ABP Club Car Body Repair News - April 2014

Below is a news headline summary. The full bodyshop news stories appear on the ABP Club members' forum.

30/4/14 - 17:10		Glass's make rapid progress by signing major insurers to use Market Value Assessor

30/4/14 - 10:02		Halfords partners with Nextbase to provide in-car 'dash-cam' solution

30/4/14 - 09:51		ABI confirms UK motorists continue to pay less for comprehensive motor insurance

30/4/14 - 07:52		Pendragon (Stratstone / Evans Halshaw) - trading update; "we expect underlying profit to be comfortably ahead of expectations for 2014"

30/4/14 - 07:41		Saga - issue formal announcement of plans for floatation; "strong current trading"; turnover £1,210m - profits £222m

29/4/14 - 14:29		Service and innovation underpins the growing relationship between Circle Leasing and Fix Auto Park Royal

29/4/14 - 14:19		AW Repair Group future-proofs IT infrastructure

29/4/14 - 14:11		LKQ - Q1 results: turnover up 36% to $1.63 billion; profits up 24% to £105 million

29/4/14 - 14:06		Motor fraud specialists prevent £54K personal injury claim

29/4/14 - 13:59		MoneySupermarket - unemployed? Your car insurance will now cost you £227 more (58% increase)

29/4/14 - 02:04		JCC adopt Audamobile across all sites

28/4/14 - 15:40		ProWorx - appoint Kevin Lloyd (ex DuPont) as southern Regional Technical Sales Executive

28/4/14 - 14:47		British Bodyshop Awards - UK Assistance ARCs finalists announced

28/4/14 - 14:16		Crimewatch - BBC1 9pm TONIGHT features crash-for-cash scams

28/4/14 - 14:10		Quindell - Rob Terry buys 500,000 shares; director Anthony Bowers buys 131,000 shares

28/4/14 - 14:03		LV - private motor GWP down 11% but policy count remains at 3.1 million; "competitive and challenging motor market"

28/4/14 - 13:17		Movac supports Celebrity Football competition in aid of kicking balls for Prostate Cancer!

27/4/14 - 21:17		Bristish Bodyshop Awards - a final reminder to book your place/s or to provide your guest names

27/4/14 - 20:52		A third of motorists consider dashboard-mounted accident cameras to help reduce the cost of insurance and prevent being the victim of fraud

27/4/14 - 10:02		Quindell - full page article in todays Sunday Times Business Section: "Quindell’s house of cards? "

26/4/14 - 12:17		General Motors - Profits fall by 85% due to cost of recalls

26/4/14 - 11:54		AA - motor premiums fall by more than £100 in first quarter

25/4/14 - 22:20		Law Society -launch survey on legal expenses insurance to see if insurers restrict people's right to choose their own solicitor

25/4/14 - 22:16		‘Crash for cash’ gangs captured on film in huge 'slam-on' car insurance scam

25/4/14 - 18:41		BIBA reports motor and home insurance premiums fall in Q1 2013

25/4/14 - 17:23		BSI - Proposed audit reward initiative - review results in delayed implementation

25/4/14 - 17:14		BSI announce recent Kitemark accreditated bodyshops

25/4/14 - 13:55		Young drivers are overconfident and inexperienced, say IAM

25/4/14 - 13:54		Quindell - issue 27 page detailed response to "Gotham City Research"

25/4/14 - 13:48		Ireland - EU Commission probes collapse of Setanta Insurance

25/4/14 - 13:17		LV Broker completes deal with Brightside to offer online motor products

25/4/14 - 13:10		Fix Auto Reading officiall open for business

25/4/14 - 10:16		RS Motors to take part in Scrumrun 2014 in aid of Tommy's charity

25/4/14 - 09:40		NAB and Ageas meet to address NAB member concerns

25/4/14 - 08:47		USA: General Motors cleared in “Bump the Competition” aftermarket price matching program

25/4/14 - 07:56		Nissan - trialling self-cleaning paint (using ‘nano-paint technology’) which would be a £450 option on Nissan Note;

25/4/14 - 07:25		Quindell - taking legal action against "Gotham City" ("research" company that caused share price to collapse); full response later today

24/4/14 - 17:30		Aviva - appoint Dave Lovely as General Insurance Claims Director;

24/4/14 - 15:40		Selsia launches new website

24/4/14 - 14:10		Mazda UK appoints ITAS Evolve to manage Body and Paint programme

24/4/14 - 13:41		LV's John O’Roarke discusses 'The future of motor claims'

24/4/14 - 11:21		The NAB to host three roadshows

24/4/14 - 11:08		Quindell - short-sellers increase collective stake

24/4/14 - 10:34		Morelli Group opens new training centre at Eyebox Coventry

24/4/14 - 10:05		IMI acquires Automotive Technician Training e-learning platform

24/4/14 - 09:53		Thatcham file accounts - revenues and profits fall

24/4/14 - 08:57		Jon Cawley, ex head of personal lines claims at Zurich UK, joins Towergate as head of claims within their underwriting division

24/4/14 - 08:50		Saga - City Am reports that it is "gearing up to publish plans to list the firm in London as early as next week"

23/4/14 - 14:49		Fix Auto Reading's £500k investment in site relocation

23/4/14 - 14:45		Glass's predicts positive outlook for UK car registrations

23/4/14 - 12:21		Blue Bell bodyshop in Wilmslow - bought by Haliwell Jones and renamed Halliwell Jones (Wilmslow) Bodyshop

23/4/14 - 12:20		Aviva reports a 19% increase in insurance fraud

23/4/14 - 11:22		Keoghs - Birmingham retains status as UK’s biggest motor fraud hotspot for the 5th year in a row

23/4/14 - 11:09		Covea Insurance - 2013 results: gross written premium down 17%; profits down 15%; COR 98.8%

23/4/14 - 11:08		APIL warns genuinely injured people may be priced out of justice

23/4/14 - 11:01		Covéa Insurance - reduces motor claims settlement time to less than 4 days; customers upload images of vehicle damage

23/4/14 - 10:37		Cromax - distinguished by label

23/4/14 - 10:35		Fuel sales - Q1 levels returned to "normal": petrol sales at all time low; diesel sales at all-time high

23/4/14 - 10:12		Government’s Surveillance Commissioner warns roadside cameras pose 'very real risk' to motorist's privacy

23/4/14 - 09:34		April 2014 fuel prices - Stronger pound shields drivers from wholesale price rise

23/4/14 - 09:16		Losing weight: how lightweighting is revolutionising the automotive industry

23/4/14 - 07:15		MoneySupermarket - Q1 trading update; "in line with expectations"

22/4/14 - 15:08		Quindell - issue strong rebuttal to Gotham City Research "speculation"; legal action under consideration

22/4/14 - 15:01		Competition Commission (CMA) - publish transcript of Feb 2014 hearing with Copart, National Salvage, RMI NAB and VBRA

22/4/14 - 14:47		Competition Commission (CMA) - second set of insurers give them their views on PAS 125

22/4/14 - 14:47		Competition Commission (CMA) - first set of insurers give them their views on PAS 125

22/4/14 - 14:46		Competition Commission (CMA) - claims management companies give them their views on PAS 125

22/4/14 - 14:24		WNS - tell the Competition Commisssion they "manage over 180,000 repairs a year"

22/4/14 - 14:24		Competition Commission (CMA) - publish transcripts of Feb 2014 hearings with insurers and claims management companies

22/4/14 - 14:10		Employment - Changes to Unfair Dismissal Law

22/4/14 - 13:52		Quindell - share price slumps by 41% following "research paper" from Gotham City, who admit they will profit if share price falls

22/4/14 - 13:39		BSi - 2013 results: worldwide turnover up 7% but profits down 18%

22/4/14 - 13:13		Endsleigh and Esure condemned over policy small print

22/4/14 - 12:24		British Bodyshop Awards - UK Assistance ARCs announce the final 16 candidates

22/4/14 - 10:38		EY study reveals referral fees prop-up 2013 UK motor insurance results

22/4/14 - 10:18		Auto Trader - all listings will now clearly show if car has been a category C or D write-off using MIAFTR data

22/4/14 - 09:52		National Accident Helpline plan £100m IPO

22/4/14 - 07:41		Equity Red Star / Equity Insurance Group - rebrands as ERS

22/4/14 - 07:23		Zero deaths from road traffic accidents: how BMW and Euro NCAP are working towards Vision Zero

21/4/14 - 23:48		LKQ - founder of Euro Car Parts, Sukhpal Singh, to leave business at end of June

21/4/14 - 19:35		Audatex - all systems back to normal; technology update finished early

21/4/14 - 16:27		France - dates announced for Equip Auto 2015; Oct 13th to 17th

21/4/14 - 15:32		RSA - "Hester set to swing axe at RSA costs in next restructuring step" reports Telegraph

19/4/14 - 00:14		Is this the future for car painting?

17/4/14 - 21:49		DVLA data reveals that over 10,000 new drivers had licences revoked in 2012

17/4/14 - 17:19		EasiDrive team donate a mountain of Easter eggs

17/4/14 - 17:13		Porsche Cars GB restructures to 15 Recommended Independent Repairers due to the "increasingly specialist nature of repair"

17/4/14 - 15:21		London - dates set for two more tube strikes - one of 2 days and one of 3 days; will cause traffic chaos on London's roads

17/4/14 - 14:27		Audatex - final reminder that their system closes at 10pm tonight and will be unavailable for the 4 days of Easter; reopening at 7am on Tues

17/4/14 - 13:49		CARS (Complete Automotive Recycling Show) - takes place on June 5 & 6; registration now open; ABP supporting and exhibiting

17/4/14 - 13:03		Ireland - Setanta Insurance to close - claims may not be paid-out

17/4/14 - 12:52		An interview with Ian Smith and Karen Young of Fix Auto Durham

17/4/14 - 11:13		FMG - win Overall Supplier of the Year award from LeasePlan

17/4/14 - 10:59		Co-operative Insurance - 2013 results: operating profit up to £36m from £8m in 2012; "markedly improved profitability in motor "

17/4/14 - 10:38		ACEA - European car sales up 10.6% in March - but it was still the second lowest March since ACEA began in 2003

17/4/14 - 10:15		AA welcomes 'all-lanes running' motorway but says need ‘smart’ thinking on M25 with no hard shoulder

17/4/14 - 09:13		Allianz SE - targeting big growth worldwide from its relationships with vehicle manufacturers

17/4/14 - 09:02		High Court Judge refuses whiplash damages, describing Britain’s compensation culture as a “national phenomenon”

17/4/14 - 08:27		Ireland - Bill Brenan Crash Repairs in Cork suffers "significant damage" from fire

17/4/14 - 07:11		RSA - announces £300m sale of operations in the Baltics and Poland

17/4/14 - 01:57		British Insurance Awards (BIA) from Post mag - full list of all the finalists; ceremony on 9 July at Albert Hall

16/4/14 - 23:10		IT connectivity meeting - ActiveWeb and CAPS have agreed to commence talks

16/4/14 - 13:26		IMI - Study finds 118% and 212% return on investment from automotive management training

16/4/14 - 13:19		Toyota - set the scene for delivering fuel cell technology

16/4/14 - 11:55		Imperial opens Norfolk distribution centre

16/4/14 - 11:37		ProWorx strengthens team with new Business Development Executive

16/4/14 - 09:59		ABP Spring B2B Forums - Farécla announce prize winner

16/4/14 - 09:49		Cromax launches new look icons for customer marketing programmes

16/4/14 - 09:38		Australia - Alarm bells over Suncorp's venture with LKQ

16/4/14 - 09:21		Quindell appoints Holleron as Repair Network Manager, Southern Region

16/4/14 - 09:14		Australia - IAG pursues 'writing for profit' policy and has no plans for telematics products

16/4/14 - 07:22		RSA - announce resignation of Adrian Brown, CEO of their business in UK and Western Europe

16/4/14 - 07:14		Quindell - Q1 trading update; "confident that the upper end of market expectations should be achieved for the full year for 2014 "

15/4/14 - 23:35		Netherlands - LKQ agree in principle to acquire 5 Netherlands-based distributors, all are customers of Sator (LKQ's Netherlands subsidiary)

15/4/14 - 14:12		PPG - launch new primer surfacer that is cured using UV light

15/4/14 - 12:36		RSA - Phil Whittaker appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer; responsibilities include claims

15/4/14 - 12:15		EC - MEPs to vote on safer EU lorry design and shape

15/4/14 - 11:26		Annual inflation rate – CPI falls to 1.6% for year to Mch 2014; RPI down to 2.5%

15/4/14 - 11:05		HPI - joins Dom Littlewood to put the spotlight on insurance repairs to accident damaged cars and write-offs

15/4/14 - 08:20		PSA Peugeot Citroen - outlines recovery plan called "Back in the Race"

15/4/14 - 07:45		Nationwide - 2013 results; pre-tax profit slump to £148,000 (2012: £5.13m) on turnover up 0.5%; 95p profit on £1,000 job

14/4/14 - 20:45		Study raises consumer concerns over the security of connected vehicles

14/4/14 - 17:33		British Bodyshop Awards - Covéa and JLR declare their finalists for the biggest and best industry awards evening of the year

14/4/14 - 15:22		RMI NAB - call on the CMA to get insurers to stop requiring duplication of data entry into different systems

14/4/14 - 14:51		Mirka appoints marketing graduate

14/4/14 - 14:42		Crash for Cash - 9 year jail sentence issued for causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud

14/4/14 - 13:36		Deafness claims soar to record level

14/4/14 - 13:27		Volvo unveils the revolutionary Inflatable Child Seat Concept and explores the future of child protection

14/4/14 - 13:10		Auto Body Professional magazine - Spring 2014 issue available online

14/4/14 - 12:23		British Bodyshop Awards - Preview available online

14/4/14 - 12:14		2014 Fleet Show at Silverstone (from Fleet World mag) - big success with attendance up 40% on 2013

14/4/14 - 12:06		Hastings Insurance - "expect ALL referral fee income to be phased out in the medium term"

14/4/14 - 10:59		Imperial launches full range printed catalogue

14/4/14 - 10:46		Moneysupermarket - average car insurance premium in Q1 2014 was £390 - lowest for four years

12/4/14 - 16:06		Dartford Crosssing (M25 to East of London) - no toll booths from October 2014; pay in advance or after use

12/4/14 - 11:09		Fire at Belle Coachworks, commercial repairer in Lowestoft

11/4/14 - 14:19		Volvo issues safety brochure

11/4/14 - 13:04		Saab - offer "click to chat" facility on UK website

11/4/14 - 13:00		esure - offers reduced insurance premiums for drivers of cars fitted with AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking)

11/4/14 - 12:44		Broach Hill Accident Repair Centre passes statutory compliance visit

11/4/14 - 12:35		RMI NAB - launch new campaign "Treating Bodyshops Fairly"

11/4/14 - 12:23		AGM's Wesley Young looks forward to the 96 mile Hillsborough charity run

11/4/14 - 10:50		PPG continues to support Team WD-40 for Superbikes as official paint partner

11/4/14 - 10:37		LKQ Coatings bolsters team with two new appointments

11/4/14 - 10:32		Glaisyers - free employment law seminar scheduled for 30 April

11/4/14 - 10:21		Used car market remains strong; up 11% in Q1 2014, says Glass's

11/4/14 - 10:06		Saga refinances £1.4 billion debt, paving that way for IPO

11/4/14 - 08:58		A message from Heather Grant

10/4/14 - 22:47		Bradford 'ghost broker' jailed for fraud by false representation and forgery

10/4/14 - 22:01		Audatex - reminder that their system will be unavailable for the 4 days of Easter

10/4/14 - 17:46		ACIS and Trade Group sign deal on joint venture to create a one-stop-shop

10/4/14 - 14:24		LV - 26% of second hand tyres sold do not meet legal safety requirements

10/4/14 - 14:18		CV & Workshop show ( NEC - Tues 29 Apr, Wed 30 Apr, Th 1 May) - all exhibition space now sold

10/4/14 - 14:11		PPG launch Spot Blender

10/4/14 - 14:05		HPI - record number of clocked used cars in 2013; 486,000 vehicles with a false mileage on the road in the UK

10/4/14 - 11:58		Government - announces the 50 winners of Round 5 of the Regional Growth Fund

10/4/14 - 11:49		CEPE (European Paint Federation) - appoint Tom Bowtell (ceo of the British Coatings Federation) to their Operational Board

10/4/14 - 11:36		Standox launches worldwide advertising campaign

10/4/14 - 11:28		HBC Vehicle Services continues to expand - 10th site opens in Truro

10/4/14 - 08:37		NAB issues survey on insurance company relationships

10/4/14 - 08:18		Leading insurers see share price dip after premiums fall

10/4/14 - 08:13		Motor Codes - launches advertising campaign with Amscreen to drive motorists to approved garages

10/4/14 - 08:10		EC - proposal for a standard number plate design for all EU member countries

10/4/14 - 07:13		RSA - "very pleased with successful outcome of Rights Issue "

10/4/14 - 00:16		Cougar ARC raises money for Rainbow Trust

09/4/14 - 23:24		Baldwins expands into Leicester

09/4/14 - 21:02		House of Commons Transport Select Committee - chair Louise Ellman raises concerns that ABSs are being used to get around referral fee ban

09/4/14 - 14:15		FCA - engages with firms on thematic review of household and travel insurance claims handling; no evidence of insurers denying valid claims

09/4/14 - 14:08		Toyota - safety recall for 35,124 UK registered cars (RAV4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models) out of 6 million recalled worldwide

09/4/14 - 14:04		Land Rover - reveals "Transparent Bonnet" technology; gives see-through view of ground underneath the bonnet

09/4/14 - 13:57		Bentley - to introduce plug-in hybrid technology to the luxury market; first model will be the new Bentley SUV in 2017

09/4/14 - 13:34		U-Pull-It (part of Copart UK) - celebrates 5 years of self-service recycled parts

09/4/14 - 13:23		RMI NAB - warn of increase in "vehicle insurance costs for businesses" as result of Comp Comm investigation into private car insurance

09/4/14 - 11:28		In-Car Cleverness gets rolled out across Practical's network

09/4/14 - 07:11		Confused.com/Towers Watson Car Insurance Price Index - average premium continues to fall; down 7.5% in Q1 and 19% down in last 12 months

08/4/14 - 12:13		Auto Logistic Solutions shows off Surefleet product

08/4/14 - 11:42		Thatcham Research and MIRA form collaborative partnership

08/4/14 - 10:58		AW Repair Group - gain benefits from using AudaMobile including improved key-to-key times and reduced supplementaries

08/4/14 - 10:06		ABP Club B2Bs raise £2,500 for our chosen charities

08/4/14 - 08:34		GM's Tony Neff takes to the skies in charity skydive

08/4/14 - 07:09		Quindell - Zurich Canada chooses Quindell Solutions technology, rugul8

07/4/14 - 23:34		Quindell - in "talks with five car manufacturers and three telecoms providers to provide them with black box telematics technology"

07/4/14 - 15:50		Partsave Ltd – Direct parts procurement

07/4/14 - 14:21		AA - Annual Car Purchase Index shows 71% intend to buy a car in next 3 years; small but growing number who will consider hybrid or electric

07/4/14 - 14:10		RAC - creates telematics joint venture with Quindell

07/4/14 - 14:01		VBRA - back RMI NAB's "proposal for an independent lead body (MICA) to define and enforce market rules in the car insurance sector"

07/4/14 - 13:57		RMI NAB and Ageas - "NAB sets the record straight"

07/4/14 - 13:41		USA: Solera - purchase 100% of AutoPoint companies from Service Repair Solutions

07/4/14 - 11:14		British Bodyshop Awards - over 850 guests join the Party in the Park!

07/4/14 - 10:56		Low petrol prices fail to stimulate pump sales

07/4/14 - 09:29		Australia: Consumers warned over motor accident compensation claims calls

07/4/14 - 07:58		Fix Auto Dagenham - £5,000 reward for information following £20,000 spate of oil thefts and damage over past 2 years

07/4/14 - 07:52		Motiva Group - launch new accident management offering - MotivAssist - run by Complete Vehicle Solutions

07/4/14 - 07:19		Quindell - sign world's largest telematics contract with RAC to form Connected Car Solutions Ltd (CCS)

05/4/14 - 13:33		"Crash for Cash" - 44 sentenced at Leeds Crown Court - ringleaders are jailed for conspiracy to defraud

04/4/14 - 18:02		USA: Indiana Autobody Association and 14 repair centres file against insurers for 'unjust enrichment and tortious interference'

04/4/14 - 17:42		Euro Car Parts launch aircon gas promotion

04/4/14 - 17:04		RSA's CEO Stephen Hester appointed to the ABI board

04/4/14 - 15:20		Quindell secures contract with Hawkwell

04/4/14 - 15:10		Roberlo - 'Leave the risks for the weekend' campaign launched

04/4/14 - 12:57		Spies Hecker - all shades of white

04/4/14 - 12:49		ACIS and Sherwinn Williams join forces to provide greater efficiencies and more competitive margins for bodyshop

04/4/14 - 12:24		Bad driving habits revealed

04/4/14 - 11:48		ABP Club B2Bs and Expos - we thank all who supported and made them a resounding success

04/4/14 - 11:20		SMMT - new van sales up 15% in March; YTD van sales up 16%; new truck sales down 17% in March

04/4/14 - 10:47		Alton's Warriors take on charity challenge

04/4/14 - 10:01		SMMT - new car sales in March up 17.7%; highest monthly sales for 10 years

04/4/14 - 10:01		LKQ Coatings launch Optima Smart Plus+ range

04/4/14 - 09:52		Sure Thing Insurance Services launched by former Kwik Fit chief

04/4/14 - 09:40		Crash for cash gang due to be sentenced today

04/4/14 - 08:59		473,564 UK motorists given penalty points for driving without insurance between 2010 and 2013; average fine was just £322

04/4/14 - 08:53		BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota all sign to £31m plan to demonstrate the commercial case for hydrogen vehicles

04/4/14 - 07:56		Whiplash - new \|Australian study shows a brief rehab programme can help patients just as much as 20 sessions of physio over three months

03/4/14 - 14:22		PPG - Paintmanager reaches 10,000 users worldwide and adds internet connectivity

03/4/14 - 12:24		Ellman voices concerns over alternative business structures

03/4/14 - 12:13		Axalta appoints Director Global Technology for OEM business

03/4/14 - 11:18		UK roads - pothole 'catch-up' crisis will cost £12bn

03/4/14 - 11:10		Crash for Cash - Reading gang arrested in raids

03/4/14 - 11:06		Movac continues to expands sales and field team

03/4/14 - 11:01		APU says anti-fraud battle can only be won with better co-operation

03/4/14 - 07:08		Quindell - announce extension of contract with Swinton to "service all aspects of the claims process"

02/4/14 - 14:46		Ageas - refute claims made in RMI NAB press release

02/4/14 - 14:18		Inter-est - launches ACT (Aggregated Client Times) which include MET times for more accurrate assessments with less opinion times

02/4/14 - 11:03		Volvo's Plunkett arranges charity football match

02/4/14 - 10:56		Volkswagen to show the new Golf GTE at next week's Gadget Show Live

02/4/14 - 10:48		Ageas - UK's second largest motorbike insurer, puts motorcycle claims team through series of training sessions with MCIA

02/4/14 - 10:46		Standox launches new website and webshop

02/4/14 - 10:27		Major insurer to leave motor market, analysts predict

01/4/14 - 18:09		ABL Accident Repair Group - announce opening of their second 'One Touch Centre' in Ashford, Kent; two more to open this year

01/4/14 - 18:05		RAC Business Services - appoint Andy Caine (ex FMG) as part of growing ‘product specialist’ team

01/4/14 - 17:13		RMI NAB - concerned about "well-respected insurer" asking repairers to provide insurance cover for third parties using courtesy car

01/4/14 - 10:47		Quindell - Questor shares concern over rapid expansion risks

01/4/14 - 08:11		ABP - record March for website; over 103,000 visits (up 20% on 2013) with 277,000 pages viewed and 1.38 million hits