LKQ of Washington invests $2.5 million in recycling ... - Parts & People

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Returning to rotation, ASRW ’11 is deemed a success with increased attendance Continued from page 13 he said. Keep your e-mails short — 250 words or less — and about only one or two topics. Try to categorize your customer e- mail list in ways that let you send more relevant e-mails to different groups. • Solicit feedback, positive or negative. Ask customers to review you on Yelp or other sites, he said. If you get negative reviews, consider them an opportunity to publicly show how you address such customer concerns. Brogan said social media is not unlike the phone was 100 years ago — essentially a great new way to attract and retain customers if used effectively. “This social media stuff does take time, but prospecting for customers and seeking referrals always takes time,” he said. Panel discusses DRP agreements ASRW included two forums, one for collision and one for mechanical, the evening before the trade show opened. ASA Executive Director Ron Pyle says the growth in ASRW attendance shows that the decision to rotate the event to other locations, such as Orlando, was a good one. Each of the four representatives on a collision repair panel, for example, shared advice for shop owners considering whether to accept the terms of a direct repair program (DRP) agreement. Stacy Bartnik, director of field services for the Carstar franchise network, said she is concerned that many shop owners sign the agreements without fully reading them. “I think this is especially true as business is down and repairers are struggling to get more work to their door,” Bartnik said. “As we all know, there are different elements of different DRP contracts that appeal to some repairers and not to others. “So I think they get on these programs, and when business is good and they’re busy, they then start getting frustrated with any program that might not meet the format of how they run their business,” she said. “We tend to do things out of the need to get more work and not realize the consequences until we don’t need that one extra car each week from that insurer with whom we don’t agree on how they want us to do the work,” Bartnik said. George Avery, a claims consultant with State Farm, acknowledged that DRP agreements can be confusing. His company’s agreement, for example, gives the insurer the right to require use of salvage parts, just as the company’s contract with its Attorney Andrew Rodenhouse told the ASRW audience that shops should take their experience with an insurer into consideration before signing a direct repair agreement. insureds does — yet State Farm chooses, for example, not to use salvage airbag components. Similarly, State Farm’s agreement with its DRP shops states that they may be required to use a particular estimating system, yet State Farm continues to accept use of any of the Big Three estimating systems. “We put that in the agreement so it could perhaps carry us into the future, and if we ever needed it, it would be there,” Avery said. “But I understand that can be a little confusing.” That’s why Avery encouraged shops to discuss any questions they have about the agreement with local claims personnel. Bartnik pointed out to Avery, however, that sometimes local staff may not fully understand the agreements. Avery said that in such cases, he encourages shops to bring those questions to the regional level or higher in his company. “You’re not going over anyone’s head,” he said, pointing out that some such questions even reach his office at State Farm’s national headquarters. “Go up the ladder to get the answers. I really encourage that.” Bob Redding, ASA’s governmental affairs representative in Washington, D.C., said he encourages shops to have all DRP agreements reviewed by a local attorney. And one such attorney, Andrew Rodenhouse, whose family operates a collision repair business in Grand Rapids, Mich., agreed, pointing out that if anything an insurance company representative tells you contradicts something in the agreement, the written terms will be what get upheld in any disagreement. Rodenhouse said his other advice for shops considering a DRP agreement is to think about their experience working with that insurer. “If you’ve done some work for them in the past, and the adjuster comes out and fights you on everything, it’s not going to get better just because you sign a direct repair agreement,” he said. “Use your common sense and experience with what it’s like working with the local people for this insurance carrier.” ASA’s Pyle said housing reservations are already open online for the 2012 event, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in New Orleans. He said that unlike last year, several dozen exhibitors at this year’s event had already signed on for booth space next year. n It’s Coming – Don’t Miss Out!! February 24-26, 2012 * Seattle www.ATETRAININGEXPO.com * 253-473-6970 TM THE WEST COAST S LARGEST AUTOMOTIVE TRAINING & EXPO EVENT SPONSORED BY ASA-WA, NWTDA, & WAWA. PRODUCED BY ASA-WA. Page 14 November 2011 Parts & People www.partsandpeople.com
Collision Repair In-house mechanical shop reduces cycle times for Rainier Collision Dick and Eva Bennison, owners of Rainier Collision & Rainier Auto Repair in Gig Harbor and Port Orchard, say having two locations and an in-house mechanical department help keep cycle times low. by Michael Anderson Gig Harbor, Wash.—For Dick Bennison, cycle times are as important as quality repairs and high CSI. By means of an in-house mechanical shop and two locations, Bennison said he and his wife, Eva, are able to satisfy both his customers and his 10 insurance partners. Bennison said he owns two collision repair facilities, Rainier Collision & Rainier Auto Repair in Gig Harbor and Port Orchard, both I-CAR Gold shops. He said he sends heavy hits that usually need suspension work to the Gig Harbor shop and smaller jobs to Port Orchard shop, located inside of Grey Chevrolet, which adds up to greater efficiencies. The Gig Harbor location works on about 100 cars a month, while Port Orchard produces 75, he said. Instead of subletting collision-related mechanical work to another repair shop, Bennison said he does it in-house and also resets his own airbags, saving vehicles from having to be towed to dealerships for a reset. Owning a tow truck is also a bigtime saver, he added. “Through word of mouth, we went from one technician to four technicians,” he said, adding that he has four two-post Forward lifts, a Hunter alignment machine, and a Snap-on Modis scan tool. “It’s nice to set up the car and measure alignment damage so we can write as complete an estimate as possible,” “It’s nice to set up the car and measure alignment damage so that we can write as complete an estimate as possible.” General Manager Dave Watson said. After customers use Rainier for collision repair, Watson said, they discover the mechanical service and come back for oil changes and maintenance. With little competition in Gig Harbor, Bennison said, “If somebody finds us, they’re getting their car fixed here. We have friendly, good ‘people’ people.” That is proven by the shop’s 95-percent closing rate, he added. The couple employs 19 people in Gig Harbor and seven in Port Orchard, Bennison said. While Watson serves as general manager, overseeing the operations of both shops, Nate Diehl runs the mechanical division, he said. “Having the dealer there in Port Orchard is huge,” Watson said. “We get a ton of referral business.” “The biggest thing we stress is quality and customer service,” he said. “If you take care of those two things, everything will follow.” Bennison, who also owned Riverside Collision in Kent for 10 years, admitted Before you buy, give the SMART-Plus a try! • Many OEM aprovals • SMART-Plus mode requires no setup perameters • Plug & play capability eliminates learning curve Tecna 3664 SMART-Plus that his main motivation for seeking out a second location was because of the hourand-a-half commute from his home in Gig Harbor to the shop in Kent. In 2008, the Bennisons purchased Precision Collision in Gig Harbor, renaming it Rainier Collision Inc. & Rainier Auto Repair, Bennison said. Since opening, they’ve experienced two years of double-digit sales increases, something they anticipated because the Continued on page 16 Team Seattle Your Wholesale Parts Team 3 Deliveries a day from Alderwood to South Tacoma including the Eastside! We also service Alaska & Hawaii! Call today for your genuine Honda & Toyota mechanical and collision parts from the Pros at Team Seattle Downtown! Honda of Seattle DOWNTOWN (206) 382-8834 Toll Free: 1-800-735-7206 Fax: (206) 625-9744 Email: parts@hondaofseattle.com Toyota of Seattle DOWNTOWN (206) 382-8838 Toll Free: 1-800-359-5635 Fax: (206) 382-8823 Email: parts@toyotaofseattle.com Three deliveries a day dedicated to serving you. www.ldcequipment.com A must-have spot welder if you’re working on cars with high-strength steels A New Welder For New Steels QMT1000 Metal Analyzer www.qmt1000.com The most efficient method to assess and properly repair auto body damage on newer model cars. IN-SHOP TRAINING PROGRAMS 877-862-4442 Serving Washington, Oregon &Idaho Kansas Jack • Tecna • QMT1000 Parts & People November 2011 Page 15
Page 1 and 2: NORTHWEST EDITION Parts & People No
Page 3 and 4: Engines & Engine Rebuilding / Heavy
Page 5 and 6: Automotive Training Expo 2012 chang
Page 7 and 8: Latest training and equipment keeps
Page 9 and 10: Auto Notes compiled by Jerold B. Sm
Page 11 and 12: IT PAYS TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE OP
Page 13: Returning to rotation, ASRW ’11 i
Page 17 and 18: With Envirobase ® High Performance
Page 19 and 20: Parts & People November 2011 Page C
Page 21 and 22: Collision Repair Training Notes BAS
Page 23 and 24: Mechanical Repair Training Notes CA
Page 25 and 26: Longtime truck dealership adds serv
Page 27 and 28: ☛
Page 29 and 30: Run to the Sun event tests 25 sport
Page 31 and 32: Cooper’s Keys to Auto Repair Prof
Page 33 and 34: Continued from page 28 ACM. Events
Page 35 and 36: Potter Webster / McKay Truck and RV

LKQ of Washington invests $2.5 million in recycling ... - Parts & People

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?