Oil Price Illusion
Every vehicle needs a regular oil change, and that means the price of oil is always a factor to consider in order to control your vehicle's operating cost. One of the best ways to do that is to use oil…
Vehicle Maintenance
In order for any machine to work well and be reliable, it needs regular vehicle maintenance. This is why companies are such sticklers about maintaining their equipment and machinery. A machine that breaks down and stops production costs them big…
Car Service and How to Save Money
There is a an easy way to save money on car service specials and here it is – pick a shop you trust and do all of your business there. Why not shop around? There are a number of reasons…
Harmful Effects of Ethanol
The harmful effects of ethanol have been known and continue to grow. As the government continues to meddle in the free market of ethanol, unintended consequences pop up all over the place. Now we have the EPA, after much lobbying…
How Often Should I Change My Oil?
How Often Should I Change My Oil is a question that doesn't have a one answer fits all solution. But there really is no mystery to this most common of maintenance services. We know we need a periodic oil change, but…
Flat Tire – Avoiding Potholes
Potholes. Sooner or later everybody hits one of these things. Trying to save getting a flat tire is a big deal for most car drivers. In the majority of cases even a deep pothole can be a non event. The…
Car Leaking Issues and What To Do
Is your car leaking? Should you fix that minor oil seepage coming from the valve cover? If you spend a lot of time on the road, yes. If you use the car locally, maybe you can live with it. I…
Scheduled Maintenance or Oversold Hype?
Sometimes spending money on scheduled maintenance or preventative maintenance can really help. How does changing the fluids in a car really help? Well, it helps, but you have to consider your plan for how long you will keep those wheels…
Engine Noise
Believe it or not engine noise problems are some of the most difficult problems to cure. It starts with the customer’s vague description of the situation which results in a lot of time being spent by the technician who sometimes…
The Timing Belt and When To Replace Them
A couple of months ago we recommended a timing belt to one of our customers based on the age of the belt. We usually do this routine when someone has a scheduled appointment. It hadn’t reached the end of its…
Electronic Parking Brake Use and Disuse
If you own a vehicle with an electronic parking brakes, make sure you actuate it from time to time. Otherwise, you may be in for an expensive surprise when it comes time to replace the rear brake pads. A $200…
Drivers and Aging
Consumer Reports cites research published by the American Psychological Association, on the online journal Neuropsychology that finds as we get older our reaction times slow down. No surprise there. Making people aware of that fact is a good thing, but…
Electric Cars and the Government
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the AASP-PA meetings in Grantville PA. It was an interesting and informative experience and gave me some insight into the concept of momentum. I came to the conclusion…
Saving Money Tip for November
When your car needs repairs, and you want to be saving money, make sure you set aside enough time to give the repair shop all of the information it needs to successfully repair it. Perversely, many folks don’t do this.…
Fuel Savings Tip for September
Fill up the gas tank before it hits reserve. Running the tank low creates two problems. The pump can overheat causing it to fail intermittently or outright and creating a very expensive repair, typically $500 or more. At any rate…
Motorcycles and Safety Tips
One way to tell that spring is in the air is by the number of motorcyclists you are seeing. For the great majority of them, the warm weather and price of gas creates an urgency to dust off those old…
Winter Driving Tip and Safety
The roads are slick out there today in the east and there is more snow on the way making winter driving an everyday ordeal. A trick I learned from racing cars is to control the steering wheel with one hand…
Safe Holiday Travel with AAA
Okay, so you did all the required maintenance, have a AAA membership and are ready for that long holiday trip to Grandma’s house. You are half way into a trip of hundreds of miles when……..well, as Robert Burns so aptly stated in…