Repairs

Auto leasing deals abound these days, with offers that often seem too good to be true. How about a well-equipped Honda Accord for $250 a month with no down payment or any other drive-off fees? Or better yet, $199 a month for a Chevrolet Malibu? So, what's the catch? There isn't any if you know what you're getting into. There are always details. You need top-tier credit to qualify. You pay a penalty if you turn that Honda in with more than 36,000 miles. And the payment is not $250 a month because of that little matter of tax. It is more like $275, depending on where you live.

WASHINGTON - With full-fledged sellers' markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers. Call them turnoff listings. Despite roaring sales paces all around them, for one reason or another these houses send shoppers scurrying away, often because of mispricing, excessive restrictions on access to buyers and agents, failure to clean or make repairs and a variety of other marketing bungles.

Question: There's an overall deterioration in our homeowners association, and we're ashamed of the deplorable eyesores throughout the complex. There are cracks in the concrete and plaster and peeling paint everywhere. All the trees need more soil as exposed roots are cause for liability. The stairs have ragged or missing safety strips; gates have ugly, dated signs; patio tables and pool furniture are filthy; and there are corroded and rotting wood trellises and dying foliage.

Disneyland's Space Mountain remains closed for safety repair work, two weeks after state regulators cited the park for hazards to workers who maintain and repair the attraction. Disney officials, who said they have no estimate on when the ride will reopen, closed Space Mountain and two other rides April 13, after receiving the state citations. The other rides, Soarin' Over California at Disney's California Adventure Park and the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, have reopened. State safety inspectors scrutinized the rides after a maintenance worker was injured in November from a fall he suffered while cleaning the outside of the Space Mountain building.

NEW YORK -- The Statue of Liberty, whose feet remained dry but whose home was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy, will reopen July 4 after extensive work to repair the infrastructure on her perch in New York Harbor is completed, officials announced Tuesday. "What a fitting day for Lady Liberty's return," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. From Washington, he joined Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the National Park Service's northeast regional director, Dennis R. Reidenbach, in making the announcement during a conference call with reporters.

After the roots of a 40-year-old tree ruptured the sidewalk outside her home, Nora MacLellan and a Playa del Rey neighbor assumed correctly there was little money at City Hall for repairs. So she threw down $1,000 — the neighbor a few thousand more — and decided to fix it themselves. More Los Angeles residents may have to do the same for the financially strapped city to have any hope of eliminating a sidewalk repair backlog that officials estimate at up to $1.6 billion. Like decades-old water lines and suspect bridges, they are an example of an aging publicinfrastructure.

Americans have spent nearly $6 billion on iPhone repairs since Apple first launched the phone in 2007, according to a new study. SquareTrade, which offers device warranties, recently conducted a study surveying more than 2,000 iPhone owners. The study looked at various factors, including "cost of repairs, replacements and insurance deductibles for cracked, dropped, pummeled, kicked, and water-damaged iPhones. " PHOTOS: iPhone frenzy means lines, high-fives around world From there, the company concluded that since June 2007 until last month, the total cost of repairs has added up to $5.9 billion.

The earthquake-damaged National Cathedral in Washington will reopen to visitors and worshipers Nov. 12 after spending $25 million on initial repairs. Officials at the Episcopal church warn it may take "tens of millions" of dollars more and numerous years to restore and fix the building. An online statement from cathedral officials says the need to stabilize parts of the building, including some towers, was why it took so long to reopen. But this building is used to long construction periods -- it took 80 years to complete after the cornerstone was laid in 1907.  Where will the millions for ongoing repairs come from?

This post has been updated. The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing two fines totaling $987,500 against Delta Air Lines for allegedly operating two commercial planes in need of repairs. “Safety is our highest priority,” FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.  “Operators must follow the proper procedures to maintain their aircraft.” Delta, based in Atlanta, has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine. In one case, the FAA contends Delta operated a Boeing 737-800 on 20 flights after an FAA inspector discovered a chip on the plane's nose cone.

Question: For more than five years, I have lived in a rental house. Throughout this time, I have been forced to go into my own pocket to pay for the most basic repairs, such as emergency plumber calls. I have paid for repairs myself because my landlord always takes too long to respond. I have been very careful to keep copies of all the repair bills I paid, and they total more than a month's rent. I have found a new place to live that is newer and in better condition. I would like to skip payment of the last month's rent on my current home as a way to make sure I am compensated for at least some of the bills I had to pay. Will I be able to do that?

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was a tough day at the office for several of IndyCar's leading drivers. Two-time champion Scott Dixon , reigning champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves were involved in minor accidents Sunday. Castroneves and Dixon, however, battled back after their cars were repaired to finish ninth and 10th, respectively, which earned them valuable points. Castroneves kept the lead in the Izod IndyCar Series championship standings by eight points over race winner Takuma Sato and by 11 points over the third-place Dixon.

It was a simple basketball move, Kobe Bryant spinning toward the basket, dribbling hard to his left. Legendary careers are not supposed to finish this way, but when the Lakers guard collapsed on the floor, clutching his leg, fans may have witnessed the passing of an era. Or, at least, the beginning of the end for an athlete who has dominated professional basketball for almost two decades. "We're talking about a unique competitive spirit," said Jeff Van Gundy, a former NBA coach who is an ESPN analyst.

The Lakers announced Saturday that Kobe Bryant underwent successful surgery to repair his torn left Achilles' tendon. Bryant ruptured the tendon in the fourth quarter of the Lakers'118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Staples Center. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Stephen Lombardo of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Group.  Bryant is expected to be out a minimum of six to nine months. "If one person can overcome this and get away with this healthy and come back strong, it's Kobe," said teammate and power forward Pau Gasol.  "His will and determination are way beyond normal.

Question: There's an overall deterioration in our homeowners association, and we're ashamed of the deplorable eyesores throughout the complex. There are cracks in the concrete and plaster and peeling paint everywhere. All the trees need more soil as exposed roots are cause for liability. The stairs have ragged or missing safety strips; gates have ugly, dated signs; patio tables and pool furniture are filthy; and there are corroded and rotting wood trellises and dying foliage.

From a distance, the Watts Towers rise as a beacon of pride in a community that has struggled for years with poverty and crime. But up close, tiny cracks are tearing through the historic sculpture. One particularly nasty fissure starts thin at the base of the 99-foot center tower, then widens and snakes over colorful tiles, branching like a network of veins from an artery. Decorative ornaments - pieces of glass, seashells and pottery that artist Simon Rodia painstakingly affixed - are falling off, bit by bit. The towers have been deteriorating for years, prompting quick patch jobs that did little long-term good.

Despite praise for its external construction, the HTC One is a very difficult smartphone to repair, according to do-it-yourself website iFixit. The upcoming HTC flagship smartphone is set to go on sale in the U.S. as early as next month. The device has been praised for its top-of-the-line design, high-resolution screen and front-facing dual speakers But iFixit gave the smartphone a score of 1 out of 10 in its repairability rating. It is the worst rating ever for a smartphone.

A Russian riverboat was overloaded and in need of repairs when it sank in the Volga River with 208 people on board, officials said Monday as the toll rose to 58 confirmed dead. The riverboat Bulgaria, which sank Sunday about two miles from shore, was not licensed to carry passengers, had not undergone major repairs in 30 years and was operating without its left engine, said Marina Gridneva, a spokeswoman for the Russian prosecutor general's office. Volga region transport prosecutor Sergei Belov said fuel for the left engine had been pumped to the boat's right side, which resulted in the boat listing 4 degrees.

Question: I'm a frustrated condo owner in a small association. Our board seems to be doing a responsible job of trying to maintain our complex by performing due diligence on repairs and getting majority approval of the funding. Yet because one person continually demands meetings and documents from the board, repairs have not moved forward, and our building continues to deteriorate. What can someone like me, who is part of the majority, legally do to demand that maintenance be performed?

[ Updated, 1:45 p.m. March 19: The National Park Service announced Tuesday that it plans to reopen the Statue of Liberty to visitors by July 4. Repairs to the docks where visitors disembark would be fixed with federal transportation funds, the announcement said.] The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island received $59 million to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in October, but how to fix them remains up in the air. "Should the island be patched up quickly and reopened at the risk of further flooding or should longer repairs be made to relocate infrastructure up higher, with the hopes of minimizing further flooding?

NEW YORK -- The Statue of Liberty, whose feet remained dry but whose home was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy, will reopen July 4 after extensive work to repair the infrastructure on her perch in New York Harbor is completed, officials announced Tuesday. "What a fitting day for Lady Liberty's return," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. From Washington, he joined Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the National Park Service's northeast regional director, Dennis R. Reidenbach, in making the announcement during a conference call with reporters.