AutomotiveRepairSavings.com

Posted on Saturday, 17th October 2009 by Tech

Uh oh! strange noise?  Check engine light? or just a regular car question?

Honestly the best place to get car info on the net is a car forum. These communities of motor heads share their wealth of knowledge for free. It can be intimidating trying to find the answer to your question. If you use some basic forum searching techniques and etiquette can go along way in helping you get the most out of your make and models forum.

1. First before asking any questions SEARCH. Your question probably has already been asked.Check the FAQ section and use the search feature on the forum.      (Some vbulletin forums by default list the results not by relevancy but by most recent post date. Simply go to the advanced search screen and check the box that says sort by relevancy it may help you find your answer. )
2. Ask your question. First be sure to post in the correct section. If there is a newbie section post in there. Be sure to give all the details of your car. Make model year stick or auto etc…  Mention that you searched for the question and thank them for their time.
3. When you get answers tend to listen to the ones from users who have higher post counts. They usaully are more reliable source of information.

Tags: auto repairs, diy, saving on car repair
Posted in Do It Yourself | Comments (0)

Posted on Monday, 17th August 2009 by Tech

Whether or not i should take my car to a dealer or a trust worthy local mechanic is a question that every car owner goes through. Unless you are getting warranty work DO NOT take your car to the dealer.

First there is a conflict of interest. If you bring your car with 25k on it and it has a small oil leak the dealer wont tell you a thing. But if you take your car after the warranty is up they will be sure to mention the oil leak.

If you go to an independent they are likely to tell you right off the bat about the oil leak as a sign of good faith even if the car is under warranty.

Second the dealership labor rates part prices are absurd compared to your local mechanic. It makes no sense to get the same service for double the price just because the tech has a shirt with the car manufacturers name on it.

Lastly people will always say the dealer knows best. True the dealership has seen more of your car but give me a break all cars operate under the same principal. Lets face it if you are reading this you do not drive a Ferrari. You are driving an everyday car. If you live in a suburban setting there are definitely shops that will specialize your make of car.

In the end you are burning money if you only take your car to the stealership…..

Tags: car repair, Dealerships, stealerships
Posted in Dealerships | Comments (1)

Posted on Saturday, 15th August 2009 by Tech

3/32nds is the magic number. When the tread is 3/32 its time for new tires.

How can you tell if your tire is at 3/32nds?

Well most tires have wear indicators. Which are horizontal rubber strips that are recessed in the tread. When these bars become even with the tread you tread depth is 3/32nds.

Picture of tire

What kind of tire should I buy?

Well this is tricky new tires come out very rapidly so even if I recommended a tire it would be out of date in a month. But buy a tire depending on your climate makes the most sense. If you live in the far north east buy a winter tire and change it over to a summer tire in the summer. DO NOT run winter tires in the summer they will wear out way to fast.

The best place to find a good tire and get great savings is Tire Rack. They will deliver the tires to you or you can have them deliver the tires to a local tire installer.

Sometimes the installer or tire shop will try to sell you an alignment. You should get an alignment ONLY if your tires prematurely wear out.

Tags: Tires, tread, tread depth
Posted in Tires | Comments (2)