TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR REPAIR COSTS $96,000

Failure to obtain customer authorization costly

When a Hamilton lawyer's 2-year-old BMW was involved in a collision in September, he never thought that it would cost over $96,000.

In early September a Hamilton lawyer's 5 series BMW was involved in an accident.

The car was towed to a towing compound and he was supplied with a rental car. Ten days after the claim was made, the appraiser arrived at the yard and estimated damage at about $10,000. The insurer advised the lawyer that they would be taking the car to a repair facility for repair. A repair order was signed for the amount of the estimate. There was no discussion of writing off the vehicle.

Eight weeks later, the lawyer's wife received a call from the repair shop, advising her to pick up the vehicle. The bill was over $26,000. When she took the keys and left with the car, it was not drivable, swerving and pulling to one side with loud noises. She returned the car to the repairer and found out that it had not been properly road-tested. She left the car at the repair facility.

The lawyer called the insurer, and demanded a total loss cheque for the car's guaranteed replacement value of $70,000 as he had never signed or authorized the additional repairs. Several days later the insurer agreed to give him a cheque for $70,000. The repair facility now has a $26,000 bill against a BMW that cannot be driven safely, and may not be paid for.

Please note-The owner of a vehicle, prior to the repair being commenced, must authorize any repairs on a vehicle and once authorized, the repair bill can not exceed the estimate by more than 10 percent.

For more information on the Consumer Protection Act, please see;

http://www.ciia.com/provinces/ontario/reg.html

A poster explaining the customer's rights in a collision repair is mandatory to post in the customer waiting area. For a copy for your shop please contact info@ciia.com
(see headlines)

ACCOLADES CONTINUE ROLLING IN to the National Automotive Trades Association (NATA) a month following its successful youth-oriented event to promote employment opportunities in our industry. Presented on Friday, September 29, 2006, NATA Career Day Forum was the opening attraction at the CarFixWORLD trade show in Toronto. The event was organized by the national association's Ontario affiliates, AARO and the Hamilton district Autobody Repair Association (HARA).

"Thanks again for a good show...the kids are still talking about it," wrote Ron Ruttan, the Limestone District School Board's coordinator for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). His expression of appreciation was included in a November 2nd message to NATA delegate John Norris. The photo shown here was one of several attached to his e-mail.

Norris, the manager of HARA and chief organizer of the Career Day Forum for NATA, said Ruttan's comment was one of many post-show accolades he's received from people connected to Ontario's secondary school system. The feedback from teachers and school board personnel has all been extremely positive, he said. Norris and AARO executive director Bill Burkimsher are agreed this good news must be shared with the CarFixWORLD show exhibitors.

"We've said it before, but it bears repeating how much we appreciate the 100+ suppliers who helped showcase our industry as an exciting career option for young people. They had their exhibits open for an extra day to do that," observed Burkimsher, "and we think that was really generous of them."(see headlines)

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET $$$$ FOR UNUSED PARTS, VEHICLES AND SUPPLIES?

Still have that old bumper, hood or part that the supplier won't take back?

Looking for someone to take that extra stock of supplies off your hands?

How about selling that vehicle that has been taking up space on your lot for far too long?

Are you tired of spending the majority of your profits on advertising?

If you have answered yes to any or all of these questions you should contact us immediately.  Our Collision Repair Industry website had over 364,000 in October 2006.  For as little as $25.00/month, a third of the cost of advertising in the local newspapers, the customers you're looking for will see your items.

Contact 1-866-309-4272 or info@ciia.com for more information on how you can place an ad with us.  An ad THAT WILL BE SEEN .

(see headlines)

IMPORTANT CHANGES COMING FOR COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY

Environment Canada is developing regulations to limit the VOC content of refinish coatings and surface cleaners. This will change the products you buy and how you will apply them in the future. The goal is cleaner air.

It is expected that few of the products you are familiar with now will be available.  For some shops, changeover will be easy, other shops may decide to upgrade or purchase new equipment.

New production equipment, products and pollution prevention help will also be on display this evening. You can also learn about the requirements for a spraybooth permit, waste reduction tips, and how to reduce your costs with good environmental management.

Environment Canada is interested in your feedback on the proposed content for the regulations. This is your chance to learn the facts, what it means to your business, and be heard on the possible impact of these changes to improve air quality.

Date and Time: Wednesday November 29, 2006 at 6:30 pm         

Location: Marconi Club Hall, 120 Clarke Road , London

Admission (Hot Dinner Included): 

Non-Members $20.00 per person

Association members No charge        

This workshop format evening features:

•  Senior staff from Environment Canada, Gatineau , Quebec

•  Officials of the Canadian Paint and Coating Association, Saint-Laurent, Quebec

•  Paint company staff from all major paint companies have been invited

•  Senior insurance industry representatives have been invited to comment this evening.

This meeting will be the most important meeting of the year. It impacts you and your business, so don't miss this opportunity.

To register please call 1-866-309-4272 or info@ciia.com
(see headlines)

COLLISION INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO HELP SKILLS CANADA STUDENT COLLISION COMPETITION

November 3, 2006

With the recent announcement of a grant of $5,000 in seed money from the Akzo Nobel Collision Industry Advancement Initiative (CIAI), Skills Competences Canada can now concentrate fully on their Auto
Collision Repair contest offered at the 2007 Canadian Skills Competition.

In May 2006, Skills Canada - Ontario held the 17th Ontario Technological Skills Competition in Waterloo ,Ontario . The gold winners for the Auto Collision Repair Contest were:

Secondary Level - Alex Heaman-Maracle from Robert Bateman HS

Post-Secondary Level - Dan Chudy from Centennial College .

Both medalists moved on to the Canadian Skills Competition in Halifax from June 23-26, 2006, where they both won Gold in Auto Collision Repair.  Alex will be representing Canada at the World Skills Competition in Japan in November 2007.

The collision repair industry has been very active in assisting in the delivery of training and training equipment for the students through:

1) The local collision repair association (HARA) arranged with Toyota Canada and engineer help to have a spray booth donated to Robert Bateman HS in Burlington and was used to train Gold winner Alex Herman-Maracle.

2) Efforts by the association and industry partners were highlighted in a major dinner award event in February 2006 at Centennial College in Scarborough, Ontario with the completion of an almost $1 million donation of equipment and spray booth- the training area for Gold Winner Dan Chudy.

3) The painting component of Skills Canada - Ontario's Auto Collision Repair Contest for 2006 was set for cancellation because no spray booth could be found.  Through the active work of their local trade association, the Wellington-Waterloo Collision Association, funds were raised to ensure that a booth at Sir John A. McDonald Secondary School in Waterloo would be ready in time to host this successful competition.

4) Industry support in southwestern Ontario, meant a donated spraybooth and equipment for Western Secondary School in Amherstburg through their local repair association, PACRA. The school hopes to compete next year.

Jill Fleming of Skills Canada - Ontario thanked the industry. "Ontario is thankful for the support shown by organizations such as www.ciia.com and HARA"

For more information please contact Skills Canada - Ontario at
519 749 9899 or the collision repair association at 1 866 309 4272 or info@ciia.com    For the Collision Industry Advancement Initiative, please contact Bill Orr at Bill.Orr@AkzoNobel.com

If your shop has equipment that can be donated to schools, or your school needs equipment please contact 1 866 309 4272 or visit: http://www.ciia.com/donations.html

(see headlines)

SHOPS URGED TO SPEAK AT SCHOOLS FOR CANADA CAREER WEEK

Canada Career Week is scheduled for Monday October 30 to Friday November 3 at area schools.

This is a great opportunity to explain the good employment opportunities in the collision repair, auto body and auto refinishing industry to eager young people.

The industry is looking for shop owner/operator guest speakers in Ontario for:

Nov 1 am St. Catharines Career Fair

Nov 1 am Grimsby Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School

Nov 2 pm Hamilton careerapalooza-Convention Centre

Nov 2 pm Port Colborne St. Patrick's Elementary School

Nov 2&3pm Niagara Falls Mary Ward Elementary School

Nov 7 even Niagara area Skilled Trades Roundtable

Nov 8 even Niagara area Skilled Trades Roundtable

Nov 15 am Thornhill area school meeting

St. Catharines Kernahan Park Secondary School

(any day prior to November 15)

Don't forget that November 2 is "Take our Kids to Work Day". Participate in this nation -wide day-long workplace learning experience for Grade 9 students.

More schools are looking for skilled trades collision industry worker and manager guest speakers on an ongoing basis. If you can assist your industry association in meeting school speaker requests, please call 1 866 309 4272.

Please contact your local school or Business/Education Council to inquire about their needs for a collision repair industry guest speaker as more and more students show interest in this great career choice.

In the year 2004-05, there were 571 secondary school students working in auto body repair in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) while in school, of which 219 registered as auto body and collision damage repair apprentices.

Contact 1 866 309 4272 or info@ciia.com for more information. (see headlines)

Sherwin-Williams Brings Waterborne Paint System to US

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes has introduced its waterborne basecoat/ clearcoat system called AWX to North America . The AWX line was introduced in Europe in November of 2005.

Utilizing a proprietary resin system that behaves like traditional solvent borne systems, AWX is designed to meet the strict VOC-emissions limits recently adopted in California, while adhering to the environmentally-friendly guidelines soon to be implemented in Canada and throughout the Midwest and Northeastern United States.

"Our goal in launching AWX was to ease the fears and concerns body shop owners have in changing from a solvent to a waterborne system," said Nick Bartoszek , SWAFC Product Manager - VR Marketing. "Because AWX has solvent borne-like application properties, it ensures a seamless transition and conversion. Technicians will be familiar and comfortable with the process already, requiring minimal training and start-up costs."

There are low capital investment costs in transitioning to AWX as well. According to Bartoszek , "One of the key benefits of our waterborne system is that it doesn't require new or specialized equipment in order to use it effectively."

With conversion eminent in several months, SWAFC is committed to providing a waterborne solution with a conscience. Unlike solvent borne basecoats of the past, AWX ensures a 50 percent reduction in VOC emissions while reducing hazardous waste generation.

(courtesy CollisionWeek) (see headlines)

INSURER ANNOUNCES OPEN PLATFORM DRP EXAMINATION

Allstate (U.S.) says this will allow shops to use whatever estimating system they wish

October 30, 2006

Allstate Insurance Company (U.S.) announced today that they would begin a program to "explore an open platform concept" for communicating with their repair facilities."

The open concept program would allow shops to use whichever estimating system they feel would be best for their collision repair businesses.

The testing or "exploration" phase of this examination of single-platform based estimating, would continue through mid-2007 and if the testing phase is successful, and the program put into place, Allstate would no longer require shops to use a specific or one-company's estimating product to handle their claims.

Allstate is expecting that this announcement of "open concept" communications and estimating will be well received.

The communications open-concept estimating is part of the PRO Direct Repair Program concept introduced by Allstate.

John Edelen, Allstate assistant vice president of claim strategy, says" Our goal is to make it easier for repair facilities and the entire collision repair industry to do business with us"

For more information , please see:

http://www.allstate.com/Media/PageRender.asp?Page=main.htm

(see headlines)

2600 STUDENTS LEARN AT CAREER DAY

Students win a free Lexus for their school

October 02, 2006

With school buses coming from as far away as Kingston to the east and Amherstburg to the west, Career Day at CarFixWORLD was a very busy and exciting place.

Throngs of students visited over 100 exhibit booths and attended over 30 educational seminars and presentations.

Young people, unemployed youth, and teachers across the province had a chance to meet TV celebrities Alex and Quinton (Q) from MTV's popular PIMP MY RIDE, participate in the Pit Stop Challenge tire-change competition, and talk to Castrol CASCAR racer D. J. Kennington.

With Smokin' Joe's Racing's 2200 hp Dodge Avenger at the door, students looked at antique cars, cars being repaired by a high school student team from Danforth Collegiate in Toronto, a student-built SAE Formula racer from Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School in Aurora, Ontario and specialty vehicles.

While Centennial College featured loud air bag demos on the hour, students could enter the draw for tickets, air fare and accommodations at this year's Grey Cup in Winnipeg . Presentation stages were jammed as students took in presentations on apprenticeship, college entry motive power programs, a popular CITIMOTIVE school program, and highlights of CARS Council's Reach-For-The-top completions.

CanadaSkills-Ontario student automotive competition winners advised young people on how to move forward into motive power careers while industry shop owners in the Seminar Station offered their help on how to get hired in the automotive occupation that you love.

A bright red Lexus, donated by Toyota Canada Inc. and featured at the Pit Stop Challenge was won by the school that brought the most students to Career Day,--St. Edmund Campion Catholic Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario.

The 2600 students were urged to go online and file their employment resumes or be interviewed for employment by the businesses hiring workers at the Employment Alley.

With apprenticeship agencies, such as the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, community colleges, Skilled Trades Alliance, www.apprenticesearch.com., CARS Council and Canada Skills-Ontario in attendance, many young people found the best route to become apprentices in the motive power trades.

Gary Young, Head of Technological Studies at Eastdale Secondary School in Welland , Ontario , said of the Career Day activities, " they were great, students were motivated about automotive service skilled trades and we found the exhibits and the educational information to be just what we wanted. We are looking forward to a bigger and even better show next year."

The Career Day event, a part of CarFixWORLD was held at the Direct Energy Centre (formerly the National Trade Centre) at Exhibition Place , Toronto from September 29-October 1.

Career Day was organized by the Hamilton district Autobody Repair Association (HARA), and Collision Industry Information and Assistance (ciia.com), affiliates of the National Automotive Trades Association.

For more information on Career Day, contact the autobody association at info@ciia.com or 1 866 309 4272. For pictures of the event see: www.carfixworld.com , www.aaro.ca or www.ciia.com