Governor signs AB1200. Does it help the consumer?

On Sunday, October11th right before the deadline at midnight, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1200. This bill supersedes existing “steering” regulation and makes it easier for insurers to “steer” customers.

What is steering? Does it have anything to do with beef? No.According to Thesaurus it means guiding, maneuvering or pushing.In order cut costs Big Insurance companies have signed contracts with selected body shops to do work for reduced labor rates and to use aftermarket or inferior parts. Insurance companies then suggested to their insured’s using these body shops guaranteeing the repairs. Prior to this bill it was illegal to” recommend “or steer customers to certain shops. Consumer has a right to pick a repair facility of their choice. With this bill signed Insurance Companies have the freedom to steer.

“The California Auto body Association is very disappointed that AB 1200 was signed by the Governor,” said David McClune, CAA’s Executive Director: “I want to thank all of our members and other supporting industry groups that sent in hundreds of letters to the Governor asking him veto the bill.”

Doug Heller, Executive Director of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, California, has been leading the opposition to A.B. 1200. “The big lie (supporting the Hayashi legislation) is that insurance companies want to send people to their preferred shops to benefit the customer, when in fact they steer customers to insurance-controlled body shops as their way of controlling their loss payments. I don’t want a body shop cutting corners when they’re repairing a cracked axle on some family’s car,” said Heller.
“Isn’t it just plain wrong, “stated George Mondragon, Burbank Body Shop manager. Living in America we are accustomed to having freedom of choice. As is, Insurance companies have a lot of influence over their customers, who live in constant fear of their rates being raised for any infraction. We hear customers wanting to pay cash for their repair all the time, because they are afraid of their rates being raised. Many simply will do whatever their Insurance company will tell them to stay in their good grace.With this bill Big Insurance has more freedom to force their influence on consumers. And that is not good news for them.

But not all is lost. Remember, according to our constitution, citizens have a freedom of choice and in this case consumers have the right to choose a repair facility, no matter what anybody tells them. Stay tuned on updates on this controversial bill.

New technology for frame measuring

By definition an automobile or car is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor and transports passengers. The automobile as we know it was not invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects an evolution that took place worldwide. The modern automobile has gone through an incredible transformation since the early days of last century when model T Fords crawled on the unpaved roads of our country. From wire mesh bicycle like wheels and thin tires to ultra light alloyed ones and wide super performance tires, from a manual crank starter to an electronic transpondent, from open air ventilation to air conditioning, from a simple wish bone suspension to an electronically controlled all wheel drive, from a simple head lights to movement sensitive xenon headlamps etc., the modern automobile has evolved into a multifunctional vehicle roaming around busy highways. These days it is not uncommon to live 75 even 100 miles away from work, something unheard of even 5o years ago.

One of the major changes in a vehicle constructuction in recent years was replacement of conventional frame with unibody design. True to its name unibody combines frame and body into a single unit thus making a vehicle dynamic solid performer. However it made frame repairs more complicated. In the past with vehicle mounted on conventional frames most repairs were done in two dimensions. With the unibody construction measurement and straightening has to be done in three dimensions. Never an old adage “Measure twice cut once” rang more true than when it came to a modern frame repair.

Keeping up with the progress Burbank Body Shop has acquired a Car- O- Tronic Classic, a reliable and user friendly computerized measuring system supporting the entire repair process from initial damage analysis and assessment to final checks and documentation.
Due to a complexity of measurement it was a challenge to pick the right equipment.
“Our technicians are craftsmen, “said George Mondragon, a shop manager:” but they do not have a degree in software engineering. It has to be easy to use.”

The simplicity of the system makes measurement fast. An entire vehicle can be measured without entries from a keyboard. Backed by the world’s largest vehicle database and fully compatible with any alignment procedure, Car – O – Tronic is a photo based measuring system. Actual vehicle photos allow you to precisely and quickly target measuring points. Measuring and pulling can be done simultaneously thus allowing for efficient repairs. Finally, the computer printout is produced prior to the repair and in its conclusion to certify the accuracy.
Please stop by for a free demonstration or just a cup of coffee. We are always happy to see you.