Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com Contributing Editor

While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are deciding whether to add $2 billion to the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program Monday, Aug. 3, at least one Big Island car dealer will be paying close attention.

Joe Hanley, president of Orchid Isle Auto Center, said he is a fan of the program, but not its online application process.

“It’s a great program,” Hanley said late Friday at his Hilo showroom. “It’s allowing people who have old vehicles that might be worth hundreds of dollars to get $4,500.”

Hanley said he enrolled in the federal program, but was left in limbo for the weekend, waiting for the Senate vote – about which the Obama administration is optimistic.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the additional $2 billion Friday after the program apparently ran through its original $1 billion in the week since its official start date of July 24.

“It’s obviously done what they hoped it would do, but also obviously it was under-funded,” Hanley said. “There are tangible results already. Look at all the stimulus programs … this has created the most excitement.”

Hanley said he has 11 deals pending from just the one week.

Customers brought in older, high milage vehicles, he said, and the program “drove them in the door, absolutely.”

Still, Hanley has been unable to complete any claims.

The rules run 136 pages, while the claim form itself is 46 pages.

“The sales part is successful, but the claims part is a complete failure so far,” he said. “It needs help.”

Hanley said a national association of dealers reported up to 200,000 unprocessed claims across the country.

The problem, Hanley said, is the program kept dumping him out of the online application. And the tech support hotline also kept hanging up on him through the week.

Hanley said, however, he was not ready to give up and keep trying to complete the deals for his 11 customers.

Orchid Isle Auto Center has showrooms in Hilo and Kona.

— Find out more:

Orchid Isle Auto Center: www.fordhawaii.dealerconnection.com

Car Allowance Rebate System: www.cars.gov