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Ask Judy Question #18
Dear Judy: Recently I drove to a neighboring community on business. As I headed for home, my car that sputtered and died. I didn't have any towing coverage, but my best friend was with me, and she had AAA. This got us towed home, to a garage that had done my last few oil changes. Unfortunately, the costs were (to me) unfairly high, and I had personality problems with the person in the front office. The costs were worse than the conflict. As a woman alone, what could I have done differently?
Signed...Broke in Bellevue
Response from John Papish
Dear Broke in Bellevue: I sympathize your plight. Years and years ago, even as a teen, I took it upon myself to learn what I could about cars, and learned "just enough" to keep my cars/trucks over the years, on the road. I have learned all kinds of tricks including Saran Wrap and duct tape to fix a burst rad hose til I could get home to replace it myself.
Used to be, that vehicles were a lot simpler and that they could be repaired by the shadetree mechanic. Carburetors, timing could be adjusted. Today's cars / trucks are all fuel injected and computer controlled, and have engine compartments so tightly jammed with stuff that a dime would not fall through to the ground if you dropped one in there. Fuel injectors and computer controlled modules cannot be adjusted by the home or roadside mechanic. If they die, they die and need replacing. So you are at the mercy of the garage / dealer who can do a diagnostic readout
on your car, to find out what the trouble is.
Things you can still do yourself:
- Check / adjust belt tensions, check all your fluid levels, replace or gap your spark plugs, replace worn / broken spark plug wires, replace air filters. and check your tire pressure.
- Very important, get to know a mechanic who moonlights (they all do) to do your brakes on a regular basis. It will cost you about 1/3 of what the shop will charge you. (i.e.. a $350 brake job plus tax will cost you about $150 on your / his driveway. And he can buy all your brake parts wholesale and pass the savings on to you).
- Buy used tires from the used tire dealer. Here, they sell them with 60% or more tread left, and the cost is 1/3 of a new tire (i.e.. $40 as opposed to $120 and up)
- I found it useful each time I bought a vehicle, to buy a Haynes shop manual from the automotive parts store. They are handy, and contain troubleshooting guides which can help you narrow down your problem to avoid being taken to the cleaners by a shady garage. Keep the shop manual in your car, where you need it. One more than one occasion, I have photocopied pages out of that manual to show to the service advisor where the most likely problem is. If they come up with something else entirely, I know they are not being straight with me and we will discuss it.
- Avoid the dealer's offers to run diagnostic tests without doing any actual work, if possible. They are just a profit making item for them You can find yourself paying $100 just for a technician to troubleshoot. Better for you to tell them what the problem is. Use the pages of your shop manual.
- Don't be quick to say yes to everything the repair shop suggests to you. A lot of it is just make-work to generate extra profit and is unnecessary at that time (though it may become necessary down the road. However you don't have to spend all your money right away). Case in point, I just bought 2 used tires for my truck - total bill, $80 installed and balanced.
I got the song and dance about how on a Ford of that year, the twin I beam suspension really wears out front tires fast and since mine wore, I of course really needed to have a front end alignment and new shocks. (Shocks, $170 for 2 plus tax, alignment $130 plus tax ; so far, $300 and
counting). I happen to know that my shocks are OK, and the vehicle does not vibrate, and the steering does not drift left or right when on the road so why do I need an alignment? Beware all the suggested add-on work.
How do you test your shocks? Simple. Take a good firm grip on each corner of your car, one corner at at time. Bounce your car firmly 3 -4 times up and down. Let it go. Your car should settle back steady after one bounce, or a bounce-and-a-half. If it takes 3 bounces or more to settle, then your shocks are indeed worn. Otherwise, they are doing their job and do not
need to be replaced. And you don't need to spend $100 on shock absorber diagnostics to have the mechanic bounce your car for you.
- Keep your battery posts clean to ensure enough current is available to start your car. Baking soda and water mixed, poured over your battery will neutralize any acid. And keep your battery topped up with water, if it is not maintenance free. Any battery over 5 years old at the max, should be replaced.
- And definitely have a membership with AAA or CAA the Canadian equivalent, especially if your vehicle is older. It is towtruck insurance. Here a tow will cost you a $40 hookup fee plus $3 a mile otherwise. One towing incident will pay for your membership dues and then some.
- Depending on your climate, carry warm clothing, a blanket, some munchies, a candle etc. in your vehicle, especially in winter. In order to do temporary repairs on the fly, carry a toolkit in the trunk, including a socket set, electrical tape, wire, wire strippers, rope, the above mentioned Saran Wrap, duct tape, a screwdriver kit, a 2 gallon can of gas, booster cables, and a flashlight. A pair of pliers and a knife are also useful. Nail clippers make good wire strippers in a pinch. And most people on the road carry a cellphone these days.
- And of course, your spare tire. Be sure it has enough air in it, it is no good to you if it is flat. Know where your car's jack is and how to use it. Be sure you have your tire wrench. It is better to buy one of those big X shaped ones from the automotive store rather than try to use the lazy L shaped one that comes with the car. The X shaped ones let you put much
more force on the wheel's lug nuts to remove them, and you will need to put force on them.
- Be sure you have a spray can of WD 40 or similar penetrating oil to loosen those nuts and bolts. After a few years of driving, the nuts, especially tire lug nuts, can wedge themselves on so tight they cannot be removed otherwise. You will need the penetrating oil to loosen them. Inspect your wheel lug nuts and check to be sure your tire wrench actually fits them. Some nuts have a decorative chrome cap, that rusts underneath, and the wrench will not fit them anymore. Such nuts need to be replaced. You don't want to find that out on the side of the road in the rain or snow.
- Oh, and be sure to change your vehicle's oil and filter regularly. It is a vital fluid.
- When hooking up booster cables, they go positive-to-positive, negative-to-negative. If the sparks fly when you touch the battery posts, you have got them crossed. Reverse the connection
at one end.
- If you have a flat, i.e. your tire blows on you at a very bad time and place, such as on the freeway between exits, you can still get yourself out of trouble. Most vehicles have steel rims. You can drive along on the shoulder of the road, very slowly i.e. 5 mph at idling speed on the flat to get to the next exit and off the freeway. The steel rim will not be damaged at such low speed and you can travel several miles on it without harm. However, your tire will end up in shreds as the steel rim will cut right through it. But your tire is blown anyway so that shouldn't matter.
The objective is to get to a safe location or the nearest garage where you can put on your spare. And steel rims are cheap to replace if it is necessary.
- If you are fortunate enough to have a very expensive car with aluminum rims, you really should not drive any distance on them when flat. Aluminum is much softer than steel and you will destroy the rim. However if you can afford fancy aluminum mag wheels in the first place, you can probably afford to replace it. But at least you can get yourself out of trouble.
- Bottom line, you cannot completely depend on your vehicle, you have to figure that it will die on you one day and you have to be prepared for it. Too many people take their cars for granted. Do get that shop manual and do some reading.
- I am sure others can add more points and tips. And I do agree that car dealerships, and especially the corner garages, have a great deal to learn when it comes to customer relations.
All the best,
John Papish, B.A; B.Comm - hedhntr@interlog.com
President, Spectrum Computer Personnel Inc.
"We Relieve IT Hiring Headaches"
http://www.interlog.com/~hedhntr
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