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Police investigating Knoxville auto shop that customers say held cars for months or years

Police investigating Knoxville auto shop that customers say held cars for months or years

Yahoo24-03-2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville Police are investigating an auto repair owner who has taken thousands of dollars from customers but never finished doing the work. Investigators found more than a dozen cars inside the shop in various stages of repair.
A few customers said the operator at Affordable Automotive Repair demanded full payment in advance. Others said, after getting tired of waiting for the work to be done, and, only hearing excuses, the shop operator refused to hand over the keys when they tried to pick up their vehicles. Jason Beeler is the owner and sole operator of the business. In mid-March, he was charged with three felonies unrelated to his auto shop.
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The doors to Affordable Automotive Repair in East Knoxville have been padlocked for more than a week because the man who runs the repair shop was behind on his rent.
'Supposedly he's got the engine back in it, but I haven't seen it. He doesn't let you in the shop,' said Len Nymeyer.
Nymeyer hasn't seen his 1964 Ford Thunderbird since January after paying $8,000 for repairs.
'I'm hoping it is in the building, but I don't know,' said Nymeyer.
John Kohlman wanted a new front end on his 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible.
'He said it would take about about two weeks to get it finished,' explained Kohlman, who hasn't seen his car in five months.
Kevin Villatoro is hoping his 2002 Honda sports car is still inside the shop.
'I gave him $10,000. I have the receipts and everything: February 22 of 2024. So it's been over a year,' said Villatoro.
Heather Tucker has a different story. She had to hire an attorney to sue Beeler, forcing him to return her 2015 Subaru after paying $8,000 for a refurbished transmission nearly a year ago. She says Beeler held the car hostage for months.
'I came unannounced. I was going to get it towed. He told me no, he refused,' said Tucker.
Armed with a search warrant, Knoxville Police had the building manager unlock the doors. Investigators wanted to see inside the shop. Based on information they received from customers, officers didn't know if the cars would be inside but, they were. Police spent nearly two hours taking an inventory of the vehicles.
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Documentation of each car found inside the garage will be part of their investigation.
Detectives first must determine if there is enough evidence before charges are made. Did Jason Beeler start the jobs, but never finish them after he had been paid in advance by his customers?
More than a dozen cars were found inside the shop. Kohlman's 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix was there for that front-end repair. For some reason, however, the engine had been removed. The '64 T-Bird belonging to Nymeyer was inside. His car's engine had not been touched. Erasto Abalos has been waiting two years to have the engine in his 1956 Ford rebuilt. He kept asking Beeler when could he pick it up.
'He kept saying it would be ready in two weeks,' said Abalos.
Beeler's customers were asked to show up around two hours after investigators had completed their inventory. Most people were pleased to see their cars back in one piece. After Abalos' 56 Ford was rolled out, he was happy to have it back but upset to see that the engine was missing. It was found inside the garage, in pieces.
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Dennis Beal wasn't sure whether there would be an engine in his 1962 Ford until he lifted the hood. He paid Beeler $7,200, 21 months ago for an engine rebuild. He found the motor untouched.
Knoxville detectives are expected to complete their investigation into Beeler's car shop soon. The results will determine what charges, if any, he could be facing. Beeler remains in Knox County Jail on three felony charges that are unrelated to his auto repair business.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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time44 minutes ago

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These Are The Ugliest Cars Our Readers Still Love Anyway

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Trump's Auto Tariffs Strike at the Heart of Japan's Economy
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Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's Auto Tariffs Strike at the Heart of Japan's Economy

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‘Never Knew This:' Honda Civic Driver of 3 Years Reaches for Key Fob. Then She Realizes It Has a Little-Known Feature
‘Never Knew This:' Honda Civic Driver of 3 Years Reaches for Key Fob. Then She Realizes It Has a Little-Known Feature

Motor 1

time13 hours ago

  • Motor 1

‘Never Knew This:' Honda Civic Driver of 3 Years Reaches for Key Fob. Then She Realizes It Has a Little-Known Feature

Now that summer is in full swing, internal car temperatures are on the rise. Leaving your car out to bake in the sun can be a brutal experience upon return. The car feels like a sauna when entering, while the leather seats burn the skin. You slowly roast alive while the air conditioning takes an eternity to get going. This is why car drivers will use a series of moves to do everything to keep the car temperature down while away. Drivers will prioritize parking in the shade, using windshield sun shades, and tinting windows to block out the sun. Some will also crack windows to let subtle airflow into the car while parked. In a TikTok with nearly 7,000 views, Bryce (@ recently discovered a new key fob feature with her Honda Civic that'll help her beat the heat this summer. New Feature or Just a New Discovery? In her post, Bryce finds out that she can roll down the windows using the key fob of her Honda Civic. While scrolling through TikTok, she found a video revealing this feature for Honda Civics. Bryce immediately reached for her key fob and went to the garage. 'If this works, this is going to be crazy,' she begins her video. She points the key fob at her car and presses unlock on her key fob twice with an extended hold on the second press. After patiently waiting to see what happens, she was in disbelief to see her Civic windows roll down. More on Honda 'Do People Not Read the Owner's Manual Anymore?': Woman Buys New Honda. Then She Tries Filling It Up With Gas Honda Wants to Make the 'World's Most Efficient' Hybrids This discovery left her hyped and even more in love with her Civic. While this was a new discovery for Bryce, some viewers mentioned that this isn't new. 'My 2010 Accord does this and when I first found out it did it I was so hype,' one TikTok commenter shared. 'Even my old 2007 Honda accord did this when I had it,' another commenter added. How to Roll Down Windows Using your Key Fob While each car brand will have a specific cadence and sequence to follow, here are some beginning places to search. First, check the owner's manual. The manual will provide the specific instructions needed to activate the key fob window roll-down. As some makes and models will vary, the manual is the best place to get correct information specific to your car. Now, if reading through the manual isn't your thing, try this. Click the unlock button once on your keyfob, then hold it again for anywhere from five to 10 seconds. While holding down the unlock button, see if the windows start rolling down. Once the windows are at the desired height, release the unlock button and press lock to stop the window from rolling down. What Are the Downsides to This Key Fob Feature? With any new features come some issues. One of the downsides to this key fob secret is that it's simply not commonly known among drivers. While this feature is great if you know about it, it's not always so great when you accidentally discover it. Multiple stories have been shared on Reddit and other forums about drivers coming back to their cars only to find the windows are down. As commenters note, these drivers likely unknowingly activated this key fob feature. This can happen when the key fob is sitting buried in a purse or deep down in pants pockets. Drivers have left cars in parking lots for hours with windows fully rolled down, only to hope nothing is gone or damaged. In addition, storms can sweep through at any moment, which would put a real damper on the day. While some drivers are excited to flex this feature off, others are irritated by it. Which side are you on? What Did Viewers Think? 'That's not crazy y'all what's crazy is that they built these cars to go over 300000 miles y'all now that's crazy,' one commented. 'Does nobody read their car's instruction manuals anymore?' a second added. 'Most cars nowadays do it, y'all just gotta figure out the sequence for your specific car,' a third shared. 'Took me 6 months to find out my car does this,' another driver added. Motor1 has contacted Bryce via TikTok direct message. We'll be sure to update this article if we get a response. Now Trending Man Fills Up His Truck. Then He Pulls Out a Trick for When the Handle Clicks and Stops Pumping Man Spots Chihuahua in a Ford With the Engine Off and Windows Rolled Up. What Should He Do? Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )

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