Amy’s Garage

DON’T BE THIS PERSON?

While driving to work – the timing belt broke… and because this vehicle has an interference engine, the engine is probably toast. The vehicle got towed to my shop – Auto Craftsmen.

Her auto technician told her 3xs that she should get the timing belt changed on her 2002 PT Cruiser.

But she kept putting it off – because she did not want to spend the money.

The only way to find out if the engine survived is to put a new timing belt on the engine (approx. a five hour job). It is will either be OK – or not Ok – It’s about a $500 gamble! So Sad!

It’s very important to know if your vehicle has an Interference Engine. If it does have an Interference Engine & the timing belt breaks, – the pistons and valves collide. This not only stops your car (dead on the side of the road), but damages the valves, pistons or head… and in most cases, completely ruins the engine.

If your car is not an Interference Engine and it has a timing belt – and the belt breaks… then your vehicle will stop running, and you will have to get towed to a repair shop to get a new timing belt installed in your vehicle.

Lots of vehicles now have Timing Chains. Much better design – in that you don’t have to worry about it breaking, nor having to replace it around somewhere between 60,000 to 105,000 miles, depending on the year, make & model.

The timing belt is located under the timing cover – which is not easily taken off & put back on, so you can’t see the timing belt to inspect the condition it is in.

This is too bad when you are looking to purchase a used car that has about 80,000 – 100,000 miles. So it is very important to do your homework ahead of time and know what type of engine & timing belt a used car has before you purchase it.

Getting a timing belt job is an investment in the vehicle. It can run anywhere from $500  to $1,500 depending on whether you have other components replaced while the technician has the cover off.

If you are looking to get 200,000 miles out of the vehicle, I recommend having the water pump, idler & tensioner pulleys replaced at the same time the timing belt is replaced. If the pump fails or and idler or pulley seizes -it will break the timing belt and you will be back at square one.

I hope you never have this experience. The owner of this vehicle still owes a couple of thousand on a loan… and it’s very likely that the engine is ruined. No matter what they decide to do now, they are going to loose money on this car. Very Sad Story!

Today’s cars are very complex. If the battery of your car dies – you want to be very careful how you get it started up. Here are 4 different ways you can charge the battery to get your car rolling down the road again.

1. Slowly charge the battery by using a battery charger.

2. Use a booster pack to jump the battery.

3. Call an expert mobile service to jump the battery.

4. If you must use jumper cables then I highly suggest you invest in MICHELIN’S Smart Jumper Cables™.

If you hook up ordinary jumper cables incorrectly it can result in sparking or shorting which could seriously hurt you. This could also produce a power surge that could kill your car’s expensive electrical system. I like to call modern cars – Computers on Wheels. And we all know that computers hate power surges.

This is why I highly recommend MICHELIN’S new Smart Jumper Cables ™. These idiot proof jumper cables eliminate the guesswork of how to hook them up the right way.

*They cost only $40.00 at auto supply retailers.

*The cable clamps can attach to either the positive or negative connections. How cool is that!

*They have these LED indicators that light up to tell you that the cables are hooked up right and you’re ready to start the cars and jump the battery.

*The textured grips make them easy to handle, especially in cold weather.

*The heavy-duty cable with insulated clamps stays flexible, tangle free, even in the winter’s cold.

Why does a battery die?

*You left something on or connected in the car that drained all the energy from your battery.

*The vehicle has a bad alternator.

*The serpentine belt is bad.

*The battery is old. They only last about 3-5 years.

*You got a defective battery and need to return it for a good one.

*You leave the car idling all the time or you drive the car on short trips not allowing the battery to recharge – so you wore out the battery before its time.

*Your battery is not strong enough for all the add-ons like monster stereo systems etc. that you have had installed.

*The battery has dirty connector/terminals.

*The vehicle has a bad computer.

*The battery was damaged in an accident.

Getting Prepared to Use Jumper Cables!

*** Read your owners manual*** It will give you information you need, like – where the battery is located. Some vehicles have the battery under the hood, some behind the cab, under the seat or even in the trunk. ALSO, find out if there is an anti-theft system. Some alarms will activate whenever the battery is low or disconnected. That would be very annoying!

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that both the dead battery and the rescue battery have the “same” voltage. Car batteries are usually 12 Volts. Trucks may operate on a 24 volt system. Do not attach 12V to 24V.

DANGER! Never jump a battery that is frozen or has insufficient battery acid in it.

*Wear eye protection. Wear gloves.

*Make sure both cars are close enough for cables to reach BUT the cars are NOT touching.

*Set an auto transmission vehicle in “Park” position.

*Set a manual (5 speed) transmission in “neutral”.

*Set the emergency brake on both cars.

*Turn off the headlights, wipers, radios, and all accessories on both cars.

*Unplug anything that is connected to the cigarette lighter.

*Leave on the emergency flashers if needed.

*Turn off both cars’ engines.

*Open the hood of each of the cars and secure them.

Jumping a Battery using MICHELIN Smart Cables™

1.Connect one set of clamps to the assisting vehicle’s battery. Put one clamp to each battery terminal – polarity doesn’t matter

2. Then go to the disabled vehicle: Connect the first clamp to the Positive Battery Terminal (red). The other clamp is attached to some metal on the dead vehicle’s engine block or frame. Painted, oily, or rusted metal will not work. Nuts, bolts, or other protruding shiny metal is best.

3. Both green indicator lights should be lit on the MICHELIN Smart Cables Center Module. If not – re-adjust the clamps until they do. If the green LED lights still do not glow after you have firmly connected the clamps, then your battery is damaged, completely drained or has less than the 6 residual volts required for boosting. Don’t try to jump this battery – you could do damage to your car or the assisting vehicle. Time to call the tow truck!

4. Start the assisting vehicle and let it idle at least 1 minute.

5. Then start the disabled car’s engine. Chances are that if there aren’t any other problems, the car will start easily.

6. Once the disabled vehicle is running, disconnect the clamp attached to the engine block first, then disconnect the remaining clamps in any order.

How is that for EASY!

Please Note:

If the vehicle does not start after cranking for 30 seconds. STOP! Call a tow truck!

Once you get your car running, drive it somewhere safe and secure before shutting off the engine. You will want to get the battery tested to see its condition, starting and charging voltage. If it was really dead, then you should have it slowly and completely charged using a battery charger.

Safe and Happy Motoring,

Amy Mattinat

Owner: www.AutoCraftsmen.

Cars give us freedom, independence and a quick and easy way to get from point A to point B.  Along with the convenience and joy of driving a car come the risks of getting in an accident. Every time you get into a vehicle you are putting your life on the line.

High-end luxury cars ($50,000 and up) have the newest cutting edge technology where the car practically drives itself. These high tech safety features might include: Traction control, anti-lock braking, back up sensors, back-up cameras, night vision technology, run-flat tires, blind spot / lane departure / brake assist technology and 6 to 8 airbags per car. There are even cars that will parallel park at the flip of a switch.

Even though there is all this fancy safety technology available the most effective thing you can do to keep safe is to wear your seatbelt. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) estimates that about 10,000 lives are saved every year by wearing seatbelts.

If you combine wearing your seatbelt with the standard safety equipment in most cars: head restraints, padded dashboards, collapsible steering columns, crumple zones and front airbags you have a fighting chance to walk away from most accidents. Again, the key is to wear your seatbelt!

While a seatbelt helps keep you from being thrown out of a vehicle during a crash, the airbag keeps you from being thrown about the vehicle. It helps slow you down and softens the blow by having you crash into a pillow-like bag instead of the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield.

Since 1998 the federal government required cars to have air bags in the front seats for the driver and passenger. NHTSA calculates that using seatbelts with airbags reduces the risk of death in a car accident by 61% and has saved over 28,000 lives. Some newer vehicles also have side-door airbags in the front and sometimes in the rear.

As in everything about automobiles, there is no standard when it comes to airbags. Some vehicles only have front airbags, others have side airbags only in the front, and some have airbags for the back seat passengers. As the technology advances the engineers keep adding more per vehicle.

When a car crashes into something at 8 to 14 mph, the front airbags will deploy. Various chemicals are mixed together to release a harmless nitrogen gas that blows up the airbag. It all happens at the blink of an eye – the bag literally explodes at 200 mph.  The airbags deflate rather quickly afterwards. The thought is it needs to get out of the way so you can get out of the vehicle. There is frequently a release of white powder made up of cornstarch or talcum powder that is released into the air once the bag has deflated.  This may cause some minor irritation to the throat and eyes, but once a window or door is opened it will go away.

Because the airbags explode out of their storage units, there are safety precautions you need to take so you won’t be injured from the exploding airbag.

The driver’s airbag is hidden in the steering column. Measure from your breast bone to the center of the steering wheel to make sure there is at least 10” between the two. If you fall short of the 10” try reclining the seat back slightly. If you still fall short, you should Google “pedal extensions” online and purchase a gas pedal & brake pedal extension for about $150.00.

Also, adjust your steering wheel so an exploding airbag will hit you in the chest and not your head or neck. If your steering wheel won’t adjust you can add a cushion to sit on.

The passenger’s airbag is located in the dashboard and in some cars the doors. Always have the seat set back as far as possible.

Regarding babies and children: If the front passenger seat has an airbag – then babies and kids up to 12 yrs old need to sit in the backseat. Exploding airbags have been known to kill a small baby. If there is no back seat in the vehicle and you child needs to sit in the front seat, then the airbag needs to be turned off! Some vehicles have an on/off switch; others need to have the switch installed. Go to www.safercar.gov or www.nhtsa.dot.gov for more detailed information.

If the SRS airbag warning light comes on in the dash of your vehicle, this means that the airbag will not work if you crash the vehicle until it has been repaired. NO, you can’t reuse an airbag. Once it has exploded, it needs to be replaced with a new on.

Whether you like them or not, airbags are here to stay. It’s important that you read your owners manual so you understand how many airbags your vehicle has and where they are located. Then you can make the adjustments necessary so you don’t get injured from the airbag if you get into an accident.

Safe and Happy Motoring,
Amy Mattinat
Owner: www.AutoCraftsmen.com
Automotive Expert Advisor on AskPatty.com
Join me: facebook.com/autocraftsmen

You’re driving to work, taking the kids to a ballgame, or running a routine errand… and then you see it – the Check Engine Light turns on. Ugh. For many people, the sight of a Check Engine Light triggers visions of a costly repair bill and a sense of worry, since most folks don’t really know what it means.

The Check Engine Light turns on when your vehicle’s computer (which monitors your vehicle’s performance) finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct. There are hundreds of sensors in your car, any of which can send a signal to your car’s computer telling it that something isn’t quite right.

In your owner’s manual, there will be a section with recommendations on what to do if the Check Engine Light comes on for your car that will give you a better idea of what to expect.

A common question I hear is:
How long can I wait to take my car in when that Check Engine light comes on?

My standard answer is:

• If there are no drivability problems then you can keep driving and bring it to your automotive service provider to get the computer scanned in the next couple of days.
• But, if the check engine light starts flashing or your vehicle is having drivability problems (stalling, hard to start, slow to accelerate, black smoke coming out the back, etc.) you should immediately pull off the road, turn off the engine & have the vehicle towed in for repairs.
• If you continue driving when the light is flashing or the vehicle is having drivability issues, you can do catastrophic damage which could require an expensive repair. The longer you drive, the more expensive it becomes.

If you do have your vehicle towed, be sure to take it to your dealer if you’re under warranty. Engine work done by a shop other than your dealer can void your warranty.

In short, don’t panic if the Check Engine Light comes on. The Check Engine Light is really your friend. The car’s computer is working hard monitoring your car’s engine and making adjustments so you can jump in your car and rush off to where ever you need to be without a thought to your car’s performance. So, if that light comes on to tell you there is a problem, don’t ignore it.

Amy Mattinat is the owner of Auto Craftsmen, an independent full service dealership in Montpelier, Vermont, as well as the author of How to Buy a Great Used Car.

If someone offered to give you a diesel powered automobile what would be the first thing that pops into your head. How about something like: diesel is used in big trucks, is smelly, dirty and it makes the vehicle hard to start on a cold winter’s day. This may have been the diesel of yesterday, but it is far from the truth of Audi turbo diesel engines today.

Through my affiliation with www.AskPatty.com, I had the opportunity to drive an Audi Turbo Diesel Quattro powered sedan from Denver to Los Vegas with the “Audi Mileage Marathon” October 2008. Audi had over 100 journalists drive 23 Audi diesel vehicles 4,800 miles from New York City to Los Angeles.

Audi brought four TDI {Turbo Direct Injection) Quattro (All Wheel Drive) Clean Diesel models over from Germany

• 7 ea – Q7 3.0 SUVs (Sport utility vehicles)
• 7ea – Q5 3.0 Crossovers
• 7ea – A4 3.0 Sedans
• 2ea – A3 2.0 Sportbacks.

The theme of the marathon was a friendly competition of who could get the best fuel economy in their class.

Granted that the majority of journalists were men, most of the drivers were very serious about the competition. Some tucked in their mirrors, taped off any corners to get the best aerodynamics, and were doing silly things like driving through the desert with the A/C off, hyper-miling behind trucks, and putting the vehicle into neutral going down hills.

My driving partner Kami Buchholz who writes for Automotive Engineering, our passenger Bob Massa of Michelin tires and I decided almost from the get-go that we were going to give our A4 sedan the test of ‘real road driving’ by doing nothing special at all. We would pretend we were on vacation and enjoy the sites and each others company instead of being all obsessive about the mileage.  I guess we did a great job with pretending because we were the last vehicle to pull into the various hotels three nights in a row. They had programmed our route into the navigation system so we had to keep turning off “Matilda” so we could check out side roads and make a lot of extra stops to pick up postcards for Kami’s collection. We were having so much fun I don’t think we even used the cruise control.

Much to the surprise of everyone – including ourselves, “The Vacation Team” came in 1^st place for the best mileage IN our class from Denver to Vegas. We averaged 36.7 mpg with an average speed of 49.3 mph. Does this mean we putted down the roads? No Way! We totally utilized the turbo-powered engine. Don’t tell Audi, but the vehicle beeped at us numerous times to slow down while passing huge motor coaches on those long stretches of one lane highways through Colorado and Arizona.

What do we attribute to our winning the best fuel mileage out of 6 Audi A4’s even though we had the extra weight of a passenger and did nothing special to get better fuel mileage? We laughed a lot! We laughed so much that the car must have been floating on air part of the drive. Seriously, the Audi Engineers had already done the work ahead of time.

What did I like best about driving this luxury diesel powered sedan? That a vehicle could have superior handling and peppiness, great fuel efficiency and ultra low emissions all at the same time was a beautiful thing. I also love, love, love the fact that these cars will one day be able to run on synthetic fuels made out of biomass, such as plant waste.

As an added bonus, the seats were super comfortable. We put in about 9 hours per day on the road for three days. That’s a lot of sitting and poor Bob never got out of the back seat. He graciously offered to help drive, but Kami and I would not give up the power of the wheel.

The coolest feature was the automatic headlights that would tract the road left and right and put on the bright lights and then dim them automatically as needed. We discovered this driving down the mountain into Sedona Arizona through hair pin turns. Kami only had to focus on the road, and the car took care of the lights. I also appreciated that they gave us a tire that could handle the vehicle and the terrain. The Michelin Primacy HP – XL rated tires hugged the road cruising down the highways and going up and down the many curves and switchbacks through the mountains.

The only drawback I found in the car was the control panel that we called the ‘Vista’ of Audi. I had to pull the book every time we wanted to change any of the controls. To do anything you have to look to the digital readout on the navigation screen. I’m talking about turning on the fan, changing the temperature, changing the radio station. And while you are doing anything you loose your navigation. Then you have to hit a bunch of buttons in the right sequence to get “Matilda” back where she belongs. Very frustrating!

Diesels have been a huge hit in Europe for years. They account for more than half of all new vehicles sold in Western Europe. With Audi’s new TDI technology these diesel engines now pass even California’s strict emission standards and can be sold in the US. The dawn of clean diesels is here to stay. So if someone offered to give me a new Audi Diesel powered A4 Sedan…. I would take it with a smile!

The Car Care Council has launched a digital version of its popular Car Care Guide. I think it’s a ‘Must Have’ for all drivers. Great information!

The Car Care Guide uses easy-to-understand everyday language, instead of technical automotive jargon, and fits easily in a glove box. The guide covers the most common preventive maintenance occasions and procedures that need to be performed to keep cars safe, dependable and efficient. It also includes descriptions of 12 major vehicle systems and parts, and a list of questions to ask when maintenance or repair procedures are being done on a car. A Car Care Checklist reminds motorists what vehicle systems need to be maintained and when service or repair should be performed.

We have hard copies of the booklet here at Auto Craftsmen that you can come in and pick up, or you can go online to www.carcare.org/car-care-guide and order a hard copy to be sent to your door.

The Check Engine Light is an important part of your car’s computer system which controls and monitors a vehicle’s performance, regulating such variables as engine speed, fuel mixture, and ignition timing.

• If the light is blinking pull over ASAP, turn off the vehicle and call for a tow truck. If you keep driving you could cause catastrophic damage to the engine.

If the light is steady, but the vehicle is sputtering, stuttering, stalling or having trouble starting, take it to a professional auto technician ASAP for diagnosis and repair.

• If the vehicle is running just fine the problem is not an emergency, but you should schedule an appointment as soon as possible. It could be that the gas cap is loose, there is an exhaust leak, vehicle needs a tune-up, or a sensor needs replacing.

• If you totally ignore the check engine light you could eventually end up damaging expensive components. It also can be a sign that your car is getting poor fuel economy and emitting higher levels of pollutants.

Vermont = Snow and Icy Road Conditions = Salt = Rust on your Car.

The salt they put on our roads to keep us safe will corrode the body, brake and fuel lines, gas tank and other rust-sensitive components of your vehicle. You can loose years of driving because of RUST!

The experts say you need to get that salt off your vehicle within 10-days or when the temperature gets above 40-degrees.

However, don’t wash your car when it’s too cold. The water can freeze to the car. Wait until it warms up to at least 15 to 20 degrees. Open and close the doors, trunk, windows and other parts of the car with locks several times before parking it to prevent locks from freezing.

Rust on our cars is the curse of Vermont. Take the time to wash the body of your car, plus the entire undercarriage along with the tires and wheels. It will help you get more miles and years out of your vehicle!

Please drive safely!

Amy Mattinat
owner of Auto Craftsmen
www.autocraftsmen.com
223-2253

Cell phones are not only for phone calls anymore. They include cameras, music, games. They connect us to facebook, our email, and the internet. Cell phones are a truly remarkable technology that conveniently connects us to the whole world, yet they are small enough to fit inside a pocket or a handbag.

Yet there is a lot of anti cell phone rhetoric in the news these days. All across the country there are new laws popping up to ban cell phone usage while driving a car.

What about you: Do you drive your car while talking on the phone? Would you admit to texting while driving?

You may be wondering why everyone is making such a big deal about talking on your cell phone while driving. Most folks drink coffee, eat sandwiches, change the radio station, and do a variety of other motions while driving and no one is talking about outlawing that.

The call to arms is the result of the increase in traffic accidents due to using cell phones while driving.

The statistics are in:

• According to AAA: 46% of teens admit to texting while driving.
• Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year
• There were 10 million cell phones in the U.S. in 2005, and according to the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association that number has swelled to 236 million. This is a very large number of folks potentially driving while distracted by their cell phones.
• The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% off all crashes.
• Compare that 80% to this statistic for perspective: 33% of accidents nationally are caused by drunk drivers.

If you are caught drinking alcohol and driving or having a driver age 21 or older with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) that registers over .08 percent / or .02 BAC for drivers under 21, you can be prosecute for DUI (driving under the influence). This is because drinking and driving impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle and puts other drivers at risk.

Do we dare conclude out loud that accidents caused by talking or texting with a cell phone while driving are just as serious as accidents caused by drinking and driving because they put others at risk? If we were to admit this, then we need to hand our cell phones to a designated talker and keep our focus on the road.

If you are caught driving without your seatbelt fastened you are breaking the law. If you drive without your seatbelt on you are not putting anyone else at risk, it is one of those laws that protects you from yourself. Yet I would wager that most of you wear your seatbelt while driving your car.

For parents that want to restrict cell phone usage in cars for their young drivers, you can go to www.getizup.com. There is an application you can download for $5 a month or $50 per year that blocks and holds all the text messages, calls and emails while allowing access to 911 and a list of authorized phone numbers.

Right now it’s a personal decision whether to DWT or not. Since you are sharing the road with others, I hope you will turn your phone off or at least find a safe place to pull over before responding to your cell phone when it rings, beeps or plays a silly song.

It is VERY important to properly store your tires, summer tires during the winter / and your winter tires during the summer.

If you don’t, you could potentially permanently damage the tire

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To properly store your tires:

* Put each tire in it’s own storage bag. {At Auto Craftsmen we provide you with storage bags.}

* The perfect environment for your tires would be a clean, cool, dry, dark and well ventilated space, like a garage, basement or a waterproof shed. If storing your tires in a heated room make sure the tires are shielded from the heat source.

* If storing in the basement or garage, don’t put the tires directly on the cement floor. Put them on a wooden pallet or shelf.

* Because tires are highly engineered products composed of a variety of materials, they must be protected from heat, light, moisture, ozone and deformation during storage.

* Solvents, fuels, lubricants, and chemicals should not come into contact with tires.

*The best way to store tires in on their sides in a tire rack. But realistically, most folks are not going to invest in one. Most people will stack them. If you do this,  then do not stack more than four high and never Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd rip put anything on the stack of tires.

This tip is for tires NOT on rims. If the tires are on the rims, then you DO want to stack them, and not have them on their sides in a rack.

007 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service move

If storing tires outside

* Stack the tires on a pallet so they are off the ground

* Put close to building for added protection

* In the winter – keep the snow off your tire pile. In the summer – don’t let your tires get wet.

* Put in tire bags and tape shut – then cover the stack with a waterproof / colored tarp (you want to avoid sunlight at all costs).

Where do you store your extra tires?