“Action Line: Get the best auto repairs possible - Bakersfield Californian” plus 4 more |
- Action Line: Get the best auto repairs possible - Bakersfield Californian
- Under-The-Radar Clunkers to Avoid - ABC News
- TheStar.com | Sports | Swiss driver escapes injury in Mosport crash - Toronto Star
- Texas Tough Jobs - CHAPTER V: AUTO RECYCLER - Seguin Gazette-Enterprise
- Double Hit and Run - Myfoxdc.com
| Action Line: Get the best auto repairs possible - Bakersfield Californian Posted: 28 Aug 2009 10:57 AM PDT
Action Line: Get the best auto repairs possible| Friday, Aug 28 2009 11:00 AMLast Updated Friday, Aug 28 2009 11:00 AM Editor's note: Action Line is a weekly column from the Better Business Bureau answering consumers' questions and concerns about money and business issues. Action Line has recently received letters from readers detailing bad experiences with auto repairs, some from private garages and some from chain stores. I appreciate the time that readers spent to contact Action Line, but space does not allow me to answer each one individually in this column. However, automobile repairs are extremely important to all of us. We depend on our vehicles and, in this continuing tight economy, cannot afford to distrust our mechanics and/or receive less than the full value for what repairs cost. Below is some general advice you should know about automotive repairs. • If you have a problem with your car while it is still under warranty, follow the manufacturer's instructions, which may require that repairs be made at an authorized dealership. • If you are looking for a qualified independent shop, ask friends for recommendations. Check with the BBB about the shop's reliability. Look for shops that display certification. For major work, such as brake, transmission or engine repairs, you need to find a shop employing a specialist. According to the Bureau of Automotive Repair, with complex auto designs and the use of computers in diagnosis, you need to make sure the repair facility has the equipment to detect problems and repair them. If you are in doubt about what the problem is, let the shop diagnose the problem. You may cost yourself money by requesting specific repairs that may not solve the problem. Be as specific and accurate as possible in describing the problem. Ask as many questions as you need. Do not be embarrassed to request simple, non-technical definitions. Don't rush the service writer or technician to make an on-the-spot diagnosis. Ask to be called and appraised of the problem(s), course of action and detailed costs before work begins. • If you want the old parts back, you must ask for them before any work is started. The shop is required by law to return the parts only if you have requested them before the work is done. Ensure notification about additional costs, by having the service manager write a request on the bottom of the repair order. Give phone numbers where you can be reached. Before you leave, be sure you understand all shop policies regarding labor rates, guarantees and acceptable methods of payment. • When you pick up your car, get an explanation of all work completed and get all guarantees in writing. Ask that any major new parts that have been installed be pointed out to you, if possible. Your repair bill should be itemized so if a problem occurs later, you can prove the item is covered by the guarantee. Don't hesitate to return the car to the shop if the work was not done satisfactorily. If you are still not satisfied with the work, you have options. You can contact the Kern County BAR at 335-7400 or go to the state Web site at dca.ca.gov. You can contact the head of the auto repair shop, whether that is a local owner or the CEO of a chain. You can file a complaint with the BBB at bbb.org or 322-2077. My best advice is to do all three. Vickie Sanders is assistant director of business services for the Better Business Bureau serving Central California. Send your consumer concerns, questions and problems to Action Line at the Better Business Bureau, 1601 H St., Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93301 or vickie@bbbcencal.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Under-The-Radar Clunkers to Avoid - ABC News Posted: 30 Aug 2009 08:03 AM PDT
Since July 1, the Cash for Clunkers program has spurred 358,851 vehicle sales valued at a total $1.5 billion, according to the Department of Transportation. The most popular trade-ins include the Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Caravan and Chevrolet Blazer. Though clunker sales may be waning--and there's no word yet on how many of those $3,500 and $4,500 rebates have been processed--the program has given an undeniable boost to some automakers. Toyota, General Motors and Ford Motor have benefited the most, receiving 18.9%, 17.6% and 15.4%, respectively, of total sales made under the program. But owners of foreign cars might want to take a closer look at the government-backed initiative; many of these cars carry the highest out-of-pocket costs of any models this year. Click here to read more about 10 clunkers to avoid at our partner site, Forbes.com. The BMW M5 sedan, for instance, exacts an average of $5,700 for repairs and maintenance over five years, while the Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster and E63 AMG Wagon fall closely behind, each with maintenance and repair costs of more than $6,000. By contrast, Honda's $23,550 Civic sedan costs $2,700 to repair and maintain for five years. Behind the Numbers Granted, to qualify for the program, a vehicle must have been registered and insured continuously for a full year preceding the trade-in. But our list applies to drivers who purchased a 2009 model early last year and hope to trade it in right at the end of the program, Nov. 1. And it serves as a guide for uncovering future models with unusually expensive maintenance and repair requirements.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| TheStar.com | Sports | Swiss driver escapes injury in Mosport crash - Toronto Star Posted: 30 Aug 2009 02:08 PM PDT |
| Texas Tough Jobs - CHAPTER V: AUTO RECYCLER - Seguin Gazette-Enterprise Posted: 29 Aug 2009 09:04 PM PDT SEGUIN Guy Hurley can wash his cracked, gnarled knuckles all he wants, and he does so several times a day. But he can never get rid of the black grease ground deeply into the cracks of his hands, and each day when he goes home, Hurley has more new cuts across his knuckles than any two small-town barroom brawlers. But hes not a boxer hes a parts puller, the guy at the pointy end of the auto recycling business who breaks down old cars and trucks into piles of saleable parts and pieces that will be melted down and reforged into new steel products. Hurley has worked at Fred Shanafelts Shanafelt Used Auto Parts on West Kingsbury for a decade. His partner, Fernando Ramon, has worked there for 26 years. We dont like to get rid of our employees, Shanafelt jokes. We like to wear them out. Shanafelts wrecker service, auto recycling and body repair and paint shops have been fixtures in Seguin since Shanafelts father, Ralph, started the towing business in 1947 that in the 1950s expanded into a recycling operation. We had to do something with the parts, Shanafelt said. Today, Ralph Shanafelts original business on an acre of land has expanded into an 11-acre site along Kingsbury with another six-acre lot outside of town. Its a busy place. Ramon owns a 69 Chevy Chevelle SS 396 a real enthusiasts car. He loves working on anything automotive so much he even does some of it on the side. Lately, he and Hurley have been keeping busy dismantling cars turned in at local dealerships under the federal Cash for Clunkers incentive program. Those vehicles, whose engines have been rendered inoperable, must be dismantled within six months. When its a straight deconstruction job, Ramon will use his yard truck a personal vehicle with a boom and all of his tools on it to drag the vehicle into a shop that at least gets him out of the sun. If hes pulling a part, hell have to work out in the sun and the grass, sometimes inside and sometimes even under a vehicle to get at what he needs. Its really kind of hot, and its hard to work out in the sun, but you get used to it, Ramon said. You drink a lot of water or Gatorade to get through the day. Ramon works fast using tools such as a reciprocating saw or an acetylene torch in addition to the more common air impact wrenches because he doesnt care about the condition of the parts hes not going to need. We take the doors off and the front end, and we take off the drive train and pull the transmission, he said, holding onto a reciprocating saw fitted with a hacksaw blade. Im taking off the catalytic converters right now. The converters are recycled for their platinum and other precious metals. All fluids must be drained and recycled or disposed of properly. Radiators might be recycled for aluminum. Other odds and ends that repair shops or customers routinely need clean fenders, front clips, door or body panels will be carefully removed if theyre going to be resold. Parts that will be resold are inventoried and tagged. We put them in the computer and tag them with stock numbers so we know what we have when people come looking for something and where it can be found. Once the remainder of the vehicle has been crushed, it goes out to CMC Steel Texas or another firm like that to be converted into new products. It is far cheaper to recycle steel than it is to smelt it down from iron ore. Ramon has worked in construction and done a little carpentry, but hes stayed nearly three decades with Shanafelt because he likes working for him and he likes the work. Hes fair and I like it here, Ramon said. And Ive always liked to mess with cars and with engines. A short distance away, Hurley works in another bay, pulling a transmission out of an old Honda for a local shop that needs it to repair a customers car. He has to be a little more careful not to damage the transmission or any of its fittings or supporting components, and hes using a hand ratchet and socket set and hes barking up his knuckles, which are dirt and grease encrusted. Blood oozes out of three of them. I have small hands, Hurley said. I tend to stick them in places I shouldnt when Im working on some of these cars. So my hands are kind of rough. Like Ramon, Hurley has his own yard truck which he also drives home. It might not be much to look at mechanics are notorious for not paying much attention to the aesthetics of their vehicles but a careful look reveals Snap-On brand tools that are the industry standard and indicate a mechanic who has made a heavy investment in his craft. It seems like you have to buy a new set of tools each year for the new things that come out on vehicles, Hurley said. Hurley got into the auto recycling business at his fathers knee. My father was a mechanic, and working on cars is all I ever really liked to do, he said. I sort of inherited the trait. When he can, Hurley pulls a vehicle to the shop to work on it. Out in the yard, the work can be complicated by the terrain the deep grass and the bits and pieces of detritus that build up at any strip lot not to mention the weather conditions. Oh, man! Hurley exclaims about the weather. Especially in the summer. When its 103 degrees outside, its 120-130 degrees between these vehicles especially inside them. Out in the yard, Hurleys seen a few small animals over the years and a few snakes. The fire ants can be a constant hassle both men lay on cardboard when they can. They also share Shanafelts yard with yellow jackets and wasps. A bigger concern still, he said, is spiders particularly the two local poisonous varieties, which are the black widow and the brown recluse. I check the webs, Hurley said. Thats another thing my father taught me. I can tell just by looking at the web whether its a spider thats just going to bite me or one thats going to kill me.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Double Hit and Run - Myfoxdc.com Posted: 30 Aug 2009 09:00 AM PDT Updated: Sunday, 30 Aug 2009, 12:05 PM EDT
WASHINGTON - Montgomery county police are asking for the public's help to track down a hit and run driver. Just after ten Saturday morning...police say that driver struck two women as they crossed Capital View Avenue at Leafy Avenue in Silver Spring. His black Toyota SUV or pickup dragged the women...then ran over one of them. The driver kept going...but left behind the grill of his truck...torn off in the impact. Police say it's all but impossible for the driver to not know that he struck the women. Both women...in their twenties were seriously injured but are expected to survive. Investigators are asking auto body repair shops to be on the lookout for a vehicle that fits that description with front end damage. |
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