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Subaru of America Inc. has endorsed the Car Care Council's Fall Car Care Month, a nationwide October program focusing on the importance of regular vehicle maintenance. Participating Subaru dealers offered free vehicle diagnostic inspections to Subaru owners, emphasizing items that affect fuel economy and offering driving tips for optimizing fuel mileage. To help owners get the best possible fuel mileage, dealers performed the "MPG (Maintenance Preserves Gas) Inspection," which puts extra emphasis on the systems that can directly affect fuel mileage.
More than 400 volunteers and industry guests attended AAIA's Fall Leadership Days on Sept. 3-5 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. A total of 25 meetings were held over the three-day event, including 12 segment and 12 committee meetings, as well as a meeting with AAIA's Board of Directors. During the Industry Update Luncheon on Sept. 4, Derek Kaufman, president of C3 Network Inc., covered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of telematics in the industry and how the aftermarket can turn that technology into a business opportunity.
To help support the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) Brake Service Awareness Week, Phoenix Systems recently gave 
away more than 650,000 BrakeStrip test strips to professional technicians. BrakeStrip is a new technology that allows technicians to quickly diagnose brake fluid condition. Using Phoenix System's patented Fascar technology, BrakeStrip tests for copper in brake fluid. According to a Uniform Standard developed by MAP, a copper content of 200 ppm or greater indicates a depletion of corrosion inhibitors in the brake fluid and would require brake fluid replacement.
The largest single-roof solar power installation in North America began operation in early October at Toyota's North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) in Ontario, Calif. The solar installation will provide nearly 60 percent of the total electricity requirements for the 760,000-square-foot NAPCC. The installation covers more than 242,000 square feet of the NAPCC's roof and includes 10,417 solar modules, enough to cover more than four football fields.
In response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ike, the all-volunteer Bridgestone Americas Emergency Response Team (BERT) made the journey from Nashville, Tenn., to Orange, Texas, and has been assisting in relief and clean-up efforts. The BERT members have been focusing efforts on assisting teammates at the Firestone Polymers plant in Orange, who are cleaning up and repairing the extensive damage to the plant caused by flooding and high winds.
General Parts Inc. has announced that Dale Ward has been named executive vice president of Marketing and Merchandising, reporting directly to President Temple Sloan, III.
Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. (TNA) has received ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System Standards certification by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) of Houston. Located in White, Ga., the 900,000-square-foot TNA facility was established in June 2004 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. TNA is responsible for production of Toyo and Nitto tires.
All 91 ABRA Auto Body & Glass locations have earned the I-CAR Gold Class Professionals designation. ABRA Auto Body & Glass is the largest multilocation operator to earn the Gold Class status. It has locations in 11 states: Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Alldata has announced its support of the I-CAR Education Foundation by making a donation to the Collision Repair Education Campaign. The gift, more than $2,000, will go toward grants and scholarships to be distributed to the schools across North America in the spring of 2009. Alldata contributes a portion of each Alldata Collision sale from facilities that have achieved the I-CAR Gold Class designation to the I-CAR Education Foundation.
Allstate Insurance Co. contributed $60,000 in September to support the I-CAR Education Foundation mission. "Allstate Insurance Co. has been a key supporter of the I-CAR Education Foundation since its beginning in 1991," said Chris Evans, chairman of the I-CAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees. "This most recent $60,000 donation to support the Education Foundation's philanthropic mission shows that Allstate Insurance Co. believes in what the Education Foundation is doing to enhance collision education in schools across North America."
PPG Industries has completed the divestiture of its automotive glass and services business to a new company formed by funds managed by Kohlberg & Company LLC, Mount Kisco, N.Y. The new company is named Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC. PPG received approximately $270 million in net proceeds from the transaction, which included customary closing adjustments. PPG will hold a minority ownership interest of approximately 40 percent in Pittsburgh Glass Works.
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