All articles tagged with #auto repair
A Florida man’s experience with a faulty certified pre-owned Chevy highlights issues with warranty coverage, dealership communication, and repair delays, raising questions about the true value of CPO programs and consumer protections.
A Ford employee's wallet lost 10 years ago was found under a car hood during a repair, containing cash, gift cards, and ID, and was reunited with its owner after traveling 151,000 miles across the country, highlighting the unexpected places lost items can turn up and the kindness of strangers.
A Michigan autoworker's wallet, lost in 2014, was found 151,000 miles later under the hood of a car in Minnesota, thanks to a Facebook message, restoring a family keepsake and highlighting an incredible story of persistence and coincidence.
A man bought used tires off Facebook Marketplace claiming they had 70% tread, but they turned out to be unsafe due to bulges and imbalance, leading him to buy new tires. Experts warn that used tires can be risky due to safety concerns, unknown history, and aging, and recommend buying from reputable sources with warranties. The story highlights the potential pitfalls of purchasing used tires from private sellers online.
Monro Inc., America's second-largest auto service chain with over 1,300 stores, is closing 145 underperforming locations across the US following a decline in sales and a net loss in fiscal 2025, as part of a strategic plan to improve profitability and customer experience.
Blue Origin's New Shepard had a successful suborbital flight with a minor landing issue involving shrubbery. The iconic "You-Do-It Electronics Center" in Boston is closing after 75 years. Operation CHARM offers a vast online archive of auto repair manuals. Teardown 2024 is scheduled for June in Portland, Oregon. York Hackerspace has created Compilerfax, a quirky toolchain involving faxing C code for compilation.
The Autopian recommends five underrated auto-repair YouTube channels for car enthusiasts, including Flexiny for narration-less videos, HunterDirection for in-depth German car fixes, WheelemVerb for early 2000s Volvo projects, The G Automotive And More for a variety of car coverage, and Day Off DIY for detailed BMW maintenance tips and tricks.
Consumer Reports' latest survey ranks Hyundai, Jeep, and Kia dealer repair shops as the worst in terms of customer satisfaction for auto repair prices, wait times, and overall service. The survey also highlights that independent repair shops received the highest scores for satisfaction with price, while dealerships tended to score lowest. Overall, consumers ranked independent repair shops the best, followed by Acura, Lexus, Mazda, Volvo, Toyota, Tesla, and Honda for dealership service.
Maine's right-to-repair law for cars, which allows owners and independent mechanics access to a car's diagnostics systems, won with over 84 percent public support. This victory follows similar laws enacted in California, Minnesota, and Colorado this year. The law in Maine includes an exclusion that allows carmakers to offer a secure portal for resetting a car's security features. It also requires automakers to standardize access to on-board diagnostic systems and provide specific language for heavy-duty vehicles. Manufacturers can require authorization for access, but only through a standardized procedure approved by a third-party panel. Supporters of the right to repair argue that it is common sense, while opponents are primarily manufacturers.
The owner of A OK Walker Autoworks in Georgia, Miles Walker, has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $39,934 to nine workers for unpaid overtime and damages. The ruling comes after Walker paid a former employee with 91,500 oily pennies and was accused of retaliation by the U.S. Labor Department. Walker's business was found to have violated overtime provisions of the federal Fair Standards and Labor Act. The judgement also mandates that Walker remove all photographs and references to the former employee from the company's website and social media sites.
The owner of A OK Walker Autoworks in Georgia, Miles Walker, has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $39,934 to nine workers for unpaid overtime and damages. This comes after Walker paid a former employee with 91,500 oily pennies and was accused of retaliation by the U.S. Labor Department. Walker's business was found to have violated overtime provisions of the federal Fair Standards and Labor Act. The judgement also mandates that Walker remove all photographs and references to the former employee from the company's website and social media sites.
The average age of passenger vehicles in the US has reached a record high of 12.5 years due to the pandemic-induced global shortage of automotive computer chips, which slowed down global assembly lines and made new vehicles scarce on dealer lots. The cost of a vehicle has also increased, with the average new vehicle price rocketing 24% to nearly $48,000 and typical loan rates on new-car purchases ballooning to 7%. As a result, Americans are keeping their cars longer and opting for repairs and maintenance instead of buying new vehicles.
The average age of passenger vehicles on US roads has hit a record high of 12.5 years, with sedans averaging 13.6 years, due to the pandemic-induced global shortage of automotive computer chips that slowed global assembly lines, making new vehicles scarce on dealer lots just when consumers were increasingly eager to buy. The cost of buying either a new or used vehicle is leaving more people with essentially no choice but to keep the one they have, leading to a boom time for auto shops.