plus 4, Repair shop's move to pave way for new Kroger gas station - Lancaster Eagle Gazette.com

Repair shop's move to pave way for new Kroger gas station - Lancaster Eagle Gazette.com
Automobiles : TRUCKS - Frederick News-Post
STRATTEC Debuts First Padlock to Open With Car or Truck Key - Stockhouse
Houston tow truck owners sued for shady practices - Houston Business Journal
GM Names New Head Of Buick, GMC Brands - NewsNet 5

Repair shop's move to pave way for new Kroger gas station - Lancaster Eagle Gazette.com

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:27 AM PST

LANCASTER -- An auto repair shop will be moving to a new location, clearing the way for a future Kroger Fuel Center next year.

Piper's Service Center, 534 N. Broad St., will relocate to 522 S. Maple St., a property owned by the city of Lancaster. The service center at the corner of North Broad Street and East Sixth Avenue is attached to a Sunoco gas station.

Bob Piper, who owns and operates the service center and Sunoco, said the gas station will be closed and not relocated with the repair shop.

Piper said the new repair shop location will allow him to tap into a new market of the city.

"(North Memorial Drive) is a perilous sea -- from Meijer there's 15 places doing oil changes," he said. "It may be some convenience at (the) Maple Street building for (residents) not having to go that direction."

The service center will move in early January. Piper said he will set up the new facility before the current one is closed, making for a nearly seamless transition.

The corner location will not be without gas for long, Kroger Co. is working on a contract to purchase the site to install a Kroger gas station.

Piper acknowledged there might be a stigma gas-station repair shops are not as efficient as those independently operated.

"We will have 100 percent of our attention focused on automotive and truck services, the image will definitely be better as far as a repair facility," Piper said.

He said the Maple Street facility will allow for expansion. The Broad Street station has four bay doors, while the Maple Street facility has about 20. He has seven employees but hopes to add workers next year.

"It's unlimited how big we can grow over on Maple Street," he said.

Kroger spokeswoman Amy McCormick said the grocer is working on a contract to obtain the site at North Broad Street and East Sixth Avenue. She said the company has completed the zoning process and has obtained a special-use permit to operate a station on that site.

"We are hopeful that the closing will take place sometime early next year and residents of Lancaster will be able to redeem their Kroger Fuel Perks reward," McCormick said.

She said she could not offer an estimate when the Kroger station might open.

Piper said Kroger has financed the removal of underground storage tanks for the gasoline. He said the current tanks were the second set for the station, which opened in 1978. The most recent storage tanks were installed in 1989.

Piper said Kroger plans to install up-to-date storage tanks. Part of the removal process includes checking the soil for possible contamination.

It is not uncommon for new owners of gas stations to replace tanks with upgraded systems, said Shane Cartmill, public information officer for the division of State Fire Marshal, which oversees the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations.

He said the main concern for potential contamination is not from the tanks but from the lines that connect the tanks to the pumps above ground.

Cartmill said underground tanks often hold about 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of gasoline.

Lancaster Mayor Dave Smith said Piper will own the Maple Street facility outright.

Smith said the city anticipated the purchase happening in 2010 and included the estimated $185,000 sale price in next year's revenue budget.

He said the sale is beneficial to both Piper and the city.

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Automobiles : TRUCKS - Frederick News-Post

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:49 AM PST

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STRATTEC Debuts First Padlock to Open With Car or Truck Key - Stockhouse

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:58 AM PST

--BOLT Series locks named by AutoWeek (AW) magazine as holiday gift idea

MILWAUKEE, Dec 18, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ --

Targeting off-road enthusiasts, auto buffs, outdoorsmen and DIYers - or anyone else who's ever searched for a lock key or struggled to remember a combination - STRATTEC Security Corp. has just launched a series of locks that open with their owner's car, SUV or truck key.

The new BOLT (Breakthrough One-key Lock Technology) Series locks were introduced last month at the world's largest automotive aftermarket trade show, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. The locks won two separate awards there, being named one of the show's best new products by both the SEMA Global Media panel and the Light Truck Accessory Alliance. They've since been honored by AutoWeek (AW) magazine, which featured them in their recent '09 Holiday Gift Guide.

BOLT locks incorporate a patented, automotive-style cylinder that enables users to insert their car or truck key, turn once, and program the lock to that key. Any number of padlocks or other locks in the series can be set by the owner to a single key. In addition, since the BOLT Series locks use an automotive-grade cylinder with a shutter and six-plate tumbler, they have the highest corrosion resistance rating and are nearly impossible to pick or bump.

"Imagine the convenience of having just one key for all your locks, and it's the key you always have with you," said STRATTEC Director of New Market Development Mike Long. "We anticipate huge interest in this product among a variety of users, from auto/truck enthusiasts and outdoorsmen to contractors and fleet managers."

The BOLT Series of locks will initially include a padlock, 5/8" receiver lock, 1/2" receiver lock, cable lock, spare tire lock, motorcycle lock with other products to follow. The company estimates the BOLT Series locks fit over 88 percent of light trucks and over 70 percent of all Ford, GM and Chrysler vehicles on the road, making them compatible with 111 million vehicles.

The SEMA awards weren't the first awards won by the BOLT line. Earlier this year, the BOLT line garnered "Best New Product" awards at the 2009 Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) and the 2009 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) shows. The US-made BOLT Series will also be marketed by DuraSafe, Inc. in the marine and outdoor markets.

STRATTEC is the world's largest manufacturer of automotive locks and keys, and supplies ignition locks and keys to all three U.S. automakers. For more information about the STRATTEC BOLT Series of locks, visit http://www.STRATTEClock.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Larsen, Boelter + Lincoln PR Phone: 414/271-0101 Ext. 119 Cell: 414/840-0891 E-mail: alarsen@boelterlincoln.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE STRATTEC Security Corp.

http://www.STRATTEClock.com

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Houston tow truck owners sued for shady practices - Houston Business Journal

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:20 AM PST

A lawsuit filed this week is likely to light up many faces with smiles.

Allstate Insurance Co. alleges seven Harris County defendants that operate tow-truck fleets and automobile storage and repair companies are engaging in fraudulent practices.

In a nutshell, the suit alleges fraud in two parts.

• Allstate contends the defendants falsely claimed some "tear downs" — taking the car apart to evaluate the damage, thus making it more difficult to move to a repair shop of the owner's choosing — were authorized by the cars' owners.

Allstate says more than 100 Houston-area customers were affected, and seeks $180,000 in actually and exemplary damages.

Jim Murray, assistant vice president of Allstate's Special Investigative Unit, which looked into the matter "extensively" before the company filed suit, says phony insurance claims bump annual premiums by $200 to $300, industry-wide.

The defendants don't say anything. They didn't respond to interview requests. Here are their names: Faraj "Sam" Said; Ghassan "Gus" Said; Ibrahim Said; Patrick Green; Noor Said Enterprises Inc. (aka Noor Enterprise Inc.), Budget Collision Inc., and National Auto Collision Inc.

According to the suit, the following businesses are among several operated by the named defendants: National Auto Collision; Budget Auto Collision; Holmes Road Storage, and; South Loop Storage.

• Allstate also says the defendants intentionally overcharged the insurance company for "non-consent" tows, which are usually instigated by a police officer. The City of Houston and Harris County strictly regulate the amount a towing company can charge for non-consent tow, so the defendants, the suit alleges, "in many cases ... falsely represented that their towing and storage services were requested or initiated by the vehicle owner" so they could charge "significantly higher rates."

This is not what happened to my brother about a year ago. His car, parked in its usual spot in front of my house, where he had lived for several months, up and vanished in the middle of the night. Turns out the towing company claimed the police requested the tow because he was parked too close to the curb. Now, I'm no expert, but I live on a street that is no stranger to police cars, just like almost every other street in Montrose. Cars on my street have been towed for facing the wrong direction while parked, but never to my knowledge for parking to close to the curb, night after night, for several months.

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GM Names New Head Of Buick, GMC Brands - NewsNet 5

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:41 AM PST

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