CURBING ADAS
By order of the Ministry of Transportation and the Attorney General, British Columbia has banned the use of vehicles equipped with Level 3 and higher advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Originally signed into law on March 18th, the updated Motor Vehicle Act came into effect on April 5 with the intention, according to legislation, of keeping B.C. roads safer for drivers. With the new rules in place, drivers will no longer be able to drive vehicles with Level 3 ADAS systems or higher, even if these systems are not in effect at the time of driving. The legislation also banned vehicles with Level 4 and Level 5 ADAS systems. Each ADAS Level comes with a fine of $320 minimum and a ticketed minimum amount of $368. Maximum fines could see drivers paying up to $2,000 for using advanced ADAS vehicles.
IDOLIZING INDEPENDENT
A new Consumer Reports survey reveals that customers prefer independent shops over dealerships for automotive repairs. The survey—based on 10,973 responses from Consumer Reports members on 11,670 repairs at 36 auto repair chains, independent shops and dealerships—further revealed that Hyundai, Jeep and Kia scored lowest for overall customer satisfaction. The survey asked members to comment on experiences with shops based on repairs made to their vehicle for worn out or broken parts, and also asked a series of questions related to factors such as the honesty of the shop, the price charged, work quality, communication about repairs, whether the problem was fixed the first time, accuracy of price estimates, perks during service, willingness to negotiate price discounts and repair guidelines. Consumers ranked independent repair shops the highest followed closely by dealerships such as Acura, Lexus, Mazda, Volvo, Toyota, Tesla and Honda.
REFINISH AND REPAIR REPRESENTED
Approximately 250 medals were awarded at this year’s 2024 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC), which took place May 30 and 31 at Expo Cité, in Québec City, Québec. During the two-day event, approximately 6,000 students visited the Centre de foires d’ Expo Cité where over 500 students and apprentices from across the country competed for the title of national champion in over 40 skill areas. On June 1, Skills Canada released the names for the award winners in each category, with top competitors having been evaluated based on strict industry standards. For the automotive-based competitions, students could compete in four categories: autobody repair, automobile technology, car painting and heavy vehicle technology.
