Automotive Repairs

plus 1, Reportlinker Adds Automotive Aftermarket in North ... - TMCnet

2010-03-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Reportlinker Adds Automotive Aftermarket in North ... - TMCnet

Reportlinker Adds Automotive Aftermarket in North ... - TMCnet

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 11:29 AM PDT

NEW YORK, March 30, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Automotive Aftermarket in North America http://www.reportlinker.com/p0184157/Automotive-Aftermarket-in-North-America.html Demand to grow 3.1% annually through 2014 The aftermarket in North America for light vehicle components and parts will rise 3.1 percent yearly to $71.8 billion in 2014, a slowdown from the 2004 to 2009 performance. Growth will be restrained by the expected rebound in new vehicle production and sales, which will help to remove older vehicles of prime aftermarket service age from the North American fleet. In addition, continued improvement in light vehicle reliability and durability will limit aftermarket opportunities, although the greater cost and complexity of vehicle systems will provide some offsetting support. Moderating raw material costs from high 2009 levels will also restrict value gains to some extent.

Electronics to be fastest growing segment The largest product category in the aftermarket will continue to be mechanical products, which includes non-electrical/ electronic engine hard parts; and chassis, drivetrain and suspension parts and components. However, growth will be limited by the improved quality of these already highly durable products. In contrast, the smaller electronic parts and components segment will see the fastest increases, a direct result of the continued transformation of the automobile from a mechanical machine with electronic enhancements into a software-driven device. Demand for electronic controls and modules will remain strong, despite continued quality increases, as more vehicle systems shift to electronics. However, improvements in some OEM electronic systems, particularly entertainment devices, will limit aftermarket upgrading of these products. The large aftermarket tire segment will also see above average growth, supported by the expected rebound in average miles driven, which had declines in 2008 for the first time in recent history and remained weak in 2009.

Professional service performers to remain dominant The dominance of professional service providers will continue to grow, as vehicles become more difficult to diagnose and repair. For much of the past decade, vehicle dealerships had been capturing a rising share of the professional market, supported by longer-term warranties and more complex vehicle systems requiring diagnostic devices that communicate with the vehicle's onboard computer. While these trends will remain in place, the large number of dealer closures in 2008 and 2009 as the Big Three US automakers faced financial difficulties should restrain growth in dealer service. Smaller, more local service providers such as garages and service stations, as well as large specialist repair chains are expected to benefit, since they offer consumers convenient locations. The increasing vehicle complexity and greater difficulty diagnosing vehicle repair needs will continue to limit DIY aftermarket opportunities. Furthermore, the key reason given by most DIYers for opting to perform their own repairs is to save money, and as consumers become both more affluent and older, they tend to prefer do-it-for-me service for all but the most basic repairs and maintenance. While the US dominates the North American aftermarket, accounting for approximately 85 percent of the regional total, both Canada and Mexico are expected to see more rapid gains through 2014. The Mexican automotive aftermarket will see the fastest growth among the three nations, spurred by the rising affluence of Mexican consumers who increasingly demand more complex, fully-featured vehicles and by Mexico's rapidly expanding vehicle park. Study coverage This new study, Automotive Aftermarket in North America, presents historical demand data (1999, 2004, 2009) and forecasts for 2014 and 2019 by country (US, Canada, Mexico), product and service performer. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 44 industry competitors.

To order this report: : Automotive Aftermarket in North America More Market Research Report Check our Company Profile, SWOT and Revenue Analysis! Contact: Nicolas Bombourg Reportlinker Email: nbo@reportlinker.com US: (805)652-2626 Intl: +1 805-652-2626 SOURCE Reportlinker

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Who's News - sheboyganpress.com

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:09 AM PDT

Spice named St. Nicholas financial site manager

Cory J. Spice, a CPA, recently accepted the position of financial site manager for St. Nicholas Hospital.

Spice will be responsible for the day-to-day financial operations at St. Nicholas Hospital. He also will be working with hospital leadership on local financial issues, coordinating the annual audit, assisting with budgeting and supervising specific divisional functions such as payroll, productivity and accounts payable.

Spice has nine years of experience in the financial sector of the health care industry and received his bachelor of science degree in accounting from Carroll College in Waukesha.

Spice is from Green Bay, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Healthcare Financial Management Association and has been serving as treasurer on the Brown County United Way board of directors and its executive committee for the last four years.

Five employees join Van Horn Hyundai

Five new employees have joined Van Horn Hyundai in Sheboygan. They are:

Elizabeth Nett, as a custom finance specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in communications from St. Norbert College and recently moved to Sheboygan from DePere.

Skylar Watson, as a sales and leasing consultant. Watson is a Sheboygan native and a South High graduate, who also attended UW-Sheboygan from 2006-08.

Jeff Johnson, as a bodyshop technician, who has more than 15 years of automotive experience.

Sean Hackney, as a service technician. He is enrolled at Lakeshore Technical College for automotive repairs. Hackney spent four years in the Marine Corps as a diesel mechanic, and recently moved to the Sheboygan area from Havelock, N.C.

David Tauschek as a service technician. He has more than 35 years of experience in the automotive industry.

Jean Sweet hired by Maritime Insurance Group

Maritime Insurance Group has hired Jean Sweet as an account manager in the commercial division at the Sheboygan office. As a licensed property and casualty agent, Sweet has more than 18 years of experience in the insurance industry, all within commercial lines.

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The “Auto Mechanics in the US - Industry Market Research ... - PR Inside”

2010-03-29T15:16:00.001-07:00

The “Auto Mechanics in the US - Industry Market Research ... - PR Inside”

Auto Mechanics in the US - Industry Market Research ... - PR Inside

Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:36 AM PDT

2010-03-29 18:37:01 - Auto Mechanics in the US - Industry Market Research Report - a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com

This Industry Market Research report provides a detailed analysis of the Auto Mechanics in the US industry, including key growth trends, statistics, forecasts, the competitive environment including market shares and the key issues facing the industry. Industry Definition Auto mechanics generally repair and maintain automotive vehicles such as passenger cars,

trucks, vans and trailers. Repairs are usually of a mechanical nature and more recently, electrical repairs have become standard due to the widespread use of electronic technology in automobiles. Auto mechanics often work on their own account or for small companies, generally known as automotive repair shops, garages and car care centers. Report Contents The Key Statistics chapter provides the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics included are industry revenue, industry gross product, employment, establishments, exports, imports, domestic demand and total wages. The Market Characteristics chapter covers the following: Market Size, Linkages, Demand Determinants, Domestic and International Markets, Basis of Competition and Life Cycle. The Market Size section gives the size of the domestic market as well as the size of the export market. The Linkages section lists the industry´s major supplier and major customer industries. The Demand Determinants section lists the key factors which are likely to cause demand to rise or fall. The Domestic and International Markets section defines the market for the products and services of the industry. This section provides the size of the domestic market and the proportion accounted for by imports and exports and trends in the levels of imports and exports. The Basis of Competition section outlines the key types of competition between firms within the industry as well as highlighting competition from substitute products in alternative industries. The Life Cycle section provides an analysis of which stage of development the industry is at. The Segmentation chapter covers the following: Products and Service Segmentation, Major Market Segments, Industry Concentration and Geographic Spread. The Products and Service Segmentation section details the key products and/or services provided by this industry, highlighting the most important where possible to demonstrate which have a more significant influence over industry results as a whole. The Major Market Segments section details the key client industries and/or groups as well as giving an indication as to which of these are the most important to the industry. The Industry Concentration section provides an indicator of how much industry revenue is accounted for by the top four players. The Geographic Spread section provides a guide to the regional share of industry revenue/gross product. The Industry Conditions chapter covers the following: Barriers to Entry, Taxation, Industry Assistance, Regulation and Deregulation, Cost Structure, Capital and Labor Intensity, Technology and Systems, Industry Volatility and Globalization. The Barriers to Entry section outlines factors that can prevent a new company from entering this industry and also gives an indication of the extent to which this occurs. The Taxation section details all kinds of taxation that are specific or are particularly important to this industry, including taxation concessions. The Industry Assistance section refers to any government and/or other measures designed to improve the performance of this industry. The Regulation and Deregulation section details any applicable regulation and/or deregulation to this industry. The Cost Structure section details the average costs for a company operating in this industry as a percentage of total revenue. The Capital and Labor Intensity section provides a guide to the amount of capital used in production/providing a service compared to the amount of labor in the total mix of inputs. The Technology and Systems section acknowledges the latest technology and/or systems available to this industry within the country. Technology refers to machinery and equipment and systems refers to methods of production that enable better and more efficient production. The Industry Volatility section refers to the year on year fluctuations which occur in industry output. The Globalization section gives an indication of the extent to which the industry is global based on factors such as the level of foreign ownership, the proportion of demand accounted for by foreign operators and the volume of production conducted in other countries. The Performance chapter provides an analysis of both the industry´s Current Performance and Historical Performance. The Current Performance section provides the key analysis for the industry over the past five years with key performance indicators discussed. The Historical Performance section details previously important events in the development of the industry. The Key Competitors chapter lists the major players in the industry as well as an analysis of each major player´s activities in the industry. Market share information is included where possible. The Key Factors chapter covers the industry´s Key Sensitivities and Key Success Factors. The Key Sensitivities section outlines the key factors that are outside the control of an operator in the industry, but are likely to have significant impact on a business. The Key Success Factors section details the factors within the control of an industry operator and which should be followed in order to be successful in the industry. Often this will include behavior that will help to minimize the effects of the Key Sensitivities. The Outlook chapter is a key analysis section of the report and outlines expectations for the key industry indicators over the next five year period, including forecasts.

Click for report details: www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Industry-Profile/auto-mechan ..

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The “Who's News - sheboyganpress.com”

2010-03-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

The “Who's News - sheboyganpress.com”

Who's News - sheboyganpress.com

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:09 AM PDT

Spice named St. Nicholas financial site manager

Cory J. Spice, a CPA, recently accepted the position of financial site manager for St. Nicholas Hospital.

Spice has nine years of experience in the financial sector of the health care industry and received his bachelor of science degree in accounting from Carroll College in Waukesha.

Five employees join Van Horn Hyundai

Five new employees have joined Van Horn Hyundai in Sheboygan. They are:

Elizabeth Nett, as a custom finance specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in communications from St. Norbert College and recently moved to Sheboygan from DePere.

Skylar Watson, as a sales and leasing consultant. Watson is a Sheboygan native and a South High graduate, who also attended UW-Sheboygan from 2006-08.

Jeff Johnson, as a bodyshop technician, who has more than 15 years of automotive experience.

David Tauschek as a service technician. He has more than 35 years of experience in the automotive industry.

Jean Sweet hired by Maritime Insurance Group

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The “Carr Automotive offers complete vehicle repair service - Roswell Daily Record”

2010-03-27T15:03:00.001-07:00

The “Carr Automotive offers complete vehicle repair service - Roswell Daily Record”

Carr Automotive offers complete vehicle repair service - Roswell Daily Record

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 10:40 PM PDT

Allison's Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning says 'Clean carpets last longer'
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Allison's Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning in Roswell has been cleaning carpet and upholstery for 25 years. Harry Allison feels that people are looking for reasonable prices, good workmanship and trustworthiness. With the economy the way it is, it really makes sense to take... Full Story »

Culligan of Roswell & Ruidoso
Monday, March 22, 2010 Updated: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

"Hey! Culligan Man!"® Just say the words and you will get quality service. Culligan has been delivering better water through better service since 1936. Culligan has created the world's largest network of trained service technicians to back the industry's broadest line of water treatment equipment. ... Full Story »

Curves of Roswell offers FREE REGISTRATION with a donation of nonperishable food which will benefit Lend-A-Hand of Roswell
Wednesday, March 17, 2010

For more than a decade, Curves clubs have rallied to help stock the shelves of local food pantries all over the world. This year they'll continue the Curves tradition by collecting nonperishable food items for those in need right here in our community. Curves... Full Story »

The Cappuccino Grill in the Roswell International Airport Terminal offers breakfast and lunch
Monday, March 15, 2010

The Cappuccino Grill is located in the Roswell International Airport Terminal. The Grill is open from 6:00 until 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, and from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. for lunch, Monday through Friday. They are open from 6:00 until 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and... Full Story »

Merry Maids celebrates sixteen and a half years in Roswell!
Thursday, March 11, 2010 Updated: Friday, March 12, 2010

Merry Maids Makes Cleaning A Breeze Wouldn't it be great if, after working all day, you could walk in your home and it would be spotlessly clean? Most homemakers have to clean during the evenings after work, or spend their weekends cleaning. But there is... Full Story »

DOOR TECHS, LLC - Customer satisfaction guaranteed
Tuesday, March 09, 2010

DOOR TECHS, LLC offers outstanding service for all makes and models of garage doors and operators. Customer service and satisfaction are top priority for this locally owned and operated business. DOOR TECHS, LLC provides service to not only Roswell, but to all of southeastern... Full Story »

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plus 1, All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

2010-03-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

plus 1, All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:54 PM PDT

One of a kind high profile commercial property used for auto maintenance and repairs. Property is still set up with tools and three auto lifts in place for auto repair. All trade fixtures and personal property are not included in purchase price of real estate but is in place and for sale as well. Incredible chance to open auto repair business in a high profile location with a 6200 sq. ft. +/- private lot main shop is approximately 2200 sq.ft. +/- .There are three buildings on the property. This is a probate sale court confirmation may not be necessary.

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Spring roadwork begins to sprout - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:59 AM PDT

It's not stacking up to become an unbearable year of roadwork for drivers within Chicago city limits — so long as you're willing to look beyond the construction fest that is about to begin on the Eisenhower Expressway, Wacker Drive and Congress Parkway.

Elsewhere, about 45 miles of Chicago streets are slated for resurfacing in 2010, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. A final list of projects still is being developed and contracts have not been awarded yet, said CDOT spokesman Brian Steele, but work is expected to begin in the spring and run through the fall.

After several years of minimal street resurfacing in Chicago because of state funding shortfalls, dozens of projects were carried out last year using federal stimulus funds.

"The resurfacing helped CDOT address some of the most pothole-plagued sections of streets in the city, allowing pothole repair crews to focus on other areas in need," Steele said.

The biggest resurfacing projects set for this year, based on average daily traffic counts, are on:

• Lake Shore Drive, from Irving Park Road to Belmont Avenue.

•North Avenue, from Cicero to Central avenues.

•79th Street, from Western to Kedzie avenues.

•Cicero Avenue, from 71st to 79th streets.

•State Street, from Roosevelt Road to 18th Street.

•Chicago Avenue, from Laramie to Grand avenues.

Meanwhile, the state is completing its rehab of the Bishop Ford Freeway, which is the main link between Chicago, the southern suburbs and northwest Indiana.

Most of the highway, shoulder and ramp resurfacing and bridge work was done last year on the Bishop Ford (Interstate Highway 94) from King Drive on the north to 159th Street on the south.The cost was about $27.5 million in stimulus funds, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The new asphalt road surface, expected to last 10 to 15 years, "will buy us more time until the next reconstruction," said Jacek Tyszkiewicz, IDOT project implementation engineer for the Chicago area. The most recent partial resurfacing was done in 1998 on the heavily truck-traveled highway, officials said.

The resurfacing work on the 9-mile stretch of the Ford, formerly called the Calumet Expressway, started last May and is mostly completed, but crews still need to apply an anti-icing membrane on bridge decks, Tyszkiewicz said. It will require temporary night and weekend lane closures near the bridges, he said.

"We need to have good weather during the day — 50 to 55 degrees or warmer, and dry," said Tyszkiewicz, who is also overseeing the resurfacing of the Eisenhower (Interstate Highway 290) and the rehabilitation of the Congress Parkway bridge over the Chicago River.

Occasional night lane closures will occur on the Ford until mid-July to make room for crews to install detector loops in the pavement that are used to produce travel-time estimates, rumble strips on shoulders, raised pavement markers and other work.

There also will be one lane closed between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July for bridge work, resulting in only two lanes open in each direction, said IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias.

The Eisenhower work will cover 27 miles from Thorndale Avenue to the Circle Interchange downtown, and on Interstate Highway 355 between Army Trail Road and I-290.

Eisenhower traffic will be reduced by one lane in each direction during repairs, which include replacing decking on 37 bridges, IDOT said. The $95 million project is scheduled for completion in the fall.

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plus 1, Automotive Aftermarket in North America available ... - PRLog (free press release)

2010-03-25T15:16:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Automotive Aftermarket in North America available ... - PRLog (free press release)

Automotive Aftermarket in North America available ... - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:04 PM PDT

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 25, 2010 – Automotive Aftermarket in North America

Demand to grow 3.1% annually through 2014
The aftermarket in North America for light vehicle components and parts will rise 3.1 percent yearly to $71.8 billion in 2014, a slowdown from the 2004 to 2009 performance. Growth will be restrained by the expected rebound in new vehicle production and sales, which will help to remove older vehicles of prime aftermarket service age from the North American fleet. In addition, continued improvement in light vehicle reliability and durability will limit aftermarket opportunities, although the greater cost and complexity of vehicle systems will provide some offsetting support. Moderating raw material costs from high 2009 levels will also restrict value gains to some extent. ( http://www.bharatbook.com/ detail.asp?id= 133063&rt=Automo ... )

Electronics to be fastest growing segment
The largest product category in the aftermarket will continue to be mechanical products, which includes non-electrical/ electronic engine hard parts; and chassis, drivetrain and suspension parts and components. However, growth will be limited by the improved quality of these already highly durable products. In contrast, the smaller electronic parts and components segment will see the fastest increases, a direct result of the continued transformation of the automobile from a mechanical machine with electronic enhancements into a software-driven device. Demand for electronic controls and modules will remain strong, despite continued quality increases, as more vehicle systems shift to electronics. However, improvements in some OEM electronic systems, particularly entertainment devices, will limit aftermarket upgrading of these products. The large aftermarket tire segment will also see above average growth, supported by the expected rebound in average miles driven, which had declines in 2008 for the first time in recent history and remained weak in 2009.

The increasing vehicle complexity and greater difficulty diagnosing vehicle repair needs will continue to limit DIY aftermarket opportunities. Furthermore, the key reason given by most DIYers for opting to perform their own repairs is to save money, and as consumers become both more affluent and older, they tend to prefer do-it-for-me service for all but the most basic repairs and maintenance.

While the US dominates the North American aftermarket, accounting for approximately 85 percent of the regional total, both Canada and Mexico are expected to see more rapid gains through 2014. The Mexican automotive aftermarket will see the fastest growth among the three nations, spurred by the rising affluence of Mexican consumers who increasingly demand more complex, fully-featured vehicles and by Mexico's rapidly expanding vehicle park.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/ detail.asp?id= 133063&rt=Automo ...

Bharat Book Bureau
Tel: +91 22 27578668
Fax: +91 22 27579131
Email: info@bharatbook.com
Website: www.bharatbook.com
Blog: http://bharatbookresearch.blogspot.com
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/ 3bbharatbook

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AutoBody Alliance Approves Gerber Collision & Glass ... - PR-USA.net

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 03:00 AM PDT

Gerber Collision & Glass, one of the largest collision and glass repair companies in North America, has been approved to join the AutoBody Alliance network of high-valued repair facilities. AutoBody Alliance facilities are carefully selected based on a number of strict certification requirements in order to provide a comprehensive network of trusted, quality body shops throughout the United States. Auto repair facilities in the AutoBody Alliance network are committed to providing quality services with a lifetime warranty to consumers through the use of qualified technicians and modern technology in order to bring vehicles to their pre-accident condition.

"They are a valuable addition to the AutoBody Alliance Network."

"Gerber Collision & Glass has been a reputable fixture in the automotive repair industry for many years," said Steve Bruce, President of Quality Claims Solutions. "They are a valuable addition to the AutoBody Alliance Network."

About Gerber Collision & Glass

Gerber Collision & Glass is a wholly owned operating division of The Boyd Group (US) Inc. Gerber has been dedicated to a philosophy of providing quality repairs and services to insurance companies and their customers since 1937. Currently operating 53 collision repair and auto glass centers in seven states, Gerber has over 800 employees. For more information on Gerber, please visit our Web site at http://www.gerbercollision.com.

About the AutoBody Alliance Network

AutoBody Alliance is a network of trusted and verified auto body repair facilities throughout the country available to consumers searching online for body shops, as well as to insurance carriers wanting to expand their areas of shop coverage. AutoBody Alliance provides multiple useful tools to help simplify the repair process for all involved including an online search, the ability for carriers to custom tailor their own network list and electronically dispatch and track assignments. AutoBody Alliance is a service offering through Quality Claims Solutions, a long time provider of value-added services to the insurance industry. For more information on the AutoBody Alliance network, visit http://www.AutoBodyAlliance.com or call 1-866-649-4515.

AutoBodyAlliance.com is your one-stop source for finding auto body repair facilities in the United States. Our database has over 50,000 different body shops to choose from throughout the country which can be found by a combination of name, geography and by the services they provide in order to help you find a reputable shop that meets your needs for all of your automotive damage repairs.

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The “Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ... - Chicago Tribune”

2010-03-24T15:19:00.001-07:00

The “Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ... - Chicago Tribune”

Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ... - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:53 AM PDT

Washington - Toyota owners who are dissatisfied with the repairs to their vehicles covered by a massive recall to address sticky gas pedals can have replacement accelerator pedals installed, according to a memo the company sent to dealers.

The Japanese automaker said in a memo obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press that if a customer is unhappy with the feel of the accelerator after the car is repaired, dealers can provide a replacement pedal at no charge.

Dealers have been inserting a piece of metal into the gas pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that was causing the pedal problem on 2.3 million vehicles involved in a January recall.

"A replacement pedal should only be offered to a customer after the reinforcement bar has been installed and the customer has expressed dissatisfaction with the operation and/or feel of the pedal," Toyota said in a memo to dealers, service manager and parts managers.

The memo, dated February 2010, said the pedal replacement "is based upon specific customer request only. Dealers are not to solicit pedal replacement." The memo was first reported by the New York Times.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said owners received letters in February that mentioned they could receive a replacement accelerator pedal "if the customer is not satisfied with the appearance or performance" of their fixed vehicle. He said the memo was intended to tell dealers about "an improved parts-ordering process for the accelerator pedals" and didn't represent "a customer satisfaction policy change."

An AP review of government data found that more than 100 owners have complained to the government about problems with sudden acceleration after Toyota dealers fixed their vehicles. Toyota has said it is confident in its repairs and has found no evidence of other problems, such as faulty electronics.

Toyota has issued about 10 million recalls worldwide recently over gas pedals that stick or can become trapped in floor mats and other safety issues, tarnishing the company's safety reputation and leading to government investigations and congressional hearings.

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plus 1, Keller Automotive opens on Birchwood Avenue in ... - Bellingham Herald

2010-03-23T15:20:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Keller Automotive opens on Birchwood Avenue in ... - Bellingham Herald

Keller Automotive opens on Birchwood Avenue in ... - Bellingham Herald

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 11:56 PM PDT

Keller Automotive, offering a complete array of maintenance, repair and detailing services, opened Monday, March 15 at 1601 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham.

Owner Scott Keller has 30 years of experience in vehicle maintenance and repairs and received factory training from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche. He previously served as a shop manager before opening Keller Automotive. The other technicians at Keller Automotive are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

Keller Automotive offers lube and oil changes on a first-come, first-served basis. The shop also has three bays with the diagnostic equipment and tools necessary for repairs and other service tasks, including tune-ups, transmissions, alternators, starters and air-conditioning systems.

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Toyota will replace pedals for unhappy owners 10:59 AM ... - Dallas Morning News

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 08:53 AM PDT

WASHINGTON -- Toyota has told dealers it will provide replacement accelerator pedals to owners who are unsatisfied with their repairs under the massive recall following dozens of complaints about the fix.

The Japanese automaker said in a memo obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press that if a customer is unhappy with the feel of the accelerator after the car is repaired, dealers can provide a replacement pedal at no charge. Dealers have been inserting a piece of metal into the gas pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that was causing the pedal problem on more than 4 million vehicles involved in a January recall.

An AP analysis of government data found that more than 100 owners have complained to the government about problems with sudden acceleration after Toyota dealers fixed their vehicles. Toyota has said it is confident in its repairs and has found no evidence of other problems, such as faulty electronics.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles globally over sticky pedals and accelerators that can become entrapped in floor mats, tarnishing the company's safety reputation and leading to government investigations and congressional hearings.

The memo addresses Toyota vehicles that were listed in the January recall. The vehicles include: the 2005-10 Avalon; 2007-10 Camry and Tundra; 2009-10 Corolla, Matrix and RAV4; 2008-10 Sequoia and 2010 Highlander.

"If a customer is not satisfied with the operation and/or the feel of the accelerator pedal after the reinforcement bar has been installed, please assist us by assuring a replacement pedal is provided at no charge to these customers," the company said in the memo.

Officials with Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not immediately comment.

A group of consumer advocates and engineers who contend Toyota has discounted potential electronic problems in problem vehicles planned to hold a news conference Tuesday on the massive recalls. Toyota has said it has found no evidence that electrical issues are behind the recalls.

Kristen Tabar, an electronics general manager with Toyota's technical center in Ann Arbor, Mich., said in a video clip posted by the company on Monday that the automaker has eight labs in Japan that it uses to bombard vehicles with electronic interference.

She said Toyota ensures that "every system in the vehicle operates properly under those conditions."

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The “Providing Services for Auto Locksmith Brooklyn - PRLog (free press release)”

2010-03-22T15:25:00.001-07:00

The “Providing Services for Auto Locksmith Brooklyn - PRLog (free press release)”

Providing Services for Auto Locksmith Brooklyn - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:26 AM PDT

art computerized service vehicles are equipped with the most advanced tools and can reach you in 20 minutes flat. We can open your automobiles quickly without causing any damage, manufacture new keys or rekey the old ignition in your car.

Providing services for Residential locksmith, Commercial locksmith and Automotive Locksmith Brooklyn needs we have you covered? We are local locksmiths and that allow us to have express answer time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency locksmith Brooklyn services. Our confidence is in our repeat clients who use and refer our locksmith services over and over again.

If you require a locksmith, we are here to help you make the right decision for your: Residential locksmith services, Commercial locksmith services, Automotive Locksmith Services, Doors Installation Services and Secure Windows Services. You can rest assured that professional and dependable security service is always just a phone call away, Call Now (718) 304-8500! Visit Our Site: http://www.brooklyn- local-locksmith.com

Brooklyn Auto Locksmith :-
• Have you lost your car key?
• Have you been locked out of your car?
• Do you need to extract a broken key?
• Do you need to remove the club from your steering wheel? Or
• Whenever you are in need of any other emergency automotive locksmith service.

DON'T PANIC. Your Brooklyn Automotive Locksmith is just a phone call away. Dial 1800-965-5505 and Brooklyn Auto Locksmith Rekey team will reach you in no time, 24 hours a day.

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The “FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS”

2010-03-19T15:16:00.001-07:00

The “FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS”

FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 08:23 PM PDT

One article, A Closer Look at Rubio's Credit Card Use, listed a few charges as:

$1,000 for automotive repairs to Rubio's personal vehicle and $765 at Apple's online store. Rubio also billed the party for various expenses in Tallahassee during the legislative sessions in 2007 and 2008. Those bills included nearly $4,100 in restaurant tabs

My favorite item was found in another article - a charge of $130 charge at a Miami salon - for waxing his back - Eeeewwww!!!

On the other hand, I kinda like that bigwig Republican donors will have to explain that back hair removal constitutes electioneering - hah!

Here's another articlewith earlier details. Sadly, I note that these are found mostly from a few places such as Jacksonville, and NBC, etc. Fox News, on the other hand - is apoplectic - at Charlie Crist [flr the leak]

And here's another delicious item:

The former Speaker has also come under fire for booking a half-dozen plane tickets for his wife to travel with him.

"My wife was the first lady of the Florida House of Representatives, and it is absolutely appropriate for her to accompany me to official events and party functions," Rubio told the media.

Mark Murray of NBC News addressed that remark in his daily online column: "First lady of the Florida House of Representatives? Have you heard Harry Reid, Denny Hastert, etc. refer to their wives that way?"

Rubio's Response:

"During the two-year period in question, I made $16,052.50 in direct payments to AMEX to cover non-party related expenditures.[***] To the greatest extent possible, I made sure the Party never paid for any personal charges." [***]

[***] NOTE - Apparently the remaining $184 thousand in personal expenses constituted 'electioneering'

Here's an article in The Hill which downplays these credit card charges quite a bit and has zero humor. [I admit I've mostly been reading the Florida articles as they are just so funny...]

I will not link to the Fox articles but of course recommend teh Google for those of you who wish to compare and contrast the cited reports with those of our erstwhile "fair and balanced" News source...

So this is short diary, but hope the links provide some fun reading!

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plus 2, Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News

2010-03-18T15:14:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News

Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News
Phenomenal Automotive Services Professional Parks In ... - 24-7PressRelease.com
Amazing Automotive Services Professional Travels Down ... - 24-7PressRelease.com

Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 08:09 AM PDT

Service with a smile is often something that is just tossed about, but I kid you not, these fellows made a perfectly terrible day much more bearable.

Thank you Auto Truck Ambulance.

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Phenomenal Automotive Services Professional Parks In ... - 24-7PressRelease.com

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:55 PM PDT

CALGARY, AB, CANADA, March 18, 2010 /Stanford Who's Who/ -- Daryll McLean has been accepted among the ranks of leading professionals with Stanford Who's Who due to his spectacular work in the Automotive Services Industry. As Owner of Cars Inc. which is owned as Crowfoot Brake & Muffler, as well as throughout his incredible 21 year career, Daryll has routinely demonstrated the dedication and professionalism required to be successful in the business world.

Crowfoot Brake & Muffler provides automotive repairs and maintenance on all makes and models of cars. They also offer free courtesy cars to their customers should their car need to be in the shop longer than expected. Crowfoot Brake & Muffler offers a lifetime warranty on brake pads and shoes as well as free inspection and diagnostic testing. The shop also has a full selection of shocks and struts. Among the many services they provide are tune-ups, timing belts, batteries, alternators, tires and wheel alignments.

Daryll earned a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from FGBI College in 1983. He plans on franchising his company in the near future. Mr. McLean loves rebuilding old cars in his leisure time.

To view more information on Daryll McLean click here

About Stanford Who's Who
Stanford Who's Who empowers executives, professionals and entrepreneurs around the world. Our mission is to recognize successful individuals in multiple industries by providing a forum for networking, consulting, exposure and credibility to broadening one's future success. Realizing the power of forming business and professional relationships, we have created numerous resources that our members use for a multitude of reasons. With access to thousands of professional biographies of individuals in over 100 different industries, our members utilize our database to recruit others, to announce their career accomplishments, and for lasting, valuable relationships that extend beyond our membership program.

# # #

Press Release Keywords:

stanford who's who, daryll mclean, cars inc. crowfoot brake & muffler, automotive, automotive repair, auto repair, automotive services, repair, maintenance, calgary, alberta, canada

Read more press releases by Stanford Who's Who:

Stanford Who's Who Banks On The Fantastic Work Of Financial Services Professional
Stanford Who's Who Provides Lodging For Phenomenal Hospitality Professional
Exceptional Executive Director Of Child Abuse Council Joins The Distinguished Community Of Stanford Who's Who
Extraordinary Educator Of The Creative Arts Is A Real Hit With Stanford Who's Who
Dedicated Director Of Bible Camp Ascends To The Distinguished Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who
Stanford Who's Who Celebrates The Beautiful Work Of Cosmetics School Owner
Amazing Automotive Services Professional Travels Down The Road To The Prestigious Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who
Spectacular Real Estate Professional Earns The Recognition Of Stanford Who's Who
Magnificent Maritime Safety Training Professional Sails Into The Prestigious Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who
Creativity Is A Tool Of Therapy And An Emblem Of Expression

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Amazing Automotive Services Professional Travels Down ... - 24-7PressRelease.com

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:55 PM PDT

WOOLNER, NT, AUSTRALIA, March 18, 2010 /Stanford Who's Who/ -- Danny T. Probert has been acknowledged by Stanford Who's Who as a result of his magnificent work in the Automotive Services Industry. As Proprietor of Darwin Auto Mobile Care, as well as throughout his brilliant 20 year professional career, Danny has consistently performed at an exceptional level.

Darwin Auto Mobile Care provides automotive repair and maintenance services. The shop specializes in auto electrical repairs and fuel injection services. Mr. Probert regularly displays hi expertise in diagnostics and is actively involved in the management and marketing of the business.

Danny is a member of the Capricorn Association. Always keeping up with the automotive industry, he is a regular reader of Auto Auction and Modern Motor. Danny is an avid enthusiast of motor sports.

To view more information on Danny T. Probert click here

# # #

Press Release Keywords:

stanford who's who, danny t. probert, darwin auto mobile care, automotive, auto repair, automotive services, fuel injection, electrical, automotive repair, maintenance, woolner, northern territory, australia

Read more press releases by Stanford Who's Who:

Stanford Who's Who Banks On The Fantastic Work Of Financial Services Professional
Stanford Who's Who Provides Lodging For Phenomenal Hospitality Professional
Exceptional Executive Director Of Child Abuse Council Joins The Distinguished Community Of Stanford Who's Who
Extraordinary Educator Of The Creative Arts Is A Real Hit With Stanford Who's Who
Dedicated Director Of Bible Camp Ascends To The Distinguished Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who
Stanford Who's Who Celebrates The Beautiful Work Of Cosmetics School Owner
Spectacular Real Estate Professional Earns The Recognition Of Stanford Who's Who
Magnificent Maritime Safety Training Professional Sails Into The Prestigious Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who
Creativity Is A Tool Of Therapy And An Emblem Of Expression
Phenomenal Automotive Services Professional Parks In The Prestigious Ranks Of Stanford Who's Who

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The “AP Finds 100+ Complaints About Fixed Toyotas - WPXI”

2010-03-17T15:22:00.001-07:00

The “AP Finds 100+ Complaints About Fixed Toyotas - WPXI”

AP Finds 100+ Complaints About Fixed Toyotas - WPXI

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 01:32 PM PDT

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plus 2, FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS

2010-03-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

plus 2, FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS

FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS
Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News
"Snapshots New Zealand Retailing 2009" available at ... - PR Inside

FLA Senate race: Marco Rubio's BACKWAX & other Bona ... - DAILY KOS

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 08:23 PM PDT

One article, A Closer Look at Rubio's Credit Card Use, listed a few charges as:

$1,000 for automotive repairs to Rubio's personal vehicle and $765 at Apple's online store. Rubio also billed the party for various expenses in Tallahassee during the legislative sessions in 2007 and 2008. Those bills included nearly $4,100 in restaurant tabs

My favorite item was found in another article - a charge of $130 charge at a Miami salon - for waxing his back - Eeeewwww!!!

On the other hand, I kinda like that bigwig Republican donors will have to explain that back hair removal constitutes electioneering - hah!

And here's another delicious item:

The former Speaker has also come under fire for booking a half-dozen plane tickets for his wife to travel with him.

"My wife was the first lady of the Florida House of Representatives, and it is absolutely appropriate for her to accompany me to official events and party functions," Rubio told the media.

Mark Murray of NBC News addressed that remark in his daily online column: "First lady of the Florida House of Representatives? Have you heard Harry Reid, Denny Hastert, etc. refer to their wives that way?"

Rubio's Response:

"During the two-year period in question, I made $16,052.50 in direct payments to AMEX to cover non-party related expenditures.[***] To the greatest extent possible, I made sure the Party never paid for any personal charges." [***]

[***] NOTE - Apparently the remaining $184 thousand in personal expenses constituted 'electioneering'

Here's an article in The Hill which downplays these credit card charges quite a bit and has zero humor. [I admit I've mostly been reading the Florida articles as they are just so funny...]

So this is short diary, but hope the links provide some fun reading!

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Auto Truck Ambulance - La Grange Daily News

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 01:46 PM PST

Service with a smile is often something that is just tossed about, but I kid you not, these fellows made a perfectly terrible day much more bearable.

Thank you Auto Truck Ambulance.

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"Snapshots New Zealand Retailing 2009" available at ... - PR Inside

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 12:37 PM PDT

2010-03-15 20:37:47 - Recently published research from Snapdata International, "Snapshots New Zealand Retailing 2009", is now available at Fast Market Research

Snapdata's Snapshots New Zealand Retailing 2009 provides 2008 year-end market size data, with 2009 estimates, 5 years of historical data and five-year forecasts. The Snapshots report gives an instant overview of the New Zealand retailing market and covers automotive repairs/service/fuel, supermarket and grocery stores, department stores, clothing and softgoods retailing, appliance retailing, recreational goods, chemist, hardware, furniture and floor coverings,

bars and clubs, liquor, takeaway food, fresh produce, footwear, household equipment repair services, personal and household goods hiring and other retailing. Market size is based on retail sales. The data is supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation and analysis. The Snapshots New Zealand Retailing 2009 forms part of Snapdata's Retail industry coverage.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/53197_snapshots_new_zealand_retailing_2009.a ..

Report Table of Contents:

Page 3 - Snapshots Executive Summary
Page 4 - Category Definitions
Page 5 - Market Size by Value (2004 - 2008)
Page 6 - Market Segmentation by Value
Page 7 - Market Shares by Value
Page 8 - Company Websites (Main Players)
Page 9 - Market Forecast by Value (2009-2013)
Page 10 - Socio-Economic Data for New Zealand
Page 11 - Snapshots Sources for Further Research

About Snapshots

Snapshots has been publishing reliable global market reports for over 12 years, serving many of the world's leading blue chip companies. Snapshots clients rely upon the breadth of market data available, and the ease with which they can quickly understand an unknown market. Each Snapshots report is written by an established international in-house team of research analysts. Snapdata International publishes a range of unique data products designed to support your analysis. View more research from Snapdata International at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1012

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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The “Course helps owner navigate first year of ... - Longview News-Journal”

2010-03-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

The “Course helps owner navigate first year of ... - Longview News-Journal”

Course helps owner navigate first year of ... - Longview News-Journal

Posted: 13 Mar 2010 08:37 PM PST

In a challenging business and economic environment, having a competitive edge can make the difference between survival and sinking.

Tim Piggott knows first hand many of the obstacles a new entrepreneur goes through. It was about a year ago that he changed hats from an employee for the business he had worked for nearly seven years to owner.

Piggott is the owner of Longview Radiator and Automotive Repair Service at 1108 W. Marshall Ave.

When making the transition, Piggott said he felt comfortable in knowing the ropes of the repair side of the business.

What he was not so familiar with was the accounting and business office operations. Longview Radiator had been in business more than 50 years with the past 20 years under the ownership of Norm Hawes.

"I worked for Norm about seven years on a part-time and then full-time basis," Piggott said. He moved to full-time after graduating from LeTourneau University.

"The last couple of years I ran the shop," he said.

The transition of ownership was planned to be smooth with Hawes expecting to stay on board in an advisory capacity. That changed when an accident resulted in Hawes being hospitalized.

That put Piggott in the position of running the business he was about to take ownership of while monitoring the final weeks of construction on a new facility and attempting to learn the business office side of operations. The firm also was broadening its scope of service work from a strict focus on radiator work to handling a wide variety of automotive repairs.

Longview Radiator and Automotive also was in the process of hiring new staff.

"On the back side of the business, I had a steep learning curve," Piggott said of business office operations. This past spring, he enrolled in an eight-week business start-up course held by the Kilgore College Small Business Development Center.

Despite the time constraints and work demands, Piggott said making time to invest in the evening class sessions was a wise decision. He is already seeing the dividends from the broader understanding of the business.

Rather than focusing on theories, the Kilgore College Small Business Development Center business start-up course targets providing real world tips that new business owners such as Piggott and those considering making the plunge into entrepreneurship can put to use in managing their operations more efficiently.

"When I took the course last spring, it was really amazing how, on a weekly basis, we were going over in class a lot of what I was dealing with on the job," he said. With help from instructors in the class, Piggott was provided tips he was able to use in developing a business plan to take to the bank.

That business plan ultimately helped Piggott get the financing he needed to buy the business. He credits his faith, ongoing prayer and helpful tips picked up in the business start-up class with helping make the transition as smoothly as it has been.

"The Lord has really blessed us," Piggott said of his leap into the ownership side of business. "The winter months have really been a test of faith."

Those months are normally the slowest of the year in his business. That, combined with the recession, caused him some reservations about surviving.

"But we had the best February the business has ever had," Piggott said. "I would recommend that course to anyone considering going into business. I credit that with helping us turn a profit."

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plus 3, All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

2010-03-13T15:20:00.001-08:00

plus 3, All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal
Honest, friendly service is the motto at Lake Point ... - HometownLife.com
Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - new market report ... - PR Inside
New Market Report Now Available: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe ... - PR Inside

All Tech Automotive - San Francisco Business Journal

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 10:08 AM PST

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Honest, friendly service is the motto at Lake Point ... - HometownLife.com

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 04:09 PM PST

Q. Tell us about your business, including the types of services, and/or products your feature.

We are a small family-owned business that offers a full range of quality Napa brand automotive replacement parts, as well as quality original manufacturers' replacement parts.

Q. How did you first decide to open your business?

Automotive work has always been a passion of mine.

Q. Why did you choose the Huron Valley area?

Being close to home, I am always able to help my friends and family, as well as other members of my community with their automotive needs.

Q. What makes your business unique?

We are honest and business-oriented and will not sell you something you don't need.

Q. How has it changed since you opened?

We have tripled our customer service and continue to provide quality work.

Q. Do you have a funny tidbit or story to share with our readers about your experience so far as a small business owner?

After 10 years, all of our customers are treated like family, and we have gained many friendships from providing quality automotive repairs.

Q. How has the recent economy affected your business?

Due to the recent economic downturn, we have slowed down. But we stay consistent.

Q. Any advice for other business owners?

Watch how you treat your customers. Treat them how you expect to be treated.

Q. What's in store for the future of your business?

We plan to expand and take care of our customers in the community.

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Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - new market report ... - PR Inside

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 09:28 AM PST

2010-03-09 18:31:03 - Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com

www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Company-Profile/pep-boys-man ..

Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - SWOT Analysis examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy.

The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe

and Jack (Pep Boys) is engaged in the retail sale of automotive parts, tires and accessories, automotive repairs and maintenance, and the installation of parts. The company operates in the US. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and employs over 18,458 people. The company recorded revenues of $1,927.8 million during the financial year ended January 2009 (FY2009), a decrease of 9.8% compared to FY2008. The operating loss of the company was $9.9 million in FY2009, as compared to operating loss of $17 million in FY2008. The net loss was $30.4 million in FY2009, as compared to net loss of $41 million in FY2008.

Scope of the Report

- Provides all the crucial information on Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The required for business and competitor intelligence needs
- Contains a study of the major internal and external factors affecting Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The in the form of a SWOT analysis as well as a breakdown and examination of leading product revenue streams of Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
-Data is supplemented with details on Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The history, key executives, business description, locations and subsidiaries as well as a list of products and services and the latest available statement from Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The

Reasons to Purchase

- Support sales activities by understanding your customers' businesses better
- Qualify prospective partners and suppliers
- Keep fully up to date on your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects
- Obtain the most up to date company information available

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New Market Report Now Available: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe ... - PR Inside

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 12:52 PM PST

2010-03-06 21:55:43 - Datamonitor's Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The - SWOT Analysis examines the company's key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy.

The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe and Jack (Pep Boys) is engaged in the retail sale of automotive parts, tires and accessories, automotive repairs and maintenance, and the installation of parts. The company operates in the US. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and employs over 18,458 people. The company recorded revenues of $1,927.8 million during the financial year ended January 2009

(FY2009), a decrease of 9.8% compared to FY2008. The operating loss of the company was $9.9 million in FY2009, as compared to operating loss of $17 million in FY2008. The net loss was $30.4 million in FY2009, as compared to net loss of $41 million in FY2008.

Scope of the Report

* Provides all the crucial information on Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The required for business and competitor intelligence needs
* Contains a study of the major internal and external factors affecting Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The in the form of a SWOT analysis as well as a breakdown and examination of leading product revenue streams of Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
* Data is supplemented with details on Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The history, key executives, business description, locations and subsidiaries as well as a list of products and services and the latest available statement from Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The

Reasons to Purchase

* Support sales activities by understanding your customers' businesses better
* Qualify prospective partners and suppliers
* Keep fully up to date on your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects
* Obtain the most up to date company information available

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/50045_pep_boys_manny_moe_jack_the_swot_analy ..

Report Table of Contents:

This product typically includes the following sections:

SWOT COMPANY PROFILE: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Key Facts: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Company Overview: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Business Description: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Company History: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Key Employees: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Key Employee Biographies: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Products & Services Listing: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Products & Services Analysis: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
SWOT analysis: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Strengths: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Weaknesses: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Opportunities: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Threats: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Company View: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Top Competitors: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
Location and Subsidiary: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Head Office: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The
*Other Locations and Subsidiaries: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The

About Datamonitor

The Datamonitor Group is a world-leading provider of premium global business information, delivering independent data, analysis and opinion across the Automotive, Consumer Markets, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Logistics & Express, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare, Retail, Technology and Telecoms industries. Datamonitor's market intelligence products and services ensure that you will achieve your desired commercial goals by giving you the insight you need to best respond to your competitive environment. View more research from Datamonitor at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1002

About Fast Market Research

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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plus 3, Big River completes LEED Silver project - Memphis Business Journal

2010-03-12T15:18:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Big River completes LEED Silver project - Memphis Business Journal

Big River completes LEED Silver project - Memphis Business Journal
Newport Beach Clears Way for Tesla Dealership - Orange County Business Journal
Car Dealer Scams To Avoid - Forbes
Toyota hires 'third party' expert investigative team - WKYC

Big River completes LEED Silver project - Memphis Business Journal

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 12:52 PM PST

A former vacant warehouse Downtown has been renovated to LEED Silver certified status and is now the new home of Big River Engineering & Manufacturing.

The 8,500-square-foot warehouse at 85 N. Front St. becomes the second building in Memphis to become LEED Silver certified and just the third in Shelby County, according to officials with the Memphis chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Big River designs, fabricates and adds controls to custom-made machines that are used by such companies as Wright Medical Group Inc. and Smith & Nephew Inc. Big River earns $1 million-$2.5 million a year in revenue and employs 10-19 depending on work orders.

The project's design kept only the exterior walls and structure of the old building, which was built in the 1950s as an auto transmission repair shop and was later used as stables for the mounted division of the Memphis Police Department. All of the interiors and building systems are new.

"After weighing our options we felt like re-purposing the existing building was the right thing to do," said Tom Roehm, CEO at Big River, in a statement. "The size and location fit our needs. At that point, the decision to go for LEED certification was a natural fit."

The local chapter of USGBC has scheduled an open on March 18 from 5-7 p.m. so builders, architects and others can see the transformation and learn more about the advantages of having a LEED facility.

The tour will highlight many of the water and energy conserving features of facility, including skylights, automated daylighting controls and insulation made from 100 percent recycled products. The event is being held in conjunction with the Sierra Club's local Chickasaw Group.

Similar tours of other green facilities in Tennessee will be held throughout that week.

"Our built environment presents a tremendous opportunity as we look for ways to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions," said Peter Warren, architect with Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects Inc. and member of the USGBC-Memphis board, in a statement. "In addition, this project is a small, but significant local step toward reuse of our neglected Downtown building stock."

Askew Nixon was the project architect, Montgomery Martin the general contractor and Askew Hargraves Harcourt provided structural and civil engineering services. Big River will receive $10,000 from Memphis Light, Gas & Water as part of MLGW's LEED Incentive Grant Program.

For more information, visit http://chapters.usgbc.org/memphis.

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Newport Beach Clears Way for Tesla Dealership - Orange County Business Journal

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 01:50 PM PST

San Carlos-based Tesla Motors Inc. may be one step closer to opening a dealership in Newport Beach.

The city of Newport Beach has approved electric car repairs at an old Rolls-Royce building on Pacific Coast Highway.

The approval for repairs was one of the last hurdles for Tesla, which designs and makes electric sports cars that sell for about $100,000 or lease for $1,700 a month.

It's the only street-legal electric car so far.

Patrick Alford, Newport Beach city planning manager, said he's uncertain whether Tesla has signed a lease yet.

Tesla's spokeswoman Khobi Brooklyn could not be reached for comment.

Tesla has 11 dealers in the U.S., including San Diego and Los Angeles.

The company has emerged as a primary rival to Irvine's Fisker Automotive Inc., which has some hybrid cars in the works.

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Car Dealer Scams To Avoid - Forbes

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 01:07 PM PST

Of the top 10 industries that received the most consumer complaints last year, three were auto related.

New-car dealers, used-car dealers and auto service and repair shops registered almost 54,000 complaints in North America, according to the Better Business Bureau. They were the No. 4, 7 and 10th-most complaint-ridden industries of 2009. It's enough to make anyone blanch at the thought of buying a new car.

In Depth: Car Dealer Scams To Avoid

Article Controls

"Difficult times lead to creativity," says Bill Gerhard, AAA's director of financial services. "People come up with sensational hooks to try and get you to the dealerships, and once they lure you in, the goal is to sell you something and generate as much profit for the dealership as they can."

It helps to know what you may face before hitting the showroom. That way, you'll be prepared to avoid the stress of being ambushed by a team of salesmen or accosted by a loan shark. And you'll have more confidence in the face of undue pressure to seal the deal.

Pay Attention to the Little Things
There are roughly 10,000 new- and used-car dealers in North America accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and an additional 15,000 that provide repair and service. While the total number of consumer complaints in North America was up 10% overall last year (cellular phone companies, television stations and banks topped the list) complaints at new-car dealerships declined 2.4%. More than 84% of those complaints were resolved, according to BBB data.

"Our stats show that complaints against car dealers are kind of a wash from the previous year," says Alison Southwick, a spokeswoman for the BBB. "It's when you see sudden sharp increases, like 42% for banks, that you know you've got a problem."

Still, complaints about used-car salesmen and repair shops were up 2.5% and 9.5% last year, respectively. The used-car industry has been doing especially poorly as of late--complaints about used-car dealers increased 18% from 2007 to 2008. What's more, one in five shoppers who leave a dealership without buying something leave because they received poor treatment or had problems with "pricing games, sales pressure tactics or discourteous treatment," according to a 2009 report from J.D. Power.

And dealer traffic volumes are expected to decline by 20% by 2013, causing a 25% drop in revenue that will force car dealers to adapt to an "increasingly difficult environment and try new methods to keep customers coming back," J.D. Power says.

Women buyers are particularly important to dealers. According to data from Ward's Auto, an automotive industry news and analysis firm, 85% of all purchase decisions are made or heavily influenced by women. But CNW Marketing Research Inc. reports that just 8% of U.S. dealerships are female-owned.

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Toyota hires 'third party' expert investigative team - WKYC

Posted: 12 Mar 2010 12:45 PM PST

CLEVELAND -- Facing at least 89 class-action lawsuits, some related to 52 deaths that may be blamed on failure of accelerator systems in its vehicles, a Toyota official said in Cleveland Friday that the company has hired outside investigators to take a "third party" look at the repairs Toyota is making in some six million vehicles recalled in the U.S.

Donald Esmond, Toyota Senior Vice President for Automotive Operations, said experts who were involved in investigations of the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks will be independently examining the electronic sensor boxes that are part of Toyota's accelerator assemblies.

"We have thoroughly tested our electronic throttle," Esmond told WKYC, after a meeting with Toyota dealers in Cleveland. "We are bringing in the third party to take a deep dive into the electronics to double-check our tests."

This news comes as prosecutors in Orange County, California, announced they will file a lawsuit against Toyota over continuing problems with their vehicles.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas accused Toyota of continuing to endanger the public through the sale of defective vehicles and deceptive business practices.

Toyota's Esmond said dealers have performed more than one million repairs to Toyota accelerator assemblies, some staying open 24 hours to make the repairs.

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plus 3, News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio

2010-03-11T15:13:00.001-08:00

plus 3, News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio

News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio
Beatrice jobless rate dips in January - Beatrice Daily Sun
KOEPPEL NISSAN - Queens Courier
Cape Coral-Fort Myers foreclosure rate second highest ... - News-Press

News From Around the Water Cooler - KYW News radio

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 12:47 PM PST

Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Beatrice jobless rate dips in January - Beatrice Daily Sun

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:08 PM PST

LINCOLN - While the unemployment rate in Beatrice remains among the state's highest, the percentage of unemployed dipped to 6.7 percent in January, down from 7 percent in December.

Nebraska's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6 percent in January, still less than half the national rate of 9.7 percent, state officials said in a report issued Wednesday.

The state said the preliminary December rate of 4.7 percent reported on Jan. 22 has been revised to 4.6 percent.

The state's January rate was a half-point higher than the 4.1 percent reported a year ago, the Nebraska Department of Labor said. The national rate in January was two percentage points higher than a year earlier.

The unemployment rate in Beatrice figures to continue its decline in light of a recent expansion announcement by Pennsylvania-based auto parts manufacturer Neapco, which plans to add 70-90 jobs to its Beatrice facility over the next two years.

North Dakota had the nation's lowest jobless rate in January, at 4.2 percent, and was followed by Nebraska's 4.6 percent and South Dakota's 4.8 percent.

Two sectors of the state economy added jobs in January. The education and health services sector added 5,479 jobs, and the other services - repair and maintenance sector added 113 jobs, the report said.

Nebraska's seasonally adjusted labor force included 983,427 people in January. Of those, 45,361 were listed as unemployed, which is 607 lower than in December and 4,560 higher than January 2009.

Omaha's estimated unemployment rate increased to 6 percent in January, from a revised 4.8 percent in December. The rate was 5.1 percent in January 2009.

Lincoln's estimated unemployment rate also increased, to 5 percent in January from a revised 3.9 percent in December. In January 2009, the Lincoln rate was 4.6 percent.

Unemployment rates for Omaha and Lincoln are not seasonally adjusted and cannot be compared with the state unemployment rate.

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KOEPPEL NISSAN - Queens Courier

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 01:15 PM PST

KOEPPEL NISSAN
70 years of trust and transparency

BY STEVE MOSCO
Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:17 PM EST
These are not the easiest of times for car dealerships. With the economy slowly recovering from a recession and automotive recalls making headlines, customers have become a far more discriminating group. In addition to wanting a reliable car, they want a trustworthy salesperson that will be honest about what is under the hood, from showroom to service area.

The Koeppel name has been synonymous with Queens car dealerships for over 70 years. Koeppel started selling cars in Queens before landmarks like Shea Stadium and the World's Fair ever broke ground.

Starting in 1937, Koeppel has since grown to four dealerships spanning Northern Boulevard. The family of Koeppel dealerships includes Nissan, Mazda, Volkswagen and Subaru; selling both new and pre-owned cars of almost every type imaginable.

However, Koeppel did not garner its outstanding reputation by merely having a wide selection of cars available. They have built a loyal customer base through years of impeccable service and vigilant quality assurance.

"We are not going to sell any car to any person just for the sake of making a sale," said Mark Lacher, executive manager of Koeppel Nissan in Jackson Heights. "We want the cars we sell to fit the people that buy them. What we do not want is someone finding out that they cannot afford a car after they bought it."

Koeppel Nissan is the 16th largest Nissan dealer in the country. At first blush, this does not sound too impressive – that is until you realize that there are just over a thousand Nissan dealerships across the country.

Lacher helped accelerate Koeppel Nissan to these heights through a time-tested philosophy that highlights transparency. According to Lacher, being honest with the customer will give them a reason to recommend the product to friends and family, giving Koeppel their greatest source of new customers: the referral.

"You have to treat everyone like they are coming into your house for a visit," said Lacher, who co-owns Koeppel Nissan with Howard Koeppel. "In order to do that, you have to have workers that are willing to accommodate and work with the customer."

One of those hires, sales manager of Koeppel Nissan Ramiro Taveras, agrees that success comes from offering more than just affordable prices to potential car buyers. While value is important, dealerships have to ensure quality in their products and trustworthiness among their staff.

"We have a 70-year-old standard to uphold," said Taveras. "We have a policy of honesty and treating the customer with respect. It is a policy that starts at the top and is consistent right down the line."

Taveras believes that Koeppel's treatment of its customers directly informs their success with future customers. Without the utmost in service, the referrals so important to a dealerships success would stall out.

"We relay on the satisfaction of our customers to help us fill the showroom," said Taveras.

Koeppel has a new car customer satisfaction rating consistently ranked tops in the nation, and Koeppel Nissan is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau for over 25 tears. This commitment to their customers' needs is evident in the service options they offer.

One of Koeppel's largest sources of revenue is their used and pre-owned cars, for which they offer a used car guarantee. Their factory trained technicians perform an extensive inspection of every car sold, and even offer a seven day exchange policy. They also offer free roadside assistance, free shuttle service and a fix-it-right-the-first-time guarantee, as well as a six month warranty on any vehicle sold.

Catering to those with automotive knowledge is important and can help bolster a dealership's reputation, but most car buyers are not grease-stained mechanics with a transmission repair hobby. The majority of the car buying public's knowledge of auto repair rarely goes beyond tire kicking, and the staff at Koeppel Nissan is sensitive to this. That is why their customer service reputation echoes from one satisfied customer to the next.

Flo Blumlein of Middle Village is on her second Nissan Pathfinder. When her first car was totaled out, she had no second thoughts about where she would go to purchase a new one.

"From the second that first car was totaled, I had no doubt what I wanted to replace it with," said Blumlein. "I told them which model I wanted and as soon as it came in, they called me."

No matter where she is, Blumlein refuses to bring her car anywhere else but Koeppel Nissan when it needs service. To her, Koeppel's honesty far exceeds that of any other dealership, and their waiting area also boasts more coffee than any other she has ever seen.

"They really go above and beyond what most people would expect from a dealership," she said. "It is convenient; they care about their customers, and look at all that coffee. It is incredible."

Blumlein's Pathfinder was rear-ended recently, cracking her Koeppel Nissan license plate frame. Rather than just hang the plate on the bumper, she asked for a new frame and got one, free of charge.

"Koeppel Nissan is one advertisement I do not mind having on my car," she said.

As customers continue to praise Koeppel, Koeppel continues to champion Queens. The dealership is actively involved with many charitable and not-for-profit organizations. They have donated many vehicles to the Fire Department of New York family assistance team, as well as supported City Harvest, the Queens Center for Progress and local school programs such as Horizon School for the Deaf, little league baseball, soccer and more.

Mark Lacher believes that enriching the surrounding community means enriching the lives of staff members and customers.

"Most of the people that work here come from the surrounding community," said Lacher. "The people who work for me should have a clear head when they come in to work."

That is why Lacher did not cut back on benefits when the economy started to sputter almost two years ago. Lacher said that while they made plenty of adjustments, they were sure not to cut any benefits.

They also did not cut back on their commitment to customer service. More than just selling cars, Lacher know that what Koeppel does is provide a genuine service to the people of Queens.

"A car can be the biggest purchase most people make in this area," he said. "These are more than just cars. It is the freedom to go places, to go on vacation. It is their ego and how they feel about themselves."

Personalizing the car-buying experience is chief among Lacher's goals. He wants his salespeople to exhaust every possible aspect of a buyer's wants and needs.

"I prefer to think of my workers as advisors, not salespeople," he said. "You have to guide the customer and look out for them. A particular car might not be right for their area. If there are a lot of potholes, maybe they should buy an SUV. It is about getting involved and changing the way people think of car dealers."

As Koeppel Nissan moves forward, changing is something that Lacher does not plan on doing. He believes that staying in business for 70 years means you are doing something right, so deviating from his proven business model is not an option.

"I never force anything. There are results I want and I will always want," he said. "As long as the standards are met and both the employees and customers are smiling, I feel I have done my job."

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Cape Coral-Fort Myers foreclosure rate second highest ... - News-Press

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 11:13 AM PST

The Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro area had the second highest foreclosure rate in the country, according to a report released today by Irvine, Calif.-based real estate data company RealtyTrac.

One in every 92 housing units received a foreclosure filing, including default notices, lawsuits and auction notices. No. 1 was Las Vegas, Nevada, with one notice per 90 housing units.

Boutique hosting embroidery event

Sewing Boutique in North Fort Myers is hosting a "Start Your Own Embroidery Business" event Saturday.

The boutique will feature Brother International's PR-650 "The Entrepreneur" embroidery machine. Brother will send an educator to perform demonstrations.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sewing Boutique, 13500 N. Cleveland Ave.

For more information, call 656-4489 or visit sewingboutique.com.

FGCU to host business seminars

Florida Gulf Coast University's Small Business Development Center will host several workshops and seminars in March for small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

A free session on basic and advanced e-mail marketing strategies will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Hilton Garden Inn Airport, 16410 Corporate Commerce Way, Estero.

A workshop on "How to Get Certified as a Minority Woman in Business" will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. March 23 at the Bonita Springs Chamber office, 25071 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs.

To learn more or view other workshops, visit sbdcseminars.org or 745-3700.

BB&T donation will help with repairs

BB&T has donated $2,500 to help the Lee Building Industry Association Builders Care program provide free home repairs to disadvantage Lee County residents.

BB&T senior vice president Bob Bassett serves as president on the Builders Care board of directors.

New sales rep joins Home-Tech

Kimberly Riching has joined Home-Tech in Fort Myers as the company's first outside service agreement sales representative.

She will be responsible for building relationships and promoting service agreement sales within a five-county territory for the company, an air-conditioning and appliance service and sales center.

Lordstone to lead search for VP

Lordstone Corp. has been retained by Landi Renzo, an Italian-based automotive supplier of alternative fuel systems, to conduct a national search for a new vice president of sales and marketing.

Lordstone's president and CEO Jeff Ketchum will lead the search.

Lordstone is a global executive search firm headquartered in Fort Myers.

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plus 3, Cloud and The Death of the Sysadmin - Network World Fusion

2010-03-10T15:12:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Cloud and The Death of the Sysadmin - Network World Fusion

Cloud and The Death of the Sysadmin - Network World Fusion
Toyota’s ‘Bargains’ May Boost Sales 30%, Edmunds Says (Update2) - Bloomberg
Toyota faced with 2 more cases of runaway Priuses - USA Today
Column: Parents need to ride herd on picking class schedule - MLive.com

Cloud and The Death of the Sysadmin - Network World Fusion

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 08:30 AM PST

For as long as there have been computer systems, there have been system administrators. These hardy souls are the glue of data centers, provisioning and managing systems: a mix of hardware, storage, OS, middleware, and application software. The best system administrators are like human Swiss Army Knives, armed with every skill needed to keep a system up and humming. In some respects, system administrators function like auto mechanics, needing keen diagnostic skills and repair capabilities to keep a complex mixture of disparate systems operating as a whole.

Of course, data centers have become far more complex over the past decade as systems have been deconstructed into functional components that are segregated into centralized groupings. For example, storage has, in many organizations, been migrated to centralized storage like a SAN or NAS. This has inevitably meant that personnel become more specialized in their tasks and skills. However, for every organization that has a separate storage group, there's another in which the arrival of centralized storage has just meant a new set of tasks heaped upon the sysadmin group.

[For timely cloud computing news and expert analysis, see CIO.com's Cloud Computing Drilldown section. ]

Even in those IT organizations in which functions like networking and storage have been separated from system management functions, sysadmins still monitor, manage, and repair the software stack. IT organizations still rely on human insight, skill, and experience, to keep apps up and running.

I just read an IEEE article, though, that caused me to reconsider the future of sysadmins. The article, surprisingly, did not address developments in IT, but instead looked at the developments in automobiles; specifically, how autos are now rolling data centers in and of themselves. It notes that today's high-end cars (meaning, the low-end cars five to 10 years from now) have around 100 million lines of code in them distributed among 70 to 100 Electronic Control Units (ECU)-essentially, special purpose computers devoted to tasks like lighting, engine management, and yes (as Toyota is now grappling with), braking. Today's low-end cars have around 30 to 60 ECUs. In the near future, the article quotes research firm Frost and Sullivan, cars will contain 200 to 300 million lines of code.

As evidence of what cars have turned into, the author notes that his recent car came with a 500 page manual, along with a supplemental 200 page document describing the car's entertainment and GPS function. Clearly, this is not your father's Oldsmobile-and probably not even your Oldsmobile (or Honda, Ford, Audi, or whatever). Cars are becoming staggeringly complex admixtures of materials and software designed to move us safely, efficiently, and attractively around the earth.

It seems the genesis of the article is the Toyota recall dustup. For perhaps the first time, this issue has brought forward into people's consciousness just how much software is running in cars, or perhaps one could say, how much software is running cars. The potential for bugs or complex interactions between the software in different ECUs resulting in unexpected outcomes is obvious.

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Toyota’s ‘Bargains’ May Boost Sales 30%, Edmunds Says (Update2) - Bloomberg

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 05:02 AM PST

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

The shares have declined 11 percent this year as the carmaker recalled vehicles worldwide to repair defects linked to reports ... profit by 290 billion yen next fiscal year, Kurt Sanger , a Tokyo-based auto analyst at Deutsche Bank Group, said in a ...

Toyota faced with 2 more cases of runaway Priuses - USA Today

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 04:05 AM PST

A 56-year-old woman was pulling out of a driveway when her 2005 Prius "shot" across the road, Harrison, N.Y., police said. The driver, who was not immediately named, suffered minor injuries, but the impact sent "some pretty big boulders" fairly far, said Anthony Marraccini, acting police chief.

The Department of Transportation is looking into the New York crash, spokeswoman Olivia Alair said Wednesday.

That Prius is among the 2004-2009 models recalled by Toyota for floor mats that could jam the gas pedal, but Marraccini said the floor mat has been pretty much ruled out since it was tied to the seat base with plastic ties.

Capt. Anthony Marraccini of the police department in Harrison, north of New York City, said that a regional Toyota official asked to collect the Prius involved in the crash but that the police are "not prepared to release it just yet."

He said he wanted to see first if a federal agency wants to join or take over the investigation. "This involved potentially a great safety hazard and could be something of national interest," he said. Besides, he said, the damaged car belongs to the owner, not to Toyota.

When police release the Prius, Toyota will evaluate it to determine the cause of the accident, company spokesman Brian Lyons said.

The silver-gray 2005 Prius was taken to a police parking lot. Its front end was severely pushed in, the hood was buckled and the front bumper and one front headlight were broken.

The new Prius incident came as Toyota (TM) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rushed investigators to San Diego to analyze the 2008 Toyota Prius involved in a runaway incident.

James Sikes, 61, dialed 911 Monday evening to report his Prius was accelerating out of his control.

"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car. ... It jumped, and it just stuck there" hitting speeds up to 94 mph, Sikes said. A California Highway Patrol officer responded, pulled alongside and told Spikes by loudspeaker to stand on the brakes and also apply the parking brake. Sikes was able to slow the car while the cruiser drove in front, and eventually he could shut it off.

The incident was just a few miles from where the crash of a runaway Lexus last August killed a CHP officer and his wife, daughter and brother-in-law. That crash, attributed to the floor mat jamming the gas pedal, spurred Toyota to recall 5.3 million vehicles — including Sikes' Prius.

Sikes said he took his Prius to his dealer and was told it wasn't on the list. Toyota said in a statement that dealers do not yet have repair parts for the Prius and that it has told owners to remove the driver's floor mat until repairs are made. Sikes still had that mat in his vehicle. Toyota has said repairing all the recalled vehicles could take several months.

Separately on Tuesday, Toyota's national dealer council accused General Motors of using its federal loans to offer "predatory" incentives. Shortly after Toyota's recalls last month, GM launched offers for Toyota owners who buy its vehicles, now including 0% financing and up to $1,000 cash back.

"It is outrageous that GM is using our taxpayer dollars against us," said council head Paul Atkinson.

"We understand why Toyota dealers would be frustrated, but they know better," said GM spokesman Kerry Christopher. "Incentives have always been a part of the auto business."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Column: Parents need to ride herd on picking class schedule - MLive.com

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 02:03 AM PST

By Julie Mack | Kalamazoo Gazette

March 09, 2010, 9:16AM

Julie MackOne rite of spring for most middle- and high-school students is picking classes for the next school year, and it's not a task that students and parents should take lightly.

The class schedule is key to getting the most out of middle and high school, whether or not the student is bound for college.

Want to be an engineer? Best be on the honors math track. Thinking of becoming a pediatrician? That means taking as much science as possible. Don't want to go to college? The student should be taking a hard look at career-tech programs that can steer students into decent-paying careers such as welding or auto repair.

One mistake that many parents make is assuming that the school will craft the optimal schedule for each child. The reality is that the typical school counselor is overseeing hundreds of students, and just doesn't have the time to thoroughly investigate the strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams of each child.

Another reality is that students are likely to choose classes for all the wrong reasons — to be with their friends, for instance, or to keep their homework load as light as possible. For both these reasons, parent involvement in choosing classes is absolutely critical.

Among the issues that parents should consider:

What are the child's aspirations? Does he or she plan to attend college? Go to a trade school? Enter the job market after high school? If needed, schedule an appointment with the child's counselor to ask what classes will best position the child for his or her goals.

What are the child's academic strengths and weaknesses? Is the kid a hands-on learner, who would benefit from that kind of class? Does the child have a special talent that needs to be encouraged and developed? Does the student need to bolster his or her skills in a certain area? What can the child's counselor recommend based on a parental assessment of the child's needs? Besides asking the counselor, these also are good questions to raise at teacher conferences.

What kind of teacher best suits the child? Is it the demanding teacher who pushes students? The one with a more nurturing style? Also, every school has its share of outstanding teachers. Ask other parents to find out who they are, and make sure your child gets that teacher at some point.

Students should take the hardest courses that they are capable of taking. One problem with middle and high school is boredom, and academic challenge is one way to alleviate that. A student who gets a "C" in regular English may actually earn an "A" in honors English because the latter class is more invigorating and inspires the kid to work harder. Academic rigor is especially important for college-bound students; a quarter of students who start four-year colleges and 60 percent of students who enter community college need to take remedial courses. One reason: Those kids didn't take hard enough classes in high school.

Electives should be more than "filler" classes. They are a chance to nurture talents, develop new skills and develop a social network. Band, for instance, is a terrific way to plug a child into a social network that will last through high school. The most important class my son took in middle school was choir: A stellar teacher nurtured a talent in singing that nobody knew he had. Now 21, my son sings in his church choir and two choirs at his college. Another of my children is particularly talented at learning foreign language — something discovered in a middle-school elective.

In high school in particular, parents and the student should sketch out a schedule this spring not just for the upcoming year, but a tentative plan for every year left in high school. If a freshman wants to take calculus before leaving high school, for instance, he or she needs to know what classes to be taken leading up to that goal.

To be sure, most parents can't develop their child's class schedule solely on their own, because they often lack full knowledge of how a child's needs might be best served based on the school's various offerings. But they perform a huge service by making counselors and teachers aware of the child's goals, talents and needs, and actively advocating for a schedule that takes those factors into account. No question, parent involvement can make the difference between a successful high school career and one that was a wasted opportunity.

Julie Mack's column on school success appears Tuesdays in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Are you a parent who needs advice on a school-related problem? Or a parent or educator with a strategy to share? E-mail jmack@kalamazoogazette.com or call (269) 388-8578. Mack also has a blog on school-related issues at blog.mlive.com/schoolzone.

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plus 3, Asbury Automotive Group to Present at Upcoming Bank of America Merrill ... - MSN Money

2010-03-09T15:12:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Asbury Automotive Group to Present at Upcoming Bank of America Merrill ... - MSN Money

Asbury Automotive Group to Present at Upcoming Bank of America Merrill ... - MSN Money
Certification helps inmates ending sentences - WBIR
Toyota finds no flaw with safety electronics - Reuters
Toyota rebuts professor's claims - Delaware Online

Asbury Automotive Group to Present at Upcoming Bank of America Merrill ... - MSN Money

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 02:08 PM PST

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. ABG, one of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S., today announced that its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Craig T. Monaghan, will present at the upcoming Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2010 Consumer Conference in New York at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 11, 2010.

A live audio webcast will be available at: https://www.veracast.com/webcasts/bas/consumer2010/id26561980.cfm

Presentation slides will be available on the Company's Investor Relations website at: http://www.asburyauto.com

About Asbury Automotive Group

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. ("Asbury"), headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S. Built through a combination of organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions, Asbury currently operates 81 retail auto stores, encompassing 108 franchises for the sale and servicing of 38 different brands of American, European and Asian automobiles. Asbury offers customers an extensive range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicle sales and related financing and insurance, vehicle maintenance and repair services, replacement parts and service contracts.

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.
Investors Contact:
Ryan Marsh, 770-418-8211
Corporate Treasurer
ir@asburyauto.com
or
Porter Novelli
Reporters Contact:
Anna Okula, 404-995-4554
aokula@porternovelli.com

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Certification helps inmates ending sentences - WBIR

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 01:03 PM PST

By Clay Carey, THE TENNESSEAN

When Mario Allen finally set foot on free ground 15 years ago, he walked into a scary place.

Allen, 27 at the time, had just finished a seven-year prison sentence for assault. He left a place that he knew and walked into a world that was new and unwelcoming.

"It was a challenge," said Allen, now 42. "People were scared of me, and I was scared of them."

The odds of staying free were against Allen. Statistically, experts say, only one out of every three people nationwide released from prison or put on parole manages to make it three years without being rearrested.

Some new efforts under way in Tennessee are aimed at stemming that tide by helping released inmates make an honest living. The state is in the process of putting hundreds of prison inmates through a program that will ultimately pronounce their proficiency in basic job skills. Tennessee is also backing a new private effort to create a statewide network for men and women who are trying to adjust to life out of jail.

Advocates and law enforcement officers say ex-cons who get into the work force are far less likely to end up back behind bars, which ultimately leads to lower crime rates and a less-expensive prison system.

According to a study completed in 2007, 39 percent of those released from a Tennessee prison wound up back behind bars within three years. That is down from 42 percent in 2001.

Jim Cosby, assistant commissioner for rehabilitative services for the Tennessee Department of Correction, attributes the decline in large part to efforts aimed at getting inmates ready to work. Already, between 800 and 1,000 state prisoners get specialized training annually in trades like carpentry, welding, cosmetology and auto repair.

Over the next 18 months, 4,000 inmates will be tested through the National Career Readiness Certificate program, which is new to Tennessee prisons.

The tests, which are given to members of the free public at local career centers, rate an individual's aptitude in reading, math and other skills and rank their readiness for basic employment.

Inmates who go through the certification program can take the results to a community center upon their release, Cosby said, and career counselors will know what kinds of jobs they are equipped for.

The tests were paid for largely through federal stimulus dollars, Cosby said.

Only the beginning

But getting an inmate ready to work is only one piece of the puzzle, experts say. Once that's done, they have to find a place to work - a daunting task for men and women with felonies on their records.

Allen eventually started his own construction company in Memphis and also is vice chairman of the Tennessee Community Resource Board, an organization that reaches out to men and women behind bars.

He often hires employees with records. "Some of the greatest workers are ex-offenders," he said, because getting a job is so much tougher for them. However, he typically doesn't broadcast that fact, or his own criminal past, to clients for fear of losing business.

"It's almost like you have to stay beneath the radar," he said.

More than anything, most people coming out of prison need jobs, according to Tim Dempsey, chairman and CEO of the community resource board of Chattanooga Endeavors, a charity that works with ex-offenders.

Speaking to a conference in Nashville, Dempsey said that even those who come out of prison with a trade have a hard time convincing companies that they are worth taking a chance on. Dempsey said about two in 10 companies will knowingly hire an ex-con.

"That's the problem we really have," Dempsey said. "It's not skills training. It's employer training."

A new nonprofit effort called Out4Life has hopes of getting more inmates ready to work - and preparing more companies to take a chance on them.

"All the job training and certification is good, but there has to be someone out there willing to hire you," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, the privately funded nonprofit group that runs Out4Life.

The fellowship's new effort will try to pull existing help groups together and align them with government, churches and other nonprofits. As a coalition, they would be able to focus on niche needs and provide better service, said Aimee Vance, a field director with Prison Fellowship. It will also identify employers who will hire men and women with criminal records, and give ex-offenders training on how to market themselves and address their backgrounds.

"We're able to give employers some insight beyond what appears on pieces of paper," Earley said.

Positive impact

By working with people, Prison Fellowship officials said, organizations and employers could see a reduction in crime, less prison spending and more productive citizens.

"It can make a difference," said Robert Nash, commander of the Metro Police Department's East Precinct.

"Take a burglar, for instance, that can easily go out and commit three burglaries a day," Nash said. "If you can get that person on the right track, making an honest living ... you can have a powerful impact.

Out4Life is up and running in Louisiana and Arkansas; organizers say the project is still too new to have shown tangible effects on prison reentry. This year, it will start in Tennessee and nine other states.

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Toyota finds no flaw with safety electronics - Reuters

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 12:56 PM PST

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp said it had found no flaw with its throttle controls as it seeks to dismiss an external study critical of its electronic safety systems.

U.S.

The conclusions, announced at a news conference on Monday, marked an attempt by the automaker to reassure consumers it has safety issues under control. Toyota is working to win back sales seven weeks into a recall crisis that has tarnished its reputation.

But in developments that underscored the continuing pressure on Toyota, a Michigan judge ordered the automaker's top two U.S. executives to appear for a deposition and a congressional panel told it to surrender a 2006 memo from employees in Japan warning of risks to quality controls.

Toyota called its news conference to discredit what it said were mistaken conclusions being drawn from a study of its accelerator controls by David Gilbert, an auto engineering expert at Southern Illinois University.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for mechanical problems with its accelerator assembly that can cause sticking and for the risk that floormats could trap an accelerator.

Unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles has been linked to at least five U.S. crash deaths since 2007. Authorities are investigating 47 other crash deaths over the past decade.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also said it is looking into more recent complaints from drivers who say they suffered acceleration problems even after their vehicles were fixed in the recent recall effort.

Those complaints have been seen by some as further evidence that Toyota could face a problem with vehicle electronics or software that could go beyond the mechanical fixes it has announced under its recalls.

But Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the automaker had found that post-recall accelerator complaints appeared to reflect a small number of cases where repairs at dealerships had not been performed correctly.

"We're confident in our electronic throttle control systems," Michels said.

TOYOTA: NO EVIDENCE OF FLAW

Gilbert told a congressional panel in late February that he had found a way to simulate a flaw in Toyota's accelerator controls so that the vehicle could surge forward without a fault code being generated for an onboard computer Toyota has designed as a safeguard.

But Toyota said an outside review of Gilbert's findings by a Stanford University expert and engineering consulting company Exponent had not found evidence that conditions described by Gilbert could occur in real-world driving.

Chris Gerdes, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford and director of the university's Center for Automotive Research, said Gilbert had essentially "rewired" Toyota's accelerator system to generate his results.

"Fundamentally, you cannot rewire a circuit and expect it to behave as designed," Gerdes told reporters.

Gilbert said he planned to visit Exponent's test facilities next week and expected to complete a review of the information it had presented in the next few weeks.

"I am pleased that further examination of these safety and acceleration issues is taking place, and I look forward to participating in this process," he said in an email to Reuters.

JUDGE ORDERS TOYOTA TESTIMONY

Toyota is facing dozens of lawsuits stemming from its recalls and both sides in that litigation have been working to line up expert witnesses.

Gilbert has received some funding from the Safety Research and Strategies, a safety advocacy that has in turn taken funding from trial lawyers with cases pending against Toyota.

For its part, Toyota has hired Exponent and has provided financial assistance to Stanford's auto safety center.

Toyota and Exponent said they were continuing to test other explanations for unintended acceleration that would go beyond the problems it has identified.

Separately on Monday, a Flint, Michigan area judge ordered Toyota's top two U.S. executives -- Yoshimi Inaba and Jim Lentz -- to appear for questioning for lawyers for the family of a woman who was killed in a Camry crash in 2008.

Guadalope Alberto died when her 2005 Camry surged out of control. Her family is suing Toyota. Lawyers for Toyota had argued that lower-level executives should be allowed to answer questions from Alberto's lawyer, but the judge ordered Lentz and Inaba to appear, said Hike Heiskell, a lawyer for the Alberto family.

Also on Monday, Rep. Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked Toyota to turn over a letter Toyota employees in Japan sent to management in 2006 detailing safety concerns. Towns made the request in a letter sent on Monday.

The October 2006 letter, addressed to then-president Katsuaki Watanabe from a splinter union called the All Toyota Labor Union in the wake of a recall scandal in Japan, had warned that a failure to address quality concerns could ultimately threaten the company's survival.

Among the causes of the quality slippage, the group blamed the fall in the number of experienced staff in favor of contract workers, the longer working hours and the aggressive pursuit of cost reductions.

The letter appeared on the 20-member union's website. Toyota had no immediate comment.

(Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo; Editing by Carol Bishopric and Anshuman Daga)

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Toyota rebuts professor's claims - Delaware Online

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 12:49 PM PST

WASHINGTON -- Toyota gave detailed evidence Monday that it says disproves claims that electronics may cause the unwanted acceleration that led to the recall of more than 8 million cars and trucks.

Toyota was attempting to counter tests by an Illinois engineering professor who said Toyota engines could rev without a driver pressing on the gas. The automaker says mechanical problems, not electronics, are to blame.

Chris Gerdes, director of Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research, and a consulting firm, Exponent Inc., said the professor had tampered with wiring to create electronic glitches that could never occur on the road. The professor's work "could result in misguided policy and unwarranted fear," Gerdes said.

The work of David W. Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, has been the basis of many doubts that Toyota's mechanical fixes for unwanted acceleration will truly solve the problem.

Gilbert told a congressional hearing Feb. 23 that he re-created sudden acceleration in a Toyota Tundra by short-circuiting the electronics behind the gas pedal -- without triggering any trouble codes in the truck's computer.

"We do not believe that electronics are at the root of this issue," Mike Michels, a Toyota spokesman, said during a demonstration at the automaker's offices in Torrance, Calif.

Toyota says faulty gas pedals and floor mats are the cause. It is fixing millions of vehicles to correct those problems. But some drivers have reported continued problems in vehicles that have been supposedly fixed.

Federal safety regulators are investigating complaints over Toyota's repairs. Michels said the automaker is also reviewing the complaints, and that some were the result of bad repairs.

Gilbert told Congress he made a "startling discovery" that showed the electronic throttle control system could have a problem without producing a trouble code. The code sends the computer into a failsafe mode that allows the brake to override the gas.

According to Exponent, Gilbert connected sensor wires from the pedal of a 2010 Toyota Avalon to an engineered circuit, revving the engine without using the pedal. Gilbert demonstrated the method in an ABC News story last month.

Exponent said it reproduced the test on the same model year Avalon and a 2007 Camry and was able to rev the engine. But it concluded the electronic throttle system would have to be tampered with significantly to create the right conditions.

"Dr. Gilbert's scenario amounts to connecting the accelerator pedal sensors to an engineered circuit that would be highly unlikely to occur naturally, and that can only be contrived in a laboratory," an Exponent report said.

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plus 3, Toyota Fires Away at Acceleration Theory - CBS News

2010-03-08T15:12:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Toyota Fires Away at Acceleration Theory - CBS News

Toyota Fires Away at Acceleration Theory - CBS News
Relatives gather for funeral of slain Darien family members - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune
Toyota aims to refute critic who blames electronics, not gas pedals ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Toyota aims to refute critic blaming electronics, not pedals, for ... - Brandon Sun

Toyota Fires Away at Acceleration Theory - CBS News

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 12:00 PM PST

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Relatives gather for funeral of slain Darien family members - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 12:00 PM PST

On Sunday, hundred of people paid their respects at a wake for the Kramers.

Joe Jacobazzi remembered the flat tire he got about 20 years ago on a cold morning, and how he didn't hesitate to call Jeffrey Kramer at 2 a.m. and ask for help. Kramer immediately sent someone out to fix Jacobazzi's flat.

"No charge. Just a handshake," recalled Jacobazzi, a friend of Kramer's father.

Since the deaths Tuesday of the Kramers, Jacobazzi said the crime has been "eating me. There's no rhyme or reason."

"I was shocked," said 15-year-old Torrie Stoewsand, Lori Kramer's second cousin. "They seemed like one of the last types of families that this would happen to."

As mourners snaked around the Hallowell & James Funeral Home in Downers Grove, two men who allegedly conspired together to kill the Kramers remained behind bars. Earlier Sunday, Jacob Nodarse, 23, of Countryside, and Johnny Borizov, 28, of Willow Springs were denied bail as DuPage County prosecutors provided new details about the killings.

Borizov, who prosecutors say badgered Nodarse into committing the crime, is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Nodarse, the alleged gunman, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Nodarse promised Borizov that he would kill Angela Kramer, with whom Borizov was locked in a heated custody battle over their 13-month-old son. After breaking into the Kramer home with a hammer, the first of his 10 shots downed Michael Kramer as Kramer was trying to get a knife. Then Nodarse shot Jeffrey and Lori Kramer.

After Nodarse couldn't find Angela Kramer, who was hiding in a closet and calling 911, he stood over each body and pumped another bullet into their heads to make sure they were dead, Assistant DuPage County State's Atty. Jeffrey Muntz said in court Sunday.

Nodarse returned to his car parked a block away and fled to Florida. He called Borizov on a prepaid cell phone, saying: "This is Jake. I am still driving and I think I am being followed."
Muntz said Nodarse and Borizov discussed the scheme on Feb. 25 -- the same day Nodarse bought a gun used in the shootings and quit his job at a Westmont auto dealer.

There is no evidence Borizov paid Nodarse to commit the killings, but Nodarse told police he would do anything for Borizov, Muntz said.

Arrested outside his parent's Florida home, Nodarse eventually led police to a Terre Haute, Ind., trash bin behind a pancake house where he had thrown a .40-caliber Glock handgun and the clothes he wore during the attack, officials said.

To give himself an alibi, prosecutors allege that Borizov was at the Empress Casino in Joliet until 3:40 the next morning after the shootings, Muntz said. Borizov made sure security cameras and credit card receipts would bolster his alibi, prosecutors said, and he brought a relative to vouch for his whereabouts.

Borizov's lawyer, Marc Wolfe, called Muntz's allegations empty. Wolfe disputed the prosecution's motive and blamed Nodarse. He said the custody issue "was not heated and was going very well. This whole case sits on this fellow Jacob. Because Jacob professes to know Johnny, therefore Johnny must be involved? Ridiculous."

Nodarse's lawyer, Randy Rueckert, said he was unfamiliar with the details of the case but said, "I just have to shake my head."

Muntz refused to say if another person police have questioned along with Borizov would face charges.

Borizov and Nodarse are due in court March 29. If convicted, they could be eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not decided to seek the death penalty yet.

A Kramer's Towing truck leads a line of tow trucks outside the funeral mass for Jeffrey and Lori Kramer and their son Michael at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Darien today. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune)

-- Angie Leventis-Lougos, Art Barnum and Kristen Schorsch

Click HERE for a WGN-TV report on this story.

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Toyota aims to refute critic who blames electronics, not gas pedals ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 01:19 PM PST

Gilbert told a congressional hearing Feb. 23 that he recreated sudden acceleration in a Toyota Tundra by short-circuiting the electronics behind the gas pedal — without triggering any trouble codes in the truck's computer.

The trouble codes send the car's computer into a fail-safe mode that allows the brake to override the gas. Gilbert called his findings a "startling discovery."

House lawmakers seized on the testimony as evidence Toyota engineers missed a potential problem with the electronics that could have caused the unwanted acceleration.

But Monday, Chris Gerdes, director of Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research, and a consulting firm, Exponent Inc., rejected the professor's findings.

Toyota's assembled experts said the professor's experiments could not be recreated on the actual road. For example, they said, Gilbert had shaved away insulation on wiring and connected wires that would not normally touch each other.

"There is no evidence that I've seen to indicate that this situation is happening at all in the real world," Gerdes said. He added that the professor's work "could result in misguided policy and unwarranted fear."

To prove their point, Toyota officials revved the engines of cars made by competitors, including a Subaru Forester and a Ford Fusion, by connecting a circuit rigged up to the wiring of the gas pedals.

Toyota supports other research programs at Stanford's engineering school and is an affiliate of the Center for Automotive Research, but Gerdes said he came to his conclusions "with complete independence."

Gilbert did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Exponent has conducted work for companies that are being sued and once determined that secondhand tobacco smoke was not cancerous. It was also hired by the U.S. government to investigate the Columbia space shuttle disaster.

Exponent officials said they were conducting an extensive study of Toyota electronics but they had not yet found any problems with the electronic throttle controls.

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Toyota aims to refute critic blaming electronics, not pedals, for ... - Brandon Sun

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 12:21 PM PST

WASHINGTON - Toyota gave detailed evidence Monday that it says disproves claims that electronics may cause the unwanted acceleration that led to the recall of more than eight million cars and trucks.

The professor's work "could result in misguided policy and unwarranted fear," Gerdes said.

Gilbert told a congressional hearing Feb. 23 that he recreated sudden acceleration in a Toyota Tundra by short-circuiting the electronics behind the gas pedal - without triggering any trouble codes in the truck's computer.

"We do not believe that electronics are at the root of this issue," Mike Michels, a Toyota spokesman, said during a demonstration at the automaker's North American headquarters in Torrance, Calif.

Toyota says faulty gas pedals and floor mats, not electronics, are the cause. It is fixing millions of vehicles to correct those problems. But some drivers have reported continued problems in vehicles that have already been supposedly fixed.

Federal safety regulators are investigating complaints over Toyota's repairs. Michels said the automaker is also reviewing the complaints, and that some were the result of bad repairs or other factors.

Gilbert told Congress he made a "startling discovery" that showed the electronic throttle control system could have a problem without producing a trouble code. The code sends the computer into a fail safe mode that allows the brake to override the gas.

House lawmakers seized on the testimony as evidence Toyota engineers missed a potential problem with the electronics that could have caused the unwanted acceleration.

For example, Exponent said, Gilbert stripped wires in Toyota gas pedal systems of their insulation and used circuits to connect wires that were too far apart to touch each other.

Exponent said it also revved the engine of some Toyota competitors' cars using the same technique, including a Subaru Outback and a Ford Fusion. The automaker stressed its tests did not show any flaws with those models or its own cars.

Toyota's event Monday is part of a broad campaign by the world's biggest automaker to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.

In Canada, 270,000 vehicles were recalled. The company has two assembly plants in southern Ontario that employ a total of around 6,500 people. Toyota Canada builds the Corolla, the Matrix and the Lexus RX350 in Cambridge and the RAV4 sport utility vehicle in Woodstock, all for domestic consumption and export to the U.S. market.

On Friday, a congressional committee questioned Toyota's efforts to find the causes of the problems. It also questioned whether the company had sufficiently investigated the issue of electronic defects.

Toyota executives also will address recall issues at its annual suppliers meeting in Kentucky on Tuesday.

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plus 3, Toyota Prepares To Dispute Electronics Claim - CBS 4 South Florida

2010-03-07T15:08:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Toyota Prepares To Dispute Electronics Claim - CBS 4 South Florida

Toyota Prepares To Dispute Electronics Claim - CBS 4 South Florida
Toyota aims to refute critic who blames electronics, not gas pedals ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top parking scofflaws owe big fines - Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Cartel victims, security risks add troubles to hospitals - AZCentral.com

Toyota Prepares To Dispute Electronics Claim - CBS 4 South Florida

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 09:59 AM PST

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Toyota Prepares To Dispute Electronics Claim

Troubled Automaker Plans To Dispel University Professor's Theory On Faulty Gas Pedals Being Electronics Issue

Internal Toyota Documents Related To Recall

NEW YORK (AP) ―

Click to enlarge: A row of brand new Toyota Prius hybrids sit on the sales lot at City Toyota on Feb. 3, 2010, in Daly City, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Toyota Motor Corp. plans Monday to try to undercut suggestions that its electronics systems caused the sudden acceleration problems that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles.

The automaker plans an event in which it will seek to debunk a critic who claims faulty gas pedals did not cause the sudden acceleration.

Toyota will aim to duplicate the scenario created by David W. Gilbert, a professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Gilbert told Congress on Feb. 23 that he was able to recreate sudden acceleration in a Toyota vehicle by manipulating its electronics.

The company is calling in the director of Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research to try to refute the claims. Toyota said Stanford professor Chris Gerdes will show that the malfunctions Gilbert produced "are completely unrealistic under real-world conditions and can easily be reproduced on a wide range of vehicles made by other manufacturers."

Stanford's Center for Automotive Research is funded by a group of auto companies, including Toyota.

Toyota also has hired a consulting firm to study whether electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The firm, Exponent Inc., released an interim report that has found no link between the two.

The event planned Monday is part of a broad campaign by the world's biggest automaker to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.

Toyota executives will also address recall issues at its annual suppliers meeting in Kentucky on Tuesday.

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Toyota aims to refute critic who blames electronics, not gas pedals ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 08:05 AM PST

NEW YORK - Toyota Motor Corp. plans Monday to try to undercut suggestions that its electronics systems caused the sudden acceleration problems that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles.

The automaker plans an event in which it will seek to debunk a critic who claims faulty gas pedals did not cause the sudden acceleration.

Stanford's Center for Automotive Research is funded by a group of auto companies, including Toyota.

The event planned Monday is part of a broad campaign by the world's biggest automaker to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.

Toyota executives will also address recall issues at its annual suppliers meeting in Kentucky on Tuesday.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Top parking scofflaws owe big fines - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 07:58 AM PST

WORCESTER From late May to early October last year, city parking enforcement officers ticketed a red Cadillac six times at expired meters, three times for tow zone infractions and twice for $200 handicap parking violations.

Parking enforcement officers ticketed the car three more times for various other no-nos, such as parking more than a foot from the curb, during the same period.

The registered owner of the car, Alexa Lopez, blew off the $705 in accumulated tickets, leading to another $600 in penalties.

The $1,305 in unpaid fines and penalties owed by Ms. Lopez puts her atop the list of city parking scofflaws, according to a Telegram & Gazette review of city records.

Ms. Lopez, who could not be located for this story, and six other people at the top of the list each owe more than $1,000 in parking tickets and penalties. The 20 worst parking offenders in the city as a whole owe an eye-popping $18,600.

The white Chevrolet owned by Silvio F. Pinto, who is a close second on the list of parking scofflaws, racked up more than two dozen meter violations totaling $260 in fines in one month in the summer of 2008. Left unpaid, the tickets have ballooned to $1,300 with penalties. Mr. Pinto also couldn't be located for this story.

But Richard A. Oehling of Willard Avenue said he was surprised to learn from a reporter that his name is on the list with $755 in outstanding fines and penalties.

"The car was not in our hands at the time. Somebody stole it from a repair shop and, apparently, it sat somewhere collecting tickets," Mr. Oehling said.

In September, notices of unpaid parking tickets began arriving in the mail at his house.

Mr. Oehling said he reported the purple Geo stolen in August. The car was missing for about three weeks before police found it stripped. His insurance company considered the sedan totaled and sent him a check, he said.

Case closed. Or so he thought.

"They sent me all the tickets, and I collected them. But I must admit that once the car had been totaled by the insurance company, I forgot all about it. I have all the tickets, and I need to go down there and get that taken care of," Mr. Oehling conceded.

Until he does, he is on the hook for $235 in fines and $520 in penalties, according to the city.

Mr. Oehling, and anybody else with outstanding parking fines, cannot renew a driver's license or car registration until they pay up, noted city Parking Administrator Elvira Guardiola.

"A good chunk of the people know that they took a chance and that they parked illegally, and they come in and pay the fine. Others have issues, so they appeal it. Some just don't pay," said Ms. Guardiola, who has heard every excuse in the book in her more than three years running the city's Parking Administration Office.

Ms. Guardiola recalled one woman who showed up at her office furious over parking tickets. Ms. Guardiola informed the young woman that she would have to pay the fines and penalties on the spot or the city would slap a boot on her car.

"She started yelling and screaming, and she walks out. By the time she got down to her car, there was a boot on it already," Ms. Guardiola recalled. "She came running back and was so mad, trying to jump over the counter to get to me. We had to call the police."

The city's nine parking enforcement officers write roughly 70,000 parking tickets a year. At last check, the city was owed $4.7 million in overdue fines and penalties, she said.

Parking at an expired meter will get you a $15 ticket. If the owner of the car hasn't paid in 21 days, a $5 penalty gets tacked on. After another 21 days, the city adds a $15 penalty to the tally.

If the owner still hasn't paid up, the city informs the state Registry of Motor Vehicles not to renew the driver's license or vehicle registration, which adds another $20 to the penalties.

Parking enforcement officers can immobilize a car with a boot clamped over a wheel when the owner has five or more parking tickets that are more than 21 days overdue without an appeal pending.

If all the accumulated fines and penalties aren't paid within 24 hours of the booting, the city has the car towed and holds it until the fines are paid. The vendor for the city's parking administration software also is a collection agency that seeks to recover overdue fines and penalties.

The block on renewing a license or registration usually gets parking scofflaws to break out their checkbooks eventually.

R&G Auto Sales and Rentals owner Ron Favacchia doesn't want to have any registration problems with his fleet of 30 rental cars, so he tries to keep up with the penalty notices that trickle into his office at a rate of about one a month, he said.

"Normally, the customer pays them, and we never see the tickets. We only see them when they don't get paid," Mr. Favacchia said. "You do get some people who think, 'Oh, I'm not going to worry about it.' "

Mr. Favacchia said his rental contract states that any parking tickets are the responsibility of the customer.

"Normally, they'll come in and either pay me or go and pay the city. But some people try to get away with it," he said. "We get FastLane violations where they go through the FastLane twice a day for three weeks, then all the sudden we have $900 in tickets."

R&G Auto Sales ended up on the list of parking scofflaws at No. 18 with $755 in unpaid fines and penalties. Parking enforcement officers tagged a green Buick, one of the company's rentals, more than a dozen times, including once for a $200 handicap parking violation, two years ago.

Mr. Favacchia said it was his understanding that the city was pursuing the customer for those fines. He said he would follow up with the Parking Administration Office to straighten out the situation.

Ms. Guardiola said people sometimes erroneously assume that if they lend a car to a friend and that person gets a parking ticket, it's the friend's responsibility. Actually, the owner of the car is on the hook. If the person who borrowed the car doesn't pay, the owner must, she said.

Some delivery truck drivers also apparently think they're immune from parking tickets.

"Not too long ago, we booted a UPS truck downtown. It stopped all their business for the day, and it was early in the morning. They had to have another truck come in to take all the packages," she said.

The incident was not lost on the other shipping companies. Ms. Guardiola said it's not unusual now for managers from FedEx, UPS and other shipping companies to call periodically to make sure they don't have any outstanding fines.

Ms. Guardiola said she knows that nobody likes to get a parking ticket. She knows because it happens to her too. She got one in Worcester not long before she took over as city parking administrator. She filed a written appeal, which got shot down. She paid the fine.

In her more than three years as the city's parking czar, Ms. Guardiola has taken her share of verbal abuse from irate drivers.

"Once this gentleman walked in and was extremely upset because he had gotten tickets. He pointed at me and he says, 'You got me all these parking tickets,' " she recalled.

"I looked up at him and said, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I park your vehicle in the wrong place again?' He started laughing, and I said, 'OK, let's start over again.' "

Contact Thomas Caywood by e-mail at tcaywood@telegram.com.

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Cartel victims, security risks add troubles to hospitals - AZCentral.com

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 12:05 AM PST

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"); } else { document.write("

" + displayPostings[i][0] + "
" + displayPostings[i][1] + "

"); } } } document.write(footer); } } function createRequestObject() { return 1 // The Object (Array) where our data will be stored. separator = ','; // The token used to separate data from multi-select inputs query = '' + this.location; qu = query // Get the current URL so we can parse out the data. // Adding a null-string '' forces an implicit type cast // from property to string, for NS2 compatibility. query = query.substring((query.indexOf('?')) + 1); // Keep everything after the question mark '?'. if (query.length -1) { keypairs[numKP] = query.substring(0,query.indexOf('&')); query = query.substring((query.indexOf('&')) + 1); numKP++; // Split the query string at each '&', storing the left-hand side // of the split in a new keypairs[] holder, and chopping the query // so that it gets the value of the right-hand string. } keypairs[numKP] = query; // Store what's left in the query string as the final keypairs[] data. for (i in keypairs) { keyName = keypairs[i].substring(0,keypairs[i].indexOf('=')); // Left of '=' is name. keyValue = keypairs[i].substring((keypairs[i].indexOf('=')) + 1); // Right of '=' is value. while (keyValue.indexOf('+') > -1) { keyValue = keyValue.substring(0,keyValue.indexOf('+')) + ' ' + keyValue.substring(keyValue.indexOf('+') + 1); // Replace each '+' in data string with a space. } keyValue = unescape(keyValue); // Unescape non-alphanumerics if (FORM_DATA[keyName]) { FORM_DATA[keyName] = FORM_DATA[keyName] + separator + keyValue; //document.write('The value of ' +keyName+ ' is:'+FORM_DATA[keyName]+'
'); // Object already exists, it is probably a multi-select input, // and we need to generate a separator-delimited string // by appending to what we already have stored. } else { FORM_DATA[keyName] = keyValue; //document.write('The value of ' +keyName+ ' is:'+FORM_DATA[keyName]+'
'); // Normal case: name gets value. } } return FORM_DATA; } // MAINLINE FORM_DATA = createRequestObject(); // This is the array/object containing the GET data. // Retrieve information with 'FORM_DATA [ key ] = value'. // Display jobs display_postings();

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plus 3, Changing Scene - Post-Star

2010-03-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Changing Scene - Post-Star

Changing Scene - Post-Star
Pennsylvania doesn't pay pothole damage claims - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Collection of church fans represents Southern hospitality - Star News Online
New Market Report Now Available: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The ... - PR Inside

Changing Scene - Post-Star

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 02:33 PM PST

Between and

bedrooms, bathrooms

Keywords:

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Pennsylvania doesn't pay pothole damage claims - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 01:35 PM PST

On the daily commute to his auto repair shop in Lawrenceville, Marco Imbarlina found himself headed toward a pothole on the 40th Street Bridge, hemmed in by traffic and unable to swerve.

"I could feel the car bottom out. I could see the hubcap fly off," said Imbarlina, 64, of Allison Park, whose right rear tire was useless when the wheel bent and cut through the sidewall. "If I could get paid back for it, that would be wonderful."

Imbarlina won't get back the $50 he spent on a replacement tire, and neither will many who bend rims and blow out tires after hitting potholes. The state of Pennsylvania will not pay for damage potholes cause, and counties and municipalities only have to pay if officials knew the pothole was there and didn't fix it.

Since 1978, the state has not been held responsible for damage caused by "potholes, sinkholes or other similar conditions caused by natural elements," said Ed Myslewicz, spokesman for the Department of General Services, which handles the state's insurance. He estimated between a few hundred and 1,000 drivers a year try to file claims anyway.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission accepts pothole-related claims, but reimburses few people for them. None of the 17 claims filed in 2009, nor the four filed this year, were reimbursed, turnpike officials said.

State law holds counties and municipalities responsible, but only if officials knew about the pothole and didn't fix it within a reasonable amount of time — which isn't defined in the law, but generally is accepted to be 7 to 10 days, said Allegheny County Risk Manager Karen Womack.

"If we don't fix it in a reasonable amount of time and a car is damaged, we will compensate for that," said Kevin Evanto, Allegheny County spokesman. "In those cases, we typically reimburse a driver's out-of-pocket expenses, like their insurance deductible."

Twenty people filed claims with Allegheny County during the 2008-09 winter and the county shelled out $1,211 to reimburse four of them. So far in the 2009-10 winter, the county has received 14 claims and paid $200 on one.

In Pittsburgh, motorists filed 26 pothole claims in 2009; the city reimbursed 15 of them, spending $3,572. So far this year, 12 claims have been filed.

City Solicitor Dan Regan said this year's large number of potholes might give the city wiggle room in determining whether Public Works crews had a reasonable amount of time to fix them all. More potholes might mean more time before the city is held responsible.

"(The number of potholes) would be taken into consideration. The statute is written the way it is because claims are evaluated on a case-by-case basis," Regan said.

Ross Manager Wayne Jones said the township gets complaints each winter, but most are for damage sustained on county-owned Babcock Boulevard or state-owned McKnight Road.

"They call us up and are often very angry," Jones said. "We get the pleasure of passing them on to someone else."

Repairs aren't cheap, but Progressive Insurance spokeswoman Susan Rouser said drivers who have a deductible of $500 or more usually skip filing an insurance claim and pay themselves.

"If you have an aluminum wheel, you can get a refurbished one for about $200, and a tire is going to be another $100," said Joe Ober, assistant manager at J&T Tire in Allison Park. "You're looking at three or four hundred dollars for one wheel."

Solicitor R. Mark Gesalman said Westmoreland County could be liable for damage motorists incur as a result of poor road conditions.

"You have to show a municipality was negligent in its approach to maintain the roads," Gesalman said. Motorists first would seek damages from their insurance companies, then try to recover their deductibles from local governments. So far, the county has received no complaints about road conditions and no claims for damages.

Westmoreland County has 52 miles of roads, and for the past three days work crews have attempted to fill potholes and improve road conditions.

Ted Kopas, chief of staff to Commissioner Tom Balya, said the public works department has fielded some calls about potholes, but few complaints were registered.

"Road crews have been out there every day just checking," said Tarentum Borough Manager Bill Rossey. "They're doing the best they can."

Until then, motorists should do their best to avoid potholes because they likely won't get any reimbursement for tire damage.

"That's what insurance is for," Rossey said.

Butler County only maintains one mile of road, but oversees about 140 bridges in the county, said Dave Johnston, director of the county planning commission. The rest of the roads belong to PennDOT or local municipalities.

"One of our highest priorities is to make roads safe to pass and not do damage to vehicles," said Shawn Houck, PennDOT safety press officer. "We ask that people help us by calling 800-FIX-ROAD as soon as they see a pothole."

Potholes that have been given a temporary fix are then put on PennDOT's list for permanent repair. Once asphalt plants open in April, a hot mix is used.

"A cold patch doesn't hold very long — it could be one to two days or a few weeks," said Houck.

"It depends on the size and how much water gets under it," Houck said. "It's more difficult at this time of year because the potholes are filled with ice. Water is the biggest enemy. That's what expands and pops up the asphalt."

The more successful PennDOT is with its fall program of sealing pavement cracks, Houck said, the less potholes there will be after winter. Once the thaw begins in late March and early April, there will be a lot of potholes erupting, he said.

"It's been a hard winter," Houck said. "People are going to see a lot of potholes."

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Collection of church fans represents Southern hospitality - Star News Online

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 01:28 PM PST

"Aunt Susie would come down from Raleigh, and my mother would serve her a piece of her pound cake," McNeill said, remembering his 5-year-old self holding a fan printed with an image of Jesus ascending into heaven. "And I fanned Aunt Susie while she nibbled her cake. So Southern hospitality then was a sweet tea and a sweet Jesus."

Since then, the Bladen County and part-time Wilmington resident's fascination with the instrument of church air conditioning and funeral parlor advertising has grown to a 30-year collection of more than 150 church fans from the turn of the century to modern times.

"I see my fans as historical artifacts, vanishing relics of the American South," McNeill said. "Part of the appeal is nostalgia. I am troubled by the fact that the past is being ignored, even erased." The earth tones used in printing fans in the 1920s-1960s often attract his collector's eye as well.

Reliving the past

Interests in antiques runs in McNeill's family, so naturally, his family members have sent him many fans through the years. He's also found fans at flea markets and antique stores.

McNeill's oldest fans are woven straw, grass and reed fans, some rainbow-hued, from African-American churches. Many have religious images – Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus as a shepherd holding a lamb, a 1950s child kneeling with her white-gloved hands pressed in prayer.

"I have many different interpretations of The Last Supper, which seems to be a common theme in fan iconography," he said. "Another thing I've noticed in my collecting is that the image of Jesus has evolved from a Renaissance image of him with a long beard to a more modern Jesus with a trimmed, short beard."

Others in his collection are purely secular – Cowgirl star Dale Evans with her horse Buttermilk, an idealized portrait of a 1940s housewife teaching her daughter to knit with the family dog at their feet or a teenage Shirley Temple holding an RC Cola with advertisements to "Buy More War Bonds" on the back.

Some are pristine while others are creased and bent from Sunday after Sunday of fast fanning.

McNeill has become so knowledgeable about his collection that he's given seven N.C. Humanities Council lectures about it called "Fanning the Heat Away" at senior centers and churches around the state.

"It's a revisiting of the past. Most of the folks that really enjoy this (program) are seniors who remember sitting in church with the fans," said Carolyn Allen, program coordinator for the N.C. Humanities Council. "They all talk about how wonderful it is to remember that time in their lives, a simpler time."

Pieces of social fabric

The fans trigger memories for McNeill as well. One fan with an advertisement on the back for the Belk-Hensdale Company store in Lumberton reminds him of visiting that store as a child.

"I would run straight to the back of the shoe department in that store and stick my feet in the Buster Brown X-ray machine and look at my toes glowing a sickening, eerie green," he said. Apparently, some shoe stores used the X-ray images to properly fit children's shoes.

But McNeill loves the church images on the fans best, a product of his interest in Sunday school illustrations as a child at Singletary United Methodist Church in Bladen County.

"I sat in church as a kid and twirled my fan around and around. My mom would take her fan and conk me in the head to stop," he said, laughing.

One public misconception about church fans is that only funeral homes advertised on the backs of them. But McNeill has fans advertising tobacco houses, tire dealers and auto repair shops. Some list three- and four-digit phone numbers.

"The advertisements reveal bits and pieces of the social fabric of the day," he said, referring to a dog-eared fan for a tobacco house with lines of numerical equations scratched in pencil on it.

"This guy got his fan delivering his tobacco and then used the back of it to do his figures of how much he was going to get for it," McNeill added.

Others tell human stories. His favorite fan shows three black children kneeling at their bedside in prayer. On the back, a simple hand-written ink inscription: "Mama's fan" and then a signature "Georgine."

Because McNeill doesn't know the family, he's formed a history in his mind for the fan.

"That fan had probably followed her mother to baptisms, funerals and weddings, but then Georgine dies and then her grandchildren didn't know their grandmother very well and put it in a flea market," he added.

McNeill hopes to donate the collection to a museum some day and brought his collection to the Cameron Art Museum for evaluation.

"I was intrigued to see what he had," said Daphne Holmes, curator of public programs for the Cameron. "I think it's terrific that someone would preserve that."

Though he doubts any of the fans have monetary value, McNeill takes pleasure in the church fan's everyday reminder of the divine.

"The sense of mystery intrigues me," he said, turning over a tri-fold fan of Jesus in the Garden. "These are common objects, but this fan has the power to inspire prayer and give comfort."

Amanda Greene: 343-2365

On Twitter.com: @iwritereligion

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New Market Report Now Available: Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, The ... - PR Inside

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 12:52 PM PST

Scope of the Report

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plus 3, House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times

2010-03-05T15:17:00.001-08:00

plus 3, House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times

House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times
Dead car brands - MSNBC
Stolen station wagon escapes after 40-minute chase - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Toyota pushing safety on 2011 Avalon - AZCentral.com

House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 01:44 PM PST

Representatives Henry Waxman, the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak, who heads the panel's oversight subcommittee, said documents that Toyota had turned over so far "did not provide convincing substantiation" exonerating the electronic system. The lawmakers asked for more information by March 12.

"Despite our repeated requests, the record before the committee is most notable for what is missing: the absence of documents showing that Toyota has systematically investigated the possibility of electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration," Mr. Waxman, Democrat of California, and Mr. Stupak, Democrat of Michigan, wrote in a letter to the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A,, James E. Lentz III.

Toyota said in its response that executives "have received the letter and will, of course, cooperate."

Mr. Lentz, in testifying before the committee Feb. 23, said the repairs that Toyota dealerships were making on accelerator pedals might "not totally" resolve problems with unintended acceleration. Toyota later attempted to clarify Mr. Lentz's statement to mean that cruise control, "pedal misapplication" and other factors not specific to Toyota still could cause unintended acceleration.

Toyota has insisted on several occasions — to customers as well as to Congress — that it has rigorously tested and found no flaws in the electronic throttle control systems, which substitute for a mechanical link between the accelerator pedal and the engine in Toyotas and many other vehicles.

But the possibility that electronics are to blame has continued to dog Toyota, particularly as federal safety regulators have begun to receive reports of vehicles experiencing problems even after the recall repairs. As of Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received at least 60 complaints of unintended acceleration in Toyotas that supposedly had been fixed, and officials said they were trying to contact those drivers for more information.

The safety agency warned Toyota that it could order a new repair process if the current one was not effective. Toyota dealers have repaired more than a million vehicles in the last month, a process that, depending on the particular model, could involve adding a metal spacer into the pedal, shortening the pedal or removing some padding under the floor to prevent the pedal from becoming trapped under the mat. It is also adding a brake-override system that allows the brakes to supersede the accelerator if both pedals are depressed simultaneously.

Late Thursday, Toyota issued a statement noting that the new reports involved a "tiny fraction" of the repaired vehicles but that it was looking into them. It asserted that its vehicles "are among the safest on the road today" after being repaired.

"Although most of these reports have yet to be verified, Toyota has been and remains committed to investigating all reported incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles quickly," the statement said. "Toyota wants to hear directly from its customers about any problems they are experiencing with their vehicles."

Mr. Waxman and Mr. Stupak asked Toyota to identify employees "with personal knowledge of Toyota's efforts to test its vehicles for electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration" so the panel could interview them next week. They also requested that Toyota provide quarterly reports about allegations of unintended acceleration it has received, with the first due March 15.

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Dead car brands - MSNBC

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 12:32 PM PST

MADISON, Wis. - A judge has ordered Mercedes-Benz USA LLC to pay $482,000 in damages and legal fees to a Wisconsin customer who was sold a defective car and not given a refund on time.

Vince Megna, a Milwaukee lawyer who represents the customer, said he believes the judgment is the largest involving a single car under a state "lemon law," which protect consumers who are sold junk cars. The judge is expected to sign the final order as early as Friday.

Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman Donna Boland said the company, a unit of the German car maker Daimler AG, is disappointed the judge overturned an earlier verdict in favor of the company. The spat over the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E 320 has already dragged on more than four years, and the company's lawyer on Friday asked the court to put the judgment on hold pending an appeal.

While states have a variety of lemon laws, Wisconsin's is one of the strongest. It allows customers who buy cars that don't run or can't be repaired to demand a replacement or refund. Manufacturers have 30 days to respond and can be ordered to pay double the purchase price plus legal fees for violating the law.

Bob Silverman, a prominent lemon law attorney in Ambler, Pa. who was not involved in the case, agreed it was one of the largest judgments for a car he's seen and was an important victory for consumers.

"This one result is very important to the entire auto industry," Silverman said. "It teaches them a lesson they ought to comply with the law promptly or they are going to have to pay in the end."

'A complete nightmare'
Despite the pending judgment, customer Marco Marquez, a 37-year-old businessman from Waukesha, called the case "a complete nightmare" and said he was still waiting for his money back. Once a big fan of Mercedes-Benz who has owned several of its cars, he now says he'll never buy another.

It all started when Marquez, who owns Mexican restaurants in Waukesha and Janesville, purchased the E 320 for $56,000 from a Milwaukee dealership in 2005.

Almost immediately, the car often would not start. The battery was replaced multiple times, but the problem continued. After several repair attempts, the dealership said the problem could not be fixed.

Marquez hired Megna, who sent the company a refund demand in October 2005. After a few weeks, an employee tried to talk Marquez into taking a replacement instead. He declined and again asked for a refund. At one point, the employee said he should fire his lawyer and deal with them on his own.

The company finally agreed to the refund, but failed to provide one within 30 days. On the 31st day, Megna filed the lawsuit on behalf of Marquez seeking double damages and attorneys' fees.

Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged the car was defective, but for years has accused Marquez of acting in bad faith.

The company says an employee asked Marquez for information about his auto loan on the 30th day so the refund could be granted, but Marquez failed to follow through. Megna said Mercedes-Benz had the information it needed for the refund but was stalling.

Ruling overturned
A judge ruled in Marquez's favor in 2007, awarding $202,000 in damages and legal fees. But an appeals court in 2008 overturned that decision and ordered additional proceedings, saying a jury should decide whether Marquez intentionally prevented the company from giving the refund on time.

A jury sided with the company last year, agreeing Marquez acted in bad faith. But in a rare move, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren overturned the verdict, saying it was not backed up by evidence. He ruled in Marquez's favor, citing a clear "lack of urgency" by Mercedes-Benz to refund his money.

A series of rulings by Bohren have calculated the damages for Marquez at roughly $168,000 (double the purchase price plus interest), plus $314,000 in costs and legal fees for Megna and other lawyers.

In the meantime, Marquez has continued to drive the vehicle in question, which now has 56,000 miles. He said it was back in the shop for repairs twice last year but has been "working fine" lately. Still, he can barely contain his anger at the company he once admired.

"Frustrated is really an understatement," he said. "You put that much faith in a car company and you give your hard-earned money to that company and then you are basically let down. You drop $50,000 for a car that doesn't work."

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Stolen station wagon escapes after 40-minute chase - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 02:20 PM PST

March 5, 2010 12:00 p.m. | Waukesha - Work has started on determining the environmental and social impacts of a west-Waukesha bypass, and a committee of about 20 people representing citizen, government and business interests has been organized to participate in the process.

Initial work under way involves gathering information on wetlands, soil, groundwater and traffic counts. The first advisory committee meeting - one of about five planned this year - will be from 4 to 6 p.m. March 24 at Retzer Nature Center. The public can attend for information, but not participate with comments or questions, said Allison Bussler, public works director for Waukesha County.

A Web site, www.waukeshabypass.org, has been set up to keep the public informed.

The long-planned bypass would extend 4.5 miles from I-94 on the north to Highway 59 on the south, generally along Meadowbrook and Merrill Hills Roads. Construction is anticipated from I-94 to Northview Road in 2012 or 2013 and from Northview Road to Summit Ave. in 2012 or 2013. The longest stretch, from Summit Ave. to Highway 59, would be constructed in 2015 or 2016, according to the tentative schedule

Alternative designs and routes, as well as a no-build alternative, will be considered during the environmental study, Bussler said. Public informational meetings will be held during the process, with a final environmental impact statement due by May 2011 and a decision on the project in July 2011. »Read Full Article(6)

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Toyota pushing safety on 2011 Avalon - AZCentral.com

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 02:27 PM PST

CHICAGO - Mired in recalls, Toyota emphasized safety features as the automaker unveiled a face-lifted version of its Avalon large sedan at last month's Chicago auto show.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of our vehicles," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota's U.S. sales operation, adding that the automaker already has repaired more than 220,000 of the 2.3 million vehicles affected by its recent recall to address faulty accelerator pedals.

"If a customer experiences a pedal issue, they should contact a dealer," Carter said. "If not, we're confident they're safe."

Toyota dealers got a software update to fix the antilock brakes in Prius hybrids last month, and Carter said a similar repair to brakes in the Lexus HS 250h hybrid will be available soon.

The 2011 Avalon will feature a new pedal assembly developed to remedy that problem and an electronic brake system required to fix Toyota's earlier recall, which accounts for about 5 million other vehicles.

The next Avalon, Toyota's largest car, is to go on sale this spring. Other safety features will include seven air bags.

The Avalon should have an EPA rating of 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 on the highway, Carter said.

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plus 3, Items possibly linked to Darien murders recovered at Ind. IHOP - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune

2010-03-04T15:13:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Items possibly linked to Darien murders recovered at Ind. IHOP - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune

Items possibly linked to Darien murders recovered at Ind. IHOP - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune
Send-off planned for state soldiers to be deployed to Iraq - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Fielder confirms talks were held on contract - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Midas reports 4Q loss on lower parts, tire sales and restructuring ... - Chicago Tribune

Items possibly linked to Darien murders recovered at Ind. IHOP - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 01:52 PM PST

At 1:15 p.m., Watts said detectives from Darien had arrived to pick up the items.

Watts noted that the IHOP is off Interstate 70, a possible route from Chicago to Florida, where a 23-year-old suspect in the murders was arrested Wednesday.

The suspect, Jacob Nodarse, told Judge Maria Gonzalez earlier today that he would not fight extradition to Illinois, where he is suspected of being involved in the murders of Jeffrey Kramer, 50, owner of a Cicero auto repair and towing company; his wife, Lori, 48, a photo research coordinator for a textbook company; and the couple's 20-year-old son, Michael.

(Read Nodarse's waiver of extradition HERE)

Authorities in Lee County took Nodarse in custody after finding him asleep in a gray van outside his parents' home near Fort Myers. They had been searching for him and his blue BMW coupe in Florida since picking up his cell phone signals along a rural stretch of highway near the Georgia border.

Rick Jessup, spokesman for the Fort Myers office of the U.S. marshal, called Nodarse a "prime suspect" in the murder, but no murder charges have been filed. Nodarse was picked up on a fugitive warrant charging him with obstruction of police.

Investigators are also questioning two other men in connection with the slayings, which occurred about 3 a.m. Tuesday in the home of Jeffrey and Lori Kramer on Kilkenny Drive. Investigators have not spoken publicly about a motive in the killings and have been tight-lipped about many aspects of the crime.

Nodarse's grandmother described him as kind, quiet and mild-mannered, a stark contrast to the bulletin authorities had sent early Wednesday. The alert cautioned officers to be extremely careful when approaching the blue 1994 BMW coupe Nodarse drove to Florida, a car found Wednesday in his parents' garage.

At the time of the alert, authorities noted that the suspect may have been armed with a .40-caliber Glock pistol in a shoulder holster and was "possibly suicidal."

Nodarse was being kept in a "24/7 direct supervision cell" to make sure he doesn't harm himself, according to Lee County Sgt. David Velez. The lights are always on, and an officer can hear and see everything Nodarse says or does, Velez said. He's dressed in a thick "suicide prevention gown" with Velcro connections.

Nodarse will continue to be kept in the cell until Illinois officials pick him up, Velez said. He did not know when that would be

"We'll coordinate with the state of Illinois on when they will pick him up," he said.

Nodarse's mother has worked as a switchboard operator for the Lee County state's attorney's office since 2006, according to Samantha Syoen, communications director for the office.

"I'm her boss. I put her on administrative leave so she can deal with this," Syoen said. "She's cooperating with police."

-- Tribune staff report

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Send-off planned for state soldiers to be deployed to Iraq - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 02:06 PM PST

March 3, 2010 | Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law Wednesday that bans BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups for children age 3 and younger, making Wisconsin the third state to do so.

The law, which takes effect in June, prohibits the manufacture and wholesale of those items. It also requires that such bottles and cups be labeled "BPA Free."

Wisconsin's action is the latest in a growing movement to rid children's products of the chemical.

"It seems to me that if there's a question of (safety), the balance we should strike is on protecting our children," Doyle said. "We must continue our proud and progressive tradition of passing laws to keep our citizens safe."

Bans are in place in Minnesota, Connecticut, the city of Chicago and three counties in New York. Last week, Maryland lawmakers passed a similar bill. Bills are pending in Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington, D.C. »Read Full Article(16)

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Fielder confirms talks were held on contract - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 02:42 PM PST

March 3, 2010 | Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law Wednesday that bans BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups for children age 3 and younger, making Wisconsin the third state to do so.

The law, which takes effect in June, prohibits the manufacture and wholesale of those items. It also requires that such bottles and cups be labeled "BPA Free."

Wisconsin's action is the latest in a growing movement to rid children's products of the chemical.

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Midas reports 4Q loss on lower parts, tire sales and restructuring ... - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 02:21 PM PST

Topics
See more topics »

By Associated Press

4:16 p.m. CST, March 4, 2010

ITASCA, Ill. (AP) — Midas Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss Thursday, the result of restructuring costs and falling sales of parts and tires at its auto repair shops, but says it has already begun to see improvement this year.

Midas lost $200,000, or 2 cents per share, compared with profit of $2.7 million, or 20 cents per share, a year earlier. Midas reported quarterly revenue of $45.7 million, down from $46.7 million a year ago.

Midas said its $2.9 million in restructuring costs included $1.5 million to redesign its North American stores and study its business in France and $800,000 to close four unprofitable stores.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of 8 cents per share on revenue of $45.8 million. They typically exclude one-time items like restructuring. Excluding those costs, Midas would have earned 10 cents per share.

Midas shares rose 22 cents, or 2 percent, to $10.02 in afternoon trading.

For the full year, Midas earned $2.6 million, or 19 cents per share, compared with $7.8 million, or 58 cents per share, in 2008. Its revenue was $182.8 million, down 2 percent.

Revenue from the company operates rose $4.3 million to $65.4 million for the year, due in part to an increase in the number of shops.

The company's sales in shops open at least a year, including those run by franchisees, fell 1.5 percent. That comparison is considered a more reliable indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes the effect of opening or closing stores during the year.

Midas also said its 2009 fiscal year was one week shorter than its fiscal 2008.

"Retail sales in 2009 for Midas were challenging," Alan D. Feldman, Midas' chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Feldman said U.S. sales already improved in 2010 despite stormy weather. The company plans to increase sales this year by adding more SpeeDee oil change centers and increasing employee training.

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plus 3, Toyota to spend $250M on workers at Calif. plant - The Sun News

2010-03-03T15:03:00.001-08:00

plus 3, Toyota to spend $250M on workers at Calif. plant - The Sun News

Toyota to spend $250M on workers at Calif. plant - The Sun News
Stop Overpaying for Everyday Items! - CBS News
23-year-old sought in Darien slayings probe - Southtown Star
How to Trace Your Car's Safety Record - Wall Street Journal

Toyota to spend $250M on workers at Calif. plant - The Sun News

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 10:11 AM PST

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Stop Overpaying for Everyday Items! - CBS News

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 08:53 AM PST

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23-year-old sought in Darien slayings probe - Southtown Star

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 10:04 AM PST

A day after a Darien couple and their youngest son were killed in the middle of the night in their own home, police in the west suburb are looking for a 23-year-old man described as a suspect in the killings.

Authorities in Florida say they've been told to be on the lookout for the Chicago-area man, thought to be driving a 1994 BMW with Illinois license plates.

The man is said to have relatives in Jasper, Fla., and in the Miami area, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Annunziato, and thought to be in one of those places.

Police believe he's armed with a .40-caliber Glock pistol in a shoulder holster and is "possibly suicidal," Annunziato said.

In Jasper, Hamilton County Sheriff Harrell Reid said this morning that his office was contacted around 1 a.m. by Darien police about the car.

"We were told if anyone came into contact with this person to use extreme caution," Reid said.

But his deputies didn't find the car.

"We checked every road and every residence close to the area, but we haven't found anything," Reid said.

Darien police and the DuPage County state's attorney's office said they have no comment for now.

Jeffrey R. Kramer, 50, and Lori L. Kramer, 48, and their 20-year-old son Michael J. Kramer were shot to death around 3 a.m. Tuesday inside their home in the Tara Hill subdivision.

Another grown son and a daughter, along with Michael Kramer's 17-year-old girlfriend, were in the house but weren't harmed.

The daughter, Angela Kramer, 25, hid in an upstairs closet and called 911 to report the home invasion and shots fired.

The police questioned her former boyfriend, but Deputy Police Chief John Cooper said the man was not a suspect. The couple share custody of their 13-month-old son and have been locked in a visitation battle, DuPage County court records show.

Sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that the ex-boyfriend called police Tuesday morning saying he saw news coverage of the killings on TV and wanted to know whether Angela Kramer was OK.

In all, more than 50 people — including neighbors and relatives — have been interviewed by police. None of the survivors was able to identify the killer, police Chief Robert Pavelchik said Tuesday.

But he added, "It's clear to me that someone who knew the family was involved."

The killings were the first in Darien since a murder-suicide in 1995, police said.

Jeffrey Kramer, the owner of a towing and auto repair shop in Cicero, and his son Michael were found dead on the first floor of the home in the 8900 block of Kilkenny Drive — just north of Interstate 55 and east of Lemont Road.

Lori Kramer's body was found on a stairway to the second floor, police said.

All three were shot multiple times, and at least 12 bullet casings were discovered in the house — all apparently from the same handgun, sources said.

A window on the first floor was broken, the likely point of entry for the killer, police said.

No weapon has been found.

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How to Trace Your Car's Safety Record - Wall Street Journal

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 09:36 AM PST

Toyota Motor Corp. this week announced it will offer free repairs to owners of more than 200,000 vehicles with potentially leaky oil hoses.

The action was labeled by some news outlets as a "recall," in the vein of the auto maker's recent recalls of some six million vehicles for sudden acceleration and other issues. But the latest action wasn't a recall. It was, in Toyota's phrase, a "limited service campaign."

EPA

Mechanic Josh Salazar, of Arlington Toyota in Palatine, Ill., works on recalled Toyota Camry cars.

What's the difference? A recall involves a safety defect, as defined by federal motor-vehicle regulations, and is done with the knowledge and approval of federal safety regulators. A limited service campaign is Toyota's phrase for a voluntary decision to fix a problem that reasonable customers could argue is the company's fault, even if the letter of the warranty says it's not.

The recent congressional hearings about Toyota's safety and quality lapses have put a spotlight on the sometimes-confusing world of automotive safety experts, including federal safety regulators, auto-industry engineers, regulatory-affairs officials and independent advocacy groups such as the Center for Auto Safety.

Safety officials and experts use words in ways that aren't necessarily easy for outsiders to translate. Ordinary consumers who want to explore the huge databases of information that safety regulators maintain will find portals online. But it takes persistence and some trial and error to assemble a complete answer to simple questions such as: Am I the only one who's experienced this problem? Is there a safety recall on my car?

Consider the "technical service bulletin." If you plug that phrase and the name of just about any car into an Internet search engine, you are likely to find that the vehicle in question is the subject of at least one notice that identifies a problem or defect, and directs dealers to fix it, often at no charge to the customer. Laymen might think of this as a recall, but technically they're wrong.

Finding Fault

Complaints received by NHTSA about the six biggest auto makers.

* For model years 2005-2010

Source: Edmunds.com

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has its own glossary of terms that consumers will need to master to search its vehicle information database. The first thing for consumers to learn is the acronym ODI, which stands for Office of Defect Investigation.

ODI, which is part of the NHTSA, which in turn is part of the Department of Transportation, has its own Web site, www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov. Here, persistent consumers can drill down through a series of menus to find out if a car or truck is the target of consumer complaints, is under investigation by NHTSA or has been recalled.

The site is clunky. Say you want to see if any complaints have been lodged against your car. You can click on "Search Complaints" in the left-hand column. That page opens with a request to type a "NHTSA ODI Number" into a blank box. No, you probably don't have it. Instead, go to the menu on the right, and click on "vehicle." Then, click through the series of tabs—year, make, model and component—until you see what you want. To view all the complaints on, say, a 2008 Infiniti G35, don't select anything when you get to the "components" tab. Just hit "retrieve complaints."

Too bad people don't categorize their complaints the same way or use standard terminology. And once you have searched complaints, you'll need to back up and repeat the process of finding your car on a different page in the ODI site (click "Defect Investigations" on the left) to learn if the agency thinks it's heard enough of these gripes to have assigned an engineer to check them out.

NHTSA's Web site has drawn criticism from consumer advocates, including Consumers Union, which says NHTSA complaint information should be visible "via a single consumer-facing site, with intuitive tools that allow users to easily find information...and compare vehicle safety records."

Some consumer car-shopping and information Web sites offer easier-to-navigate tools for looking up defects and recalls.

Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of Edmunds.com, says his analysts scrubbed NHTSA data on about a dozen different categories of complaints lodged from 2005 to 2010. Edmunds.com engineers reviewed NHTSA data "line by line," he says, cutting out duplications and applying a more consistent approach to describing and categorizing the reports. Edmunds then repackaged the data to show complaint rates for major manufacturers per 100,000 cars sold. "It's a lot of work," Mr. Anwyl says.

By Edmunds's measures, for example, Chrysler Group LLC had the highest rate of complaints per 100,000 vehicles among the six largest auto makers. Toyota ranked third in total complaints, but it had the highest rate of complaints in the category of sudden acceleration. Mr. Anwyl says Edmunds.com plans to publish its data on its Web site free.

Chrysler said in a statement that its analysis shows its safety recalls "are the lowest in the industry for the last two calendar years" when adjusted for sales volume. Toyota has said it believes it has developed "robust and durable" solutions for the complaints that led to its sudden acceleration recalls.

Some members of Congress want NHTSA to do more to make the huge quantities of information it has on safety complaints more user-friendly and accessible. One proposal pushed by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) and others: Allow consumers to get a full readout of recalls and other safety issues by plugging in the vehicle identification number of their cars.

Write to Joseph B. White at joseph.white@wsj.com

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