BMW engineers say their laser headlights have big advantages over LED’s, or light-emitting diodes, and they are working to commercialize the lights.

Laser headlights use less than half the energy of LEDs, and their ligth intensity is a thousand times greater, BMW says. Moreover, a laser diode is one-hundredth the size of an LED diode, which allows designers to shrink the headlight. “We see a lot of advantages,” says Hanafi Abdul, BMW’s optical systems designer. “We can reduce power consumption and weight, and it provides our stylists more freedom to produce beautiful shapes.”

In each headlamp, three small diodes generate blue laser beams only 10 microns wide. Those beams are aimed at small mirrors, which reflect them onto a lens. Inside the lens is a yellow phosphorus, which emits an intense white light when activated buy the lasers. That light is bounced off a reflector onto the road ahead.

-autobody news, vol. 1 issue 10

“Greenwashing Your Car”

Greenwashing A form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly. -Wikipedia

Global warming is a hot topic and business is looking to profit from it. It seems every industry is trying to capitalize on “going green.” The automotive industry is no exception.

New York State will soon mandate autobody shops use only Waterborne paint when refinishing. Sounds good! Right? Whether or not you’re a “Warmer” (global warming is happening), or a skeptic, (global warming isn’t happening), it’s hard to disagree that reducing the amount of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) in the atmosphere is a good thing.

I thought it would be fun to look closer at how the changeover to Waterborne painting may be more a marketing ploy then humanities selfless urge to save the planet.

Currently, the paint on your car is a Two-Stage paint. This means that there is a “base coat,” which is the color, and a “clear coat” that goes over it to give it a glossy look.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When I reported my accident, the insurance company told me i have to get an estimate from their “preferred shop”. Do I have to? I’d rather come to you first.

Answer: NO! In fact, you should only have your car seen at the body shop of your choice.

The reason some of the “biggest” insurance companies try to get you to go to a certain place is because statistically speaking, a percentage of people involved in an accident as a 3rd party, will not have the automobile repaired. Thus, why write a proper estimate, when the automobile isn’t going to be fixed anyway?

So, have the car seen at the shop!

Question: What if the claims representative tells me it will be seen faster, and that I will be delaying the process if I have it seen at the shop?

Answer: It is ILLEGAL for an insurance company to force you to go to any specific location for estimates or repairs. Remember! you’re paying them every month.

Here is a very interesting article about West Islip’s history.

http://westislipcollision.com/?page_id=158

Accident Information HAND-OUT

When Looking for a Facility…

Know it is not in your best interests to seek or consider an estimate or
damage report from a repair facility you believe will not meet your
expectations.  As a consumer, you have a financial interest to protect.  The
ultimate choice is yours.

With that said…West Islip Collision is a state-of-the-art repair facility. Feel free to ask us for a tour so we can show you the latest equipment used in the industry.

Price Isn’t Everything or “cheap can be expensive”

Sometimes consumers make the mistake of believing one collision repair
facility is like any other.  They believe price should be the prime
consideration.  However, nothing could be further from the truth,  and if you
select the estimate that was cheapest, it can often turn out to be a mistake.

The Damage Report

West Islip Collision’s written damage report is a signal  we hold to high standards.  All facilities do not write damage reports- many of them write estimates- and there is an important difference between the two.

Estimates do not contain the detail of a damage report, which is completed
during careful examination of your vehicle. This examination may require
putting your vehicle on a lift or partial disassembly.  In any case, an
itemized, carefully rendered damage report – the blueprint  for repairing
your vehicle-can only be created with an investment  of time and effort.

If you are involved in an accident and didn’t sustain any bodily harm,keeping the following things in your car can keep you from getting a ticket and help you be prepared!

What to Keep in Your Car

• Vehicle Registration. Like proof of insurance, registrations can be processed and reviewed electronically. But, just like your proof of insurance, it is best to keep the physical copy of the registration in your vehicle at all times. Again, rules governing the proof of vehicle registration vary by state, so don’t take the risk of being unprepared. Additionally, make sure that your vehicle is up-to-date on its registration. You don’t want to unknowingly be cited for an unregistered vehicle in addition to being involved in an accident.

• Proof of Insurance. The best way to satisfy the proof of insurance requirement is by keeping your insurance card in the vehicle. While many states have electronic reporting rules that can allow motorists to prove that they have sufficient liability coverage via electronic means, keep a physical car insurance card in the vehicle at all times as a backup. Additionally, DMV.org notes, drivers can face legal penalties for not being able to prove that they are covered. These penalties vary by state, the website says, but they can consist of anything from a fine to actual jail time, depending on applicable laws and the circumstances in which they are caught without a policy. REMEMBER: You can face legal penalties for not being able to prove that your vehicle is insured. Penalties vary by state, but can consist of anything from a fine to actual jail time.

• Dedicated Accident Information Kit. It’s extremely helpful to have a dedicated kit that will allow you to move forward if you have an accident. Having pen and paper handy in the aftermath of an accident will allow drivers to note down critical information about the other driver, including license plate and driver’s license number, make and model of the other car, and auto insurance company and policy numbers.

Such documentation, along with photos and other detailed descriptions of the accident and resultant damages, can help ensure that car accident victims have to jump through as few hoops as possible in order to either minimize their financial liabilities or maximize their ability to collect what they may be owed after such a crash, adds.

According to the website, it’s also very important for a motorist not to admit fault at the scene of an accident, while remaining as polite and honest with the other driver as possible. They should also be on the lookout, Edmunds.com says, for the other driver changing his or her account of what happened in an accident after the fact, or claiming property damage or physical injury that was not apparent at the time. This is another of the headaches involved with auto accidents that having proper documentation, government-issued and otherwise, can help avoid.

In general, Edmunds.com says that information is the accident victim’s friend. “Make sure that your company has your version of what happened and check your policy – if the damages paid out by your insurance company are below a certain amount, the accident may not be considered chargeable. And you will avoid the penalty of a premium hike,” the website advises.

Thanks to “Wired How-to Wiki”

“Another technological first is the EcoDryscrubber, a system used to help collect the overspray during the painting process. Paint particles attach to a limestone powder and are eventually turned into concrete for use in other applications.“We’re the first Volkswagen plant and the first OEM automotive manufacturer in the world to have this technology,” Rich states. A 21-year veteran of the automotive industry, Rich says, “Volkswagen is much more engineering strong” than other automakers for whom he

has worked. Considering his first Volkswagen experience was painting a 1969 Beetle in shop class during high school, Rich has come full circle.” -Das Auto, Winter 2010

It’s mildly startling to learn that the paint department emits most of the pollution generated from an automotive assembly plant, due to the spraying process. There’s overspray; there’s waste; and there’s disposal of the overspray and the waste.

The paint operation at the Chattanooga facility will use an economical dipping

process. It also skips the primer coat and bake-oven step, saving 20 percent on water

and chemical use. Even the top-coat process saves 123,000 gallons of paint

and solvent. In the spraying process, Volkswagen uses a dryscrubber system for less water usage, which is more economical. When spraying the top coat on the car body unit, there will be overspray that doesn’t make it on the unit. Paint that doesn’t make it on the unit is filtered into a limestone powder that can then be used in cement. It’s a much more

efficient system than wet cleaning. Percentage of water and Chemical Savings….20%

Courtesy of Das Auto Magazine

It wasn’t your fault. Or maybe it was. After a car accident, it doesn’t matter – you just need a competent body shop to put the pieces back together again. Body work is part art, part science. A good shop can restore the appearance of your car, but even more importantly, it can spot and fix problems under the skin that affect performance and safety.

Fortunately, Bay Area drivers have a lot of good choices. Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook evaluated 196 local shops, and 56 of them were rated “superior” overall by more than 90 percent of their surveyed customers. On the other hand, 22 got such favorable ratings from fewer than 65 percent of their surveyed customers. Not doing the work right and delays were the most frequent customer gripes.

If insurance covers a repair, price might not matter much to you. But if you’re paying out of pocket, take note: Checkbook researchers got quotes on specific jobs and found big differences. For example, to replace the trunk lid on a 2005 Honda Civic, prices ranged from $687 to $1,477 – a $790 difference. Many of the shops rated best for quality were also among the least expensive on the jobs Checkbook priced.

Comparing prices isn’t always easy when it comes to body work. In most cases, a shop must see a car to make a good repair estimate. But where a specific part has to be replaced – if your car needs a new bumper, for example – you can get an estimate from most shops by phone.

Whenever you might need a body shop, here’s some advice from Checkbook:

– Choose a shop that does a good job of explaining to you what work needs to be done and why. An articulate representative at the body shop will be a good advocate when dealing with an insurance company.

– If there is any chance of serious damage, have the insurer send its estimator to the shop you choose. You’ll get a better evaluation of the damage than you can at a drive-in appraisal center.

– Used parts and “aftermarket” parts – parts made by independent parts manufacturers rather than the original car manufacturer – often cost less and may be perfectly acceptable. Insist that the shop and the insurance company indicate in writing for each part whether it is a used or aftermarket part. If a shop suggests aftermarket parts, say you want parts that are certified by the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA).

– Make a thorough inspection of finished work before leaving the shop. There is a lot you can judge for yourself. Look and feel whether repaired surfaces are smooth and paint has the proper gloss and color.

– After a major repair, consider taking the vehicle to another shop to confirm mechanical and structural work has been done right.

-Courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle