The latest in a continuing series of research studies by the steel industry suggest that steel technology has now progressed to the point that auto body structures in the near future can be as lightweight as today's aluminum bodies, while meeting all crash performance standards and at comparable cost of current steel structures.
Tue, April 16th
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Charlie Gorman, current chair of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Board of Directors, contends that the best automotive telematics solutions in the future may come from open-market development. Gorman , also the Executive Director of the Equipment & Tool Institute (ETI), will argue his point in a presentation Friday, March 8, 2013 at the NASTF Spring General Meeting held in conjunction with VISION2013 at the Overland Park Convention Center near Kansas City.
Mon, January 28th
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Automobiles are no longer electro-mechanical devices. Modern vehicles are increasingly monitored and controlled by dozens of digital computers across internal and external communication networks. In addition, communications are not limited to just intra-vehicle purposes; vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communications are becoming pervasive. Vehicles commonly have hundreds of thousands of lines of software code (if not more) that enable this functionality. Here's the rub: While these transformations have driven major advancements — such as performance, safety and efficiency — they have also introduced a number of security-related risks.
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The independent automotive service aftermarket holds a commanding share—nearly 72%—of the market, most of which is won when the vehicle warranty has expired. However, the drop in the number of car dealers during the recession, which should have given the independent a new opportunity, has been countered by OE telematics installations that establish dealer shop-to-car communication. The connectivity can deliver road service requests, send vehicle health reports, receive remote diagnostic reports, and schedule service appointments.
Thu, December 13th
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You might want to think twice before whipping out your credit card. As of Sunday, stores in most states could start charging you a "checkout fee" when you pay for something with plastic.
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Driver Assist Technologies (DATs) represent a new and ever-growing class of automotive technologies that are becoming pervasive in emerging vehicles. "Automobiles are evolving to meet the changing nature of lifestyles and a range of environmental, societal and environmental challenges," said Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO of Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Auto Alliance). "This is the next generation of 'gotta have it' auto technology, and when people see the systems in action, they are amazed."
Wed, December 12th
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today proposed a new standard that would capture valuable safety-related data in the seconds before and during a motor vehicle crash. The proposed rule would require automakers to install event data recorders (EDRs)—devices that collect specific safety related data—in all light passenger vehicles beginning September 1, 2014.
Fri, December 7th
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today proposed a new standard that would capture valuable safety-related data in the seconds before and during a motor vehicle crash. The proposed rule would require automakers to install event data recorders (EDRs)—devices that collect specific safety related data—in all light passenger vehicles beginning September 1, 2014.
Fri, December 7th
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A recent AAA survey reveals a strong likelihood of consumer confusion and the potential for voided warranties and vehicle damage as a result of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent approval of E15 gasoline.
Sun, December 2nd
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Auto sales in November were helped by a rebound from storm-ravaged October and the need to replace aging vehicles which put the industry on pace for a near five-year high and left executives optimistic about 2013.
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ALLDATA LLC announced the release of upgrades to its ALLDATA Repair and ALLDATA Collision products in response to customer feedback.
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Global pressure on automakers to improve fuel economy and meet more stringent CO2 emision thresholsds in Europe and the United States is driving radical innovation in engine and powertrain technology. Two technology paths have spurred progress: Downsizing and turbocharging for direct injection engines is one pathway. Hybridization and increasing electrification (to the point of all-electric powertrains) is the other. Yet both technological pathways face cost and weight challenges that are slowing down their adoption across global markets. What if the best of both were combined?
Tue, November 13th
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A new frontier in vehicle development is at hand. Driven by increasing fuel efficiency, decreasing emissions, ever-improving electronic functionality, high-performance computing and other influences, engine and other systems are advancing in complexity. Vehicle system interconnectivity requires unprecedented communication networks. For the service/repair industry, vehicle communication interfaces (VCIs) are critical for the diagnosis, remedy and reprogramming of customers’ automobiles. Hand-in-hand with the hardware, software and firmware involved — much like scan tools — the selection of and ability to properly use a VCI can determine whether repairs are completely successful.
Sat, December 1st
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A recent J.D. Power Associates report, "Drive Green 2020: More Hope than Reality," considers various factors affecting the future potential for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV) vehicles in the world's largest automotive markets. These factors include market trends, the regulatory environment, consumer sentiment and technology development.
Sat, December 1st
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A new Congressional Budget Office report outlines debt-reduction options and suggests that another recession is looming.
Mon, November 12th
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For all of Suzuki’s tough talk about its “brush-busting” Samurai off-roader, the Japanese automaker never made it big in the United States. Its cars were too small, its safety record iffy and its branding a bit too comical (Suzuki Sidekick, anyone?).
Tue, November 6th
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Ford Motor Co. and General Motors have approved gasoline blends with up to 15% ethanol for use in later model cars and light trucks, Oil Express has learned.
Tue, October 2nd
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Mitchell 1 has embedded an Estimator feature into its ProDemand repair, diagnostic and maintenance information program to help professional technicians streamline their workflow, making it even easier and quicker for them to create estimates.
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Hybrids and electric vehicles get media attention, but boring factors such as lighter materials will play a bigger role in helping automakers achieve new federal fuel economy standards, industry leaders said Tuesday at a conference in Dearborn.
Fri, September 21st
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With both nations facing possible leadership changes, the U.S. and China appear heading for a serious battle over trade – and the auto industry is caught in the middle.
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Technicians today must retain the useful skills they have developed in the past while demonstrating the willingness to acquire those that will be needed to service the increasingly complex vehicles of the future.
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ALLDATA has developed a new online resource that allows customers to use "self-help" when utilizing ALLDATA products.
Wed, August 22nd
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Autonomous cars may dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, human interaction with vehicles, and the future design of roads and cities – and they may be sooner than you think
Tue, August 21st
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Autonomous cars may dramatically reshape the competitive landscape, human interaction with vehicles, and the future design of roads and cities – and they may be sooner than you think
Tue, August 21st
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On August 15, the feature article, Independent Repair Facility Population Decline Slowed in 2010, provided an analysis of the latest available data released in June from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) covering 2010 for the U.S. as a whole. In this report we will provide additional analysis on a state-by-state basis.
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The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet recently held a hearing on the Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade and Sales (PARTS) Act, H.R. 3889.
Fri, August 10th
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New passenger vehicles entering the U.S. market set a record in the first half of this year for high fuel efficiency, according to industry analysts Baum and Associates.
From January to June this year, the average fuel efficiency of new passenger vehicles was 23.8 miles per gallon. The record before this had been set at 22.7 miles per gallon over the same period last year.
Wed, August 1st
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BOSTON ďż˝ Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed into law a bill aimed at settling a dispute over whether automakers should be required to provide independent repair shops and vehicles owners with software needed to diagnose car trouble.
The Democratic governor gave final approval in a private bill signing Tuesday at the Statehouse.
Link To Legislation
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The fact that people are not changing vehicles as often due to the economic climate is not a surprise to anyone. But, a recent study shows that many vehicle owners are holding on to their cars until they die.
According to a survey conducted by AutoMD.com, the trend of changing or upgrading a vehicle every two or three years is a thing of the past. The online automotive repair source recently published results of a poll of nearly 4,000 respondents and a large percentage said they are keeping their cars 10 years or longer and that will likely be the case when or if the economy recovers fully.
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Aug. 1st, 2012— The New England Service Station and Automotive Repair Association (NESSARA), the leading organization representing independent automotive repairers in Massachusetts, announces the Massachusetts Legislature's passage of Right to Repair legislation. Gov. Patrick is expected to sign the bill into law within the next 10 days.
Link To Legislation
More information to follow...
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The number of cars, trucks and crossovers sold with in-vehicles navigation systems will quadruple in North America by 2019, according to a new study, growing to nearly 13 million new systems annually.
But that may not be as good news as it might seem for traditional navi system suppliers, such as Denso, Harman or TomTom, cautions Boston-based Strategy Analytics, Inc. It warns that high-tech firms, such as Apple, Google and Microsoft, are “beginning to battle for share” as they grow their own automotive business.
Thu, July 19th
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There may be plenty of reasons to worry about the U.S. economy: Weak jobs numbers, poor housing starts and a European economic crisis that threatens to spill across the Atlantic. But based on June sales numbers, the American auto industry is not one of them.
Car sales outpaced even the more optimistic forecasts, with several manufacturers setting all-time records. A number of others, notably General Motors, saw demand surge to levels not seen since before the start of the lingering U.S. recession.
Thu, July 12th
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More than 60 percent of the world's cars will feature built-in Internet and smartphone connectivity in about five years, according to a new research study by ABI Research.
By 2017, ABI predicts that figures could reach as high as 80 percent in the U.S. and Western Europe.
ABI reports that at present, only 11.4 percent of the world's cars are connected. Developing regions such as Latin America and Eastern Europe, where auto production is thriving, will also see a huge jump in the number of vehicles with telematics. Russia and Brazil are not to far behind the trend.
Thu, July 12th
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As the median age of a car on the road nears 11 years, drivers can breathe a (slight) sigh of relief: Fixing their cars is getting cheaper.
The average cost for car repairs stemming from a check-engine light fell 6% in 2011, California-based CarMD.com says, with drivers averaging $333.93 per repair. About two-thirds of that went to parts, with labor making up the remaining third. CarMD says lower labor rates, driven by the recession, are responsible for the overall decline in such repair costs, but the cost of parts has gone up, and severe repairs are becoming more common.
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Nothing is worse than a customer returning to your shop after a brake job complaining of a noise or performance issue. These comebacks can be frustrating because they cost your shop’s productivity and reputation.
Below are 10 tips that can help you solve a brake comeback due to noise in less time.
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No. 1: Don’t neglect the importance of the pre-alignment inspection.
The more thorough the pre-alignment inspection, the better your chances are of not overlooking something that might cause a comeback after the wheels have been aligned. The most neglected inspection item is tire inflation. Even the most precisely aligned toe angle will still pull if the pressures are not even.
Some drive-on lifts include an inflation station at each wheel so the pressures can be adjusted automatically.
Sun, July 1st
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View PDF
Manufacturers' newly introduced tools, equipment, parts and services that help shop owners run their business more profitably and allow technicians to diagnose and fix vehicles quicker and more accurately.
Thu, June 28th
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The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) has announced the appointment of William "Skip" Potter as the organization's executive director. Potter will assume the day-to-day management of NASTF as of July 1.
“After an extensive search process, the NASTF board selected Skip from an impressive list of candidates,” said Ron Pyle, NASTF chairman. “His background, knowledge and experience make him the ideal choice to take NASTF to the next level.”
Wed, June 27th
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It looks like repairers in Rhode Island won’t be able to sue insurance carriers for reasonable reimbursement after all. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee has vetoed the bill, saying it would negatively impact auto insurance rates. The bill would have allowed repairers to pursue legal action if they could determine an agreed upon price with the insurer. The bill would have also required auto industry guidebook valuations to be used for calculating total loss values, rather than guides developed for the insurance industry.
Wed, June 27th
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The older a car gets, the less likely it will be repaired following a collision, so an aging car fleet is not good news for collision repairers that rely on a steady influx of new, repairable cars.
Wed, June 27th
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We know our model is broken, but the fix is within reach
There are moments that each of us hears, sees or realizes things that just make us go, "Hmmmm ..."
Take education and training for example. Almost everyone recognizes we have a problem, yet we face a puzzling conundrum: Too few see it as an investment in the future, while too many view it as a cost to bear, if not avoid or defer. Certainly our model warrants repair and innovation to reflect current and emerging technology, materials and other needs. Fresh thinking is one resource we can employ; another is realizing and leveraging what is working now.
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The global push to improve fuel efficiency in vehicle fleets will more than double the demand for aluminum in the auto market by 2025, Alcoa's (AA.N) director of automotive marketing said Wednesday.
Car makers from BMW to Audi have already started to react to the so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and are beginning to move away from heavier steel body frames to lighter-weight material in what should be the "next frontier" for the aluminum industry, Randall Scheps told delegates at the American Metal Market's Aluminum Summit in New York.
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Your choice of tools and equipment, as well as the ability to use other resources, will affect your shop's level of competency and determine its ability to successfully compete in the years to come.
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Senate, Thurs, May 17th, 2012 - The MA Senate passed a piece of Right to Repair legislation today.
NESSARA is evaluating this new bill, and will continue to work to ensure that any action taken on the Right to Repair issue it will truly benefit the automotive repair industry.
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Senate, Tuesday, April 03, 2012 - Pursuant to the provisions of Senate Rule 19, the committee on Ways and Means (Brewer) reports the following committee bill relative to the right to repair (Senate, No. 2204).
NESSARA is evaluating this new legislative effort, and will continue to work to ensure that if any action is taken on the Right to Repair issue it will truly benefit the automotive repair industry.