The Automotive Service Association's Collision Division made some grand strides in 2006. No doubt about it: the division's Refinish Subcommittee hit home runs with its three refinish fliers, the "not-included charts" and development of the OEM "Quick Starts."

And as they say, you ain't seen nothing yet.

For 2007, ASA's collision team - under Darrell Amberson, AAM, division director, of Lehman's Garage in Bloomington, Minn. - will continue to advance ASA's Collision Division and the collision repair industry.

Through the work of subcommittees, ASA's Collision Division Operations Committee tackles problems and accomplishes goals. On tap for 2007:

• Members of the Refinish Subcommittee plan to move forward on blending and paint caps issues.
• The Auto Manufacturer Subcommittee is in the process of wrapping up a chart detailing the major manufacturers' certification requirements and plans on addressing repairability.
• The Crash Parts Subcommittee (formerly the Salvage Subcommittee) will broaden the team's scope to include aftermarket parts - certified and noncertified - remanufactured parts, reconditioned parts and OEM surplus parts.
• Members of the Insurance Subcommittee plan on addressing third-party auditing, additional administrative costs involved with direct repair program relationships and the finalization of a standardized supplement form for ASA member collision repairers to supply to insurance partners.
• The Estimating Subcommittee, which monitors the information provider systems, will continue to communicate on behalf of repairers.

From the above, you can tell there's a lot in work for 2007.

One final word: ASA members are fortunate to have Bob Redding working on their behalf in the nation's capital. Total loss legislation and insurance reform are the front-runners currently vying for our attention (a word to the wise: now is the time to get politically involved).

Denise Caspersen is the collision division manager at ASA. She can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 236, or denisec@asashop.org.

Super Warranties Among
Mechanical Division Issues

By Robbie Addison

ASA's Mechanical Division staff and Operations Committee work on a number of issues that directly impact the daily operations and profitability of independent automotive service businesses.

There are currently five active subcommittees: Education & Training, Extended Service Plans (ESP), Information Availability, Marketing and Shop Licensing.

In 2007, the key issues to be addressed by the Mechanical Division staff and Operations Committee will be shop licensing, 15-year/150,000 mile warranties (commonly referred to as "super warranties"), telematics, recruitment and training.

The pros and cons to shop licensing have been discussed over the past few years and will continue to be debated in states across the country. Opinions vary on this subject and what is working in one state may not work in another.

Recently, some states have adopted California regulations designed to improve vehicle emissions. ASA supports improving air quality but is concerned about expanding or extending "super" warranties that would pose a threat to the future of independent automotive businesses. Although these battles are fought at the legislative level, the committee's input and expertise is still requested and valuable.

Telematics is looming on the horizon. How will it affect the independent automotive business? To help answer that question, the national staff is working on a research paper to be provided to the committee for their review.

Recruiting young people into the automotive industry is an ongoing challenge and the Education and Training Subcommittee continues to investigate new ways to address this subject. Training is essential to the success and growth of automotive repair businesses. Because of its commitment, the subcommittee wants ASA to be the resource for technical training and management education. It provides recommendations for the Keep Educating Yourself and Staff (KEYS) regional events and ASA annual events.

Robbie Addison is the mechanical division manager at ASA. She can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 224, or robbiea@asashop.org.

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