Tip of Week – April 19, 2018 -Beware of Mobile Auto-Repair Scam

There are honest individuals who run mobile auto-repair businesses but there are also unscrupulous people who pose as mobile auto repair folks and those are the scammers consumers must be aware of.   How will you know?  Typically, the mobile auto-repair scammers approach car owners in the parking lots of grocery stores or strip malls.  They point out damage to the body of the car and offer to fix it for cheap.

“These guys are typically very friendly, but they can be pushy, too,” said CSLEA Foundation Chairman Kenny Ehrman.  “They will hand you a business card, say they can get rid of the scrapes on your car and pop out the dents for just a couple hundred dollars and they can do it all at your house.  Often times they’ll just wax your car or in some cases make the damage worse.”

Remember, mobile auto repair shops do exist.  Any person offering to fix your car should have a business name, license number, and telephone number on the repair shop's vehicle.  Check out the business at the California Bureau of Automotive Repair website.

“Always remember the golden rule in consumer protection,” said Ehrman.  “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”