Posts published in “Northern California”

The day President Clinton’s limo shows up with an armed mechanic and an a/c problem

By Paul Grech on April 22, 2020

One Saturday, I got a call from the United States Secret Service and they wanted to know if I could repair the President's car. The next thing I know is my whole block is surrounded by police cars and city streets are taped off.

CarMD Vehicle Health Index reports on check engine light repair trends

Repair costs were up in three of four regions of the U.S., with the exception being the Midwest where car repair costs were down 1.6 percent. Vehicle owners in the West paid the most for check engine-related car repairs ($398) – over 10 percent more than drivers in the Midwest, who paid the least ($360). The region with the highest average labor expense for a check engine light repair was the South ($151.22) where the average hourly labor rate according to Undercar Digest was $89.53. The region with the lowest average labor expense for a check engine light repair was the Northeast ($141.00) where the average hourly labor rate was $82.72.

CarMD Vehicle Health Index reports on check engine light repair trends

By Staff/Wire Reports on April 22, 2020

“It’s fascinating to see how the type and cost of car repairs have changed over the years as the number of sensors and subsequent fixes on most vehicles has nearly doubled,” said Ieon C. Chen, CEO, CarMD.

ASCCA names Pat Cadam of Pat’s Garage its member of the month

ASCCA names Pat Cadam of Pat’s Garage its member of the month

By Staff/Wire Reports on April 15, 2020

Cadam specializes primarily in Asian, hybrid and EV vehicles, and is also on ASCCA’s Connected Cars Committee.

‘I never had to look for opportunity, opportunity always found me’

"Long story short, I end up being on billboards around the Bay Area for MJB coffee. I posed holding a cup of coffee with the caption, “MJB, my way to jump-start my battery.”

‘I never had to look for opportunity, opportunity always found me’

By Paul Grech on April 15, 2020

"I’m thinking she’s undercover from BAR or something and they want to write me up because I didn’t write a repair order for her. It turns out she’s a headhunter for ad agencies."

Fast Undercar connects with customers to help navigate pandemic’s impact and prospects for new accounts

By Rob Merwin on April 9, 2020

Economic crisis presents opportunities for wholesale distributor to nurture customer relationships and build new business.

Building systems and processes for today — and to carry into tomorrow

“As an industry — whether it’s the collision repair shop, jobber or supplier — we’re all going to be better as a result of this," says Mike Duncan, Industrial Finishes

Building systems and processes for today — and to carry into tomorrow

By Rob Merwin on April 9, 2020

Oregon-based collision distributor uses newly developed technology to service shops amid the pandemic; builds and reinforces supply chain partnerships.

‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’

By Paul Grech on March 25, 2020

I’m 77 years old, have been an auto mechanic for 60-plus years and ran my garage for 44 years in downtown San Francisco. During that time, seven things occurred that caused business to slow to a crawl, though none as severe as this one.