AUTO BODY COLLISION REPAIR HEADLINES
Insurer says 69 percent of its hit and runs involve a parked car
Larry Baker, a body technician for Maaco auto body repair, works on a minivan. A new study from Allstate says that 69 percent of hit-and-run crashes involve a parked car. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
If someone crashes into your parked car and drives off without leaving a note offering to help pay for the damage, know that you are not alone.
Allstate Insurance Co., which insures about 11 percent of U.S. drivers, assessed its claims data for 2009 and determined that 69 percent of the country’s hit-and-run crashes involved parked vehicles.
In Colorado, 70 percent of hit-and-run reports made in Denver involved parked cars. Things were worse in Fort Collins, where 84 percent of hit and runs involved parked vehicles. In Aurora, 65 percent of hit-and-run claims were about parked vehicles; 79 percent in Colorado Springs.
For the record, it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident, even if the crash involves a parked car and there are no injuries.
People may run without calling police or leaving a note because they are uninsured, don’t have a driver’s license or simply don’t care, said Allstate spokeswoman Nichole Alley.
Read the full article from the Denver Post here: Collision Damage to Parked Cars
Cold weather heats up sales for some companies
By JOSEPH PISANI AP Business Writer
FILE – In this Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, file… ((AP Photo/Journal & Courier, John Terhune, File))
NEW YORK—The harsh winter has been rough for some businesses, but for a lucky few, the frigid weather means more cold, hard cash.
Ace Hardware is having its best winter in more than a decade for snow blower and shovel sales. Waterproof boots are on a long backorder at clothing maker L.L. Bean. And more people are staying home and ordering gooey grilled cheese sandwiches and booze from Delivery.com.
With more Americans stuck indoors, customers are ordering up more meals and arranging to have their laundry picked up through Delivery.com’s website and smartphone app. Sales at the company, which operates in major metro areas such as New York, Chicago and Washington D.C., rose 30 percent in January and February compared with the year before. Orders for soups, wine and vodka have spiked.
But sooner or later, they have to dig out. Sales of shovels and snow blowers have doubled at Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware. The company is also shipping salt and other ice melters to southern regions such as Atlanta, which rarely have to deal with severe weather.
The bad weather hasn’t been so kind to other companies. Businesses that rely on customers to come to them have been hit hard. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Macy’s Inc. said their sales were hurt because of store closures. At one time during January, about 30 percent of Macy’s total stores were closed. Whole Foods Market Inc. said shoppers are making fewer trips to its grocery stores.
When people do venture out into the cold, they stock up on products that protect against frigid temperatures. Carmex, known for its yellow jars of lip balm, said sales are up 9 percent over the past eight to 10 weeks from the same period a year ago. Pawz Dog Boots, which makes colorful rubber booties that safeguard paws from salt and snow, said its sales in North American have more than doubled.
L.L. Bean can’t make its rubber and leather boots fast enough. The boots, known as Bean Boots, are made by hand in Freeport, Maine. The company hired 40 new workers, but it will take them at least six months to be fully trained.
“We’re making them as fast as we can,” said L.L. Bean spokeswoman Carolyn Beem. “You can’t just increase production overnight.”
Ridgewood, N.J.-based Xtreme Snow Pros, which provides businesses with snow-removal services including plowing, de-icing, and hauling, has enjoyed its best winter sales since the business started six years ago. Business is up 15 to 20 percent compared with last year, said Manager Matt Malyar.
“For a company like us, it’s been an awesome year,” Malyar said. “But it’s also great for the workers,” who have logged nearly three times as many hours as they did two years ago, when the winter was mild.
When snow falls in Philadelphia, more smashed cars pile into Nigro’s Auto Body Repair. Icy roads, gaping potholes and the city’s second-largest snowfall in more than 70 years have helped the auto shop’s business triple from a year ago. “One guy was parked and a snowplow ripped his car apart,” owner Domenic Nigro said.
Vehicles need so much work that the average bill has jumped to $7,500 this year, up from last year’s average of $4,000. There are currently 30 cars in Nigro’s garage and 20 more on a waiting list. “We try not to turn people away,” he said.
Collision repair and refinishing can lead to career restoration
Collision repair and refinishing on today’s high-tech automobiles is a challenging and rewarding career. Repairing a damaged vehicle is an interesting mixture of art and science involving the use of specialized equipment and technical skills. Depending on the specialty of a particular shop, professionals in this field may work on cars, trucks, tractor trailers, or other types of vehicles.
Experienced technicians use a combination of technology and craftsmanship to return vehicles to factory specifications when damaged. Since the auto body repair industry is changing as quickly as the computer industry, collision repair technicians continually refine their skills to keep up with car design and production innovations.
With the growth in the number of motor vehicles on the road, which inevitably results in more accidents, there is a significant need for collision repair technicians. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “opportunities will be excellent for people with formal training in automotive body repair and refinishing. Those without any training or experience in automotive body refinishing or collision repair will face competition for these jobs.”
Read the full article from the Denver Post here: Collision Repair and Refinishing Can Lead to Career Restoration
ABPA Denounces Recent Auto Body Repair Legislation in Maryland
by Body Shop Business Staff Writers – March 10, 2016
The Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) has publicly denounced and expressed concern over auto body repair legislation recently introduced in Maryland that it says, if passed, will limit consumer choice when having vehicles repaired.
Maryland House Bill 1258 would require auto body repairers to use only car company-branded parts for repairs made during the first two years after a vehicle’s date of manufacture, and would also require insurance companies that pay for repairs to approve only original manufacturer parts during that time period. For vehicles older than two years, the bill would limit the repair choice to either “certified” parts or original manufacturer parts.
“Senate Bill 1258 is only good for the car companies, giving them a virtual monopoly on parts for the first two years of the vehicle’s life,” said ABPA Executive Director Edward Salamy. “We also have concern about the limits this bill places on a consumer’s desire to use alternative parts and how this would affect them financially.”
Based on the language of the bill currently under consideration, ABPA states that H.B. 258 could also potentially exclude NSF certified parts. ABPA believes this would further limit choice in the marketplace by eliminating a large portion of the certified parts inventory.
Jim Smith, president of the ABPA, added, “This bill is being sponsored by industry special interest groups that are pushing their own agenda and are not concerned about the general welfare of consumers. If this anti-competitive legislation is passed, insurance premiums will be in jeopardy of being raised and more vehicles will be totaled by insurance adjusters because the cost of repairs would become too expensive.”
Original article source found here: http://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/abpa-denounces-recent-auto-body-repair-legislation-in-maryland/
Someone bumped into my car when it was left parked on the side of the street, and now there’s a dent. It makes sense that I would want to get a professional to help me out with this. I’ll be sure to find a car body specialist who has a lot of experience with this kind of thing.