Phil Arendt (pronounced - ARE-RENT) is an auto columnist and consultant providing services to companies such as Ford Motor Company, General Motors, State Farm Insurance and more. He is President of A+ Automotive Career Counselors, Inc., a consulting firm. He provides technical evaluations, vehicle arson investigations, and assists the general public, insurance companies, attorneys and the media with their automotive techinical needs. Also, he provides automotive arbitration/mediation services and technical evaluations, including vehicle component failure investigations for new-car complaint resolution mechanisms such as the National Center For dispute Settlement and the Better Business Bureau.

Mr. Arendt has nearly 30 years of experience in the automotive field. He is a master automotive technician certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). He is a graduate of General Motors and Nissan's management school. He has managed dealership and independent auto repair facilities. He is President Emeritus and co-founder of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, Inc., a member of the Illinois College Automotive Instructors Association, member of the Illinois Chapter of International Association of Arson Investigators, and member of Triton College and McHenry County College Technical Automotive Advisory Committees.

Mr. Arendt, "Dr. Gizmo," writes a weekly auto column. For more than 10 years, Dr. Gizmo columns have appeared in Chicago-area newspapers and newspapers in 14 states. Frequently, he appears in Chicago on radio and TV programs, as well as programs in other parts of the country. In addition, he presents automotive seminars to the general public and automotive industry on a variety of automotive-related topics.

Since 1983, Mr. Arendt has served as Chief Final Judge and committee memeber of the Ford/AAA Automotive Student Auto Skills Illinois Quality Care Challenge. One objective of the contest is to assist talented students in automotive technology careers.