From ASA comes word that CARS this year “is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” It’s all new and promises to be the best show ever, the organizers report.
This year’s CARS will be held July 30-Aug. 2 in Detroit and for the first time, the focus will be on younger techs.
For example, there will be a two-day, intensive program called the “Young Technician’s Symposium.” Donny Seyfer, chairman-elect of the Automotive Service Association, which sponsors CARS, reports the program will be “powered” by Bosch. “It’s the brainchild of Bob Pattengale,” said Seyfer, “and will feature cutting-edge learning techniques and thorough introductions to the electronic systems that control modern cars. Targeting the two- to three-year tech, Bosch’s trainers will use hands-on techniques mixed with classroom training to move young techs from maintenance service and light repair to adding routine diagnostic skills to their toolbox.”
Each program at CARS this year has been handpicked with an eye toward making your shop better, said Seyfer. Management sessions will be limited so that the “meeting after the meeting” networking opportunities will be enhanced.
Seyfer said the “crown jewel” of the CARS lineup will be Friday’s Telematics & Technology Forum sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “We will bring you face-to-face with the future,” said Seyfer. “Learn about what cars are doing today and tomorrow from the engineers who build them. How does the independent repair shop fit into this world? You will only know if you attend CARS and attend this session.”
Business has changed, said Seyfer, “and things that were effective a few years ago are no longer working.” To help bring attendees up-to-date, ASA is enlisting the aid of notables such as Vin Waterhouse, Rissy Sutherland, Danny Sanchez and Margie Seyfer – experts, all, in their respective fields.
Always a concern are employee issues, including successfully integrating new employees into the business. Bill Haas, industry consultant and trainer, has a new class that will provide shop owners the tools they need to help new employees fit right in.
On the technical side, since CARS 2014 will be in the Motor City, representatives from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors will all be presenting classes. Pete Meier will help you bring those lab scopes back out to aid you in diagnosis for a new generation of cars.
“Speaking of diagnosis,” said Seyfer, “we are going to push the boundaries of your diagnostic techniques and understanding with presentations by Mark Warren and Chris Chesney – both technical wizards. They will bring new programs that will take your diagnosticians to areas many of them will find completely – that’s right, completely – NEW.”
Seyfer said ASA’s board of directors and members of the association’s Mechanical Operations Committee “are excited” to present a different approach to training at CARS this year. “We surveyed members, asking what their biggest challenges were in running their business and repairing cars, and we took the dominant responses and sought out trainers to provide insight and new skills to solve those problems.”
In short, said Seyfer, CARS is built for shop owners. “It’s built for your technicians and it is built for your sales staff,” he said. “ASA puts on a few ‘must attend’ programs each year. This year, CARS will be at the top of that list."
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