Actually, there are a few things that we can control. Some have a cost and some are free. Let me start with the ones that have a cost associated with them. When was the last time you had a tune-up? Most vehicles these days require at least a spark plug change from 50,000 up to 100,000 miles. Worn spark plugs can cause an engine to not run efficiently. Check and replace your air filter when required. Consider replacing your oxygen sensors at the 100,000 mark. These sensors may become “lazy” over time, and they are one of the most important sensors that report to the engine computer on how efficiently the fuel system is working. Don’t ignore the check engine light. I hear people all the time that tell me that the light has been on for months, or even years. If that light is on, there is a problem. In addition, if the light is on and you ignore it, you will not know if a more serious problem does occur because the light is already on. Of course if the yellow check engine light would ever be flashing, it is not recommended that you even drive the vehicle, as the problem is most likely a serious issue that can cause expensive damage to the vehicle. If your vehicle is older, you may consider having your fuel injectors cleaned and the intake air system cleaned. Some vehicles also have cleanable mass air flow sensors. All these items, if dirty, can waste fuel.

Recently, we have seen a couple of vehicles where the engine temp was running too cool. The cooler the engine is running, the more fuel that it will require; this is generally pre-programmed into the software of the computer. This winter has been so mild that most people did not notice this situation when it occurred. Usually in a colder winter, people would complain of poor heat coming from their heater. In some cases, this condition will even turn on the check engine light. A misaligned vehicle can also waste fuel, as well as cause the tires to wear unevenly. The proper air pressure in the tires is also very important. Remember to get the proper air pressure setting off of the vehicle’s tire placard and not from the sidewall of the tire. Improper air pressure can also cause the tire pressure light on the dash to come on.

You can also reduce friction inside the engine by switching over to full synthetic oil. Not only can this aid in fuel economy, but you usually can go longer between changes. If you have a new car, many require the use of synthetic oils from the manufacture. GM has a new specification for their oil beginning in 2011 called Dexos. This is required oil, so please make sure you are using what you should be using and that it is designated with the Dexos spec. If you drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle, consider replacing the lube in the gear-boxes (transfer case and both differentials) with a full synthetic lube. Again, this will reduce drag and friction as well as provide improved protection against wear. Also, look in your owner’s manual for the type of fuel you should be using. Buying a more expensive grade of fuel may be a waste of money. Also, don’t forget to reduce the weight you are carrying around. Watch your speed, driving faster wastes more fuel. Fast starts and stops also wastes fuel and is hard on your brakes. Reduce you idling time. Combine trips, possibly try using a carpool. A little planning and patient can go a long way in saving fuel and saving your nerves. I Like When That Happens! (Can I say that?)

The first is a regular sedan, a daily driver, a going to work kind of car. The customer had brought in the vehicle with the complaint that it ran poorly, worse when they first started it in the morning. They also gave us a list of about 8 different parts that they had installed trying to get the car fixed. Some of the parts were purchased used, some were new. But none of their work had paid off. They said they had gone to a friend and got the codes read out of the computer. We were told that they had been on the internet, and armed with that information had been working to try to get the car running properly. They also told us that they still had the same codes as when they started and are totally frustrated with the vehicle. I certainly can understand that, vehicles can be frustrating.

Now we have the car and we put on our detective’s hat. When we begin, we take the info provided by the driver, as well as an initial test drive, to verify the symptoms. Then we start our testing. We need to pay attention to not only what codes are stored, but more importantly, to what the computer data is telling us. The first rule to remember is just because there is a code for a certain item, does not mean that particular item is the problem. Of course each vehicle year, make, and model can be different as far as computer programming is concerned. When a code is set, the yellow check engine light usually will come on (but not always). The codes that are set are important, but serve only as a guide as to what the computer is thinking is happening. In our case, there was an oxygen sensor lean code. Many people would go ahead and replace the oxygen sensor. This may or may not fix the problem. In most cases it does not. What this code is telling us is that the computer thinks that the car is running with not enough fuel, so the computer will provide enrichment until it cannot provide enough. The owner of our car replaced many components based on what he had learned and what seemed reasonable to him. It turned out that the problem was not that there was not enough fuel, but that there was too much air getting into the engine, as well as an engine misfire. This combination made the oxygen sensor think that there was a lean condition. What we found was a substantial vacuum leak, letting in too much air, as well a defective ignition coil on one of the cylinders. So a gasket set and coil took care of the situation.

It did take some serious evaluation to pinpoint this problem, because many of the items that had been previously replaced also could have been the problem. What was missing for the driver, was the ability to test the components electrically, to be able to alter the fuel/air ratio, and monitor the results. A recent commercial vehicle came in with some strange symptoms. The horn would randomly sound, the clock/radio display would randomly change, and the cigarette lighter was inoperative. The vehicle would stall and would not restart without waiting for about 20 minutes. The power windows would sometime operate at about half speed. Things seemed so random. We found no communication with the scan tool; a fuse fixed that and the cigarette lighter. Once we had communication, we found 6 codes stored in the computer for various things. After testing and checking various systems and circuits, we discovered that the battery had been replaced and the negative cable was extremely loose. We cleaned and tighten the connections and the problem was solved. Sometimes it’s the simple basics that can mask as a very strange and complex problem. I Hate When That Happens!

We have people who call our shop frequently to ask a question about something that they are working on, and we try to help as much as we can. Since we cannot see what they are doing, we may sometime give the wrong advice based on the lack of information available to us. Cars and trucks have become so complex that one of the biggest challenges to a repair is tracking down a problems root cause, just like my hot tub. Of course, having many years of experience is our biggest asset. Proper tools, scanners, and special equipment come in second. hen there are all the technical resources that we rely upon these days. Sometimes we may spend two to three hours in testing only to find a short in a wire. The repair may only take ten minutes, but the challenge is to get to the root cause. Sometimes there is more than one problem that can cause the same condition.

There is no magic to this process. One must take each problem, find its cause, and move on to the next problem. Of course, the worst cases are when a problem is intermittent. We recently had to drive a van over 70 miles to get the problem to act up. We had a very good idea what the root cause was, but we needed to experience it for ourselves with the proper equipment hooked up. Otherwise it was only a guess. When the problem occurred, we were able to positively verify it and condemn the expected part. The customer opted not to fix it, but we knew we had found the root cause. So whether you’re working on a hot tub or a vehicle, sometimes it is what you do not know that can get you. I Hate When That Happens!

So what do you need to know? First when the light comes on, don’t ignore it. The new systems are very accurate. If this light is on, the air pressure in the tires should be checked. One issue that we face here in the cold country is the fact that when the temperature goes down, so does the air pressure in our tires. So on the first cold days we see numerous people in with their tire pressure lights on. In many cases, this is normal and the light may go off when the tire warms up after driving a while. Installing nitrogen instead of regular air in your tires can help eliminate this problem. Nitrogen is more stable when the ambient temperature changes. However, if the light is on, the tire pressure should always be tested. If all the tires are equally a few pounds low, this may be the result of cold temperatures.

Tire pressure, of course, is a safety issue, but also can affect fuel economy, vehicle handling, and the longevity of your tires, so a tire light on should not be ignored. If you do have a tire that needs repair or if the tires are rotated, the TPMS system may need to be reset to tell the computer that it is ready to go. Each vehicle manufacturer may have its own way of resetting the system. Some will automatically reset after driving a short distance, some vehicles have a unique procedure to do the reset, and some will need a special piece of equipment to reset the system. Of course, occasionally a tire pressure sensor may leak air, break off, corrode, or fail for some reason; this will also turn the light on. If a sensor fails, a new sensor will need to be installed. Once the new sensor is installed, some sort of procedure or reprogramming will need to be done to activate the new sensor and have it communicate properly with the vehicles computer. This is the only way to get the light off and the system working again. Each year, make, and model of vehicle requires a unique sensor. There is no universal sensor that fit every vehicle at this point. This system can be very frustrating, but it also can save you from ruining a tire or from having a blow-out due to running on a low tire. So if the light is on, check it out. I Hate When That Happens!

Generally speaking, the wider the tire the poorer the snow and ice traction will be. Many newer vehicles have traction control that senses wheel slip and helps the driver to get going, but there are many vehicles do not have this option. To compensate, tire manufactures have developed a special winter tire that is especially made for vehicles with a wider tire. They are a very unique design, usually with a directional tread. This means that the tire is design to rotate in only one direction to give maximum traction, stability, and stopping performance. The tread compound is also unique to a winter tire; the compound is made in a way that the tire will not get become so hard in cold temperatures. One of the biggest advantages to the tread design are the thousands of “sipes” that are in the tread. Sipes are the small cuts that are in the tread of a tire. They are evenly placed over the entire tire’s tread face and some manufactures have some that actually go down the sidewall a bit. These sipes are what really grips the ice. As the tire rolls along and the tread reaches the road surface, the sipes open up and grip like you would not believe. I have personally run winter tires on my own vehicles for many years and now would not go without them.

The biggest hassle is that they need to be changed over in the spring to your regular tires. This may be a bit of a hassle and expense, but the traction, handling, and reduced stopping distance make it more that worthwhile during the winter. Again, some people think I am crazy saying, “Why put winter tires on, I have all-season tires?” All I can say is once you try them, you probably won’t go back to a regular tire in the winter. Most manufactures have these tires available. The biggest thing is, if you want them, order them early. Most tire warehouses order their winter tires in the fall. They have one order, and when they are gone, they are gone. We have had a few times, like last year, when people get tired of slipping around. They come in sometime in December and, many times, there are no winter tires available. Even if they are available, they have to be ordered, taking a few days or even a week, and of course, they usually are more expensive.

There are a couple other items you should remember concerning tires and winter. If you are going to put on winter tires, always put on 4, do not mix them with regular tires. Also, if you are replacing just two tires on a front wheel drive vehicle, always insist that they go on the rear of the vehicle. Again, I am not crazy. There have been numerous studies done, and numerous law suits filed, regarding this issue. You should always put new tires on the rear because, if they go on the front, you will have too much traction in the front compared to the rear. This will increase the likelihood that the rear of the vehicle will spin out in a heavy rain or snowy and icy condition. If the new tires are on the rear and the half worn ones are on the front, you will have a better feel of the road and are more likely to notice the loss of traction in the steering wheel. You can look this up online and find a detailed description if you would like. Here is a great video with a driving demonstration produced by Michelin North America about where to place the new tires when you’re only replacing two tires.

Of course, always replace your tires when they are worn. They may save you from a disaster. I Hate When That Happens!

Getting your car fixed in many cases is a need. We have many customers who drop off there vehicles and tell us to fix whatever it needs, “It has to be fixed, I need to get to work.” So what goes into repairing a modern vehicle? Why is it sometimes so expensive? Any business has fixed expenses: electricity, heat, mortgage or facilities rent, telephone, internet, office supplies, taxes, insurance, and the list goes on and on. Of course, one of the biggest expenses to any business is payroll and related benefits. Some businesses like the auto repair business have a lot of special equipment to do what it does. We have hoists, welding equipment, brake lathes, computer scanners, air conditioning equipment, and again the list go on and on. Business expenses are a reality for any organization, whether it’s a non-profit, government agency, or the local restaurant. And of course, not all businesses are the same; even franchise locations can be different depending on location and the people running it. The same is true for the auto repair business.

Auto repair is not a commodity. It is not the same wherever you go. That is why there are so many of them. Of course there are some undeniable differences. Location, specialty shops, personal convenience, etc. But what really makes a business unique are the people. In technical businesses, experience, training, technical resources, and tooling can be big determining factors. Some people talk about price as the determining factor, but studies have shown that price is usually 4th or 5th on the list when people are choosing technical service technicians. Again, you get what you pay for.

Some people ask why a shop charges more for a part than they can buy it at a part store or online. Great question, the reality is that repair shops count on profit revenue derived from part sales to cover overhead expenses. Also, with that part comes a warranty saying that if that part would fail, the shop will need to replace it. In most cases, the shop is not reimbursed for the labor cost to replace a defective part. So it’s part of the overhead. It is kind of like saying that if I can go to the grocery store and buy hamburger for so much per pound, why are hamburgers so expensive at a restaurant?

So anyway, what are the ways Washington affects auto repair? Of course the first thing is taxes. Payroll taxes and Social Security taxes are a big expense for any business. Perhaps a more direct influence on us are the local county, city, school levies, assessments, and fees, which have a big impact on a business. We all know that some of the local budgets are influenced by Washington. But we also know in all walks of life, We the people are We the taxpayers. I Hate When That Happens!

During a brake inspection, one of the steps is to measure the thickness of the disc brake rotors with a micrometer. This is a tool that measures down to a thousandth of an inch. Each vehicle’s brake rotors are manufactured to specific tolerances set by the vehicle manufacture. The rotors have minimum specifications that are given to alert a technician when they are worn out and considered unsafe. We measure them and compare the measurement to the specs to determine how much life is remaining on the brakes. If they are within specs, we can machine them with a special brake lathe to smooth them out and put the proper finish on them and reuse them. If they are too worn, we cannot machine them properly and end up still in specs, then they will have to be replaced.

Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Well, here is where the technical vs. the practical can come into play. Technically, they are within specs if they are 5-6 thousandths of an inch from the minimum specs. Practically, we have found that they may not last long before they start causing a problem. The most common problem is a vibration when stopping. This vibration seems to be worsened by a quick stop or stop-and-go driving. This may cause the rotors to get hot, and then because they are thin, they will warp more easily causing a braking vibration. So technically, they are within specs, but practically they may reduce the brake performance. We have found this out over the years through our experience doing brake jobs.

There are many similar situations that come to mind. Technically, the owners manual says to change the air filter at a certain mileage. But what if it is not dirty and not in need of replacing? The owner’s manual may say to replace the transmission fluid at 60,000 miles. But what if the fluid is burnt and dirty due to pulling a trailer or other factors and the vehicle only has 40,000 mile on it?. Again, experience is the key. Then there is the “while you’re at it” scenario. We typically recommend replacing the water pump if we are replacing the timing belt. Usually, we recommend replacing the timing belt around 90,000 miles. In many cases, the water pump is driven by the timing belt. And since it is a lot of labor to replace the water pump separately, we usually recommend replacing it if a timing belt is done. Technically the water pump is not leaking, but practically speaking, it is usually in the best interest to replace it at the same time as the timing belt since it has a lot of miles on it as well and it will save in the long run. Again, experience is the key.

I am sure in many professions, some of these same or similar situations may come up. Of course, most people do not know or understand the differences in these technical issues. That is the reason to know and trust the people who service your vehicle. That is why we usually like to go to the same doctor or dentist, why we go to the same barber and hardware store. It is because we know the people and trust the people. I know I have been burned by a “great deal” that did not turn out to be so great. Maybe that is experience as well. I Hate When That Happens!

Of course, having a flat tire never comes at a convenient time. It usually involves filling with air and taking it in to be repaired and in some cases, if it is totally flat, putting on the spare tire. Remember, never drive on a low or flat tire, this will destroy the tire. Some tires have road hazard warranties on them. This is for a non repairable injury to a tire. If you pick up a nail, then a regular repair is in order. So if you pick up a nail and continue to drive on the low tire and the tire is destroyed, this is not a warranty issue. Many vehicles these days are equipped with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. This will alert the driver of a low tire. If that should occur, please do not ignore this warning; it may save you from wrecking a tire or worse, from a blow-out. Most blow-outs occur when a tire is driven with not enough pressure in the tire, the tire overheats, and then will blow out.

Now if you have to put your spare on, the first thing is to find it. These days they put them in all kinds of places. I have seen them in the engine compartment, some in the trunk, and many are located under the vehicle. This is where the owner’s manual comes in handy. The first thing to do in case you have to change a tire on the road, is to get the owners manual and find out where everything is you will need to change the tire. On my pick-up truck, the jack is under the seat, the jack handle is under the hood and the spare tire in under the box. The jack handle also acts as the tool needed to lower down the spare from under the box. There is a small hole to put the jack handle into and “crank” down the spare tire. The spare tire is held up with a small “hoist” that lowers and raises the spare. These hoists can be and are another source of trouble. Here in Minnesota, all the salt and slush will rust up this hoist and sometime they will not come down when you need it. We have actually had to cut the spare out of the vehicle because of the rust. A good rule is to annually lower and raise the spare, so you know it will come down when you need it. This will also familiarize yourself where all the parts and the procedure of getting the spare out. Some newer vans are really a challenge because the spare tire is located under the vehicle, between the two front seats. There is a small hole in the carpet to install the special tool and lower the spare to the ground. I still am not sure how fun this will be if one is all dressed up and they have a flat while in a snow storm. I Hate When That Happens!

Cars in Saint Francis are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So it’s challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the Saint Francis vehicle owner because it can take time and money to get to the bottom of a problem.

If it’s not something obvious, it’s easy for the customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing.

Let us at Gerdin Auto & Tire introduce you to something we’ll call ‘Customer Detective Work‘ – that is helping the technician find clues to what’s wrong.

We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me; You come in to Gerdin Auto & Tire and your car is making a funny sound…

• Where’s the sound? – ‘Around the right front wheel’.
• What kind of sound? – ‘Kind of a clunk, clunk sound’.
• When do you hear the sound? – ‘When I turn and accelerate.
• Right and left? Forwards and back?’

You see where we’re going. You’re gathering additional information to help your Saint Francis technician at Gerdin Auto & Tire know where to start. Based on your car and the tech’s experience, we’ll know where to look on you sedan and can start with the obvious suspects.

You can see how that would be more helpful than dropping the car off with a note that says “making a funny noise“.

When you think you need to bring your sedan in, make some notes about the problem it’s having. Rather than just saying “it’s leaking”, tell the tech the color of the fluid, and approximately where under the car you see the puddle.

Things like ‘the car is stalling or sputtering’ are often very hard to diagnose because they’re intermittent. They may not happen every time you drive and may not be happening when you actually bring the car in. So, it is a big help for you to describe what’s happening in as much detail as possible.

Your Saint Francis technician at Gerdin Auto & Tire will need to be able to duplicate the problem if possible so he needs to know details, like “It stalls after it’s been driven for about 20 minutes and I go over 50 miles an hour”.

If your Saint Francis technician at Gerdin Auto & Tire can experience the problem personally, he’s better able to make a diagnosis and repair. And, then test to see if the repair solved the problem.

Give us a call if you need to do some customer detective work in Saint Francis MN 55070!

Gerdin Auto & Tire
3128 Northwest Bridge Street
Saint Francis, MN 55070

At Gerdin Auto & Tire we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

What’s hard is planning for unexpected sedan repairs.

The truth is that our vehicles can stay on our MN roads longer than ever before with proper maintenance. That’s because of improved vehicle design and manufacturing quality. But some of those same improvements also lead to higher repairs costs for every sedan or vehicle.

There’s a tool that can be found on Edmunds.com that you can use to prepare your Saint Francis MN service and repair budget.

Let’s suppose you have a used Toyota Camry – a very popular car in the Bethel area…

It’s now paid for and you’d like to keep it running for the next three years. You can go to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own calculator and enter your vehicle’s data. The calculator will provide estimates of what it’ll cost to service and repair your vehicle in Bethel over the next five years. The estimate’s based on where you live in MN, manufacturers’ recommendations and repair experience for your particular model.

Of course these are just estimates – there’s no way to predict what’ll actually happen to the car in your driveway, but it’s a good starting point. The calculator also has estimates for depreciation, financing, insurance, MN taxes and fuel costs.

Let’s focus on maintenance and repair in the MN area: This table at Edmonds.com shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repairs for our example in MN is about eighty-three dollars. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to a new car payment.

So if you set aside eighty-three dollars a month, you’d go a long ways towards taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for the unexpected repairs that arise.

Some folks in the 55070 zip code area are afraid of what can go wrong with their older car so they buy a new one. That’s fine if you really want a new car, but if you properly maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a lot of money on new car payments and insurance. It just makes good economic sense when times are tight in Saint Francis.

Give us a call for additional advice on how to keep your sedan running on a budget.

Gerdin Auto & Tire
3128 Northwest Bridge Street
Saint Francis, MN 55070

At Gerdin Auto & Tire we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.