Getting batteries and tires ready for wet and cold winter

Remember that routine auto care can save you big bucks by improving fuel economy, extending life of your vehicle and avoiding costly car repairs. A survey found that 82 percent of vehicle owners don't pay any attention to the condition of their batteries. The same survey also found that 78 percent wait until something goes wrong with tires.

Batteries and tires are particularly susceptible to the cold weather. According to AAA Automotive Research Center, a car battery loses about 35 percent of its strength when the surrounding temperature drops to 32 degrees and tire-inflation pressures decrease by 1 to 2 pounds per square inch for every 10-degree drop in temperature -- significant because even a small reduction in pressure can affect a tire's traction, handling and durability!

NDE to Train 200 Women as Automotive Mechanics

Sandra, who is the first female auto mechanic in Nigeria, remarked that “when you empower somebody, you are building a nation economically, socially and technologically,  and reducing crime and social vices.”

Right to Repair bill awaits Gov. Patrick's signature

Thanks to a last-minute compromise between the auto manufacturers and the Right to Repair Coalition, which gives dealerships proprietary control over warranty and recall work, Massachusetts is set to become the first state in the nation to essentially level the playing field between dealers and independent shops.

Finding stories on auto mechanics and repair shops

The last few years’ economy has been a mixed bag for auto repair shops and parts sellers.  On one hand, you have people holding on to their vehicles for longer than ever before; on the other hand, cash-strapped or nervous consumers have been doing the bare minimum to keep those cars on the road,  according to some industry reports.

With July car sales reports due out from automakers Wednesday, and Truecar.com’s forecast predicting the best July since 2007, a look at the businesses that serve car owners and how a glut of new cars affects them might be a fresh take on the vehicle sales story.

It’s a fairly pervasive sector that doesn’t hit the radar screen very often.  According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for auto mechanics are expected to grow 17 percent between 2010 and 2020, about an average rate across all occupations.  About 723,000 people make their livings this way at an average wage of $35,000 a year.

And the Census Bureau abounds with information about the industry, though data is from the 2007 economic census, which of course doesn’t reflect recession results.  Still, it’s a starting point you can compare local presence with.  According to the bureau, some 81,000 establishments were engaged in general automotive repair and that’s in addition to 8,700 oil-change shops, transmission shops, gas stations that offer repair services, dealer service departments, motorcycle repair shops, tire dealers and more; check out this Census Bureau portal to a plethora of reports on each classification.

From  Wall Street Journal market data center on auto sales

Smoke Signals

If your car spits out a cloud of smoke when started, it might be trying to tell you something important. What does a color of the smoke indicate? The exhaust color can give many clues:

• White - If it lasts for a short time, it could be moisture in the cold engine and exhaust system being burned off. if there's a lot of white smoke and it continues, check for an internal coolant leak.
• Blue or Blue/Black - Oil is likely being burned along with the fuel. Have your car checked for worn piston rings or it could be as simple as too low of oil viscosity.
• Black - Excess fuel is being burned.

Number of older vehicles increased by more than 17 million since 2009

Experian Automotive announced that there were 17.3 million more light-duty vehicles seven years and older on the road in U.S. than there were three years ago. Experian Automotive also found that there were more than 245 million vehicles on U.S. roads, and that the age of vehicles increased when compared to Q1 2011, up 1.9 percent to an average age of 11 years.

Man's car nears 3 Millionth mile

Irvin Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800S, small, red, tow-door, has more than 2,966,000 miles on the odometer, the equivalent of nearly 1,176 times of across the globe. He bought his beloved car on June 30, 1966, for $4,150 and he paid $10 extra to have an AM/FM radio, which, he said, was a big deal. The 72-year-old Gordon drives his Volvo everywhere and he has held the Guinness World Records mark for High Mileage Vehicle since 2002.