Fiddle Faddle and What Kind of Cars to Buy

Here I sit, at my desk, snacking on Fiddle Faddle because it is the only simultaneously awful and addicting thing I can find to nibble on. As I chew on the terrible stuff (oh so good!) it help stir the juices for my latest and much overdue dose of information.



I get the question far too often from people whose vehicles are making a slow exodus: rather than spend $3000 fixing my beloved Taurus up, what do YOU think I should buy? I have a somewhat stock answer for this eternal question, by means of which I will also outline a small history.



Look, I never was one of those guys who poured over Motor Trend and Auto Week and other similarly titled magazines which make presumptive arguments about horsepower and torque. I can probably count on one hand the customers I have come in contact with that actually understand these terms or care about them. Besides, those folks on that hand already have souped up cars and therefore need not the opinion of yours truly.



So, this is actually for you - dedicated readers - who veer toward practical, reliable, easy-to-understand vehicles that are not the product of ridiculous engineering acrobatics. I can tell you what I see as a business owner and how certain cars are wonderful and always seem to have little in the way of maintenance, less in the way of cost, and lots of availability of parts in the aftermarket; and those despicable machines that cost $500 per backfire and for which parts must be shipped from Siberia.



OK. One word: Honda. There simply isn't a better car maker out there. I know they are a little pricier - but the things are awesome. Easy to work on, extraordinarily reliable, maybe a wee bit boring I grant you. But, they seem to have everything right. There is a unbelievable lack of pretension associated with these cars and if the maintenance is done - they'll drive 300,000 miles and cost you a fraction of what other cars cost over the long term. I'll also tell you that Toyotas are great. Even with the issues recently with an accelerator problem, they are still excellent cars. Both these makers have their share of funky models that DO seem to have problems (hello CRV!), but other models are solid: Accord, Civic, Camry, Corolla, Tacoma and Tundra. Then there are the Subarus, of course. The outback is solid, brother (just make sure the head-gaskets have been replaced on older models...)



Can't afford it you say! Want some American car makers you say! Alright. I understand. I'm going to tell you what my mechanics like, because I already told you how I swing. The Dodge Diesel truck is a favorite of one of my guys and another absolutely loves the Chevy Avalanche (I mean loves!) The newer Chevy Impala seems to receive little scorn, or it's sister the Malibu. Saturns (aside from 1998-2004 years) are remarkably problem-free as are Jeep Wranglers.



I'm quite sure that European car makers have some fine automobiles (we all know they sure does look reel nice), but I believe that the makers of these cars spent too much time sitting in the Louvre pondering ways in which they could make their cars different from all others, and thereby frustrating mechanics across the globe. When we work on these cars we simply shake our heads in dismay and ask, "what in God's name were you thinking?" Sadly, this must have carried over to some American auto makers as well, because Ford sure does some crazy stuff with their vehicles.



I won't pan too many cars, because I'm not trying to make enemies. I'm just hoping to give you THE INSIDE SCOOP.



And, I'll end with one last thought. No matter which car you buy, please, get the thing inspected. I can't tell you how many lemons could have saved being purchased had the buyer simply brought the car to the shop for a $60 look-over. That, my friends, is not Fiddle-Faddle.



Hope this helps...

Coffee increases testoterone...reduces cancer.

Here' s a great bit of info from NPR's Science Friday report...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121343438

Two-Way Street

We have discovered two distinct groups of customers that come into our shop: those that love the dealer and will only have work done there except for the occasional oil change, and those that despise the dealer and avoid them at all costs. From our side of the counter you may be surprised to know that we have the same outlooks. We have, on occasion, referred our customers to the dealer when problems seem beyond our grasp or specific equipment is required to get to the bottom of an issue. In the majority of these cases people are happy that their problems get resolved even if it means that their wallets are empty and Christmas gets moved to some time in April. But in other cases the customer may get taken for a lot of money or, equally as bad, we get the short end of the stick from a feisty service advisor or technician who loves sticking it to the little guy.

Here's a recent example of this problem. We had a customer come in from another shop that had just run a diagnostic, and who's car had a "check engine" light on. The other shop told her that she needed a solid tune-up on her vehicle but she decided that the price they were asking was too exorbitant and ours was more reasonable. Typically we ask customers if they would like us to run our own diagnostic to confirm/deny this finding, but the customer is always welcome to decline this if they want. This happened to be the case in this scenario. Regardless, we pull the information from the vehicle that is causing the Check Engine to make sure we don't get reprimanded if the light fails to go off after the repair (which it didn't).

The light in this instance was being caused by a "Misfire on Cylinder 1". This issue can be corrected with a tune-up, but not always. When the light came back on, the customer came back and we checked all the spark plugs and wires and found no problems. The technician then proceeded to switch the spark plug from cylinder 1 with the spark plug on cylinder 2. Sure enough the light popped back up and indicated the misfire on the same #1 cylinder. He then tested and ran a fuel cleaner through the injector system to rule out a problem with the injector itself, followed by a swapping of the #1 injector and the #2 injector. Same code! He deduced that the problem had to lie with the very expensive Cylinder Head or with the vehicle's computer. So, we referred her to the fancy-shmancy dealer to problem solve.

Here's the sad part of this story - you may want to get a tissue to dab at the tears that will likely flow from your ducts - do you know what the dealer told her?

"Maam, you need a tune-up, the plugs and wires that were installed were incorrect." Cost - $145!

Now, if you are paying attention to this fairy tale, you may ask yourself the same questions we did. Think of it like a mystery you have to solve where in the end you are the hero and there is a ticker tape parade in your honor. If the purported spark plug was installed incorrectly, or was itself incorrect...why a misfire on the same cylinder before we even replaced them, after we replaced them, and even when we swapped them! Hmmmm...No other cylinders, just #1. Also, you may realize that the cylinder head was not replaced as that would mean the dealer absorbed the cost of $500 part. Did you solve the mystery?

I can't print this part upside-down like in the paper so you're going to have to just read it as is. The computer had a problem, the dealer tech plugged his scanner in and reflashed it (reset in Macintosh language) and the padded his paycheck with a little tune-up with a garnish of referring to our garage as ignorant. Boom! Customer confused and upset and unwilling to even take a second look at what just happened.

The inside scoop: are all dealers evil? No, of course not. Are some dealers evil? Yes, of course so. Are the customers the only ones that get taken? No. Moral: dealers (or all shops for that matter) need to explain in detail why they are recommending the repairs they are performing on your car. If you understand auto-mechanics and it makes sense -more power to ya! But, if not, feel free to ask the questions necessary to clarify the situation. I know I've published this before, but it bears repeating: people who don't know any better are the easiest target for unethical business practices whether it be auto-mechanics, or plumbing or securing a mortgage. Beware and be smart!

Mr. Gopher...

I recently made my wife watch Caddyshack, a movie that I have watched no less than 25 times, and which she had not had the pleasure of seeing...ever! Sacrilege! At the end of the movie she quipped, "must be a boy thing". This was quite obviously a reference to the boy-centric household in which I grew up where I, being the middle boy, was pummeled by one brother(older) and passed the lickings on down to the other brother (younger); and where I took refuge in crass, mindless comedies in order to pacify and distract my tormentor and slave. But, my wife failed to see the life lesson underlying Karl the Groundskeeper's relentless pursuit of the furry muppet gopher who throughout the movie decimates the golf-course. Karl tries everything he can to exterminate the gopher: flooding the holes, rifles, explosives...and yet the little guy never yields. OK, so here is where this actually relates to car service.

We have had a couple of customers come in, coincidentally both drivers of of Toyota trucks, that are in a somewhat futile battle with squirrels in their neighborhoods. Neither customer parks their vehicle inside and the cuddly little rodents curl up inside their engine-compartments and nibble on wiring harnesses as a late-nite snack (followed by a night-cap of coolant, no doubt). We cheaply repaired one vehicle, but electrical problems ensued, as approximately 20 wires needed to be reconnected. We got her a quote to just replace the whole harness and get this: it will cost in ballpark of $1,400, with absolutely no guarantee that Mr. Squirrel will not simply face a tree foreclosure and have to yet again move into the engine compartment rental where meals are included.

The other customer with this issue garnered up some squirrel traps and relocated the critters to a woody enclave 5 miles away, but for those of us who don't have time to trap and relocate, this is a conundrum. I spoke with the dealer, who sees quite a few trucks come in like this and is more than happy to charge in the range of $2000 to make the repairs, about what they recommend to the customer. Squirrel Poison.

This is actually a problem we have yet to resolve and one of those times when I am hoping that our blog readers can offer some insight about remedies they have found. Thoughts? Otherwise, I might have to resort to explosives.

Lube and Latte - Crimestoppers!

I am hoping that the information I am about to post does not come off as crude - frankly, I am just kinda stunned by some of the things that happen to me as a business owner and I cross my fingers that readers of this blog find the hilarity of certain situations as much as I do. That said, aside from the inside scoop, which I'm going to post each week, I feel obliged to share events that occur here on a regular basis so that you may know the extent of my psychological well-being (minimal).

Alas, there was an arrest made at Lube and Latte this morning. There my staff was, peaceful as doves on a promenade of the stoop, when who should arrive through the door: The Fuzz. They explained that they had made 83 arrests this month of men suspected of seeking minors for illicit acts. The two men and two women police people then proceeded to describe how they would be meeting one of these suspects at Lube and Latte - then they ordered a couple of mochas and an americano (yes, tips were included on their receipts). One of the cops spoke on the phone to the suspect in Spanish, she being the supposed minor. The man, on the other end of the line was to be rolling up in a fancy white Mercedes-Benz (this turned out to be a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am). When the guy arrived, he popped out of his Mercedes-Pontiac, sauntered over to the wooden bench on the porch, sat down next to the woman police officer and then, a few nano-seconds later, had some hand-cuffs slapped on his wrists. He claimed not to be the sought after marauder, except that his phone rang when they called it again (curse you T-Mobile). There it is, the 84th arrest!

The officers left us with a few Cheezo pamphlets (a yellow pink panther who helps advise kids to stay away from creeps like this on the internet) and a business card. Ok, so this type of situation is not a laughing matter...except...are you serious? At Lube and Latte? Why Lube and Latte? I kid you not, we had no warning of this visit. Worse, the Pontiac-Benz is still here! No tow-away in sight. Sigh...

Amazon Scanner

Last week the Denver Post wrote an article about the "Innova 3160 Scanner" on sale at Amazon which pulls the codes for the "check engine light" and "ABS light" on your vehicle. Approximate cost $470...While this may seem like the perfect stocking stuffer for the do-it-yourself dad, I might go so far as to BEG you not to give dad this little baby. If you're even thinking that your dad is a handy guy around cars (unlike a father I know who mistook the crankcase for the radiator - true story!) - buy him a ratchet instead! You make ask, "why dear crooked shop owner are you asking us not to buy dad or mom this wonder of modern technology - is it so that you can make more money??" Trust me, the answer is "no". Really, if you wanted to find out what the code was for your Check Engine Light, you could just drive on down to the local Auto Zone and there, for no money whatsover, receive the self-same information. The reason I think a device like this is a bad idea, is because the codes behind the check engine light indicate a viable problem with your vehicle. In very few cases is the scanner going to pinpoint the exact item on your car that needs to be fixed. For example, let's just say that the code says that the car is running lean on fuel. What do you do then? Now you've spent $470 and you know that your car has a fuel related issue. Danger! You erase the code and are off on your merry way for a vacation to Iowa. Halfway on your trip your car runs so lean on fuel that it dies and you're stuck roaming through miles of corn looking for anyone who can get you towed to a shop where they do know why your car is running lean and have no problem selling you $700 worth of repairs to fix the silly 02 sensor or broken vacuum line or dying fuel pump that caused the code in first place. Here's today's inside scoop:

I know the Check Engine light sucks! I know that shops fix it and it comes back on again and again. But, believe me, the seemingly expensive diagnostic you pay for is worth it. If the shop doesn't get it fixed right, and the light comes back on again, and the shop is worth their salt, they'll get it cleared up for you. But, be prepared. If the light comes back on with a different code, you may have multiple problems. No $470 scanner is going to save you money in this scenario. Instead, get dad a gift card to Lube and Latte. That way he can down a Mocha while the code gets pulled on his car and explicit details of the code are conveyed to him in all their gory detail.

Inside the Industry - Brake squeaking

"I just had my brakes put on and now they squeak every morning when I pull out of my driveway"
"Does the squeaking go away after a few stops?"
"Yes"
"Aha!"

This makes up a good chunk of the phonecalls I get. We've just put brakes on a car and a week later we hear about the high-pitched bird noises emanating from the wheels of the vehicle. Inevitably this scares people because this sounds like the self-same noise that the brake "wear-indicators" made when they warned them that it was time to change brake pads. But, dear reader, the noise is different! When we buy pads from a vendor (your Napas, Checkers, Auto Zones, etc.), there are a number of different styles to choose from. Some of the pads we intall will have a design lends itself to corrosion buildup. What happens is that this particular type of pad, in humid conditions, develops corrosion on these edges. This tiny amount of corrosion causes a vibration between the pad and the brake rotor which translates to: squeaking. As the corrosion wears away when the brakes heat up, the squeak disappears. However, and here's where this gets tricky, the brake pad isn't the only culprit. If the customer's wheels are built in such a way as to allow moisture buildup on the pad, it doesn't matter how much fine green has been blown on the brake job - they still squeak. Evil cars! Here though, is the inside scoop (because this is always the follow-up question to the one posted above), how the h-e-double hockey-sticks am I supposed to know if my brake are failing because a squeak is a damn squeak?? The answer - you can't. When the tires get rotated, the brakes need to get checked...every time! So here it is, today's inside scoop:

If your brakes are checked every tire rotation, you are less susceptible to some of the dishonest auto repair business sales. Think abou it, if you were told by a shop 6,000 miles ago that your brakes had 70% life left, and the shop you are at is telling you your brakes are toast...time to run or step out to the garage and see for yourself! Likewise, if you know your brakes are at 30% life left, you'll know - long before you spend a lot of money going into your rotors - time to schedule a brake appointment.

Hope this helps.