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Having a family from the KMC stranded during the winter because of car trouble is the last thing that Don Breton, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Pulaski Auto Skills manager, wants to happen.
Because of this, free car inspections will be conducted at the 2009 Vehicle Winter Safety Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s auto skills shop on Pulaski Barracks.
“Our goal and purpose is to try and avoid car problems that could leave out patrons stranded out on the road, late at night,” Mr. Breton said.
That’s why two years he initiated free car inspections twice a year – once in the winter to ensure patron’s vehicles are safe for bad weather and then again in the spring for vacations and road trips.
“We have found (through these inspections) several hub bearings, tie rods and ball joints that were in poor condition – all to do with the front-end – which means in every case the car was not safe to drive on the road,” he said.
So far, nearly 700 people have had their cars inspected for free.
Inspections range from checking windshield wipers to lifting vehicles up to check underneath for any safety concerns and take about 30 minutes.
These free inspections are quite in depth and could cost about $80 to $100 in the states, Mr. Breton said.
“Our hands physically test the front suspension so we are checking specifically for ball joints, tie rods and hub bearings,” he said. “We also do visual inspections to the best of our ability on brakes.”
