Big 3 Bailout

Hello car owners. You thing times are tough and you are beings squeezed by economical downturn. Think about car makers, and think big. With all fairness to GM, Chrysler and Ford, do you actually think they deserve big money from taxpayers. Check out the survey from CNN and see that others think!

Poll: 61% oppose auto bailout
Survey shows that Americans think federal aid for the Big Three is unfair and won't help the economy.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, conducted by telephone on Dec. 1-2 with nearly 1,100 people, showed that 61% of those surveyed oppose government assistance for the major U.S. automakers.

The poll comes at a critical time for the American auto industry. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500), General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC are requesting up to $34 billion in emergency loans from the government amid the weakest auto sales in 25 years and persistently tight credit.

General Motors and Chrysler, burning through billions of dollars in cash, are the most imperiled. All three companies submitted plans to Congress on Tuesday that made their case for funding, and industry executives are set to testify Thursday and Friday as lawmakers debate whether to take emergency action.

But Wednesday's poll suggests that Americans believe bailing out the Big Three is a bad idea.

A full 70% of respondents indicated that a bailout is unfair to taxpayers.

In addition to being unfair, the poll showed that a majority of those surveyed think a bailout would not help the economy.

Sandeep Dahiya, a professor of finance at Georgetown University, said the poll results were "quite surprising." The large percentage of those opposed to the bailout "tells you much about how what is good for GM is not good for America."

But the disapproval reflected in the poll may not result in the kind of public backlash that occurred in response to the $700 billion bailout package Congress passed in October, Dahiya said.

"The numbers are a lot smaller and there's more apathy," in the public following a string of other bailouts in recent months, Dahiya said. Still, public resentment is "festering" and an auto industry bailout is "not going to be an easy sell," he added.

Despite being opposed to federal support of the industry, the possibility of a bankruptcy among one or more of the Big Three automakers is a concern for a significant number of poll respondents.

While only 15% of those polled think a bankruptcy in the auto industry would have an immediate impact on their families, 43% think a bankruptcy would eventually have an effect on them.

Dahiya pointed out that a bankruptcy does not necessarily mean an automaker will stop making cars. "Ideally, a bankruptcy leads to a fresh start," he said.

The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3%.

Source: CNN Money

Advanced Body a part of BNI!

I am very proud to announce that "Advanced Body and Frame" is a part of new Business Networking International Chapter in Truckee. BNI is a networking organization specialializing in business referrals.

“BNI is a great way for businesses to experience growth by duplicating their marketing efforts through word-of-mouth. We only accept one person per profession, therefore once someone has been accepted as a member, none of their competitors can participate,” said John Lisle, Director of BNI for the Central Valley Region.

BNI was founded in 1985 by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and now has more than 5,000 chapters, with more than 105,000 members throughout the U.S. and 39 other countries. The organization generated more than 5,500,000 referrals for member businesses in 2007 alone, which resulted in more than $2.2 billion worth of business to the members.

“Our style of networking is based on the philosophy ‘Givers Gain’; if I help you, then you’ll help me and we’ll all do better business,” says Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI who has also authored five books on the subject of word-of-mouth marketing including, “The World’s Best-Known Marketing Secret,” “Seven Second Marketing,” “Business By Referral” and the New York Times best-seller “Masters of Networking.”
The Mountain High BNI chapter is looking for professional business people to whom they can refer business. Anyone who is interested in generating a steady source of referral business is welcome.

Check out the organization’s Web site: www.bnicentralvalley.com

Winterize your car

Winter is upon us! Here's a list of things you can do to make sure your vehicle is ready for the upcoming cold season:

1. Don't put off maintainance, if your car is due.

2. Flush the cooling system and replace the coolant.

3. Clean up body of the car and apply a coat of quality wax to protect paint for winter season.

4. Replace the windshield wiper blades. Put windshield washer fluid in the windshield washer reservoir (plain water will freeze).

5. Have the battery serviced (clean the battery terminal ends and add water) and load-tested to check its ability to hold a charge. If the battery is more than 4 1/2 years old, replace it.

6. Use a tire gauge to check the tire pressure. Air contracts with cold, and the tires may become low as the temperature drops.

7. Make sure there is air in the spare tire and that all the proper tire-changing equipment is in the trunk.

8. Make sure the tires are in good condition. Don't forget to change over to winter tires or consider studded snow tires. Don't wait until last minute to avoid lines at the tire shop.

9. Check the lights, heater and defroster.

10. Keep the gas tank as full as possible to prevent moisture from freezing in the gas lines.

11. Get a brake check if you haven't had one in the last six months.

12. Put together an emergency winter kit for the trunk of your car: blanket, extra boots and gloves, ice scraper, small snow shovel, flashlight and kitty litter (for traction when stuck in the snow).

Hello and welcome to auto body shop blog. I hope to post here some interesting stories and comments regarding to car repair and events and lifestyle in the Truckee and North Tahoe area. Please feel free to comment, send questions and interact.