 What You Need to Know 
To Elevate and Unite Automotive Professionals, and Give Them Voice
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Joint Effort Stops ALLDATA Software Piracy
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Northern California man pleads no contest to selling counterfeit ALLDATA products.
ALLDATA LLC, a leading provider of manufacturers' automotive repair information and solutions for the professional automotive service and collision repair industries, has announced the successful arrest and prosecution of a software counterfeiting operation. In the most recent case, William Edwin White, III, was arrested in December 2012, following a five-month investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff Department and Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. The two law enforcement agencies worked with the ALLDATA Antipiracy team to investigate the illegally copied ALLDATA products that White had advertised for sale
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"We aggressively pursue software piracy," said ALLDATA President Jeff Lagges. "It's theft, and it hurts our customers by driving up costs. But it's not the same as downloading a pirated song-it's potentially a consumer safety issue because counterfeiters don't care if the information is correct. We do care, because incorrect information should never be used to repair vehicles. People who don't realize they bought pirated software often call us to complain that the product isn't working correctly, which is why it's so important to purchase ALLDATA Repair through our sales team or our company website."
ALLDATA licenses vehicle repair, diagnostic and maintenance information directly from manufacturers and provides it to customers through a secure, Web-based portal. "Manufacturers often add, remove and change information," said Lagges. "Offering our products through online subscriptions allows us to get changes to our customers quickly. So buying counterfeit ALLDATA products not only wastes money, it's a risky business that we're working hard to stop."
Following the investigation and December arrest, White was found guilty, sentenced and ordered to pay restitution to ALLDATA.
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BMW Recalls 220,000 Vehicles in Widening Airbag Issue
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BMW is recalling about 220,000 vehicles worldwide from model years 2002 and 2003 as part of a wider recall affecting airbags made by supplier Takata Corp, BMW said on Tuesday.
The latest recall includes BMW's popular 3-Series sedans, coupes, convertibles and station wagons.
Last month, 3.4 million vehicles worldwide made by Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp were recalled because of the airbags made by Takata, the world's second-largest manufacturer of airbags and seatbelts.
About 1.3 million of those vehicles are in the United States.
In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said 42,080 BMW vehicles will be recalled.
BMW said that it was not aware of any injuries or accidents related to the issue, nor of any improper deployments of the airbags in its vehicles, company spokesman Dave Buchko said.
In each of the recalls, the Takata-made airbags for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured by metal fragments shooting up toward the windshield or down into the passenger foot well.
In addition to the 3-Series models from 2002 and 2003, BMW M3 Coupe and M3 Convertible are involved in the recall.
The Takata airbags involved in the BMW recall were made from April 2000 to September 2002 at Takata's plant in Moses Lake, Washington, BMW's NHTSA report said. At that plant, NHTSA said, propellant components in the airbags may have been produced with an insufficient compaction force.
The NHTSA report also said inflator propellant components made from October 2001 to October 2002 at Takata's plant in Monclova, Mexico, may have been exposed to an uncontrolled environment with too much moisture.
If either of these conditions occur, over time the inflator propellant could degrade, which could create a condition of excessive internal pressure within the airbag system when the bag deploys, NHTSA's report on BMW said.
Takata last month said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011 after an airbag deployment in Japan. It learned of a Honda accident in Puerto Rico the following month, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators.
From February 2012 through June last year, Takata could not reproduce the problem in testing, but that autumn the supplier was alerted to three additional incidents - two in Puerto Rico and one in Maryland - according to documents filed with NHTSA.
BMW's Buchko said that including all five manufacturers with cars involved in the massive Takata recall, only about a dozen or so improper deployments of airbags have been reported among more than 3.4 million vehicles.
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May Member of the Month
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Denise Pina, her husband Fred and mom, Virginia, Brea Auto Body
In her own words: "Thank you for this honor from a great association with amazing members! I remember one day, when I was young, Dad said, "I want to start my own shop." Things were really tight, so this was a big leap of faith. In 1979, my parents started Brea Auto Body, located in North Orange County, California. Brea Auto Body has grown to a state-of-the art collision repair and paint facility; a certified green shop, ASE Blue Seal, with all of the equipment, training and services of an A+ shop, recognized locally and nationally for community service. Consumers voted us Best Auto Body Shop in Orange County twice. Our key values include excellence in customer service, a commitment to giving back, and dedication to making our industry better. Brea Auto Body is involved with many trade, business and charitable organizations as well as advisors to automotive colleges. We were honored with the NABC Pride Award, a national award given for humanitarian acts. I grew up in the automotive industry - after college and a career in the Tech Industry, family brought me home and back to Brea Auto Body in 2002. We joined ASCCA shortly thereafter. Thanks to Ira Newman who welcomed us, joining the board followed. When I think of ASCCA, I think of valuable friendships, strong, dedicated industry leaders, coming together to make a difference, and amazing people I learn from, every time we are together. We have been involved with the organization from hosting shop nights, attending Leg Day, contributing to marketing materials, legislation and more. ASCCA has embraced us as family, and I always know I can pick up the phone and ask a leader in the industry anywhere across the state a question. I am proud of our voice in government, our contributions to our industry, and to each other as shop owners. I am grateful to ASCCA and it's members."
ASCCA members like Denise are shining examples of how One Member CAN Make a Difference! |
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Calendar of Events
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Summer Conference June 21-23 Irvine, CA Hotel Rate: $99 Hotel Reservation: 1-800-445-8667 Online Registration NOW Available! Click here for the Attendee Brochure. Team Weekend September 27-29 Embassy Suites Sacramento Sacramento, CA
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Nominate an ASCCA Member for Member of the Month! | |
The ASCCA Member of the Month is a new program developed by ASCCA leadership to recognize our members who go above and beyond to support our core purpose: To Elevate and Unite Automotive Professionals and Give Them Voice.
Each Member of the Month will receive a certificate and a $50 Visa gift card. Additionally, the member will be recognized on the ASCCA website homepage for one month, announced on Team Talk, featured in the WYNTK and in the California Independent.
YOU can nominate a Member of the Month by sending your recommendation to Heather Vigil at hvigil@amgroup.us. All nominations should include a summary of why your nominee should be considered for ASCCA's Member of the Month.
When making a recommendation, please use the following criteria:
- Faithfully adheres to ASCCA code of ethics
- Active proponent of ASCCA (both State and Chapter); talks up ASCCA to non-members
- Actively helps oter shops succeed (both member and non-member shops)
- Utilizes member benefits (ASCCA Advantage) and mentors new members utilizing benefits
- Active in local Chapter (where applicable) and state events
- Adds his/her voice to legislative issues; contacting representatives on key issues
- Pays dues on time
- Participates in/monitors Team Talk
Each nomination will be carefully reviewed and considered by the ASCCA Membership Committee. The pool of Members of the Month winners will be voted on by the Chapter Representatives Committee for Member of the Year to be honored at ASCCA's Summer Conference, June 21-23, 2013 at the Hilton Irvine Orange County.
For more information on the Member of the Month program, please contact Heather Vigil at hvigil@amgroup.us.
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