BEAVER, Utah — Jim Karp and his wife planned a great Western road trip.
In June of last year, the couple planned to tow their recreational vehicle from their home in the northern Utah hamlet of Elwood, to Las Vegas, Phoenix and California. The round-trip estimate: 2,000 miles.
But when they stopped at a McDonald’s in Beaver, Karp told FOX 13 News, he was “approached by a fellow who looked like a mechanic.”
The man said the wheels on the couple's RV were wobbling.
“’I'm a mechanic,’” Karp recalls him saying. “’I have a shop across the street. I'll do a free inspection.’”
The Utah Division of Consumer Protection says that mechanic was Derek Jones. The division later cited Jones and his repair shop, R-V And Trailer Suspension And Tire in Beaver.
Jones did not return calls and messages FOX 13 News left for him. A spokeswoman for the Division of Consumer Protection says Jones has requested a hearing to appeal the citation.
Sale and inspection
Karp says he’s owned RVs for 15 years. His current trailer is a 2018 model.
Jones, according to Karp, told him the load balancer was wearing, causing the wheels to wobble. The load balancer distributes weight evenly across the axles.
“He said something that was kind of memorable,” Karp said. “He said that he couldn't in good conscience just let it go. He thought it was dangerous.
“And, so, I said, ‘fine.’”
Although he says he never felt his trailer wobble, Karp paid $2,469 for the new load balancer and related repairs. Karp kept the used parts.
After his trip, Karp towed his RV to the dealer he purchased it from.
“And I had them inspect the RV and inspect the parts,” Karp said, “and they said there was nothing wrong with it.
“And even if there was a problem with it, I was charged three times the market rate.”
Karp asked Jones for a refund. Documents say the two could not agree on an amount.
“I did talk to an attorney,” Karp said, “who recommended filing a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the state of Utah, and that's what I did.”
The division cited Jones and his repair shop in March, finding he twice “represented” to Karp that he needed repairs or services he did not need.
Even if the repair was needed, the division wrote in background accompanying the citation that it should have cost no more than $340 plus two hours of labor.
The division has imposed a $5,000 fine. That amount may be one of the issues addressed at the upcoming appeal hearing.
In 2021, FOX 13 told you about a judge ruling that a tire shop in New Harmony violated Utah’s consumer statutes.
WATCH: Judge says Utah tire shop violated consumer laws by overcharging customers
As for Karp, to get restitution, Jones has to agree to it as part of a settlement with the state or a judge has to order the money be repaid.
Ready for your road trip?
WATCH: SLCC Professor Dennis O’Reilly shares some tips
How should you prepare your vehicle and trailer if you’re taking one of those iconic summer driving tours?
“Probably the biggest thing is make sure that the tires (are) inflated to the correct pressure,” said Dennis O’Reilly, an automotive professor at Salt Lake Community College.
O’Reilly said summer heat is your vehicle’s enemy.
“A tire that's underinflated will actually overheat and can actually, basically, get a blowout,” he said.
“Tires, if they're sitting, the sun actually attacks the tire and will actually cause them to crack,” he added.
O’Reilly also says to rotate your tires every few thousand miles because front tires wear faster than those in the rear.
What about the rest of the wheel?
“Wheel bearings, you'll usually get a noise that will be associated with that,” O’Reilly said. “So, you've got to turn the radio down long enough to listen to the car a little bit.”
O’Reilly recommends vehicle inspections, including inspections for the tires, wheels and replacing fluids as the vehicle manufacture recommends. Also, check your battery’s expiration date and for corrosion around battery connections.
“You're going to see a lot of batteries that fail when we get to the summer heat,” he said.