Auto tips for getting cleaner air

Here's a few tips that will help you save gas, keep California's air clean and help your vehicle pass its next Smog Check. You can also check out your vehicle's owner manual for information on how often to service your vehicle.

1. Check tire pressure frequently.
2. Never modify your vehicle's emission control system.
3. Change engine oil-and change air, oil and fuel filters-at the manufacturer's suggested intervals.
4. Check tire condition for abnormal wear patterns.
5. Service engine promptly when warning lights appear.
6. Inspect hoses, wiring and belts regularly.
7.Perform all other service and maintenance at manufacturer's suggested intervals.

Before your next smog check is due think about a Pre-Inspection Test
If you're not sure whether your vehicle will pass its Smog Check, you can ask a licensed smog Check technician about a pre-inspection test. A pre-inspection helps diagnose any potential emissions-related problems, giving you a chance to make necessary repairs before your vehicle undergoes an official Smog Check.

Let's help do our part in keeping our air quality as clean as possible.

man charged in dent-fixing scheme

A friend sent me this article


Published: June 10, 2009

A Clearwater man was arrested Tuesday on charges he defrauded more than a half-dozen people he typically met in supermarket parking lots by promising to repair the dents in their cars.

Frank Alex Adams, 27, of 2917 Catherine Drive, was charged with five counts of scheme to defraud, four counts of grand theft, one count of robbery and one count of false imprisonment, Pinellas County Jail records show. He was being held with no bail set at the jail.

On April 12, Adams approached a man in the parking lot of a Publix in north Pinellas and said he would repair the dent in his car for $450, arrest affidavits state. Adams took the money but didn't repair the dent, the affidavits state.

On April 16, he made a similar offer to an 84-year-old woman: $400 to repair a dent in her car, the affidavits state.

In this case, however, he ordered her to drive to her bank, withdraw $400 and then follow him to a vacant parking lot, where he took the money from her, the affidavits state. As the woman was in fear for her life throughout the ordeal, Adams was charged with strong arm robbery and false imprisonment in addition to a count of grand theft, affidavits state.

On April 18, Adams approached a woman in a parking lot and said he would fix the dent in her car for $300, arrest affidavits state. When she refused, he said he had already started the work and that she owed him $300 as a result, the affidavits state. He followed her to her ATM to withdraw the money, which she did against her will, the affidavits state.

On May, 12, he approached a woman outside a 7-Eleven convenience store while she was getting gas and offered to fix a dent for $180, arrest affidavits state. When she told him she didn't have the money, he told her to retrieve it from an ATM at the convenience store, the affidavits state. He didn't fix the dent, the affidavits state.

On May 20, he approached a couple in a Sweetbay Supermarket parking lot and pressured them to give him $400 to repair dents in their car, the affidavits state. Adams is accused of following them to their home, where he feigned fixing the dents, then drove them to their bank to get the money from their bank account, the affidavits state.

On May 22, he approached a woman in a Publix parking lot and pressured her to give him $200 to fix some scratches on her car, the affidavits state. He followed her home, where he actually damaged the car more than it was, and then took her to her bank to get the money.

Adams was placed on probation this year after he was charged with scheme to defraud in Broward County.