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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-10-23, Page 10b PAGE' 4B—GODERICH $,IGNAL-STAR, THURSDAY, pCTO13ER 23: 1975 NO LICENSE, \U Ll l.h — Recording more �it►lutiun• th.ur ,he had .ears, a 15 -)Car -old l;.titlifornia motorist Na, apprehended during a random chicle cheek, l'r►der-aged, .he had no license to (irke and' her car was total!) unsafe,. Note the near!) bald tire. 'And �.{teel• held in place 1) ant. three lug;, in the rear. %1.o, the motor '.ta, complete!) deNoid of an) anti -pollution equipment including air cleaner. l:aIifornia ha, •ir►ee halted it, random safe!) and enti,sions inspection progrtTi', Blonde, blue-eyed and headed for trouble Dui heroine, age 15, is sated from potential .ti disaster at ,'roadside check point She was 15, blonde, blue-eyed and headed for trouble. If the abpve sounds like the beginning of a Grade B Hollywood thriller, at least the locale is correct. The setting was California. but the . circumstances were not what one ,might suppose, The young lady in -ques- tion was 'driving her bright yellow, 1966 Mustang along a highway outside a major California city. She was ordered by a state highway patrolman to. pull into a roadside vehicle inspection station, That's where her trouble began. First, no license First of all, being under - aged, she had no license to drive the car. (Only the factthat a front -seat pas- senger was holding a small baby in her lap prevented the police from impound- ing the car.) The vehicle itself was as lethal as a letter bomb from a terror- ist. Most of the lugs holding the wheel to the axle- were 'missing. Thus, the paper thin tires were listing at an oblique angle to the road. Shock absorbers weren't functioning, brakes were defective, the exhaust system leaked, lights did not work and the engine was missing practically every emission control element including the air cleaner, In tot!', •18 violations oaf safety and anti -emission codes were found, While the random in- spection program' respon- sible for the above scene has been dropped by Cal, ifornia in a budget slash- ing move, results show the need for inspection in that and other states. Safety defect- ,potted Of the 1,518.698 vehicles ' checked last year 1 11.5 per cent of California's total) nearly a million safety de- fects were spotted, In addition 1.2 million cars were checked for emissions and 23 per cent of them exceeded allow- able limits. • As far 'ls safety was -• concerned, about half the cars had defective lights, about 15 per- cent had noisy or leaky exhausts and another 15 per tent had unsafe tires or wheels. Other Common defects were bad wiper blades (84,000 1, unsafe brakes 4360p0, obstructed ,glass (30,000) , defective steering 120,0001 , and inoperative suspension (19,000). Pilot in%,e'ting Last July, California be- gan investing all of its vehicle inspection funds in an emissions check program in the southern part of the state., First phase of the program will he a pilot project in River- side County Eventually six counties in the Greater-•-= Los Angeles `area will be included. According to Jack Dolan 'who will be supervising the program, "Six coun- ties may not seem like a lot, but 53 per cent of all. cars in the state operate in that area. There are more vehicles ) nearly six million) in those' six coun- , ties than in all but,a few other states in the coun- try." Dolan added, ''The bene - 'fits of the emission inspec- tion program in California will do more than clean 'up our air. We expect that maintenance that will re- sult 'from keeping emis- sions. low will also save , enormous amounts of gas- ohne," as-oh e," Phoenix, Ariz: reports on How their fleet testing system saves gasoline, helps keep air cleaner The City of Phoenix has demonstrated that both fuel ,and money can be saved using their unique ,fleet emission inspection program. The following savings have been achieved. 1. More than a 10% re- duction in light duty vehicle fuel consump- tion in the first six months of `•the pro-. gram. 2. The dumber of vehi- cles failing in the field and having to be tow- ed tow-ed in is down signi- ficantly. 3. The quality of the maintenance received by the vehicles has increased substan- tially. 4, The number of vehi- cles being returned by the user after preven- tive maintenance has been greatly reduced. The State of Arizona mandated that all muni- cipal fleet vehicles receive an emissio,,,n inspection once each year. The State law gives the municipal governments the alterna- tive of having their vehi- cles inspected by the State, or installing State ap- proved inspection equip- merit`a'nd conducting their own inspections. The City of Phoenix chose to install ..its own equipment. Each vehicle that comes in for scheduled ,:preven- tive maintenance receives an emission inspection be- fore going back into sery-. ice. This inspection is given not only to minimize Keep winter driving.safe We specialize in: • Wheel balancing ' • Headlight Aiming • Lubrication, oil changes • Shell oil filters Open 7 days a week ED'S SHELL SERVICE STATION 17 VICTORIAN 524-7422 the emissions of the fleet vehicles but also to insure that the vehicles have been properly serviced. Keep winter driving safe and fun d Certified mechanics fill need r w for dependabIe czar service A national organization formed only three years ago has tested 95,000 auto- motive mechanics and certified approximately 70,000 of them as compe- tent in one or `more tech- nical areas The National Institute fOr Automotive Service Excellence, head- quartered in \Vashington, D.0 , is the name of the' organization, and their tests are developed and adlllillistered nationwide by Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J. The, pa, fee Mechanics or their em- ployers pay the' fees for the tests and the program is strictly voluntary, Herb- ert S. Fuhrman, NIASE President. says: "The na- tion's mechanics deserve huge credit for• turning out iii such large numbers for these voluntary tests. It certainly expresses a strong desire to prove their competency. We hope that consumers will ask for certified mechanics to work on their cars and will laok for mechanics' credentials . displayed in service areas." Shops em- ploying certified .mechan- ics are authorized to dis- play orange and blue signs which read: "We employ mechanics certified by NIASE -- let us show you their credentials." .Pinpoint certification' The credentials show specifically . in what areas a• mechanic or body re- pairer or ,painter is certi- fied. The Institute offers cer- tification in eight automo- bile areas'. Engine Repair,_, Automatic Transmission, Manual Transmission and Rear Axle,' Front End, Brakes, Electrical Systems, • Heatirig and Air Condi- tioning, and Engine .Tune up; Alsb offered- are six tests for heavy-duty truck and bus mechanics, and two tests in body and paint. In the automobile'series, for example, a mechanic can take all eight tests or a lesser number. If he suc-. ceeds in passing all eight and He meets the experi- ence requirei1hent, he is certified as a General Au- tomobile Mechanic: • Twb years' working experience as' a mechanic are required for certification. Benefit, everyone The Institute claims the voluntary testing and cer- tification program bene- fits everyone. The con- sumer is given the choice between a mechanic who has proved his competen- cy and one who has not. The tests are generally designed for the -mechanic who is already employed, and experience seems to b? a very important factor in passing. The tests em- phasize problem solving and diagnostic skills rath- er than just ,knowledge questions. Older men have ,consistently done better on the tests than younger mechanics, despite the fact that in most case& the younger 'men have more formal education than their older associates, .. Each certified 'mechanic receives a certificate, an I,D, card, a display card, and shoulder patches and stripes identifying his areas of demonstrated competence. F1'hrman anticipates that within a year the Institute • will have over 100,000 mechanics certi- fied in one or more spe- cialty areas. "This program resulted from an industry response, to the need for improving the, quality of automotive repair. Mechanics' lack of know-how has been one of the major deterrents to excellence in auto repair," he says. "With the certification Plug misfire can kill 'cat' Misfiring spark plugs have long been known to cause fuel waste and ex- cessive- emissions: r . They* can now contribute to an- other problem — a non- functioning catalytic. con- verter. When plugs misfire, whether due to fouling, ignition system malfunc- tion, or being just plain worn out, heat in the cata- lytic converters rises. The converters,, designed to change unburned hydro- carbons and carbon mor. - oxide into harmless car- bon dioxide, and water, normally operate at 900 to 1,500° F. (488 to 816 C) However, should spark plugs misfire severely, the temperature can be' raised as high as 2,200° F., (1,200 C) , enough to melt the catalytic agents in the converter and render the Unit ineffective. Therefore, spark plugs should be changed'as part of a regularly . scheduled tune-up. BRAIN "TWISTER — Auto mechanics taking the NIASE certification tests find the questions truly probe their knowledge of their trade. NIASE officials expect that by next year more than 100,000 mechanics will have earned certalL ation in one or more of eight specialties. • 1 t Takes Team Work fa -care for your. car YOUR LOCAL MECHANIC AUTO SUPPLIER at H,.G.., Bradley & Sons your car is our only concern... that's why '.,we work closely with local and area service stations and garages to•keep them stocked with the best quality, brand lines available for your car. Neither rain, snow, nor dark of eirfIllight can hinder you from completing your appointed rounds' this Fall and Winter, if you give your car the services it requires for safe and pleasant' motoring. Came°In grad. see us •for all your Automobile Accessories . e• :G. BRADLEY 11( SONS LTD. ESTABLISHED 1927 • U of more and more good Illech;) nies, the pub' is t`a11 Ito\\'` find mechanics of proven and tested ability. 'We are proud of the In- stitute's role in this effort." A national directory of employers of certified me- chanics, "Where ,to Find Certified Mechanics for , • Your Car," is available to the public for $1.95, To ob- tain a copy,. send a check or money other to: NIASE, Suite 515, 1825` K Street, N. 20W.,006. Washington, D.C. TUNE—UP NOW FOR WINTER AND GET - FREE 1 CAN OF GAS LINE ANTI -FREEZE , GET THAT SUM, ER MOISTURE OUT IrAVE GIBSON'S 63 VICTORIA ST. AT THE 5 POINTS serving you from 7:30 a.m. - INCLUDING WEEKENDS SPECIALISTS IN... SAFETY CHECKS AND TUNE UPS WE NOW HAVE THE EXCLUSIVE TOWING FRANCHISE FOR THE ' IN GODERICH WE ALSO HAVE A GOOD LINE-OF'SNOWTIRES ALL KELLY SPRINGFIELDS Top Quality and low price combine to make these your best' snow tire buys,' and they come with a fine warranty. DON McQUIRE'S N HUROSUNOCO "Y 24 Hour- Fa, our Fa, Towing • ' Victoria `& Elgin service `Corners of Hwy.. 21 4 8 .Goderlch,ONT. •P. hone 574 6 131 <SUNOCO> -f-` WINTER TUNE-UPS + THE' BEST REPAIRS 1 TO ALL MAKES usEo and TRUCK Aim& PARTS Come, see us for Remington. Tires New Used We, also have a' good stock of new and used Radiators Weinstall what we sell 24 Hour Towing Service L.H. JENKINS LTD.. AUTO WRECKERS R,R.4, Goderich 5 24-7 1 1 1 Isit'worth the expense to rustproof your car?. At Volvo they do n,pi leav a that fofr ou to decide, • Volvo War x (eachbody containy4,G itr • Protection is also given to the bottom rails by having air #' ow through, vents on the un- derside of the car (the insides of the door sills are Xen thkept free of condensation and rust) • Before painting the body is sprays with an cidit zinc phxii$phate solution (causes better adhesion between thea' gt�meta. .0„,, • The entire attracts th ,,'o • Rustproofing,pai , ,iS sp polyester compound lq, i1�'`�obyl+1H3'Ir URt�.t'Sitl''a ed protection from road dirt, a et £i` ctric charge are coated with a • An undercoat and seater stoat then f„ , pt,,;n .,ing y,iup.,�.turn are followed by three colour coats (this process puts about'33 lbs. of int' on •" `l oTvi) ill • The underside is wapst+� g protect the.Cat • Last butts body areas, housings, inside the would normally pay t sealer designed to done after you had bought your 14 -1 all interior ,M,.... ear fender , rustproofing you Yes, but save yourself some worry. 'See us for a salt -resistant, salt repellant VOLVO M.W. MOTORS LTD. owl* 1$4 EAST ST. ;GODERICH, ONT. 524-7212