Education

Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA

Basic Engine and Transmission
Repair - 1977

H.B. German Car
Huntington Beach, CA

Service Technician / Shop
Foreman / Service Advisor
1977 - 1984

Keeme v. Farmers Ins. Co. of Arizona
Broening, Oberg, Woods, & Wilson
Defendant Expert Witness 

Dominguez vs Central Exxon
Integrated Warranty Services
Defendent Expert Witness

Municipal Court
Fremont, Ca
1995 - 1996

2601 Broadway
Helena, MT 59601
406-457-1100

M. Paul Fischer
Attorney At Law

Biography

     Mark J. Allen is the founder of the Auto Detectives (www.auto-detectives.com). He has over thirty five years of experience in the automotive industry and holds Master certificates in five specialties. He is considered to be one of the leading experts in the United States on used vehicle buyer’s inspections! Mr. Allen is an A.S.E. Master Certified Technician in automobiles and body & paint. He is also an A.S.E. Certified Collision Damage Appraiser. He is certified by the International Auto Appraisers Association in Vehicle Appraising. He is a factory trained Master Technician for Honda and Volkswagen. Mark has extensive experience working with Ford, Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Isuzu, General Motors, and Chrysler. He is also a certified Master Ford Service Advisor and has certifications with Toyota / Scion in service management.
     Mr. Allen is a trained automobile inspector with experience in mechanical breakdown claims, body & paint, condition reports, lease returns, pre-purchase, fire & theft, cash & diminished value appraisals, and Better Business Bureau arbitrations. He is experienced in inspecting and appraising recreational vehicles and watercraft. He is a former inspector for Ford, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, Lexus, and General Motors. His credentials have earned him acceptance as an approved mechanical expert witness in legal cases and he is experienced in digital photography and court depositions. Mark has added valuable management and business development experience with the implementation of the national inspection business where he supervised over 300 inspectors nationwide.
     The Auto Detectives (www.auto-detectives.com), an Automobile and R/V inspection company, was created in 1996 to protect used car buyers in the United States. They were a mobile service and would send one of their A.S.E. Certified Master Inspectors out to a remote location to perform a 201-point inspection. Their inspection included checking inside to make sure all the equipment was operational. They made a determination if the mileage was correct and matched the condition of the vehicle during their odometer rollback check. The vehicle was then checked for evidence of flood damage. They checked the exterior for evidence of collision damage repairs or prior repaint.
     They also checked the undercarriage for rust, frame damage or external fluid leaks. All the mechanical components were checked and the vehicle was taken for an extensive test drive. They would perform the inspection at any remote location, making it a very convenient and affordable service available by appointment 7 days a week for only $169.95 - $199.95 (Pre-Buyers Inspection).
     The pre-purchase buyers inspection could also be used as a Sellers or Pre-Certification Inspection. For an extra charge this inspection included digital photographs and a digital written report that could be posted to any website. All inspections were backed with a written report. This report was available to consumers by phone, fax, email, snail mail, or on the website. Mark was on the lookout for used car lots who would consider selling Auto Detectives Certified Used Vehicles when he decided to downsize the company and focus on the Phoenix market exclusively. Now he offers his own personal services to consumers in Arizona.
     The media took an interest in the consumer protection services offered by the Auto Detectives (www.auto-detectives.com) in the late 1990’s. Prime time television news stories have run in the Phoenix market on Fox Channel 10 and local Channel 3 News. The company was again seen in prime time on CBS Channel 5 News and Ch. 3 "On Your Side" with Rich Skidmore. An ongoing public relations campaign inspired numerous print articles including the Scottsdale "Tribune", the Business Journal, and Today's Arizona Woman Magazine.
     In the March, 2001 issue of Automobile Magazine, a national publication, there was an article about consumer protection and pre-purchase inspections. Featured in that article were excerpts from an interview with Mark Allen, the founder of the Auto Detectives.
     Mark Allen was also the host of a local Talk Radio program on KFNX 1100 devoted to automotive related issues, consumer protection, and Motor Sports. Listeners heard hot topics concerning Nascar, Indy Cars, and Formula 1. There was also a segment devoted to "What's Happening" around the valley regarding Racing Events, Auto Shows, and Car Clubs. Even motorcycle riders could tune in for news and motorcycle related issues and events in a special weekly motorcycle segment.  The hot radio show, "Weekly Wheels", was so successful that they were asked to move it to a larger station, KCTK AM 960, which was one of the most popular stations in the valley – and was on Sundays from 4 to 6 pm.  
     Mark Allen, the former host of "Weekly Wheels", offers his services to organizations and charities as emcee and host of events. He emceed the Annual Celebrity Waiters Dinner to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Scottsdale Doubletree Resort in June 2001. Mark has also enjoyed a close association with prominent charities such as the Make A Wish Foundation, Best Buddies of Arizona, and Cowboys for Kids. And by the way, Mark is available to host or emcee an event Free of Charge!!
     He emceed the launch of the Gauthier Classic Car Event on Saturday, Oct.20th, 2001 in downtown Scottsdale on Marshall Way and again in 2002 and 2003. This event included 35 rare classic sports and racecars, some worth over $1 million, and was sponsored by Jaguar.  January of 2002 brought a live radio broadcast and booth at the largest classic car event in the world, Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auctions, at West World in Scottsdale. Appearances at the NASCAR Winston Cup Race and the Indy Car Series at Phoenix International Raceway and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach capped the 18-month run of “Weekly Wheels Radio”.  
     Until recently Mark wrote a weekly column in the Scottsdale Tribune called “The Used Car Detective.” It was seen in the “Motor Market” section every Friday. He left both the Tribune and Weekly Wheels Radio to focus his energies on an online technical discussion board in the Auto Section of the Cox Communications website, AccessArizona.Com, called “Mark The Mechanic”.  This led him to another writing assignment with the Phoenix New Times. The “Wheel Talk” column provided answers and advice to consumers concerning anything automotive related. His smiling face could be seen in the “Auto Buzz” section. Questions could be sent to him online at www.phoenixnewtimes.com, through the link in “Auto Buzz”.  
     The huge response from consumers regarding both the “Wheel Talk” column and the online discussion board prompted his last endeavor, the “Wheel Talk Multi-Media Consumer Car Forum”. Teaming the Internet and Print Media with a new radio show, “Wheel Talk” which was on Sundays from 4 to 5 pm on NBC Talk 1190, gave the public access to auto information in whatever format they chose! And he conducted a talent search to bring together forty of the best Master Technicians in the Greater Phoenix Area to form The Auto Detectives Team of Experts. The team was composed of highly trained and experienced Master Techs representing virtually every car line! This specialization enabled “Wheel Talk” to provide the most comprehensive FREE automotive information available ANYWHERE! Mark has since retired from public life to focus on his family and his local expert witness / appraisal business.

 Mission Statement

     We are dedicated to offering independent, unbiased, automotive information the consumer can trust. We will strive to maintain our honesty and integrity in all our business associations and always use cutting edge technology to distance ourselves from our competitors. The Auto Detectives stand for consumer protection and advocate full disclosure in all automotive industry transactions. As we are not involved in automobile sales or service, we can truly provide affordable peace of mind with no hidden agendas. We will uphold the public trust as our most valuable asset.