Letter: New auto repair system is good

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 1999 | 9:23 a.m.

There will be plastic bags in each mechanic's workbench, and on completion of the job he will (with clean hands) place the old parts in the car in the bags (unless the parts are under warranty) and if the repair order so states "save old parts," otherwise the parts are discarded after the customer leaves with his car.

If this is not consistent with the new law, then you have a bad law and it must be changed.

If the repair will exceed the estimate, the customer is called, and if they give a "go-ahead," the full name of the person talked to, the date, and the exact time of day, as well as the approved new estimate is written on the repair order. In rare cases you may have three or four new estimates listed. This will hold up in a court of law and cannot be denied. The person making the call should, of course, "initial" it each time.

I worked for dealerships 45 years and had my own shop five years in California and we had this same setup, which seemed to work fine (except the DMV was not involved).

I think it will be a big mistake to take it away from Consumer Affairs since its system is already in place and Consumer Affairs is always fair, and always works things out for the best for both parties.

WAYNE FEE

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