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•••
TIMELY Tips
and
Helpful
Suggestions for YOU and YOUR
FAMILY
•
Auto Repair Pickpockets
The victirn is most often called a "dude," sorne–
times a "pigeon" or "sucker" or "rnallard." The crime is
called "skinning the dude." What is it?
It is a growing rnultimillion dallar racket: auto
repair fraud. Where is it practiced? Generally in service
stations and auto repair shops along or near autobahns,
turnpikes, motorways, and freeways , but it may go on in
your own neighborhood at the local service station, auto
repair shop, or dealership.
Na·ive autornobile owners, particularly those who
seem somewhat scared about what goes on under the
hood (bonnet), are special prey. One lady was talked
into having $300 worth of work done on her car.
lt
had
nothing wrong with it. She was told the shock absorbers
were leaking and needed replacing, the tie rods used for
steering were dangerously loase, and two tires were low
because they were faUing apart from the inside.
Unscrupulous auto repairmen will stop at almost
nothing. They will sell used parts as new parts, and
charge more than the original estímate for work not
authorízed and not needed. Often nothing is even done
to a customer's car, and he is still charged. Sorne service
station attendants even specialize in puncturing tires
and cutting fan belts or radiator hoses in such a way
that nothing appears dishonest.
Transrnission repairmen rnay claim a customer's
car needs a majar transmission overhaul ($250 for an
automatic) or a new transmíssion ($400) when only a
50-cent part, which can be fixed in 30 seconds, is
needed. Often, the transmission just needs new seals
($35 to $85) ora $4.50 band and linkage adjustment.
Clairning that a car's shock absorbers or baJJ joints
need replacing are also favorite tactics of sorne dishon–
est auto repairrnen. There are a nurnber of others.
To avoid falling prey to auto repair swindlers, take
a few minutes each week to lift the hood of your auto–
mobile and check the oil and look over hoses, belts, and
wires yourself. You don't have to be an expert to spot
frayed belts, bare wires or leaky hoses. This practice will
keep you aware of the general condition of your auto.
It is also a wise practice to do business with one
34
reliable service station or auto repair garage whenever
possible. As a steady customer, you are more apt to get
better, more dependable service. If you are going on a
trip, have your auto serviced and thorougbly checked
befare you leave. Then if a station or garage attendant
en route tells you there is a problem, be suspicious.
A recomrnended American book relevant to Brit–
ons and others, since auto repair fraud goes on world–
wide,
is
The Great American Auto Repair Robbery
by
Donald A. Randall and Arthur P. Glickman, published
by Charterhouse of New York. It describes cornmon
auto repair frauds in detail and what todo about them.
•
Eliminate Rats
Thousands of people are bitten by rats every year.
Even a common type of food poisoning - salmonellosis
- may result from the eating of food contaminated by
bacteria from rats. Rat-infested areas also present the
constant danger of infected rats spreading a disease
(particularly bubonic plague, also called black death,
which is transmitted from the rat to roan by the rat ftea)
similar to the plague that killed millions during the
Middle Ages. For these reasons, it is wise to keep the rat
population to a mínimum. Here's what to do:
Rae
Signs:
Look for droppings, evidence of gnaw–
ing, tracks, and greasy rub marks along baseboards.
Eliminate Their Necessities:
The best way to get rid
of rats
is
to deprive them of their necessities: food,
water, and living quarters. Do this by using metal trasb
and garbage containers with tight-fitting lids. Don' t
leave food and crumbs lying around on the table or
floor. Clean up piles of junk, wood, boxes, discarded
appliances, or any other possible home for rats. Patch
up openings around pipes, vents, windows, or other
possible access ways into your borne with concrete.
bricks, mortar, or strong wire mesh.
Use Traps, Nor Poison:
Avoid using rat poison be–
cause of the potentia! danger it holds for small children
and anirnals other than rats. Traps are effective. Often
they will do the job without even teing baited if placed
along rat runways.
- Patrick A. Pornell
PLAIN TRUTH
June
1973