I had the chance this month to sit down and have lunch with George Avery from State Farm. In person he is a pretty decent guy and not at all like anything that I have read about him on the internet. I am as interested in the details of the new State Farm and Parts Trader Body Shop program as much as anyone. I went to Lansing, MI for the ASA meeting and even arranged an ASA meeting up in Marquette, but we had to cancel that after no body shops in the U.P. wanted to go. After talking to Mr. Avery I feel a lot better about the program than I did earlier. The Body Shops will still have control over where they buy parts from and will still sell them at suggested retail price. The down sides are the shops will have to use more used and aftermarket than ever before, but what insurance company is not pushing that. We will also not be able to price match parts, which we do every day now. I will work on finding a way around that. I am not saying that I like the program, but I do feel a lot better about it and appreciate Mr. Avery sitting down with me and answering my questions.
If you have any questions or concerns please email me at
parts@gandrud.com and I promise to get back to you.
Thanks!
Chris Slack
Parts Manager
Upcoming Events:
Sept 21-23 - C.A.N. Conference, Chicago, IL, Click Here.
Oct 25-29 - ATRA Powertrain Expo, Las Vegas, NV, Click Here. For a free pass to the show, Click Here.
Nov 29 - Dec 1 - PRI, Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, Orlando, FL, Click Here.
Dec 6-8 - IMIS, International Motorsports Industry Show, Indianapolis, IN, Click Here.
Latest News:
GM - Here is an ACDelco brochure that shows how our competition, while claiming to be the OE manufacturer, has made engineering changes which could jeopardize vehicle performance. Click Here.
GM - Gandrud will be adding a line of Aftermarket Reman Engines in our inventory to offer our customers a low cost alternative to GM Engines. We will have more information soon, so stay tuned.
GM - Certain 2011-2012 Chevrolet Express, Silverado and Suburban, and GMC Savannah, Sierra and Yukon XL vehicles with a 10.5" rear axle may have a condition in which a grinding noise and vibration may occur. Click Here.
Mopar - Gandrud has the best prices for Mopar Reman engines and transmissions.
Click Here and then
Here to read about our current promotion.
Nissan - Nissan has a new program that awards points that can be used to get quality reward items and gift certificates. And the best part is that it is abolutely free to shops. It is like getting paid to buy from Gandrud. For information, Click Here.
I have 4 Yokohama Avid Touring-S tires in P215/65R16 size. They normally sell for $119 each, but our We Must Be Nuts! price is $75 each. I can't ship them for this price, so this is for pickup or delivery on our trucks only. -- We still have these tires in inventory, they are now priced at $50 each!
This week the Employee Spotlight shines upon Chad Zellner. Chad has been working hard here at Gandrud since January of 2008. He is the backbone of the Warehouse Shipping Department. He's the guy you can count on to make sure you get your parts delivered to you! In his spare time, Chad enjoys watching sports. It's safe to say the the Packers and the Brewers are his top teams. Next time you stop in at Gandrud, make sure you wave and say hi to Chad!
