Severe Weather Driving

First, in unfavorable conditions, don't have drivers on the road unless absolutely necessary. The best way to avoid an accident is to not be on the roads in the first place. If driving is unavoidable, encourage drivers to:

• Slow down and plan ahead
• Increase following distance
• Pay attention
• Make sure lights and wipers work properly
• Get enough rest
• Drive defensively

Extra cautious driving in poor weather can help you and your family get to and from destinations safely!

Auto-Braking

Not all auto-braking systems are the same. AAA has reported that there are significant differences between the auto-braking systems made by the car companies. Some of these systems are designed to prevent crashes, while others only try to reduce the severity of the crashes. The crash-prevention systems brake up to twice as fast as the crash-reduction systems. Buyer beware: Like the misnomer "Auto Pilot", "Auto-Braking" systems may not be what their name implies.

Increase Demand on Your Car Battery

As vehicles become more and more technically sophisticated, the need for supplying power to support these new and enhanced systems increases. The electrical demand in today's vehicles is constantly increasing. Not only are more devices, sensors, accessories and on-board computers used while driving but also new technologies such as Start/Stop and navigation systems demand significantly higher demands from the battery. It is crucial to make sure that a battery you are about to purchase is robust enough to cope with high demand of today's vehicles.

What is the impact of carbon buildup on drivability and performance?

One of the more common symptoms is a lack of power, especially when driving at higher speeds. Other symptoms could include cold stalling and cold-start difficulties, including rough running. In some cases, carbon buildup may cause one or more cylinder misfire codes (P030X) that will result in fuel inefficiency and poor performance. There is also a possibility of a failed NOX emission test and/or excessive ping on acceleration.

Diagnosing a Belt-related Noise

A real simple trick for diagnosing a belt-related chirping or squealing noise is to squirt small amount of water onto the serpentine belt. If the noise goes away, it was being caused by either a belt-slippage or belt-tracking problem.

Car care tip in winter

Tires naturally leak about 2 PSI of air monthly and each 10-degree temperature drop causes another 2-3 PSI loss. Be a safe driver by checking your tire pressure at least once a month!

Fill Tires with Nitrogen or Regular Air?

Have you noticed green caps on the tire valve stems on some of the cars lately? Green cap mean it is filled with nitrogen instead of air. It is true that pure nitrogen doesn't leak out as quickly as regular air because a nitrogen molecule is larger than an oxygen molecule. And, for this reason, tires stay fully inflated longer.

The catch is that topping off the nitrogen typically costs about $5 to $10 per tire and the initial charge for filling them can be much higher.

One thing to consider, though, is that  only about 93 to 95 percent of what is inside a tire is nitrogen and the rest is air even when it is filled with nitrogen, whereas ordinary air consists of 78 percent nitrogen. The difference is not that significant! And, regular, compressed air is a lot cheaper and still free in some places.

Keeping vehicles aligned -- Alignment Terminology

Camber -- the inclination of the centerline of the wheel from the vertical as viewed from the front of the vehicle. The camber angle will affect the wear on the inner or outer edge of the tire.

Caster -- the angle between an imaginary line drawn through the upper and lower steering pivots and a line perpendicular to the road surface viewed from side of the vehicle. Caster will not cause tire wear unless extreme maladjustment was made.

Toe -- the difference between the leading edge (or front) and trailing edge (or rear) of the tires. Toe-in  is the measurement that the the tires are closer together in the front than they are in the back. Toe-out  is the measurement that the the tires are further apart in the front than they are in the back.

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.

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L -- Almost completed

PT Cruiser is all done and it runs like a car with a brand new engine.

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L -- Putting it back together after valves are replaced and the head is resurface.

Effect of Timing Belt Breakage on an Interference Engine

Basically it is named an Interference Engine by the fact that piston and valve paths may "interfere" with one another as a result of incorrect timing in their movements as a result of broken Timing Belt. On the most recent
case, 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with 2.4L engine had 8 (out of 8) bent intake valves and 4 (out of 8) bent exhaust valves caused by collision with pistons after timing belt breakage. The engine was running at approximately 3000 RPM.

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY
Reference Number: EL011-05, Date of Issue: June 3, 2005
Affected  2001 - 2004 model year Camry, ECHO and Celica; 2002 - 2004 model year 4Runner
Models:   Corolla and MR2 Spyder; 2003- 2004 model year Highlander, Matrix, Sienna and Solara
Related Ref Number: EL011-05

This bulletin is to provide information regarding countermeasures to the A/C magnetic clutch relay for A/C light flashing (inoperative A/C) issues on some vehicles equipped with a magnetic clutch compressor.

Previous Part Number                     Current Part Number                     Part Name

90987-02022                                  90987-02028                               Relay, Magnetic Clutch

Simple Safety Tip for Summer

One simple thing you can do to save gas and keep your vehicle safe this summer is to maintain correct tire pressure and check it at least once a month. Information on correct pressure can be found on a plate/sticker on driver-side doorjamb of your car.