Car Talk Archives - Page 7 of 9

The Weight Loss of Vehicles

Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE was put into effect in 1975 and Congress has been tweaking it for 38 years, so it constantly improves the average fuel economy for all cars and trucks sold in the United States. Currently the “defined” standard is 30.2 miles per gallon for passenger vehicles and 24.1 miles per gallon for light trucks. When vehicles fall below 30.2 mpg or 24.1 mpg the manufacturer is penalized $5.50 for every 0.1 miles per gallon below the standard.

Have you ever heard of the “Gas Guzzler Tax?” Passenger cars that get less than 22.5 miles per gallon have this tax levied on them. It is not applicable for SUVs, trucks or vans, however. With all these penalties, manufacturers are working hard to not only make engines that are fuels sippers but make vehicles that are lighter in weight.

By 2016, the new standard will be a combined 35.5 miles per gallon and by 2025 the government standard is 54.5 miles per gallon! This has manufacturers scurrying to build a lighter vehicle because the lighter the vehicle, the more fuel efficient it is. Those of us in the United States, on average, prefer our vehicles on the roomy side as opposed to small. Manufacturers need the light weight of aluminum but the cost for manufacturers to change their assembly lines to work with aluminum and alloys is costly!

General Motors Ventures has invested in a Rhode-Island based company called NanoSteel Corporation. They make a strong steel sheet that can take shape while withstanding the standard stamping process and yet is twenty percent lighter than the usual cold-rolled grade steel. It does not require heat to shape it and the assembly line doesn’t have to be retrofitted.

High-end vehicles have been using aluminum successfully but this new steel is wonderful news for manufacturers and auto repair shops alike! How are the vehicles doing? The 2014 Cadillac CTS weighs 250 pounds, or 7 percent less than the 2013 model. Jaguar Land Rover Sport is 800 pounds lighter or 17 percent less than the 2013 model. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee that replaces the Liberty is 200 pounds lighter but 5.1 inches longer.

Lighter cars will not lower safety standards but they will brake, accelerate and handle better. Parts made from lighter high-strength steel can be 39 percent lighter! It is also $2.75 less per pound than aluminum and $7 per pound less than carbon fiber.

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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When Looking For A New Shop, What Questions Should I Ask?

Keep in mind that the automotive industry doesn’t have any standards for service or repairs. The owner nor mechanic do not have to be certified. This makes it vitally important that you do your research very carefully. Remember…no matter what price you are quoted, someone else can always come in lower but make sure they are a reliable shop that doesn’t just undercut on price…you don’t want them to undercut on service or repair (low bidder is not always a good value). The internet is a great place to start! Look at reviews to help you make your decision. These are some questions that you may want to ask any shop you call for an estimate.

Question #1 – Does your shop offer a Warranty?
Warranties are varied. Some range from as short as 90 days to as long as two years or more or 4,000 to 50,000 miles. A longer warranty is always better. Also ask if the warranty covers nationwide break downs, which could be very important if you travel or are on vacation.

Question #2 – Does your shop have a Guarantee the repair policy?

I can’t believe the amount of calls we receive from consumers who have had a repair that cost them a lot of money and yet the car wasn’t fixed properly. If the shop did not find, explain and fix your concern, why do you pay for it? You should feel completely in control and understand the tests and repairs being performed or just say no and go somewhere you feel good about. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you save money.

Question #3 – Are ALL of the technicians at your shop ASE certified?

There is no certification required to work on your car. Being certified is voluntary only, so when the shop has ASE or other certifications, I believe they are a cut above a shop with non-certified employees.

Question #4 – Does the shop have insurance?
Again, believe it or not, there is no requirement for a shop to carry insurance. If the shop has an accident with your car and has no insurance, you get to pay for it. Most shops are ethical and have insurance, but it never hurts to protect yourself. Always ask when you are shopping around for a new shop.

Question #5 – What brand of parts do you use?
There are many manufacturers of parts. Take brakes for example; I can buy brake pads for as little as $10.00 or as much as $60.00 for the same car. That makes getting an estimate over the phone tricky. The brand of part, the experience or certification of the mechanic replacing the part, is it the right part for your make and model, all have to be considered. This makes prices vary a great deal. I personally would never let our customers leave with inferior parts on their car.

I hope all these points help you the next time you are calling for estimates. Oftentimes, the great deal costs you more in long run!

Please email or call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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Your Car – Robocop On Wheels?

I have written in the past about our cars being computers-on-wheels that constantly collect data. What if they were required to share that collected data with government agencies. I know…this sounds like George Orwell’s novel, 1984 doesn’t it? Could our car become, in some form, Big Brother?

What if you find yourself zipping along at 75 mph and in a couple of days find a speeding ticket in your mail box? We already know that cameras placed in certain intersections record anyone who runs a red-light and sends that person a red-light citation in the mail. Your car is already fully capable of collecting emission data. What if you got ticketed for that? What if your car refused to run until you got the issue taken care of?

We’ve heard a great deal lately about “black boxes” due to airlines losing contact with planes. One plane was never found…and the latest one has been found and they have now recovered the black boxes. The black box records what took place to give clues to what really happened prior to the tragedy.

Many cars already have black boxes. Your car collects a remarkable amount of data about your driving habits now…and eventually it is possible that this could be used to govern how you drive. What if your car is required to send the data to public officials to notify them of your driving habits? They would know if:

You are a habitual speeder.
Your car is polluting the air.
You idle too long at rush hour sitting at red lights.
Where you go at every moment.

It hasn’t come to this yet…but it is being researched and it may mean that the government and not you, own the information your car is collecting. It is a little scary isn’t it? Like I have said before, sometimes the stuff of science fiction is really science future…

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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October Car Care

Twice a year the Car Care Council, a non-profit organization, celebrates National Car Care Month. This happens in April and again in October. The reason they feel the need to spend money on advertising the importance of car care is because so many consumers don’t take care of their vehicles properly.

Neglect of this kind causes accidents, expensive breakdowns, pollution, using more fuel than necessary and even lost time at work! The Car Care Council hopes a gentle reminder twice yearly will prevent all this.

Here is a check list for safety, dependability and savings!

Have all fluids checked
Have air filter checked
Have battery and charging system checked
Have belts and hoses checked
Have oil and lubrication service
Have all lights checked
Have all wipers and fluid checked
Have tires checked for proper inflation and tread
Have suspension system checked
Have brake system checked

Many consumers feel a false sense of security today because they have cell phones or On-Star so they are able to call someone for help. Yes…these are great when you need them but of course avoiding a breakdown or accident due to neglect or not to pollute the air or use more gas than necessary is a better choice.

If you have been putting off service or repair; call your car care provider today and not only will you be driving a safer, more eco-friendly vehicle, you will save money in the long run!

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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THE HAZARDS OF RUNNING ON FUMES

Are you one of those people that wait until a warning beeps or the low fuel light illuminates? Do you feel confident you can go several more miles before actually running out of gas? Do you make a game of “I think I can, I think I can” meaning I think I can get to a gas station on just fumes alone? If so, read on!

I’ve known a few people in my time who enjoy the challenge of pulling up to the gas station on fumes. Sure…they have lost a few times and had to hoof it to the nearest station, buy a gas can and walk back to where their trusty vehicle finally stopped. Some even brag after this experience that now they actually know for sure how many miles they can drive after the fuel warning lights up! I’m happy those people enjoy such games and challenges, but playing that game can have costly, not to mention damaging results for your vehicle.

Most vehicles have an electric fuel pump located inside the fuel tank and are actually submerged in the fuel. The fuel pump is an electric motor that spins at a high rate of speed. Spinning mechanical parts create heat and need lubrication, which is why the pump is at the bottom of the fuel tank completely covered with fuel.

The fuel pump is always spinning as long as the engine is running, which makes it more important not to run low on gas. When your fuel gauge reads below ¼ of a tank, the fuel pump is starting to be exposed to air inside the tank, instead of the cool fuel.

If you put your hands together and rub them back and forth as fast as you can, you will create heat, when you stop, it will take a few minutes for them to cool down. However, if you put them under water they cool down immediately. Maybe not a great analogy, but I think you get the idea.

Overheating fuel pumps is the number one cause of failure. The cost of replacing a fuel pump on most cars is roughly $600 to $1000 and some cost even more. We had a Dodge Charger in the shop that had two tanks connected together with two fuel pumps and that got expensive.

The best thing you can do for your vehicle is fill it up when it gets to a quarter tank. It will save you money in the long run and keep your car running well. Sure…it doesn’t have the same challenge as driving on fumes, but when it comes to your vehicle, it is always wise to consider damage control…both to your car and your wallet!

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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Who Is Working On Your Car?

We know many people are looking for great deals. They search Facebook and Craig’s List hoping for the best price. You can find amazing savings this way…but are you getting what you pay for?

The California Bureau of Automotive Repair recently busted 16 shops in a two-day sting operation. These shops were getting business from Facebook and Craig’s List but they failed to get an auto repair license to do business!

They had many excuses…from not being aware of the law to being desperate for cash. Many had been in business for a few years. All were cited and released but may have to spend 6 months in prison or pay a $1,000 fine. If convicted…they will have a misdemeanor. The law is the law!

The scary thing is BAR discovered that some were doing very poor work on unsuspecting drivers’ cars. The vehicles themselves were unsafe due to the shoddy workmanship. This is insult to injury!

Next time an advertisement sounds almost too good to be true…it probably is. Make sure your next repair is actually performed by professionals in a licensed auto repair shop. You also need to be wary of licensed auto repairmen who run a side business “off the books” and pocket the cash. Those people are also getting busted.

It is a shame that we have to live by “buyer beware” but we do. There are people always on the make, ready to take your hard-earned dollars and leaving you with a car that is less than properly repaired. These laws we have in California are in place to protect consumers.

Before turning your car…and your cash…over to anyone…make sure they are running a properly licensed, reputable business. It could save the life of your car, you and your passengers and others sharing the road with you!

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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The Check Engine Light

Your car has many computers that monitor your engine for the best performance; your transmission for proper shifting, your braking system for safe stopping and they also monitor many other devices to make sure they are working properly. If a system detects a problem, it needs to alert you, so you can bring the car in for service. This is the role of the check engine light.

The check engine light looks different from car to car, but it’s always a yellow or orange color, usually with a picture of an engine. If the check engine light comes on solid (not blinking), you can continue to drive the car until you have a chance to bring it in. This does not mean you should ignore it.

When the check engine light is on, the car defaults to a backup system that controls all the important systems. Driving around for a short time until you can set up an appointment is no problem, but continuing to drive more than 20 miles is a bad idea. However, if the check engine light is blinking rhythmically, there is a serious problem; a computer system has had a major malfunction that will damage the catalytic converter. If you notice a blinking check engine light, you do not need to stop in the middle of the bridge and call a tow truck, but you do need to stop driving as soon as practical. Whether the check engine light is solid or blinking, it’s a good idea to drive gently.

The modern car is more complex than ever, the old plug in a code reader to get a code doesn’t give as much information as it did in older makes. I recommend a full system or health scan to check all the computer and modules in the system.

Here is an example. We had a late model Ford come in with a driving issue. We did a quick code read and found no codes, but when we did a health scan, we found several codes that related to the transmission. We were able to fix the car and all was well.

Please use a shop that is well equipped and don’t rely on the old code reader any more.

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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Where Did The Transmission Dipstick Go?

I remember when we checked transmission fluid by pulling the dipstick out. We could tell many things by that dipstick but today it isn’t that simple. Many new models don’t even come equipped with a transmission dipstick!

Automatic transmissions have become marvels of precision and durability over the years. Many are 5, 6, 7 or even 8 speeds and do not have a dipstick to allow checking or adding to the fluid level or inspecting the fluid condition, unless you have specialty tools to do so.

Vehicles with “dipstickless” transmissions came about due to people adding incorrect fluid. For example, a person or non-qualified shop, added or changed the fluid with the incorrect type of fluid. The transmission would fail prematurely because the less expensive fluid did not lubricate properly and failure was imminent. The consumer might put the fault on a poorly designed or defective transmission.

Some of these transmissions are filled with what the manufacturer says is “lifetime” fluid that they claim does not require changing, while other makes may require fluid service at very long intervals that are often 100,000 miles or more. I have seen many transmissions over these last 38 years, and I recommend changing your transmission fluid at 50,000 miles. If the fluid checks out okay, then a longer change interval is acceptable.

With rules regulating the automotive manufacturers that mandate fuel mileage be increased every year, vehicles have replaced the good old “one type of transmission fluid fits all” cars with very specific synthetic fluids. The cost of today’s transmission fluid can be staggering, ranging from $6.00 to $26.00 per quart. Adding the wrong fluid will damage the internally lubricated parts over time.

Please do your homework when having any service performed. It can be devastating if the wrong fluid or incorrect fill procedure is performed.

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

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