The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 13

Tops on TV Mike (Michael J. Fox) discovers Caitlin (Heather Locklear) Shop Around Get the vintage clothing advantage at a new downtown shop. Page 6M has done a Ann Landers Comics Crossword background i check on city hall staffers on "Spin City. 7 p.m., ABC Doily TV Listings Page 7M eljc lies Jltoinrs J5c gxstcr Tuesday October 5, 1999 Jeanne Abbott, Features Editor (515) 28029 5M 1 ft iter WHEN YOUR 4 Iowans have felt bomb fears before Des Moines endures recent threats, but bombs exploded in the '70s. By MARY CHALLENDER Register Staff Writer s.

y. rf If? I RUNS OUT This couple recovered money for repair work even after their vehicle warranty expired. By MARY CHALLENDER Staff Writer MARY CHINIVThe Register Joe and Jean Herrity of West Des Moines sued Fort Motor Co. in small claims court when their van needed repairs a few days after the warranty expired. Where to find help on the Web These Internet sites can help you make your case about your out-of-warranty vehicle with dealers and auto manufacturers.

.4 4 vj 3 Register was every car owner's worst nightmare. Just a few days after the warranty on Joseph and Jean Herrity's 1995 Ford Windstar expired last year, the van began having major problems. The heat wasn't working. The temperature gauge kept shooting into the red zone. Smoke billowed out of the exhaust, even on short trips.

The West Des Moines cou ple had the van towed to a Ford dealership where they were told the head gasket was bad and engine repairs could cost as much as $4,000. They argued, first with the local dealership and then directly to Ford Motor that faulty head gaskets were a common problem on Ford Windstars and that Ford should pay for the repairs. When that didn work, they filed a small claims suit against Ford Motor Co. for $4,000. To back up their claim, they searched the Internet and found numerous other Windstar owners who had suffered similar problems with their vans.

The Herritys ended up set tling their suit out of court. They are not allowed to discuss the terms of the settle ment, but Jean Herrity said, "I can't say we're happy. I guess we were satisfied." That the Herritys walked away with anything at all may surprise many car owners. Except for government-mandated recalls to fix safety problems, the general rule of thumb in car ownership has long been, "Out of warranty, out of luck." For the most part, that still holds true. But as the Herritys found, auto manufacturers can occasionally be compelled to foot repair bills on out-of-warranty vehicles.

The trick is proving there's been a history of similar problems in cars of the same make and model. That evidence isn't as hard to find as you might think. Here's how to start. Whenever car manufacturers observe recurrent problems with such things as peeling paint, faulty head gaskets or defective transmissions in a certain model, they issue technical service bulletins to their dealers on how to deal with the problem. Auto manufacturers are required by law to file these repair notices with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The federal safety group also tracks federal recalls, defect investigations and consumer complaints, and all of this information is accessible by the public. You might even find that your vehicle has what is called a "secret warranty." This is Special to The Register imit Info on the edge to give you tne edge. ake the cake Create swirls and curls and flowers from frosting in a cake-decorating class for beginners offered through West Des Moines community education. The class meets on Wednesdays in October. For info on cake decorating and other classes (including plumbing basics, starting a new business, wallpapering, woodcarving, CPR and belly dancing) call 226-2750.

Strut your stuff and do a cakewalk. Fall ride There's still time for at least bne more leisurely bike ride, nd you can learn something bout the changing leaves and ature around you as you ride Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. wn the Great Western Trail. In a free program, Polk County Conservation Board naturalists will lead the ride and talk about how leaves change color. Meet at the Great Western Trail Trailhead on Valley Drive, just north of Park Avenue and across from the Izaak Walton is not required.

Call 323-5300 or Check the Web at www.co.polk.ia.us. i Unity in infidelity I It's touah to deal with Infidelity in a relationship and Ithere are stats that indicate 60 fpercent of all marriages in the fUnited States have had or are experiencing infidelity. There's support at a new on-line community, infidelity.com. The site contains info on services and support systems, a chance to submit questions and the chance to chat with others in the same situation. By girls, for girls The editors of Girls' Life magazine have stepped aside to let their readers create the current edition.

The stories in the OctoberNovember issue include: a reader band's report on its ride on the road of rock 'n' roll, a fashion expedition in Australia completely styled by reader models, an advice column written by a 14-year-old. Call (888) 999-3222. Read for 'za If you come across kids roaming the library or the bookstores with pepperoni breath from now through the end of March, they're probably in the "Book It" program. A national reading incentive sponsored by Pizza Hut, Book It is in its 15th year with 20 million students in 800,000 classrooms. In the program, teachers set monthly reading goals for each child in the class.

When the goal is met, the student gets a pizza award certificate to cash in for a one topping Personal Pan Pizza. For more info, call (800) 4-BOOK IT or check the Web at www.bookitprogram.com. Do you have something for Outer Limit? Call 284-8207 or email berdankiSnews.dmreg.com 'Star Trek: Voyager' makes Fear and panic. Anger and resentment. Des Moines students and their parents felt all these things last week after a rash of bomb threats forced students out of classrooms and into parking lots and the cold morning air.

There were no bombs, but the threats alone were enough to make many Des Moines residents feel less safe. It is not the first time central Iowans have felt endangered. Between May 13, 1970 and Dec. 1, 1972, a reign of terror gripped the Des Moines area with a series of explosions. It started when a predawn blast caused by 50 pounds of dynamite rocked the Des Moines police station, creating an estimated $200,000 in damage and injuring one person.

Nine days later, Ames City Hall was blown up by an estimated 10 pounds of dynamite. Ten people were injured in the blast, just after 9 a.m. on a Friday. The next month, the Greater Des Moines Chamber of BOMBS Turn to Page 8M Butter cow lady to appear on Today' Norma "Duffy" Lyon takes her carving skills to the "Today Show" as she sculpts busts in butter of hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. The Toledo, artist has been told her segments likely will be on during the show's second hour today through Friday.

In central Iowa the program airs from 7 to 9 am. on WHO-TV. In other areas, check local NBC listings. Lyon new Web site, thebuttercowlady.com, be gins this week. Lyon asked for four photo graphs to be taken of Couric and Lauer from different angles to give her a headstart.

She plans to make the busts larger than life-size. She will work in a cooler in New York's Rockefeller Center. At this year's State Fair, Lyon sculpted 13 adolescent-size figures of Christ and the 12 disciples, along with her annual butter cow. Carol McGarvey Reporter Carol McGarvey can be reacnea ai pi 3) oi-ojoj or mcgarveycnews.dmreg.com on kids second try when I flew to New York. Talk about night and day.

This time, the planes took off on time and even arrived early. Service was gracious, and it was a joy not to have to change planes, or fly one of those tiny carriers that other airlines use between Des Moines and their hub cities. I was so satisfied that I convinced my mother and her associate, who were heading to Los Angeles on another airline, to switch to AccessAir so we could ride together up to Des Moines. There was no penalty for the last-minute booking, and my mother called the service "fantastic." From what I can tell, Des Moines' airlines has gotten its act together. And that's good news for all of us.

Rekha Basu can be reached at (515) 284-8208 or basurnews.dmreg.com on his 1993 Ford Explorer blew after the radiator fluid had drained out. Although Sparks was ready to argue in court that the problem was caused by a faulty design, he didn't have to. When he sent Ford notice of the suit, he sent it to the address in his owner's manual for customer complaints. The notice apparently never made it to Ford's legal department, and Sparks won by default. Neither Sparks nor the Herritys believe they would have received any consideration from Ford if they hadn't pursued legal action.

"I tried several different routes, and nothing was successful until we filed a suit," Jean Herrity said. Herrity said she doesn't believe in filing frivolous lawsuits. But if car owners feel ignored by auto manufacturers and feel they have sufficient grounds to make a claim, she says it can be worth the $30 dollar filing fee. "They have only a little bit to lose," she said. Reporter Mary Challender can be reached at (515) 284-8470 or challendermnews.dmreg.com midnight One word of warning: According to some Internet fan sites, the syndicated episodes have been heavily edited with an eye toward adding more commercial time.

Still, most fans will probably agree that even a hacked Voyager is better than no Voyager. When the show was taken off the air last year, Stephens said he received a ton of mail and e-mail from Star Trek fans protesting the decision. He's heard from some of them again recently but this time they sound a lot happier. "We've had a lot of calls and comments positive ones," he said. Reporter Mary Challender can be reached at (515) 284-8470 or challendermnews.dmreg.com Rudy Giuliani is all wet in his efforts to shut down a controversial art exhibit in Brooklyn by cutting off museum funds because some might find the show offensive.

Considering the market is literally saturated with vulgar fare in the name of profit, it's ridiculous to go after an art show. And I know it can't all be "Scrabble," and "Lassie," nor would that be any fun. You've got to push the envelope some to get older kids interested. I'm just asking that the people who put this stuff into circulation get over their own arrested development Go heavier on the social and political satire, and ease up on the bathroom stuff. Access rising.

The last time I mentioned AccessAir in print, it was to chide the airline at a particularly low point in service. Recently I gave it a complaining effectively, including a sample complaint letter, and profiles "victorious" car owners. You can get full-text copies of service bulletins at this site. Online discussion groups (www.deia.com; www.forumone.com). These sites let you search for other car owners who may be having the same problem you're having with your vehicle.

It's a good place to look for information if mechanics can't seem to find the problem with your car. dealer andor manufacturer. If that fails, the final option is to do as the Herritys did and take your case to small claims court. Who knows, you might just get lucky. That's how Warren Sparks, 37, of Des Moines says he won his 1996 small claims suit for $3,162 against, coincidentally, Ford Motor Co.

Sparks said he filed the suit when the engine return at Trek: Voyager" was left without a Des Moines area station to call home. Until now. Recently Paramount offered the show for syndication, and KDSM picked it up. The series is airing weeknights at midnight on Fox 17. Although the current (sixth) season of the show won't be available in syndication until next September, at least fans will be able to catch up on plot twists from the fifth season.

Ted Stephens, KDSM vice president and general manager, said the show will go through about one season a month so if you miss episodes the first time around, you should be able to catch them later in the year. T-shirt messages being sold (and bought, and worn) by adults. It's in the lowering of standards of decorum even around a game like golf, which lost its high-minded quality with displays of spectator (and even player) boorishness at the recent Ryder Cup. For a definition of vulgar, look no further than Minnesota's governor. Jesse Ventura could have the most enlightened policies, but is it unreasonable to long for the days of leaders who quote poetry rather than who tell Playboy they'd rather be reborn as a bra? Or who dismiss religion as being for the weak-minded? Is it unreasonable to long for a president who doesn't end up educating an entire generation about oral sex? I'm not asking for censorship.

You don't change culture by clamping down on speech. New York's mayor, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (800) 445-0197; www.nhtsa The NHTSA site has a searchable database of consumer complaints, recalls and summaries of technical service bulletins. You need to call for the text of the bulletins. There may be a charge. Lemon-Aid (www.lemonaid cars.com).

This site, a companion to the "Lemon-Aid book series, is a great source for information on hidden warranties. It provides tips on where an auto manufacturer admits there's a problem with a particular model and agrees to fix it. Unlike a recall, however, the manufacturer doesn't send out a mass mailing notifying affected customers about its decision. If a secret warranty exists, you're probably home free. If not, you'll have to take any information you come up with and plead your case with the Fox 17 has picked up the popular series after a year's absence, but viewers will be able to catch up.

By MARY CHALLENDER Register Staff Writer Attention Star Trek fans. Voyager has returned to the Des Moines television market. Sort of. The series was just beginning its fifth season when it disappeared from local airwaves last fall. The show had been carried on KDSM Fox 17 as part of the United Paramount Network (UPN) lineup.

When KDSM decided to stop carrying UPN shows, "Star popular musicians, but when he gets into bodily dismemberment, he loses me. And let's not even get started on "South Park." You know what else I figured out? The problem isn't the kids we're raising. Every generation goes in for crude, scatological humor at some time. It's what Freud and Erickson would call a normal stage of growth. It's the adults the game-manufacturers, movie-makers, TV producers who are catering to the youth market, who don't seem to have matured past third grade.

If you've been to a toy store lately and seen board games like "Eat at Ralph's and "Gooey Louie," you know what I'm talking about I'm sorry, but some taboos are there for a reason. Nor is this vulgarizing of culture just reserved for kids. It's in the Jerry Springer phenomenon. It's in the crude Kate Mulgrew. born in Dubuque, leads the cast.

entertainment biz shovel all that garbage I (HT'lllf Adults in I was trying to explain to my sons the other day why I'm not crazy about some of the TV shows and movies that are all the rage among their set. I started to say because they're vulgar," but stopped myself. I suspected they wouldn even know the word. Vulgarity has so infiltrated every facet of the culture that the concept is virtually obsolete. I pride myself on being a contemporary mother.

We do a group viewing of "The Simpsons" every Sunday with all the ritual many families reserve for church. I listen to Top 40 radio with the boys, and often the dial stays there after they've left I enjoy irreverent humor as much as the next person. It's not frank sexuality or standard TV violence I'm complaining of. That's a different column. I'm talking about what's known these Rekha Basil days as the "gross-out" factor, a neutral-sounding term for something that once wouldn't have made it into the box office, let alone make the top-grossing films.

Damn me as a killjoy, but I just can't get into the incessant references to Fat Bastard's bodily functions in "The Spy Who Shagged Me," or the problems resulting from Mr. Bean's fluid sneeze in "Bean." Weird Al Yankovic may do some hysterical take-offs on nr J..