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
E Parts Supliers
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
ON Line Manuals
Check out online auto repair manuals when it comes to repairing your own car or truck. You may just avoid a big headache. Your car or truck is a big investment and it should be treated as such. When it comes to auto repair it can go two ways. You can be successful and fix it right the first time. Or you can make matters worse by creating additional problems. The latter will increase repair costs and down time of the car or truck. Let me give you a real life example of this. I had a gentleman e-mail me for help with a no start condition. My first advice to him was to get some online auto repair tips from a quality manual, to properly diagnose the problem. My favorite online auto service manual has the most incredible no start diagnostic charts in the business, because they come straight from the factory auto service manuals. Easy to follow tree charts with pictures and helpful tips. The gentleman told me he could not afford the $24.95 and he thought replacing the distributor would fix the problem. A new distributor was $650.00. He purchased and replaced the distributor but this did not repair the problem. It was also not returnable like most electrical parts. Again I said cut your loses and get any kind of auto service manual and diagnose the problem, do not through parts at it. Well He replaced the coil, cap, rotor, wires and spark plugs. It Still would not start. Now he is a thousand dollars deep in un-needed parts. The guy who could not afford $25. Finally he towed the car to the auto repair shop and they fixed it for about $500 by replacing the fuel pump. As a side note I did try to help him by explaining, in a no start condition you either have no fuel or no spark (or rarely no air). The gentleman explained he was getting plenty of fuel. But he was not. So $1,850.00 later he was motoring again. And to let you know step 1 on the diagnostic tree chart was an in-depth procedure with pictures for checking for fuel delivery. Also the online repair manuals had a technical service bulletin on the fuel pump for this specific vehicle. This is why the online auto repair manual can help you. What if you had the same auto repair information that the dealership level mechanic has? But in a format that provides step-by-step instructions and pictures that a person of any skill level can follow. The virtual online auto repair tips system was created to bring top-level information to the do it yourself auto repair public. Easily find the auto repair information you need fast and simple with the online auto repair manuals handy search engine. Just enter in the component or area of the vehicle you need advice with and the online programs gives you with just what you?re looking for. No more going through old-fashioned paper auto repair manuals filled with outdated information. You now have access to the same information professional auto repair technicians use. Mechanics may have more hands on experience then you but they are not smarter then you, they just know how to find the required information for a specific automotive repair. News source: Car wizard
Tire Misconceptions
1. All-season tires have better wet-road grip than summer tires. In which season will an “all-season” tire offer better wet-road traction than a comparable “summer” tire? Answer: None. To Southern Californians the seasons are Flood, Fire, Earthquake and Mud Slide: They think an “all-season” tire must be fire-resistant and good in mud. Meanwhile, to those in L.A. (Lower Alabama), the seasons are Summer, Deer, Duck and Turkey. They are appalled that “all-season” tires are not camouflaged. Here’s the truth: An all-season tire trades wet-road traction (among other things) for enhanced mobility in snow and in sub-freezing temperatures. Designing a tire is an exercise in compromises: Improving a certain tire performance, almost always means diminishing another–or several others. (Some more accurately use the term “three-season” when referring to summer tires.) To make things even more complex, switch categories (or even brands) and the results may change: An ultra-high-performance all-season tire may offer better wet grip than a high-performance summer tire or, especially, a grand-touring summer tire. 2. Plenty of tread means plenty of remaining tire life. Humans and tires are similar: Both can reach the end of their lives without having gone far or done much work. Just as a human who has never left his home state or his mother’s house can be ready for the grave, an old tire can be ready for the recycler even if it has deep tread. Some auto manufacturers recommend replacing tires every five or six years, regardless of tread depth. A tire that’s been on a car seven or eight years is much like a 65-year-old human: No matter how fit and healthy he looks, he shouldn’t play rugby against 19-year-olds, as a sharp impact or an aggressive maneuver could have unhappy results. If it’s 105 degrees outside, a simple stroll can be deadly to both out-of-shape older people and poorly maintained old tires. Here’s how you can tell how old your tire is: On its sidewall of find the letters “DOT.” Following that will be a sequence of numbers, which may be in three or four separate windows. The last four numbers tell when the tire was made: “3106” means the tire was built during the 31st week of 2006. While you’re on your knees, check for hairline cracks in the sidewall: That’s a strong indication the tire needs replacing. Deteriorating rubber is a big a problem for rarely driven vehicles, such as motor homes, collector cars, exotic cars, vehicles owned by senior citizens, and vans operated by charitable organizations. (A request: If you have older neighbors, check their tires for proper air pressure and signs of aging. And don’t let them play rugby.) 3. A tire will burst if the “max press” number on the sidewall is exceeded. A new quality tire will not burst even if the “max press” is exceeded by a very large amount. (I could tell you but then I’d have to talk to lawyers.) All bets are off if the tire has been damaged or it’s fitted on a cheap or damaged wheel. Coupled with the “max load” number, which is found near to “max press” on the sidewall, you can know the maximum load-carrying ability of a tire. Know this: It’s air pressure that allows the tire to carry a load. At one pound per square inch (psi) of air pressure a tire can support no weight. To increase its load-carrying capacity, air pressure must be increased. (Imagine a plastic soft-drink bottle: With the top off, it’s easily crushed, but new and unopened it can support a grown man.) However, at some pressure, adding more air to the tire will not provide increased weight-carrying capacity: That’s what the “max load/max pressure” means. 4. The “max press” on the sidewall is the proper inflation pressure for your tires. Fewer believe this than the previous item, but the misconception is widespread in the law enforcement community. The proper inflation pressures for tires are determined by the automaker (in concert with, but not by, the tire maker). The government now requires new cars to have that recommended pressure on a placard located on the driver’s doorjamb. On older cars this placard was often on the doorjamb, but depending on the car company, could be on the trunk lid, glovebox door, console lid, or fuel door. If you can’t find the recommended pressure placard, look in your owner’s manual or call your carmaker’s customer service department. Inflating the tire above the car manufacturer’s recommendation may make it more susceptible to damage from potholes and will reduce ride comfort. However, it will likely increase race-track-style at-the-limit performance. (I suspect this is why highway patrolmen run high tire pressures.) Back in the day when I raced showroom-stock cars, the rules required everyday tires rather than the made-for-racing specials now allowed. We always set the pressure far above the vehicle maker’s recommendation. When I ran front-wheel drive cars, I often used extremely high pressure in the rear tires: I was trying to reduce rear grip so the car would turn better in the middle of the corner. 5. Budget-brand tires are as good as big-name brands since they’re built by the same company. As with most products, rarely do you get more than what you pay for. It’s easy to see how this misconception developed. Each tire company has a premium brand upon which it focuses its research, development and testing. In addition, almost all produce other brands. Many build tires for others–such as auto-parts stores–to sell under the store’s brand. As you progress down this list, development and testing quickly drop to no more than legal requirements. The R&D from the premium brand often–but not always–trickles down into the budget brands. So maybe the difference is so small, you can’t tell difference. Or maybe not. News source: AutoMedia
Hybrid Repairs
Just when you think you can’t stand to hear another luddite auto mechanic gripe about technology destroying the independent auto repair industry, somebody like Carolyn Coquillette comes along and busts it all to … well, you know. Carolyn saw an opportunity in the boom of hybrid automobiles and, throwing caution and her physics degree to the wind, decided to dive into the auto repair industry. Now she’s launched San Francisco’s Luscious Garage, which as far as we know is the only all-hybrid repair facility in the country. More than just a novelty with a catchy name, Luscious Garage (or “LG” as they like to call it in the hood) caters to the special needs of hybrid owners. In addition to scheduled maintenance and repairs, they can perform a number of “hacks” to the vehicles’ computer systems, most of them aimed at the hugely popular Toyota Prius. Since so much of the Prius is computer controlled, LG can perform modifications of taste and convenience, like eliminating the irritating reverse warning beep. As the number of hybrid vehicles continues to grow, expect to see more specialty repair shops opening up across the country. Carolyn and LG get props for being there first. News source: Auto Repair About
Torque Wrench
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
Fuel Filter ReplacemeNt
What you’ll need:new fuel filter new fuel line washers open end wrenches rags eye protectionYour fuel filter is one of those engine components that may only cost $10 or $20, but can protect your engine from thousands of dollars in damage. Fuel filters protect some of the very delicate parts of your engine. Carburetors and fuel injection systems can be clogged up by the tiniest of particles, so a properly functioning fuel filter is very important. If your fuel filter starts to get clogged up, the fuel trying to flow through the filter to your engine gets stuck in line like soccer moms at a 5 am Thanksgiving Day sale. It only takes a few minutes to replace your fuel filter, and it should be replaced once a year on the average commuter vehicle. Replacing your fuel filter should be part of your car’s regular maintenance schedule News source: About Auto Repair
Tires & gas mileage
Did you know that how much air you have in your tires can have a direct affect on your gas mileage? It’s true. Here’s why:Let’s say your tires are supposed to be filled to 35 psi. If they are filled correctly, six square inches of your tire are touching the road, just the way your tires were designed. But let some air out, and now the pressure is only 30 psi. Since your tire is like a balloon, the more air you have on the inside, the rounder and more firm your tire becomes. If you had six square inches touching the road at 35 psi, the flatter 30 psi tire will have eight square inches touching at once, making it harder for your engine to get things rolling from a dead stop. Here’s another way to think of it. Say your dog is going to the vet, and she’s not so interested in moving toward the car.You start out pulling her with all four of her feet on the ground. We’ll call this four square inches touching. But then she plops her rear end on the ground. You’re now pulling 12 square inches, and boy is she harder to drag toward the car. Unfortunately you can’t dangle a piece of salami in front of your car to make it go, so you’re left using the engine, which uses more gas the harder it pulls. Filling your tires to the correct pressure will make it easire on the engine, and that means you’ll be using less gas. It can make a difference of a three or four miles per gallon. That’s at least 36 more miles to the average tank of gas. At one tank of gas per week, you could be adding 1,872 free miles in a year! That’s savings, and that’s Autmotive Empowerment for no money at all. News source: About Auto Repair
NASCAR Crashes
Ever since driving a simulator I have thought it would be cool to drive a Cup car but after watching Dale JRs(can’t spell the drivers name) car go for a ride down the wall in the Busch series race and watching Michael Waltrip spin around on fire I have changed my mind. Also Ricky Rudd has a injured shoulder. It was really hot in the cars and at my age I doubt if it would be enjoyable. I just don’t know why the drivers can’t show a little patience sure some of the non winning ones will see a spot and try to make a run but this is the exception. I think it is time for NASCR to raise the minimum speed required to stay on the track also how much car you have to have left to run it seems like it is always a slower car that is at the start of a wreck. I also thought the car of tomorrow was supposed to eliminate some of the aero problem and not take as much air off the other cars. It looks as if they solved the nose to tail problem of breaking the car loose but have made the side draft easier to take off the other car.
Top Teir Retailers
Fuel retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of Fuel to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Fuel. In addition, all Fuel outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the TOP TIER standards. Additional Fuel retailers are added to the TOP TIER list as they meet the standards. The retailers known to be on the TOP TIER list are shown below. TOP TIER Fuel Retailers: QuikTripChevronConocoPhillips76ShellEntec StationsMFA Oil CompanyKwik Trip/Kwik StarThe Somerset Refinery, Inc.Chevron-CanadaAloha PetroleumTri-Par Oil CompanyShell-CanadaTexacoPetro-CanadaSunoco-Canada News source: Feather Petro