An Interview with Professor of Automotive Technology, Brian Noel

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that about 76,000 new automotive, diesel and collision repair technicians will be required each year for the next ten years just to fill the void as the generation of baby boomer technicians leave the industry. Who will take their place? A new breed of technician whose skill set is focused more on computer-based systems and electrical diagnostics and less on mechanical repairs and adjustments.

The importance of winterizing brake systems

Any time of year is right for brake system maintenance, but colder weather poses some special challenges for technicians. Key brake components are stressed by cold, moisture, and the salt that some locales use to deal with snow and ice. Added issues come from reduced driving during severe weather, resulting in cars sitting days without driving. Rust never sleeps even when the car is napping.

The holiday season brings lots of travel. Don’t forget to capitalize on this opportunity. To prepare for holiday season automotive repair promotions, it’s essential to develop a well-rounded strategy that combines marketing, customer engagement, service offerings, and operational efficiency. Here’s a guide to help you get ready:

The recent hurricanes have taken a terrible toll on our East Coast, and our deepest concern and sympathy is rightly focused on the survivors and victims of these affected regions. The condition of the affected cars from these storms is indeed trivial, compared to the loss of human life and the damage to whole communities. However, an unfortunate aftermath of these storms could be coming your way. 

According to CARFAX, there were about a half-million water-damaged cars returned to the roadways in 2023. An estimated 100,000 waterlogged vehicles were damaged in the most recent four months of 2024; those numbers do not include the still-climbing damage tally from Helene and Milton.

ALLDATA Repair Planner, the latest addition to ALLDATA’s integrated collision repair platform, is now available on the CCC Secure Share™ network. This means that ALLDATA Repair Planner customers can have their estimates imported automatically and securely from CCC Secure Share to ALLDATA Repair Planner.

The countdown is on for the 2024 SEMA Show and there’s plenty to be excited about! Whether you’re a loyal customer or just kicking the tires, make sure to stop by our ALLDATA booth (#31065 – located in the Upper South Hall). We have lots to show you, including product enhancements and our NEW ALLDATA Repair Planner. Plus, keep an eye out for our best deals of the year!

The Car Care Council encourages the automotive repair industry to support National Car Care Month this April. Here’s how to get involved.

Three new laws went into effect Jan. 1 to address the theft of catalytic converters in California. One makes it illegal to remove a VIN from a catalytic converter, among other provisions. Another requires dealerships to have the catalytic converter engraved with the VIN before a new or used vehicle is sold. The third redefines what constitutes an automobile dismantler and creates criminal penalties for anyone acting illegally as an automobile dismantler.

How many of your customers declined service on their brakes, tires, fluid exchange, or other recommended repairs/maintenance in the past couple of months? And how many said, “I can’t afford that right now, I will save and come back.”?

June is ASE Automotive Service Professionals Month

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June 2023 as Automotive Service Professionals Month.

ASE encourages industry members to use Automotive Service Professionals Month as a way to thank service professionals and conduct recognition events, special programs, and other celebrations.

In March, Hyundai released collision repair information for 20 Hyundai and Genesis models, including 2019-2023 models. ALLDATA Collision now includes these new structural repair procedures, material guidelines, and more for all 20 vehicles to enable shops to repair them safely and accurately.

How ALLDATA Inspections streamlines your workflow

When your customers come in for repairs, is your shop still handwriting vehicle check-ins and inspections? If so, you’re not alone. It is estimated that about 25% of shops or more still do. But that’s changing!

The new year is here, and the opportunities are plentiful. All of us have the desire to improve on the things we did right in 2022. If you are a shop owner or manager, there are some ways you can make tangible improvements that will improve your financials and make coming to work a bit more enjoyable for your team and your customers.

PTEN magazine has announced the results of its 2022 People’s Choice Award program, which calls on its readers to vote for the tools and equipment they prefer from the Innovation Awards program.

The countdown is on to the 2022 SEMA Show and there’s plenty to be excited about! Whether you’re a loyal customer or just kicking the tires, stop by ALLDATA Booth #31067 to say hello! Catch up on our latest enhancements and get a hands-on look at our industry-leading OEM repair information products, diagnostic tools, and shop management software. And of course, score the best deals of the year!  

We’ve just launched ALLDATA Inspections, an exciting new addition to our suite of shop management solutions. Inspections makes it easy for shops to jumpstart the customer check-in process curbside and perform digital vehicle inspections (DVIs).

The latest update to ALLDATA Shop Manager now includes Nexpart Multi-Seller parts ordering, giving customers 24/7 access to leading parts suppliers, in addition to the AutoZone parts catalog currently available.

May 18, 2022—The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has announced the introduction of a new Advanced Driver Assistant Systems Specialist Certification test.

According to a press release, this test is specifically designed to help identify that technicians have knowledge of the skill sets required to service, calibrate, and diagnose ADAS on vehicles.

Starting a new shop from the ground up is no easy endeavor. Finding a location, purchasing equipment, and hiring the right people can be a long and tedious process. But before you open your doors for business, it’s important to have all your ducks in a row. You have to confirm you’re compliant to your local and state laws, and also make sure you have the right tools in place for your shop to succeed ...

We all know that the #1 most common New Year’s resolution is to get fit/lose weight? But while everyone is busy signing up for gym memberships and purchasing treadmills, you should be looking at your business and creating your own New Year’s resolution. Chances are you might also want to whip your shop into shape.

5 Tips for Communicating with Customers

With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving coming up fast, it got the staff at ALLDATA News wondering … does your shop shut down during the holidays?

2021 is coming to an end and while you may be getting ready for the holiday season, you should also be reviewing your business to prepare for the new year. Taking a closer look at your shop now can let you make the most out of your new year’s resolutions. Here are three items you should review before the end of the year.

An interview with ASE Education Foundation Leaders

ALLDATA’s exclusive interview with ASE Education Foundation President Mike Coley and Vice President George Arrants covers this year’s ASE Instructor Training Conference, the new ASE Adopt-a-School Toolkit program, the revision of ASE’s school accreditation process, and the expansion of school-to-work activities that include a formal apprenticeship program.

An interview with ASE Education Foundation Leaders

In this exclusive interview, ALLDATA’s Rich Diegle talks with ASE Education Foundation President Mike Coley and Vice President George Arrants about the launch of ALLDATA’s Instructor Toolkit, a first-of-its kind training resource for auto repair educational institutions.

Getting the best bang for your buck

If you’ve tried buying a car recently, you’ve noticed that new car dealers’ sales lots are empty and car prices have soared. Why? Three words: computer chip shortage. It’s become an issue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and at this point there is not a single automaker that hasn’t been affected.  

When you are at the receiving end of poor customer service, you can either suffer through it or use it as a “teachable moment” that will help your business grow.  I recently had the pleasure of interacting via telephone and in person with both my cell phone service provider and my cable company. These contacts were the result of a perfect storm of investigating a switch in cell phone providers and concurrently having my cable box stop working.

Ron Ananian is the owner of R\A Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey. Since 1991, he has also educated and entertained millions of listeners through his nationally syndicated radio program, The Car Doctor.  We sat down with Ron recently to talk about what he does in his downtime. Turns out that besides his CrossFit regime, he’s passionate about learning.

In June, ALLDATA recognized outstanding auto repairers who were submitted by shops across the country for ASE Automotive Service Professionals Month.

Now we’re pleased to share photos of the honorees from Firestone Complete Auto Care in Lawrence, Kansas. They received certificates, AutoZone gift cards, ALLDATA shop stools, and other swag.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June as Automotive Services Professionals Month. To celebrate, we’re featuring some of the outstanding auto repairers as submitted by shops across the country.

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 2

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 3

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has designated June as Automotive Services Professionals Month.

“Automotive service professionals go above and beyond, providing essential services to ensure that vital vehicles stay in service to perform their important roles and keeping the motoring public on the road,” said Tim Zilke, ASE president and CEO. “Because these skilled professionals deserve our thanks, ASE has designated June as Automotive Service Professionals Month to recognize the valuable work they perform each and every day.”

With COVID19 vaccines becoming readily available for all age groups, it won’t be long before the travel and vacation industry returns to normal. Most travel destinations have already begun to reopen so it’s a great time for shop owners to start planning for a vacation. But how do you trust the running of your business to someone else?

Interview with Aaron Stokes, Part 1

ALLDATA recently interviewed Aaron Stokes, the founder of Shop Fix Academy, owner and operator of five auto repair shops, and the radio show host of “Fixin’ Cars with Aaron Stokes” on Nashville’s 99.7.

In the year 1918, many events took place: World War I was well underway, Woodrow Wilson was president at the time, time zones and daylight savings were officially established, the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series, and the Spanish flu ravaged the globe, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. 

In 2020, as a result of the pandemic, we saw a dramatic shift in automotive repair trade shows. With safety concerns about in-person events, the industry transitioned to online forums, creating opportunities whereby automotive service professionals could still have access to speakers, interactive training, content, networking, exhibitors – and deals.

We’re all doing things differently this year. And SEMA is no exception. ALLDATA is pleased to support this year’s SEMA360 by offering attendees a number of ways to engage with us during the virtual event, Nov. 2-6, 2020

In a lot of ways, your business is like the cars we work on. There are many complex systems that work together in concert, but if the intake system isn’t operating correctly it causes numerous difficulties. Without proper procedures, you shouldn’t guess at diagnosis or adjustments.

Today’s independent automotive repair shops range in size from a single location to multi-shop organizations, each with its own unique business needs. So when it comes to running your business efficiently, a one-size-fits-all shop management system isn’t necessarily the best solution. 

When it was announced that the collision industry’s foremost trade show was going virtual for 2020, ALLDATA embraced the opportunity to offer attendees an online experience unique to these challenging times.