Confessions Of An Auto Technician

By Rand Stuck

Three important lessons are learned by the time we reach the legal driving age. They are: Number 1: Wear your seat belt. Number 2: Don't speed. Number 3: Never ever trust your auto mechanic. These gospels are passed on to you by your older generation.

A few days ago I met with an auto mechanic who agreed to provide me with some honest revelations regarding the car repair industry in return for a little privacy. "Max, that's what we call him, has experience of more than 30 years in the car repair industry.

Max admits that even though the auto industry has been mending its ways, there are still some errant mechanics who replace used parts in peoples cars and sell them as new.

I would say years ago, it was more pars for the course. I would say it happened about 40 percent of the time, he said. Today, I would say it probably happens a whole heck of a lot less. You're probably looking at about 10 to 7 percent margin, but it does still happen.

A bane in the form of shady auto mechanics

Max pointed out three things to remember when looking for a good car repair shop. The first is the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification from places like AC Delco, Ford Motor Company or Bendix. While ASE certification does not indicate that they're really good, it does indicate that the technicians go on their own time, or the business has given them the incentive to study, to take the course and go and show their skills are worthy of certification. (Ed. Note: ASE is a non-profit, independent organization founded in 1972.

Max insists that it is very imperative that the car repair shop has all the right equipment in place to do a proper job like a good tire mounting machine with rubber mounts that don't scratch your wheels or an alignment rack with laser measurements. I want to make sure they have the proper diagnostic equipment. A shop that has invested in the proper equipment to service today's automobiles is usually a shop that you can trust, because they are not going to buy that expensive equipment and then have people who are not qualified to use it."

According to Max cleanliness of the car repair shop is equally important. Max says, "I'm looking for a clean shop. I don't want to see Jake the Junkyard Dog chained in the office. I don't want to see a lot of dirt around the place. It shouldn't look like it's going to be condemned by the health department."

Max says there should be no ambiguity in pricing. The prices for car repairs should be clearly posted. In fact, the car repair estimate should be given to the customer before beginning the work on the car. Positive feedback from the earlier customers would be an added advantage. Positive feedback must not be about how nice they are or how well they treat you but should be about their track record of providing good quality repair.

Old ladies should stay alert to avoid getting conned

Due to his thirty years of experience, Max is well aware of several car repair shop scenarios that would convince a person to get the car repaired. Max informed me about a situation where an assistant used a shocking method to convince an old woman to get her car repaired. Max passed on the waiting room discussion between Mrs. M and the auto mechanic.

Mechanic: Mrs. T., what street do you live on?

Elderly Woman: I live on First Street.

Mechanic: I live on that street as well. What time do you come home at the end of the day?

Elderly Woman: Oh, about 4 o'clock.

Mechanic: Good. Then I'll know what time to tell my kids to get off the street because I shudder to think of you driving down the street in this car with my children playing in the street because you're driving a death trap and it could kill them.

The poor little old lady had heard enough to get into a panic mode and started crying. She said just do it, fix it, do whatever you have to do! This is how the guy got her to get her car repaired. Max said that nowadays these unscrupulous tactics are a rarity.

Plain inquiries

Max possesses an experience of more than 30 years and has encountered many frustrations that gets his oil pressure going up. I asked him what types of things customers do that really annoy him and with no hesitation he says, "People who are shopping auto repair prices."

Max explained it with a hypothetical situation where people call up inquiring about the cost for a tune-up, when in reality they have no idea what is wrong with their car. The symptoms they specify over the phone require a different treatment. The diagnostics test is the one most are terrified of as they do not like to pay for it. Max says that this test is time and money well spent. You're paying for a skilled technician to take an hours worth of labor to diagnose your vehicle with the proper computer scan tools to determine where your drivability problem is.

Can you give me a deal?

Max finds some conversations with certain customers very unpleasant. Can you make me a deal? is another question from the customers that annoys Max the most. This does not mean that he does not help those who are really in need of help and are not just out to score a discount.

If a pregnant woman, along with her two kids, working at McDonalds comes to him crying about her car repair problems and had little money to fix it, he told me, "I'm going to the ends of the Earth, to the gates of hell for that woman to get that car running as reasonably as I possibly can and still maintain a profit for my business." Even when helping others, Max says that his line of work is not a charity organization. "I don't wear a white collar and consequently, I can't stay in business if I give away everything I do."

Trust " an ingredient for loyalty

Max appreciates the customers who rely on him. He had a client couple of years ago who would just deliver his car and ask Max to take care of the repair. He barely cared about the cost and never made any telephone call. He purely believed Max as his auto mechanic to find his car running again. "And I never breached that trust," Max said.

In return for the trust placed in him, Max tries to adjust his booked schedule to squeeze these customers in and let them out the same day. "I took care of him. Did I give him a discount? No ... did I do everything I could to get him back on the road as quickly as possible? You're damn right I did. And I did it over, say the guy who came in an hour before and said, 'Can you make me a deal? - 21393

About the Author:

Rand Stuck is a BMW certified mechanic with over 12 years of experience. He currently manages the online parts department of a BMW parts retailer. You can find additional information on car repair and BMW OEM parts at AutoWerks.

Water Ingression Test: Get Your Oil Analysis for Free

By Michael Kaufman

The article shown below will describe for you 1 of 6 incredibly simple engine oil tests that you can use to quickly evaluate the condition of your oil, without ever paying a single dime to an oil analysis lab.

If you would consider yourself to be one of those people who owns a vehicle which is driven infrequently, is commonly driven for short distances and/or is driven or stored in a humid climate or one that often has wide temperature swings, then performing the crackle test would likely be a good idea. This is a simple test which will clearly indicate if condensation has caused water build-up in your oil.

Why is water in your oil a problem? Because water in your oil causes acid build-up, which causes corrosion. Corrosion causes pitting, and pitting is BAD for your vehicle's engine. Even a high TBN extended change interval synthetic oil like AMSOIL can eventually be overcome by water/acid build-up.So, it is really quite important to know if you're getting water build-up in your oil BEFORE the acid fighting additives in your oil are depleted. THAT is why we do the crackle test.

It should be noted that fuel in your oil can cause the results of the crackle test to be inconclusive. Performing the blotter spot test (business card test) beforehand will indicate whether you have fuel dilution. If you do, then water ingression is irrelevant and the crackle test is likely unnecessary. You already have a problem that likely will have you wanting to change your oil.

To use the crackle test, you place a small quantity of oil onto a hotplate of some sort which is set to a temperature high enough to boil off any water in the oil. Since most engine oils are not volatile until they gets up over 350 degrees or more (synthetics much higher than that), setting the plate to something between 250 and 300 degrees F should work well.

At that temp, when you place the oil on the plate, you'll hear a crackle as the water boils off. You should hear it very quickly as long as the amount of oil you use is small. Of course, if there is no water in your motor oil, there will be no crackle.

Obviously, this hot plate test is not a very informative test, and it won't tell you how much water you've got in your oil, as a professionally performed oil analysis will, but, it can still provide you with some valuable, cheap information. - 21393

About the Author:

Interested in knowing how the other 5 oil analysis tests can be performed? Simply click over to my BestSyntheticOil.com website to read the rest of the "Oil Analysis on a Budget" article to determine your proper oil change intervals............

The Pink Princess

By Ian Tyrrell

A popular new trend has began to appear in the world of high fashion and home decorating: the use of the colour pink. What began as a fashion statement has become a personal obsession, as pink lovers discover new ways to use pink in every aspect of their daily lives. The history of pink provides interesting insight into the rising popularity of the colour pink.

The story of Pink - Surprisingly, prior to World War II, the colour pink was more often associated with baby boys than girls. Red was viewed as a masculine colour, and baby boys were expected to wear the diluted colour red. Baby girls were often dressed in blue! However, things began to change starting sometime after the second World War, and pink began the rise to feminine dominance that would continue for decades.

As women began to return from the wartime factories into the home in the 1950s, there was a rise in consumer goods, which prompted women to purchase more pink products. (Pink represented the blush of health and vitality, and was particularly popular as a make-up color.) Audrey Hepburn, the great icon of 1950s femininity, appeared in the film "Funny Face" in 1957, which included the song "Think Pink." The pink-clad Barbie doll was also introduced in the 1950s, further linking the color pink to girlishness. In the 1960s, pink became the color of anti-masculinity in film "The Pink Panther". In the 1980s, songs like "Pink Cadillac" and "Pretty in Pink" played with the idea of pink femininity, and in 2000, the singer Pink emerged on the scene with a shock of hot pink hair.

The Current Pink Trend - However, the current trend probably dates to the 2001 film "Legally Blond," in which Reese Witherspoon plays a law student who overcomes every obstacle with the help of pink handbags and a tiny Chihuahua dressed in pink. The film represents a view of womanhood in which being tough and smart go hand in hand with being feminine and sexy. Women and style mavens everywhere began to take notice.

Pink in the Home - Those in search of a rosier world can now find a wide range of ways to decorate their homes in fashionable pink things. Pink can be the dominant colour scheme for a room, or it can be used as an accent colour to bring a little fun to the everyday. In the bedroom, pink blankets and sheets create a cosy haven, with pink fuzzy slippers waiting at the foot of the bed. In the bathroom, pink toothbrushes and shower curtains can create a sense of pampering, and pink clocks and rugs create elegant touches for the living room as well. Pink has even invaded the kitchen. Now pink kitchen accessories are available, from pink kettles and toasters to a pink microwave oven!

Pink on the Road - Pink lovers are starting to bring their passion to their travels as well. Pink car accessories are now available, ranging from car mats to key chains. A pink steering wheel cover allows drivers to make a statement. Travellers by rail or air also have a chance to accessorize: elegant pink luggage is easy to pick out from at the airport carousel.

A Psychology of Pink - A "pink princess" is the nickname given to women devoted to the colour pink. Pink princesses embrace pink as a whole identity, a personal statement and an outlook on life. Edith Piaf's song "Ma Vie En Rose" translates well for these pink lovers: "My Life in Pink." The colour offers a wonderful combination of associations: on the one hand, pink is soft and flirty, but it is also elegant and fashionable. The growing field of colour psychology makes even more dramatic claims about pink, arguing that the presence of pink even has the power to soothe. Studies suggest that even criminals may behave better when surrounded by the colour pink.

The rise of pink may be driven by these new psychological explanations. Pink lovers are doing more than just choosing a few fashion accessories. They are hoping to "see the world through rose-colored glasses," to use the power of a positive colour to bring more happiness to their lives. - 21393

About the Author:

Ian thinks what makes great pink presents could be pink bedroom accessories

The Proper Way To Rent A Car When You Travel

By Chris Linch

The primary thing I have to say about renting a vehicle is make certain it is worth it. Some cities renting a car is useless. You might not be able to drive, and if you can drive you might pay so much for parking each place you go that it would be worth it to pay a cab that doesnt have to park.

Take Las Vegas for instance, unless you are traveling out to the Grand Canyon or something, there is no point in renting a car in Vegas. You can take a taxi about everywhere or walk. Plus they have the tram that will transfer you all over the strip, or the double decker busses that take you from the Strip to Down Town.

If you are going to rent a car try not to do it at an airport. This is where you will pay the most cash for them. See if somebody will pick you up at the airport if you rent a car from them. Most places will and it will save you money. Some are even right across the street from the airport and half the cost.

Find out if there is public transportation available before you spend a bunch on a rental car. A lot of tourist cities will have transit available to tourists that is much cheaper than renting your own car. Bear in mind it is not just the price of the car we are looking at, but how much will you need to pay to park it everywhere you go.

Even if you do rent a car, you dont really have to to drive it everywhere. If you have to pay 12 dollars to park somewhere, and a cab ride is only 5, you will still want to take a cab even though you have a car.

Check on your vehicle insurance as well. Most of the time your policy will cover you in a rental car, and most credit cards insure rental cars as well. I never buy the insurance for car rentals I think that is one of the biggest rip offs there are. Your auto policy will also insure you in a rental car, for the most part, just check with your insurance agent.

When you travel make sure you are making an allowance for all costs when renting a hotel or a rental car so that you do not spend more than you have to. You can usually rent cars cheaper the same place you book cheap hotels. - 21393

About the Author:

If you are in the market to vacation you can get your Cheap Hotel Rates at homeshophotels.com where Chris is a content publisher. You deserve to save a little money, and there is no better place to do it.

The Benefits Of 1/8 Carbon Fiber RC Cars

By Ferdinand Emy

Overall, 1/8 carbon fiber RC cars provide a wide range of benefits to RC car owners that other types of upgrades simply are not able to deliver.

One of the reasons that many RC owners choose 1/8 carbon fiber RC cars and parts as opposed to other materials is because carbon fiber is so light. When selecting parts for any upgrade it is always essential to ensure that you choose the correct parts not only for your particular model RC car but also for your scale car as well. In addition, they are able to obtain improved acceleration, handle corners better and ultimately will be able to deliver better top-end speeds. Many RC owners choose to use carbon fiber, such as carbon fiber pins. Once you have made an upgrade to your vehicle you certainly do not want to have to replace it anytime soon.

One of the great things about RC cars is that you can upgrade them as much as you want. If you plan to race your car off road then this can certainly be an important consideration. 1/8 carbon fiber RC cars are a great example of this. If you choose the wrong type of part to upgrade your vehicle, there is a good chance that it will not fit and will not operate correctly.

A RC car that is lightweight will naturally be able to attain faster speeds. Furthermore, 1/8 carbon fiber RC cars are known to be able to take more of a beating than other types of upgrades. When you are ready to make upgrades to your RC car one of the decisions that will need to be made is the type of materials that you will use for the upgrades. Therefore, if you have a 1/8 scale RC car and you are looking for carbon fiber parts for upgrading then you need to ensure that you specifically look for parts for 1/8 carbon fiber RC cars. Whether you built your RC car from scratch or you originally purchased a ready to run in the box and now you are ready to change it up a bit, the upgrades that can be made to RC cars are practically without limit.

While not everyone builds a RC car for racing, racing is a popular pastime and if you intend to race then weight is important. - 21393

About the Author:

Join the world of Remote Controlled Cars and share in the great fun and entertainment it offers today