suppression for so long that itgot us to where we are today. Sooneror later, the insurance industry willhave to face reality and pay the shopsa fair and reasonable rate based ontodays actual cost of doing businesswhile allowing for a fair and reason-able profit. Based on the high cost ofthe equipment, training and certifica-tion required to repair the complicatedvehicles on the roads today, I wouldsay that that rate will wind up beingdouble what insurers are currently of-fering. Its no secret that insurers arebeing sued all over the country be-cause of this particular issue, so wewill be watching and will see wherethings end up soon.


NJA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORSMESSAGEcontinued from page 14

I havent thought of one yet. Maybemy resolution should be to start think-ing ahead.

To be honest, my resolution is tofinally decide whether to stay in orget out of this business.

I dont make New Years resolutions; I only break them.

Ive always wanted to learn how tospeak French. Since Im planning ontaking my wife to Paris for our 40thanniversary, Im thinking now mightbe a good time to do it.

My resolution is to watch less TV. Itshard for me because by the time I gethome, Im so tired I want to do some-thing mindless. But my wife pointedout how much I watch, so Ill have tofind something else to do to unwind atthe end of the day.

My New Years Resolution Is...

My resolution is to dedicate morefunding to training my techs andinvesting more money into myguys. You guys keep writing aboutall of these big changes coming.Ive got to start getting prepared.

They have these marathonsnow where you run through

mud. Id like to do oneof those. I love getting

dirty. If I didnt, I wouldnt be in this business.

We reached out to some of our readers to find outwhat they hope to do in 2015.

THE LIST

NJA58 | New Jersey Automotive | December 2014

This is anonymous, right?My resolution is to findsome new techs.

To retire.

Last year, I had my first successful New YearsResolution. I quit smoking. Unfortunately, my stressdidnt go away, so I replaced stress smoking withstress eating. So now my new resolution is to losethe weight I put on.


Acme Nissan................................................25

Amato Agency..............................................55Audi Group ................................................30-31Axalta Coating Systems ..............................IBCBMWGroup ................................................42-43Bridgewater Acura........................................6Brogan GMParts Center ............................8Cadillac of Mahwah......................................45CCC Comp-Est ............................................20CCCOne ....................................................27Classic Audi ................................................10Continental Auto Parts ................................39Cosmos Recycled Auto Parts ......................14Crane Chevrolet ..........................................61Cycan Industries ..........................................39Empire Auto Parts ........................................62Flemington Audi ..........................................5Flemington Group ........................................21Fred Beans Parts ........................................13

Future Cure..................................................20Glen Toyota..................................................OBCHyundai Group ............................................26JMK BMW....................................................11

JMK Saab/JMK Fiat ....................................52Klean Frame ................................................62

LKQ..............................................................29Maxon Mazda ..............................................51

Maxon Hyundai........................................34-35

Mazda Group ..............................................57Mercedes Benz of Freehold ........................61

Mini Group ..................................................37Mitsubishi Group..........................................53Mopar Group................................................4NORTHEAST 2015 ..................................17NU-CAR...................................................22-23Paul Miller Audi ............................................41

Porsche Group ............................................40PPG ............................................................3Prestige Motors............................................52Princeton BMW............................................15

Princeton Mini ..............................................9

Saw Mill Auto Wreckers ..............................60Subaru Group ..............................................50Town Audi ....................................................60

Toyota Group ..............................................59Toyota of Hackensack..................................IFCValtek ..........................................................56

VIPHonda....................................................6

VWGroup ....................................................36Wheel Collision Center ................................56

new jersey automotive december 2014

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