The Mechanic's Law

The Mechanic's Law, or more officially known as New Crunk City Rules and Regulations Chapter 12, Section 24, Subsection 5, was a law passed by the New Crunk City Royal Parliament to stem the widespread practice of running illegal side businesses out of above board mechanics or automotive shops as a front to keep the law off their back. The law is notorious in that it was rushed out in a poorly worded state that now requires all mechanic and mechanic related businesses to have a secondary business attached to them.

New Crunk City Rules and Regulations Chapter 12, Section 24, Subsection 5: “Any automotive repair or mechanics business or any other similar workplace must have a *legitimate* side business”.

## Background

About 20 years before the Crunch, a series of high-profile scandals shook New Crunk City, where automotive shops were hiding illegitimate and sometimes illegal side businesses within their main operations. This practice was so rampant that organized crime started to drive honest mom and pop mechanic shops out of business. The situation reached a climax when Royal Parliament Member Jerg Fergmussen took his car in for a repair, and while waiting in the lobby he was offered a “great deal” on several illicit substances, revealing this practice to a government official.

## Drafting and Rushed Implementation

Jerg, an infamously by-the-books politician, immediately drafted a new law to end this vile practice that he had witnessed. In doing research he discovered that there were many such cases of mechanic businesses being used as fronts for criminal activities such as money laundering, underground casinos, unregistered potlucks, and even a counterfeit goods factory.

Jerg would quickly propose this law to the rest of the Royal Parliament for consideration, as is typical procedure. What was not typical though was that the Royal Parliament found it fit to immediately implement this law into books, something that usually only happens after years of bureaucracy and proof-reading. This was because at the time there was a recent, unrelated, public outcry regarding the parliament's inefficacy in actually creating laws that stop crime, and this was threatening the very foundations of New Crunk City. The Royal Parliament had, in a hurried attempt to save face, rushed this law along in such a way that it managed to forgo the several checks and balances it would normally be subject to.

## Reception

The Mechanic’s Law, as the public soon dubbed it, successfully exposed and stopped the practice of using automotive shops as fronts for illegal activities, earning praise and ending the public outcry. However, it faced some initial resistance from the legitimate auto-shops in New Crunk City. They argued that the law’s wording forced them to suspend their business until they could run a new business out of their existing one, creating a financial nightmare for many in an industry that was already suffering from prior competition with organized crime. The owners of these businesses tried to band together and lobby for a revision of this unfair law.

Unfortunately for them, though, the Royal Parliament was already celebrating their success in passing a law that received positive public reception. They were in no minds to pay attention to the gripes of a minority industry and even if they had there was no way they would rush it along like they had at the beginning. It became clear, early on, that this law was gonna be around for a while and once a couple businesses began to adapt to the law, it would be a beloved staple.

## Result

After the law was enacted, it ended organized crime using auto shops as fronts. It also forced legitimate businesses to explore additional options to make money attached to their existing operations. While this was a financial burden at first, some enterprising individuals persevered. This led to the uniquely NCC phenomenon of dual automotive shops, an interesting quirk that the city takes cultural pride in. Now, sending your car to the shop was no longer an annoying chore, but an opportunity to get many other things done in your day, or even have some fun.

Typically, this takes the form of businesses simply making a side business that were relatively related to car repair or car services that many of them were already doing since before the law existed, such as being a replacement part retailer. That said, many unique and interesting combinations exist and tend to get the most public attention.

### Notable Businesses and Companies

* Dick's Detective Agency and Auto Shop
* Garry's Automotive Repair and Ice Cream Shoppe
* J. Lewis & Associates Law Firm and Auto Shop
* Alfonti's Garage and Deli
* Carmichaels Mechanic and Organic Groceries
* Larry Quickfixxe's Ready2Go Car Repair and Laundromat
* Drop&Drive Auto Services and Car Rental
* Steven's Car and Spoon Repair Services
* Slimy Sarah's Used Car Repair and Dealership
* Teasy Tires Auto Garage and Tea House
* Jumpin' Jim's Auto Shop and Trampoline Park