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Happy New Year! Here’s your top-read RDN stories of 2016

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Announcements | Business Practices | Education | Market Trends
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Happy New Year!

As we move on into the new calendar year, fiscal year and wherever we happen to be in the model year, it’s time to take a final look back. Below, find the 15 most-read articles of 2016 (based on unique page views).

Enjoy, and we look forward to having you as readers, tipsters, commentators, and expert sources again for another year of Repairer Driven News.

1. $438K ruling against Charlotte dealership for inadequate collision repair

Jan. 13: A Catawba County judge ruled that a Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet dealership must pay more than $438,000 in triple damages, attorneys fees and costs following an inadequate Land Rover repair.  (More)

2. Huge decreases reported as State Farm recalculates some N.Y., N.J. auto body labor rates

Dec. 5: Some New York and New Jersey collision repairers could receive $15-$16 less an hour from the nation’s largest auto insurer after a change in how State Farm determines “prevailing competitive prices” in certain metropolitan areas. (More)

3. California collision repairer wins $2.88M from Sherwin-Williams; paint manufacturer seeks new trial or lower bill

Feb. 2: Sherwin-Williams has sought a new trial or a lower bill on a nearly $2.88 million judgement in favor of a California collision repairer who accused the paint manufacturer of stringing him along with unfulfilled promises to fix flawed waterborne paint supplied him.  (More)

4. With 2015 behind us, here’s how some of the major auto body chains stand

Jan. 20: Major collision repair groups continued to add to their chains in 2015, and while there might be fewer midsize MSOs to buy or franchise, they’re likely to continue scooping up shops across the country to bolster their networks. (More)

5. Consolidation reports: Bold predictions from Service King, Fix Auto, Caliber; column describes how small shops can survive

May 25: A Caliber Collision vice president predicted the collision repair chain would grow from 400 U.S. shops to 1,500 worldwide by 2020, bodyshop magazine and the IBIS Twitter feed reported. (More)

6. Ga. woman wins $40K in State Farm bad-faith auto body ‘prevailing prices’ dispute

Dec. 16: Collision repairers and policyholders might have an easier time collecting and being made whole for necessary repair procedures following court actions this year against State Farm in a bad-faith contract case. (More)

7. LKQ reassures analyst that insurers, not auto body shops, dictate parts choice — even at dealerships

Oct. 28: LKQ CFO Nick Zarcone reassured an analyst that even at a dealership, a body shop has little control over the parts selected for a vehicle. (More)

8. Millions of State Farm insured with non-OEM parts get class-action status in $7.6B judge conflict case

Sept. 20: Millions of current and former policyholders now have a stake in a lawsuit alleging State Farm conspired to elect a judge which helped overturn a $1.05 billion decision over non-OEM auto body parts used on the customers’ vehicles. (More)

9. FCA to body shops, insurers: Scan every vehicle before and after any repair

June 9: FCA confirmed that auto body shops, glass replacers and even someone disconnecting a battery must scan a vehicle before and after every repair.  (More)

10. State Farm customer issues ultimatum over repair dispute; S.C. DRP shop says it offered to do the work

March 15: A State Farm customer gave the insurer a public ultimatum to pay to correct what she and a South Carolina reinspector say was inadequate work. (More)

11. Allstate: Auto severity up 7.5% in 1Q; company plans more rate increases, claims scrutiny

12. Mississippi bill would bar any auto body shop rate above national average

13. Miss. DOI: State Farm must describe ‘merits’ before rejecting expenses like scans

14. Buffett: Higher GEICO claims losses welcome for boosting premiums/’float’

15. LKQ blasts Md. bill, says shops owe existence to company’s parts preventing total losses

Images:

Happy New Year! (olm26250/iStock)

Chrysler dealer technical operations and global service director Al Motta displays the wiTECH in 2009. (Provided by FCA)

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