European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes automotive saturday August 14,1993 behind the if you Piave a Lousy driving record you May find it harder to rent a car the next time you need one. In the past year a number of the major car rental firms have begun carefully scrutinizing the motor vehicle Accident or arrest records of Many of their customers an rejecting those Drivers who Don measure up. Hertz one of the firs companies to adopt this estimates that it is turning Down on out of 10 renters in the states and cities where it is in effect. The checks Are made almost instantaneously by computer when you pick tip the  you hand Over your Driver s License the rental agent punches inthe number and 5 to 20 seconds later the computer zaps Back word on whether to accept or reject your business. Budget National and Avi Salso Are participating As Well As some rental outlets operating As franchises of smaller rental companies. Currently the checks involve Drivers holding licenses in Only a handful of states including Maryland new York Florida Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania. Drivers with District of Columbia or California licenses Are expected to be added to the program by the end of july and Virginia Drivers will be included in August or september. So far the checks also Are limited mostly to rentals in these same jurisdictions although there Are exceptions. By the end of this month Hertz expects to be taking a look a records of Drivers from new York California and Florida who rent i Hawaii. Hawaii registered Drivers will not be checked. What All this Means is that if for example you hold a Maryland Driver s License it May be screened currently by one or More rental firms when you rent in Maryland new York Florida and Ohio and in the District of Columbia California and Virginia As soon As they become a part of the program. So far not every rental firm with screening requirement makes checks in All the cooperating states. But these Are just the initial Steps in a program that is expected to be expanded gradually to Drivers in other states although probably not All of them and adopted by other car rental firms. Ford motor co. Has recalled 15,000 1988-90 escorts equipped with 1.9-liter engines after a routine Check by the environmental Protection Agency showed the cars failed to meet emissions standards. Ford spokeswoman Joy Wolfe said the cars tailed emissions tests at High altitudes. Owners of the cars will be notified by mail to return their vehicles to the Dealership to have the catalyst assemblies replaced she said the work will be done for free. � porsche cars North America said twas recalling 301994-Model 911 speedsters to replace a defective Latch on the convertible roof. Due to a manufacturing problem the Latch Hook can crack and eventually break the company said. I the vehicle is travelling at nigh speeds the convertible roof can unexpectedly open. The defect was discovered during routine product testing. No accidents have been reported because of the defect porsche said. The affected cars were delivered to . Porsche dealers who will perform the Latch replacements. � � � from vim report cruising brings headache towns in states struggle to curb teen-agers1 ritual by Bob Seav Eythe associated press Indianapolis in Seymour ind.,the place that inspired so Many of John Mellencamp s songs about Small town America they Call it scooping the , irs just cruising r in maybe a thousand big and Small towns kids head out to find the stuff that summer dreams Are made of hitting the strip on a saturday night speakers humping the air in a mechanized stroll Down main Street. ,. Director George Lucas memorialize cruising in Modesto calif., for movie audiences 20 years ago. But in a time of in creasing fears Over guns and drugs police and parents might wonder whether mod Ern cruisers Are closer to Boyz at the Hood than american Graffiti. And hometowns arc applying the brakes. Not to worry said it. Tim Horty of the Indianapolis police department. It s innocent enough. It s been going on for an awful Long time said Horty who made the rounds As an Evansville,ind., teen Ager Between High school shopping malls and pizza joints. Our parents cruised Back in the 50sor 40s. You and i cruised in the 60s and 70s," he  Don t think cruising in and of itself is dangerous though it s become More dangerous because of the changing times. People seem to be More violent now an they re carrying guns and  Monument Circle in downtown Indi Anapolis is kind  Cruiser Magnet forthe Region. On just about any summer night they Circle slowly walk or just sit incurs or of the Granite Steps of the Monu ment. Police on the theory that where there Are people there s the potential for Trou ble keep a close watch on the Circle. But there Are no special problems Horty  Evansville Green River Road draws Young people from nearby communities in Kentucky and Illinois. We just try to control it and live with it said  Berlin of the Evansville police department r police and business owners elsewhere have tried to put on the brakes. In Modesto the City that inspire american Graffiti cruisers have Long honoured Graffiti night the saturday after High school graduation. But the City Council banned cruising three years ago and expanded the ban in february because of excessive violence vandalism and drugs. In 1992, police arrested 130 people and spent $150,000 try ing to keep order Over the Graffiti night weekend. Teen agers in Milwaukee Felt new restrictions three years ago when Laws i that City and three suburbs prohibited cars from passing a Given Point More than twice in two hours. Police kept track by recording License plate numbers on por table computers. Elsewhere authorities have tolerate youngsters driven out of other places by Tough enforcement of traffic and loitering , w.va., set up cruising night a few years ago awarding Price for Best looking Cruiser car loud est Cruiser and other categories. Jasper ind., Hopes to funnel the cars clogging the North end of town into Large parking lot. Well provide them with a location where they can sit and talk to their friends and socialize without being chased out by policemen mayor William Schcht said. In Columbus ind., officials have opened a parking lot to give teen agers place to hang out. The complaints and the efforts to fight cruising continue however. Council members in Terre haute ind.,passed an ordinance allowing police to arrest people who trespass on privately owned lots partly in response to heavy cruising on Wabash Avenue in the City s downtown. In Kendallville ind.,. North of Fortwayne police set up barricades to divert cruising traffic. Cars previously clogged the town of about 8,000 on weekend nights. Maintenance plans can be Tricky we by Tom  Hen Jack Gillis bought his Chrysler town and country minivan recently his dealer mailed him a maintenance sched-1 ule calling for Oil changes and a Long list of checks every 3,000 Miles. But the owner s manual published by Chrysler corp. Calls for an Oil change every 7,500 Miles and for none of those other checks not at 3,000 Miles any Way. Which schedule is right neither at least not entirely said Gillis author of the car Book a widely read buyer s guide. He and others like George Giek Man aging director of Auto engineering for the american automobile association said they think car manufacturers sometimes suggest too Little servicing to Lead buyers into thinking their cars Are cheap to keep. They want to push it to the outer limits Gillis said. In particular Gick said automakers schedules often Don t include frequent enough engine Oil and transmission fluid changes. On the other hand Gillis and Giek said dealers have a vested interest i keeping their service departments Busy and profitable. He wants you Bac there As frequently As possible Gillis said. Mark Schienberg executive director of the greater new York automobile Deal ers a Trade group conceded the Point but added that manufacturers maintenance schedules Are very optimistic  manufacturers though stand by their schedules and note that recommending too Little maintenance can Cost the dearly in warranty expenses if cars break Down As a result. It can Cost them in Good will too. If they were to have a failure due Tolack of maintenance based on our sched ule 1 Don t think we d have much Chance of Selling that customer another vehicle said Neil Svartz Toyota s National serv ice and parts Field operation manager. What s a customer to do dealers and automakers offer differing schedules for car engine maintenance. Asking a lot of people to read All that Fine print to determine if a car should be on schedule a or  Toyota meanwhile began this Mont sending regional representatives to its dealers asking them to make Clear to customers which service procedures Are recommended by Toyota and which by the Dealership. Swartz said Drivers should ask the Dealership to explain any additional recommended work. Some of it he said might be necessary. We As a manufacturer can t account for All local  for the most part though automaker executives suggested sticking with their schedules. It s a sensitive area automakers Don t like to contradict their dealers. You re putting me on the spot Here said Pat Radecki who Heads a group at pm s technical Center in Warren mich., that among other things writes service manuals. But i would stick by the manufacturer s specifications.". Gillis said hell follow his dealer s recommendation for frequent Oil changes because like the aaa s Giek he thinks frequent Oil changes Are vitally important in increasing engine life. But hell follow Chrysler s schedule for other procedures. Automakers said that since dealers Are Independent businesses they can t order them to Stop publishing conflicting schedules. They can ask them though which is what Saturn did when it opened for business. Ford and Toyota Are taking two other approaches this year to reduce the confusion. Beginning with its 1994 models Ford motor co. Will publish new sched Ules for its cars that reduce the Oil change interval from 7,500 to 5,000 Miles coming closer to what Many dealer recommend. Robert Knoll head of Auto testing for Consumers Union said he thinks that s a Good idea. I think there should be one maintenance schedule he said. It s