Being able to afford what you're driving

Recently we had a car come into the shop with 1 headlight that didn't work.  Now, normally it's a simple bulb replacement, but this particular car had headlights that were, well, let's say expensive.  The bulb alone, $140.  The ballast (yes like in a fluorescent light,) $400!  So instead of a simple circuit that supplies power to a bulb, there's an elaborate system that is going to cost our customer almost $500.  Just to fix his headlight.  You may be thinking that it's gotta be a Saab or a BMW or some exotic car.  It's not.  It's a Cadillac.
Even so-called domestic cars aren't domestic anymore.  More and more manufacturers are teaming up with European designers and engineers and in some cases have even partnered with foreign companies.  One that comes to mind is Daimler/Chrysler.  Daimler is in fact Mercedes Benz.  So now that Dodge minivan you're looking at could potentially be part Mercedes in design and engineering.  Which is fine.  Mercedes makes some awesome cars.  But can you afford to drive or fix one?
I guess the point of this post is that it's not our (the mechanic's fault) that your vehicle is a morphidite of several different manufacturers, engineers and sourcing.  Just be aware that some vehicles cost more, sometimes a lot more to fix.  A responsible shop will do their best to control your costs, but in the end they still need to make a profit to stay in business.  

When you leave your car off for repairs

Ok, this is kind of a gripe.  When you leave your car at a shop for repair, make sure there's some freakin' gas in it!  We can't drive it if there's no gas in it.  You're not gonna pay me to walk home from a test drive and will be irritated when I charge you for putting gas in your car.  USE YOUR BRAIN!  First of all, you shouldn't run your tank below 1/4 tank.  Modern, in the tank fuel pumps rely on sufficient gas to cool them and to keep them from sucking up the crap at the bottom.  Secondly, don't be a dumbass.  How can I drive your car sufficiently to diagnose something if there's no gas in the tank.

Purchasing

Recently someone asked me about buying a car.  Everyone knows that new cars are expensive, some more than others.  Used cars you can pretty much pick your price and go on Craigslist or one of the local by/sell pages on Facebook, etc.  But, you get what you pay for.
When you buy a used car, get it checked out by a mechanic of YOUR choice.  Don't take the seller's word for it, whether its an individual you called off Craigslist or a dealership.  Unless, unless it's a dealer that's offering a warranty.  Ford pre-certified is a good example of this.  Typically these cars have low miles, and have been gone through by the dealership service dept. and are warranted to a certain extent.  Read the contract, carefully.  If you don't understand the language of drivetrain and electrical (there's always disclaimers for every part of the warranty that you'll be responsible for.)
I recently dealt with a customer who had paid for an aftermarket warranty on his expedition.  The company paid for the motor and the labor to put it in, at their labor hour rate, not the shop's.  You either take some work, or go without, so we took on the job.
The warranty company supplied the engine but didn't pay the extra labor to swap the wiring harness, since the junk yard cut everything, didn't pay for gaskets when the used engine came without a bunch of stuff that we had to swap over, etc., etc.,.  The owner of the vehicle ended still having to pay almost $700 above what the warranty company paid.
Bottom line if you're buying a used car.  Cover your ass.  Drive it around town and on the highway if possible but at least at higher speeds.  Look at the tires.  Check the oil.  Is it clean, full?  If the seller will not let you have it looked at by someone of your choosing, walk away.

Problems once repairs are done.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but a recent thread on a Facebook page has got me thinking.

This young lady had taken her car into a shop because it was leaking antifreeze and had over heated.  Now this particular vehicle is pretty unforgiving when it over heats and 75% of the time when this engine has over heated more than twice, it's got more than one problem.
Anyway, the story is that her vehicle overheated, she took it in and had a radiator, fan clutch, thermostat and the cooling system flushed.  She paid her bill, took her car and it overheated the next time she drove it!  Now she's already shelled out $800 for a car that over heats.  There are no leaks on the ground, no coolant in the oil, etc. etc.
An experienced technician will know the peculiarities of this engine and know to conduct simple, inexpensive tests to avoid repairs that either were the result of the original problem, or not detected and causes you, the owner more headaches.  At the very least, it gives a full picture of what kind of damage the engine may have sustained since it's been overheating.
Now this lady has been using social media to inquire as to what to do.  And of course there are as many opinions as there are posters.  My hope is that the shop will step up (and they have) and show that their interest is in fixing the vehicle.  Permanently, reliably, cost effectively.

Get What You Pay For

I have personally worked in shops that do the bait and switch on you, but you don't even know it.  In most cases, there are "grades of quality" parts that can be bought by you, or the shop your car is at.  The shop prices the high end "Cadillac" part for your car, and charges you for it, but they buy the generic brand and that's what you get.  I'm not kidding.
In some cases, it's worth paying for an Original Equipment part, in other words from the dealership.  But an amazing thing has happened in the last few years.  The OEM Parts market has dropped dramatically and  many times the original manufacturer part is cheaper or equivalent to the parts store parts.  A lot of times it really doesn't matter if the part is OEM or not, but there are some cases where it does.  That's where experience and honesty come into play.
I don't have any cut and dry answers for you to not be a victim of this practice of pricing higher end parts and installing low end ones.  It happens a lot!  My thought is to be aware of your surroundings while at the shop.  Do you see NAPA or Dealership deliveries being made?  Or do you see Auto Zone trucks coming and going?  What do you see  for parts lying around?  Are they GM, or Ford?  Or are they generic re manufacturer boxes?
Ask about a parts warranty.  Keep your paperwork and make sure that your front end components are being greased at every oil change.  Don't be afraid to ask your oil change place about doing it.  Sometimes we forget, sometimes we assume that the parts are original in which case many are not serviceable.

Be prepared!

Sorry, it's been a little while since I've posted.  My thought for this message is to be prepared.
When you buy your first car or your 3rd car, be familiar with it.  Does it have a spare tire?  (Some new cars don't even come with spares.)  Do you know how to change it?  If not, take advantage of the nicer weather and practice in your driveway where it's safe.  Read your owner's manual.  It sounds obvious but if the manufacturer could save $1.00 per car by not providing it, don't you think they would?  There's a lot of valuable information in there, and it pertains to your safety.  What certain lights on the dash mean, how to access your jack and accessories and other features your car may have that you may not realize.  Read it in the bathroom if need be.
Fluids have changed in the years I've been doing this.  Synthetic oils, transmission fluid, brake fluid and even antifreeze has changed.  Know what is being put in your car.  Is your GM 2012 or newer?  It probably takes a special oil called Dexos, and if the oil change place isn't using it, it could void your warranty.  Be smart, be educated.  I've got 265,000 miles on my jeep for a reason.  Original engine and transmission.  Don't be afraid to ask your mechanic (I hope you've got one you frequent so there's a relationship built) about your car.

Hello Spring!

The weather's going to change before we know it.  Extra stresses on our cooing systems from the heat, running the A/C, more people on the road and more traffic and more setting at lights.
Get your A/C checked now, before the busy season to avoid the sauna drive home some evening when it's 80 degrees.
Same thing goes for cooling systems.  Years ago, cars had grills the size of barbecues.  Now, cooling systems operate at much tighter temperature ranges, and are computer controlled.  99.9% of the time the computer does it's job, but it can only do so much.  Changing out your coolant is an inexpensive and important aspect of maintaining your car/truck and making sure it gets you where you need to be when (believe it or not it will be) it's freakin' hot!

Shopping for tires

I have a friend that says "good food's not cheap and cheap food's not good."  We always teased him because he was a little on the heavy side and said he oughta know.  But, the point is when you're shopping for tires cheapest isn't always best.  A lot of it depends on what kind of driving you do and where you live.  If you live in an area that gets lot's of snow like we do in Michigan, then you want a tire that has an outside tread that's open like this one:

 So called "all season" tires are good for general driving and dry to wet conditions but if you drive in snow a lot, look for this open tread design.  

Don't scrimp on tires.  They are the contact point between you, your car and the road.  They give you control during driving, braking, constantly vigilant to keep your car on the road.   

When you do invest (and yes it's an investment) in new tires, get a front end alignment.  It will show any problems that may wear your new, expensive tires prematurely.  Or, better yet, choose a shop that will make sure you don't have any loose parts that will trash your brand new tires.  You'll be amazed at how differently your vehicle handles with good/new tires.  Oh and by the way, keep checking that tire pressure too!

Dealing with your mechanic/shop

Sometimes people just don't click.  You ever have that happen?  You try to deal with a jewelry clerk or a shoe clerk or a hair dresser, or, a mechanic.
The funny thing is:  you're usually not dealing with a mechanic or a service writer by choice.  It's usually because something's happened.  When something happens and you don't have wheels, you're screwed.  Right?  I know it, been there.  After many, many years and advances in technology I don't go anywhere, especially for a test drive without my cell phone.  I've broken down in customer's cars without it and it sucks.
To the point though.  If you're having an issue with the way your car runs, shifts, handles, PAY ATTENTION!  When does it do it?  Only on the highway?  When you start it first thing.  Being a mechanic is sometimes like being a detective.  I'll get a car to work on that says on the work order:  "check leak."  Ok, what kind of leak?  Are you adding oil?  Is it red?  A tire?  The more information you can give the people who will eventually get you back on the road, the quicker and more efficiently they can fix it.
We all get that car that only does (whatever it does) on the second Tuesday of the week and if the sun's out.  I've chased my tail on many of these types of cars, so be patient.  Your mechanic/shop should be willing to communicate where they are in the process, even if they aren't anywhere because they haven't gotten it to act up.
True story:  I was working at a dealership and the owner stated that whenever his wife drove the truck and turned left it shut off.  I was the third guy to look at it and of course after driving around for what seemed like hours, I never did get it to shut off.  I asked the owner to come down and drive it with me.  Sometimes people drive a little easier or more aggressively or whatever.  There obviously had to be a problem because the customer was giving us his brand-new truck for the time it took to figure it out.  He and I drove around a big parking lot doing left circles.  We were just shooting the breeze when the truck shut off.  He hit the brakes and held his hands up saying "I didn't touch anything."  I looked at the dash and all the gauges were off.  I reached over and turned the key and "click" every thing turned on and the truck started right up.
The next group of circles I watched the ignition key/switch.  Sure enough after a few minutes you see it creeping backwards and eventually:  "Click!"  The ignition switch was bad and once we replaced it the customer never had another problem.  But, what a weird problem that without really putting in the time and effort and involving the customer did we find it.

Choosing a shop

As a little bit of background on myself.  When my wife and I were just married, we were quoted by a shop $400 to swap an engine in a car for us, we supply the engine.  I found the engine, checked with the shop to make sure it would fit and when push came to shove, the bill was $750!  "We had to swap some things over."  When I approached the shop owner (me, of 21 years old and 120lbs. soaking wet) to be confronted by a couple of older more "beefy" gentlemen than I was, I paid the bill after a couple of weeks of saving up.  I wish I'd have known at the time but had I gotten an estimate in writing, I might have got my ass kicked but I'd have at least had a legal leg to stand on.  So, when I share some knowledge, it's from your point of view as the car owner, not as a mechanic or a shop owner.
I just wanted to post a few of my views regarding repair facilities, dealers and privately owned.  I've worked in a few of both.  Some I wouldn't take my car to for an oil change, others I literally had tears in my eyes when I left for another opportunity.
Find a shop that you're comfortable with.  Either dealer or independent.  If you feel like you're getting the hard sell about things (the $2000 oil change gas station, yes I worked there) and pressure to buy and you're not in an emergency "I need my car fixed now, that's why it's here" kind of situation, run.  Get a second or third opinion.  Get your estimate in writing, be cordial if you decline the work and avoid confrontation.  Garage owners who are confrontational are generally threatened by anyone who a: either knows what they're actually talking about, or b: questions them beyond their honesty or knowledge or both.
If you're not broke down and at the mercy of where your vehicle is, don't be pushed into getting hundreds of dollars worth of work done.  If you are at this shop and have to get back on the road at their mercy, ask to see all the parts they charged you for.  Tell 'em your dad or your uncle's a mechanic and they're helping you pay for it and want to see them if they give you any crap.  Either way, here in Michigan it's the law that you are entitled to all parts except those that are required for a deposit, kind of like a pop bottle.  The shop pays the deposit up front for your part but they get their money back once they turn the old one back in.  Minus the state tax of course.  But, you still have a right to see those parts, BEFORE they are returned.
And always question, question question.  If you don't understand what's being explained to you or whomever your talking to can't or won't explain it, ask to speak to someone else or on your behalf bring someone else into the conversation.  Sometimes personalities just don't click, and when I'm on one end of the phone trying to explain why it's going to cost you $1800 to fix your car, it's not a pleasant deal, been there done that.
Getting your car fixed shouldn't be nerve wracking, other than it does cost money.
But I worked in a shop that when people came in for repairs, they inevitably ended up playing some Euchre or having grilled ribs while they were waiting!  Now the family would fight and argue (family owned business) like cats and dogs but were honest as the day was long.  I guess that's why they've been on the same corner for over 40 years.
It is Michigan State Law that you are to be provided with a written estimate.  Now times have changed since that law was written and phone conversations (with proper documentation) e-mails, texts, are all considered by shop owners as viable forms of consent to spend your money.  The law has not necessarily kept up with the technology, so don't be surprised if you're asked for your last 4 SS digits or something like that so that the shop owner can prove he/she got your authorization to spend money.

Some More Winter Tips

Another winter time tip.  Take the time to walk around your vehicle and make sure your lights and plate are not covered in snow and ice.  Yes you will get pulled over if the police can't read your plate.  Got pulled over in Potterville for that last summer because of the mud covering our plate.  Any lights that are out can get you pulled over and more importantly, aren't safe.

Take two minutes to walk around.  Watch your reflection on the car in front of you at the light or drive-thru.  If you see someone with a light out and you get the opportunity, tell them.

Buying a used car

For many of you, buying a used car can be a daunting thought.  Do I buy from a dealership or an individual?  How do I know if I buy this car it's not gonna nickle and dime me to death?

First of all, unless you buy a brand-new car or truck with a warranty, there's no way to guarantee you're not going to have to put money into it.  And some new car warranties even have a deductible so it could cost you no matter what.  Buying so-called "certified pre-owned" cars can have an advantage.  The dealership has an investment in repairing anything that they found after taking the car in and the price will reflect that.  But these vehicles come with some kind of warranty.

Buying from an individual has a few different little twists.  If the deal looks too good too be true, it probably is.  It pays to have it inspected by a mechanic, one of your choosing, not theirs.  If the seller is un-willing to allow an inspection, don't buy the vehicle.  Consider what repairs your mechanic sees into the price when you negotiate.  

Drive the car!  Or have someone somewhat knowledgeable drive the car.  And more than just right around the block.  Put 10 miles on it.  Go 55 and hit the brakes.  Does it shake?  Does it make any noise?   Look for any obvious stains under the car or anything dripping off the car.  Check the oil.  Is it clean and full?  What's the mileage on the sticker?  What are the tires like?  Are they all the same size?  Is there a spare?  I got stranded once when I was a kid the night I bought a used car with a flat, only to find out there was no spare or jack or anything.  The people who's house I ended up in front of called the State Police on me and I was given a certain number of hours to move the car, which I think cost me a $55.00 tow bill in the middle of the night.  Cover your ass.  Anything that's promised or assumed must be in writing or it's not worth anything.
And as a side note, don't carry your title in your car.  It's proof of ownership and if someone takes your car all they have to do is forge your name and they can get a title for it.
I'm sure there's more, but this is off the top of my head.
C  

Cold weather tips

I posted this on FB the other day and wanted to share with a larger, more focused audience.  When temperatures reach the severe levels they have in the mid-west of late, any maintenance you've forgone will make itself painfully obvious.  Namely, your battery.  I see a lot of batteries fail at 2 years!  And at 4, you better think about getting a new one if you live in extreme temperature areas.
If you do have a decent battery, when you start your car after it's been sitting for several hours, cycle your key from off to on, off to on.  Turn your headlights on for a few seconds.  This "primes" your fuel system, and the headlights being on will get the juices in your battery kind of stirring before you zap the crap out of it trying to start the engine.
You will usually find a stamp or some other marking that will tell you the age of the battery.  If you have any doubts, just about any service station will check it for you for free.  I know the local oil change place where I live will check them for free and their batteries have a 4 year replacement warranty.