Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

Estimating Tip – CCCONE – Refinish & Blend Operation “Wet Bed”

Certain refinish and blend procedures require the application of a "wet bed" (color blender/bedding agent) to achieve proper metallic and pearl orientation. Per recent Guide to Estimating (GTE) revisions, wet bed application is not included in standard refinish or blend labor times. All labor and materials associated with wet bed application would be ON THE SPOT evaluation.

10/12/2026

10/09/2026

🌀🚨 **HURRICANE ALERT: Preparation Matters—and Our Collision Repair Community Is Here to Help!**

As Hurricane Isias moves toward the Gulf Coast, communities across the Gulf Coast and Southeast are preparing for potentially dangerous flooding, heavy rainfall, and strong winds.

Our thoughts are with everyone in the storm's path, including the collision repair businesses, employees, and families who may be affected.

⚠️ **A few important reminders to stay safe:**

🚗 Move vehicles away from flood-prone areas whenever possible.

🏠 Follow local emergency guidance and evacuation orders.

🎒 Prepare an emergency kit with essential supplies, medications, and important documents.

⚡ Never attempt to drive a flood-damaged vehicle, and stay clear of downed power lines and dangerous debris.

❤️ **HELP IS AVAILABLE FOR COLLISION INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS!**

The **Collision Industry Foundation (CIF)** provides emergency assistance to individuals working throughout the collision repair industry who have been impacted by natural disasters and other catastrophic events.

Whether you're a technician, estimator, shop owner, or industry support professional, CIF may be able to help with qualifying personal losses and emergency needs.

👏 **A huge thank-you to CIF for being there when our industry needs it most!** Their commitment to supporting collision repair professionals and their families is a powerful reminder of what makes this industry special.

🤝 **Please share this information!** You never know who in our collision repair community may need assistance or know someone who does.

👉 Read the full article from Repairer Driven News for storm preparation tips and information on how to request assistance or support CIF:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2026/10/09/hurricane-isias-moves-toward-gulf-coast-heres-how-to-prepare-and-collision-assistance-available/

**Stay safe, look out for one another, and remember—we're stronger together!** 💙

Hurricane Isias is expected to bring heavy rainfall to the central U.S. Gulf Coast and much of the Southeast Friday and into the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). NHC told…

10/08/2026

🚨 SCAM ALERT: WMABA MEMBERS & COLLISION REPAIR BUSINESSES — PLEASE BE AWARE! 🚨

We're seeing an alarming increase in sophisticated scam phone calls, fraudulent emails, and phishing attempts—and they're becoming harder than ever to recognize!

⚠️ Recent scams include:

📞 Calls claiming to be from American Express or Chase fraud departments that sound completely legitimate—even displaying the correct company name or phone number on caller ID.

📧 Emails impersonating WMABA executive officers and requesting donations for women's and veterans' organizations. These are NOT authorized WMABA fundraising efforts!

🎉 Fake party invitations sent from legitimate but compromised email accounts.

💰 Scammers impersonating insurers, parts vendors, or customers to obtain sensitive information or redirect payments.

REMEMBER: Just because a call or email looks legitimate doesn't mean it is!

🛑 Don't click suspicious links or open unexpected attachments.

🔐 Never provide passwords, banking information, or verification codes to unsolicited callers.

📱 Hang up and independently verify suspicious requests using a trusted phone number.

💻 Protect your business with multifactor authentication and employee awareness.

💵 Always independently verify changes to payment or banking instructions.

Taking just 30 seconds to STOP, THINK, and VERIFY could save you or your business from serious financial loss or a cybersecurity incident.

👇 Please review the attached graphic and SHARE it with your employees, coworkers, friends, and fellow collision repair professionals.

If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from WMABA or its leadership, please contact us directly before responding.

Let's look out for one another and keep our collision repair community safe! 💙

10/08/2026

Texas is now the fourth state in recent memory to require insurers to disclose appraisal rights, joining Washington, Rhode Island and Illinois.

Read more: https://ow.ly/M6tr50ZR62p

Comment "newsletter" to subscribe for more news like this.

10/08/2026

🚨 **Consumers are already paying more for EVERYTHING. Now, could they be facing even higher insurance costs?**

At a time when families are struggling with the rising costs of groceries, housing, utilities, and nearly every other necessity, the last thing consumers need is another increase in their insurance premiums.

According to **Repairer Driven News**, Consumer Watchdog is raising concerns that the California Department of Insurance (CDI) may be considering increasing the maximum profit insurers are allowed to build into their rates—potentially **without a transparent public review process.**

💰 And here's what makes this especially concerning: The property and casualty insurance industry reported **$31.7 BILLION in nationwide underwriting income during the first half of 2026 alone.**

With insurers reporting substantial profits while consumers continue to feel the financial squeeze, questions about the need for higher allowable profit margins deserve serious attention.

**Consumers are already stretched thin. How much more can they reasonably be expected to absorb?**

For the collision repair industry, this is another reminder of why **insurance transparency, accountability, and consumer advocacy** are so important.

Any proposed changes that could lead to higher premiums should be supported by evidence, openly discussed, and subject to meaningful public input.

📢 **Consumers deserve a voice in decisions that could affect their wallets!**

👉 Read the full article from Repairer Driven News:

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit public interest group, has written to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, raising concerns that the department is considering raising the maximum profit i…

10/07/2026

🎨🔧 A new way to train the next generation of refinish technicians—without using a drop of paint!

SCRS members now have access to a new benefit that makes mixed-reality refinish training more accessible to collision repair businesses. Through an exclusive rental program, members can bring the Skillveri Chroma mixed-reality spray painting simulator directly into their shops.

Using an industry-grade HVLP spray gun integrated with the simulator, technicians can practice everything from basic spray patterns to refinishing hoods, fenders, and doors—all while receiving live guidance and detailed feedback on their performance.

For shops, the possibilities go beyond training. The technology can be used to evaluate potential hires, accelerate entry-level technician development, host training workshops, and even introduce students and job seekers to collision repair careers—without the material costs and waste associated with live paint training.

👏 Kudos to SCRS for continuing to find creative ways to make advanced training tools more accessible to collision repairers. Investments in education and workforce development like this help strengthen our industry and give the next generation new ways to build real-world skills.

👉 Read the full article here:

Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) members can now receive flexible access to the Skillveri Chroma, a mixed reality (MR) spray painting simulator, through an exclusive rental program. …

10/06/2026

🚨 **Vehicle modifications can have consequences far beyond appearance and performance.**

A new wrongful death lawsuit highlighted by **Repairer Driven News** puts aftermarket suspension modifications—and their potential impact on vehicle safety systems—under the microscope.

The case involves a Ford F-150 equipped with a **six-inch suspension lift kit**. The lawsuit alleges that during a head-on collision, the truck’s increased ride height caused its structural components to bypass the Toyota Tundra’s engineered crash protection systems, resulting in catastrophic intrusion into the occupant compartment. The suit also alleges the modifications interfered with the F-150’s crash avoidance, collision mitigation, and warning systems. These are allegations in an ongoing lawsuit, not established findings.

For the collision repair industry, this case raises an important issue: **OEM engineering matters.** Changes to ride height, suspension geometry, structural alignment, sensors, and other vehicle systems can potentially affect how a vehicle performs in a crash—and how advanced safety technology functions.

🔧 Whether repairing, modifying, inspecting, or documenting a vehicle, understanding how alterations may affect the **entire safety system** is critical.

**A vehicle is a system. Changing one component can affect much more than what meets the eye.**

👉 Read the full article here:

An aftermarket suspension lift kit that raised the height of a Ford F-150 by six inches is at the center of a wrongful death lawsuit following a crash that killed a Georgia man. Defendants in the …

10/05/2026

🚗📱 Today’s vehicles are more connected than ever—but what happens to all the personal information they collect?

A new study from Northeastern University and Consumer Reports examined 21 late-model vehicles and 30 companion apps, raising significant concerns about personally identifiable information (PII) and how vehicle data is shared with third parties.

Among the findings: 19 of 21 vehicles communicated with at least one third party over Wi-Fi, seven companion apps transmitted PII to third-party companies, and five apps sent VINs along with other personal information to trackers. Researchers also found that connecting a companion app roughly doubled a vehicle’s exposure to advertising and tracking companies on average.

For collision repairers, this is an issue worth paying attention to. Vehicles aren't just transportation anymore—they can contain and transmit an enormous amount of customer information. And with the article noting that 90% of vehicles arriving at salvage auctions have accessible PII, protecting customer data should be part of the broader conversation about vehicle handling, total losses, technology, and consumer protection.

🔐 Safe and proper repairs aren't the only responsibility evolving with vehicle technology—protecting the customer's data matters, too.

Based on a recent large-scale study of the connected vehicle ecosystem, Northeastern University researchers conclude that improved transparency is necessary to identify and address existing harm to…