NAPSI)-When deciding where to have their car repaired or serviced, most people choose a repair shop they trust and one that’s convenient to their home or work, so they can fit such visits into their already busy schedules.Most people assume they will always be able to choose where their cars are repaired, but that may not always be the case.Cars are run by computers and car manufacturers don’t always want to release the computer codes that are required for anyone to determine what is wrong with a car, and the necessary information for the shop to properly complete the repair. Without these codes, independent repair shops may not be able to compete and car owners may have to bring their cars to the dealership, no matter how far away it is or how much it costs. There are nearly 225 million vehicles in the U.S. and only 21,640 car dealerships. In addition, there are 132,000 businesses that repair cars for a living. Without access to the computer codes they need, such repair shops would eventually be forced out of business because there will be fewer and fewer repairs on an automobile that they can fix.Some members of Congress understand the implications of this problem and are working to pass the Motor Vehicle Owners Right To Repair Act. The bill would require the car companies to share the same information and tools with independent repair shops that they provide car dealers, while protecting the car companies’ trade secrets. If the thought of only being able to take your car to a dealership causes concern, you may want to discuss this proposed legislation with your elected officials. Lobbyists for large car companies and new car dealers have been very vocal about how this bill would affect them. Last year, the act had 100 Congressional supporters, but Congress did not pass the bill before it adjourned. “If the driving public does not speak up, they may lose the right to choose where to have their vehicles serviced and repaired,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. “Something as simple as sending a letter to one’s Congressional representatives would have great impact.”For more information on this bill, known as the Right to Repair legislation, visit [url”>www.righttorepair.org. At the site, people can send a message to their representatives supporting their Right to Repair. images/news/icons/source.gif[/img”> News source: Car Junky

As an auto mechanic (at least for your own car), you should know where to get the right auto parts for those vehicles. If you don’t have any auto part at hand, you’ll never be able to begin your duties as an auto mechanic. So the first crucial step is definitely getting those quality auto parts ready. Here’s a list of reliable online auto parts suppliers:overnightradiator.comThe cooling system of your vehicle’s engine definitely needs a quality radiator to disperse the heat produced by the engine. There are two ways of ensuring that your radiators are working in good condition. First, furnish them with radiators that are of superior quality. However, no matter how efficient a radiator is now, it will encounter to mechanical defects sooner or later. So, the second way of ensuring a quality radiator is by having a defective radiator replaced. Whether it is a quality radiator you’re looking for or just a replacement, overnightradiator.com is the site that can absolutely help you. overnightradiator.com provides radiators for various car models such as Acura, Volvo, Toyota, Saab, Mitsubishi, Lexus, and Mercedes. This e-store also offers free shipping, making every purchase of auto radiator truly reasonable. discountjparts.comIf you’re dearest Jaguar vehicle suddenly breaks down because of problem in one of its parts, you need no worry. discountjparts.com is an online auto parts store offering various sorts of jaguar parts. Purchasing auto parts through this e-shop is certainly more practical than going directly to auto shops. You’ll definitely benefit a lot from it. First, there is a fast delivery of Jaguar parts. You can be sure that you’ll receive the package you bought the very same day you placed your order. For your convenience, discountjparts.com is also open 24 times a day 7 days a week. Moreover, this e-store offers valued customers a lot of great discounts, and free shipping for orders that are at least worth 50 dollars.shopnisparts.comOriginal Nissan parts sold at significant discounts is what shopnisparts.com is very proud of. But aside from the discounts, this e-store helps educate vehicle owners. From Nissan cargo liners to Nissan radiator hose, shopnisparts.com provides customers with the right information about different Nissan parts. Moreover, the site features news about Nissan automobiles.If your automobile is a Cherokee or a CJ, you’re probably always having trouble in finding quality jeep parts. jpartsonline.com is an online auto parts shop that can definitely take away your worries. It offers sturdy jeep parts at very reasonable prices. Furthermore, it provides information about each jeep part it sells News source: Auto Mechanic Word Press

We get a lot of letters about a lot of problems here at Auto Repair central. Most are either easy to solve or hopeless, with not much in between. But this one had me, not because of an obvious solution or lack of one, but just because it was funny: Hi, I had my truck in for repairs. The repairs required a torque wrench. When I was watching it appeared that the torques being applied by the mechanic seemed to be substantially higher than those recommended. He said, “Oh, that’s because my torque wrench is out 10lbs.” Needless to say, the repairs became a problem again shortly after they were “repaired.”I spoke to a different mechanic and he told me that a torque wrench is not “just out 10 lbs”. When a torque wrench is out, the amount it is out will vary depending on how much pressure is applied and that anyone knowing the wrench is out should not be using to do precision work. Is this true? Is there a manual or authoritative source of written proof of this that I can take back and show the mechanic? (I somehow don’t think he’ll take my email seriously) He is refusing to deal with the repairs again.Thank you, Terry H.Terry, without knowing exactly what repairs were made, there’s no way to get any kind of answer here. But it’s safe to say that not many repairs will “go bad” just because they are over-torqued by 5 or 10 percent. Some jobs do require very specific torque adjustments, but not many. The real laugh is on your mechanic. Anyone who claims to run a shop but uses a broken torque wrench for anything besides a fish club should be out of business. If you’re still using that shop, check your head for bumps, maybe he caught your blind side with that bum wrenchimages/news/icons/source.gif[/img”> News source: About Auto Repair

Parasitic battery drain is the cumulative load produced by electrical devices (e.g., ECMs, clocks, security alarms, and radio presets), when the ignition is turned off. These items continue to operate, when the ignition has been switched off, and are becoming an ever increasing problem. Normal parasitic loads are below 75 milliamps (.075 amps). When parasitic load is greater than 75 milliamps, batteries will drain even faster. Glove box, trunk, and under hood lights that do not automatically turn off when the door is closed, or shorted alternator diodes, are common offenders. Cooling fans, power seat belt retractors, radios and dome lights left on, alarm systems, and electric car antennas can also cause batteries to drain overnight. Leaving headlights on will usually discharge a fully charged car battery, with 90 minutes of reserve capacity (36 amp hours), in a couple of hours.Two methods are used to test for parasitic load (engine off, under hood light disconnected, accessories off, and vehicle doors closed):1. The basic approach is to connect a 12-volt bulb across the positive and negative battery terminals to test the bulb and battery. If it glows brightly, remove the negative battery cable and connect the bulb in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal. If the bulb continues to glow brightly, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the bulb dimming.2. The best approach is to use a DC ammeter, connected in series between the negative battery cable connector and the negative battery terminal, or a clamp meter (set to DC amps), clamped around the negative battery cable. Starting with the highest scale (or set multimeter to auto range), determine current load. If load is above 75 milliamps, after the initial surge, start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery post, one-at-a-time, until the offending electrical component is identified by the parasitic load dropping to 75 milliamps. News source: Ask Me Help Desk

Definition: An enhancement of an existing ABS system that prevents wheel spin while accelerating on wet or slick surfaces. It uses the same wheel speed sensors to monitor wheel speed during acceleration, but requires some additional control solenoids and a pump to apply braking pressure to control wheel spin. The traction control system brakes the drive wheel that’s starting to spin to shift torque to the opposite drive wheel that still has traction. Most traction control systems only operate at speeds up to about 30 mph. Additional control strategies that some traction control systems use to limit wheel spin include reducing the throttle opening, upshifting the transmission, retarding spark timing and deactivating fuel injectors. News source: About Auto Repair

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.

The modern automotive brake system has been refined for over 100 years and has become extremely dependable and efficient. The typical brake system consists of disk brakes in front and either disk or drum brakes in the rear connected by a system of tubes and hoses that link the brake at each wheel to the master cylinder. Other systems that are connected with the brake system include the parking brakes, power brake booster and the anti-lock system. When you step on the brake pedal, you are actually pushing against a plunger in the master cylinder which forces hydraulic oil (brake fluid) through a series of tubes and hoses to the braking unit at each wheel. Since hydraulic fluid (or any fluid for that matter) cannot be compressed, pushing fluid through a pipe is just like pushing a steel bar through a pipe. Unlike a steel bar, however, fluid can be directed through many twists and turns on its way to its destination, arriving with the exact same motion and pressure that it started with. It is very important that the fluid is pure liquid and that there are no air bubbles in it. Air can compress, which causes a sponginess to the pedal and severely reduced braking efficiency. If air is suspected, then the system must be bled to remove the air. There are “bleeder screws” at each wheel cylinder and caliper for this purpose.Crew Chief note: this is one of the best sites I have seen for explaining a brake system they have excellent pictures on there site News source: Family Car .com go to the site to read more

Changing the many fluids in a vehicle is always a change for the better. Dirty engine oil, transmission fluid or anti-freeze are bad news for a car. But what about brake fluid? Many motorists know that this fluid should be topped off, but changed? According to the Car Care Council brake fluid in the typical vehicle can become contaminated in two years or less. This is because the fluid absorbs moisture, which works its way through the hydraulic system. Under heavy braking conditions, such as those encountered in mountainous or hilly driving or when towing a trailer, moisture in the overheated fluid vaporizes (boiling point of water is lower than that of brake fluid) and braking efficiency is reduced. “Even under normal driving conditions this condition can develop if the brake fluid is seriously contaminated” says Rich White, spokesperson for the Car Care Council. “Not only is the fluid vulnerable to vaporizing, it also can freeze. Brake fluid must maintain a stable viscosity throughout its operating temperature range. If it’s too thick or too thin, braking action is impaired. Beyond the vaporization hazard, moisture creates an additional problem for owners of vehicles equipped with anti-lock braking (ABS) systems. Rusted and corroded ABS components are very expensive to replace. How does a car owner know when to have fluid changed? The Council recommends replacement every two years or 24,000 miles. “Certainly it should be included with brake pad or shoe replacement,” White emphasizes. “In between, as a preventive measure, a professional brake technician should check the condition of the fluid with an accurate fluid test safety meter, which is inserted into the master cylinder reservoir to record the fluid’s boiling point News source: NASCAR.com

The fuel injection system is one of the most significant parts in your car’s engine. It controls the delivery of fuel into the internal combustion engine with the right amount. So I can say that fuel injection is the responsible for your car’s performance, fuel economy, and emissions.Anyway, here are some maintenance guides for fuel injection system, which I got from the Car Care Council website (www.carcare.org).- On cars with fuel injection, some carmakers don’t recommend replacing the filter at all during the first 100,000 miles of “normal” driving. Since “normal” usually constitutes severe driving because of less than normal conditions, it’s best to replace the filter every two years or 24,000 miles.- A contaminated filter can restrict fuel flow from your car’s electric fuel pump, eventually taking a toll on its life. Frequent filter replacements remove all doubt about whether the filter may cause other problems down the road. On 1996 and newer vehicles, your car’s fuel injection system is integrated with a second-generation onboard diagnostic system, known as OBDII.- The PCM stores a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) when it detects a problem in one of the monitored circuits. A professional technician can access this information using a scan tool connected to the vehicle’s Data Link Connector (DLC). Although many DTCs are sensor-related, it does not necessarily indicate a faulty sensor. There may be problems in that sensor’s circuit, or there may be several interrelated problems.- Areas of the country with an emissions testing program are placing added value on OBDII checks, where this technology may be used in place of tailpipe testing. The system also alerts you with a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), indicating that the system has detected a problem, which could cause excessive emissions. This light is usually labeled SERVICE ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE.- If the light appears, you should have its cause investigated by a professional technician at your earliest opportunity. If the light flashes, the condition is more severe and must be checked out immediately to prevent damage to the catalytic converter. News source: Auto Repair Info

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