George's Stuff: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Spending Smart: Change oil after prudent interval

Found on newsobserver.com and brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

By GREGORY KARP - Chicago Tribune

n polite company you don't talk about sex, religion, politics - or oil changes. Frequency of oil changes brings out the car experts in all of us - and some fierce opinions.

Opinions come from a variety of sources: our dad, the quick-lube guy or maybe a magazine article. Problem is, they don't all agree. Not even close.

Some swear by the 11th commandment, "Thou shalt change thy oil every 3,000 miles." But nowadays, many say that's a waste of money. You need to change oil about every 7,500 miles.

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"The vast majority of American commuters are changing their oil way too often and wasting a lot of money in the process," said Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor for auto website Edmunds.com.

The good news with many late-model cars is you don't have to decide at all. Your car has a monitoring system to tell you when it needs an oil change.

Here are some questions and answers to help you change oil often enough to protect your car but not so often that you're wasting money, with help from Reed; Gary Pollak, program manager of technical projects at the Society of Automotive Engineers; and Pam Oakes, a technician certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. She is also owner of Pam's Motor City Automotive in Fort Myers, Fla., and author of the self-published book "Car Care for the Clueless."

WHY CHANGE OIL? Besides the obvious job of lubricating metal parts of an engine, oil also acts as a coolant by reducing friction and dispersing heat. It's also a cleaner, trapping tiny particles. Oil becomes dirty and doesn't work as well over time. So you need to drain the old stuff.

Where does the 3,000-mile rule come from? This used to be the standard, and a good one. "It was true when our father told us that," Reed said. But things have changed. Both engine technology and oil formulations have improved, allowing you to travel longer between oil changes.

Still, repair and oil-change shops confuse the issue. They affix to your windshield what Reed calls "that horrible little sticker" as a reminder to change oil in three months or 3,000 miles. "People are really busy, and they rely on the sticker, but it's really a marketing tool," he said. "It sort of appears to be whispering in the corner of your brain. I just tell people to peel it off."

The shops are in the business of selling you more oil changes, and in some cases, they want to get you in the door to sell you other services, such as fluid flushings, or products, such as fancy filters, he said.

An Edmunds.com investigation into the truth about oil changes last year offered a blunt conclusion. "This wasteful cycle continues largely because the automotive service industry, while fully aware of the technological advances, continues to preach the 3,000-mile gospel as a way to keep the service bays busy."

Oakes, a dealer and auto technician, concedes this is true at some repair shops.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REALLY CHANGE OIL? The average car's oil change interval is 7,800 miles, Edmunds found. Consumer Reports says most people would be fine changing oil every 7,500 miles or six months. But averages don't necessarily apply to your car. The best rule is this: Check the maintenance section of your manufacturer owner's manual. Look up this information once, and you never have to worry about it again for that vehicle.

What about "severe" driving? This is the loophole through which many repair shops drive their overly cautious advice about 3,000-mile oil changes. While an owner's manual might recommend changing oil every 7,500 miles; it might also say if you drive in "severe" conditions, you should change oil every 3,000 miles. So, it can come down to the definition of severe. "There's a lot of disagreement over what severe means," Reed said.

Idling, for example, is considered a severe condition. But does that mean idling for 20 minutes waiting to pick up a child from school, or idling for four hours?

Reed's advice? "Severe means severe," he said. So that means off-roading in the desert, towing heavy loads or really abusing a vehicle - think taxicab or delivery van, he said.

SHOULD I TRUST THE DASHBOARD OIL-LIFE MONITOR? Yes. Newer vehicles have monitoring systems for oil. For 2010 vehicles, 14 of 35 carmakers had oil-life monitoring systems, Edmunds says. These systems have sensors that monitor your driving and certain vehicle conditions, such as temperature in the drivetrain. Based on that information, the system uses an algorithm to estimate how dirty the oil is and alerts you when an oil change is needed. Typically, the warning gives you plenty of time to get around to scheduling an oil change. Edmunds.com, using oil tested by an independent firm, found oil-change warning lights went on about 2,000 miles early.

What if I drive very few miles? That's why recommendations often come with an interval for time as well as miles. It's a good idea to change oil at least annually, even if you don't hit the mileage interval, because moisture can build in the crankcase, making oil less effective, Reed said.

IS IT A PROBLEM IF I CHANGE OIL TOO OFTEN? It won't harm your vehicle, but America's oil-change addiction has many consequences. First, you'll spend more time and endure more hassle changing oil more often. And you'll spend more money on oil changes and whatever else the repair shop can talk you into.

There's an environmental impact too. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery even sponsored a public education campaign about it. "Following the 3,000-mile myth generates millions of gallons of waste oil every year that can pollute California's natural resources," it says on its website. It says only 59 percent of used motor oil is properly recycled. The rest, with its heavy metal and toxic chemicals, often ends up in waterways.

Bottom line? Save time, money and Mother Earth by knowing your proper oil-change interval and, most likely, changing oil less often.

ULTIMATE ARBITER?

Don't trust the so-called experts or even your owner's manual about how often you should change your motor oil.

You can pay to have a sample of your oil tested. Like sending a blood sample to a lab, the results will tell you a lot about the fluid, including how many more miles you could have used it.

An example of a testing company, the one Edmunds.com used, is Blackstone Laboratories, blackstone-labs.com, of Fort Wayne, Ind. Its test costs $25. Another is Indianapolis-based Polaris Laboratories, polarislabs1.com, which charges $26.99, according to a customer service representative.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Gregory Karp, the author of "Living Rich by Spending Smart," writes for the Chicago Tribune. Readers may send him e-mail at gkarp@tribune.com.

Spending Smart: Change oil after prudent interval

Found on newsobserver.com and brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

By GREGORY KARP - Chicago Tribune

n polite company you don't talk about sex, religion, politics - or oil changes. Frequency of oil changes brings out the car experts in all of us - and some fierce opinions.

Opinions come from a variety of sources: our dad, the quick-lube guy or maybe a magazine article. Problem is, they don't all agree. Not even close.

Some swear by the 11th commandment, "Thou shalt change thy oil every 3,000 miles." But nowadays, many say that's a waste of money. You need to change oil about every 7,500 miles.

http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N5477.127315.CENTRO/B5223619.12;sz=300x250;ord...?"> Advertisement

"The vast majority of American commuters are changing their oil way too often and wasting a lot of money in the process," said Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor for auto website Edmunds.com.

The good news with many late-model cars is you don't have to decide at all. Your car has a monitoring system to tell you when it needs an oil change.

Oakes, a dealer and auto technician, concedes this is true at some repair shops.

Idling, for example, is considered a severe condition. But does that mean idling for 20 minutes waiting to pick up a child from school, or idling for four hours?

Reed's advice? "Severe means severe," he said. So that means off-roading in the desert, towing heavy loads or really abusing a vehicle - think taxicab or delivery van, he said.

Bottom line? Save time, money and Mother Earth by knowing your proper oil-change interval and, most likely, changing oil less often.

ULTIMATE ARBITER?

Don't trust the so-called experts or even your owner's manual about how often you should change your motor oil.

You can pay to have a sample of your oil tested. Like sending a blood sample to a lab, the results will tell you a lot about the fluid, including how many more miles you could have used it.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Gregory Karp, the author of "Living Rich by Spending Smart," writes for the Chicago Tribune. Readers may send him e-mail at gkarp@tribune.com.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Who’s Best for Your Car, Dealer or Independent?

Found on nytimes.com and brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

By ALINA TUGEND

Published: February 25, 2011

WHEN we moved back to the United States about 11 years ago, we bought a Saturn, which I faithfully took to the nearby dealer for every service checkup. Once it was out of warranty, I gradually shifted to an independent mechanic who was more convenient and seemed cheaper.

Then, about four years ago, we sold that car and bought a Mazda. This dealership was so far from our house that I never went there for the required checkups and relied instead on Jack, our local mechanic.

But, especially when the Mazda was under warranty, I had this nagging feeling that I was somehow in the wrong. Was my mechanic giving me the same kind of service as the dealer? Was he missing things? Was I doing my car a disservice by where I serviced it?

Everything seemed to be running fine, but then I would hear stories like the one from a friend who had taken her car to the local mechanic instead of the dealer and he put in the wrong kind of oil. It was a costly mistake. She now goes to the dealer for all servicing.

So I decided to see what I could find out. First, I turned to the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, which since 1972 has tested and certified repair and service professionals, including dealers and independent mechanics.

It turns out that I’m not alone in choosing not to go to my dealer, according to Tony Molla, a spokesman for the institute. Seventy percent of car owners go to the independents for what is known as “aftermarket” care while the cars are still under warranty.

That means they drive off the lot and rarely, if ever, return to the dealer.

So my first question is this: If something goes wrong when the car is under warranty, and all of us who abandoned our dealers have to return (tails between our legs) to the dealer, will our warranties be voided?

In most cases, no. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 — which applies to all sorts of products, not just cars — ensures that except in rare instances, a dealer must honor the warranty.

You do, however, need to be sure that nothing is done to the car that expressly voids the warranty. Some warranties, for instance, may prohibit specific cosmetic changes.

And you want to make sure to keep all service records so that if there is a problem with the car and you need to return to the dealer, you can prove it got regularly serviced.

Most important of all, read your owner’s manual.

You should know when your car is still under warranty and what that warranty covers. Otherwise, if something goes wrong within three years after you bought your car — which is the average time a car is covered in full — and if your independent mechanic is unscrupulous or ignorant, you may end up paying a lot of money for something you would have gotten free at the dealer.

So how do you decide? Dealer or independent?

Not surprisingly, the answer to some extent depends on whom you ask.

“I’m a firm believer that you should return to the dealership,” said Robert Atwood, management instructor for the National Automobile Dealers Association. “Parts are installed by rigorously trained technicians. Nobody knows the car better than these technicians.”

Mr. Atwood acknowledged that dealers’ initial labor costs were often higher than independents because of steeper overhead, but he argued that the dealers’ greater expertise and state-of-the art equipment meant the repairs would go faster — and in the end cost less.

He also noted that car dealerships had access to daily bulletins sharing information about fixing vehicles.

AutoMD.com, which is owned by U.S. Auto Parts Network, an auto parts supplier, collected data last year from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Federal Highway Administration and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. Car owners who went to dealers for repairs spent an average of $1,209 a year versus $903 for those who used independents.

These included common repairs jobs like brake work, transmission repairs and window replacement.

But Brian Hafer, vice president of AutoMD, said car owners should not look just at the labor costs but at the bottom line. Especially in newer model cars needing complex repairs, dealers will sometimes have more sophisticated diagnostic equipment than independents.

Also, Mr. Molla said, even if you’ve been regularly going to your independent mechanic, if you’re nearing the end of your full-coverage warranty, you might want to go to the dealer to find out if anything is wrong. Then, it will be fixed free before your warranty expires.

But he says he doesn’t think car owners should “assume the mechanic won’t have the knowledge that the dealer has,” he said. “It’s possible the independent repair shop hasn’t invested in the necessary equipment, but not necessarily true.”

Customers, he said, should check if the repair shop has a blue seal of excellence — about 400,000 mechanics nationwide do. That means they’ve passed certain exams and have to be recertified periodically. Consumers can find mechanics that are blue seal-certified through the Automotive Service Excellence Web site, www.ase.com.

Vince Walsh’s shop, Andy and Terry Automotive Specialists in Valley Stream, N.Y., displays the blue seal. He acknowledged that as cars became increasingly computerized, the equipment to diagnose and repair them was also becoming more expensive.

“I spend an average of $15,000 to $20,000 a year on hardware and software,” Mr. Walsh said. “It constantly needs to be updated.”

Whether you choose a dealer or independent, there are ways to try to get the best deal possible. First of all, become informed. Call a few shops, including your dealer and other mechanics, to check prices.

Mr. Hafer suggests going to his or other Web sites to try to diagnose the problem and compare repair costs so you aren’t reduced, as many of us often are, to simply saying, “The car sounds funny.”

Also, don’t be afraid to negotiate.

Mr. Hafer said representatives from his company called 600 dealers and independents for a price quote for a specific repair. When they called back a few weeks later and told the repair shops that had found a place that offered a lower price, two-thirds of the shops discounted the cost by an average of 14 percent.

And realize that sometimes car-related items are just going to be expensive even when they seem as if they shouldn’t be.

We recently lost one of the two keys to our car. It turned out that we would have to pay $120 to get a key we could use to manually open the door and turn on the ignition — and we would have to wait two hours at the dealership for it. And it would be $80 more to get the remote programmed as well.

I thought this was outrageous. So I called around. Other locksmiths could make the key, but it would be no cheaper, because they have to purchase the same expensive software to program the key.

So here’s my tip to you: Make a third key when you first buy the car. That’s because, for security reasons, it’s generally easier and cheaper to make a copy when you have the two originals.

Fortunately, we lucked out this time. Once the snow started melting, we found the key right where one of us — I won’t say who — had dropped it near the car. And it worked fine.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Right to Repair Divides City's Auto Industry

A follow up on a follow up from Car Repair Salinas

Independent garage owners differ on bill's potential impact.

By Dan Baer Feb. 24,2011

Found on peabody.patch.com

While part manufacturers and legislators continue to offer staunch support for the Massachusetts Right to Repair Bill, painting the issue as a war between independent shops and large dealerships, local independents are split on the issue and some fear that the bill could leave small garages worse off than before.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Garrett Bradley and state Sen. John Hart, has been re-filed for the 2011-2012 legislative session. The legislation attempts to protect “motor vehicle owners and small businesses in repairing motor vehicles," who up until a few years ago were unable to access repair codes and computer information from manufacturers, forcing car owners to have repairs done exclusively at dealerships.

The driving force behind the measure is the Right to Repair Coalition, a collection of 33 special-interest groups which include AAA, Massachusetts Independent Auto, and the Massachusetts Locksmith Association. The measure passed unanimously in the Massachusetts Senate last year before stalling in the House of Representatives and never being voted upon before the 2010-2011 legislative session ended.

Right to Repair is popular with many independent garages that feel they don’t have the ability to access necessary repair information vital to car repairs, specifically on newer models, but least one local owner says the information is there and it is reasonably priced, garages and consumers just need to be educated on where to find it.

"I feel that we already have a right to repair," said Diane Larson, owner and manager of John Larson's Auto Service on Lynn Street. "What we lack is information and proper training, tooling, education and information access for shop owners and technicians."

A small, independent shop, Larson says her service technicians have access to all of the information they need to fix just about any vehicle from their own shop from simply purchasing tools from the manufacturer and a subscription to a Web site that provides appropriate service codes. She says the movement for Right to Repair has unfairly been tied to small repair shops, pitting them against dealers, when in reality it is the independent parts manufacturers who want access to car manufacturer information so they can make what is essentially replicated parts.

"Passing this bill doesn't help anyone, except for the parts manufacturers," she said. And what it has done is divided the industry. That is a shame."

As it stands today, John Larson's has the ability to repair any car, something Diane Larson says is available to every repair shop at a cost.

"There are two different scan tools, there is the aftermarket tool and there is the OE (original equipment) manufacturer's tool," she said. "Most shops have the aftermarket tool which takes all of the information and condenses it in to one tool. The problem with that is there is so much information that it can't all be in there, so it doesn't have everything."

The OE scan tool is more useful to shops as it is unique to a specific manufacturer, and therefore has all of the codes the shop would need to repair any problem. The tool itself, which connects to the car and a laptop computer, is fairly inexpensive, around $1,500 depending on the manufacturer, and requires a yearly subscription to a database of online codes.

Larson's uses the National Automotive Service Task Force website to subscribe to codes. Other available sites include Mitchell and All Data.

Larson says her shop has purchased tools and subscriptions for the manufacturers they service the most, including Toyota which makes up for over half of their business, and also has the ability to purchase a one, two or three day subscription online for other manufacturers if needed.

"The information is there," says Larson. "But the shops have to buy the tool, pay for the information and train their technicians. The Toyota guys (at the dealership) don't have anything my guys don't have that they need to fix the cars."

In a press release, the Right to Repair Coalition said that drivers with something as trivial as a “check engine light” on a car out of warranty are “told that the vehicle had to be taken to a new car dealership to simply turn the light off after repairs were made.”

Larson somewhat opposes this notion, pointing out that three or four years ago that was an issue, but today all of the information is available to shops if they are willing to pay for it and train their staff.

"A few years ago we were not getting the information we needed, yes," she said, pointing out that Toyota initially refused to sell her the OE manufacturer scan tool in 2008 because she was not a dealer. "But the ASA (Automotive Service Association) and other organizations have really been working hard with the OE's and the information is now available if we need it.

"I think that the OE's want us to fix the cars. They want their customers to be happy. I think if they are forced in to (Right of Repair) they are going to have their backs up and they are going to raise the cost of the information. Right now it is reasonably priced for everyone."

While Larson fears the bill will raise the cost of information for garages, other shop owners in the city say it is necessary to ensure that the information will always be available.

"If it is not instated then we essentially have the fox guarding the hen house. I think they will stop offering the information," said Larry Rubenstein, owner of Route 1 Auto Service. "If the information is embargoed then you are going to have a monopoly with the dealerships. All it is going to do is raise the price of repairing cars."

Rubenstein uses a similar system as Larson when it comes to purchasing subscriptions and tools to gain access to codes. He says the information is not always accurate and there is still a worry over 'black market parts' which he says surface when proper information is unavailable.

"The info (online) is entered manually or scanned, they get it from the manufacturers and occasionally there are mistakes and errors that are there," he said. "What it comes down to is the information cannot be embargoed. Any time you do that there is nothing good that can come of it."

Rubenstein said passing the bill would also require manufacturers to make information about newer models available sooner and would help complete the vast library of codes that often have technicians scrambling.

Since the beginning, dealerships have been opposed to the bill citing an influx of aftermarket parts hitting the market as well as job loss issues due to a loss of service business.

In an interview with Tewksburry Patch, Group 1 Automotive Director of Government Relations Marvin Marcell, who represents the owners of Ira Toyota in Danvers, said the passage of the Right to Repair legislation would be “disastrous” to the dealerships. He believes that the bill would allow competitors to have access to valuable intellectual property owned by the car manufacturers. This would, in effect, flood the industry with after-market parts.

“That would be a devastating blow to a major segment of their business,” he said in reference to the parts and service dealings of the dealerships.

Marcell spoke of the websites that make codes available and says manufacturers have made an effort to educate other garages about them.

“All of the people in the industry know of it and know of its usefulness,” Marcell said. “In my experience, 95 percent or better of the time, there is no problem. People can get the access they want.”

Marcell believes that the complaints that groups such as the Right to Repair Coalition have against dealerships are a “red herring” because repair problems are often user related. Repair shops also often run into problems with “knock-off” parts and scan tools, according to Marcell.

Larson does not agree with the notion that "everyone" in the industry knows about the Web sites. She said the focus should be on educating and training independent owners and their staff about what is available, as well as notifying consumers that they do not have to go to a dealership, instead of trying to push what she feels is an unnecessary bill through the legislature.

She says that many shops do think they have to send a customer to a dealership simply because they do not know or do not have the training to use the scan tools.

"They need to take all of this money they are putting in to this bill and put it toward educational training," she said. "If they put just a fraction of this money toward that... The information is out there. People just need to know that it is available."

She added that she believes hers and other shops are superior to dealerships not because of pricing, but because of the level of quality and personalizes service that independent shops provide. Her fear is that the rift the bill is creating in the industry will have the opposite effect and raise the cost of the information and therefore the repair.

"There is a great market for the independent shop," she said. "I just don't want to see us go the way of the neighborhood drug store."

Rubenstein agrees, but says Right to Repair is a key part of saving the independent shop from the strong hand of dealers and manufacturers.

"The government did a real job on us with Cash for Clunkers," he said, referring to the trade in program offered by the government two years ago. "We lost a lot of the older cars that we would normally work on. I see (Right to Repair) as another step."

Friday, February 25, 2011

Lobbyists Line Up Over 'Right to Repair' Act

Follow up article from Car Repair Salinas

By John Zorabedian of melrose.patch.com February 24, 2011

Tony Koles worries his auto repair business might not last long if auto manufacturers don't make it easier for independent shops like his to access information from on-board computers in newer model cars—but auto makers say they need to guard proprietary information and that everything independent shops need is already available online.

Koles, who has owned and operated Montvale Tire on Main Street for 43 years, is part of a coalition seeking to force car makers to share with independent shops the same computer data franchise dealers get to repair vehicles, through state legislation known as the Right to Repair Act.

Without the law, Koles said, businesses like his can't afford to compete with dealers.

"It's to the point where you can't service a car without scan tools and access to the computer," Koles said. "We can spend thousands of dollars per year on equipment to access the information, but we can't get all the information."

The bill has been filed in the state House of Representatives for the current session after passing the state Senate last year. Because the bill wasn't signed in the last session, it has to pass through the Senate again, as well as the House, before being placed on Gov. Deval Patrick's desk.

If passed, it would be the first such law in the country, but auto manufacturers are strongly opposed to the legislation, and similar efforts to enact a federal law.

The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, which includes more than 1,000 independent repairers and organizations including AAA Southern New England and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, has been lobbying state legislators in an effort to get the bill passed.

Meanwhile, the auto manufacturing trade group Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) has been lobbying against the bill.

Auto makers have said the legislation is an effort by after-market parts makers to access the manufacturers' intellectual property. An AIAM spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal that the bill's supporters want not only repair codes, but the design and manufacturing codes.

Joe O'Koniewski, executive vice president of the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, said that shops not being able to obtain the information they need for repairs is a "made-up issue," driven by after-market parts makers.

"We don't have anything against independent repairers—we work with them on a range of issues," O'Koniewski said. "But on this issue we have a disagreement."

"It's very difficult to pass something all the auto manufacturers oppose," said Art Kinsman, a lobbyist for the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition. "They have deep pockets and are willing to fight to the death."

Kinsman said the manufacturers are trying to steer more business to their affiliated dealerships, at the expense of independent shops.

Sen. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, who represents Melrose Wards 1-5, was still a state representative last year and didn't get a chance to vote on the bill, but signaled she would support it this session.

"We need to craft a bill that will benefit our small businesses," Clark said through a spokeswoman. "I've heard from a lot of small garages in my district that believe this bill will be very helpful for their businesses."

As the two sides bring their arguments to bear on the Legislature, Rep. Paul Brodeur, D-Melrose, said he wants to make sure the consumer is protected.

Brodeur said he is "cautiously favoring" the legislation, but is wary of the intense lobbying effort coming from both sides.

"There are a lot of high-powered hired guns on this," Brodeur said. "Whenever there's this much money going in, you have to be careful of the overblown rhetoric."

Koles said he has personally spoken to state legislators many times about the bill, and he's been "fighting this for 10 to 12 years," at the federal level, where a bill has never made it through Congress.

"It's only a matter of time before this will happen," Koles said.

If the bill passes the Legislature and becomes law, it will likely be challenged by lawsuits from the manufacturers, Brodeur said.

"I think we'll see lawsuits around the issues of commerce," Brodeur said. "Not that you shouldn't pass something if someone is opposed to it, but the law should have merit."

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Right to Repair Act Reintroduced in Massachusetts

2011-02-21 16:55:26 from layover.com

Trucking Industry News

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2011-02-21 16:55:26 from layover.com

BETHESDA, MD – The Right to Repair Act has been introduced in Massachusetts for the 2011-12 legislative session. The 2011 legislation is sponsored by Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham) and Sen. John Hart (D-South Boston) and has over 60 co-sponsors, more than last year.

The Right to Repair legislation ensures better choices for consumers because independent shops would have equal access to the same non-proprietary repair codes and service information as the new car dealerships. Repair shops will pay for the data, giving them the ability to compete on a level playing field and resulting in lower prices for consumers.

"What this bill is really about is ensuring our constituents will always have a choice to have their vehicles repaired at a shop of their choice. Given the tough economy we're in, we have to remember that consumers pay a lot for their cars and for repairs, so they should get it fixed where they want," said Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham).

"We support the Right to Repair bill because it simply makes good sense for our members, and for all motorists," says Mary Maguire, director of Public and Legislative Affairs at AAA Southern New England. "Passage of Right to Repair will provide drivers with more affordable choices and greater convenience when it comes to car repair, and that represents a real victory for the motoring public.”

The Right to Repair Coalition achieved major success last year in raising awareness of the need to enact legislation that would require the vehicle manufacturers to sell the needed repair information to local repair shops. As it stands now, not all of the necessary repair information is available to independent, neighborhood car repair shops. Formal sessions for the Massachusetts Legislature ended on July 31, 2010 and although the Right to Repair Act passed the Senate unanimously, the House of Representatives was unable to take action on the bill before the session ended.

"There are 32,000 people who put food on the table by working in Massachusetts' independent auto repair industry. You'll find them on every corner, on every main street, in every neighborhood. Right to Repair will protect these jobs, the small independent businesses they work for, and most importantly their customers’ right to choose them to get their cars fixed," said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition.

About Right to Repair:

The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act protects motoring consumers from a growing and potentially hazardous vehicle repair monopoly by requiring that vehicle manufacturers provide full access at a reasonable cost to all non-proprietary service information, tools and safety-related bulletins needed to repair motor vehicles. The legislation provides car companies with strong protections for their trade secrets, only requiring them to make available the same diagnostic and repair information they provide their franchised dealers to the independent vehicle repair market. For more information about the Right to Repair Act, visit www.righttorepair.org.

Wave of the future? Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Auto-Service Contract Companies

Staff Writer for myfox8.com

February 20, 2011

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) —

Auto-service contract companies promise to keep car repair bills from wiping out your bank account by selling an "extended warranty" for your car, but watch out for some.

Michael Tyree of Winston-Salem owns a 2002 Jaguar X Type, which comes with a big repair bill if something goes wrong.

When Michael got a call at home from stoprepairbills.com, he was naturally intrigued by a coverage plan that promised to take care of anything that could go wrong with his car.

Michael made a down payment of $139 and kept making monthly payments to the company. Eventually, he had spent more than $1,000.

However, when the time came for him to submit four claims over a six-month period, each one was denied.

The Better Business Bureau has received more than 600 complaints against the website, most complaining of similar incidents.

"It sounds like a great deal, but what folks have been finding out when they get this coverage is that it's not bumper to bumper or total coverage," Kevin Hinterberger with the Better Business Bureau said.

A lot of customers reportedly didn't read the contract before purchasing the coverage.

Stoprepairbills.com says it's a "responsible company that tackles every single complaint that comes its way in a timely manner."

They're not the only company of its kind getting complaints. The NC Attorney General has banned some companies from doing business here, such as Automotive Protection, U.S. Fidelis and Credexx.

With so many used cars out on the roads today, a lot of people are interested in extended warranties.

Those people should visit their local manufacturer's dealership. Drivers can always buy an extended warranty from the dealership, no matter where the car was purchased.

"When you purchase an extended warranty from us, it lays out everything that's covered and everything that's not covered that you purchased from us," Kerry Mitchael with Modern Toyota in Winston-Salem said.

Mitchell says it makes a big difference when you do business with someone you know. They have a reputation to protect so they use warranty companies they trust.

"We know what's going to be covered and we understand the warranty company we deal with and how they do business," Mitchell said.

The Attorney General's office says some less-reputable companies often pretend they represent the car manufacturer or your dealer.

If you'd like to file a complaint, visit the Attorney General's website.

If you'd like to check out an auto-service contract company, visit the Better Business Bureau's website.

Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Monday, February 21, 2011

4 Ways You Throw Away Money on Your Car

By Sequoia on 05/27/2010 – 4:31 am UTC --- From Favstocks.com

Car dealership services and auto products make it easy for you to throw away money on your car without thinking. When life gets busy, you’re willing to delegate even the simple tasks to a professional so that you can check one more thing off your to-do list. You could be saving a lot of money if you would take the time to do a little comparison shopping and do some work yourself. Don’t throw money away in the process of selling your car or for basic maintenance.

1. Car Dealership Services

The two ways car dealerships try to make more money off you after you buy a car from them are with car repairs and oil changes. They probably made a lot of money selling you your car in the first place if you didn’t know how to negotiate the best price possible. On your way out the door, they warned you to get car repairs and oil changes with them in order to keep your warranty and get the best service. No one knows you car as well as they do, right? It’s a con game, and you end up spending too much money for car repairs. It’s better to hire a local mechanic to do the work if you’re unable to do it yourself. The same thing goes for changing oil. Any oil shop can change your oil, and everyplace, including your car dealership, carries the same quality of oil.

2. Falling for Car Maintenance Schedules

You should maintain your vehicle to save money on costly repairs down the road. When you create your budget, allocate a small amount monthly to save up for major repairs and to pay for oil changes, anti-freeze and other car maintenance issues here and there. Don’t fall for the car maintenance schedule offered by your car dealership, though. It’s one another way for them to make money and for you to throw away money on your car.

3. New Tires

Buying new tires for a used vehicle may be one way you throw away money on your car. Used car tires are often all you need, but you need to know what to look for. That’s something your mechanic or the person you’re buying the tires from, if you trust him or her, can help you with. There’s no rule against putting used tires on new cars either. If you’re looking for ways to save money, buy used tires and pay to get them mounted and balanced properly.

4. Car Detail

It’s often a waste of money to pay for a full car detail, especially if you have it done at the dealership. The only time that you’re not throwing away money on your car by paying for a car detail is when you’re trying to sell it. A car detail makes sense then if it’s affordable. Going to a car dealership is most likely not the most affordable option.

Think before you spend money on your car. Make sure you’re not just throwing money away.

Good advice from Car Repair Salinas

Saturday, February 19, 2011

CMU pushes conversion kit for gasoline cars

By Bob Bauder, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, February 18, 2011

Illah Nourbakhsh's dream is for Pittsburgh to become the electric car capital of the country.

The Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor and a team of CMU colleagues, with help from an Oakland auto repair shop, have developed a process for converting family gas guzzlers into battery-powered electric cars with a fraction of the operating and repair costs of a new electric car.

They call it the Charge Car.

Nourbakhsh, 40, of Squirrel Hill said he can convert a Honda Civic right now for about $14,000, including parts and labor. After that, he said, it will cost less than $1 in electricity to fully charge the batteries. Downsides are that the charge is only good for about 40 miles and fully charging the batteries takes 10 hours.

By comparison, the most high-profile, all-electric car being offered right now, the Nissan Leaf, retails for almost $33,000, has a range of around 100 miles and can be fully recharged in eight hours.

The Department of Transportation says that Americans drive about 37 miles per day on average.

The team is wrapping up development and test stages of their conversion kit, and they hope to begin converting cars in the next few months.

"My dream is a bottom-up electric car explosion in Pittsburgh," he said. "Instead of Pittsburghers buying cars from the auto manufacturers, I would like to see Pittsburghers going to local auto shops and using local mechanics to convert their cars. What are we going to do with all these cars on the road? Why not recycle them?"

Customers would take older-model cars to a qualified repair shop where mechanics rip out the engine and fuel, cooling and exhaust systems and install the kit, which includes an electric motor, a lithium ion battery pack and controls. The car looks exactly the same, only there is an electric motor in the engine compartment, batteries in the trunk and a computer control on the dashboard.

Nourbakhsh and company are pitching the cars for daily work commutes. Studies conducted by the team show that the average round trip for 80 percent of Pittsburgh-area residents is 12 miles.

"There's a segment of people for whom this will be a real useful solution," Nourbakhsh said.

Chuck Wichrowski, 61, of Greensburg, owner of Baum Boulevard Automotive in Oakland, has agreed to convert vehicles in his garage. The conversion should take about two days. One of his mechanics has been working several days a week at CMU's Electric Garage on Forbes Avenue, developing the Charge Car.

The plan is for CMU to develop the process, then find a private company to make and market the kits. CMU Research Engineer Josh Schapiro, 25, of Shaler said they will be able to convert only Civics at first, but the team hopes that will shortly change to include almost any vehicle.

Nourbakhsh said he's had a test model running 75 mph on the Parkway West going up Green Tree Hill. He said the vehicles will run well in the winter, so long as they are continually charged.

The team has collected little information on potential repair costs, but that's because none of the three models developed to date has needed repairs.

"I've been driving an electric car since the year 2000, and I've only gone to a service station once," Nourbakhsh said. "After 11 years, the brake pads wore out. In general, the thing about electric cars is we have very few parts that wear out or corrode. We expect the maintenance costs will be a tiny fraction of the maintenance costs you have on a regular car."

Good news from Car Repair Salinas

Friday, February 18, 2011

Auto Boot Camp Gives Women Lesson in Car Care

Updated: Wednesday, 16 Feb 2011, 9:46 AM EST
Published : Wednesday, 16 Feb 2011, 6:04 AM EST

By TACOMA PERRY/myfoxatlanta

ATLANTA - Ladies, when your mechanic talks to you, do you feel like he's speaking a foreign language?

And when you get the bill for car repairs, do you always wonder if you were taken for a ride?

A local woman is hoping to inform and empower women to be in control of their car.

For most women, going to a mechanic is like going to the dentist: necessary, but extremely uncomfortable.

"There's this intimidation factor built into the transaction that women just automatically feel. I'm going to be ripped off, they're going to lie to me. And so we go in with that and a lot of times we just get it back," said Gail Dunn of Women's Automotive connection, Inc.

But Gail Dunn is on a mission - to empower women to confidently handle car issues. Her automotive boot camps for women provide the basics for all car issues: service, maintenance and minor repairs, for things you can do on a regular basis like change your oil.

"Please change your oil every 3-5,000 miles depending on what kind of oil you're running. It's the lifeblood of your car. It's super, super important," said Dunn.

Maintenance includes those infrequent items that still need attention like new tires and brakes.

"It doesn't matter how good your car looks it doesn't matter how well your car runs. If it won't stop, your problems are much bigger," said Dunn.

And Dunn says if you service and maintain your car, you'll see repairs before they become a problem and cost you big bucks. But repair is the area where women are most taken advantage of.

Dunn says you don't have to be an automotive expert to know your car. You don't know something, just look in the owner's manual or you can simply Google it. But if you do decide to take your car to a professional she says don't be afraid to get a second opinion.

"It's like a doctor for your car. So what's wrong with a second opinion? If somebody told you it was going to cost you $4,500 to do x to your car, wouldn't you want a second opinion? What if it ended up only costing you $1,200 dollars?" said Dunn.

Dunn says never be afraid to tell a technician no. But if you do decide to go ahead with a repair, get the estimate in writing and ask for your old parts.

"If people start telling you the jargon and you're not understanding, just stop them and say, please explain that more simply to me. Make them do it your way instead of you doing it their way," said Dunn.

Dunn also says once a month, get a friend and take a walk around your car to check all your lights. Replacing them is easy and will make you safer on the road.

For more information on Dunn's boot camp, click here.

Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

The Death of The Billable Hour?

Feb 17th, 2011 by Michelle Lore

Found on MinnLayer Blog

The debate over the potential demise of the billable hour continues to rage all over the country.

At the American Bar Association’s recent mid-year meeting in Atlanta, David Boies, managing partner with Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, and the general counsels of Wal-Mart and Pfizer got in on the discussion. What follows is an article — “Is the Billable Hour Past” — the ABA published on Feb. 12:

Should lawyers still get paid by the hour? The economy, as well as the chance for law firms to vary their expertise and prove their worth, are among reasons that firms are reconsidering the way they charge clients, lawyers said yesterday at a meeting of the American Bar Association in Atlanta.

“I remember when lawyers billed for legal services rendered,” said ABA President Stephen N. Zack, introducing the presidential showcase CLE program sponsored free-of-charge by the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. “Lawyers had relationships with clients: If there was an issue with the bill, we’d sit down and talk about it.” Relationships are at the core of the way lawyer-client transactions are trending as the billable hour has become a plague for both lawyer and client. As Joseph K. West, associate general counsel, Walmart, noted, “Both in-house and outside counsel hate the billable hour. It hurts relationships.”

Lawyers and their clients are considering new structures such as fixed fees, flat fees and success fees, among others. So-called value billing, which can mean a flat rate for work for the year, frees lawyers and firms from recording billable hours - though keeping track of overall hours and work conducted may still be ongoing in order to determine overall efficiencies and work done by a lawyer within the firm.

“We became lawyers because we’re passionate about justice, we want to be liked and respected, and we enjoy winning,” said David Boies, managing partner with Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP. “Value billing feeds all of those reasons.”

Clients have more security in knowing how much the fee over a certain period will be, and lawyers are also more satisfied because they don’t want to spend their time figuring out quarterly or even 10-minute time allotments of their day. That will draw the brightest of young lawyers, Boies said. “If we don’t get the best lawyers, ultimately we aren’t going to keep the best clients,” he said.

Value billing also provides an opportunity for firms to gain expertise in areas in which they may not be known as specialists. As Boies explained, “If a corporation has a flat fee for a year, a firm can go the company and say, ‘You’re already paying us, you might as well use us.’” Rather than hiring another firm, a corporation may want to give their flat-fee firm a chance to prove what they can offer.

A flat-fee structure can allow relationships to spread across different corporate departments and to different specialty areas within a firm, explained panelist Amy Schulman, executive vice president and general counsel with Pfizer.

Panelists, who also talked about the need for law firms and legal departments to become more efficient through the use of project management, encompassed both in-house counsel of large companies and partners at independent law firms.

Brought to you by Lawyer Salinas

Thursday, February 17, 2011

How To Avoid High-Pressure Car Repair Practices

By John DeCostanza Contributing Writer at All Car Advice February 14th, 2011

There is a very useful bit of reading available at Edmunds that should be required reading for anyone who owns a car, but doesn't do their own repairs. It has been around for a while and was part of the website's confessions series.

"Confessions from the Dealership Service Department" is linked at the bottom of this article. The piece is anonymously authored by an experienced service writer and describes the landscape inside the service department of a car dealership. What jumped out at me was the article's emphasis on the importance of reading your owner's manual and how it should be used as the playbook for your vehicle's care.

All Car Advice has stated many times that the recommended service intervals as found in the owner's manual should serve as a guideline for what you have done to your car and when. Our post Five Auto Repair Scams And How To Deter Them deals with many of the same conditions that are explained in the service department confession.

The Edmunds' confession points out that the service writers must be dealt with as the commissioned salespersons they are. Knowing that, the consumer must be armed with the recommended service intervals and his own vehicle service history to ensure that their suggestions are neither unnecessary duplications of previous maintenance, warranty items nor aggressively premature.

As the whistle blower says in the confession, there is always a tension between needed maintenance and volume that generates profit for the dealership. The only way to combat the advantage that the service department has is to attempt to level the playing field by knowing what the manufacturer of your car recommends and by obtaining some basic general knowledge about your vehicle. As the author says, "service advisors are wary of customers who look like they know what they're doing," so make an effort to learn about your car by getting information at least about the major systems.

The idea is not to know enough to repair a car yourself but to be conversant about the brake, cooling and suspension systems for example. This can be done by asking questions when you get your car repaired or typing a question into the search engine at ACA. For more detailed information try 2carpros which uses clear photos and simple text to explain various repair operations.

There is one good thing about aggressive sales tactics commonly known in the industry as the upsell. They're easy to identify. Just check the owner's manual for how much the car maker recommends to be done and then check your invoice and wallet when you leave the repair shop, if the two don't feel right, you might want to make a change.

Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Safety Notices

2/14/2011

Cosco, Maxi-Cosi, and Safety 1st Child Restraint System Center Front Adjuster Recall

Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG), in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain Cosco, Maxi-Cosi, and Safety 1^st child restraint systems.

Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG) is issuing a safety recall for certain Cosco, Maxi-Cosi, and Safety 1^st brand child restraints manufactured from May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009. There is a potential for the harness adjustment strap to loosen during use. If this were to occur, the harness may be loose around the child, possibly increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

The models affected are manufactured from May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009 and include Convertible child restraints Alpha Omega, Alpha Omega Elite, Enspira, Priori, Prospect, and Vantage; Infant child restraints Mico and OnBoard. The affected models are below:

#prodList td { padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 2px; }

22-077 FSM	22-177 SNP2	22-439 OKP3	22-465 BMT	22-564 ARZ	22-758 CMP	17-439-HTP
22-078 DMS	22-178 SCT	22-439 VNS3	22-469 BSE	22-564 MIL	22-758 FRK
22-148 RDH	22-178 STL	22-449 GES	22-469 BSEC	22-564 NTR	22-758 HDS
22-149 PAL	22-178 VSS	22-452 RBYE	22-475 BVL	22-564 OKW	22-758 HID
22-150 BNS	22-185 BVL2	22-453 BCT	22-476 CIP	22-564 PHO	22-758 KGS
22-152 BVL	22-188 BVL2	22-453 FSM	22-476 CTR	22-564 PRO	22-758 PST
22-152 CMN	22-195 SVS	22-456 BVL	22-476 FSB	22-564 TRI	22-758 SNW
22-152 RGS	22-195 SVS2	22-456 CAB	22-476 GIP	22-564 VLC	22-758 SON
22-154 HTR	22-346 VAL	22-456 CAO	22-476 ISP	22-567 GRH	22-758 VND
22-155 BDF	22-356 NTR	22-456 CSR	22-476 NOW	22-574 PCR3	22-759 MTT
22-155 HMR	22-356 PRO	22-456 LMT	22-476 NRF	22-580 BYR	22-790 CGT
22-155 NSHE	22-356 TRI	22-456 MIL	22-476 PHT	22-657 FRK	22-790 SNW
22-155 OTC	22-371 CIP	22-456 MRR	22-476 PMK	22-657 MTT	22-790 WPR
22-155 TRP	22-371 CTR	22-456 NTM	22-476 PNG	22-657 PST	22-790 WPR2
22-158 BLL	22-371 FSB	22-456 NTR	22-486 CRI	22-657 SNW	22-799 MER
22-158 GRS	22-371 LYP	22-456 PRO	22-486 GIP	22-657 SON	22-880 BYT
22-158 SPA	22-371 MJR	22-456 SCY	22-486 TTH	22-657 VND	22-880 MTT
22-159 SGT	22-371 PHT	22-456 SUZ	22-546 BSE	22-740 HPN	22-880 MTTA
22-172 BKE	22-371 RFR	22-456 TRI	22-547 CHA	22-741 ATI	22-880 SON
22-172 MRT	22-371 TRL	22-456 TTN	22-553 BVL3	22-741 BWD	22-880 SONA
22-172 OKW	22-372 TTH	22-458 FTM	22-554 PCR	22-741 GRT	22-560 FSM
22-172 PHO	22-412 MOM	22-458 NYC	22-554 PCR3	22-741 WNW	93-560 FSM
22-172 SVT	22-439 ABY3	22-459 MTG	22-554 RCR3	22-755 BLD	IC-072 SON
22-177 SNP	22-439 HTP3	22-462 BLN	22-561 WAL	22-758 BYT	17-439 ABY

Dorel Juvenile Group will contact all registered owners and provide them with information on how to obtain a free repair kit. Consumers may visit http://www.djgusa.com/usa/eng/Safety-Notices to see if their child restraint is affected by this recall. Until consumers receive the free repair kit they can continue to use their current car seat as directed by the instruction manual. Please be sure to adjust the harness adjustment strap snugly each time you put your child in the child restraint as described in the instruction manual. Consumers who have not registered their car seat should visit the DJG website at www.djgusa.com/usa/eng/Safety-Notices to verify if their model is included in this recall. The affected seats should not be returned to the retailer. Consumers with further questions may e-mail the company at consumer@djgusa.com or call our toll-free number, 1-866-623-3139, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

As a leading provider of car seats and other juvenile products, Dorel Juvenile Group is committed to manufacturing products with the highest quality and reliability standards for its users. Any recall is unfortunate, particularly those affecting children’s products. Dorel Juvenile Group will continue to work every day to earn the trust of parents and caregivers and provide products that are of the highest quality, design and value. That is what we pledge to parents, because we are parents too. Dorel Juvenile Group urges placing your child in an age/weight/height-appropriate car seat to enhance your child’s safety while riding in a motor vehicle.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience that this voluntary safety recall may cause. Thank you for your cooperation.

Click here to order your kit.

###
Media Contacts:

DJGUSA
Julie Vallese
202-302-1546
jvallese@djgusa.com

Dorel Corporate and DJG Canada
Rick Leckner
514-731-0000
rickl@maisonbrison.com

Why Does My Car Repair Cost So Much? Understanding What Goes Into An Estimate

A Must Read for anyone that owns a car...brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Found at http://autos.aol.com/

Getty Images

by: Tom Torbjornsen

See More Articles
from this Author

People ask me all the time how the price of an auto repair is determined, usually phrased something like, "Why does my car repair cost so much?" This is a question worth asking, especially if you've been given a repair quote that runs into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

There are three main criteria used in pricing any given auto repair. The first is the labor rate, or what the shop charges for the time and expertise that goes into repairing your vehicle. The second is for the parts themselves, and whatever other shop support materials are used in the process of the repair. The third area to consider are the fixed costs or overhead that the repair shop has to cover, but that doesn't get reflected on your bill.

Understanding Labor Charges

When you see a line item for "labor" on your repair estimate or bill, there are two factors that go into it. The first is the shop's own per-hour labor rate. The second is "book time."

A shop's labor rate is the hourly rate it charges for work. The term "book time" refers to the average amount of time it takes to perform a particular automotive repair or maintenance job. This is a number that's set based on how long it takes a factory mechanic (or "technician," as is the common industry parlance) to do the job, but with a modifier applied in order to establish a more realistic time that a less trained technician might take. It's the automotive tech's responsibility to complete the job within that "book time" window, though sometimes repairs take longer or can be performed quicker.

Shop labor rates vary with the geographic area of the country and are competitive within a particular area. Labor rates typically run $80-$150 per hour nationwide.

A shop that specializes in a particular area usually charges higher labor rates for their service than a general service shop. While a specialist may charge more, this type of shop can often wind up being cheaper in the long run. A specialist is more likely to diagnose and repair a problem in laser-like fashion, fixing the vehicle in less time and using fewer new parts. Shops unfamiliar with a type of problem can end up muddling around, wasting the customer's money on unnecessary parts and long hours of labor just trying to find a solution.

Parts And Supplies

Yes, auto repair shops mark up the price of parts. These guys have to make a profit to stay in business, so typically they will tack on about 30 percent. Keep in mind that this markup also means that reputable shops can provide a warranty for their repairs.

The type of parts used for auto repair directly affects the bottom-line price. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts tend to be the highest priced, followed by aftermarket parts. There are typically two to three tiers of aftermarket parts. Different tiers are defined by quality. I use the top of the line aftermarket parts to raise the chance of a longer lasting, effective auto repair.

Finally, used parts also vary in price depending on the mileage and/or demand of the part. A used part can render an effective repair, depending on its condition.

"Shop support" can be defined as any products or services used to complete the repair. During the course of any auto repair certain stuff gets used, supplies like brake cleaning solution, shop rags, and replacement fluids. There are other ancillary services that you might encounter, like recycling and disposal fees for oil and other fluids. Costs of this nature are often passed onto the consumer.

Keeping The Lights On

What's not often passed onto the consumer are the costs of running a shop, which in this modern age, can be pricy. Regardless of size, a shop has expenses that have to be paid by the work generated. There are the obvious ones, like the rent, electricity, heat and other utilites.

But there are also substantial costs for equipment and technology. In order to work on today's cars a shop must have state-of-the-art scanners, diagnostic software, and lab scopes to analyze vehicular datastreams in an effort to extract critical information for accurate vehicle repair. Without such info, techs cannot deliver accurate repairs. Other equipment such as vehicle lifts, floor jacks, lubrication equipment and the likes are necessary to operate a shop efficiently and effectively.

Good trained service personnel costs money, period. Usually techs are classified as "A", "B", or "C" techs, and the more high-grade techs in a shop, the more it costs to pay them. In order to attract a high-grade technician these days, shops have to pay a good hourly rate or weekly salary. In addition, health insurance and other benefits such as a company car often go into the package to attract the class "A" technician.

These technicians have to go to school on a regular basis to keep up with new automotive technology. Without this training, techs cannot repair vehicles in the "book time" allotted for a particular service operation. (Not to mention the occasional "headache" job that comes along that every tech in town has had his/her hands on without success.) A repair shop usually pays for this training.

Many shops carry their own parts inventory. Given the number of different years, makes, and models of vehicles on the road, this inventory must be broad. Sitting on this inventory is not cheap.

As you can see, there's a lot more that goes into auto repair pricing than parts and labor.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Emmerson measure would slash tire pressure fines

10:00 PM PST on Saturday, February 12, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - Car repair shops cited for failing to verify customers' tire pressure would face much smaller penalties under an Inland Southern California lawmaker's legislation introduced this week.

The California Air Resources Board approved tire inflation rules in 2009 as a way to improve motorists' mileage and eliminate an estimated 700,000 tons of heat-trapping emissions linked to global warming. The regulations took effect last September.

Violators face stiff penalties -- jail time and up to a $1,000 fine. None of the more than 30,000 auto repair shops in the state have been punished so far, according to the state Bureau of Automotive Repair, which is enforcing the rule.

Story continues below

AP photo

An Inland legislator wants lesser fines for shops that fail to comply with a rule on checking vehicles' tire pressure. "That's just ridiculous on the surface," state Sen. Bill Emmerson says, referring to possible jail time and a $1,000 fine for violators.

But state Sen. Bill Emmerson called the proposed penalties a bureaucratic overreach.

"They criminalize it. That's just ridiculous on the surface," said Emmerson, R-Hemet, who said he has heard from worried tire dealers. His bill would set a $20 fine for a first offense and a maximum $50 fine for subsequent violations.

Air board spokesman Dimitri Stanich had no comment on the bill. The tire-pressure rule, he said, will help the state meet the goals of California's landmark global-warming law, known as AB 32.

"This is just an important way to improve safety and reduce greenhouse gases," he said.

The 2009 regulation requires car shops to keep records showing that they checked the tire pressure of customers' vehicles. They have to use gauges accurate to within two pounds per square inch.

Ejnar Fink-Jensen, executive director of the California Tire Dealers Association, said his members "are not happy" with the rule.

"That is just another one of those things that gives them a lot of paperwork," Fink-Jensen said.

Department of Consumer Affairs spokesman Russ Heimerich said Bureau of Automotive Repair inspectors have warned some shop owners about the rule after customers complained.

"So far we haven't had any need to take disciplinary action other than sending representatives to the office and telling them to comply with the law," he said.

Besides reducing the potential fines, Emmerson's bill would require car shops to inflate a customer's tire only if it was at least five pounds low on air. Also, the shops' gauges would have to be accurate to within four pounds, not two.

Reach Jim Miller at 916-445-9973 or jmiller@PE.com

Interesting! Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Making a Will: Are Lawyers Optional?

Most people don't need a lawyer to make their will. Here's why.

If you're thinking about making your own will, you may feel a little uneasy about the process. After all, shouldn't you seek a lawyer's help with such an important legal document?

The answer depends on your situation. If you're like most people, you won't need a lawyer. With good self-help materials, it's not difficult to make a will that takes care of basic concerns, such as leaving a home, investments, a small business and personal items to your loved ones. And if you have young children, you can use your will to name a guardian to take care of them, as well as someone to manage any property they inherit.

Making a Basic Will

You may be interested to know that when lawyers draft wills, they usually start with a standard form that contains the same types of clauses contained in most do-it-yourself wills. Most attorneys put their standard will form into a computer and have a secretary type in the client's name, the names of the people the client wants his or her property to go to, and other basic information -- exactly what you can do for yourself when you make your own will with software.

Making a will rarely involves complicated legal rules. In most states, if you're married, your spouse has the right to claim a certain amount of your property after your death. If you leave your spouse at least half of your property, this won't be an issue.

You need to sign and acknowledge your will in front of two witnesses. But beyond these basic requirements, you may parcel out your property however you like, and you don't have to use fancy language to do it. In short, if you know what you own, whom you care about, and you take a little time to use self-help resources, you should be fine.

Make your will today with maximum ease and minimum cost using Nolo's Online Will . Just log in, answer questions about yourself and your property, and print!

Or make your will with Quicken WillMaker Plus, software that comes with dozens of other useful documents such as Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive.

Don't, however, rule out consulting a lawyer. In some situations a lawyer's services are warranted. And you don't necessarily have to turn over the whole project of making a will; you may just want to ask some questions and then finish making your own will.

When to Consult a Lawyer

You may want to talk to a lawyer if:

You have questions about your will or other options for leaving your property.
You expect to leave a very large amount of assets and they may be subject to estate tax unless you engage in tax planning.
Rather than simply naming people to inherit your property, you want to make more complex plans -- for example, leaving your house in trust to your spouse until he or she dies and then having it pass to your children from a previous marriage.
You are a small business owner and have questions as to the rights of surviving owners or your ownership share.
You must make arrangements for long-term care of a beneficiary -- for example, setting up a trust for an incapacitated or disadvantaged child.
You fear someone will contest your will on grounds of fraud, or claim that you were unduly influenced, or weren't of sound mind when you signed it.
You wish to disinherit, or substantially disinherit, your spouse. It's usually not possible to do this if your spouse objects, but a lawyer can explain your spouse's rights.

Also, some people simply feel more comfortable having a lawyer review their will, even though their situation has no apparent legal complications.

Finding a Lawyer

If you decide to see a lawyer, your next task will be to find one who is knowledgeable about wills, charges a reasonable fee and will respect your efforts to make your own will. This may not be easy, but it shouldn't be impossible. See Nolo's article, How to Find an Excellent Lawyer.

Or, you can go to Nolo's Lawyer Directory for a list of wills, trusts and estates lawyers in your geographical area (click on the "Types of Cases" and "Work History" tabs to learn about a particular lawyer's experience).

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

How an Auto Repair Shop Can Save You Big Money!

Great advice - Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

Perhaps you and your car are at the point where you feel purchasing a new car is in order due to the need for major repair. Here at Excel Auto and Tire Service, we understand the temptation to use this repair money for a deposit on a new car. However, the fact is that even the costliest auto repair shop service, when performed properly by an ASE certified mechanic such as ours, can be far more beneficial than the purchase of a new vehicle. A car is something that is made to last, provided the proper auto repair shop has been helping you to maintain and inspect your vehicle on a regular basis.

It is also likely that you have developed a relationship of sorts with your vehicle over the years. Like any relationship, this takes time to create and there are greater risks involved with the purchase of a newer vehicle than even the savviest of consumers may be able to foresee.

For instance, auto repair service nearing the $7,000 mark can often be advantageous on an older vehicle versus the purchase of a newer one. This becomes evident once you begin to add up the expense of buying a new car: For instance, you are sure to be faced with increases in insurance if you purchase a new vehicle. As well, a new vehicle can experience a value depreciation of up to 20% the day you drive it off the lot.

Considering purchasing a newer used car? Well, you are then faced with the possibility of buying a car with similar, if not worse, car problems than the ones you already have. This is another reason why you should seriously consider the possibility of auto repair shop service as opposed to replacement.

Among other things to consider, unless you plan to purchase a car outright, is the interest you will be paying on your car loan. All of these expenses can begin to add up once they begin to show up on a monthly basis, and all of them can easily be deterred by gaining another year’s worth of performance from your vehicle. As well, spending small amounts of money to auto repair service some of those nuisance problems on your vehicle can cause you to fall in love with it all over again.

Here at Excel Auto & Tire Service, we aren’t saying every car repair is economically viable, but we are suggesting you give us the opportunity to let you know our expert opinion. Bring your vehicle in and let us assess it. We will offer you the ethical and sound advice of a reputable auto repair shop and help you determine for yourself whether repair or replacement of your vehicle is in order. You can find us throughout Minnesota: In Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Chanhassen, Spring Lake Park and Maplewood, MN.

If you need one of the most dedicated car service Maplewood than contact our auto repair shop Brooklyn Park to get automotive repair Eagan services for your vehicle.

How To Check An Auto Repair Labor Rate

Source: AllCarAdvice.com

Whether you fix your own car or use your local repair shop, there is a resource that is as close as your home computer. You just need a library card.

The vast majority of community libraries subscribe to the EBSCOhost database, which provides the Auto Repair Reference Center. With a library membership you can retrieve information on how to perform repairs on your car and also calculate the labor cost to have someone else do the work.

In addition you will be able to search for technical service bulletins and recalls, consult wiring diagrams and check the specs and recommended service intervals for your vehicle. While the content isn’t all inclusive, the navigation is adequate but not quite as smooth as some of the systems tailored for professionals.

I suggest using the data to inform your repair decisions about your car. For example, if your 2000 Chevy Blazer has been diagnosed with a bad fuel pump, you are able to plug in the shop’s labor rate and calculate the labor charge you should be paying for that job. Not all topics are available for all makes and models, so you may not be able to retrieve labor times for some later model cars and trucks.

The TSBs tend to be a few months behind but they can still give you an idea if your problem has been addressed by the manufacturer which can be the first step to getting a repair handled under warranty. The bulletins are listed by the area of concern like brakes or emission control and then narrow down from there to specific problems.

The other part this database can play in your dealings with your repair shop is self education. The repair procedure information can be used to visualize what needs to be done to your vehicle and in so doing you can increase your comfort level with the repair process.

Should you attempt to follow the repair procedures described in at the Auto Repair Reference Center, be sure to read the precautions section of the instructions carefully to avoid injury.

Brought to you by Car Repair Salinas