I have worked over 10 years for Brake Franchises. So I want to tell you a little more how the “Free Brake Inspection” works. It sounds like a courtesy check which it is, but there is a lot more to it.
First of all they pull your car in and in an instant all 4 wheels are removed. Measuring devices are pulled out and in minutes they can tell if you need additional parts like Brake Pads, Brake Shoes, and other brake components. If your rotors or drums are just 1 one thousands off then they mark them as needing replaced. Your brake shoes are measured how far the rivets are exposed. Your brake pads are measured how thick they are.
Then next they inspect visually your brake lines and Brake Calipers, Brake wheel cylinders, and your Master Cylinder for leakage. They also check your Brake hardware such as shims and springs for weakness and rust. Some shops go as far as recommending a flush and fill on your whole braking system if the brake fluid looks a little dark. One scare tactic is to compare your brake fluid to new brake fluid. Then if they get your approval for the flush then they get an additional $70 to $80 bucks tacked on to your Ticket! I would estimate on a car with over 45 thousand miles on it you would be looking at least 2 to 3 hundred dollars brake job at a bad shop!
A fairly reputable shop will give you at least 2 estimates. One with the super expensive parts and one for cheaper parts. I think the highest brake estimate I ever witnessed was around $3,000. One of the bigger franchises will offer you a Lifetime Guarantee For $69.90. But what they don’t tell you is, they will only guarantee the parts installed by them. (usually just $17.00 Brake pads) They lead you to believe that the whole braking system will be guaranteed . That is how they keep you coming back time after time, nickel and dimeing you to death.
I remember one Tech. telling me that if a car comes in with bald tires and dirty then he can tell the customer wont buy anything. But on the other hand if he sees a well maintained vehicle inside and out then as he put it, “that’s his meal ticket for the day especially if it’s a woman that has a baby booster seat installed”!
So to sum all this up, Get at least 3 free brake inspections and go with the best price! Usually a slow shop with no cars visible in the lot or in the shop means “WATCH OUT.” What you want to look for is a busy shop with the ASE Logo posted outside. I hope this Post will help you when its time to shop around for brakes.
Electric Car
A majority of the electric cars on the road today are "home brew" conversion vehicles. People with an interest in electric cars convert existing gasoline-powered cars to electric in their backyards and garages. There are many Web sites that talk about the phenomenon and show you how to do it, where to get parts, etc. A typical conversion uses a DC controller and a DC motor. The person doing the conversion decides what voltage the system will run at -- typically anything between 96 volts and 192 volts. The voltage decision controls how many batteries the car will need, and what sort of motor and controller the car will use. The most common motors and controllers used in home conversions come from the electric forklift industry.
From the outside, you would probably have no idea that a car is electric. In most cases, electric cars are created by converting a gasoline-powered car, and in that case it is impossible to tell. When you drive an electric car, often the only thing that clues you in to its true nature is the fact that it is nearly silent. Go there now to Get started! You will be amazed to see just how easy it is! Just think of the High Price Gas you will be saving.
From the outside, you would probably have no idea that a car is electric. In most cases, electric cars are created by converting a gasoline-powered car, and in that case it is impossible to tell. When you drive an electric car, often the only thing that clues you in to its true nature is the fact that it is nearly silent. Go there now to Get started! You will be amazed to see just how easy it is! Just think of the High Price Gas you will be saving.
Check Engine Light On?
How many times has your service engine soon light come on while you are driving down the road? As soon as the light comes on you began to panic! Especially if your right in the middle of traffic. Whets happening and what do you do about it.
Well first of all if your car is still running and no noticeable black smoke is coming out of your tail pipe you should be fine for now.
Your onboard computer is telling you, either it picked up a glitch or you have a failed sensor. Its hard to tell how many sensors you have located through out your car. Usually when it comes on, your computers control system goes into a default mode. (limp home mode) It gives you enough time to get home or to your local auto repair shop for testing. One other thing while your light is on and in default mode your gas mileage will drop until its fixed.
On the newer cars they are covered under your warranty. As I explained in my earlier blog, you can also research to see if you qualify for free repairs pertaining to your check engine light. What you can do is, check with your local auto repair supply store and see if they offer a free scan to find out which sensor is the culprit. That’s about as far as they can go. I believe from there they will try to sell you the sensor which may not be the problem. Most auto parts stores will not let you return the electrical item if its out of the package. So you may be stuck with a part. The best thing to do in that situation is to have the autoparts guy write the code down and then have him erase the code to turn off the light. So if it comes on again with the same code then you know the problemm is just not a glitch and needs to be fixed.
The proper procedure is to take your car to a reputable auto repair shop and let them diagnose the problem and fix it. They will charge you a fee to go in and diagnose the problem. Sometimes it would be a quick fix or I have seen times where it took days to track down your wiring system just to find a small break in the wire. Its up to the shop from what they want to charge you from then on. If it took them 9 hours to diagnose and fix @ $90.00 per hour it could be expensive! They may cut you a small break!
Well first of all if your car is still running and no noticeable black smoke is coming out of your tail pipe you should be fine for now.
Your onboard computer is telling you, either it picked up a glitch or you have a failed sensor. Its hard to tell how many sensors you have located through out your car. Usually when it comes on, your computers control system goes into a default mode. (limp home mode) It gives you enough time to get home or to your local auto repair shop for testing. One other thing while your light is on and in default mode your gas mileage will drop until its fixed.
On the newer cars they are covered under your warranty. As I explained in my earlier blog, you can also research to see if you qualify for free repairs pertaining to your check engine light. What you can do is, check with your local auto repair supply store and see if they offer a free scan to find out which sensor is the culprit. That’s about as far as they can go. I believe from there they will try to sell you the sensor which may not be the problem. Most auto parts stores will not let you return the electrical item if its out of the package. So you may be stuck with a part. The best thing to do in that situation is to have the autoparts guy write the code down and then have him erase the code to turn off the light. So if it comes on again with the same code then you know the problemm is just not a glitch and needs to be fixed.
The proper procedure is to take your car to a reputable auto repair shop and let them diagnose the problem and fix it. They will charge you a fee to go in and diagnose the problem. Sometimes it would be a quick fix or I have seen times where it took days to track down your wiring system just to find a small break in the wire. Its up to the shop from what they want to charge you from then on. If it took them 9 hours to diagnose and fix @ $90.00 per hour it could be expensive! They may cut you a small break!
Buying A New Car Advice!
Taking a checklist with you when you buy a new car is a good idea. A good checklist for buying a new car is essential to getting a good car and a good deal. You can skip it of course and just simply buy a car willy nilly or you can hope that you’ll just remember all the right stuff. Which might work, but the odds are you’ll be leaving money on the table and probably not getting the best car for your cash to boot.
Basically, a checklist for buying a new car should include everything you need to know to make a good decision. This isn’t just limited to checking out the actual car itself for damage, which is usually as far as people take it, but a comprehensive list of all the things you need to check before you decide to buy.
1.Financing – Before you even go to look for new cars, sit down and figure out how much money you have to put down and how much you can pay each month. After that, you need to check with a bank to see if you qualify for a car loan. While most dealership will arrange financing, checking off this step will allow you to find the best deal and let you know where you should be looking for your car.
2.Research – You need to go online and check out any cars you’re thinking of buying. This is rarely on anybody’s checklist for buying a new car, but the more you know, the better you’ll be able to make the right choices. At the very least, you need to know the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and any special deals being offered in your area.
3.Dealership – You should checkout the various dealerships in your area and comparison shop. Not every dealership will be able to offer you the same deal and they will not all offer the same kind of deals. In general, the larger the dealership, the better the deal you will be able to make, but you should still check to make sure.
4.Car – Now you’re getting to the relatively fun part of your car buying experience: the car. A new car should be flawless and in perfect working condition, but they aren’t always. You need to check underneath the car for fluid leaks, as well as checking the tires and the engine.
Everything should be perfect. Do not take a car on a test drive unless you are dead serious about getting the car; you’ll want to buy it if you drive it, a psychological fact the dealers rely on.
5.Deal – This is probably the most important thing on the checklist for buying a new car. The maximum you should really pay for a car is the factory invoice. You would think that this would mean that the dealership would make nothing, but the invoice price already has profit built in. If you can’t get this price, you should consider walking away.
You would also need to be on the look out for vague or hidden fees. You need to make sure to have every one explained to you, and bargain hard on anything that seems unnecessary.
Basically, a checklist for buying a new car should include everything you need to know to make a good decision. This isn’t just limited to checking out the actual car itself for damage, which is usually as far as people take it, but a comprehensive list of all the things you need to check before you decide to buy.
1.Financing – Before you even go to look for new cars, sit down and figure out how much money you have to put down and how much you can pay each month. After that, you need to check with a bank to see if you qualify for a car loan. While most dealership will arrange financing, checking off this step will allow you to find the best deal and let you know where you should be looking for your car.
2.Research – You need to go online and check out any cars you’re thinking of buying. This is rarely on anybody’s checklist for buying a new car, but the more you know, the better you’ll be able to make the right choices. At the very least, you need to know the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and any special deals being offered in your area.
3.Dealership – You should checkout the various dealerships in your area and comparison shop. Not every dealership will be able to offer you the same deal and they will not all offer the same kind of deals. In general, the larger the dealership, the better the deal you will be able to make, but you should still check to make sure.
4.Car – Now you’re getting to the relatively fun part of your car buying experience: the car. A new car should be flawless and in perfect working condition, but they aren’t always. You need to check underneath the car for fluid leaks, as well as checking the tires and the engine.
Everything should be perfect. Do not take a car on a test drive unless you are dead serious about getting the car; you’ll want to buy it if you drive it, a psychological fact the dealers rely on.
5.Deal – This is probably the most important thing on the checklist for buying a new car. The maximum you should really pay for a car is the factory invoice. You would think that this would mean that the dealership would make nothing, but the invoice price already has profit built in. If you can’t get this price, you should consider walking away.
You would also need to be on the look out for vague or hidden fees. You need to make sure to have every one explained to you, and bargain hard on anything that seems unnecessary.
Trouble Shooting Automotive Brakes
Are Your Brakes Making A Noise Now?
Let me tell you what is happening when you start hearing noisy brakes.
First of all, how long have they been making a noise, is what an auto technician will ask you. He needs to find out what kind of oral estimate to give to you.
If for instance your noise just started within this past week you might be fine. If its been longer then that, then you might be looking at some expensive repairs! What I mean is, the longer you wait the higher the repair bill will be.
Your brakes are equipped with built in automatic squealer tabs to let you know when your brake pads or brake shoes are just now hitting the worn out mark. After a couple weeks of squealing, then your starting to run your pads or shoes directly into your brake drums or brake rotors. This is what they call metal to metal contact.
Sometimes the auto technician can turn your rotors or drums. They need to measure the thickness of the rotors and drums to make sure they can be turned or resurfaced. If you wait to long to have your brakes inspected then you could cut deeply into these items and there is no way they can be fixed. You would have to now have them replaced causing a higher brake bill. They could be resurfaced but if that happens then you will most likely experience some vibrations and pulsation by the following week after your repair. Then you would be upset like I would be. And in some states its illegal to send you out with unsafe thin rotors or drums.
The bottom line here is, if your brakes are making a noise then just park the car until your ready to have them fixed or take it in for a complete brake Inspection. I will follow up with this in a future blog!
Let me tell you what is happening when you start hearing noisy brakes.
First of all, how long have they been making a noise, is what an auto technician will ask you. He needs to find out what kind of oral estimate to give to you.
If for instance your noise just started within this past week you might be fine. If its been longer then that, then you might be looking at some expensive repairs! What I mean is, the longer you wait the higher the repair bill will be.
Your brakes are equipped with built in automatic squealer tabs to let you know when your brake pads or brake shoes are just now hitting the worn out mark. After a couple weeks of squealing, then your starting to run your pads or shoes directly into your brake drums or brake rotors. This is what they call metal to metal contact.
Sometimes the auto technician can turn your rotors or drums. They need to measure the thickness of the rotors and drums to make sure they can be turned or resurfaced. If you wait to long to have your brakes inspected then you could cut deeply into these items and there is no way they can be fixed. You would have to now have them replaced causing a higher brake bill. They could be resurfaced but if that happens then you will most likely experience some vibrations and pulsation by the following week after your repair. Then you would be upset like I would be. And in some states its illegal to send you out with unsafe thin rotors or drums.
The bottom line here is, if your brakes are making a noise then just park the car until your ready to have them fixed or take it in for a complete brake Inspection. I will follow up with this in a future blog!
Automotive Fuel System
Pretty much after 1986 most all vehicles went to Fuel Injection. Then everyone said goodbye to Carbuerators.
Fuel Injection systems are a lot easier to work on and diagnose then the old carbuerators. Carbuerator rebuilding was quite expensive from the customer's point of view. The parts and labor were averaging around $500 a job.
The fuel injection cleaning process is fast and does a very good job cleaning out the carbon build up inside your engines intake system. Actually it also depended on what type of fuel system cleaning the auto shop had. Some shops had the regular 3 can cleaning system. While others had a very big and clumsy expensive machine they used.
I really liked useing the 3 can system cleaning method. It involved adding one can to the fuel tank as a fuel additive. The second can was hooked up to a high pressure source and sprayed straight into the upper intake and upper plenum area and scrubbed by hand. The third can was hooked into the cars vacum system where it was sucked down in to alot of the intake system and down around the intake and exhaust valves. There it would soak and bubble up for about 20 minutes. Then we would start the car after the 3rd can soaked and watched all the black carbon blow out the tailpipe!
After changing the fuel filter, (for an additional charge) , I could not beleive the power that was restored after this fuel system cleaning process! Just slightly pushing on the accelerator the car wanted to jump right out of the shop and take offon its own. I think it cost around $80 or $90 bucks back then but it was well worth the moneyin my opinion!
Fuel Injection systems are a lot easier to work on and diagnose then the old carbuerators. Carbuerator rebuilding was quite expensive from the customer's point of view. The parts and labor were averaging around $500 a job.
The fuel injection cleaning process is fast and does a very good job cleaning out the carbon build up inside your engines intake system. Actually it also depended on what type of fuel system cleaning the auto shop had. Some shops had the regular 3 can cleaning system. While others had a very big and clumsy expensive machine they used.
I really liked useing the 3 can system cleaning method. It involved adding one can to the fuel tank as a fuel additive. The second can was hooked up to a high pressure source and sprayed straight into the upper intake and upper plenum area and scrubbed by hand. The third can was hooked into the cars vacum system where it was sucked down in to alot of the intake system and down around the intake and exhaust valves. There it would soak and bubble up for about 20 minutes. Then we would start the car after the 3rd can soaked and watched all the black carbon blow out the tailpipe!
After changing the fuel filter, (for an additional charge) , I could not beleive the power that was restored after this fuel system cleaning process! Just slightly pushing on the accelerator the car wanted to jump right out of the shop and take offon its own. I think it cost around $80 or $90 bucks back then but it was well worth the moneyin my opinion!
Cooling System
Winter Time is near! And its time to check your cooling system. Or take it to your local Auto Repair Shop and have your car serviced. My self, I would recommend having your cars cooling system checked at least once a year.
The things you want checked are, your antifreeze,your radiator cap,pressure test the system for leaks, and have a complete Flush and Fill. Just having a radiator drained and filled isnt a good idea. The reason I say that is, all your replaceing is your antifreeze in your radiator. The Car is turned off during this procedure and your just mixing a small amount of new antifreeze with the rest of the gunk built up in the rest of the system. Maybe on a newer car with less than 12,000 miles you might, get by.
I remember reading a few articles regarding the New 100,000 Antifreeze. It sounds great but, they found it was not true. At least General Motors did. And after working on alot of their cars I found old contaminated antifreeze that was causeing premature wear on the internal and external parts. I just recently purchased a 2001 Blazer with only 84,000 miles and had to flush the cooling system 4 times to remove all the rust and gunk built up in the heater core. After that my heater now blows HOT!
To sum it all up, have your thermostat and antifreeze replaced. And do not forget to have them pressure test your cooling system for leaks and do a complete Flush and Fill on your car or truck.
The things you want checked are, your antifreeze,your radiator cap,pressure test the system for leaks, and have a complete Flush and Fill. Just having a radiator drained and filled isnt a good idea. The reason I say that is, all your replaceing is your antifreeze in your radiator. The Car is turned off during this procedure and your just mixing a small amount of new antifreeze with the rest of the gunk built up in the rest of the system. Maybe on a newer car with less than 12,000 miles you might, get by.
I remember reading a few articles regarding the New 100,000 Antifreeze. It sounds great but, they found it was not true. At least General Motors did. And after working on alot of their cars I found old contaminated antifreeze that was causeing premature wear on the internal and external parts. I just recently purchased a 2001 Blazer with only 84,000 miles and had to flush the cooling system 4 times to remove all the rust and gunk built up in the heater core. After that my heater now blows HOT!
To sum it all up, have your thermostat and antifreeze replaced. And do not forget to have them pressure test your cooling system for leaks and do a complete Flush and Fill on your car or truck.
General Motors And Their Carbuerators
I mentioned earlier about the use of Carbuerators declineing. But what I forgot to mention was, some people prefer older cars to the newer Fuel Injected models. Fuel Injection is nice but I sure miss the old Carbs! I remember overhauling and rebuilding at least 2 or 3 per week.
General Motors came out with what they called was the C-3 Quadrojet which was great when working properly. It took about an hour to Soak and then another hour to clean and restore. Special tools and gauges were required to put them back together.
I think back in the 90's we were charging around $300 to $400 bucks to rebuild. We had to attend alot of General Motors Training classes to keep updated. I remember the excitement I had when installing it on the vehicle, then starting the car!
We had to tweak out the air fuel mixture screws, adjust the choke pull-offs and set the Idle speeds back to Factory Specifications. Next we hooked up the onboard scanner and made sure the ECM was properly adjusting the carbuerator after our initial settings. It was like watching a child grow! I sure miss the excitement!
General Motors came out with what they called was the C-3 Quadrojet which was great when working properly. It took about an hour to Soak and then another hour to clean and restore. Special tools and gauges were required to put them back together.
I think back in the 90's we were charging around $300 to $400 bucks to rebuild. We had to attend alot of General Motors Training classes to keep updated. I remember the excitement I had when installing it on the vehicle, then starting the car!
We had to tweak out the air fuel mixture screws, adjust the choke pull-offs and set the Idle speeds back to Factory Specifications. Next we hooked up the onboard scanner and made sure the ECM was properly adjusting the carbuerator after our initial settings. It was like watching a child grow! I sure miss the excitement!
Check Engine Diagnostics
How many times have you walked into a repair shop not knowing what to expect? My advice is always ask for a Diagnostics for the problem you are having. Many many times its only one small part causeing your problems. Please ask to see the part that is being replaced!
Sometimes I found only a small $.50 vacum hose that rotted off or saturated with oil and just fell off! The shop Managers always tell us to fix the small problem but upsell somthing else. Which brings up another Idea they have.
Somtimes, it only takes less then 20 seconds to fix a problem but they have to hold the car in the shop for at least 30 minutes to make you feel like your money was well spent. Beware of this tactic also.
Like I said before not all shops act this way but you would be surprised of how many perform this tactic on the unsuspecting Customers.
And last, If your check engine light comes on, just ask for a diagnostics of why your light is on. Many shops can go into an hourly charge when it comes to a check engine or service engine soon light. But just ask for a diagnostics check.
Sometimes I found only a small $.50 vacum hose that rotted off or saturated with oil and just fell off! The shop Managers always tell us to fix the small problem but upsell somthing else. Which brings up another Idea they have.
Somtimes, it only takes less then 20 seconds to fix a problem but they have to hold the car in the shop for at least 30 minutes to make you feel like your money was well spent. Beware of this tactic also.
Like I said before not all shops act this way but you would be surprised of how many perform this tactic on the unsuspecting Customers.
And last, If your check engine light comes on, just ask for a diagnostics of why your light is on. Many shops can go into an hourly charge when it comes to a check engine or service engine soon light. But just ask for a diagnostics check.
Brakes
I think most of the time people feel a $69.90 Brake job is all they need. Very seldom that is true. Once you pull the wheels off and start inspecting, the price starts to go up.
The things Brake mechanics look for are rotor and drum thickness, shoes, pads, hardware, springs and lines and calipers etc. I used to give people 2 estimates. One is what they can get by on and another one is what it would take to get their brakes back up to 100%. This is not only right but should be performed with every brake repair estimate in my opinion.
I think the $69.90 jobs only applied to the newer cars. The older cars with over 50,000 miles on them seemed to get higher and higher. Thats when parts start to leak and rust. So be prepared for a higher estimate if you own an older vehicle.
The things Brake mechanics look for are rotor and drum thickness, shoes, pads, hardware, springs and lines and calipers etc. I used to give people 2 estimates. One is what they can get by on and another one is what it would take to get their brakes back up to 100%. This is not only right but should be performed with every brake repair estimate in my opinion.
I think the $69.90 jobs only applied to the newer cars. The older cars with over 50,000 miles on them seemed to get higher and higher. Thats when parts start to leak and rust. So be prepared for a higher estimate if you own an older vehicle.
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