23 Muffler Shops in State Cited by EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that 109 muffler shops throughout the country are violating federal law by installing improper after-market catalytic converters on cars.
The agency said that violation notices totaling more than $1 million in proposed fines have been sent to the shops, including 23 in California. Of the 23 California shops, 15 were identified as Midas Muffler outlets.
Most of the violations involved the installation of what the EPA said were “cheaper, less effective” two-way catalytic converters on vehicles requiring three-way converters. Three-way converters control emissions of nitrogen oxide in addition to hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
Nitrogen oxide is a major ingredient in photochemical smog. It combines in sunlight with hydrocarbons to form ozone.
However, Richard G. Kozlowski of the EPA’s enforcement office said that the 109 shops represent only a small percentage of the estimated 250,000 muffler outlets nationwide.
Kozlowski said three-way converters are clearly more expensive than two-way converters. Retail prices on a three-way could run from $20 to $50 more. But, Kozlowski said, shops will sell a cheaper two-way converter either to draw in customers in a very competitive business or to “maximize their profits.” In other cases, he said, incorrect installations could result from honest mistakes.
Owners of several muffler shops that were cited, as well as a senior executive of Midas International in Chicago, denied that there was a profit incentive for a shop to install a two-way instead of a three-way converter because the price difference is small.
“I don’t believe that is the case. All the franchisees I spoke to said it was a misapplication. It was not a matter of cost,” Russell Richards, senior vice president of franchises at Midas International, said in a telephone interview from Chicago.
Gordon F. Bowley, attorney for the California Midas Dealers Assn., said, “It’s not a fair characterization that it was something installed because it was cheaper to install. It was an error from the manufacturers.”
One Midas dealer, Albert Beattie of Palmdale, said, “I don’t think any of the shops that did it did it intentionally.”
They added that all affected customers are being notified and that the correct converters are being installed at no further cost.
An attorney for one of the converter manufacturers, Car Sound Exhaust System of La Mirada, said there have been no errors in either the instructions or part numbers for several years and that mistaken installations were probably the fault of the shop employees.
Following is a list of California muffler shops that the EPA said were in violation:
Mike’s Muffler, 12222 Garvey Ave., El Monte; Bay Area Muffler, 1924 14th St., Santa Monica; Leo’s Body, Radiator & Muffler, 901 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach; Champion Muffler, 18746 Sherman Way, Reseda; Central Muffler, 10864 Central Ave., Ontario; Midas Muffler, 2919 Chester Ave., Bakersfield; Midas Muffler, 1639 W. Redlands Blvd., Redlands; Midas Muffler, 44430 N. Sierra Highway, Lancaster; Midas Muffler, 926 E. Palmdale Blvd., Palmdale; Midas Muffler, 215 N. Azusa Blvd., West Covina.
Midas Muffler, 22752 Centre Drive., El Toro; Midas Muffler, 9777 Magnolia Ave., Riverside; Midas Muffler, 11814 Rosecrans Blvd., Norwalk; Midas Muffler, 5262 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys; Midas Muffler, 7198 Mission St., Daly City; Johnny Franklin’s Mufflers, 1340 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa; Washington Muffler & Radiator, 200 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles; and Mesa Muffler Service, 2177 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa.
Lyle Pederson, doing business as Midas Muffler at the following five locations: 5880 Miramar Road, San Diego; 3846 Camino del Rio, San Diego; 7207 University Ave., La Mesa; 777 Second St., El Cajon; and 3855 Convoy, San Diego.
