EPA Cites 23 Muffler Shops in California
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, two of which are in Orange County. 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 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 converter 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, Charles Margolin, whose shop on Centre Drive in El Toro was cited for five improper installations, said he already has replaced the converters on three of those cars at no charge and is attempting to contact the owners of the other two cars.
Margolin, whose shop was honored by the Midas chain in 1987 for being the highest-volume franchise with no customer complaints, said the errors were inadvertent.
“We comply strictly with the law, and we are trying to correct the mistakes,” Margolin said Tuesday. “There were some errors made because the converters have the same shape but different numbers. The mechanics inadvertently installed the wrong ones.”
Albert Beattie, a Midas dealer in 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 that 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.
“There’s not that much money involved. It sounds like they’re moving so fast they’re not paying much attention to what they put in,” said Car Sound attorney Stephen Gigliotti.
Gigliotti said the wholesale price for a two-way converter is $49.95. The wholesale price of a three-way is $54.95. The retail markup is usually about 300%, he said.
Following is a list of California muffler shops that the EPA said were in violation:
Midas Muffler, 22752 Centre Drive, El Toro; Mesa Muffler Service, 2177 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa; 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, 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, and Washington Muffler & Radiator, 200 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles.
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.
Staff writer Jean Davidson in Orange County contributed to this story.
