So-Called 'Right to Repair' Legislation Moves to New Jersey Senate for Debate
from the Automotive Service Association
The New Jersey Senate will now consider the so-called Right to Repair Act after recent action by the New Jersey Assembly on Assembly Bill 803. This is just one of many steps in the legislative process. The New Jersey legislature has rejected Right to Repair legislation in the past along with other states and the U.S. Congress. More

Questions Surround Auto Industry Aid

It's official: Automakers and the government are talking about measures to aid the ailing U.S. auto industry – but exactly what shape that aid will take seems to be anyone's guess. Slumping auto sales and the tight credit market have led many to question whether the country's top automakers – General Motors, Ford and Chrysler – are headed toward bankruptcy. More

Sears Pays $600,000 for Air Quality Violations

The Air Resources Board last month fined Sears Holdings Corporation $600,000 for selling portable fuel containers and windshield washer fluid throughout the state that failed to meet California air emissions requirements. In October 2007, ARB found that Sears sold more than 650 proscribed Blitz and Midwest brand portable fuel containers at Kmart and Sears stores across the state and to California customers directly via its Web site. More

Ford Hybrids' Gauges Sprout Leaves, Highlight Fuel-efficient Driving

At a time leaves are falling, a few will wind up in fuel-efficient Ford Motor vehicles. They aren't the kind of leaves you have to rake, though. Ford plans to announce next week that the Zen-like instrument panels in its 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan gasoline-electric hybrid-power midsize sedans will include electronic display screens on which images of green leaves multiply when drivers are motoring in fuel-efficient fashion. More

GM Delays Development Spending

Cash-poor General Motors Corp. is postponing nearly all spending on product development in 2009 and 2010, Automotive News reports. The automaker also is cutting spending on engineering, design, and research and development. More

WABCO Embarks on Disc Brake Joint Venture in China

WABCO Holdings Inc. has signed a letter of intent with GuangDong Fuwa Engineering Manufacturing Co., Ltd., to form a joint venture for production of air disc brakes in China. Fuwa is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial trailer axles. It is expected that the joint venture agreement will be finalized by year-end. More

Ohio City Auto Repair Shop Giving Away 'Recycled Ride'

A Mansfield, Ohio, body shop has joined with community organizations as part of a national program that connects families in need with vehicles. Baker's Collision Repair Specialists Inc., an ASA member shop, is restoring a van as part of its commitment to Recycled Rides. The business is a member of the National Auto Body Council. Recycled Rides is a community awareness project in which members of NABC repair and donate recycled vehicles to families in need. More

Attending NACE or CARS?

Look to the ASRW Now Online Daily to keep you on top of all of the events taking place during Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) Nov. 5-8 in Las Vegas. Brought to you by AutoInc., the ASRW Online Daily is the official online publication of NACE and CARS 2008. ASRW Now boasts new and totally revamped content and features designed to keep attendees informed and engaged with all that's going on during NACE and CARS. Visitors to the Web site can access daily photos from the events, an online photo album of hands-on demonstrations, summary of key events including press conferences and special announcements, and much more. More

Upping the Aluminum Ante

If you haven't already seen more aluminum rolling into your bays, you can certainly expect additional amounts of this material going forward. "The average vehicle now has 310 pounds of aluminum versus five years ago when it was probably less than 100 pounds," notes Mike Anderson, president of Wagonwork Collision Centers, an ASA member shop in Alexandria, Va. "Aluminum has replaced plastic as the No. 2 material used in car manufacturing." More

Family Auto Shop Revs Up During Economic Slowdown

During these tough economic times, many vehicle owners are thinking about repairing what they have rather than buying another car, van or truck. Shannan Titcomb said that is good news for their family-owned Pinellas Auto Radiator and Air Conditioning in Tarpon Springs, Fla. This year has been surprisingly good, business wise, as more people seek to extend their vehicle's life and keep it on the road as long as they can, she said. More