Consumers Reports looks into car repair gripes

From the YourMechanic website:

(rptnorris)

Filed under: Budgeting & Planning, Economizer, Technology

Filed under: Budgeting & Planning, Economizer, Technology

California, Wyoming, Utah, Montana and Arizona have the highest average car repair costs, a study by CarMD.com finds. These states are also home to half the nation's top driving destinations.The five states that are home to many of the top driving destinations in the U.S.

Car prices have dropped in Europe but it keeps getting more expensive for drivers to fix their vehicles, highlighting the need to crack down on exorbitant repair costs, the EU said Friday.The European Commission, the EU's competition watchdog, said the prices for repair and maintenance services as well as spare parts rose "well above inflation" in 2009, by 1.5 percent and 0.7 percent respectively."I am very happy that consumers in Europe are continuing to benefit from strong competition in the markets for car sales," European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

Car repair costs are on the rise, according to auto repair Web site CarMD.

France's antitrust authority called on the government to deregulate the sale of auto-repair parts, arguing car makers are using high-priced repairs to partially offset losses on vehicle sales.