#AutomotiveRepairs

One of the worst things about being an adult is that you’re constantly inundated with legal agreements you don’t have time to read. But you’d best read them all the way down to the fine print because, as every old crank knows, “that’s where they get you.”

A sterling example of this phenomenon cropped up in Texas this week, where a man is at risk of being thrown out of his apartment complex if he doesn’t fix the dent on his first-generation Chevrolet Traverse. While the complex doesn’t have a policy around owning a battered automobile, it does have one about them occupying the property — and management is swift to enforce it (through towing) if owners don’t fix them. That’s a problem, as the man with the dented Chevy, one Sontlux Sukhavachana, says he can’t afford to take it into a body shop and can’t make rent without a car.

J.D. Power and Associates continued its courtship of Buick and Lexus in its latest scorecard for consumer satisfaction with dealer service departments. While J.D. passes out awards around like a teacher giving PARTICIPANT ribbons at an elementary school science fair, its consumer index is a decent way to track automotive trends. In this instance, that trend is continued improvement of American manufacturers. Well, most of them.

Fiat Chrysler should sincerely consider making a large contribution to J.D. Power so it can get out of last place in literally every single category.

Meanwhile, General Motors is on its best behavior with a score of 807 out of 1,000, an improvement over last year by a full 10 points thanks to Buick taking top honors (860 points) and its other brands scoring substantially above the industry average. Buick was followed by Mini, GMC, Chevrolet and Nissan in the mass-market brand rankings.