Here’s a quick bad joke for you courtesy one of my automotive colleagues here at About.com: A [insert the politically incorrect interpretation of a general idiot of your choice”> pushes a BMW into a gas station and tells the mechanic it died. After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly. “What’s the story?” asks the car owner. “Just crap in the carburetor,” replies the mechanic. The owner asks, “How often do I have to do that?”Ok, the joke is really bad, but it does remind us of one minor auto repair maintenance procedure that can save you big money. The best way to keep crap out of your fuel system (regular dirt and dust, too) is to keep your air filter clean. If you haven’t replaced your air filter recently, now’s the time to get to it. News source: About autos .com,
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Model T beats Hummer
Dressed in white coveralls and wearing a crash helmet, Gary Le Fever, 70, sat gripping the wheel of his 1921 Model T speedster. Before him loomed a 475-foot-tall hill that in Evansville, Ind. passes as a mountain. He revved his engine, waiting for the climbing contest to begin. Competing with him were other vintage racers and, at FORBES’ request, a 2003 Hummer H2.Le Fever’s speedster had 100hp, rather than the Model T’s customary 20. Its transmission, wheels, chassis, frame and radiator all came from 1921. But it also had some non-original parts, including Model A cranks and rods, an overhead valve unit built for 1920s dirt-track racing and dual carburetors from the 1930s.When the flag dropped, Le Fever punched both feet to the floor. He crossed the finish line in 9.96 seconds. Later the Hummer had its turn: 10.74.How? Why? Weight has much to do with it. The 316hp Hummer weighs twice as much per unit of power. Not only did the Model T beat the Hummer, it beat every other comer, including a modern turbocharged Dodge diesel and the county sheriff’s patrol car.The Hummer’s driver was none too pleased. “If you gave it another 1,000 feet, it would be a different story,” groused Thomas Effinger II. His father, the H2’s owner, had driven a Model T when a kid. “Like a mule to an airplane,” says the elder Effiinger of the H2’s superiority. Except the mule kicked butt. News source: Forbes.com
Cheapest time to buy a car
Whether shopping for a new washer, a new home or a new car, everyone is always looking for the best deal, right? And why not? The capitalistic system is built on a free market where businesses compete with each other to offer the best product for the lowest — or at least fairest — price.And in no other realm is the search for the best deal more coveted than in the new car dealership. Indeed, for some folks, haggling, and getting, a lower price when they buy new cars not only means more dollars in their pocket, but it can also be a badge of honor. Something about “getting a deal” — and even better, “not being snookered” — has always been a source of considerable bragging rights, whether at the Rotary Club, the water cooler or the corner bar.Various theories abound on the best time to buy new cars. Some have touted the holiday season, the beginning of the week or a rainy day as among the best times to try and reel in that low low price. But one sure time that consumers can usually land a bargain when they buy new cars is at the end of the month. News source: AOL Autos That’s because the sales staff at most car dealerships generally operate on a quota system, where they receive an incremental bonus (otherwise known as a spiff) each time they hit their next sales “mark” for that month. So, if a car dealer is coming up on the end of the month and he’s a few cars short of that next spiff, he or she usually has an incentive to get the sales manager to knock down the price of a car in order to hit that quota.”Actually, car salesmen receive bonuses from both the dealership and the manufacturer for meeting certain sales goals,” says Michael Royce, a one-time high-volume car dealer in Southern California, who is now a consumer advocate dedicated to educating car buyers. To that end, he wrote the book ‘Beat The Car Salesman’ and runs the Web Site, [url”>http://beatthecarsalesman.com.“These goals can and do change as the dealership’s and manufacturer’s needs change,” says Royce. “Sometimes salesmen may receive a bonus for meeting a certain sales goal for the month. For example, if they sell 10 cars in a month, they might receive a $1,000 bonus. Or they may receive a bonus for achieving a “first” — like a $100 bonus for selling the first car on a Saturday morning. Bonuses make selling cars more fun for the salesmen and most importantly, it supplements their income.”Bonuses have become more and more important to the car dealers over the past few years. You can use this to your advantage when you buy new cars.”This is because car buyers are becoming more and more savvy due to the volumes of valuable free car-buying information on the Internet,” says Royce. “And because buyers are now more savvy, they are becoming better negotiators — and therefore, paying less for their new cars. That means that the car salesmen are earning less, because they work on commission. So, the dealerships and manufacturers began pumping up the bonuses in order to keep their salesmen. Bonuses are now an integral part of the car salesmen’s income.”Beyond the car salesman’s fatter wallet, there’s another incentive to cut a deal near the end of the month. The car dealerships themselves also have monthly quotas to hit. “If they meet or exceed their targets, the manufacturer may allocate more vehicles to that dealership,” notes Royce. “That gives that dealership a larger inventory and more vehicle choices for their customers. If they don’t meet their goals, the manufacturer may cut back on that dealership’s incoming inventory until the excess inventory is sold.” This means that the sales managers are also more prone to shave a little off the price if the end of the month is looming and those goals have not been met. A car dealer at a Honda dealership in San Francisco, who wanted to remain anonymous, concurred. This is good information to know when you buy new cars.”Yeah, if the end of month is approaching, and the sales manager or general manager sees that the dealership might be in danger of not hitting its sales quotes for that month — if it looks like they won’t sell enough units to make the manufacturer happy — they will definitely get more aggressive on the pricing,” said the car dealer. “If it looks like they’re not going to sell enough units that month, they’ll definitely do what they have to do to push extra units out the door as the 30th of the month gets closer. They definitely want to make more money — to pay the rent, pay for the cars, etc. So they’ll definitely be more willing to cut you a deal.”So the question becomes — how much can you expect to save if you buy new cars at the end of the month?Car Shopping?Educate yourself before buying a car:Used Car Buying Tips Buying Tips: Negotiating Prices Affordable New Vehicles Best Deals of the Month That depends on the car dealership, the brand and the size of the market. Each car dealership has a specific minimum profit that they are willing to accept on each car, Royce points out.”And that’s usually in the neighborhood of several hundred to a thousand dollars over their cost — their invoice price,” Royce explains. “However, if a dealership is struggling to meet its monthly sales quotas, then it’s not unusual for some dealerships to sell their new cars at very little profit — or even no profit. They do this knowing that it helps them reach their sales quota — and that they’ll make it up by earning big profits from their service department.”One way to find out your dealership’s “magic number” is to take note of their inventory when you buy new cars.”If you see several vehicles of the same model you want to buy sitting there on their lot, then you can reasonably assume that the dealership needs to move them out ASAP,” advises Royce. “If the car you want to buy is harder to find, then they may not be willing to go low on the price. Ultimately, it’s all determined by supply and demand.”Royce also offers this tip: The largest car dealership in your area will most likely have the biggest inventory and therefore, they have the biggest incentive to move their cars out at a discount. Great research and reviews on the new CUV segment: Are they for you? Find Out InsideWhile the end of the month strategy is generally true, there is something else to keep in mind. Car dealers earn a higher commission on cars sold at higher prices — which means that, if prices are being cut at the end of the month, their commissions will be lower. It all amounts to something of a balancing act, and the amount of your end of the month discount may depend on how it all shakes out for the individual salesperson when you buy new cars.Another caveat to consider: At the end of the month, the car dealerships’ vehicle inventories are down — at least, they are if the dealer is doing a good job of moving his or her product. So this might mean you won’t get exactly the trim level or option package you’re looking for. That is, you might have to settle for a black paint job instead of the silver coat you wanted. Or you might have to forego the posh amenities that come standard on a higher trim level and accept the more basic features of a lower-line edition. But that can be a small trade-off if you are one of the many car buyers out there for whom money is definitely an object when you buy a new car.
Tire Pressure
About the only positive result from the current Ford/Firestone situation is that more people are now aware that proper tire inflation pressures can be crucial. Luckily, running the correct pressure is relatively easy–but how do you know what it is? That depends on a number of factors, including vehicle weight, tire specs, air temperature and even personal preference. Newer vehicles have the manufacturer’s recommended pressures on a decal in the door jam or glovebox, but those numbers are for a stock vehicle with a full load. Running the correct pressure is relatively easy–but how do you know what it is? Tires lose pressure over time, so checking the inflation at least every couple of weeks is important. While you have your tire gauge out, you might as well set them at a correct pressure for your vehicle/tire/load combination. One simple method for finding the right pressure for your vehicle is to draw a chalk line across the tread, then drive a bit and check the line. Even wear is good, while the line fading in the center indicates over-inflation. Worst is when the chalk mark wears off at the outer edges (shoulders) first, meaning that the pressure is too low. Under-inflation lessens the tire’s load capacity, can make for squirrelly handling and, most importantly, makes the tire run hotter. Hot tires tend to disintegrate, regardless of who made them. Consequently, it’s better to err on the high side, even if ride quality may suffer and the tire wear pattern could be less than optimal. However, do not exceed the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall–there can indeed be too much of a good thing.Crew Chief note This chalk trick is a new one but I tried it and it works Just shows you can teach an old tech new tricks. News source: Auto Media Once the lines wear off evenly, note those pressures for future reference. While the inflation must be identical for both ends of an axle, the front tires will often require a slightly higher pressure since they usually carry more of the weight of an unladen vehicle (most engines are up front). Gauging Pressure It doesn’t really matter how accurate your tire gauge is as long as it’s consistent and you use that same one every time. Also important for repeatability is to measure the tires either cold or warm, then stick with that measurement method since tire pressure vary quite a bit with temperature. Last, but not the least, if adding load to the vehicle, don’t forget to add to the tire pressures accordingly. Consider that it’s really not the tires that support your vehicle but rather the air inside them. Correct inflation pressures may suddenly seem more important than you might have previously thought. You’ll need a piece of chalk, a tire gauge, a pen and a note pad. Make a chalk mark across the tread as pictured, on one front and one rear tire, and then drive a quarter mile or so in a straight line. Stop and study the chalk marks and note the pressure readings on the gauge. This tire shows over-inflation, having relatively intact marks at the shoulders while the center of the line is more worn. Ideally, the chalk would have faded evenly across the tread surface. Let out some air and try again.
6 Tire Tips
Check your tires. One way to trick yourself into actually performing this task is to develop the habit of checking your tires while you’re waiting at the gas pump. Here’s what you have to look for: 1. Tread: You should have some. A minimum of 1/16-inch to be exact. You don’t have to carry a ruler to gauge tread. Stick a Lincoln penny, head first, in the groove between the treads. If the tread doesn’t come up to or beyond the top of Abe’s head, there’s not enough to provide good traction. 2. You shouldn’t see the steel belts in a steel-belted radial. If you do, you failed the adequate tread test a long time ago. 3. Check the level of inflation. To be accurate, invest in a tire gauge, keep it in the glove compartment and check tire pressure before the tires have had a chance to heat up. The factory recommended inflation is printed on a metal tag usually on the driver’s doorjamb, or inside the gas filler cap or the glove compartment door. Some vehicles, particularly pick-ups, will include two recommendations, one when the truck is carrying a load, the other for light or no loads. You can’t really eyeball proper inflation. Radial tires have softer sidewalls and will look a bit under inflated when they’re not. Proper tire pressure provides the best vehicle control, better gas mileage and longer tire life. Inadequate pressure causes excessive heat to build up in the tire–that heat can cause tire failure. If that’s not enough reason to maintain recommended inflation levels, under-inflated tires were determined to be a contributing factor in SUV rollover accidents. News source: Auto Media 4. Uneven tread wear. You can expect to see a shade of difference in tread wear from the outside to the inside of the tire. Anything beyond that slight variation indicates a problem. That problem could be as easy to resolve as proper tire inflation. Other causes range from misaligned wheels (a relatively quick, inexpensive fix by a mechanic) or faulty suspension components. Ignoring the symptom only adds insult to injury. Eventually the cause of the uneven wear will rear its ugly head, then you’ll have the repair plus the cost of new tires to deal with. 5. Cracks, cuts, bulges, blisters on the sidewall. The first two offenders can be a sign that while the tire may not have covered close to its warranted miles, it’s been on the car long enough to need retiring. The mileage rating on tires can be used as a gauge of quality, but how and where you drive and the years on the car can cause tire deterioration before they’ve reached that benchmark. Bulges and blisters are serious flaws–the only place they should be driven is straight to a tire retailer. 6. Vibrations: We covered that flaw in our intro experience. If you’ve checked your tires regularly, kept them properly inflated, you’ll never experience that nasty shake you can feel through the steering wheel. That vibration is the death rattle of a tire. You’re probably thinking this is all a royal pain. Humor us–next time you pull into the gas station to fill-up your tank, run this quick tire check. We bet you’ll finish the checklist before your tank is topped off.
Quick Hints
With any type of idle problem check the air ducts clean the IAC & throttle body Anti-lock problems if there is no hard code change the fluidClean the battery cables On pre OBD 2 vehicles unplug and plug in the PCM several timesCheck fluid levels for condition and quantityUse only the correct spark plug stick with the correct manufacturerDo the above before panicking about a problem. It will save on your blood pressure time an money
Cooling System Maintenance
A short review on flushing.I do not use a flushing T why cut into a perfectly good hose and create another place to leak.Using a piece heater hose and the male end of a garden hose repair kit make a fitting to attach the hose to the water pump inlet. Flush out the system pinch off the vehicles hose (while it is flushing) so it runs through the entire system. Remove the garden hose fitting and attach it to the heater hose and flush again block off the pump outlet while flushing so it backflushes the entire system.Run some water through the radiator. drain and refill be sure the heater blows hot air then you should not have an air lock. If you have a vacuum controlled heater valve use an external vacuum source to open the valve or run the vehicle(with the heater on hot) This is messy. I only use regular antifreeze and chemical flush only in extreme circumstances. I do use a slight amount of water pump lube about half the bottle. One more hint pinch off the water supply to create a pulse effect this seems to help break gunk loose mainly when backflushing.
Services
Once again I want to set everyone on the right track about transmission service.If you have serviced your transmission regularily keep doing so just be sure to change the filter not just replace the fluid as many places are inclined to do now.You have a vehicle with over 80K and the trans has never been serviced leave it alone unless there is a problem. Chances are the grit in the fluid is helping the trans perform correctly. On my vehicles I change the fluid in the pan and install a new filter about every 60K a little to liong perhaps but I don’t tow and my vehicles see very little hard use. The other service I do is to add lube gard I may not on the wife’s Rivera but always on my 4X4 Dakota. If you tow be sure to use it I also add a little lube gard to the PS fluid when I change it I only change this when it starts to look dark. I don’t add the full bottle only about half. I change the brake fluid every brake service if it has anti lock if not depending on how it looks. The other services I do areSpray anti mold into the AC heating you will be amazed at the difference in the freshness smellClean the battery terminals every fallReplace antifreeze once a year I only us regular anti freeze never extended life.Clean the throttle body at every tune up.
Terry Labonte to drive #55 at Indy
Terry Labonte is going to drive the NAPA # 55 at Indy. He is guaranteed a starting position because of his Champion status. Dale Jarrett has used all of his to get into the field. NAPA and UPS are not happy they pay to see the car in the race rumor is Michael Waltrip has to refund to Toyota 300 to 400K for each race they miss. I guess I would hire a Champion to get my car into the field.Several sites are reporting that NASCAR is going to revisit this rule soon. I hope Terry will give this team the kick start they need. Waltrip, Jarrett and rookie David Reutimann have qualified just 22 times in 42 attempts this season. Not the exposure the sponsor expects for the money they spend. Jarrett may be going elsewhere I don’t think he is very happy at MWR.Meanwhile Dave Blaney is doing OK they just can’t chase the track as it changes I believe this is because they don’t have the notes on the Toyota as other teams have on there cars they have used for a number of years. H also wrecks a lot. On the subject of wrecking I wonder if someone else besides his son was driving Rusty Wallace Busch car if they would still have a ride.
The Hybrid Dilemma
Toyota Motor’s Hybrid Prius is a big success. In June, the company sold 17,756 of these cars, bringing sales to 94,503 units for the first half of the year. The Prius is a winner; but that’s not the case for Toyota’s (nyse: TM – news – people )other hybrids. Prius accounts for two-thirds of Toyota’s sales volume in hybrids, even though the company makes five other hybrid vehicles, three of which it sells under its luxury Lexus brand. Honda Motor (nyse: HMC – news – people ), one of the pioneers in hybrid technology, recently announced that it was dropping its Accord hybrid. Its Civic hybrid six-month sales, which equal 17,141, are fewer than Prius sales for the month of June alone. Other manufacturers’ hybrids have not been big sellers, either. Ford Motor (nyse: F – news – people ) has sold only 11,444 of its Escape sport utility hybrids in six months, and only 2,028 of the Mercury Mariner version. Nissan’s (nasdaq: NSANY – news – people ) hybrid Altima sedan is a half-hearted effort, as it is not even distributed nationally. News source: Forbes Besides fuel economy, people buy hybrids to make a social statement about energy and the environment. It does not hurt that the Environmental Protection Agency rates the Prius at 48 miles per gallon in the city, 45 on the highway. Yet I think that the major factor behind the success of the Prius is that it looks like nothing else on the road. All the other hybrids on the market, such as the Toyota Camry hybrid, cost thousands of extra dollars, and yet look almost identical to non-hybrid models bearing the same nameplate.The Prius is a small car, similar in capacity to Toyota’s conventional little sedan, the Corolla. The hybrid Prius costs $8,000 more than a Corolla, but since the two vehicles look different, consumers shop one against the other. Even with Fuel at more than $3 per gallon, consumers have a hard time justifying paying an extra $2,000 to $4,000 more than they’d pay for the similar-looking vehicle sitting across the showroom.This fall, GM and Chrysler will offer their new hybrid technology–different from Toyota’s–in full-size SUVs. I do not know what the add-on price will be. My guess is $3,000 to $5,000 for the hybrid Tahoe or Durango. Again, these vehicles will be more efficient, but will look just like the non-hybrid versions; I am not sure how many people will be willing to pay the extra price.Honda’s hybrid-only small car, the Insight two-seater, was a total flop–the company pulled it from the U.S. market. The company is working on a design for a unique hybrid model about the size of a conventional sedan. This car should arrive in a couple of years, at which point we will get a better idea if the Toyota’s design strategy with the Prius is what consumers want.The best chance for serious growth for hybrids may be the “plug-in” hybrid, a car that runs modest distances on batteries alone and can recharge those batteries off the power grid. The problem, so far, is finding batteries that will do the job.While Toyota loves hybrids, and intends to have a hybrid version of almost everything it builds, the remainder of the industry, even Honda, is not as enthusiastic. Several manufacturers are dabbling with hybrids, but they are also covering their bets with diesels and other technologies.The Detroit three (General Motors (nyse: GM – news – people ), Ford and DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX – news – people )), for example, all promise to put diesels in their regular pickup trucks within three years. If they work well, it is hard to see why diesels, which can provide a 25% increase in fuel economy over Fuel motors, would not be viable in larger SUVs.GM has just said it will have diesel offerings in a few passenger cars, including a Cadillac and a Saturn, by 2010. One concern: The diesel option could be costly if companies build the motors abroad and import them.At about the same time, Honda says it will start selling a small car in the U.S. with a four-cylinder diesel. Also tantalizing is Honda’s claim that its new diesel will not need costly emissions-control equipment, which has been one of the problems holding back the expansion of diesels in the U.S. market.Ford talks about twin turbo additions to Fuel engines that will give them diesel-like fuel economy. This is “now” technology, not something in the distant future, such as hydrogen-powered fuel cells.Of course, another way to save fuel is to make cars smaller and lighter, regardless of the power-train technology. Detroit has always connected small with cheap. But richer people, it may turn out, are willing to pay a higher price for a car with great fuel economy, even if it is small. Examples are the Prius and the Mini.Going small would mark a significant change in America’s car thinking here, if it is indeed happening. Our tradition always has been “bigger is better.” What does seem certain is that the most common hybrid approach, converting a standard vehicle by adding fancy batteries and an electric motor, creates even less excitement than the minivan did.