Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:05]:
All right, welcome in. This is Automotive Repair News Today, a podcast covering all things in the automotive slash automotive repair industry to help you stay informed and to start a community together and just grow together, improve the industry, all the things. My name is Braxton Krish here. I'm your host and excited to have you here today because I'm trying something new. So if you have been following along this podcast for any amount of time, you know that I am within the automotive industry because I produced a produce a bunch of industry podcasts along with this one, of course. But I'm from outside the industry, been here for just over a year doing my thing, but so my knowledge is somewhat limited. But the good thing that goes with me hosting this show is that I went to college at Appalachian State studying broadcast journalism. And so I know how to cover.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:02]:
I went in for sports, but you know, I know how to cover stories, find details that many don't. I feel like I don't like patting myself on the back too much, but I feel like I know how to interview well and learn things. And I generally am a curious person and so I'm curious about this industry. Can't change oil or tires, but I'm curious about the automotive industry and so I genuinely want to learn and I also genuinely want this podcast to improve, get better, so on, so forth. You've heard me talk about that before and so I invite comments, I invite suggestions, concerns, ridicule about me. I invite that. And so over the past couple of weeks I have been hearing just some ideas about how to grow the show, how to, you know, try and engage more people conversationally on the podcasts. And so I'm trying something new today.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:59]:
So I'm going to cover the top stories that you need to know about based on research that I've done this past week about what's going on in the industry. But I'm going to try to do it in a conversational setting, like what I'm doing right now. I'm just going to talk you through what's going on and I want to hear from you if you like it or not. What do you think? Is it better than me reading the news? Would you like doing it that way or do you want me to to talk to you in this setting? So I'm going to try it, see how it works. And I genuinely do want to hear from you. So after you listen to the episode, go back and refresh your memory about how I previously have done these podcasts, kind of like NPR style, reading the news and Then let me know. Email me braxtontomotiverepairnews.com braxtontomotiverepairnews dot com I'll also put my email in the show notes so that you can quickly copy paste to your email on your phone. Alright, so time for today's headlines.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:04]:
Got a lot coming up. Want to talk about so Tariffs, Repair act, the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable foundation. That and so much more, including some training coming up. But speaking of training, so I was at Fueling Connections in Mooresville over the weekend and I was there helping Mike Allen produce his podcast, Confessions of a Shop Owner. If you haven't listened to it, definitely give that show a listen. By the way, went viral. Had a video go viral last week. Pretty cool.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:36]:
1.4 million views is where we're at. Where we're at, last I checked. But I also had the chance to sit in on Josh Parnell and Laura Lee Schmidt, or Lola. Lola Schmidt. And they did a fantastic job as they always do. I was not able to be in as much of Laura Lee's time as I was for Josh. Josh did. I leaned over to Mike and Lucas Underwood, who was also there changing the industry podcast.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:07]:
Give that show a listen for sure. Hear David go on a rant. But I leaned over to both of them. I was like, hey, every other sentence this Josh guy. And I've known, I've got to know Josh a little bit over the last year, but I was like, every other sentence this guy says is quotable and you should write down just, I mean, I'm not a shop owner. He's mainly talking to shop owners or shop owners and managers, but so knowledgeable about the industry, mainly leadership and how to lead a team. It was fantastic. The weather was good.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:41]:
We also were able to have dinner at the Nash at the the North Carolina NASCAR Museum. I think that's the name of the museum. Really cool. I'm not a NASCAR guy. Of course, I did grow up, if you don't know this about me. In Wilkesboro, North Carolina, about 10 miles from the old Wilkesboro Speedway. So it was cool to look around, see some of the old cars and then just some of the memorabilia that was there. Just really sweet place, Good food too.

Braxton Critcher [00:05:12]:
So got to hang out, meet some folks and just get to know this industry. And I love this industry, by the way, if you have not heard me talk about that. This industry is awesome and I'm making connections with each of you and I cherish those relationships. Okay, so that was fun. Fueling Connections. If you have not Been to that. Next year, make sure you go. It's in Morrisville, North Carolina, two days and it was a blast.

Braxton Critcher [00:05:34]:
So, okay. Tire scam. Have you heard about this tire scam in New Hampshire auto shops? Pretty crazy. So basically the things you need to know. First of all, scammers are everywhere. With the Internet today, you got to be careful about, well, basically everything. If it's not face to face online stuff, there's just scammers out there. And there are two, there are several shops, but one in particular, Sanborn Auto in I'm trying to pronounce this the name of the town, right? Laconia, I believe is how you say it.

Braxton Critcher [00:06:10]:
L A C O N I A. Laconia was hit for $6,400 after they sold tires online with a credit card purchase. Someone purchased with a credit card. They were never reimbursed for the tires that were never picked up. They are one of at least 12 shops in the Lakes region, they are in New Hampshire that are affected by a similar scheme. So basically, scammers are using stolen credit cards to place large orders on tires and then never pick them up, never go to the shop to get the tires. And then the shop tries to get reimbursed, refunded, and you know, they dispute the charges. But so far nothing has has worked for those repair shops, notably Sanborn Auto, who was hit with a $6,400 charge.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:06]:
So scammers are out there and it affects everybody, including repair shops. So if you own a shop, if you know someone who owns a shop or you work at one, you know, be on the lookout for that. Don't accept iffy payments of large amounts like that without verifying first. And then of course, if something suspicious happens, make sure to alert authorities, maybe even contact your credit card processor about some extra protections at your repair shop. And hopefully I'll try to update you if I hear more on this. But hopefully those shops like Sanborn Auto get their dispute and reimbursement for that fraud. All right, next up, tariffs. We've talked about this.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:56]:
Tariffs as of April 3rd on auto imports are being enforced. Again, just to refresh your memory, 25% on goods from China, 10% on Mexico, 5% on Canada. Trump administration trying to bring things back to the States manufacturing, including automotive parts and cars. But this is going to affect stuff, right? I mean, people aren't prepared yet. So auto parts are also going to see tariffs beginning May 3rd unless something changes. President Trump actually gave a quote on this a week ago, and there's a possible pause Coming for the auto industry. He cited automakers need for more time to shift their supply chains. So the Auto Care association, love those guys.

Braxton Critcher [00:08:54]:
They, they say there are a lot of things that need to be clarified, cleaned up hopefully here soon before the tariffs take effect on Auto Parts May 3rd. But they're working with the government, they're working with the Trump administration, and hopefully there is an exemption for auto parts for a while. Push that can down the road a little bit till, till we're able to get some of those distributed distress distributions, hard word distributions stateside. Keep you posted on tariffs. The Repair Act. I have followed the Repair act super closely, maybe closer than any other story in the last year. And this is so cool. So I've been talking to Lisa Fauchet a lot, had her on the podcast three or four times at this point.

Braxton Critcher [00:09:43]:
Maybe the most recurring guest I've had. But I know she's excited. I gotta, I gotta text her and, and get her thoughts on this. But it's been reintroduced to the Senate. It's already been reintroduced to the House. It's bipartisan in the Senate. The House. Senators, Josh Hawley, he's a Republican, and Ben Ray Luzion think is, how you say his last name, Democrat.

Braxton Critcher [00:10:10]:
They reintroduced the bipartisan Repair act bill just a few days ago. And by the way, a recent survey found that 84% of independent repair shops, maybe this is you too, you're included in this number. Consider data access to be a top issue. I mean, how could it not be? Because the more cars that come out, the more data is in there. If you don't have access, can't fix the car. Right? Big issue. Super excited about this bill that is introduced now in the House and the Senate. I think there's some real steam behind this thing.

Braxton Critcher [00:10:44]:
Hoping to get it passed asap. Lisa, last time I talked to her about a month and a half ago, she said she doesn't really expect it to pass till sometime next year. But, man, I'm hopeful to see that happen sooner rather than later. Of course, the Auto Care association is supporting this bill. The car coalition, the NFIB, and 75% of American drivers favor the right to repair legislation. I mean, of course, you know, don't want to be forced to take your car to the more expensive dealer. Right. All right, next steps for you if you want to support the Repair Act.

Braxton Critcher [00:11:20]:
Reach out to your local senator and representative, advocate for consumer choice, advocate for your repair shop. Explain why this is important to you. And I mean, do that, that helps this bill get passed. Get moved up the priority list. And I mean, just helps all of us. Right? I mean, honestly, too. I've talked about this with Lisa Fauchet, but it helps dealers, too. I know it's a money thing, and they're gonna.

Braxton Critcher [00:11:49]:
They're trying to keep all the money on their side as long as they can, but they know they can't repair all the vehicles on the road. So this is beneficial for everybody. So let's get this repair act passed fast. Reach out to your senators and representatives. All right, so the aacf. The. I'm gonna have to look this up. I think it's Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:20]:
But just to make sure I get this right, just gonna double check. Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. Yeah, look at me. All right. John Careys, he is the executive director. He and I have communicated a couple of times. I've had him on the podcast. You should go listen back to that episode.

Braxton Critcher [00:12:39]:
But they, they have been reworking how their board of trustees is structured. They've added a lot of members the past couple months. So two new members can. Catherine Reinhart, she is now the vice president of the aacf, and Mark Blackman, he is now the secretary of the board. So two new members. Congratulations with the AACF and with that in the statement they. They sent that I got in my email, they are implementing a new framework with standing committees, subcommittees. They're hoping to improve a couple of things.

Braxton Critcher [00:13:24]:
Efficiency, engagement, alignment with their mission. Because if you don't know much about the. The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable foundation, there it is. If you don't know much about the aacf, I encourage you to, because I've had conversations with people at industry events. I think a couple at sema, Apex last year. And there were a couple people that I talked to that are in the industry and have been for a while that didn't. Didn't know what the AACF was or is or does. And so great organization that really does help partner with recently the fires in California, Hurricane Helene, trying to help this industry in charitable ways.

Braxton Critcher [00:14:01]:
Give back. Really great organization. And I love what John Kerry's and his team are trying to do. So look them up online. Automotive Aftermarket Charitable foundation. And if you'd like to donate volunteer partner support in some way, you can reach out to them online. Of course, you can find their contact details or email misty@aftermarketcharity.org Misty M I S T Y@aftermarketcharity.org okay, real quick note. Used car market, also new car market, car prices are going up.

Braxton Critcher [00:14:38]:
So tax refunds, tax days finally in the rear view. Praise the Lord. So there's some uncertainty going on. I gotta cover this story quickly because just to keep your customers informed, if they ask you at your repair shop or if you're in the industry and they ask you about, hey, I'm looking to buy a new car, used car, whatever. Just so you know how to stay informed with this, I thought you might want me to cover this story real quick. But recently some surveys have come out from carfax that used car prices are rising nearly twice as fast as last year with sales more than doubling compared to the previous spring. So that of course has to do with tariffs and of course has to do with the slow production and demand. I mean people are wanting to upgrade their vehicles.

Braxton Critcher [00:15:35]:
The average age of a car is almost 13 years old. So I mean a lot of those folks are going to want to get a, a new, ish, newer car to them just because it's an older vehicle. Whether that's the right thing to do or not. That's, you know, I kind of feel that way too. My car is over 10 years old as well and been keeping it up just fine, doing me good. But a lot of folks are trying to upgrade and so demand is there. Production is slow. Particularly the Carfax report said vans, minivans and SUVs.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:10]:
Larger vehicles are skyrocketing prices nationwide. So just so you know, that's per a carfax report that right now used and news car and used and new cars are just going up crazy. All right, two more stories real quick to cover for you this week on automotive repair News today. By the way, if you haven't yet like subscribe, hit the bell. Follow along for more content like this. ADAS training. So I just went to Fueling Connections that was a more of a leadership shop ownership type training. But for technicians there is ADAS training coming up with SEMA Garage in partnership with Altel.

Braxton Critcher [00:16:54]:
There's a two day training covering calibration techniques, reporting practices and system fundamentals. It's going to be into Detroit May 20, May 21. Just over a month away. Time to book is now. Let's see. To attend RSVP via the ALTE website under the Detroit tab for the first event and for details and future sessions, email academy@altel.com that's Academy. Forgive me, I don't have pricing information. I want to say, don't quote me.

Braxton Critcher [00:17:37]:
I want to say this was a free event but I could be totally off base on that. So look it up if you're, if you're in the Detroit area or just want to get up to Detroit and go to this training SEMA garage partnership with Altel that's coming up May 21 or May 20 and May 21 at the SEMA garage in Detroit. All right, so I covered this story a couple of weeks ago, too. The California Senate Bill 712, also known as Leno's law, has passed the Senate Transportation Committee with really strong bipartisan support. So basically, the Leno law is to protect classic cars. There's a big classic car market in California. Jay Leno loves his classic cars. That's why it's called Leno Law.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:25]:
But that got passed a couple days ago. Big deal. A big deal. And it's going to move on up the chain to the Senate Appropriations Committee April 21. So here in a few days. If you'd like to learn more to support the bill, stay informed. You can contact Victor muno munoz@victorma.org that's victorma.org all right, that's gonna do it for this week's episode of Automotive Repair News Today. Again, my name is Braxton and I seriously do want to hear from you about this podcast.

Braxton Critcher [00:18:59]:
What do you think? Do you like this format better? Do you like the old format better? Do you hate my voice? Do you hate how I look? This is audio only. All the things I do want to hear from you. I want to grow the show. I want to engage with listeners, help people stay informed. All the things, please again, like comment, share, subscribe, all the good stuff to help the podcast grow. Support our sponsors, Auto fix, Auto shop coaching and shoot. They're rebranding. It's shop controller and auto fix Auto Shop coaching and voice controller.

Braxton Critcher [00:19:46]:
By the way, voice controller, new technology that is fantastic. It's AI phone answering service, $99 a month. Answers the phone when you can't get to it. If you're busy after hours, books, appointments on the phone. Great stuff. Tell your friends. Sign up today. $99 a month.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:06]:
Crazy. That's voice Controller. All right, thanks for listening. Talk to you soon. Automotive Repair News Today. Hey, if you're still here, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Automotive Repair News Today. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment like share. Subscribe to the podcast.

Braxton Critcher [00:20:28]:
It'll help us out a big deal and help grow the show. And you know what? While you're at it, slap on, want to review too. If you feel like this content is helpful for the industry, don't forget to follow us on all your favorite social media platforms. We're on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. Stay connected and be the first to know about new episodes, behind the scenes content and more. And until next time, let's make the industry better together.