Newspaper Page Text
Maintainance
Car Owners’ Neglect
Can Spell Nightmare
Thousands of car owners risk
serious car trouble by ignoring ba
sic car maintenance.
At the same time, auto repair
shops pass up opportunities to sell
customers needed repair work.
Amid frequent charges that repair
shops sell customers services they
don't need, obvious car problems
go unattended.
"Automobiles are under-re
paired," says George Giek of
American Automobile Association
(AAA).
Giek, AAA's managing director
of automotive engineering and
road service, cites figures from
AAA research that highlight the
contradiction in repair industry
practice. In inspecting 114,000 cars
over an eight-year period, AAA
found 43 percent had worn or un
der-inflated tires, 30 percent had
worn or misadjusted belts, 30 per
cent were overdue for an oil
change or were low on oil, 26 per
cent had emissions problems, and
21 percent needed battery mainte
nance.
Giek feels strongly that repair
shops could earn back customer re
spect and loyalty if they did a bet
ter job attending to their customer's
real needs.
"There is no need for the indus
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try to over-repair vehicles," says
Giek.
Car Care Council observations
parallel those of AAA.
"For car owners, inattention to
the basics of underhood fluid
checks and simple tire pressure
maintenance lead eventually to
problems only a trained technician
can solve,” says Car Care Council
president, Don Midgley.
Instead of practicing preventive
maintenance, people tend to ignore
those easy car care procedures that
can keep them out of repair shops.
This often results in a roadside
breakdown rather than a safe trip.
"Somehow," concludes Giek,
"we need to create a partnership
between car owners and the repair
industry."
A few moments taken to refresh
their car care knowledge can help
drivers feel more confident that
ever on the road.
The Car Care Council offers a
free pamphlet called, "How to Find
Your Way Under the Hood and
Around the Car."
To obtain a copy, just send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope
to Car Care Council, Department
UH, One Grande Lake Drive, Port
Clinton, Ohio 43452.
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Hamby Has It Alt!
Saturday, June 25,1994 Houston Times -Journal- Special Edition
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‘BB Honda Prelude - $6,995
‘9O Honda Prelude - $9,950
‘9O Chevrolet Silverado Stepside - 350, Loaded -
$11,500
‘Bl 380 SL Mercedes Roadster (Both Tops) - $14,500
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S & E Auto Sales
520 Gen. Courtney Hodges Blvd., Perry
987-0865
HAMBY
Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep Eagle
/912/988-8444 /800/ 988-JEEP
Exit 42 off 1-75, Perry, Georgia
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