Toronto, Ontario — July 20, 2019 – Worried about what you missed this week in the world of cars, collisions, and automotive news? No need to fear, Collision Repair is here with a week’s review of all the biggest headlines so that you’ll be ready for next weeks lineup of equally exciting industry news.
Smash Hit
Eccles Auto Service’s open house and community fundraiser was a smashing success.
Hundreds of local residents from Dundas Ont. gathered at Eccles Auto Service at 10 a.m. to participate in the Smash-a-Car fundraiser – an event where participants could smash a Kia and raise money for the construction of a local hospice.
More than $1,540 was raised, and the hospice is set to be opened by 2020.
“People know when they come to Eccles Auto Service, we aren’t just servicing their vehicles,” shop owner Scott Eccles stated. “We’re helping families and our community enjoy their best life.”
Bye Bye Beetle
Volkswagen announced this week that they would no longer be producing Beetles after 81 years of production. Beginning as a symbol of dark nationalism and turning into a little vehicle that could, the Beetles Volkswagen has a long history of movement, makeovers, and movie production.
According to Quartz magazine, “well-wishers gathered this week at VW’s Puebla factory to send off the Bug into the great beyond. A five-piece mariachi band paid tribute and Volkswagen de Mexico chief executive Steffen Reiche was nearly overcome with grief.” Although the little bug is rolling off the roads, the memory of the adorable car who could will forever live on.
Fix Network Goes North
Announced earlier this week, the first Fix Network Canada training centre will be opening in Milton, Ontario this Autumn.
The facility will provide Fix employees from franchises across the country with access to cutting-edge training and the opportunity to meet and learn from and alongside fellow industry professionals.
On Tuesday, October 1, the network will hold an invitation-only grand opening event that will feature presentations, live procedural demonstrations, and refreshments.
Rear Window Recall
This week, GM recalled more than 150,000 pickup trucks sold in Canada to correct a fault related to the defrosting equipment in some models with power sliding rear windows.
Fortunately, for owners, the issue is not that the windows defrosting circuits were not able to produce enough heat. Unfortunately, the circuits have been shown to—on occasion—produce too much heat. According to the OEM, they may be able to get so hot that the vehicle would be set ablaze.
The OEM does not currently have a plan to replace the rear defroster units, and will order them removed from the recalled vehicles—but this is only an interim measure. GM has announced it will alert drivers to a second recall when replacement.
A-Nepper One Bites the Dust
It came to attention this week that Nepper’s Body Shop is now closing its doors after 99 years of business.
Opened in 1920, Nepper’s Body Shop began business in Norway, just seven years after the Ford Model T hit the road.
Although the shop is closing after nearly 100 years, the garage doors won’t stay shut. The Nepper brothers decided to sell the body shop to AutoMoxie, a business that focuses less on collision repair and more on vehicle maintenance.
“We’re the past,” stated the owners, “[AutoMoxie] is the future.”
