“Kapp joins staff of Crossroads Repair - Jamestown Sun” plus 4 more

Kapp joins staff of Crossroads Repair - Jamestown Sun
The federal rebate program has put a dent in charitable efforts - NW Florida Daily News
Loveland Man's Custom Bikes Grab Attention - Denver Channel
Battery dead? Blame the heat - Austin American-Statesman
Transmission Shop Internet Solutions Introduces Auto Repair Shops SEO ... - Newswiretoday.com

Kapp joins staff of Crossroads Repair - Jamestown Sun

Posted: 15 Aug 2009 05:29 AM PDT

Al Kapp has joined the staff at Crossroads Repair as an auto technician. He will also assist with service calls and towing.

Originally from Medina, N.D., Kapp has eight years previous experience working for Walt Sanders and Jamestown Auto Center.

Tags: local business, crossroads repair, business, kapp

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The federal rebate program has put a dent in charitable efforts - NW Florida Daily News

Posted: 15 Aug 2009 11:05 AM PDT

Local charities have seen a decline in the quantity and quality of donated vehicles since the start the govern-ment-sponsored "Cash for Clunkers" program.

In the last decade, Christian Automotive Repair Support in Niceville has provided more than 600 people with refurbished donated vehicles. But its service might be impaired because of the federal Cash Allowance Rebate System, said Lois Pellnitz whose husband Bruce oversees the C.A.R.S. program.

However, the long-term impact of the program on the charity is hard to gauge.

"It always goes in flows, there's times when we may get three (vehicles) and then weeks go by and we don't get anything," Bruce Pellnitz said.

The vehicles donated to C.A.R.S. are repaired and then given to people who need them.

"It makes a big difference in their life," Bruce Pellnitz said. "They can now go to the doctor's office, church, grocery shopping and get to a job."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which also has a car donation program, faces similar issues.

"We've had a tremendous slowdown in the number of people donating cars — it doesn't look good," said Bob Raiche, national manager of the Boys & Girls Clubs' car donation program. "It's almost come to a halt, to tell you the truth."

The trouble isn't limited to smaller charities.

Charitable Auto Resources, which oversees the details of car donation pro-grams for a number of organizations around the country, estimates the industry has seen at least a 15 percent reduction in donations since the start of Cash for Clunkers, said company CEO Rick Watkins.

"It's difficult to say how much it's impacted us," Watkins said. "We've got a lot of people who want to donate a vehicle but say, 'We want to see if the car qualifies for Cash for Clunkers.' "

One of the biggest problems with the Cash for Clunkers program is that all the vehicles, which are generally in decent condition, are destroyed, he said.

The impact isn't just on charitable organizations, either. The automotive industry also has suffered with the program because it has fewer used vehicles and fewer used parts available, Watkins said.

Relief may be on the way for people not benefiting under the current program. A bill that would increase the allowable tax deduction for donated vehicles has been presented to Congress.

"I do think there's a segment of the nation out there, they've had financial difficulties and in this economy they can't afford to go buy a new car … so how can the government help them? Give them a tax deduction (for donating)," Watkins said. "Let's give folks who don't have any qualification in this thing (Cash for Clunkers) a tax deduction, and that in itself could be a good stimulus package."

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Loveland Man's Custom Bikes Grab Attention - Denver Channel

Posted: 15 Aug 2009 12:17 PM PDT

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Battery dead? Blame the heat - Austin American-Statesman

Posted: 15 Aug 2009 10:15 AM PDT

Auto repair shops report an increase in battery sales, partly because of high heat.

By Miguel Liscano
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, August 15, 2009

Add one more item to the list of things — like trees, lawns and lake levels — that can be zapped by prolonged dry summer heat: the car battery.

Auto shops around Central Texas say car batteries have been failing more frequently this summer as temperatures routinely pass 100 degrees.

Mechanics say a battery's life is typically shortened by high outdoor heat. Along with engine heat and vehicle vibration, it causes liquid to evaporate and leads to internal corrosion.

"A lot of people don't realize ... that does cook the water out of the battery," said Wayne Nauert, a manager at Klingemann American Car Care Center in Austin.

Drying out the lead plates in a battery exposes it to corrosion, he explained, making it harder to hold a charge.

Chris Patel, who owns three Batteries Plus locations in Austin and Round Rock, said sales for the three stores have been up 12 to 15 percent this summer compared with the same time last year.

Robert Ramirez, a manager at National Tire and Battery in Round Rock, said he's had to double the amount of batteries he keeps at the shop because they're selling so fast.

"We can barely keep them in stock," Ramirez said. Both Patel and Ramirez attributed the rise in battery sales to the high heat.

Ramirez recommended having the battery checked every month or so. If the battery has removable caps on the top, the auto shop workers recommend making sure the lead plates inside are covered with water.If not, they advise adding distilled water.

Patel said keeping a vehicle battery's surface clean and free of corrosion also will help prolong its life.

He also recommends car owners make sure they buy the right size battery for their vehicle; car dealerships and most auto shops will have information about the specific battery they need.

Some motorist might not see the effects of the summer heat until later in the year when their battery succumbs because of the stress placed on it months earlier, Patel said.

"It's not immediate," he said. "It's going to be a battery that would have survived, but the heat was kind of the last straw."

Pat Bennett, 72, experienced that firsthand when her 3-year-old battery with a six-year warranty died earlier this week on a visit to Austin from her home in Houston.

"My battery was the deadest battery I've ever heard in my life," Bennett said.

After a jump-start and a trip to have it replaced, a mechanic told her it might have been the hot weather that killed her battery.

"I can't tell you how many people have told me since then, 'In Texas heat, they don't last more than three years,' " she said.

mliscano@statesman.com; 246-1150

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Transmission Shop Internet Solutions Introduces Auto Repair Shops SEO ... - Newswiretoday.com

Posted: 10 Aug 2009 04:55 PM PDT

New web business, Transmission Shop Internet Solutions, has gone Gung ho helping others in the auto repair and transmission shop industry gain more business by using the Internet. Todays small auto repair businesses need a website to help pull in leads that they would otherwise miss with print and radio advertising.

Transmission Shop Internet Solutions (internetfortransmissionshops.com) has decided to bridge this advertising gap for auto repair shops by offering a website plus traffic generation through search engine optimization (SEO). According to TSIS owner Art Eastman, who has over 35 years in the transmission business, Auto repair and transmission shop owners need to understand that a large number of their new potential customers are putting aside their yellow page books and searching the Internet to find where to go for repairs locally. Not only do most desktop and laptop computers connect to the Internet, but Blackberries, iPhones, and other mobile devices do also. To keep and grow their business, today's transmission shop owners must adapt to the times and expand their ways of advertising.

Through their website, car repair shops can offer potential customers free services such as external diagnosis, senior and military discounts and other information about their individual businesses. But, putting up a website is only half the battle as many website owners will tell you. Once your website is up, how do people find it? Transmission Shop Internet Solutions will also promote the auto repair shops websites for them.

According to Eastman, Any auto repair or transmission shop today that does not have a website is missing these new potential customers and losing substantial business to his local competitors. Any shop that has a website and does nothing to make sure it's being seen by potential customers on the Internet that are looking for transmission repairs or other auto services is missing the boat - it's like having a book that gets left on the table in the library rather than being properly catalogued and placed back on the shelf so people can find it. If no one sees it, what good is it?

In these tough economic times, Transmission Shop Internet Solutions is all about generating Internet-based SEO leads for small auto repair facilities. Print and radio advertising is still effective but it is more costly and it doesnt reach the new breed of consumers who have turned to the Internet to shop for services locally.