Automotive Filters
Filters: In order to keep your vehicle running and out of the automotive repair shops, have your filters checked regularly. Check your owners manuals for when its time to change them. If your like me, I sometimes forget to follow the directions because of so many maintance schedules they have out there.
I would say the most important filter to remember to change is the gas filter. I worked in a car dealership a few years and seen a car with only 14,000 miles come in and have a plugged up fuel filter! The gas filter can cause a lot of problems if not changed on a regular basis. For instance, power , performance, and bad gas mileage can and will occur. The worst thing that can happen is your car will not start. It can also cause premature fuel pump failure! The cars today average around $500 to $1,000 to change out a bad fuel pump which in most cases is located in your gas tank. The plugged up fuel filter will increase the amperage to the pump which gets hot and will go bad after awhile. So please have your fuel filter changed out at least every 15 to 20,000 miles to be on the safe side.
There isn’t a way to check them other than pulling them off and try to blow through them. I don’t recommend you doing this unless you want a mouthful of gas! You can expect to pay around $60 to have one replaced depending how hard they are to get to. Don’t forget there is also a filter,(sock) attached to your fuel pump located inside your gas tank. That one should only be changed when you are having your fuel pump replaced because of its location. Then of course your air filter should be changed out when ever it gets dirty. You can visually look at this and should be able to see light through it when holding it up to the sky. Most vehicles have an Mass Airflow sensor which can be disturbed if your air filter gets to dirty. And don’t forget your oil, transmission, and cabin filters also need to be changed! You can price these parts here on the right from AMAZON.COM PARTS FINDER!
I hope these tips on filters will help you keep your car on the road!
Traveling
Take your car to your regular mechanic's shop two weeks prior to your trip. Hopefully you have a regular mechanic that you know and trust. This should NOT be a quick-lube type place, but a full service repair shop or new car dealership. I personally would not want to test the workmanship of a new mechanic on a road trip with my family.
Two weeks prior? Definitely. Give your mechanic time to make necessary repairs, and some room for adjustments. If your mechanic finds problems and repairs parts on your vehicle, you will want a week or so "break in period" to test the fix(s) before you hit the road. In most cases, if anything goes wrong after major repairs, it will be in the first 100-200 miles. Give yourself enough time to feel confident that the repairs made will not be an issue as soon as you get outside your city limits. Keep all receipts just in case the part fails along the way, so you don’t have to buy it again.
Make sure that you have the following items in your car before you leave:
Flashlight, pen, paper, and disposable camera. Just in case of an accident, take lots of pictures of the scene, the other car involved (including license plate), the other driver , and anyone else in their car, etc. Take pictures of the road condition i.e. was it wet, was there an obstacle in the road that could have caused the accident, was it at a intersection with a stop sign or traffic light, if at night was it lit and well marked? Get business cards or contact information from anyone that could be a witness, and if at all possible get them to give their statement to the police officer at the scene. It seems that a few days after an accident the memory of small details becomes cloudy and unclear to some people, and in worst cases the story of how, where, and who was involved in the accident can become fabricated.
Take along some extra supplies that your car might need while on the road. A new bottle of anti-freeze, engine oil, and transmission fluid could really come in handy if a roadside emergency were to occur. A can of Fix-A- Flat, jumper cables, small box of tools including screw drivers, pliers, a few spare radiator hose clamps that you can get from your mechanic, roll of electrical tape, and a hand towel to wipe your hands should all be packed in your car. Fix-A-Flat should only be used in case of an emergency and not to be used just to add a small amount of air to the tires. Fix-A-Flat and other products like it require that the tire be removed from the wheel, and the product be removed from inside the tire and a permanent repair be preformed. Caution: Some tire sealants are flammable and all are very messy and sticky, so you will appreciate the towel to wipe off your hands. One more device for the more technical aspect of it would be a Test light to check your fuses. A Blown fuse can cause all kinds of problems! Such as fuel pump not working, headlight not working, dash lights not operating at night or your blinkers quit working etc.
A few recommendations that will aid in driver comfort are: Install new wiper blades and fill up the washer bottle with windshield washer solvent to help keep the windshield clean (seems wiper blades are never thought about unless it is raining). Bring along sunglasses, a few of your favorite music cd's or cassettes, wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring a jacket and rain gear just incase you have to be outside your vehicle for an emergency situation. A cell phone is a very helpful tool to have on your travels, but make sure you will have reception in the region you are traveling in, and don't forget the battery charger. Some cell phone companies offer roadside assistance for its customers, call your cell phone service provider and see if this service is offered. If you know where your going, find the number for a Tow truck driver and program it in your cell phone just in case.
Have your mechanic perform all regular scheduled maintenance on your car before you head off on your travels, and make sure to tell him where you will be going. If I know that you are going to be traveling in a hilly, snowy location pulling a small trailer I would make sure to inspect items that would be more prone to cause trouble in that kind of situation. Traveling through a hot arid dessert would require a different inspection than a winter trip. Drive safe and be sure to check out my amazon.com special link for more automotive needs! Thanks!
Auto Parts
I don’t know if all repair shops follow this same routine but lets talk about Parts markup! In a lot of shops, they call the parts store and get a price on the part they need for your car. For instance lets say, they need a price on a carburetor which sells for $300. Depending on the formula they use, most of them will take the $300 times 2 = $600. That is a pretty big markup! I never understood why they did that to the customers. Some may take that same $300 part and times it by 1.5 = $450. But if you walk in that same auto part store, you can purchase it for $300! That’s why a lot of auto repair shops will not let you bring in your own parts. If you find a shop that will let you bring in your own parts, consider your self lucky!
Now lets talk about the cost of Labor. What I would recommend before going to an auto repair shop, call around and ask what are your shop hourly rates. You will be surprised! I would say they vary from $25 per hour to $100 per hour! Lets say an automotive starter averages around 1 hour to remove and Install. Would you rather pay the $25 or the $100 to install your new starter. Now how they figure how long the job takes they look in a Automotive manual which determines how long an average job would take. If the book calls for 1.5 hours then they take their hourly rate and times it by 1.5 hours. That is how they figure how much labor to charge you. This information will save you thousands of dollars over a period of time.
If you really want to be conservative, ask the auto shop manager to see the amount of time in his manual showing you the labor guide to your specific job being done. Some auto shops will try and bump up the labor guide to 2 or 2.5 hours instead of the 1.5 to an unsuspecting customer. I hope you use this advice the next time you take your car in for repairs. And remember to check out these special links to keep this blog going. Thank you.
SPARK PLUG WIRES
Over 25 years of helping customers both in the office and back in the shop has been an experience I can’t explain. I feel I have met all kinds of people from different backgrounds. I don’t claim to be a magician or something like that but as soon as I greet them I get a general idea what kind of person they are. I think that is a plus! Most of the time they are curious Other times, well……Lets not go there right now.
First of all I know they have limited knowledge of whets happening to their car. That’s why they brought their car in. For instance, the most common problems would be an engine misfire. A simple spark plug wire would fix the problem. Usually that’s an indication the rest of the plug wires will be going out to real soon. So then I would need to explain the ignition system to the customer that at this time a whole new set of wires would be wise to install at this point. The reason is, within 2 weeks he will be back madder than before wondering why his car is missing again. In my future Blog I will help you distinguish the good from the bad upsell mechanics!
I read an article that an Automotive Repair Technician has to be very skillful dealing with customers. You have to know Psychology, the Law, social skills, accounting, and technical savvy. In the end I made a lot of friends and repeat customers. The ones that took the time to say hello, I always always made sure they were treated right. So the moral of the story, is, always go back and thank the mechanic personally, he will never forget you! And as always please check out my special hand picked links. Thanks
How To Save Money
This is one subject I didn’t really want to get into to. But Im out of the business now and I can reveal to you what I witnessed. The reason for this for this article is to keep you, (the customer informed). I feel every business has these dirty little secrets but tend to keep them hush hush. These Tips will teach you to save money.
Lets talk about tune-ups first. Many many shops find it very difficult to replace all the spark plugs during a routine tune-up. I have found out during a tune-up, 1 0r 2 spark plugs were never ever replaced! Even cars with over 100,000 miles on the odometer! It always seems the easy plugs were only replaced. Boy that really got to me. As a service professional, this is just pure laziness. The electrodes were wore down to the bottom! I always informed the customer of my findings and to beware next time. How to prevent this is to ask to see all the sparkplugs after the tune up! And make sure they are the same brand. This will also teach you on how to save money when it comes time to upsell.
Oil Changes! Oil changes seem pretty simple. But in a fast pace shop a lot of the procedures are forgotten. Your suppose to get a complete Lube job with your oil change. I have seen oil change techs. Just gob up a lot of Lube on their fingers and touch the top of the lube zerks where it looks like they were lubed, where actually nothing was shot into the joints! So that is probly why a lot of front end components break before their time. Ask to watch them lube every zerk. But remember the newer cars don’t have any lube zerks from the factory.
And as I mentioned in an earlier Blog, One shop actually sold a good alternator back to the customer! He pulled it off the car, cleaned it up and repainted it. Then when the paint dried, it was installed back on the car and charged the customer over $400 for his own part! Check back in for more information. In the mean time check out my post on how to save money on your brakes.
Lets talk about tune-ups first. Many many shops find it very difficult to replace all the spark plugs during a routine tune-up. I have found out during a tune-up, 1 0r 2 spark plugs were never ever replaced! Even cars with over 100,000 miles on the odometer! It always seems the easy plugs were only replaced. Boy that really got to me. As a service professional, this is just pure laziness. The electrodes were wore down to the bottom! I always informed the customer of my findings and to beware next time. How to prevent this is to ask to see all the sparkplugs after the tune up! And make sure they are the same brand. This will also teach you on how to save money when it comes time to upsell.
Oil Changes! Oil changes seem pretty simple. But in a fast pace shop a lot of the procedures are forgotten. Your suppose to get a complete Lube job with your oil change. I have seen oil change techs. Just gob up a lot of Lube on their fingers and touch the top of the lube zerks where it looks like they were lubed, where actually nothing was shot into the joints! So that is probly why a lot of front end components break before their time. Ask to watch them lube every zerk. But remember the newer cars don’t have any lube zerks from the factory.
And as I mentioned in an earlier Blog, One shop actually sold a good alternator back to the customer! He pulled it off the car, cleaned it up and repainted it. Then when the paint dried, it was installed back on the car and charged the customer over $400 for his own part! Check back in for more information. In the mean time check out my post on how to save money on your brakes.
Training For Automotive Career
I remember over 25 years ago just now entering the Automotive trade schools. I was excited from what I heard back then about the great money you can make! I would say about half of it was true. That kind of money people were talking about was if you had a few notches under your belt.
What I mean is, after graduation if you had accomplished at least 5 years experience, at least $15,000 in tools, and a few ASE certifications to start, then you were in a position to negotiate your starting wages. I was never told this while attending the technical schools I graduated from. Maybe this was their way of bringing in new students and making false promises. Now don’t get me wrong here. I enjoyed working my way up the ladder. I got to meet very interesting people along the way! I worked in the Greater Kansas City Area, Topeka Kansas, and various other places in the midwest.
I have a nephew who is falling in my foot steps. He is ready to become that great Automotive technician! I enjoy visiting with him when I get the chance. I’m always telling him about how to get ahead in this field. I also tell him that out there are good mechanics and there are bad ones. The bad ones are always trying to up sell services that are not needed! Their main concern is to look good in front of the bosses and their Managers. Later on I will go into detail how to identify the bad ones from the good ones in my future blogs.
So if you know someone wanting to go into this field, tell them to follow my Blog. I remember working for this one guy who was always dodging the cops! He had a foreigner who was working for him in the back shop area who was painting the old customer parts and reselling them back to them.
He was making at least a couple thousands dollars per week doing this bad thing. When I found out what was going on back there with all the painting I put my notice in to leave. I had a good honest reputation to protect. A few months later I found out that shop was forced to close by the attorney general of that state.
Now I try to do the same thing here on My Blog. I try to keep things and products here honest! So if you have a chance, check out these great products and get your shopping done for Christmas! Thanks.
What I mean is, after graduation if you had accomplished at least 5 years experience, at least $15,000 in tools, and a few ASE certifications to start, then you were in a position to negotiate your starting wages. I was never told this while attending the technical schools I graduated from. Maybe this was their way of bringing in new students and making false promises. Now don’t get me wrong here. I enjoyed working my way up the ladder. I got to meet very interesting people along the way! I worked in the Greater Kansas City Area, Topeka Kansas, and various other places in the midwest.
I have a nephew who is falling in my foot steps. He is ready to become that great Automotive technician! I enjoy visiting with him when I get the chance. I’m always telling him about how to get ahead in this field. I also tell him that out there are good mechanics and there are bad ones. The bad ones are always trying to up sell services that are not needed! Their main concern is to look good in front of the bosses and their Managers. Later on I will go into detail how to identify the bad ones from the good ones in my future blogs.
So if you know someone wanting to go into this field, tell them to follow my Blog. I remember working for this one guy who was always dodging the cops! He had a foreigner who was working for him in the back shop area who was painting the old customer parts and reselling them back to them.
He was making at least a couple thousands dollars per week doing this bad thing. When I found out what was going on back there with all the painting I put my notice in to leave. I had a good honest reputation to protect. A few months later I found out that shop was forced to close by the attorney general of that state.
Now I try to do the same thing here on My Blog. I try to keep things and products here honest! So if you have a chance, check out these great products and get your shopping done for Christmas! Thanks.
Trouble Shooting Automotive Problems
I was taught that the automobile engines need 3 things to have before a car will start. Fuel, Compression, and Spark. I will briefly go over these 3 items with out going to deep.
Fuel is needed to start a car. The newer cars are equipped with electric fuel pumps. As soon as you turn the key to the start position the electric fuel pump is energized and fuel pressure is produced. Ensure that you have enough gas in your car also. The fuel is then forced to a fuel pump regulator which adjusts the amount of fuel pressure you have. Then it is directed to your fuel injectors where your onboard computer opens and shuts your injector nozzles. That is how your engine gets the gas it needs to start. A simple fuel pressure test could verify this.
Compression is produced when your starter cranks the engine over and your pistons compresses the fuel and air together to burn and or explode internally from the spark, which pushes your piston down. Now a lot of things could prevent your pistons from working properly. For instance, your timing belt could be broken or slipped causing your car to be out of time. If you have an older car the timing chain could of broken also. A simple compression test of one or more cylinders could verify this.
Spark is needed to ignite the sparkplugs. Depending on what type of car you have, spark to the plugs come from either the onboard computer’s control system or a distributor. Today’s cars are equipped with distributor less ignition systems. What that means is, a lot of testing needs to be done on your crankshaft, camshaft, and Throttle position sensors. Basically all of these connect together via the computer to produce a spark. A simple spark tester will start you off in the right direction to find out where you are losing it at.
Fuel is needed to start a car. The newer cars are equipped with electric fuel pumps. As soon as you turn the key to the start position the electric fuel pump is energized and fuel pressure is produced. Ensure that you have enough gas in your car also. The fuel is then forced to a fuel pump regulator which adjusts the amount of fuel pressure you have. Then it is directed to your fuel injectors where your onboard computer opens and shuts your injector nozzles. That is how your engine gets the gas it needs to start. A simple fuel pressure test could verify this.
Compression is produced when your starter cranks the engine over and your pistons compresses the fuel and air together to burn and or explode internally from the spark, which pushes your piston down. Now a lot of things could prevent your pistons from working properly. For instance, your timing belt could be broken or slipped causing your car to be out of time. If you have an older car the timing chain could of broken also. A simple compression test of one or more cylinders could verify this.
Spark is needed to ignite the sparkplugs. Depending on what type of car you have, spark to the plugs come from either the onboard computer’s control system or a distributor. Today’s cars are equipped with distributor less ignition systems. What that means is, a lot of testing needs to be done on your crankshaft, camshaft, and Throttle position sensors. Basically all of these connect together via the computer to produce a spark. A simple spark tester will start you off in the right direction to find out where you are losing it at.
How To Buy A Used Car
Buying a used car can be pretty frustrating. Once you find the one you like, there always seems to be a problem with it. Buying a used car can also have its benefits too! A used car with a well maintained service history can save you lots of money.
Things you need to do before buying that used car is have it checked out at a few repair shops. What I mean is, I would visit a few specialty shops and have them run a diagnostics check on it.
A tune up shop would be able to use their expertise and give you a thourgh and quick evaluation of how the computer components are operating. Then visit your local Front End Alighnment shop and get their input as well as a brake and exhaust shop. That way you will know that you have their expert opinions on that car you are ready to buy. When they give you the thumbs up, you are good to go!
My opinion is if you take it to one place you are not really gettting an accurate diagnosis. They may write you up a big ticket on just what items they feel comfortable selling to you. Happy Driving!
Things you need to do before buying that used car is have it checked out at a few repair shops. What I mean is, I would visit a few specialty shops and have them run a diagnostics check on it.
A tune up shop would be able to use their expertise and give you a thourgh and quick evaluation of how the computer components are operating. Then visit your local Front End Alighnment shop and get their input as well as a brake and exhaust shop. That way you will know that you have their expert opinions on that car you are ready to buy. When they give you the thumbs up, you are good to go!
My opinion is if you take it to one place you are not really gettting an accurate diagnosis. They may write you up a big ticket on just what items they feel comfortable selling to you. Happy Driving!
Automotive Electrical
Your charging system needs to be watched as you drive down the road. If your not careful then you could be stranded somewhere you don’t want to be.
Just to keep it simple here without getting to technical, your battery is used to start your car and keep your other accessories going. For instance things like your headlights, radio, gauges, and your exterior lighting like your blinkers and parking lights also.
The job of the alternator is to keep the battery fully charged at all times while the car is running. If you have a gauge for the battery then you would want it around typically 13 or 14 volts. So having your battery serviced like having the terminals periodically cleaned and coated with some type of anticorrosion material would be a good idea.
I found out that if you suspect any kind of problem with your charging system then usually auto parts stores supply a Free service to you. What they do is bring out a handheld device which would measure your alternator output and the condition of your battery by performing a load test. This would save you quite of bit of money going to an auto repair shop and having them charge you at least a half hours labor diagnosing your problem.
Keep in mind, that the auto parts stores can also make money offering this free service to you. They have the battery, alternators, and starters right there if you need one to purchase.
Your belts to the alternator should be inspected also from time to time. A loose or worn out belt could be slipping and your charging power could be reduced. Usually your alternator bearings could also be heard whining telling you the bearings are just about worn out completely. Keep in mind your cars computer system also runs off this electrical system. So your power, performance and gas mileage could be affected also. Happy Driving
Just to keep it simple here without getting to technical, your battery is used to start your car and keep your other accessories going. For instance things like your headlights, radio, gauges, and your exterior lighting like your blinkers and parking lights also.
The job of the alternator is to keep the battery fully charged at all times while the car is running. If you have a gauge for the battery then you would want it around typically 13 or 14 volts. So having your battery serviced like having the terminals periodically cleaned and coated with some type of anticorrosion material would be a good idea.
I found out that if you suspect any kind of problem with your charging system then usually auto parts stores supply a Free service to you. What they do is bring out a handheld device which would measure your alternator output and the condition of your battery by performing a load test. This would save you quite of bit of money going to an auto repair shop and having them charge you at least a half hours labor diagnosing your problem.
Keep in mind, that the auto parts stores can also make money offering this free service to you. They have the battery, alternators, and starters right there if you need one to purchase.
Your belts to the alternator should be inspected also from time to time. A loose or worn out belt could be slipping and your charging power could be reduced. Usually your alternator bearings could also be heard whining telling you the bearings are just about worn out completely. Keep in mind your cars computer system also runs off this electrical system. So your power, performance and gas mileage could be affected also. Happy Driving
Campro/4G18 Manual Gear box complete set
Guys,
Another set of Campro/4G18 Manual Gear box complete set open for sale. Offer price at RM1700. No trade in and no discount. Gear BOx good in condition. Pls contact me 012-4095795 for more detail.
Another set of Campro/4G18 Manual Gear box complete set open for sale. Offer price at RM1700. No trade in and no discount. Gear BOx good in condition. Pls contact me 012-4095795 for more detail.
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