Must Read Articles of 2011

It is with great enthusiasm that I join the P&A Magazine team as managing editor. To be back and reconnecting with those in the industry has been great and I look forward to developing new business relationships with those I’ve yet to meet.

My past experience as executive editor with World of Special Finance Magazine has given me the fundamentals for putting together an industry specific publication. I trust the readers of P&A will continue to find this magazine informative and resourceful.

Be sure to watch for new features throughout 2012. The first of which will be the growth of our Resource channel where we will feature articles on a variety of segments of our industry and profiles of those that service these areas.

We welcome the suggestions and contributions that make P&A Magazine the first resource readers turn to for information on the industry. Following are the Top 10 most read articles of the 2011. Thank you to all who have contributed to our publication!

1. A Certified Inspectors Program – A Must or Bust?

There have been an overwhelming number of reader comments and discussions, both among the staff here at P&A Magazine and among others in the industry. Because of this interest, I decided to consult with several people in the industry to see what they think an Inspector Certification Program should consist of and how it could benefit all parties involved.

2. Connecting Providers, Administrators and Dealers: e-Commerce Part 3 of 4

…The reasons why an electronic and paperless transaction process is important to the industry has been explored within P&A and at numerous industry functions, in trade journals, and around the water cooler. Beyond the efficiencies, error reductions, and cost savings we strive for in the often dysfunctional technology miasma we operate in, the questions is, which innovators will break through and effect the paradigm shift…

3. Connecting Providers, Administrators and Dealers: Administration Systems Part 1 of 4

The reality of interconnectivity between a dealer’s DMS system and those that provide goods and services to the dealership has been slow to evolve. When PC’s began to replace the old “green screens” in dealerships around the turn of the century, the genesis of the current revolution began.

4. Considerations When Designing New Products

…In developing a new product, there are, of course, many issues regarding policy language, pricing, marketing, systems, etc. We want to focus on some general considerations when developing…

5. Connecting Providers, Administrators and Dealers: Menu Systems – Part 2 of 4

In today’s dealerships, the menu systems in use have become the means for not only presenting the dealership’s financial and aftermarket options in a consistent and compliant manner, but have become the new portal for connecting to many of the third party systems available to the modern F&I manager.

6. Recent Developments In the Law Affecting Vehicle Service Contracts

…These changes took the form of legislative enactments, or revisions to existing legislation, and a number of note worthy court decisions affecting vehicle service contracts. While some of these recent developments in the law expressly targeted vehicle service contracts, other changes tangentially affect the vehicle service contract…

7. OEM’s Embrace Mobile Apps Providers Enter Market

Everyone in the supply chain, from the provider to the consumer, benefits from immediate access to information. The popularity of smartphones and tablets has created a whole new platform to reach the consumer…

8. Another Possible Option For Pre-Paid Scheduled Maintenance

…The statistical improbability of many F&I products paying a claim, it could be argued, is directly proportional to how difficult they are to sell and why penetrations are not higher …

9. Inverse Relationship: Vehicle Technology Versus VSC Costs

Today’s vehicles are rapidly increasing in complexity and are loaded with sophisticated technology. Compare a similarly equipped vehicle from as recent as ten years ago with a current model of the same brand, and no one could argue that there is considerably more value…

10. Hyundai’s New Trade-in Value Guarantee

…What are the risks? In many ways, this program is similar to a lease with a guaranteed purchase amount from Hyundai. However…