Is Your Auto Mechanic Doing the Repair Work You Paid For?

When it comes to working with a mechanic, it can be challenging to find someone who will charge fair rates and do the repairs properly, and on time. After all, unless you are an auto enthusiast, chances are you won’t know just by looking at your car if an air filter was installed properly or if any other engine repair job was done correctly.

But there are a few steps you can take to ensure that the work you’ve paid an auto mechanic to do was done properly.

Ask for a written service order that details the work that was done, who did it, the time it took to do the work and an extensive list of products used to complete the job. Not only does this make sure that the mechanic is responsible for whatever repairs were done to the car, but it allows you to take the vehicle to another mechanic or shop to verify that the work was indeed completed. It helps to have a written account to hand off to the second mechanic, so he'll have the accurate work record.

Require the mechanic to physically show you what was done and sign confirmation paperwork as such. While you may not have a good understanding of the lingo that accompanies auto repair, it still holds the mechanic more responsible if he has to physically show you everything that was done on the car.

Determine the checks and balances in place at your auto mechanic shop. In most instances, shops that have a chain of responsibility (i.e. mechanic, then service manager, then sales manager, then general manager) are most likely to ensure the work was done following the proper procedures. While there are plenty of reputable individual mechanics in the profession, when there is only one person accountable for repair work, it's hard to determine whether or not corners have been cut during the repair process.

Bring along a knowledgeable friend or family member when you pick up your car. If they are unable to come along, ask them what questions you should ask the mechanic when you pick up your car. If the mechanic is unable to provide specific answers to questions about the repair process, parts added/replaced, exact time taken for labor, or any other general questions you have about your car, then be wary. A reputable auto repair professional should be willing to patiently explain everything that was done to your car and the price points attached to each step of the process.

Among the most important components of your vehicle are its brakes. After all, they are responsible for ensuring the stop and go capacity of your car, making it safe to operate your vehicle on busy roads and thoroughfares. While it can be tricky to determine when you need to address issues with your brakes, which can range from refilling fluid to replacing pads or rotors, paying attention to a few key signals can prevent problems down the line. It is important not to ignore these warning signs, so that you don’t incur significant costs down the line from the need to undergo a complete brake system replacement. You don’t need to be an auto repair professional to know when you need new brakes, just be aware of your car’s various signs, particularly when you drive and stop, to know when it’s time to address your brakes.

A common warning sign that your brakes need to be replaced is when they begin to make a loud “squealing” sound. It starts out fairly inconsistent, only squealing occasionally. However, as you continue to let the problem fester, your brakes will begin to squeal each time you step on them to slow the car down. At this point, you generally just need to replace the brake pads and perhaps fill up on brake fluid if yours is low. However, don’t make this assumption on your own. Have your brakes checked out to make sure that the pads are the sole source of the squealing.

If you let the problem go on, the brakes will eventually cease to “squeal” and will instead begin to scrub and grind. This sounds like a harsh metal on metal sound and generally means that your pads are shot and that the rotors are following close behind. The cost for this type of repair is significantly more expensive than a simple pad replacement or a fluid refill. At this point, your brake pedal may be going farther to the floor, making stopping on a dime virtually impossible. Bad brakes are no longer just a nuisance but a danger. The worse the scrubbing, the worse your brakes are and if you continue to let them go, you may find yourself driving and unable to stop at all.

When you hear a light squealing or feel that the brake pedal requires more pressure to stop than usual, take it to an auto repair shop and get it checked out. If you catch it in time you may not need an entire brake system replacement. A reputable auto repair or brake repair professional can make this determination for you and give you direction on what you need to do to get your brakes working properly once again.

It happens all too often. You are driving down the road, minding your own business, and a dump truck or a truck pulling a backhoe on a trailer passes you, then gets in front of you. That one pebble falls out and bounces down the road until it hits your windshield. Most of the time it starts out as a small chip. If left alone, it will probably start to crack. Once it starts, it usually will run all the way across the windshield leaving you with no choice but to replace it.

In many cases, the chip can be repaired. There are DIY repair kits out there that allow you to repair your own windshield. I have personally used one such kit made by Permatex. The cost is under $ 12.00, and all you have to do is follow the detailed instructions exactly, and in 20 minutes or so your windshield will be good as new. The kits can be purchased at just about any auto parts store.

This is a very inexpensive alternative to having a professional do the same basic thing. The most important thing is to catch it early because if you have a chip on your windshield and hit a pothole or bump in the road, the jarring impact is usually what makes the chip turn into a crack and start to run. Permatex is a brand name well known in the automotive industry, and makes high quality products such as sealers adhesives, thread locking compounds just to name a few. Permatex also makes a complete adhesive kit to reattach your rearview mirror to the windshield.

On older vehicles, the rearview mirror adhesive will weaken due to years of heat from the sun, and stress from different drivers adjusting the mirror, causing it to fall off the windshield. Hopefully these tips will save you time and money allowing you to take charge and do your own windshield repairs.

As the cold temperatures continue this time of year it is important to think about the antifreeze in your vehicle. Over time, the coolant and antifreeze properties will start to decrease. The only way to know if your antifreeze is still within an acceptable range is to have it checked by a qualified service center. It is important to know that even though the coolant and antifreeze properties are ok, the corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze can decrease.

Since most engines these days have many aluminum parts, this is something that vehicle owners should take seriously because aluminum corrodes much faster than steel. Many new vehicles state in their owners manual that the antifreeze will last for the life of the vehicle. While this may or may not be true, the corrosion inhibitors will not.

By changing the antifreeze every 100,000 miles you could save costly engine damage. For the relatively low cost of changing your antifreeze, why not? At least you will have the piece of mind knowing that your cooling system is as good as it can be. If you plan on changing the antifreeze yourself, it is important to select the proper type for your specific vehicle as there are several different kinds. It is also important that the antifreeze is mixed 50/50 with water.

Most auto parts stores sell the antifreeze already mixed so all you have to do is pour it in the radiator or reservoir straight out of the jug. Never pour antifreeze into a hot engine because you can be seriously burned. When draining the radiator of old fluid, it is environmentally responsible to catch it in a container and recycle it. Animals are attracted to the sweet taste of antifreeze and will drink it if it is on the ground. Antifreeze is deadly if it is ingested. It is much easier to take your vehicle to a qualified service center to have your antifreeze replaced, but for those who like to roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty on a Saturday, it is a fairly easy project.

Once you have selected a qualified transport company to move your vehicle, you should prep the vehicle for the move. The best way to do this is to thoroughly wash the vehicle so the driver can do a clear inspection. A dirty vehicle can be very difficult to do an inspection on, and in some cases, the driver will do a walk around looking for any obvious damage such as dents, cracked taillights, or cracked windshield. He may then write on his condition report something like "car very dirty, no obvious damage". By washing your car beforehand, it will also give you a chance to do do your own preinspection. One area that many owners are unaware of being scratched is the underside of the front bumper or spoiler. Newer cars seem to get lower and lower to the ground. All it takes is pulling up a little too far onto a parking block to scratch it.

This being said, loading a car that is low to the ground may present a challenge to some transporters, as some trailers have ramps that can be a little too steep causing the spoiler to drag on the ramps while loading, but an experienced transporter knows exactly how to overcome this small obstacle, but it never hurts to watch the transporter while he loads the vehicle just in case. If your vehicle is equipped with an aftermarket alarm system, it is a good idea to disable it prior to transport. If you plan on packing any items inside vehicle, it is the customers responsibility to secure these items. Current DOT regulations discourage packing items, but 1 or 2 small suitcases packed securely in the trunk is acceptable. The customer must keep in mind that anything packed inside the vehicle is done at the customers own risk.

With these tips in mind, your auto transport experience should be a positive one.

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The Obama administration says gas stations can start selling fuel with more ethanol — a mixture of up to 15 percent — but it's only recommended for cars and light trucks built since 2007.

Motorists with older vehicles will need to watch what they're pumping or risk damaging their engines with too much corn-based fuel, the Environmental Protection Agency says. The current blend is 10 percent ethanol.

The move means that gas stations, if they choose to sell the fuel, will have to use special pumps and signs to make sure consumers don't fill their vehicles with the wrong fuel. The EPA said it will propose new pump labeling requirements to help consumers figure out which gas to use.

There are many negative aspects of using the ethanol-gasoline blend in your outboard motor. One is that fiberglass gas tanks built into many boats can deteriorate from E-10 fuel. Another is that E-10 fuel can break down over a period of months.
Marine industry sources report that outboard fuel systems can be affected by water, dissolved gum, varnish, corrosion particles and dissolved resins that E-10 fuel has cleaned from the distribution system and a boat's fuel tanks.

Now with the push to raise the ethanol percentage in gasoline to 15 percent,
it may put the marine business out of business. "E-15 will eat up gaskets, pumps, fuel lines and even plastic carburetor floats. Nothing manufactured before 2000 can tolerate E-15. It won't hurt just the marine industry, but the automotive industry, and manufacturers of small engines such as lawn mowers, chainsaws and weedeaters.
The best advice is to stay away from service stations which offer fuel with E-10. Shop around. There are stations that don't use ethanol-blended gasoline.

The move, which comes less than a month before November's midterm elections, is politically popular in rural farm areas. But ethanol faces strong opposition from the auto industry, environmentalists, cattle ranchers, food companies and a broad coalition of other groups.

Opponents argue that the increase in production of corn and its diversion into ethanol is making animal feed more expensive, raising prices at the grocery store and tearing up the land. Manufacturers of smaller engines — used in everything from lawn mowers to boats — also oppose increasing the use of the fuel, saying those engines are not designed for the higher concentrations.

The Obama administration has remained supportive of the renewable fuel. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Wednesday that "wherever sound science and the law support steps to allow more homegrown fuels in America's vehicles, this administration takes those steps."

The EPA has said a congressional mandate for increased ethanol use can't be achieved without allowing higher blends. Congress has required refiners to blend 36 billion gallons of biofuels, mostly ethanol, into auto fuel by 2022.

The ethanol industry has maintained that there is sufficient evidence to show that a 15 percent ethanol blend in motor fuel will not harm engine performance. They say increased consumption of the renewable fuel creates new jobs and replaces imported oil.

The industry group Growth Energy petitioned the EPA to raise the blend in March 2009. The decision was initially expected last December but was delayed twice as the agency and the Energy Department completed additional testing.

Growth Energy President Tom Buis called the move a "good first step" and said the fuel could be available for sale as soon as early next year. He urged the agency to quickly approve the blend for older vehicles, saying there is no reason to limit the higher concentration to the newer models.

Critics said the decision could be a frustration to drivers and argued that many retailers will opt not to sell the higher blend because of the expense of adding new pumps and signs.

"We're really going to make the consumers a guinea pig here," said Craig Cox of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy group that opposes increases in the fuel. "Have we really thought through what it's going to take to distinguish E15 to E10?"

The EPA said the 2007 and newer models eligible for the fuel represent more than a third of current gas consumption and more than 65 million vehicles. The rules would affect only those cars and trucks because they have more durable emissions systems. Ethanol burns hotter than gasoline, causing catalytic converters, which treat engine emissions, to break down faster. The newer vehicles have components in the emissions systems that are better able to adjust to the higher ethanol blends.

Automakers said they were worried the EPA decision would eventually lead to motorists unknowingly filling up their older cars and trucks with E15 and hurting their engines.

The problem could be exacerbated if E15 fuels are cheaper than more conventional blends, prompting owners of older vehicles to use the fuel despite the potential engine problems.

"Anytime you're dividing up model years and having different fuels for different model years, then it risks a misfueling situation and that's a real concern for the longterm success of alternative fuels," said Gloria Bergquist, spokeswoman for Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Since 2000, U.S. automakers have increased production of so-called flex-fuel vehicles, which can run on blends of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. There are currently about 8 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road. Detroit automakers have pledged to make about half of their vehicle production capable of running on E85 by 2012.

One look down the isle at your local auto parts store, and you will see dozens of cleaners for cleaning the exterior of your vehicle. One just for road tar, one for black smudges, the list goes on and on. The one cleaner I always keep handy is WD-40. This stuff really is a miracle in what it can do. A little sprayed on a rag will remove road tar, smudges, grease, gum, and many other things that get stuck to your exterior.

The best memory I have about WD-40 is when it saved my fishing trip. I had planned a fishing trip with a cousin. Since I hadn't been sportfishing in 10 years, I was very excited to go. He had changed the oil and fuel filters on his twin diesel boat the day before. We get on the boat at the crack of dawn. The left engine fires, but the right engine would not start due to the loss of prime in the fuel injectors.

We cranked the motor until the battery was almost dead. I kept looking at my watch thinking that this trip wasn't going to happen. The weather was perfect with not a breath of wind. Many people use starting fluid (ether) on diesel engines, but it is hard on internal components. One of the guys on the boat asked if there was any WD-40 aboard. He sprayed the WD-40 into the air intake, and it fired right up. I already knew the many uses for the old WD, but I gained respect for it that day. We made an overnight trip, and caught 51 Dolphin, 3 Yelllowfin Tuna, and missed a nice Marlin.

Driven To Distraction

Tips to avoid being driven to distraction gives you some good ideas of how to stay safe while on the road. With texting and all the other distractions you are up against while driving you need to stay alert and pay attention.


Texting while driving has received a great deal of attention lately, and with good reason: Keeping your eyes on a tiny keyboard rather than the roadway ahead is a disaster waiting to happen. However, texting is just the latest in a long list of distractions that could have deadly consequences on America's roadways.

"Safe driving is about focus," said Bill Moore, president of MetLife Auto & Home®. "Many accidents could be avoided if the basic principles of defensive driving and driver attentiveness were observed."


To stay focused on safety, drivers may want to ask themselves the following questions:

• Are you keeping your eyes on the prize? With cars more than ever resembling mobile offices and entertainment centers, it can be easy to forget you're behind the wheel. Most accidents occur in seconds and distractions delay your reaction time.

• Are you awake enough to drive? Driver fatigue leads to inattentiveness, and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 100,000 crashes are caused each year by drivers literally being asleep at the wheel. Recognize the signs of drowsy driving, which include difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, irritability and frequent yawning--and then, take action.

• Are you more interested in your cell phone conversation than the road ahead? Even in states where it's permissible, talking on a cell phone increases the likelihood of getting involved in a motor vehicle accident. If you need to call, pull off the road.

• Do you have a designated deejay? Simple things like changing the radio dial or finding that "perfect song" on your MP3 player may seem harmless, but they can be a big distraction.

• Are you being lazy about changing lanes? It's critical to look briefly over both shoulders before changing lanes. Even if you have onboard technology installed in the car, such as blind-spot and rearview indicators, the basics you learned in driver's education will always apply: signal your intention, check your mirrors and then glance back both ways to be certain that no one--or nothing--is in your blind spot.

• Are you day driving or daydreaming? Even without external distractions, it's easy to get caught up thinking about personal problems or work assignments. If you feel yourself losing focus, give yourself a wake-up call and set aside your problems. They can wait until the ride is over.

For the free brochures "Driving While Distracted: Be a Safer Driver" and "In the Driver's Seat: About Driving Safely," call (800) 608-0190.

For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

I think everyone knows at this point that it is very important to break the chains on the dependency of foreign oil. The biggest drawback of an electric vehicle is its range. In a country like the U.S., with our vast Interstate highway system, this flaw is even more magnified. But the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is researching ways to make up for the shortcomings of EV’s.

Beginning this Fall, WSDOT will be installing quick charging stations along the side of I-5 through Washington. For those not familiar with I-5 in Washington, it spans from the Canadian border to the Oregon State line (276 miles in total) and passes through Seattle, its largest city.

This effort is part of the federal EV Project, a government study of electric vehicles and their owners’ needs and driving habits. The charging stations are made possible by a $1.32 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, so you have Uncle Sam to thank when you’re running on a low battery and in need of a quick charge.

The stations will be clearly marked and spread no more than 80 miles apart from one another. EV’s like the Nissan Leaf have a range of about 100 miles, so that should ease the minds of drivers with longer commutes.

These roadside quick charging stations should be able to fully charge an EV battery in 15-30 minutes. Being that Seattle is one of the first major metropolitan areas to receive deliveries of the Leaf later this year, it makes sense that the city would want to be the first to take on the challenge of an electric infrastructure. This is without a doubt a step in the right direction.

Your car is a machine that requires occasional care and maintenance. By doing the right things at the right times, you can practically drive your car forever without having any sudden break downs or mechanically related malfunctions.

Step 1

When a car is brand new, almost everything on that car is new and works peferctly as its supposed to.(In most cases). As soon as that car is driven off the car lot, then wear and tear begins. and as the milage increases so does the wear and tear. The key factor is to minimize this wearing out of crucial part and replacing those that will eventually be no good for the safe and efficient operation of the car. By doing so, you can virtually have a car that will drive like brand new for a very long time.

Step 2

Some of the key car components I will focus on here are the engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, tires, interior and exterior. The engine and transmission are two of the main components that have to work properly in order to move the vehicle. Regular and timely service and repairs are essential for these components to perform properly and efficiently.

Step 3

The engine oil and filter must be replaced every 3000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. And every 15,000 miles the spark plugs, cables, coolant, transmission oil or fluid should be replaced. There should also be visual checks for oil leaks performed and if there are any they should be fixed.
The color of the oil is usually a good indicator. New unused engine oil has a light bronze tint and is viscous, however under normal engine operations that color gets darker the longer it stays in the engine, and it also loses its viscousity. If the oil has a dark brown color then most likely it needs to be changed. Automatic transmission fluid is blood red in color, so if it looks dark red or brown, its time for a transmission fluid flush.

Step 4

Your car suspension is designed to give you a smooth quiet ride. So if there are any strange sounds coming from under the car when you hit a bump or pothole then there may be some bushings that need replacing. The brakes are one of the most important components on the car, they are what will stop the car or slow it down. The brakes consist of friction pads and/or shoes that contact the brake rotors and/or drums to stop the vehicle. Over time they wear out. It is very important to have these changed on time because if not, and they are completely worn out, then metal to metal contact will occur and ruin the rotors and drums.

Step 5

The tires on your car are the most abused part of the car, they are what will transfer the energy from the engine to the pavement to move the car forward or backward. They will grip the road on every turn and stop the car every time you hit the brakes. As a result they get beaten up and worn out everytime you drive, so check them regularily, look at the thread pattern and if there's little or none left then its time to replace them. The tires are one of the most ignored parts of a car, but somewhat one of the most important for safe driving.

Step 6

Finally is is important to maintain the interior and exterior of your car, by regularily cleaning and washing. Your headlamps, blinkers, and rear tail lamps should occasionally be checked to ensure they are all in good operating condition. You should ensure that there is a jack and spare in the trunk.
Most people tend to gauge a car's condition by the number of miles on the odometer, however by adhering to regularily schedule maintenace, repairing promptly any problems that arise, driving modestly and a little tender care, the milage on your odometer or age of your car is just a number.

I personally drive a diesel pickup with over 300,000 miles on it, and I highly recommend using a qualified local oil change facility. I have been using my local Rapid Lube since my truck was new. The advantage is oil changes are their primary business, and they know their stuff. They check all fluids including front and rear differential fluids which commonly get overlooked at most garages. They also check all lights, and the air filter, as well as checking tire pressure. These things combined help on tire wear, and fuel economy.