Straight Edge Collision

🎉 Wishing you all the best as we step into 2025! May this new year bring joy, prosperity, and endless possibilities. Let’s make this year the best one yet!

SCRS Quick Tip video leads to updated refinish position statements

A recent Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Quick Tip video about tinting to a blendable match led to an industry-wide conversation that resulted in updated positions from AkzoNobel and BASF and updated I-CAR curriculum.

The video starts with Mike Anderson, owner of Collision Advice, stating a recent question he received from a repair planner. “They said that they actually had a tint labor operation on their repair plan and then also a line for blending and they said that the third-party payer kicked their estimate back and said, ‘You can’t have both tint and blend on an estimate or repair plan.’” Anderson goes on to say in the video that every paint manufacturer states that when tinting, you are tinting to achieve a blendable match

Read more: https://rpb.li/Udy7

Updated: GEICO updates asTech pricing agreement; industry and competition react

GEICO released an updated standardized pricing sheet Monday for asTech scans and collaborations following “discussion and feedback,” according to an email to Auto Repair Xpress (ARX) Network shops, provided to Repairer Driven News (RDN). The insurance company announced an agreement for standardized pricing with asTech earlier this month. The announcement was instantly met with criticism from independent collision repair shops on social media and during a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting held in Denver.

Concerns about the agreement attempting to establish “standardized” or prevailing market prices for scanning and calibration operations have been raised. Another criticism is that it appears GEICO will prioritize the recommendation of asTech’s Rules Engine on whether an aftermarket scan is a sufficient replacement for an OEM scan; which was not amended in the updated Monday email communication. Per GEICO’s price sheet, it appears it has increased the price it established with asTech for OEM pre-scans with remote support and OEM post-scans with remote support including DTC clear, steering angle sensor, and seat weight sensor.

Read more: https://rpb.li/LsGD8

Warm wishes for a Christmas filled with love, peace, and joy. May the spirit of the season bring you closer to family and friends, and may your heart be filled with gratitude and happiness. Merry Christmas from all of us!

Government Recalls Car Phone Holders Because They Can Hit Drivers in the Face

You'd think that not installing anything on your steering wheel that could be thrown directly at your face during an accident is more of a no-brainer, but thousands of people in Saudia Arabia rushed to buy a phone holder whose recommended installation place is the steering wheel.

I've seen countless car phone chargers, and yes, I've seen these models, too, but I never thought that people whose cars come with airbags integrated into the steering wheel would buy these things. The only reason I can think of for buying a phone holder that must be installed on the steering wheel is the extra convenience when using applications like Google Maps and Waze. If you don't want to install the phone on the center console, or maybe your car comes with an oddly shaped interior design and something else obstructs your mobile device, these phone holders might come in handy.

Read more: https://rpb.li/kCr