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To£e 3, Tfie ^Utfieia
Beware of Car
Repair Rip-Offs
By Anita Allen
Staff Writer
I was attending a uni
versity hundreds of miles
from home. My car was
constantly overheating, so
1 haphazardly found a for
eign car repair service.
They fixed my thermostat.
Gradually, I noticed the
gears becoming increas
ingly difficult to change,
and I called this same place
to inquire what could be
wrong. The secretary
looked up the service rec
ords and diagnosed over the
phone; that without a
doubt, 1 needed a $300.00
clutch repair. Because I
was suspicious and broke, 1
didn’t drive my car until I
returned home. Upon my
arrival, my cousin discov
ered a pair of vice grips
locked onto my clutch cable.
After he removed my
“$300.00” problem, my car
was fine.
This is my story about
car repair rip-off. Yes, it
can and does happen fre
quently. Especially vulner
able are females and young
people in general; but any
one naive in auto mechan
ics is “free game” to a dis
honest mechanic.
Robert Sikorsky made
atrip across America to get
an idea of just how many
dishonest and/or inept
garages there are. His
disheartening results were
published in The Reader’s
Digest. Mr. Sikorsky would
loosen a spark plug wire
and drive into the garages
to ask for assistance. Only
28% of the time were the
diagnoses correct. Three
out of four times he was
denied service, delayed for
hours or days and/or was
charged for unnecessary or
incompetent repairs. Most
people, he states, spend
thirty-two cents of each
dollar spent on car repair
for inessential work.
Unfortunately, most
motorists lack the knowl
edge to diagnose and re
pair their cars, or to pre
vent auto repair deception.
Mr. Sikorsky gives some
helpful advice. He got bet
ter service at local small
town garages than at ur
ban chain service centers.
Beware of technologically
advanced tools and free
coffee. Always get two esti
mates and be courteous -
your attitude makes a dif
ference.
I have interviewed
several students about lo
cal care repair garages.
Shane Marsh said, “Mobile
Medic has done repair work
for me. They did quality
work for reasonable prices,
and the service was
friendly.” “I currently have
my car at the Exxon garage
here in Black Mountain.
They are courteous and
their prices are fair,” states
Krista Nielsen. Several
students who wish to re
main anonymous recom
mended not to go to Black
Mountain Tire and Serv
ice.
By the way, don’t de
spair if you do drive an older
American-made car. It may
break down more, but the
cost for parts and service is
considerably less than for
newer and/or foreign
Cont. on Page 8
New Band With A Twist
By Scott Ward
StaffWriter
In today’s world of
poppy dance, weird alter
native, and headbanging
speedmetal, sometimesyou
just need a break from the
monotony. Sometimes, for
instance, even the biggest
headbanger on campus
(me) has to have a break.
Up until recently, I had to
get the Led out, or get my
“Piece of Mind” in order to
escape the constant dredge
of things. Until recently
that is.
Rachel Rachel is a new
band with a twist. This
hard rockin’, tune pumpin’
band is composed of five
young ladies who, frankly,
could give Petra a run for
its money. Combining the
sounds of Kansas, Boston,
and yes, even a little Petra
a la 1983, Rachel Rachel
puts out a sound that sends
an old rocker, like myself,
back a decade or two.
The highlight of the
album is a cover of “Carry
On Wayward Son,” origi
nally done by Kansas. Even
Kansas’ original guitarist,
Kerry Livgren, makes an
appearance in the video,
complete with the Radi-
caster that fans of Livgren
have recognized for years.
The only disappoint
ment about this album is
that it’s mostly ballads.
There’s a few hard tunes on
it, but in all it’s mostly a
slow-going record.
Even with its down
falls, Wav to Mv Heart
stands out among Chris
tian music as a good album
done by some extremely
talented musicians.