Continental Advises Replacing Belts With All-Inclusive Kit ProductsContinental recommends that profes-sional automotive technicians replace underhood belts with all-inclusive kit

products rather than individual com-ponents, especially as fall and winter approach.

“Now is the perfect time of the year for drivers to prepare their vehicles for the additional miles and inclement weather the fall and winter months will bring,” said Tom Lee, Continental’s marketing manager for North Ameri-can automotive aftermarket products, alluding to the extra miles traditional-ly logged satisfying commitments re-lated to after-school activities. “That’s why we recommend to all professional repair technicians to replace all nec-essary drive components at the same time to prevent the serpentine belt from premature and uneven wear, reducing the chance for loss of tension or belt slippage on any of the system’s compo-nents.”

Continental’s Elite Poly-V kits fill the bill in that regard. As an incentive to professional technicians to promote and use the kits, the company has made them eligible for redemption in the Elite RPM Club, and they can earn double points through November. Lee said that not only will technicians do

right by their customers by using safer and more cost-effective all-component replacement kits, they’ll be rewarded for their efforts.

For additional information on Con-tinental’s Poly-V Tensioner kits, the kit promotion or the Elite RPM program, contact your local Continental sales rep-resentative.

NACE | CARS Continues To Be a Growing SuccessMore than 8000 industry professionals attended educational sessions and re-lated industry events at NACE | CARS 2016, which convened this year in Anaheim, CA, from Aug. 9 to 13. The strong turnout reflected the co-location and support of many industry groups and associations, including I-CAR, CAA, ASCCA, CIC, NABC, SCRS, CREF, 1Collision Network, Assured Performance Certified Network and others.

The growth over 2015 was notice-able. Attendance was up from 6500; exhibitors increased from 189 to 208 (an increase of more than 10%) and actual booth space rose from just under 100,000 to over 120,000 sq. ft.

“The ASA board and management were pleased to see the great turnout and positive response to NACE | CARS 2016,” noted ASA Chairman Donny Seyfer. “We are very pleased with the results and appreciate the support of everyone involved.

“Many exhibitors reported sales exceeding the previous year,” Seyfer added. “But the educational programs were once again the highlight of NACE | CARS.” Attendees were able to choose from a wide offering of AMi-approved shop management classes, brand-new series of heavy-duty repair seminars, as well as numerous tradeshow interactive demonstrations and panels hosted by I-CAR and automakers. In addition, several very well-attended special pro-grams were featured, including the half-day Multi-Shop Organizations (MSO)

Symposium, Service Repair Leadership Forum and Technology & Telematics Forum.

Motor noticed an interesting shift at the MSO Symposium this year. Tra-ditionally, this event has focused on and been attended almost exclusively by col-lision organizations with multiple shops. Of note this year was the presence of numerous mechanical businesses with either multiple outlets or intentions to move in that direction. Also present were several cross-industry shops that spanned both mechanical and collision operations. Is this the beginning of “full-service” shops being redefined?

The Service Repair Leadership Fo-rum focused on recruitment initiatives for new talent (not only technicians, by the way), improving service and re-pair information, and licensing, regis-tration and regulation. The Technology & Telematics Forum complemented this leadership discussion by focusing on the technological bricks, mortar and trends that modern shops will soon re-quire: telematics capability, best prac-tices for locking down shop network and electronic tool security, vehicle cybersecurity safeguards and dealing with connected and, eventually, auton-omous driving.

Look for expanded coverage of both the Service Repair Leadership and Technology & Telematics Forums in upcoming Motor electronic newslet-ters. To receive these free newsletters, simply copy and paste https://hearst.omeda.com/mtr/form.do into your Web browser.

“Our focus for NACE | CARS is to continue bringing together indus-try-leading collision and service repair professionals and deliver high-quality educational programs, collaboration and networking, for the benefit of the indus-try and consumers,” stated Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director. These are the decision-makers with the purchasing power who will shape the industry’s future. —Bob Chabot

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The ASA management training is geared toward automotive repair shop owners, managers and service advi-sors. Topics will include “Maintenance Profi t Master,” “Strategies for Effective Leadership,” “Targeted Marketing that Brings in Loyal, Profi table Customers” and “Preparing to Service Connected Cars—Today.”

All classes are approved by the Au-tomotive Management Institute (AMi) and will earn credit toward the Insti-tute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. The fee to attend is $150 for ASA members or $200 for nonmembers. The fees include AAPEX registration. More information will be available on the AAPEX website in the coming weeks.

Among the topics discussed in AVI’s program will be “Bosch: Advanced Di-agnostic Challenge,” “Rapid Fire Di-agnostics: Going Beyond the Code,” “TPMS: The System, the Myth, the Legend & Data Bussing the Brakes,” “Wide Band Air/Fuel Ratio Sensors” and “Advanced Technology Vehicles: Service and Maintenance.”

The AVI registration fee, which also includes AAPEX registration, is $400 for two days of training. To register, log on to https://aviondemand.com/avi-conference/.

Register Now for 2017 MACS Training Event & Trade ShowRegistration is now open for the Mo-bile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Worldwide 2017 Training Event and Trade Show, to be held Feb. 15-18 at the Anaheim Marriott in California. The event theme, Mobile A/C: Global Service Horizons, will explore the new technologies infl uencing the role of mo-bile a/c systems in current and future vehicles.

The lineup of mobile a/c technical training will cover automotive, light-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, off-road and recreational vehicles, with 31 classes presented by 36 industry experts. Mark Quarto of Future Tech Auto will present the keynote address; Ward Atkinson of Sun Test Engineering, Chenise Farqu-harson of the EPA and Tao Zhan of the California Air Resources Board will provide industry regulatory perspective.

AAPEXedu Announces 2016Service Professionals ProgramThis year’s AAPEXedu Service Pro-fessionals Program is designed to help automotive repair shops connect with today’s savvy customers and stay ahead of the curve on key issues affecting their businesses. Among the many topics cov-

ered will be “Shift…Selling to a New Generation of Tech Savvy Customers,” “Synthetic Oils: Rejuvenate Your Main-tenance Service Business,” “Achieving Service Excellence in Today’s TPMS Market” and “Induction Systems Diag-nosis and Repair.”

The Service Professionals Program is sponsored by MAHLE Aftermarket and will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. In addition, several sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday will benefi t service pro-fessionals. The AAPEXedu program in-cludes sessions on sales and purchasing, marketing, branding and customer rela-tionships, industry trends and connect-ed car opportunities.

All sessions in the AAPEXedu, in-cluding the Service Professionals Pro-gram, are offered at no cost to AAPEX attendees. Sessions are accredited by the University of the Aftermarket to-ward the Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) and Master Au-tomotive Aftermarket Profession-al (MAAP) designations. To register for these sessions (recommended, as there’s limited seating), visit www.aapexshow.com/newse. For more information on the Show, visit www.aapexshow.com.

ASA, AVI to Offer Training Alongside AAPEX 2016The Automotive Service Association (ASA) and AVI have teamed up to offer attendees two full days of management and technical training on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. The training will take place alongside AAPEX 2016, and is in addition to the more than 40 sessions offered in the 2016 AAPEXedu program.

26 October 2016

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er can create an account by entering his Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter ac-count information. Quotes are e-mailed to Web users and appear automatically to mobile app users.

Service providers can register with Blitzify free of charge. For more infor-mation, visit www.blitzify.com.

AMi Offers New Online Courses, Career Paths & MoreThe Automotive Management Insti-tute (AMi, www.amionline.org) has an-nounced the launch of the “next gener-ation of AMi,” which includes six new front office and management certifi-cates and professional designations, ac-cess to more than 100 relevant online courses, career paths, a new website and a new Learning Management Sys-tem (LMS).

The following are some of the new courses being offered:

Social Media Management – This course will take a look at how any au-tomotive repair center can use social media and video to promote and market its business.

Profi tability for Service Repair – This course will provide the skills and techniques needed to operate a repair shop profi tably. It will explain how to create a system to take action and follow through, generating immediate results and creating a lasting change in the ser-vice center.

Three Steps to Successful Mar-keting – This course discusses market-ing in a world where marketing tools and technologies seem to change week-ly. Every business needs a core system it can use to plug in the tools that best fi t its business and market.

Managing Workplace Safety & Health – This two-part course covers the supervisor’s responsibilities for safe-ty implementation, the use of job safety analysis for hazard assessments, how to conduct a safety inspection of work areas and observe employee behaviors and how to identify safety training needs for worker populations.

Understanding Financial State-ments – This eLearning module will cover key financial terms, balance sheets, profi t & loss statements and cash fl ow statements.

Among other specifi cs, Andy Fiffi ck of Rad Air Complete Car Care and Christian Klein of RPM Auto Market-ing will hold a panel discussion on ser-vice shop marketing, and Agnes Perez Morales of Auto Air of Puerto Rico and Leo Salinas of TVC One will provide a Spanish language training program.

Those wishing to attend can fi nd a complete list of classes and events and register for them on the MACS website at www.macsw.org. The Trade Show will take place on Feb. 17.

New App Seeks to Connect Repair Shops and CustomersA 2014 survey of 2400 car owners by AutoMD.com found that 83% of con-sumers feel overcharged in the auto re-pair process, yet many continue to seek such often costly repairs at the repair shop closest to their home or workplace. Blitzify, a new mobile app, can change that equation.

Blitzify, from an Easton, PA-based start-up company, connects custom-ers and automotive service providers through a comprehensive mobile plat-form. It merges data from local market

research, information from service pro-viders, special offers, testimonials and customer ratings and reviews to give the user exact quotes and real-time price comparisons.

To get a quote on the Blitzify mo-bile app or homepage, the user enters the vehicle information, then chooses the type of service needed and the city where the repair will take place. The us-

28 October 2016

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