Comment of the Month
Brendan P. said, “You guys came in below estimate for an expensive set of repairs, finished the job earlier, much earlier than anticipated, and I left confident the work has been done right- how do you improve on that?”
Thanks Brendan. It’s not always easy to deliver price, speed, and quality all at once, but we try our best to make sure they all come together every time!
Referral Reward Program
Our Referral Reward Program, in which we make donations to the non-profit group of your choice every time someone comes in based on your referral, had another great month. We were able to make 5 donations this month totaling $188 to the following groups…
Friends of Tryon Creek by Jake P.
backline by Wendy M.
Operation Nightwatch by Bill S.
Willamette RiverKeeper by Melanie G.
Oregon Humane Society by Dee H.
That makes $3925 in donations to 66 groups in 2015 alone, and $9555 to 150 groups since the program began. The next milestone comes next month when we’ll make our next quarterly award of $200 to one deserving group. If your favorite group isn’t in the running, refer a new client to us today!
Your reviews and referrals matter
We are constantly grateful for the supportive and loyal clients we have developed over the years. Your comments and appreciation keep us on the right road to providing the superior automotive service you deserve. Your reviews and referrals are not only the highest compliments we can receive, but they’re the lifeblood of our new business. If you like what you’ve found at Tom Dwyer Automotive Services, please tell a friend or take a minute to write a review on Yelp, Angieslist, Google, or the review site of your choice. Thank you!
Victory! Carmakers Can’t Use The DMCA To Make Working On Your Car Illegal
From Jalonik, Oct 2015
Possibly the most bizarre application of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act finally got the exemption car enthusiasts deserve.
Recently some automakers (with support from the EPA of all places) tried to argue that they own the code in your car, and messing with that code would violate their copyright, but the government just struck that down! Well, they at least offered an exemption… as the Library of Congress’ U.S. Copyright Office ruled, “reproducing and altering the computer programs on ECUs for purposes of facilitating diagnosis, repair and modification of vehicles” is totally cool.
Specifically, the Copyright Office said such copies and mods constitutes “noninfringing activity as a matter of fair use and/or under the exception set forth in section 117 of the Copyright Act, which permits the owner of a copy of a computer program to make certain copies and adaptations of the program.”
The full text of the LoC’s ruling can be found here, and the victory statement from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which made the petition to give gearheads the right to tune their cars without carmakers bearing down on them, can be found here.
Latest Automotive Recalls
Automobiles are just like any other product; occasional flaws in manufacture or design can cause problems once they leave the factory. When an issue is identified the manufacturers and government work hard to bring the vehicles back in for refit or repair, but not all recalls make the front pages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a constantly updated list of recalls from every manufacturer. The last month’s recalls are below, but clicking the button at right will take you to the full list at the NHTSA website.
