Contact:	Angie Wilson (800) 272-7467, ext. 216 angie@asashop.org
For Release:	Immediate News Bulletin ASA-49 July 31, 2008

ASA Hosts Service Information Workshops in North Carolina, Oklahoma

Seminars focus on demonstrating variety of information sources available to service professionals.

BEDFORD, TEXAS, July 31, 2008 - The Automotive Service Association (ASA) recently hosted six more Service Information Workshops in North Carolina and Oklahoma. These workshops are being held to educate shop owners and technicians about the availability of service information to automotive repair shops.

John Francis III, co-owner, Francis Automotive Services, West Chester, Pa., led three North Carolina workshops in Winston-Salem, Raleigh and Charlotte on behalf of the association; Donny Seyfer, co-owner, Seyfer Automotive, Wheat Ridge, Colo., led three Oklahoma workshops in Tulsa, Lawton and Oklahoma City on behalf of the association. Representatives from American Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai were also present to assist with the seminars.

The agenda included education on computers and Internet resources necessary to access service information, use of manufacturer and third-party Web sites and diagnostic tools that may assist in handling the repair most efficiently. Additionally, the instructors explained the role of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF), which accommodates the identification and correction of gaps in automotive service information, diagnostic tools and equipment, and training.

Attendees were able to ask questions to address specific service information issues they have experienced. The meetings concluded with drawings for training videos and subscriptions to automaker service information Web sites. Attendees Terry Gregoire, Gastonia, N.C.; Matt Nance, Raleigh, N.C.; and Stuart Roberts, Winston-Salem, N.C., were each awarded a subscription to an automaker Web site. In addition, every attendee at the Oklahoma sessions was awarded a five-day "free pass" to Honda's service information Web site, as well as other training and educational materials.

ASA believes the current voluntary, industry-supported service information process protects independent repairers and consumers by allowing them access to the same information available to manufacturers and dealers. The workshops in North Carolina and Oklahoma are part of ASA's efforts to educate shop owners and technicians about current systems and how they can manage the service information options available to them.

Additional workshops are scheduled for New Mexico, Nevada and Florida. For more information, including dates, locations and times, visit www.ASAshop.org/KEYS.

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry. ASA's headquarters is in Bedford, Texas.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA's legislative Web site at www.TakingTheHill.com.

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