Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:05]:
You're listening to automotive repair news today. I'm Braxton Critcher. Have you subscribed to the podcast yet? Make sure you do. We have some exciting things coming up that you're going to want to be ready for. So right now, hit the subscribe button. Automotive repair costs have skyrocketed in the last year. How much? 12% recent consumer price index CPI data reveals soaring vehicle repair and maintenance costs, outpacing several inflation rates. While some sectors, like groceries, have stabilized, vehicle repair expenses surged by almost 12% over the last year, significantly surpassing the inflation average and contributing to a third of core inflation.

Braxton Critcher [00:00:50]:
Persistent shortages in labor and auto parts, coupled with automakers restrictions, the industry continues to propel repair costs upwards, burdening consumers and independent repair shops. A new us government its accountability office report sheds light on how data restrictions imposed by automakers disadvantage independent repair shops, leading to reduced options, increased prices, and inconvenience for consumers. The report underscores that modern vehicle technologies can create barriers for independent shops, with automakers controlling access to vital information, a trend expected to accelerate as vehicles rely more on data. The Car coalition emphasizes Congress role in providing relief to car owners and independent repairs through the bipartisan repair and smart acts. These bills, backed by over 60 members of Congress and supported by nearly 80% of vehicle owning voters, aim to guarantee affordable repair choices for consumers while maintaining a robust repair market. Apex, the largest trade show and conference in the automotive aftermarket is this year from November 5 through 7th in Las Vegas, Nevada. And believe it or not, this year it's bigger. And that's not all that will be different.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:11]:
Mark Bodansky, vice president of trade shows and community engagement for Apex, has more.

Mark Bogdansky [00:02:17]:
What we've done is we've really expanded the training base. So we have a lot of new first time trainers that the industry has been asking us to bring in, which we're really, really excited about. And then as we actually build out a shop on the show floor, we have a ten bay shop with running cars, with lifts, with an exhaust system and everything. And in that ten bay shop, you can actually see what different providers are doing in their spaces.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:43]:
Registration for Apex 2024 opens April 29. Now that May is nearly upon us, many shops are turning their attention to warm weather repairs like air conditioning services. The shift towards R 1234 YF refrigerant adds complexity to this. According to a recent study, nearly 40% of seasoned technicians demonstrated a deficiency in refrigerant handling, recovery and recharging after winter months. For some, particularly concerning R 1234 YF potential revenue is ripe with cars using ac again, but many shops nationwide simply arent prepared. The Certified Automotive Parts association, an independent non profit certification organization for automotive crash parts, announced the election of four members to its board of directors and three members to its technical committee. Joining the board are Paul Krause with caliber collision, Kyle Thompson from the Boyd group and Todd Williams, farmers Insurance. Clark Pleciski, chairman of CAPA's board of directors, was elected to fill the at large seat.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:55]:
Joining the technical committees are Gary Perrier, Vector Squared and Michael Romanello, Allstate Insurance. Re elected to the committee is Rod Enloe, Renlow Auto Technical Consulting Incorporated. Capa's board of directors and technical committee are comprised of members representing a cross section of aftermarket automotive industry, including distributors, insurers, collision repairs and quality experts. If you use 360 payments at your shop, the company just announced upgrades sure to benefit both the shop and the consumer. Jesse Medal from 360 payments we just.

Jesse Meddaugh [00:04:36]:
Set up a partnership with Venmo and PayPal. How many people have Venmo in their pocket and use it for peer to peer payments and use it constantly? Well, now you can use it through our integration at the shop.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:49]:
I'm Braxton Kricher, and thanks for listening to automotive Repair news today. Don't forget, comment, like and subscribe so you're always up to date on what's happening across the industry and follow us on your favorite social platform. And thanks again for listening to automotive repair news today.