Raising Cane
By Rob Perez
Sunday, August 12, 2001
In the consumer world, few transactions trigger as much customer grief as having to get a car fixed. Almost everyone, it seems, has a horror story to tell. Auto-repair angst an
epidemic in islesTake the case of Malia B. Daniel. She took her 1989 Honda Civic to Auto Rehab Service in Mapunapuna a few years ago for $275 worth of air-conditioning work.
A day after Daniel brought the car home, all the fluid leaked from the air conditioner, which stopped working. She took the car back, paid $658 for more work and a few days later the fluid emptied again.
Daniel eventually won a court judgment against Auto Rehab, which earlier this year had its license revoked by the state and was fined $1,000. But the fine and refund weren't paid. The business operator had been evicted from his Mapunapuna location for nonpayment of rent and left no forwarding address, according to state records.
Daniel has a lot of company when it comes to griping about auto repairs.
Nearly 1,000 complaints were filed last year with the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii.
In a state with 1.2 million people, that equates to roughly one complaint for every 1,200 residents.
Nationally, one complaint was filed for every 8,700 residents, according to BBB and population statistics.
Viewed another way: Auto-repair complaints, including those involving body work, represented about 19 percent of the bureau's overall complaint total in Hawaii last year.Nationally, they represented only 8 percent.
Both views suggest that Hawaii residents have a much greater tendency to complain about repairs than their mainland counterparts.
Does that tendency reflect, as some would argue, a lesser quality of service here?
Or are the numbers simply statistical anomalies explained by other factors?
Talk to consumers and they cut the industry little slack. Customers complain about bills padded with unnecessary repairs or work that was billed but never performed or performed sloppily. They complain about incorrect assessments of mechanical problems and garages taking advantage of consumers who know little about how to fix cars.
Even people in the industry bemoan the quality of work done by some shops.
While industry folks argue that most mechanics here are professional and ethical, there are enough unethical ones doing shoddy work to give the industry an image in need of an overhaul.
"It's the unscrupulous ones that make it bad for the whole industry," said Roy Ozaki, chairman of the state's Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Board and a mechanic for 30 years. He said there are "many, many" unscrupulous shops here -- and the bad ones are not limited to unlicensed businesses.
Sometimes, though, shoddy work reflects not an intent to defraud customers but lack of training or equipment to sufficiently diagnose problems, industry officials say.
That's particularly true because cars have become much more sophisticated in recent years. And some mechanics, especially those at small, independent garages with few resources, have not kept pace with the technical advancements.
"I don't believe people are dishonest. I believe it's a training problem," said Dennis Short, BMW of Honolulu president who has 25 years' experience in the local industry.
Repair tips
If the car needs fixing:
>> Use only licensed mechanics.
>> Check the Better Business Bureau for the shop's complaint record.
>> Get a written estimate and ask the shop to call if the bill is expected to exceed the estimate.
>> For major repairs, get estimates from several shops if possible.
>> Make sure the shops explain in detail what they plan to do to fix the problem and what kind of parts will be used.
>> If one quote is substantially lower than others, try to find out why.
>> Ask to take any replaced items with you.
Another issue is finding qualified labor. Unlike on the mainland, where the supply of well-trained mechanics is much greater, local shops have few places to turn to when filling positions. Often they must hire people with limited experience and train on the job.
"We are in pretty bad shape in Hawaii with regard to getting talented people," Short said.
Still another factor is a compensation system in which mechanics and others are paid based on the amount of repairs done on a vehicle, some in the industry say.
"Sometimes the pressure for profits gets in the way of good consumer relationships," said Beverly Harbin, president of the Hawaii Automobile Repair & Gas Dealers Association.
Dick Botti, a lobbyist who helped write the Hawaii law requiring mechanics to be licensed, said the financial incentives can lead to recommendations for repairs not really necessary. That tendency is particularly evident at large dealer and chain operations, Botti and others said.
"They want to generate as much dollars per day as they can ... They're driven by dollars," Botti said.
But BMW's Short said BMW and other manufacturers keep close tabs on repair work at their respective dealerships. If repairs exceed a certain threshold, audits are triggered.
"It keeps everyone honest," he said.
Still, some consumers remain skeptical.
K. Mark Takai, a state lawmaker, said he has taken his car many times to get a problem checked and the diagnosis has been way off or greatly inflated.
"It happens all the time," he said.
Takai recalled one shop quoting him $1,600 to fix an air-conditioning problem. The mechanic basically recommended replacing the whole system.
Wanting a second opinion, Takai took his car to K&Y Chevron in Kakaako. A heat plug was replaced, quickly correcting the problem. The cost: $85.
To help resolve complaints, the state started a mediation program several years ago and that has contributed to a reduction in sanction cases pursued against repair shops.
Likewise, the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association has seen a dramatic drop since 1996 in complaints of all types -- not just involving repairs -- referred to its mediation program.
But more needs to be done. Too many new horror stories are taking shape. Even people in the industry say cases of shoddy work are too commonplace.
"There are a lot of unqualified or unethical people out there," lamented K&Y owner Frank Young. "It's a sad state of affairs."
Star-Bulletin columnist Rob Perez writes on issues
and events affecting Hawaii. Fax 529-4750, or write to
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. He can also be reached
by e-mail at: rperez@starbulletin.com.
