It is now summer, the time for vacations and lots of car travel. Car travel has been going up in popularity the past few years, visiting some of the great spots in the US. Getting your vehicle ready for a trip during the hot weather can make a vacation much more stress free. This is most important for vehicles over 80,000 miles or those who have not taken good preventive care of their car. The most important focus should be the cooling system of your vehicle. About 75% of all major engine damage happens when an engine overheats. The cooling system is one of the largest systems of your vehicle. Your repair shop should pay special attention to all the cooling hoses, water pump, radiator and other parts of the system. Newer vehicles use a lot of plastic in the cooling system that gets brittle with age. If one plastic part breaks, it is a very good idea to replace all of the plastic parts of the cooling system at once. That includes a lot of wate ... read more

In the 1950’s and 60’s, tune-ups were done every 5000-7000 miles, coolant was flushed every fall and oil changes every 2000, with engines reaching 100,000 miles at most. With today’s more precisely built engines, it’s not unusual for one to reach 300,000 miles with regular maintenance. But what kind of maintenance should modern cars have, and how does one maintain a vehicle for the fewest dollars per mile to drive it? For starters, how often should oil services be preformed? Some manufacturers are recommending up to 18, 000 miles on oil changes, other sources say every 3 months, or every 3000 miles. Some manufactures are recommending that their transmission never needs service. There are documented cases with Japanese and European car engines slugging up and needing major repair after fewer than 50,000 miles, even though oil service were done in the prescribed factory times. With lifetime transmission fluid, an instructor who worke ... read more

If you're in the market to buy a new or used vehicle, doing research before purchasing is critical. Look in "Consumer Reports®" first; the April edition focuses on new and used vehicles. In my opinion, this has great information on the good, the bad and the ugly. Both vehicles I own were top picks in "Consumer Reports." By studying this publication, you'll learn that one vehicle can cost more than four times as much to own over five years than another. Some vehicles have a very bad rating in dependability while others have great handling. The publication also recommends which extras to buy and which to avoid with your car purchase. What you research in "Consumer Reports" can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your vehicle. When buying a used vehicle, especially one from a private party, it's so important to have the vehicle inspected by your favorite auto mechanic. In the past few months, we've had numerous folks bring i ... read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyiJbyeu6I The above link is the link to our first automotive clinic. These clinic are taught by George Rode, who has previously taught class for Lane Community College. George's classes are very informative and completely hands on

Your risk factor has to do with how you repair and maintain your vehicle. I had a husband and wife come into the shop last week with a check engine light on. Our shop scanned the control unit in their SUV and found 2 different items that the code scanner read. We also found a bad battery, it was over due for an oil change by 5,000 miles, and was well over due for a major service. It was the wife’s SUV but the husband was to make all the calls on the needed repair on this vehicle. His first comment was “it didn't need a battery” but I did explain that it is a very scientific approach in checking a battery condition and it flunked the test very badly. It was the only time that the wife said anything about the vehicle, that it was starting very slowly. As conversation about this vehicle proceeded, it became very apparent that the husband was a risk taker. He didn't want to make this a dependable vehicle for his wife to drive. “She has a cell phone ... read more

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