6 — Auto Edition 1992

Auto Edition 1992 — 7

| ‘Restoration Fever’

Neal McKenna
NEWS STAFF
alk about starting from scratch! When
Warren Maloff of Castlegar was given
the a 1956 Ford pick-up, he didn’t
know he was about to contract a dreaded mal-
ady: Restoration Fever.
With so little to start with, many asked:
“Why bother?

There isn’t enough of the truck left to re-
store. .

However, as any avid car nut can attest,
there is never too little left of a vehicle once
that dream machine has been found.

Work began in 1988 and the first of what
amounted to $16,000 was spent.

he truck was stripped to the frame,
I sandblasted and painted. The floor-
boards were welded and reinforced

with fibreglass. :

The remaining metal was sanded down to
the surface, then sprayed with chromium ox-
ide.

Now true replacement began. Missing com-
ponents were located from all over North
America: fenders, a tailgate, shock absorbers,
running boards, tail lights, headlamps, the list
was endless. Following a new purple paint job,
the cargo box, complete with a solid- oak and
chrome bed, was installed. To finish the exte-
rior, chrome mirrors were added for that au-
thentic 50s touch.

nside, the F-100 was refitted with a new
[= liner, custom diamond-tuft uphol-
stery, and matching upholstered sun vi-

sors.

Presently, alterations under the hood are in
progress and Maloffis poishing things off with
floor carpeting

The stock 272 V-8 engine is being removed
in favor of warp-drive in the form of a Ford

302.
Wow! :
This particular Ford F-100 is said to be for
sale. If owning a piece of history appeals to
you, why not give Warren Maloff a call.

Sas

A shell of its former self, Warren Maloff rebuilt this box of metal into his pride and joy.

Knowing where to draw the line with repairs

Hi Consumers must be aware
of over-charging mechanics

‘ou’re driving down the road

and suddenly your car starts

knocking and pinging, clank-
ing and clattering until finally it sput-
ters out and stalls.

You push it to the side of the road,
pop open the hood and take a look.,

look?

A look at what?

The truth is, you couldn’t distin-
guish the carburetor from the alterna-
tor for the life of you and you haven’t
the foggiest idea what might be the
problem.

In fact, if a mechanic told you your
engine needed to be replaced when all
you car really needed was a tune up,
you'd likely believe him because you
don’t know differently.

So how do you know what’s really
wrong with your car?

How do you know you're not getting
work done that doesn’t need to be
done? :

How do you know you're not being
over-charged? :

I n the last nine months, the Min-

istry of Labor and Consumer
Services has received 35 com-

plaints from people who feel they’ve
been ripped off by their miechanic.
imilar complaints are also re-
ceived by the Better Business
Bureau and some chamber of
commerce offices.

The Minsitry’s director of consumer
operations,. Mike Poulton, said one of
the biggest complaints people have
about an auto repair shops comes after
the car owner brings their car in for a
lube and oil job but signs a blank work
order.

The owner returns to pick up their
car only to discover the mechanic has
done other repair work without first
notifying them.

Now the customer’s bill is for sever-
al hundred dollars instead of the
$29.95 charge they had expected.

oulton said people should

stipulate to the shop that if

they’ve brought their car in
for an oil and lube, that’s all the work
that should be done.

If the mechanic finds other prob-
lems, he must call and get your per-
mission before proceeding with any
work.

Poulton also said just because a me-
chanic finds a problem, it doesn’t mean
this mechanic has to do the work.

He suggested you call around and
get a second opinion, the same way you
would if your doctor had diagnosed a
problem with you.

Under the Trade Practice Act, itis a

iminal offense to make unnecessary
repairs or falsely claim to having re-
placed parts.

It is also against the law to grossly
exceed an estimate without prior no-
tification.

Act prohibits uncon-
scionable practices like taking
advantage of a customer’s ig-

norance or inability to understand the
language of a contract as well.

Poulton said- when an offence is
committed, it is often difficult to pros-
ecute.

To take the matter to court requires
that an independent mechanic testify.

If it’s a part that’s been replaced
when it didn’t need to be, he said, it’s
often difficult to prove because the part
is no longer available for inspection.

Poulton said it is a good idea to
make the mechanic save the part
that’s being replaced and give it to you
in a bag.

In some provinces, such as Ontario,
this procedure is required by law.

The other problem with proving
you've been ripped off is that mechan-
ic’s opinions on when a part needs to be
replaced can vary. f

“One mechanic might say the brake
pad needs replacement now, another
might say it has 10,000 kilometres
left,” Poulton said, “It’s a question of
tolerance.”

ritish Columbia Automobile

Association technical adviser

Bob McHugh offered further
advice.

He said if you’re told certain repairs
will take five hours, you should check
around and see if this is the usual
length of time it takes to do this kind of
work.

McHugh said BCAA-approved
shops have been checked by the asso-
ciation and it is felt they do good work.

Before approving a shop, BCAA
does a survey of past customers and
a sure the mechanics are quali-

lhe association also conducts
| spot checks at repair shops
that have received their ap-
proval.
McHugh said BCAA acts as an ar-
bitrator between BCAA members and
a shop if a problem arises.

There's something
for everyone!

[athe News

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