This is a quandary that, at some point, you may find yourself in. Some say that if the cost of repair exceeds the value of the vehicle, the vehicle should be abandoned. We run into this issue many times each month as people are keeping their vehicles longer and longer. My perspective may be a bit different. Just because your vehicle may need an expensive repair, even if it exceeds its value, it still may be less expensive in the long run.

When considering this dilemma, there are a lot of things to think about:

• What shape is the body in, is it rusted badly?
• What about the other major components of the vehicle, like the engine and transmission, are they sound?
• How about the tires, brakes, exhaust system?
• Has the vehicle had other work done to it recently?
• What is the expected life and future costs if the vehicle is repaired and driven?
• What is the history of the type of vehicle that you drive, how long do they usually last?

Perhaps you may want to have a good solid discussion with your service adviser or technician. The experience these people have can be invaluable. Perhaps they will bring up something that you have not thought about?

With all these things to consider, only you can really make the final decision. Only you really know you own financial situation. Yes, a repair may be expensive, but if you buy a new or used vehicle and have to finance it, there is that nasty payment that is due every month. There usually is an increase in the cost of insurance, license tabs, etc. And remember that your new vehicle will still need periodic repairs and maintenance.

Vehicles do last a long time these days. 200,000 mile is not uncommon and they are still pretty nice cars and trucks. And of course you may just plain want a new vehicle, for whatever reason. I know from personal experience, I also know when enough is enough. I Hate When That Happens!

That is one thing that I like about being in the automotive repair industry. Over the years our company has been exposed to lots of information and I especially like the times that manufactures invite us to test drive there products. They can say a lot of things, but they can’t fake a test drive. One of my most memorable experiences is a test drive given by a shock-and-strut company. They had identical year, make and model vehicles with about 40,000 miles on them. We drove a test track at various speeds. There were big pot holes and a few large speed bumps, there were even a few sharp hairpin turns. We drove fast and made panic stops (that was fun), had to make a high speed turn and stop at the same time (that was really fun). We first drove the vehicle with the new shocks on it. And then we drove the vehicle with the original equipment shocks on them. We drove two sets of different vehicles, one an SUV and the other a 4-door sedan. The differences were amazing. I don’t know what was more fun, driving or watching. After driving the vehicle with the new shocks, you developed confidence in the vehicles handling and stopping ability. Then when we drove the vehicle with the original shocks on it and we were all over the track, running into the barriers, squealing the tires and going up on two wheels. It really was surprising how much more control we had when we cornered, and how much sooner we could stop the vehicle with the new shocks versus the original ones.

I have heard all the statistics before regarding the value of new shocks and struts, but this test drive really put the statistics to the test for me. This winter was again hard on our roads, which is hard on our vehicles, especially our suspension systems. Already we have seen a lot of worn ball joints, tie-rod ends, as well as struts and shocks. Many of these items wear gradually and you may not notice that they are loose or worn. Spring is a good time to have a good comprehensive inspection to identify the wear and tear brought on by winter driving. You may or may not notice that your vehicle doesn’t handle like it once did. You may notice a vibration or a noise not previously noted. In some cases these are definite safety concerns. In some cases they will cause the tires to wear rapidly. In any case, when you need the best performance of your vehicle, usually in an unexpected situation, your vehicle may surprise you, and not pleasantly. I Hate When That Happens!

The question was why, when you bring your vehicle into some shops, they seem to regularly have other recommendations for you. And some shops never have other recommendations for the driver. Yesterday, I found out that this is not unique to the automotive world. Another long time customer came in who happens to be a medical doctor. He was annoyed that some of his colleagues are not always upfront with their patients. He said that he recently had to tell an elderly lady that her husband of many years was going to die. He told her that all of us some day are going to die, but for now, the plan is to face the facts. He then laid out a plan so her husband could have the best quality of life in the remaining time he has. He conveyed that the wife expected this was coming but was extremely grateful that he leveled with her and laid out the options and the plan. This way she knew the decisions she needed to make and could now prepare herself for the near future. He said some doctors (who are just people by the way) have trouble giving bad news. His feeling was to be upfront with people and let them be a part of the decision making process.

The same thing happens in the car world. There are those who would rather be up front with people and let them know of any potential problems they find. Then there are those who just don’t say anything in fear that the customer may think that they are just trying to get more business. It is a sticky situation. My personal feeling is to properly inspect a vehicle and inform the driver of any problems seen, as well as any items that are on the vehicles manufactures regular maintenance schedule. I feel it is always better to know than to be caught unaware. If a technician is doing their job properly and taking the necessary time with each vehicle, then most likely there should be some recommendations made. If nothing else, the owner’s manual has things in the maintenance schedule that should be mentioned. Just like your doctor, if they are taking the necessary time with you, they most likely will have recommendations for you.

I know my doctor is always after me to exercise and watch my salt intake. It was a hassle for me and costly as well, but last time my doctor wanted me to see a specialist because some of my blood work was slightly out of limits. It still was up to me to take action and make the appointment, take the time off work and pay the charges for additional appointment and tests needed. But in the long run, I am the one to benefit from the expertise of the specialist. The same is true with your vehicle. If a technician makes a recommendation to you, it is generally in your best interest to get it taken care of. One of the issues, of course, with every service is trust. If you don’t trust your doctor, you probably will find a new one. If you don’t trust your mechanic, you probably will do the same. But if you do trust them, then realize they are trying to look out for you, just like when your doctor tells you that you need to lose a little weight. I Hate When That Happens!

Lately, we have had a run into vehicles with head gasket problems. I suppose this could be explained by a number of factors. For instance, more and more people are keeping their cars longer; manufactures are extending cooling system maintenance out longer and longer. One unique factor to us is our climate. We have hot humid summers and we also have long bitter cold winters. This combination is really hard on a lot of things on our vehicles. Engines have aluminum heads and aluminum or cast iron blocks (for the most part). With the extreme temperature swings we have, this can cause the heads to warp and leak. Most vehicles have long life coolant in them these days and people forget to have it checked and serviced. Sometimes it is needed before the manufactures schedule recommends.

There are a number of different tests that can be done to evaluate the coolant (antifreeze). One is the freeze point. This will tell at what temperature the coolant will began to freeze. There are combination test stripes that can measure the PH of the coolant and other chemicals that can be harmful to the system. Our cooling systems are made up of numerous dissimilar metals. As time and miles occur, the coolant in the system can break down. This can change the PH in the system. It will generally get acidic, and before long our cooling systems can act as a battery. A recent trade journal article I read recommends using a DC Voltmeter to test and see if the system is producing voltage like a battery does. The test has you take the positive probe and put it into the coolant and touch the negative probe to battery ground. If voltage is present, then they recommend flushing out the coolant.

The job of the coolant is not only to protect against freeze ups or boil over, but to protect the internal components from deterioration. If the coolant becomes compromised, it will begin to damage many internal components from the inside out. Some of which are the head gaskets, water pump seals, intake manifolds and gaskets, radiators and heater cores to name a few. The best response of course is to have your system tested and flushed as needed.

Vehicle maintenance schedules are made for the average driver in the average climate driving the average number of miles in average driving conditions. In Minnesota, we face a lot of things that the rest of the county does not experience. (That’s what makes us special!) All these conditions, don’t forget road salt and potholes, really take its toll. Again, prevention is the key. Change the needed fluids on a regular basis, have your vehicle inspected periodically, and notice when something just does not feel, smell or sound right. Usually there is a problem waiting to strand you. And of course, our vehicles are mechanical devices and they do periodically break down. Even new vehicles can fail and some even get recalled. I Hate When That Happens!

There is another kind of information that is also invaluable to an automotive service tech. This is the information that you the driver can relay to the shop that is working on your vehicle. Often a vehicle is brought in and a is symptom given. The tech now drives the vehicle, but does not experience the problem. So now what? Usually a call has to be made and further probing of the driver needs to be done. This does waste a lot of time, especially if the driver is unavailable or does not call back. So the tip is: before you bring in your vehicle for repair, stop and think about it a while and write down exactly what the problems are. When does it happen, is the vehicle warm or cold, does it act up turning or going over a bump. What is the recent repair history? Is there anything else unusual going on, even if you think it is unrelated. The more info the better.

A case in point. We recently had a car dropped off that had a problem with the battery going dead over night. The customer really could not tell us anything else. We entered in to our procedure for locating a drain on the system. It brought us to a circuit with 3 computer modules on it, and the dash needed to be removed to access these modules. The customer was called to update them on our progress and we were told to keep going, “it needed to be fixed”. Anyway, we happened to notice that a light would stay on by the drivers feet even with the door closed. And we found that the light would go out when we unplugged a certain modules. We again called the customer to update them, this time they mention that the center top dome light was staying on all the time, so they took the bulb out. Now it was all clear. We hooked up a special tester to monitor the door switches and found the drivers door ajar switch in the open position. We cleaned and lubed this switch and now everything worked fine. The point is, if we would have known from the beginning about the dome light being on and the bulb being removed it would have saved us considerable time and the customer money. So in this case, knowledge is power and also lack of information can be costly. So next time your in for service, please be ready with all the info you can think of. It may save you some cash! I Hate When That Happens!

I have been in the car fixing trade for over 30 years. And over these years, I have witnessed the “morphing” of our vehicles that we drive along with the driving public as well. It used to be that every winter people were in for a “winter tune-up”. This was a common thing and people knew that they would have problems if they did not take care of this each fall. Now, with the great improvements in our vehicle, I see some people just expect their car to go without care. This last week I have a couple cases in point:

We had a very nice young person in that needed their vehicles brake system repaired. The vehicle had about 80K on it. The repair needed was in the hundreds of dollars. This, of course, was a much unexpected surprise for this individual. We also had another client that dropped off their vehicle saying that it ran poorly. We asked if the check engine light was on and they responded that it has been on for over a year. After testing this vehicle, we found that the catalytic converter was plugged up not allowing the exhaust to get out of the tailpipe, causing an extremely low power situation. We found a code set in the computer for the ineffective catalyst. More importantly, we found a code relating to a fuel system running lean (not enough gas). Upon further testing, we found the front Oxygen sensor was relaying to the computer that the engine needed more fuel. The engine computer responded by giving it more fuel. The problem is that the sensor did not recognize that the amount of fuel had increased and it still thought that the system was running lean. So the engine computer increased the fuel to a point that, according to its programming, was excessive. When the computer realized this, it turned on the check engine light. The vehicle still ran OK (however, I am sure the fuel economy suffered) so they continued to drive the vehicle. Well, now we had it and the repair to get it back on the road was way more than the customer had anticipated. The point is, in both of these cases if action had been taken sooner, the problems could have been minimized and the cost could have been between 2/3rds and ½ less.

The lesson of course is, don’t take your vehicle for granted. If a light comes on, that is telling you that there is a problem. We hear this often that the check engine light has been on for a long time. It may be true that the first issue may not have been significant, however, if something else would happen you would not know it because the check engine light was already on. The point is, if the light is on, it needs to be fixed. And back to the individual with the unexpected brake problem. There are many things on our vehicles that wear out gradually. The best policy is to have periodic inspections. If you check the vehicle maintenance schedule, you will find the inspections recommended. I still feel that every vehicle should have an annual “once over”. This way, things can be caught before they become unexpected and more expensive. I Hate When That Happens!

The same is true with our vehicles. If we never changed our oil, or serviced our transmissions, or checked our tires, they would last for a while, but we certainly would not get the life out of these items and ultimately that would cost us more money for a major repair and certainly would be a hassle for us when it broke down. I know I am probably as guilty as many when it comes to taking care of stuff. Life is just so busy. There is always something to do, or somewhere to be. My doctor tells me every time I see him that I need to be at the gym 2-3 per week and watch my fat intake. I know what is best for me but it seems time just slips away. I know this happens with my car as well. I recently looked at my oil change sticker and I was a 1,000 miles over. (That is one of the reasons I use synthetic oil) So I needed to make an appointment-even at my own shop-and get it taken care of. Of course when we serviced it, we found it also needed some overdue maintenance. So we carved out some time and got it done. This car has only 174,000 miles on it, so of course I feel it’s like new and it still performs as good as the day we got it.

We are seeing more and more people with over 200,000 miles on there vehicles and they are still are very nice cars and trucks. Of course they have taken care of them. We also see vehicles that have been neglected, even though we make recommendation to help people get the maximum life out of there vehicle. It is still up to the individual. Of course they may think that they are saving money or somehow cheating the system, but it will catch up with them. It’s like eating fast food or cheap frozen pizzas. They may be less expensive than healthier fruits and vegetables, or eating leaner meat or fish. But they will get you in the end. I Hate When That Happens!

These days, things are drastically different. Gas engines still do have spark plugs, but they usually are of a double platinum or iridium design. These plugs usually last about 100,000 miles. There still are cases in which newer vehicles require spark plugs replacement at 30,000 miles. So now when someone calls and asked this question about how much does a tune-up cost, the answer can be shocking. The new design spark plugs can cost 8-15 dollars each. A fuel filter for a high pressure fuel injection system can run from 15-80 dollars, just for the filter! And if you have looked under the hood of a late model vehicle, you can understand that replacing these items on certain vehicles can be a very complex job. So when you consider these factors, replacing spark plugs and a fuel filter can run into the hundreds of dollars depending on how many cylinders your engine has and what is required to replace them. And if you would require spark plug wires or in some cases spark plug boot kits it even adds up to more. You talk about sticker shock.

The good news is, we used to do this every 30k or so. Now we have tripled the mileage that these components last. So in the long run it now probably costs less overall compared to having this service done 3 or more times in the first 100,000 miles. One other consideration, I still recommend replacing the external fuel filter every 30K, this protects the fuel injectors and the fuel pump. Experience has also taught us that spark plugs should be changed between 80-90K miles. We have seen problems with the spark plug getting corroded into the cylinder head and the plug breaking off inside the head. This can be a huge problem with added expense. We had a vehicle in recently with over 110K miles on it that one of the spark plugs actually blew out of the engine. It stripped out the threads in the head and broke the ignition coil. Now that was an expensive repair. If the spark plugs had been changed around 80k miles, this scenario could have been totally avoided. It was also a big hassle for the motorist because of this unplanned repair and the added expense.

Of course it is important to remember that a tune-up is not the cure all for all drivability problems. It is always more important to get to the root cause of an issue and address that. You would not want to have a tune up done that costs hundreds of dollars and then find out that your vehicle still runs lousy. I Hate When That Happens!

Most modern vehicles use two different types of brakes, the drum brake and the disc brake. The drum brake uses two half moon looking “shoes” that are forced into the inside of a round metal drum. The disc brake uses a rectangular brake “pad”, mounted in a clamping device called a caliper that fits over a round metal disc, when the driver puts their foot on the brake, the caliper clamps down on the disc and this friction will stop the vehicle. Most vehicles these days are equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels. This for a lot of reason, but generally disc brakes work better. Brake engineers sometimes refer to brakes as “heat machines” because they take the energy of motion and transfer it into heat. Then of course the heat has to be dissipated.

The first thing you should know is that all brakes are designed to wear out. The brake pad is made up of a complex compound that will cause just the right amount of friction on the disc rotor to stop the car. It has to do this over and over without overheating and coming apart; it must stop your vehicle quickly, quietly and smoothly, and last a reasonable amount of miles. It is really a tall order. Again brake friction material is designed to wear out.

If you look in a brake parts book you will see many different brake pad numbers for each application. The reason for so many different part numbers has mainly to do with the cost of the materials used. There are cheaper pads, but generally they will not last as long, take longer to stop your vehicle and can be noisier. And on the other end of the scale there are high performance brakes, that are more expensive, for use in taxi cabs and police car applications that are designed for the excessive heat of these uses. So for the most part, you should use the specific type of brake pad that is designed for your vehicle, even if it costs a few more dollars, it is worth it in the long run. It also may be a waste of money to put a taxi cab type of brake on your regular vehicle.

For many years, car manufacture would put a small metal tab on the brake pad. This tab was used as a warning device. When the brake material was worn to a certain point, this tab would ride on the rotor and make a squeaking noise to alert the driver that the brake lining needed service. However, for a number of reasons, the manufacture have not been using this tab. The problem is that there is no advance warning to the driver of service needed. Generally speaking we hear that all of a sudden the brakes are grinding metal to metal. This is unfortunate in my opinion. The only way around this is to have your brakes inspected periodically and keep track of there condition. Because when they are worn out, sometime it is to late and there may be damage done to other parts of the system, mainly the disc rotors. I Hate When That Happens!

A couple days later he stopped back in and gave me an article he had just read from his AARP magazine. The name of the article from the Aug 2009 edition is “A Keeper is Cheaper”. This article was talking about the same things that we had talked about a few days before. It had many examples of people having cars with 200,000, 300,000, and even 400,000 miles on them and that they were still good dependable transportation. There was a quote in the article that I have been saying for a long time. It reads” The secret to automotive longevity turns out to be no secret at all: it’s maintenance.” There are many testimonials in the article about how people have payed attention to there fluids, changed them when needed, done needed inspections and taking care of things before there become an issue, and it’s all cheaper in the long run.

They gave a great illustration of someone who had a vehicle and drove about 22,500 miles a year, which is about 50% more miles per year than average. In 5 years they would have done about 30 oil changes for about $1,200.00. Miscellaneous services, filters, hoses, tire rotation etc. would be an additional $1,200.00. They had a couple more major things like a timing belts, shocks and struts for another $1,100.00. This adds up to about $3,500.00 or about $700.00 per year. The article supposes that you bought a new $20,000.00 car and finance $18,000.00 at 7% for 48 months. The payment would be about $430.00 per month or $5,160.00 per year. The point is that a new car really can pay havoc on your budget. And remember that your new vehicle still need its oil changed, tires rotated, etc. It also supposed that the maintenance cost were twice a high at $1,400 per year, it still beats those car payments by $3,800 per year. In addition we have not considered the additional cost of insurance for a new vehicle.

In their analogy, if you’re annual maintenance cost were $1,400 per year and you kept your car for 5 years after it was paid for. This savings would be about $19,000.00 compared to buying a new car every 5 years. Isn’t that interesting? Also remember that in the example this person drove 50% more miles per year than the average, being about 12,000 miles per year. There are other things that also can help prolong the life of your vehicle, like washing it and keeping it clean. This is especially the case here in Minnesota which uses a lot of salt/chemicals on the roads in the winter. If you have misplaced your owners manual, pick one up or ask your shop you go to, to print out a maintenance schedule for you. Get your vehicle back on track and get it in proper shape. Something that we have seen lately is people not replacing their timing belt at the recommended interval. If this belt breaks, it usually does major damage to your engine. The old adage again is true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case it is worth a TON of cure. I Hate When That Happens!