Automotive Blog

Having a car means freedom, comfort, and is a way to get around with as they pleased. Most people think the car is a very important part of life, so many people working hard to save every dollar, so you have enough money for a down payment.
Every month you should continue making loan payments and purchase your car insurance, plus your car care needs who also require a lot of cost and reduce the budget on your living expens (continue reading…)

There are simple car enthusiasts who get the latest in car accessories and gadgets, while there are those car enthusiasts who simply can’t get enough of automotive restoration jobs for classic cars.

Dilapidated automobiles get a new lease in life when they get restored to their original condition. Shiny exteriors, plush interiors and a little tweaking of the engine and mechanicals to make the car at par with the performan (continue reading…)

I get asked this question quite often, but in some case not often enough. Seems some people have a “problem” with a $300 a month new car payment, but they are perfectly comfortable with paying the same if not more on monthly auto repair bills and accept the inconveniences that come with them. I don’t know what “drives” people to a high mileage goal? I hear customers comment “This car has to go another 20,000 miles” or brag about how many miles they are determined to put on their vehicles. “I am going to drive this vehicle 180,000 miles whether it likes it or not”. Now if this is a challenge for you, by all means take it, but I can think of many other challenges less costly. Granted, some cars will last a long time and do so with relatively low maintenance cost, but this is not the norm.

How does one know when to throw in the shop rag and get a new car? Well, I don’t have a crystal ball bearing, but I can provide some helpful guidelines to assist you in your evaluation process or your car or when buying a used car.

First: Perform an evaluation of your vehicle yourself using our used car check out list from our Website. The used car check out is self explaining and easy to use. If you have a concern or a potential problem you might uncover with an item on the list, have your auto mechanic inspect it during the next step. A great e-book about buying a used car and how to inspect the vehicle yourself is Inspect Before you buy! (continue reading…)

I get at least one customer a week who brings their car to my shop and says, “I’m going on an out-of-state road trip with the family; would you please look my car over and make sure it is road-worthy”? My reply is, “Sure, we can do that, when are you leaving?” You would be surprised at how often I hear, “Tomorrow.”

Now I know that during the planning stages of an out-of-town road trip, some things could possibly be overlooked till the last minute, but you would think at least one thing would have come to mind: reliable transportation! Breaking down on a road trip with a carload of college buddies and a cooler of beer used to be fun, but for most of the normal driving public, breaking down on the side of the road can be a nightmare. So, if you are planning a road trip, place a good deal of emphasis on preparing your vehicle. Allowing your mechanic ample time to inspect and repair your vehicle properly should be your number one priority.

Some ideas for vehicle road-worthiness would be:

1. Take your car to your regular mechanic’s shop two weeks prior to your trip. Hopefully you have a regular mechanic that you know and trust. This should NOT be a quick-lube type place, but a full service repair shop or new car dealership. I personally would not want to test the workmanship of a new mechanic on a road trip with my family. Two weeks prior? Definitely. Give your mechanic time to make necessary repairs, and some room for adjustments. If your mechanic finds problems and repairs parts on your vehicle, you will want a week or so “break in period” to test the fix(s) before you hit the road. In most cases, if anything goes wrong after major repairs, it will be in the first 100-200 miles. Give yourself enough time to feel confident that the repairs made will not be an issue as soon as you get outside your city limits. (continue reading…)

When most people shop for a new car, they focus on the price. Purchase price is an important factor but there are many other factors to consider insuring the best deal possible. New car dealerships may talk about selling at invoice price to entice the customer to purchase a new vehicle but other factors are involved that can have a dramatic affect on the value. Then there’s the question of which is better, to purchase or lease a new vehicle?

What’s better to Buy or Lease a New Car?

Determining what a better value to buy or lease largely is depends on driving habits and personal preference. If the vehicle is driven a minimal amount of miles per year, then a lease may be a better option. Some factors depend on how fast a particular model depreciates in value.

Vehicles that depreciate fast don’t lease as well as vehicles that have a slower rate of depreciation. (continue reading…)

Get some car care myths exposed. Learn what’s true among all those false ideas you have about taking care of your car.

(ARA) – Knowledge may be power, but that’s only the case if you put what you know into good use. Sure, it’s a common phrase that can be used in many different situations, but when applying it to car care, weeding through the myths can result in financial savings and longer vehicle life.

Myth: My car’s motor oil should be changed every 3,000 miles

It is recommended that vehicle owners follow their manufacturer’s maintenance intervals while it is still under warranty. However, if your car is no longer under warranty, try using synthetic oil that can extend your oil change intervals. The number of miles you can allow between your oil changes will depend on the way you drive and the oxidations stability of the motor oil.

Oxidation stability can be measured by the American Society for Testing and Materials’ (ASTM) rigorous Thin Film Oxidation Uptake Test (TFOUT). This test is so demanding that it lasts 1,300 minutes. Conventional motor oils typically last less than 300 minutes and Synthetic motor oils typically last less than 500 minutes. One high performance synthetic motor oil, Royal Purple, has been shown to outlast the duration of the test. Royal Purple motor oils are recommended to extend oil change intervals as much as 12,000 miles under normal driving conditions, and have also been shown to improve fuel economy. (continue reading…)

There are different ways of going about this, and as such millions of vehicles are sold every year by the different ways. These include car auctions, direct and other methods detailed below.

Car Manufacturers
The most obvious and main-stream way of purchasing vehicles would be through the manufacturers themselves. Such a place will conist only of vehicles of the same company, and will generally have a much larger price tag than the same product brought from a different source, although the buyer will be safe in the knowledge that it is completely authentic, brand new, and 100% legal. A similar frame of mind will exist when purchasing from a licensed retailer, which also offers more variety and cheaper prices. (continue reading…)