EPA OKs New Coolant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a new refrigerant for use in motor vehicle air conditioning systems that does not deplete the ozone layer, which helps protect the environment and people's health. The new chemical, HFO-1234yf, may be used in air conditioning for new cars and light trucks.

When used appropriately, the chemical can reduce the environmental impact of motor vehicle air conditioners and has a global warming potential 99.7 percent less than the current chemical (HFC-134a) used in most air conditioners.

I-CAR Names Schoonover

Mike Schoonover

Mike Schoonover will represent the Automotive Service Association on the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair's (I-CAR's) 2011 international board of directors. That announcement was made following I-CAR's recent annual membership meeting.

Schoonover is the owner of Schoonover Bodyworks Inc. in St. Paul, Minn., and a member of ASA's Collision Division Operations Committee.

ASE Promotes 'Get the Lead Out'

Wearing promotional T-shirts, the ASE board of directors launched the organization's "Get the Lead Out" campaign at their annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. "Get the Lead Out" is an information campaign to make the industry aware of ASE's switch from written tests to computer-based testing. The first of the new computer-based tests will be available in July, with the last written tests offered in May and November.

Turn Trash into Cash for Soldiers

Your shop can help the National Auto Body Council (NABC) support a national program called "Cell Phones for Soldiers," a non-profit organization that turns old cell phones into prepaid phone cards for soldiers overseas.

The phones are sent to a firm that pays enough money for each donated phone to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. To date the organization has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

"This is a very real project that every shop in America can get behind," says Chuck Sulkala, executive director of NABC. "A shop can serve as a drop-off point for the initiative and periodically send the phones they collect to 'Cell Phones for Soldiers.' You'll be turning trash into cash to be used for our deployed military so they can talk to their loved ones at home and, at the same time, taking part in an important recycling effort. Just set up a collection box in your shop and let the community know about it."

For more information, visit www.autobodycouncil.org.

Identifix Honored As Top 5 'Tool'

Identifix, one of the nation's premier sources of online and hotline vehicle diagnostic maintenance and repair information, and an ASA member benefit provider, has been named a winner of Tech Shop magazine's 2010 Top 5 Tools Award.

Jeff Sweet, president of Identifix, said: "We're obviously thrilled to be the recipient of this award, but even more rewarding is that this honor is determined by shop owners and technicians who count on us every day. It can be a challenge to position an online product as a 'tool,' so this recognition also affirms that we're an essential resource to shops, or as one of our customers recently put it, 'as important as a 10mm wrench.'"