Archive for the ‘information’ Category

Fuel Doctor: Gas Saver Angel or Fearmonger Money Waster?

There have been a LOT of trick products about automobiles, some work better than others. The science behind them all SEEMS to be pretty brilliant. The latest little gadget to hit the market is the Fuel Doctor. Feeding off the concerns of the American public about our rapidly rising fuel costs, (no one wants a repeat of July 2008’s average price of $4.12!!) the Fuel Doctor is a nifty gadget that syncs with your vehicle’s computer system. This allows it to monitor the fuel usage and optimize performance.

Wow, that all sounds pretty cool.  The problem? IT DOES NOT WORK. In an independant study by Consumer Reports, the “tool” doesn’t seem to do anything at all for fuel usage. Yet another trick to suck dollars from your wallet when you need them the most.

See the study here: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/12/fuel-doctor-fd-47-fails-the-consumer-reports-fuel-economy-mpg-test.html

Remember folks, if you EVER have a question about a car gadget, please don’t hesitate to ask My Car Doc for details. If I don’t have personal experience with the product, I’ll research it for you. It’s just one more thing that My Car Doc happily does for our customers.

–John

Bio-green Force Fuel System Treatments make a world of difference!

Click Here:  Al Unser Jr. is excited about The Force and here’s why you should be too!

Did you know….
Everyone knows windshields are made of safety glass, but the interesting part is that what really got the ball rolling to improve windshield safety was a man named Pane. I know, it’s funny, right? In the lawsuit of Pane vs. Ford in 1917 the case was decided that Mr. Pane’s injuries were a direct result of his reckless driving (but not wreck-less, hence the accident lol). However, this led to automobile makers using hardened glass that shattered into “harmless” pieces in accidents instead. Then, a French scientist had discovered the process of laminating glass to further reinforce it and prevent shattering. In 1919, Ford required the use of laminated glass in all of his vehicles. So now ya know….it all started over a frivolous lawsuit!

THREE SUPER DEALS FROM My Car Doc:  
$12 set of wipers with any service, just call ahead so that we can bring your new wipers right to your door!

 Fuel system treatments for only $6.99, try out the Force today! If it’s good enough for Al Unser Jr.’s race car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJq41r6BNb0&feature=related

Save $30 off brake jobs! This week only!

Stay tuned to our Facebook Fan Page & Twitter for our next weekly special! 

Enjoy YouTube? Check out the informative & fun My Car Doc channel: http://www.youtube.com/1mycardoc 
  
In the meantime, keep it between the lines, friends. Stay tuned for new developments and specials coming from My Car Doc.

–John Cannon

Auto 101 class schedule coming next week!

  My Car Doc

• My Car Doc comes to you, so you don’t have to waste time taking it somewhere and waiting.
• My Car Doc guarantees our work.
• My Car Doc is always willing to answer all of your questions.

How much does it cost to operate a Toyota Prius?

Valve-driving belts have been (dare we say immortal?) chains on Prius since the beginning. Loss of the water-pump belt may reduce maint, or not. Depends on whether Toyota is using a better electric motor there than they did on the inverter side for years Engine coolant thermostat also goes away in 2010. Not that many of those have been replaced in Prius, but the new design is ‘elegant’ and we’ve certainly been asking for it for years.

Engine oil change interval remains 5k miles (US spec). The coolant recirc is gone, and that will reduce maint if the exhaust heat transfer system (that effectively replaced it) proves reliable. We probably expect the new transaxle design to go forever (or near there) but if I had one I’d still change the transaxle fluid at 60k miles.

The NiMH battery got a lot better in 2004 and has remained the same design since AFAIK. You still have to change the brake fluid before it gets to 2% water, or the resulting corrosion will make an expensive repair.

This has been My Car Doc reminding you to sleep well & drive well…..just not at the same time.

My question is this: how much are the license plates on that bad boy gonna cost?!

This is My Car Doc reminding you to drive well and sleep well….just not at the same time!

Is your Kia in the driveway? Are you sure it's still there?

My Mom used to own a small restaurant back home in Texas. We worked together when I was in high school and we both loved it; often playing practical jokes on one another. One very late evening after work, I pulled the car to the front doors to load up some equipment. Carrying a box so big I coudn’t see over the top, I followed Mom out to the car; tired and ready to go home. 

“Where’s the car, John?”

“It’s right there, Mom.”

“John, stop joking, where’d you park the car?”

“Mom, stop joking, it’s right there.”

That’s when I put down the huge box to see that she wasn’t joking. The car was gone;  rolled down the hill, hit the one tree at the bottom of the lot, and totalled it. Sigh….it was gonna be a longer night than I had expected.

THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! Especially if you drive a Kia.  Today, Kia issued a recall:

Kia Motors is recalling more than 70,000 Optima midsize sedans to fix transmission problems that can cause the cars to roll even while they’re in park.

The cars are from the 2006 through 2008 model years and were built from Sept. 29, 2005 to June 13, 2007.

In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Kia said that on some of the cars, a transmission shifter cable was installed incorrectly and can become detached from the shifter. If the cable comes off, the car would stay in the last gear used even if the driver puts the transmission in park, the documents said.

So….if your Kia is rollin’ and you’re NOT behind the wheel, let’s hope it ends up at the dealership and not at the bottom of the hill.

This is My Car Doc reminding you to sleep well & drive well…..just not at the same time.

Fuel economy is a hot topic these days, especially with local gas prices hovering around $3.50 per gallon.  Here are a few tips to help you get more bang for your buck….so to speak:

TIP #1: Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground  temperature is still cold. Here’s why: Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the  gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon  or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum  business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

TIP #2: When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast  mode.  Here’s why:  If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,  middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the  vapors that are created while you are pumping.  All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that  goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back > into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money. 

TIP #3: One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL . Here’s why: The more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine.  Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as  zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the  evaporation. 

TIP #4:  DO NOT BUY FUEL if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage  tanks; most likely the gasoline is  being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some  of the impurities that normally settle on the bottom.

There ya have it, just a few things you can do at the gas station to help your dollar….and your car….go a little farther.

It’s happened to all of us (including me!) at some time in our lives.

We find ourselves on the side of the road, something wrong with the car and wondering how we’re going to get home or where do we go from here…..

Luckily, you have the most important number you need stored in your phone already: 317-345-4528

That’s the number for My Car Doc, the Mobile Mechanics! We come right to you, even on the side of the road to get you rolling again. With a little bit of luck and My Car Doc on your side, we’ll have you home in time for dinner. So take 30 seconds, put that number in your phone now so that we can be there when you need us. 

It’s getting to be that time of year again. As much as I love summer, it’s time to say goodbye and start preparing for the harsh winter ahead. This amazing autumn weather doesn’t last long and before you know it, we’ll be wishing it would warm up to 60 degrees again. Just as we prepare our homes, stock up the pantries and break out the winter coats and boots, we must also prepare our vehicles for the cold temperatures ahead as well if we want our cars to be reliable when we need them the most. To make this easier, here are a few of the little things we can do to make sure that our four-wheeled friends are in tip-top shape for rock bottom temperatures:

COOLANT:

Check the coolant level and quality. If the quality of the coolant is below average or hasn’t been flushed in the last three years, it’s time to recharge your car’s first line of defense against the cold. If the quality is good, then just make sure you’re topped off and ready to go. WARNING: make sure you use a 50/50 mix of universal solvent coolant and water. Too much water in an engine will allow it to freeze. The wrong kind of coolant can cause problems with the entire cooling system.

BELTS:

Make sure your belts are in good condition. If the belts are cracked and worn, replace them before they break. Bitter temperatures cause rubber belts to become brittle & crack even easier.

AIR CONDITIONING:

I know it’s weird to talk about your AC during cold weather, but it’s important to run your AC for five minutes per week. This allows the compressor and other parts to remain lubricated, preventing them from seizing up over the long winter months.

Stay tuned! In a few days, I’ll post a few more things that you can do to make sure your four-wheeled friend is running just as well at the end of the winter tunnel as it was at the beginning! Thanks and have a great day!

So you got a ride back to the shop to pick up your car. Walking in to the joint, you’re relieved this is finally all over and you can get back to your normal life. Walking up to the counter, Mr.CounterGuy gets your keys, your invoice and starts to go over it with you. That’s when you’re hit with a higher bill than you expected.

Shocked, you want to know why. That’s when evil Mr.CounterGuy proceeds to tell you about the extra work they “had” to do. Now, that extra work may have needed to be done or maybe not, but the problem is that Mr. Counterguy apparently doesn’t have a phone that works and didn’t call you to get your approval first.  So now you have to pay him, and you feel taken advantage of. How do you keep this from happening again?
FIVE WAYS TO KEEP MR.COUNTERGUY OUT OF YOUR WALLET

• Insist that you’re called BEFORE any work is done and get it approved by you first. At least this way you’ll know that additional charges are coming.
• When you get that terrible “I hope your pockets are deeper” phone call, tell them to wait. Then call a friend, search the web, or call me to get a 2nd opinion. Does this extra work REALLY need to be done? An educated consumer is a safe consumer.
• While you’re searching, see if they’re charging you a fair price for that extra work. Or is Mr. CounterGuy just trying to charge you a premium because he thinks you’ll say “I’ve got no choice, go ahead”?
• Remember, unless that extra repair affects the ability of the car to drive, it’s NOT necessary to do right this second. If that shop is charging too much for that extra repair, tell them no or ask for a discount to a more reasonable price.
• Ask if he using dealership or aftermarket parts. Most parts available at shops like Autozone, Advance, Napa and CarQuest have to meet the specifications that car manufacturers set. This means that the quality of many aftermarket parts is just as good as OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or dealership parts. This means you can save money by NOT using dealsership parts but still have a safe repair.

Remember, YOU are the one writing that check. YOU ARE THE BOSS. They may have your car, but YOU get to decide what happens to it, NOT that evil Mr.CounterGuy. At My Car Doc, we never forget who the real boss is and we never high pressure sell you. If you have a repair that’s urgent, we’ll let you know. If it’s something to budget for in the future, we’ll let you know. Either way, it will get done when YOU are ready and not a minute before.