VRRRM Program Update 

Due to overwhelming demand, effective Immediately - 09/28/2011 - VRRRM is instituting the following changes to the eligibility requirements for VRRRM repair programs.

Note: The following changes DO NOT apply to consumers who receive a weekend event voucher at a VRRRM-sponsored event held in the San Joaquin Air District area.

• Vehicles must be 1997 model year and older to be eligible for VRRRM.
• Consumers must apply to CAP first before they may be deemed eligible for VRRRM.
• If a consumer is approved for CAP, but repairs exceed CAP limit, consumer may apply to VRRRM for the incremental difference of the repairs up to $800.
• If a consumer is not approved for CAP, a consumer must provide a CAP denial letter in order to apply to VRRRM and pay the first $450 (toward emissions related repairs, diagnosis and/or testing) in order for VRRRM to fund the balance of the repairs up to $800.
• All payment requests for repairs for non-CAP eligible consumers must be accompanied by a CAP denial letter.

All other VRRRM repair program eligibility guidelines, i.e. six months continuous registration to the same owner, tailpipe emissions failure, etc. will still apply. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this operational adjustment, please contact Shawn Hunter at 916.325.8577 or Dan Crozier at 559.840.0134.

According to the NPD Group, the majority of automobile owners are do-it-for-me (DIFM) consumers when it comes to auto service or repair.

The auto aftermarket research report finds that the choice to have DIFM auto services is largely due to the need to maintain a car properly in order to keep it longer, and a higher degree of trust in professional auto services than do-it-yourself auto repair.

The NPD report, entitled Consumers Shifting Gears to Do-It-For-Me Outlets, finds that 68 percent of today's drivers say they will have all automotive service and repair performed by a professional. Twenty-nine percent of consumers said they will sometimes have professional auto service and some they will do themselves, and 8 percent said they rarely have their auto repair or maintenance done by a professional.

Reliability is the operative word in the minds of consumers when selecting an auto repair professional. According to the NPD report, which explores factors that drive consumers to switch between DIFM outlets, 88 percent of DIFM consumers said trust in the work completed is a very important influence in selecting an auto repair outlet. Knowledgeable employees and the reputation of the outlet or automotive professional also rank high.

Although trust and reputation rank high in the selection process, value appears to be another key driver and the reason for an increasing number of DIFM consumers using car dealerships and tire stores for their auto repairs and maintenance. The Consumers Shifting Gears to DIFM Outlets report finds that consumers perceive these outlets as bringing more coupons and promotional offers to the table. 

Settlement of 37 Cases Generates $52K for Community Colleges and $172K for Pollution Control

The Air Resources Board announced that during the second quarter of 2011 it settled 37 cases of air quality violations, mostly by trucks and buses for failure to properly conduct and pass self-inspections aimed at measuring vehicle smoke emissions to ensure state requirements are met.

Of the $223,295 collected, approximately $172,000 went to the California Air Pollution Control Fund to support air quality projects and research to improve California's air quality.

Roughly $52,000 went to the Peralta Community College District to fund emission education classes at participating California community colleges under the California Council for Diesel Education and Technology program.

The five companies paying the highest amount in fines (none exceeding $30,000) are:

• County of Imperial, Department of Public Works, fined $27,000 for failure to properly self-inspect its diesel trucks to assure the vehicles met state smoke emission standards, as required under the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP).
• Marquez Brothers International, Inc., fined $24,000 for failure to comply with diesel fleet self-inspection requirements, and for violation of the Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) regulation.
• Brotherhood Trucking Inc., fined $17,617.50 for failing to properly self-inspect its diesel fleets and dispatching drayage trucks that either did not meet emission standards or were not into the Drayage Truck Registry.
• West Coast Refrigerated Trucking, Inc., fined $15,750 for failing to properly inspect its diesel fleet and for not upgrading all of its TRU engines as required by the TRU regulation.
• Peninsula Coast Joint Powers Board, fined $15,000 for failing to properly self-inspect its diesel fleet and for not meeting emissions requirements for NOx and PM as required by the Fleet Rule for Transit Agencies.

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40 other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other health problems.

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