David had a pretty bad experience when he purchased his Mini Cooper from Brecht MINI/BMW in Escondidio, California last year: “Salesman Luis blatantly lied to me about the car’s future routine service requirements,” their employees wouldn’t help him schedule that service, and “they were completely unresponsive when I mentioned these problems to Brian, the service department representative.” When a MINI USA customer service rep called him for a follow-up review last week, he was honest about the level of service he received. That didn’t sit well with Brian over at Brecht, who left David a terse, oddly worded voicemail a few days later.
autos
Advantage Rent-A-Car Says 49 Hours In Shop Equals 22 Days
By 6.9.08
Paul is being cheated by Advantage Rent-A-Car in one of the most transparent, odious scams we’ve seen a rental car company try to pull. After a thief damaged his rental on a recent trip, Advantage says because the car was in the shop for 49 hours, he owes them 22 days worth of rent. “I asked how they got that number and they said they use a 4 hour work day, which is laughable! Even with that it would only be 12 days. Even if you are generous and give them 2 weekends it only gets to 16!”
Toyota Announces Tacoma Buyback Program For Severe Rust Corrosion
By 4.15.08
If you own a Tacoma made between 1995 and 2000, Toyota would like to inspect it free of charge—and if the rust corrosion is severe enough, they will either repair the truck on their dime or buy it back as a vehicle in “excellent condition” no matter what state it’s really in. Toyota announced this a little over a month ago and said thy would start sending letters to Tacoma owners in the weeks to come, so if you haven’t received yours yet, be on the lookout for it.
Budget Rents Man A Truck, Then Closes Early And Charges $50 "No Show" Fee
By 4.12.08
Zach tried to rent a truck from Budget last month, and not only did he not get the truck, but he didn’t get the compensatory gift card they offered by way of apology. In fact, pretty much the only real thing he got from Budget was a $50 fee on his credit card for being a “no show”—even though he arrived at the location a half hour before closing only to find it locked up. Oh, and the location was 150 miles from his home.
GMAC And Car Dealership Scam Old Lady For Nearly $8,000
By 4.2.08
A volunteer in Chicago claims that her client, a 65-year-old woman with dementia, was given a GMAC auto loan for a new 2007 Pontiac, even though she only makes $900 a month and has no driver’s license. Now the car has been repossessed and the car lot is saying she owes them nearly $8,000.
My New "Certified Pre-Owned Volvo" Is Infected With Mysterious "Black Gunk"
By 3.4.08
Reader M writes:
Nissan Dealership Won't Refund Deposit
By 3.3.08
Jay writes in with a question: how do you get back your deposit from a car dealership when a deal goes sour? The salesman jacked up the price after an initial negotiation, and now won’t refund the deposit: “He said we’d be surprised at what he can make up to keep the deposit.”
By 2.12.08
../../../..//2008/02/12/kiplinger-says-that-its-a/
Kiplinger says that it’s a “buyer’s market” for automobiles, and invites you to check out their 2008 buyer’s guide.
16 Years After The Law Was Passed, The National Auto Database Still Doesn't Exist
By 2.7.08
The Consumer Law & Policy blog says that three consumer advocacy groups, Public Citizen, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) and Consumer Action, have filed a lawsuit in order to force the Department of Justice to enforce a law passed in 1992 that requires a national database of auto information gathered from insurance companies. The database would allow consumers to “instantly check the validity of the car’s title and odometer reading and learn whether it had been stolen or severely damaged in the past.”
Smart Glass Of Denver Uses Sneaky Post-It Advertising
By 1.25.08
When Kristi went to her car the other day, she saw this mysterious note stuck to her mirror. “PLEASE CALL ME ABOUT YOUR CAR!” Immediately, she thought someone had run into her car—she walked all around it looking for damage, but couldn’t find anything.
By 1.2.08
../../../..//2008/01/02/today-california-sued-the-epa/
Today California sued the EPA over its refusal to let states enact their own greenhouse-gas laws. “Fifteen states plan to intervene on California’s behalf, including 13 of those that have either adopted or are in the process of adopting the rules. Delaware and Illinois, which have not passed the standards, also are part of the lawsuit.” [New York Times]
Confessions Of A Tow Truck Driver
By 12.12.07
CNN interviews a former tow truck driver to get the dirt on how the business works. There’s not a lot of new info here, but it may be useful to know that just because you see some un-towed cars in a towing zone, it doesn’t mean it’s safe—usually, drivers leave some cars alone to entice fresh…
10 Best Resale Value Cars
By 11.20.07
At fifty thousand dollars, buying a new Corvette can hurt—but on the plus side, after five years it will still retain a value of around 50% . That puts it among the top 10 best cars for resale value as compiled by CNN Money and based on Kelley Blue Book figures. Or if your budget is smaller, a Honda Civic Sedan costs around $19k and retains 52% of its value.
Bush Fuel Economy Plan Rejected By The Courts
By 11.17.07
The court ordered the White House to examine why it continues to consider light trucks differently than cars. Regulators made a distinction between cars and light trucks decades ago when most trucks were used for commercial purposes.
Should Car Insurance Rates Be Based On Your Credit Score?
By 10.5.07
For a decade now, all the major auto insurers have used a customer’s credit rating to some degree in determining premiums. They claim that it results in lower rates for “most” customers, and that the data prove that people with lower credit scores make more claims and for higher amounts. The FTC released a report this summer that validated the practice—but also confirmed an unpleasant truth critics have been saying for years: because a higher percentage of Hispanics and African-Americans have low credit scores, there’s a good chance they’re disproportionately affected.
Are Manual Transmissions Still More Fuel Efficient Than Automatics?
By 9.29.07
For drivers in everyday situations, a manual transmission is not likely to provide any difference in fuel economy over an automatic transmission. The reason is that to achieve the optimum fuel efficiency a driver has to execute shifts at precise engine rpms (revolutions per minute). Given the challenges of city driving conditions, most drivers won’t be able to realize greater fuel economy with a manual gearbox.
When Should You Get Rid Of Your Old Car?
By 9.13.07
We know some of you would love to buy a new car every year. Others want to drive the same car forever, but realistically, when should you find a new (to you) ride?
