April 13, 2012—Audra Fordin, owner of Great Bear Auto Repair & Auto Body Shop in Flushing, N.Y., and member of FenderBender’s editorial advisory board, today will be featured on national TV during a segment of Anderson Cooper’s show “Anderson.”
The show segment, called “You Auto Know,” is meant to empower drivers throughout the country, and highlight the importance for them to become more educated and knowledgeable about their vehicles before making repair or service decisions, Fordin said.
Fordin said that Cooper selected a woman who was having trouble with her auto mechanic. He sent the woman to other auto repair shops to see what they would tell her about necessary repairs on her vehicle. The woman did not know that hidden cameras were pre-placed within Great Bear Auto Repair & Auto Body Shop, and that she was being set-up to illustrate the ignorance that customers commonly have when they visit repair facilities.
Fordin said her shop foreman talked to the woman about repairs and maintenance needed on her vehicle when she entered the shop. He changed the air in her tires, and sold her fictitious items such as headlight fluid that totaled a $2,000 bill.
“We were role-playing. The idea was to demonstrate what not to do when visiting repair shops,” Fordin said. “There is obviously no such thing as headlight fluid. Drivers need to know that so they don’t just fall victim to what shops tell them and avoid being taken advantage of. There are things that are really important to understand about your car to be safer on the road and make better vehicle-related decisions.”
Fordin said she was selected for the “Anderson” show as a result of her WomenAutoKnow program, a training and educational program designed to make drivers more knowledgeable about their vehicles.
“It was thrilling to have Cooper’s crew on location at Great Bear Auto, and to be on the set of ‘Anderson’ in New York,” Fordin said. “It was an amazing experience, and the best shout-out I could have ever imagined in my entire life. It’s going to empower drivers across the U.S.A.!”
The show will be aired in New York today at 4 p.m. EST on television station WPIX. Check your local listings, or visit andersoncooper.com, to identify the show’s airtime in your local market.
For more information, visit andersoncooper.com or womenautoknow.com.
