Does filling the gas tank leave you depressed? Get used to because everything is costing more.From oil changes to washer solvent, groceries and entertainment all cost more. Oil changes have risen by at least $5.00. The cost to go to a movie is almost a day’s pay to many folks. I don’t understand why the industry has not been affected by this. There are several rental choices on line, and the monthly cost is less than one night at the movies. Of course if you leave the munchies alone it is cheaper, which I can’tCost-fighting tactics are getting out of line: Stalling bare-minimum crucial repairs are going to come back to haunt many owners with increased costs when the repairs become necessary. Fuel remains the single biggest expense for car owners over the lifetime of a vehicle at about 30 percent of costs.There are cures if the government would just explore them. Bush says that the Saudis can’t pump anymore which is false the Saudis say they are pumping 8.5K barrels per day 8 months ago they were pumping 9.5K and they say they have the capacity to pump 11K barrels per day.Perhaps cutting the reserve input will help but I doubt it we need a positive and long term solution. Warren Buffet said today that we are in a recession and I agree many families are cutting back on necessities to pay their energy costs. Yet we continue to send money everywhere even to places that don’t want it.I wish I had a cure but I don’t and I don’t think what I see coming up in politics are going to have a solution.
Overnight Service
ATLANTA, May 21 /PRNewswire/ — In an effort to assist customers with managing their time, America’s Service Station in Atlanta, Georgia has added to their extensive list of customer-friendly benefits. Overnight Car Service is the newest advantage offered by all 10 area locations. This concept was developed in order to help customers with busy schedules guarantee the turn-around time of their car repairs. By appointment, and for most services, a customer is able to leave their vehicle anytime before 5 pm and receive it back, with all services completed by 7 am the very next morning.Scheduling a time to bring your vehicle to a repair shop for service has never been a problem for any customer. However, the uncertainty of when you will actually get your car back has been a dilemma for most. America’s Service Station has put an end to the waiting and wondering. Brian Gillis, owner/operator of the Acworth location, spoke briefly about the latest addition to their business. “It’s revolutionary to the car repair business. We’ve always been trend-setters in this industry, and we continue to find ways to be fresh and innovative when it comes to servicing our customers.”The local patrons have taken an immediate liking to it as well. “I can’t see myself having my car repaired any other way,” says Mary Wallerford of Woodstock, Georgia. “I’m always on the go, out and about town, car-pooling the kids to soccer practice or dance lessons. I can’t be without a vehicle for any extended period of time. I’ve been a satisfied customer since I moved to this area 3 years ago, but this new service has made me even happier.”America’s Service Station has 10 Atlanta area locations that repair and maintain vehicles of any make or model. They are open for business 7 days a week and offer their customers benefits that are unique to the auto repair industry.Crew Chief Note I thought about this several times when I had my own shops and often wondered if it would work. I would think it would in a neighborhood setting.
Top 25 Drivers
Top 25 Drivers from ESPNYes I know DaleJR is missing and I agree who would you kick out to put him in. I think there should have been 2 lists 1 active and one not.Rusty Wallace is also missing and he was one of the voters.25. Steve Kinser24. Nigel Mansell23. Don Garlits22. Niki Lauda21. Shirley Muldowney20. Darrell Waltrip19. Emerson Fittipaldi18. Alain Prost17. Bobby Unser16. Tony Stewart15. Al Unser14. Cale Yarborough13. Jackie Stewart12. John Force11. Rick Mears10. Jeff Gordon9. Juan Manuel Fangio8. Jim Clark7. David Pearson6. Richard Petty5. Ayrton Senna4. Michael Schumacher3. Dale Earnhardt2. Mario Andretti1. A.J. Foyt
Cheap AC
Houston is no place to live without air conditioning. When one man’s A/C system took a dive, he was quoted a whopping $1200 to repair it. He was perturbed at the estimate, but University of Houston student Scott Dawson kept his cool. He wasn’t even sure how long he would keep his car, so the thought of paying $1200 wasn’t settling well with him. That’s when Scott shifted into high gear and set out to find a better solution. Instead of seeking an elaborate workaround for the car’s A/C system, he employed the faithful K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) system and drew up a plan for cool air that was a real money saver. Scott bought one of the smallest room air conditioners and mounted it on the roof of his car. He cut a hole in the roof to pipe the cool air right into the cockpit. To power the unit, he used what’s called a voltage inverter (a unit that converts DC power into AC) wired directly to his car battery and plugged the wall unit right in. It worked. Scott now has cool air blowing right on his head while he braves Houston’s high temps in traffic. His fix cost around $400. Sure, it’s not in any way permanent, and I wonder what would happen in a serious rain storm, but you have to applaud his ingenuity. News source: About Auto Repair
Give It Sniff
Give it a sniff, when working on electrical components, IE computers, control units, PCM, ECM or whatever give the component a smell many times a defective item will smell burnt. As we used to say “the magic smoke was let out” This is also useful on tranny and PS fluid, there smell can tell a lot. Our sense of hearing can also help in diagnostics as well as giving everything a quick look. You will soon discover that using your senses will lead to a quicker repair for problems and don’t forget to stick to the basics.When replacing a defective electrical component check to see why it failed, in many cases it will come back to haunt you, when a device controlled by the component fries the part again. The common items that cause a repeat failure are injectors and IAC motors. I also believe there are many coils that could have been saved by replacing the plug wires.As any tech who has been zapped lately by spark voltage can attest to there is a lot of power and it has to go somewhere
Right To Repair
NewsCenter 5’s Pam Cross reported that every modern car has many computers, even in the tire systems. A repair shop recently replaced a tire pressure sensor on a Lexus, but the shop couldn’t reset the system with the equipment they owned. “So I now make an appointment and I drive to the Lexus dealer. They charge me a sweet $100 for a 10-minute operation that I should be able to do for my customer myself,” said Tony Koles, of Montvale Tire.Independent repair dealers are mad. Most own diagnostic computers and software, but said manufacturers won’t give all the information.”There’s that 10 percent that we just can’t have access to, which means you, as a consumer, you don’t have the choice,” said Barry Steinberg, of DirectTire & Auto.Consumers are sometimes forced to use a more expensive dealership for service. New legislation may require auto manufactures to divulge all their computer codes — something the industry opposes.”I think what it would do is create more hoops and create a government bureaucracy in a place where a government bureaucracy doesn’t need to exist,” said Charles Territo, of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers.And some small repair shops like things the way they are now.”If Right To Repair is successful, I think the best these folks can hope for is to get a more expensive and bureaucratic version of what we already have,” said Rusty Savignac, of Paxton Garage.But other repair shops complain that they’ve spent money on computers and software that only works part of the time.”Business is business and the consumer is not given a choice. It’s really right on the border of being antitrust,” Steinberg said. News source: Boston Channel
Spark Plug Replacement
Spark plug replacement is becoming a problem as we run our plugs 100K; many times they cannot be removed due to a carbon build up. To remove them back out the plug a ¼ turn and liberally apply a carbon removal chemical preferably one with some lubricant. I use sea foam but there are better products with more lubricating properties, most from the Manufacture, let it sit for 15 minutes and then try again to remove the plug. It will be hard to turn if to difficult back it out as far as possible and then tighten and loosen until it frees up. Do not use more chemical as it may hydro lock the engine. If you due break off the plug there are several excellent tools to remove the broken shell.
Strange Happenings
Jimmy Johnson wrecks twice, Tony Stewart finally wins at Darlington and says nice things about the Goodyear tire selection. Danica Patrick is 5th to start at INDY. Busch is going to race Brad Keslowski like an SOB the next time he has the chance, after a wreck that looked to me like it was not his fault.Edwards doesn’t make it past lap 3 and doesn’t try to get back out.With all these strange goings on next thing we know gas prices will drop.AS George Bernard Shaw said;“ A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on thesupport of Paul.”
02 Sensor
With the high gas prices the 02 sensor has been a hot topic of discussion lately. Can it improve your mileage if replaced? Under certain circumstances yes it can. If you have had an antifreeze leak or any gaskets replaced or your vehicle has high mileage it can cause a problem with the 02 sensor. The anti freeze and the silicone gasket material can foul the sensor. It is a very sensitive sensor considering it sits in the exhaust system under high heat conditions. It is one of the items that should be checked during a tune up or if your mileage falls off. Usually if it causing problems it will set a check engine light but not always. A word to the wise if you are getting better than average mileage do not replace the sensor as it may decrease the mileage. Do have it checked because if it is allowing the engine to run to lean it may cause damage The 02 sensor is difficult to test without a lab scope and a special adapter that evens out the sine waves, and a tech that knows how to read them.
Chrysler Gas Rebate
As with other auto media outlets, we’ve been closely following Chrysler’s “Let’s Refuel America” program, which is offering three years of $2.99 gas for anyone who buys a Dodge, Jeep or Chrysler vehicle (that isn’t a Challenger, Viper, Wrangler, Sprinter Van or other popular vehicles). After a few back-of-the-envelope calculations we’re starting to see this is a good deal for Chrysler and, at best, a mediocre rebate for consumers. For one thing, in lieu of other rebates, Chrysler doesn’t necessarily have to put all of these expenses on their books right away when it records the sale, which could be a PR boon for the automaker while it tries to buy time for the “New Day” that’s coming. But most importantly, the amount of money that a consumer can save is maybe less than most expected.Let’s start with an extreme example by choosing the Chrysler Aspen SUV with the large 5.7-Liter V8, which isn’t exactly a teetotaler when it comes to gas. We’ll assume 12,000 miles a year with an average gas price of $3.61, which is what AAA considers the average gas price for this week. The Aspen gets 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. In all city driving you’d use 923 gallons of gas a year with a savings of $0.62 per gallon for a total savings of $572 a year or $1,716 over the three years. In all highway driving you use 667 gallons of gas for a total yearly savings of $413 and a three-year savings of $1,240.That isn’t bad, if they let you keep the other rebates. Last month, the suggested incentive on a Chrysler Aspen was a $3,000 instant cash rebate. Assuming a three-year savings of $1,500 in combined driving at $0.62 savings you’d need gas to go to approximately $4.85 per gallon to even it out.To use a more regular example, the Chrysler 300 with the 2.7-Liter V6 gets 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. Under the same circumstances you get $1,240 at one extreme with all city driving and $859 with all highway driving. Given that they offer up to $3,000 cash incentives on the Chrysler 300 as well, you’re talking about a bad deal for consumers if they pass on the cash for the gas savings.And what if your car takes more than regular gas? Here’s what Chrysler’s own press release has to say: “If mid-grade or premium unleaded fuel is purchased, the customer will be billed for the $2.99 plus $.15 per gallon for mid-grade (88-89 octane) or plus $.30 for premium (90-94 octane).”This means that you’re now taking up to $.30 off of your average savings, meaning that if you use the card when gas drops to $3.28 and you’re using premium that you’ll actually be losing money.And what happens if gas drops to closer to $3.00 a gallon? Your rebate is suddenly a big, fat zero. The one thing that is clear is that Chrysler is desperate to move inventory and, if you play your cards right, a deal is to be had. Just make sure you consider all the facts and don’t pass on an instant cash rebate if you think it could outweigh the cost of gas savings over three years. Obviously, the best deal is a rebate and gas savings, so make sure to ask as Chrysler is saying that this is available on some vehicles. [Source: Chrysler , Houston Chronicle[ News source: JALOPNIK