plus 3, 'Widespread fraud' in California's smog test program - Los Angeles Times |
- 'Widespread fraud' in California's smog test program - Los Angeles Times
- Proposed Calif. law aims to reduce smog test fraud - San Francisco Chronicle
- Reviews Summary for Ameritron ALS-600 - eHam.net
- New York City Ranks 20th in Best and Worst US Cities for Auto Repair - MSN Money
| 'Widespread fraud' in California's smog test program - Los Angeles Times Posted: 25 Feb 2010 02:15 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Nearly a third of older-model cars stopped for roadside smog tests in Southern California failed them, despite having received a passing grade at inspection stations within a year, a state audit has found. The results of those surprise inspections of 6,000 models manufactured before 1996 have led law enforcement officials to crack down on unscrupulous stations, step up fines and file more criminal charges. Legislation introduced in the California Assembly this week would allow the state to bar low-performing test stations from conducting smog checks. "We found widespread fraud in the program," said Leo Kay, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, which is sponsoring the bill. "There are quite a few people out there who will get your dirty car passed," said Tom Cackette, deputy director of the board. "You can stick a probe up the tailpipe of a clean vehicle. And the dirty car doesn't get inspected but it gets certified. We put people in jail for that. Undercover activity shows it is prevalent." The legislation, introduced this week by Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park), also would fundamentally change how the majority of inspections are done. Testers would be required to use a hand-held scanner that reads data from on-board computers found on post-1996 cars, which report the vehicle's performance over time. Tailpipe-and-treadmill testing, which is more susceptible to manipulation and fraud, will be phased out as older cars leave the state's roads. Bill backers expect the test, used in 22 states, to take half as much time, which could drive down prices for consumers. The computer device would register the car's model and VIN, making fraud difficult. Information gleaned from onboard computers, which monitor components from catalytic converters to gas caps, would go directly to the state Bureau of Automotive Repair. Some 23 million motorists are included in the state's smog test program and would be affected by the proposals. Cars made before 1996 constitute only a quarter of the fleet but account for three-quarters of vehicle pollution, the board says. By cracking down on smog check stations, the state estimates it will prevent an additional 70 tons of pollutants per day from fouling California air, on top of the 400 tons daily that the smog test program is credited with averting. "This new and improved program will have the same result as taking 800,000 old cars off the road," said board Chairwoman Mary D. Nichols. The random tests were conducted by California Highway Patrol and Bureau of Automotive Repair officials between 2000 and 2006. They found that 19% of the stopped vehicles failed tailpipe checks within a year of having received passing grades at testing stations. Additional inspection of the car's pollution systems, such as fuel evaporation controls, brought the proportion of failures to 31%. Sherry Mehl, chief of the auto repair bureau that oversees the smog check program, called the results "appalling." But she added that the fault may not lie exclusively with stations. "One part is people manipulating their own cars to get them to pass, and the other part is stations manipulating," Mehl said. "As a consumer, you can go onto websites and learn all kinds of different ways and additives to get your car to barely pass a smog check." The roadside tests also revealed a high failure rate for cars that initially failed smog checks, were repaired and then were given passing grades after a subsequent test. Of those, 59% failed roadside tests within a year of the second station test. "A significant number of cars that failed the initial test got repaired," Cackette said. "But within days after a retest, we saw them on the roadside and they had high emissions." The roadside tests were compared with the station's records for the same vehicles, and the results were analyzed in an independent report by Sierra Research, a Sacramento auditing firm. The firm reported its overall results last March, but the air board kept them under wraps until this week while officials prepared a legislative response. Mehl said an improved data transmission system between the auto repair bureau and individual stations, installed last April, has allowed officials to focus on 200 stations that are "the worst of the worst." Before June 2009, only one or two stations were cited for fraud each year, she said. Since June, 22 stations have had their licenses suspended; 17 of them are facing criminal prosecution. The legislation would raise the ceiling on fines from $2,500 to $5,000. Susan Ward, executive director of the California Emissions Testing Industries Assn., which represents smog-check testers, said her members do not object to stepped-up enforcement but added that fraud is less widespread than portrayed by state officials. "Just because you are pulled over and don't pass the test doesn't mean there's fraud," she said. "These are the dirtiest vehicles. An old car with high mileage can float above and below the cutoff point in a smog check, depending on how long you've driven it, how it is maintained and what the outdoor temperature is." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Proposed Calif. law aims to reduce smog test fraud - San Francisco Chronicle Posted: 25 Feb 2010 02:15 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Legislation introduced this week by Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, would radically change the way the tests are conducted and potentially affect some 23 million California motorists. The proposed bill would phase out the biannual tailpipe and treadmill inspections except for cars built before 1996. Newer cars have on-board diagnostic systems. Under the proposal, the state would permit a limited number of the 7,000 stations now doing smog checks to keep performing tailpipe tests. They would be chosen for their thoroughness under a new ranking system. Most inspection stations would use scanners that can access the car's computerized data on pollution control systems and record the vehicle identification number. That method, currently used in 22 states, would make it harder to falsify test results. The proposal, which would raise the fines for Smog Check fraud, sponsored by the California Air Resources Board and the Bureau of Automotive Repair, which oversees the state's Smog Check program. Officials say it will reduce fraud and prevent 70 tons of smog a year from blasting out of tailpipes. A state audit released Tuesday evaluated roadside tests of more than 6,000 older cars between 2003 and 2006. It found that more than half of the cars that pumped out too much pollution in the roadside test initially failed smog checks but later passed after they supposedly had been repaired. "Of the 1976-95 vehicles sampled, 19 percent of the vehicles initially passed a tailpipe inspection at a licensed Smog Check station, but failed a roadside audit inspection within a year," according to the evaluation. State law requires owners to spend up to $450 to make repairs to pass smog checks. The vehicles "either were not actually repaired or were repaired only temporarily," concluded the report, written by Sacramento-based Sierra Research. "We found widespread fraud in the program," air resources board spokesman Leo Kay said. "There are quite a few people out there who will get your dirty car passed," said Tom Cackette, deputy director of the board. "You can stick a probe up the tailpipe of a clean vehicle. And the dirty car doesn't get inspected but it gets certified. We put people in jail for that. Undercover activity shows it is prevalent." The new system proposed by Eng might cut the $50-or-so price of a test in half and take half the time for owners of newer cars, said Dennis DeCota, executive director of the California Service Station and Automotive Repair Association, in Santa Rosa. "I think it is a good thing," he said. "The consumer already has paid for the technology when they bought the car. All we have to do is make sure those components are working properly." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Reviews Summary for Ameritron ALS-600 - eHam.net Posted: 25 Feb 2010 12:49 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. I rate this a 3, as that is midscale on the available ratings. I know many folks using this amp in exactly the same configuraton I am; rig, antenna tuner, antenna. So far, they have had great results. With me; not so much. I bought a new ALS-600S on May 20,2008. It was the new version with the remote telco jacks on the front panel. I also paid extra to get the switching supply. When it arrived, I noticed very distinct rattle in the power supply. I opened to investigate, shook out the loose hardware, and spent the next hour remounting the main board with the hardware that shook loose in transit. I feel very fortunate to have found it before I switched it on, or left it loose enough that it would come loose in active use. I used the amp a good bit, until it failed on (or around) October 20, 2008. I sent it back under warranty, and four MRF-150 MOSFETS were replaced. I also purchased the 10m mod while in for repair and Ameritron installed it for me at no charge. I got it back home, and really used it very little after that. I again had to install loose hardware on the power supply, and took quite a few pictures showing how it arrived the second time. In looking back at my actual time on the air using that rig and amplifier, I probably have around 15 to 20 hours maximum on the new set of MOSFETS. Last night, I went to 10m to try it out with some folks in the area. For the first time, I switched it to the AUX position, and got 150 watts out with 65 watts in. I tested it on other bands, and got around 250 (with sag down to 225) wats out, this time increasing drive to 100 watts. I took everything loose, connected it direct to a Vectronics 1.5K dry dummy load and re-tested with ALC line disconnected with the same outcome. So, On June 4th, 2009, I discovered the MOSFETS to be on the way out again. I called Ameritron, and spoke with the tech who repaired it the first time. I had asked him previously to make sure that all protective circuits were working properly, and to "tighhten up" on the adjustments to make it fault out with any SWR detected that would be harmful. It never faulted out, never showed SWR, and I don't know how long the MOSFETS had been failing, as I always drove it with fairly low input, kept Mic gain out of the ALC range and didn't expect to see the watt meter bouncing to the top of the scale. A phone call to Ameritron this morning resulted in "Send it in, and we will repair it again for around $300.00". This, about 15 days out of original warranty, with one previous complete failure of outputs in the first 6 months. The second set of 4 MOSFETS lasted a little longer (measured in months between failures, not actual operating hours), as I did not use that setup very oftern after the first failure. So, if you are considering one of these, take heed. If you get a good one, it seems to be a good one. However, if you don't, you have to ask youself how lucky you feel when you put it into service. It cost me $1264.98 to get it to the door in May of 2008. I expect it to be the $220.00 for MOSFETS, and $75.00 for Labor; plus freight both ways to get the opportunity to see how many more minutes I can get between failures. After getting off the phone, I tried it again on all bands, and in the process, it died again completely. No smoke, and no output. It has been operated exclusively with a FT-2000, ALC line connected, LDG AT-1000 (Non-PRO) Auto Tuner, through a RF Applications P-2000 Peak Power Meter into a Cobra Ultra Lite Senior Dipole Antenna. The system was always tuned on CW at around 40 to 65 watts, with the amp in standby, then one short tone with the amp in Operate to check final SWR to be sure there was no problem under load, before going to SSB mode. The FT-2000 meter funciton always was in the SWR position, the meter the in the ALS-600 never showed appreciable SWR , and the outboard RF Applications metering system never indicated problems on the antenna. The Outboard meter showed SWR before the Antenna tuner. The Antenna Tuner's meter showed SWR between the AMP and antenna, and the FT-2000 meter showed SWR as seen by the Rig's PA. If the failure had been due to SWR, it would have shown up on one of the metering stages. The rig has sufferred no damage, the same antenna has been used between other rigs, including 2 different Yaesu FT-450ATs, a Vertex VX-1700, Ten-Tec Jupiter, 2 different Kenwood TS-2000s, a Kenwood TS-480, a Yaesu FT-747, Transworld TW-100F, Icom IC-706 MKIIG, Icom IC-718, Icom IC-703+, Icom IC-746, Drake 4C Line, Patcomm PC-9000 and probably others that I have long since forgot. The LDG AT-1000 and the RF Applications P-2000 meter were in line in nearly all the above installations. It all boils down to failure in the ALS-600 system, otherwise there would be damage to the other gear. Yet, Ameritron will not warranty it 15 days out of warranty; even after a previous failure in the time frame. Again, if you get a good one, it is probably OK, but what if you get one with the history of this one and that of others who have reviewed indicating similar expereinces. At this time in history, the economy is in dissarray and money is tight. Can you afford to take a chance on getting a "good" one. To all who haven't had troubles, I am certainly proud for you. I just wasn't one of the "lucky" ones.
David Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| New York City Ranks 20th in Best and Worst US Cities for Auto Repair - MSN Money Posted: 25 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. CARSON, Calif., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- New York City ranked 20th overall in AutoMD.com's Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report, the first study ever to analyze how the top-50 most populated US cities stack up when it comes to providing consumers with fair quotes for auto repair. Overall in the report, Memphis ranked #1, while Chicago ranked 50th at the bottom of the list. For the report, AutoMD.com mystery shoppers conducted a fairness check of over 600 shops in the top-50 DMAs* (including a range of dealers, independent shops, and franchises like Pep Boys) by requesting quotes on a typical auto repair job: a front brake pad replacement job for a 2004 Ford Focus. To measure pricing integrity, the mystery shoppers called back two weeks later with an industry standard price estimate. The best and worst list was then calculated based on each city's rankings for three critical factors, Repair Affordability, Price Disparity and Shop Integrity, weighted equally:
With New York City's poor marks for price disparity and lackluster rankings for shop integrity, AutoMD.com recommends that New Yorkers compare shops to make sure they receive the best possible quote before setting foot into the repair shop. "Doing your research is critical to getting a fair shake at the repair shop," said AutoMD President Shane Evangelist. "Fortunately, car owners now have access to online tools so they can compare local repair shops, establish a local market repair invoice price and make sure that they get a fair deal." For the complete AutoMD.com Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report rankings, click here. To read the National Best and Worst Cities for Auto Repair release, click here. *Designated Market Area About AutoMD.com AutoMD.com™ (www.automd.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc., PRTS, is the most comprehensive and unbiased free online automotive repair resource designed to empower car owners with the best way to repair their vehicles. Backed by a team of automotive data specialists and certified auto mechanics who are advocates for the car owner, AutoMD.com allows both car owners and DIYers to 1. Diagnose car problems, 2. Know how much auto repairs should cost, 3. Understand the steps needed and the time it should take with How-to Auto Repair guides, and 4. Find the right local auto repair shop at the right price for their issue. Unlike other repair sites, AutoMD.com does not rely on revenue from repair shops or dealerships, so car owners can rest assured that AutoMD.com repair shop listings are completely unbiased and designed to help car owners choose the best, most affordable shop for their vehicle issue. SOURCE U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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