California Bureau Of Automotive Repair

The Schwarzenegger administration is facing questions about a flip-flop in which it barred a major insurance company from running an auto repair service, then reversed course and let the company operate the program after all. The issue was expected to come up today during a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing for one of the governor's political appointees: Sherry Mehl, head of the bureau that oversees the car repair industry.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ousted the chief of a state office that regulates auto repair shops, shifting him into another job even though supporters credit him with tough enforcement of the industry. Patrick Dorais headed the Bureau of Automotive Repair for 11 months, a time when one of his most high-profile inquiries centered on Caliber Collision Centers, a company that runs 38 auto body shops in California. In December, Atty. Gen.

The state agency that regulates auto repair shops said Friday it has stopped disclosing violations and public complaints against mechanics in response to allegations that the information was being used in frivolous civil lawsuits. Until now, the Bureau of Automotive Repair posted on its Web site the problems its inspectors found at repair shops, as well as the complaints that prompted the notices. But the agency has removed that information and has temporarily stopped issuing violation notices.

State investigators found billing fraud in nearly half of the auto body repair jobs they inspected during a two-year study, with an average of $811 in overcharges for parts or labor not received, according to a report to be released today. The report comes as the auto repair industry is pushing to restructure the Bureau of Automotive Repair, a move that consumer groups say would gut one of government's most effective watchdog efforts.

A North Hollywood-based auto center that operates three Midas Muffler shops in North Hollywood, Burbank and Panorama City has agreed to a civil injunction prohibiting it from performing unnecessary vehicle repairs. The agreement comes after an undercover operation by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair in which investigators were told to make purchases and were later charged for unnecessary services and parts, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dana Aratani said.

As the sun sets in a chemically colored haze, you battle freeway traffic on the commute home and then finally get a chance to sit down and relax in front of the computer. It's Net surfin' time. And where do you want to go today? Probably not to a home page telling you everything you want to know--and lots more--about smog. But as unpleasant as the topic may be, this new site sponsored by California's Bureau of Auto Repair can be a big help when you are required to get a Smog Check on your car.