Blog

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Welcome, Justice Department

Posted: June 6, 2009 at 7:32 pm

So an interesting thing happened the other day… not that I’m surprised, but I guess I should’ve seen it coming.

About a dozen different unique IDs from the Justice Department out of Sacramento, California, spent anywhere from 2-20 minutes on my website poking around.

You see, I have Google Analytics embedded in my website, which allows me to track traffic coming in to the site – including city, state, how long someone was there, etc. After noticing a huge increase in visits from Sacramento, I decided to see what their network location was. And up popped:

Department of Justice, CA

Now for most people, this would be troubling – who wants the Department of Justice or the State of California Attorney General looking into you? No doubt it was in response to some of my discovery requests for my clients, heaven forbid I’d want to inspect the vehicle that they claim was able to pass smog at 20 degrees BTDC…  right guys, whatever you say. Those NOx’s would have been within range, absolutely.

So why then? No opposing counsel is based in Sacramento, they’re all in satellite offices in other cities. So who in God’s name is so interested in my firm from Sacramento? And to the tune of a dozen unique visitors?

Well, let’s clear the air. Hi. Hello. How are you? I only have one message for you…

The party is over.

I’m the asshole who will file 16 motions to compel to make you produce that car, the inspection reports, and the alleged “flying colors” passing numbers ‘car X’ had when it was inspected by a “Bureau of Automotive Repair employee” who signed an affidavit stating he performed a passing smog inspection on said vehicles. I will require you to demonstrate the timing procedure used for a car that is OBD I and hidden from view by pumps and belts, wondering how you were able to check the timing on said car, and how a car would even run with some of the setups you allege.

Why? Because this has gone on long enough. I’m tired of you sending in impossible to discover defective cars to shops, nailing them with citations, and refusing to turn over evidence without a court order. I’m tired of you putting guys out of their shops, on the street, taking their jobs and their livelihoods… all in the name of padding your stats so your budget doesn’t get cut.

I’m sick of seeing good shops and techs get railroaded by the Bureau of Automotive Repair, all in the name of protecting consumers from the shop who can’t find a nickel sized PCV valve in a 1988 vacuum line infested, hidden under the intake, Alldata has no schematics, emissions label removed by you, POS.

I don’t blame the Attorney Generals office, after all, the bureau tells you he didn’t check a gas cap, so pull his license and fine him $10,000.00 for the cost of investigation, who are you to say that the bureau was out of line?

You see, the thing is, there’s no internal affairs department for the Bureau of Automotive Repair. There is for police, there is for the DMV, but not for this prosecuting agency under the department of consumer affairs. There’s an ombudsman, that’s it… and who writes his check?

The bureau has seen fit to railroad good shops out of this business all in the name of protecting consumers – why? Because they know, when push comes to shove, who can they turn to for help?

Well I’m here to tell you the party is over.

No more.

Not on my watch.

9 Comments »

  1. Way to go Will – Kick butt!

    Comment by Marc — June 13, 2009 @ 3:47 pm

  2. [...] Welcome, Justice Department [...]

    Pingback by Welcome Bureau of Automotive Repair | Automotive Defense Specialists — June 24, 2009 @ 4:02 pm

  3. [...] If you’re a Smog station, the BAR sends in undercover vehicles for Smog’s, they will then issue a citation. After 3 citations, they will go after your license. For some of their antics, take a look at this post. [...]

    Pingback by How to Fight BAR Smog Citations — July 20, 2009 @ 9:41 am

  4. it,s about time somebody started looking out for the little guys that are trying to make a honest living!!!!!
    !!!!!!!!GIVE THEM HELL!!!!!!!!

    Comment by cj — July 21, 2009 @ 5:32 am

  5. go get em’ cbass..one of my fren quit his job cause they got him on his 2nd citation..he’s just making an honest living just happens to slip when they are there traping him..fukked up..now he’s jobless and no one would hire him

    Comment by tony — July 22, 2009 @ 7:16 pm

  6. [...] what do you think the BAR will tell a court of law? That you know, he’s right, he did it by the [...]

    Pingback by Responding to Criticism about Defending Against BAR — February 12, 2010 @ 9:24 pm

  7. When the attorney generals office called me over a appeal on a citation they were going to charge me with two violations. I asked the the prosecutor that represented the BAR. Isn’t this considered entrapment? Let alone why would the BAR send me another undercover car to ensure the violation does not happen again?

    This is how it sounds to me. You can rest assured we will be back and shut you down if we have to, but not until we collect thousands of dollars in fines from you first. How is this justifying?

    I was even told that they had a slam dunk case. Is that so? Anyone who has ever watched Judge Judy knows this familiar phrase she says in a small claims dispute Show Me! I am saying the same thing. Show Me! Show Me the car you alleged that the BAR claims had incorrect timing. I want to see the actual timing mark being off before and after the inspection. I could care less how and what the the technician did to set it up. I want to see photos. Show Me!

    Comment by Ben — September 8, 2010 @ 2:22 pm

  8. I did not get any citations for years, i run my business for 20 years, all of the sudden, i got nailed three times in the row. I had no customer complains, not cheated what so ever. I have put my business for sell. I look at it this way, Bar lost me with 23 year experience.

    Comment by siamak asnaashari — May 15, 2011 @ 7:15 pm

  9. there is such a thing as checks and balances. As the saying goes absolute power corrupts absolutely, so if there is not any unbiased department to watch over BAR’s conduct then it is highly probable all of BARs conduct goes unchecked whether wrong or right. I know it is not right for the government to accept revenue from certificates generated by the sweat of working individuals while adding to their work load but not providing any compensation for labor at the benefit of BAR and State.

    I am currently fighting BAR of Riverside, CA for bringing in a 99 Toyota Sienna after certifying their vehicle which they deliberately tampered and removed the evap canister which sits shrouded under or behind the intake filter box. As the law states a technician is not required to raise, hoist or remove components in order to gain access to component that is not visually accessible nor are they required to inspect them. Also as BAR states “they do not do undercover inspections to trick technicians,” they do however, since they will remove canisters that are obstructed from view, such as those shrouded in fender wells.

    here is another point, BAR deliberately brakes the law by intentionally tampering vehicles and attempting to obtain a certificate of compliance fraudulently.

    read the laws and regulations pertaining to smog check inspections and you may be able to find many violations not permitted, which they blatantly violate unchecked.

    BAR needs to see a class action lawsuit to recover damages by the hard working people of california.

    Comment by Jay — September 26, 2011 @ 2:49 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment