Back To School

Once again we are getting the kids ready to head back to school. Shoes and clothes, books and tuition, school supplies and transportation are all going to demand attention in the next few weeks.

Whether you are driving them to school yourself, your little darling is driving to the local high school, or your young adult, but still dependant kid, is off to college you will want a safe and dependable car.

We recommend that twice a year you have your car inspected, at the start of the summer season, and at the beginning of the school year. Insuring that your maintenance is up to date, and that the car is ready for not only the additional mileage that will start to pile up, but also for the coming change of weather may prevent expensive repairs.

Freedom is offering a free "off to school" inspection. Before starting the school year, while you still have a little flexibility in your schedule, we will check your car out and be sure that all the maintenance is up to date and that there are no pending problems that may leave you stranded.

Another advantage of having us do the pre-school check out is that any repair work done at Freedom is covered by the NAPA AutoCare nationwide warranty, so no matter where the car ends up in the US or Canada our repair work will be covered by the NAPA guarantee.

If you want to do your own pre-school inspection here is a list of the primary things you should look at:

• Brakes for wear and leaks
• Cooling System for condition of hoses, belts, coolant and leaks
• Heater and Air Conditioning for leaks and cooling efficiency
• Tune up for performance and economy
• Alignment for steering pull and tire wear
• Tires for wear, inflation and vibration
• Charging System for proper charging
• Battery for age, and condition
• Wiper blades for proper cleaning of glass
• All fluid levels and components for full and clean fluid with no leaks

If it is one of the cars in the family that you do not drive often or at all then you really should take it for a good test drive. Remember, young drivers are inexperienced and may not even notice the signs of a problem that would be obvious to you.

Call Cathy at the shop and schedule your free pre-school inspection. Please DO make an appointment...and allow two hours for this comprehensive inspection.

Automotive Q&A

Question: Hello, I am curious about texas law in dealing with this repair shop I had work done in missouri city tx. When I went to pay the bill I asked if I could have an itemized bill for labor parts etc, the service manager said it was to late they had already run it through their computer and if they redid it to itemize the bill they would have to charge me tax on the final bill I was about to pay . Seems weird. So I have a choice of either paying what I did for the repairs or to go back and pay taxes on the amount I have already paid in order to get an itemized bill. They said they already paid taxes to a business that they subbed part of the work out to.

It was strange where almost all places would be happy to give you and itemized bill whether you asked before the job or after the job. Help with this question.

Answer:
There is no Texas Law requiring an auto repair shop to issue an itemized bill. In fact there are no Texas State laws regulating or governing repair shops at all. For several years we have been trying to get some passed, with great resistance.

There is a loop hole in the sales tax statutes that allow for a business to pay the tax on parts they buy and then sell those parts to you at the same price and not have to collect the sales tax from you. When this is done the profit for the shop is supposed to come entirely from the labor charges. It is a complicated law and compliance is difficult. Any mistake in the billing process may expose the company to a huge tax liability.

I do not know of a single "reputable" auto repair company that uses this procedure. It has been my experience and my opinion that the customer deserves an itemized list of everything done to their car and what was charged for each item of repair.

"Hiding" exactly what was repaired and what parts were used with the excuse of a sales tax savings is bogus. On the average repair order of about $200 you would be saving about $4 in sales tax. For this savings you are giving up thorough knowledge of what was done to your car.

On the other side of this, from a shop owners viewpoint, I would not use this questionable billing procedure. By just listing a generic repair, such as, repair radiator, or tune engine, I do not limit the scope of the repairs I have done and may face a customer (or a judge) who interprets what our shop did as far beyond the actual repair performed.

Itemizing repairs and what parts were used protects both the car owner and the shop.

Art and Auto Repair

If you have been by the shop lately you have seen the latest addition to our office and waiting area. Local artist Jean Vandergrift has several of her still life and landscapes on display!

Jean is a retired nurse/educator who works in pencil, pastels, acrylics and watercolor. She specializes in what she calls “intimate still life and landscape”.

Jean says that, “she becomes totally focused and lost to everything else” as she paints. Often she will duplicate reality, but sometimes “takes off in her imagination”.

To view or purchase Jean’s artwork stop by the shop.

Oh yeah, you can still get your oil changed there too.