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Letter to the Editor

Talking the Talk

Our feature this month, “Recyclers Take Aim,” once again shows the importance of good, accurate communication. If shops and recycled parts providers are going to do more business together, lines of communication between them will have to become increasingly clearer and more accurate. They will have to speak the same language when describing parts.

Four standards, available to us at the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) website, provide a great basic vocabulary lesson for the language of parts that recyclers, collision repair facility personnel, and insurers definitely need to understand.

The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) has taken some big steps this month. (See page 8.) The task force, established in 2000, has established a Board of Directors and has selected the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) to provide day-to-day management. These organizational additions should make communication smoother for the NASTF task at hand - the sharing of current service information, tools, and training between automobile manufacturers and independent servicers.

The CIC Estimating Committee, after much debate, hammered out some hopefully clearer language for defining the line between body work and paint work. The committee’s hard work over the past year resulted in a draft statement clarifying the “feather, prime, and block” transition steps in the collision repair process. (See page 13.) The statement was approved by a majority of attendees at the Portland CIC meeting.

Speaking of talk, it is still the time to put your money where your mouth is, and the Collision Repair Industry continues to respond generously to our people who are working to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) has reported that CCC Information Services and Mitchell International are donating laptop computers to the cause. (See page 17.)

Finally, now is the time to talk about members of our industry who give generously of themselves. (See page 19.) Contact the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and nominate deserving individuals for the PRIDE award.

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