CIECAST Explores What’s Driving EV Adoption and How Collision Repairers Need to Prepare

Written by Abby Andrews, Autobody News
PublishedJune 29, 2022

CIECA hosted its latest CIECAST webinar on June 23, “Charged for Success: Understanding EV Trends and Their Impact.”

Ryan Mandell,

Collision Repairers Actually Lament Lack of Insurance Adjusters in Shops

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published June 08, 2022

Aaron Schulenburg of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) said he was surprised by one of the findings of the association’s surveyearlier this year asking shops about what changes could have a positive impact on their business.

“I never

Class-Action Lawsuit Claims Chevrolet, GMC Trucks, SUVs Were Made with Defective Paint

General Motors is facing a class-action lawsuit because of the paint on Chevrolet and GMC’s line of full-size trucks and SUVs from the model years 2015 through 2019.

The complainants claim the clearcoat and paint were defective from the factory.

The suit involves the 2015-2019 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado as well as the GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra from the same model years, reports CarComplaints.com. The clearcoat on those vehicles allegedly delaminates, bubbles, flakes, erodes and blisters, leading to demands for a recall.

“GM should properly repair all of the Class Vehicles, immediately, offer rescission to the

ABAT Hosts Webinar to Help Collision Repairers Attract and Keep Good Employees

Written by Abby Andrews, Autobody News
PublishedFeb. 16, 2022

The Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) on Feb. 10 hosted “How to Compete in a Tight Job Market: Fresh Ideas to Attract and Keep Good Talent.”

ABAT Executive Director Jill Tuggle said the pandemic has exacerbated the technician shortage by creating a staffing shortage in general. She said ABAT hosted the webinar to help auto body shops compete for quality staff without resorting to unsustainable tactics, like

Mercedes Red Paint Settlement Final

Written by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com
Published Dec. 6, 2021

A Mercedes red paint settlement has been granted final approval by a federal judge after car owners alleged their 590 Mars Red paint blistered, peeled and bubbled.

The red paint lawsuit settlement was reached after the automaker said it would be cheaper to settle the class action than continue to fight a prolonged court battle.

However, Mercedes-Benz denies all allegations of liability and wrongdoing.

Included in the red paint settlement are current and former lessees and owners of these Mercedes-Benz vehicles that were painted with Mars Red 590 paint:

• 2004-2015 Mercedes-Benz

With a rise in COVID-19 cases in Clark County and the State of Nevada’s indoor facemask mandate again in full force, there are understandably some concerns among collision repair-related companies about whether or not to participate in the 2021 SEMA Show.

The situation has changed dramatically within the last two months, and when you throw in the fact many attendees from Canada and Europe will be prohibited from entering the U.S. for the show, it’s not surprising both exhibitors and attendees are looking for the exit doors or contemplating alternatives. On Aug. 31, Spanesi SpA and Spanesi Americas, Inc. decided to remove their exhibit from the Show, scheduled for Nov. 2-5, in Las Vegas, NV. Their name can now be added to a list that already included

NY Officials Announce Convictions of Long Island Auto Repair Shops for Tax Evasion

New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Michael Schmidt on March 26 announced the guilty pleas of two Long Island auto repair shops and their owner for tax evasion.

Broadway Towing, Inc. and Broadway Auto & Towing, Inc. pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud for underreporting more than $8 million in taxable sales over a 10-year period. The owner of both shops---Luis Crespo, 53 of Freeport---additionally pleaded guilty to petit larceny.

As part of their pleas, the defendants agreed to repay the state of New York more than $900,000 in restitution,

SEMA Challenges EPA's Motorsports Regulations in Court

PublishedMarch 5, 2021

SEMA filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Gear Box Z. Inc. (GBZ) arguing against EPA’s contention that the Clean Air Act (CAA) does not allow a motor vehicle to be converted into a racing vehicle used solely for competition.

The EPA first pursued this controversial interpretation of the CAA as part of a 2015 draft rulemaking, but it quickly withdrew the provision following a huge, SEMA-led public outcry.

In the GBZ litigation, however, the EPA again maintains that once a vehicle has been certified as a street vehicle, it cannot be converted into a racing vehicle, even if that

GM Pays $121M Over Ignition Switches, Power Steering, Airbags

General Motors has agreed to settle class action claims for economic losses suffered by owners and lessees of vehicles that were recalled in 2014 for problems related to the ignition switches, power steering, key rotations and side airbag wiring.

The plaintiffs claim they overpaid for their vehicles, allegations denied by GM which decided to settle the lawsuit because of the continued expense of litigation.

The General Motors settlement fund will be $121.1 million, and although the lawyers who sued are expected to receive $34.5 million, no estimates have been reached about what vehicle owners may receive because much depends on how many owners and lessees file

Toyota Soy Wiring Class Action Lawsuit Resurrected

PublishedSept. 21, 2020

A Toyota soy wiring class action lawsuit is partly alive on appeal after a district court dismissed the case in 2018.

According to the Toyota soy wiring class action lawsuit, rodents are more attracted to the wiring because Toyota switched its wiring harness from vinyl chloride to a soy-based material.

This allegedly causes rats, mice and other creatures to chew the wiring, leaving vehicle owners without safe transportation.

The plaintiffs had four opportunities to refile the class action, but the judge dismissed the lawsuit for failure to plead with particularity under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) and ruled the

Chevy Shake Class Action Says Driveshaft is the Problem

A so-called "Chevy Shake" class-action lawsuit alleges GM vehicles suffer severe vibrations because the automaker uses aluminum driveshafts.

The GM class action includes all consumers in the U.S., except Florida, who purchased or leased any of these GM vehicles.

• 2015-2020 Cadillac Escalade
• 2014-2019 Chevrolet Silverado
• 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban
• 2015-2020 Chevrolet Tahoe
• 2014-2019 GMC Sierra
• 2015-2020 GMC Yukon / Yukon XL

Florida consumers are not included because a separate Chevy Shake lawsuit (Weiss v. General Motors) was denied nationwide class action certification, but the judge said

Chrysler Lawsuit Involving Leaky Sunroofs Seeks Settlement

The ongoing lawsuit between David Cox and Chrysler could be settled soon.

According to court documents, the 2014 class-action lawsuit could reach a settlement agreement of $350,000 for attorneys’ fees and $4,000 that would be awarded to Cox, the plaintiff in this case, as an incentive award.

The lawsuit against Chrysler, which was first filed in 2014 by Cox, alleged the manufacturer was negligent in disclosing to owners that regular maintenance is needed on affected vehicles’ sunroof drain tubes. The Jeep Patriot, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Compass, Jeep Commander, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Town and Country and Chrysler 300, from model years 2009 to

Mercedes-Benz Mars Red Paint Defect Lawsuit Filed

PublishedAug. 21, 2018

A Mercedes-Benz Mars Red paint defect lawsuit alleges the clear coat is prone to peeling, bubbling and flaking in models built between 2004 and 2017.

Mars Red, also known as Fire Opal, is a paint manufactured by PPG Industries that identifies the color by paint code 905264, while Mercedes identifies the color by paint code 590.

Vehicles included in the proposed class-action lawsuit include any Mercedes-Benz vehicle with a label on the driver-side door jamb that references Mars Red paint code 590.

The lawsuit alleges Mercedes knew the paint was prone to peel and bubble but continued to paint vehicles with the PPG product.

The

Delaware Man Gets Jail for $85K Insurance Scam in Darby

The former owner of a Darby Borough auto body shop was sentenced to 23 months of intermediate punishment Thursday, September 1 after pleading guilty to insurance fraud and receiving stolen property.

Franklin Thomas Wilson, who owned Transformer Collision Specialist at 1006 Summit St., was among 11 people arrested in March 2015 for an alleged $85,000 insurance fraud scheme that included damaging vehicles with a forklift to falsely inflate claims.

Wilson would meet with customers seeking body work on their vehicles and provide them with an estimate, according to a 30-page criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause written by County Detective Lawrence

CDI Takes Action Against Insurers for Various Acts: Capping Labor Rates, Lowballing, Trade Practices

Written by Ed Attanasio, Autobody News
Published Oct. 12, 2015

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) took action recently against Allstate Insurance, Sterling Casualty and Alliance United Insurancebased on allegations listed in three separate statements of charges/accusations concerning illegal labor rate practices that were allegedly unfair and/or deceptive and based on complaints from body shops throughout the state.

These actions are based

SCRS Meeting Discusses Insurance Regulation, State Farm

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published June 21, 2012

State Farm’s PartsTrader program, the use of shops’ estimating and other data, and how one state regulator oversees auto insurers, were among the topics at a recent board meeting of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).

A number of participants at the meeting held on April 24 in Oklahoma City, OK, wore large buttons opposing “data mining” by the “Big Three” information providers, indicating they wanted the ability to “opt out” of having their shop estimating data aggregated and used or sold. The buttons were

State Insurance Divisions Differ From One Another in Terms of Addressing Repairer Concerns

Written by John Yoswick, Autobody News
Published September 22, 2011

It’s a common complaint among collision repairers: It’s not worth contacting the state insurance commissioner’s office because they don’t do anything about our complaints.

Yet in recent months, some state insurance commissioners have taken actions cheered by some shops, from radically changing their department’s focus, to issuing bulletins reminding insurers of state laws on steering or other shop-related activities.

What has led to these changes, and does it mean now is a