The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "car dealer" ...
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Is it true?
"For several years a local car dealership ran advertisements on the radio, television and in newspapers offering deals on cars that it could not live up to". As a number of complaints mounted, the investigation into the dealership began. The investigation revealed the dealership used false advertising and "even increased the interest rate on finance documents after they were signed by the customer".
Tags: Mike Young Motors; bait-and-switch advertising; advertisements; ads; false; car dealership; dealer's claims; violations; automobiles
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NewsChannel 5 Investigates: Bill Heard Chevrolet
A five-month investigation into the self- proclaimed "World's Largest Chevy Dealer." Hearing complaints from customers in Middle Tennessee after they bought cars from the Bill Heard Chevrolet dealership, an investigation found similar complaints in other states. NewsChannel 5 examined sales contracts and loan documents of customers and compared them with documents that had been submitted on their behalf to lenders by the Bill Heard company. The reporters found that the personal and financial information had been altered so loans would be granted. After the story was aired, the Tennessee Attorney General and the state's Motor Vehicle Commission regulators opened an investigation. The investigation is on going.
Tags: car sales; Chevrolet; loan; finance; automobile industry; Bill Heard, fraud
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Speeders Outgun New Limits
USA Today analyzed over one million speeding tickets issued in 2002 on interstate highways and found that, when compared to tickets from earlier years, Americans are speeding much faster than they used to. The article discusses how police handle speeders, the rise in "extreme speeding," why people speed and how car dealers have reacted to this phenomenon.
Tags: cars; speed limits; speeding; driving; automobiles; traffic; police; sports cars
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Louisville car dealer has history of complaints
After constant complaints from customers who bought their cars from this car dealer, the Courier Journal in Louisville, KY began this investigation. A local car dealer, J.D.Byrider, was selling cars at high rates of interest and many a times these cars were not in a good condition. Though they advertised low rates of interest, and had no system to check the buyers credit history, the dealer in fact charged exorbitant prices for cars that had high mileage on them.
Tags: car dealers; car dealers in Louisville KY; NADA prices; J.D. Byrider; low rates of interest on car deals; checking buyers credit history
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Fatal Assumption
Expert auto repair surgeons lure customers into thinking they have a safe car by creating dummy airbags covers, but the bags are not inside. The tape exposes the case of a 50-year-old woman who was in a car accident and her air bag never deployed. The airbag had been cut out by the dealer who sold her the car. Dealers save thousands of dollars and that could cost lives. Many other cases like these are investigated by the news team. The tape shows how to tell a fake from a real air bag. It also holds a few of the liars accountable for making buyers think the cars have air bags.
Tags: TAPE; airbag; car; automobile; auto; auto dealer; car dealer; car accident; accident; fake airbag; Washington State Patrol Fatal Incident Report; Department of Licensing; collision; car crash; missing airbag.
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Taken for a Ride
When your car breaks down, how do you know whom to trust? How can you tell if a mechanic is being honest? The news team went to 50 auto repair shops across the Valley in Phoenix to find honest mechanics and the ones who want to take you for a ride. This turned out to be the largest consumer investigation in the market. They used a 2002 Toyota Corolla as a test car and went to all the shops to have it checked to make sure it did not need any repairs. The car had three cameras hidden under the hood and beneath the car to show the engine and other areas that would be inspected. The researcher wore a hidden camera and as she visited big name chains and small independent shops. Shops recommended unnecessary repairs ranging from $30 to $800. After the three-month investigation, some shops corrected their mistakes when confronted, other just would not offer explanations and some did not correct their mistakes.
Tags: TAPE; car; car repair; car repair shop; mechanic; certified mechanic; dishonest mechanic; auto repair shop; vehicle inspection; scam; hidden camera; undercover; auto repair industry; consumer; consumer investigation; auto dealer.
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Taken for a Ride
This story is about how non-profits sold clunker cars to welfare recipients while used-car dealers reaped millions. The non-profit Wheels-to-Work program managers set up exclusive deals with friends who sold used cars to the program. The state spent $10,700 per person, but bought cars that cost $2,300 on average, and twice as much as programs in other states. State officials didn't start to monitor the program until two years after it started, and overlooked suspected fraud and mismanagement.
Tags: car; nonprofit; welfare; welfare recipients; used-car dealers; West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources; Wheels-to-Work Program; Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia; CASE; Belcher's Auto Sales; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; National Association of Social Workers; AFL-CIO; Human Resources Development Foundation; Good News Mountaineer Garage; DHHR; Legislative Oversight commission on Workforce Investment
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Working Overtime in Parma
An investigation by the Plain Dealer found that "dozens of Parma police officers have shirked their duties and bent the rules in pursuit of more money, aggravating the city's budget crisis." What's more, "the department commanders say they are powerless to stop them." Using open records requests to obtain a mass of data including police payroll, criminal citation and ticket data -- along with payroll sheets, duty records, personnel files and union requests, the Plain Dealer uncovered that crooked cops in Parma were not only retaliating against city attempts to reform the system with "an orchestrated and financial crippling work slow down," but they were also gaming the taxpayers for much more money than they were entitled to -- for instance swapping sick time for overtime to earn double the pay for a normal shift. The series spawned a rash of resignations and investigations in Parma.
Tags: parma; ohio; police; cops; corruption; overtime; pay; union; police department; database; criminal; payroll; slowdown; workforce; abuse; FOIA; open records; public records; CAR
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Trucks, Darlings of Drivers, Are Favored by the Law, Too
The Times reports on the enormous success of Chrysler's new SUV, Dodge Durango, and other light trucks. Auto dealers are happy to sell more; the consumers are happy to buy more. But what is the price of the deal? "If the Durango and most other sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and mini-vans were classified as cars, they would violate federal standards for pollution and gasoline consumption aimed at protecting the environment and conserving energy." The story finds that light trucks enjoy lower standards thanks to the combined lobbying muscle of dealers and manufacturers.
Tags: SUVs; light trucks; pollution; environment; gasoline consumption; global warming; emissions; GM; Ford; lobbying
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Who's driving the bus?
WITI found that because of a gaping hole in state law, murderers, sex offenders, drug dealers, and other convicted felons are legally driving Wisconsin school buses.
Tags: Department of Transportation; Wisconsin Supreme Court; bus drivers; criminal background; Milwaukee Public Schools; TAPE; TV; TRANSCRIPT; CAR