Amy’s Garage

There is no difference between the emergency brake and parking brake.

Same system just different names. BUT, if you don’t set the parking brake you could have an emergency with your car.

FOR EXAMPLE: A newish Subaru Outback Wagon, deluxe top of the line model was parked on a hill. The Owner ‘thought’ he had put the car into gear and set the emergency brake… only to later find his car missing from where he had parked. He finally found it down the hill SMASHED, CRASHED AND BASHED into a tree.

GOOD NEWS Mail Order Bride : As the car rolled down the hill, it did not hit anything else. No pets, people, cars, houses, not even a mailbox. Plus, it was not totaled.

OK, not totaled but as you can see there was a HUGE amount of damage.

1st it came to my shop, ‘Auto Craftsmen’ and we replaced damaged engine parts. Then it was towed off to “Majestic Auto” (244-5465) in Waterbury. Here is a picture of Tom Douglas owner of Majestic Auto. After he worked his magic the Outback looked as good as new.

Johnny Mnemonic

Moral Of The Story: Use It Or Loose It! Watchtower / Cruel And Unusual release buy Goodfellas

1. You need to use your parking brake on a regular basis to keep it working properly.

2.  When you park your car on a hill, turn the wheels so if the car does roll, it won’t go far. Put the car into gear and set the parking brake. Specially if you drive a manual transmission.

Have you ever lost your car by not setting the parking brake on a hill?

We had a beautifully taken care of 1980’s Volkswagen Vanagon GL come into my shop Auto Craftsmen the other day. What was remarkable about this old camper van was that it was born and raised in Vermont.

The Clan of the Cave Bear movie Now for those of you that have never lived in Vermont, you need to understand that vehicles just don’t last a long time in the Green Mountain State. The road crews of VT in their attempt to keep the snow off the roads during the long 6 months of winter dump tons and tons of salt all over our roads. The salty snow clings to the underbodies and sides of our automobiles and rusts the heck out of them. Every vehicle I have ever owned I have lost to ‘Rust!’ The engine would have gladly kept running, but the body of the vehicle was rusting off the bare bones of the frame and it wouldn’t pass the yearly state inspection that takes those old rusty buckets off our

roads.

Well, this van has been truly loved. It’s owner must have given it a bath on a regular basis for the body to be in such fine shape. The van came to the shop for an oil change and a new battery. The battery lives under the passenger seat. The seat flips around slips forward to give access to the battery compartment. Typical Volkswagen. Those Germans love to make working on Volkswagens interesting, amusing… keep you guessing where things live. Oh, and of course you need to have special Volkswagen tools to even think about working on them.

This van has over 300,000 miles on it.

Seriously… 300k. Remarkable! No it’s not the original engine. It was rebuilt by my tech Jim. But it has driven over 300,000 thousand miles of the highways and byways of this country, Canada and Mexico. It’s traveled to every state in this huge country of ours and has been to Alaska and back.

What is so cool about this van is the interior. It is a camper van. Contains a very comfy bed, really cool kitchen set up and the top pops open so you can stand up in it. There is even an awning that connects to the side so you can have a porch to sit under once you have set up camp.

It would be such fun to take this old van on a road trip. Was a treat to see such a fine old van taken care of so well, and enjoyed so much!

Anyone out there have a Vanagon to top this one?

Citizen Kane film

This is a press release from AskPatty.com

AskPatty.com to Offer Independence Day Incentive to Car Dealers to Meet the Needs of Women Car Buyers.

(PRWEB) June, 16, 2008: Women car shoppers spend $300 billion annually on purchasing new and used cars, trucks, car maintenance, repairs and service. 51% of women over 18 are single and may be in the car buying market now.

Long gone are the days when the only decision women were expected to make about a new car was which color to choose. Women are now the fastest growing segment of new car buyers and, thanks to sites like AskPatty.com, are more confident, more educated and better prepared to make a decision than ever before.

Women today are looking for cars with improved fuel economy, enhanced safety features and are shopping for a dealership where they will feel comfortable during the entire car buying process.

To honor these millions of independent women car buyers, AskPatty.com is offering a special independence day incentive to new and used car dealerships to become part of the AskPatty.com network of female friendly certified dealerships June 14th – July 4th. Becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified dealer helps new and used car dealerships attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

Go here to learn more about becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified new or used car dealer here: Ask Patty.com Female Friendly Certified Dealer Tour

The Shortcut movies

Properly armed with the right tools and training, new and used car dealerships can increase their share of the largest and fastest growing demographic of new car buyers in the US — Women Consumers. The Ask Patty Certified Dealer program was designed specifically for car dealerships to attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

“Women love to shop and dealerships need to understand how women go about their car buying process to earn the rewards from their tremendous purchasing power and influence. Women car buyers want to be treated with respect at the dealership and enjoy their car buying experiences, just like any other retail purchase. AskPatty.com trains new and used car dealerships to provide that kind of experience to women car buyers.” says Jody DeVere, CEO and President of AskPatty.com, Inc.

Car dealers have already noticed the effect that the Internet has had on their interaction with women car shoppers. Women do their research and usually have information printed out from the Internet so they are more confident in negotiating a good deal. With all the information fully disclosed, women feel they can make their own car buying decision, without bringing a man along. The Internet has certainly been an equal opportunities provider in the world of car sales.

What Is An AskPatty.com female friendly certified dealer?

An Ask Patty certified dealer is a dealer that has been trained to communicate more effectively with women car buyers and creates a safe and comfortable environment where women feel welcome and a dealer that makes the experience of purchasing and maintaining her vehicle a pleasant one.

Ask Patty trained and certified dealers are held to a high level of customer satisfaction for women consumers.

The Ask Patty Promise.

Offspring movie full

1. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers provide women consumers with an automotive retail experience based on relationship building, trust, respect and improved communications.

2. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers aim to surpass women consumer’s expectations with the highest level of customer service to win their lifetime loyalty.

3. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers provide women consumers with an automotive retail experience that is safe and comfortable.

4. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers surpass the highest levels of customer satisfaction for women consumers.

5. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers are committed to providing the highest quality repair and maintenance service while striving to repair the vehicle right the first fime.

About AskPatty.com, Inc.

The ask Patty.com, Inc. website, blog and Second Life venue is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can shop for vehicles at our network of certified female friendly dealerships across the U.S.

AskPatty.com is a member and 2007 corporate sponsor of the Women’s Automotive Association International based in Detroit, MI, Chair of the UnitedSpinal Association Motorsports program, Member of the California SkillsUSA.org board, on the Women’s Board of the Car Care Council, a SEMA member and a member of the SEMA Business Women’s Networking Group.

AskPatty.com is partnered with Girl Scouts of America, AutoTrader.com, NIADA, Arkona, Chrome Systems, Inc., MyCarPage.com, MyAutoLoan, Aware and SheKnows, LLC.

Ask Patty Certified Dealer Program:

Properly armed with the right tools and training your dealerships can increase its share of the largest and fastest growing demographic of new vehicle buyers in the US — Women Consumers. The Ask Patty Certified Dealer program was designed specifically for car dealerships to attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

Go here to learn more about becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified new or used car dealer here: AskPatty.com female Friendly Dealer Tour

If you want more information on AskPatty.com or their dealership program, please email me at amymattinat@askpatty.com

On May 10th & 11th Going Green Magazine (www.goinggreenmagazine.org)put on their 3rd Going Green Expo in Burlington, Vermont. There was an eclectic variety of Eco-exhibitors. I was surprised at the number folks from the mainstream looking for information. People seem ready to make some major changes to their homes, work places and modes of transportation.

• Marie Antoinette video

I was asked to help run their “Green Test Track and Auto Zone.” We were able to bring in a wide diversity of alternative powered automobiles. GM came up from NYC with their Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle (www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell ) and also brought along a Malibu Hybrid and a Tahoe Hybrid. The Equinox generated a lot of interest and kept the GM folks busy answering questions. When they turned it on you would hear more of a gurgle, gurgle then the normal vroom, vroom of a gasoline powered engine. Folks got a kick out that, but were very skeptical that the country could provide the infrastructure to support the Hydrogen fuel.

Also on hand was a fellow who had installed a MagDrive Hydro-Gen© in his truck. (www.fuelfromh2o.com ) It’s a hybrid system in that a small hydrogen fuel system is added to the existing gasoline or diesel engine. I’m going to visit him in June and will write more about it then.

There was a Hybrid Camry, a Hybrid Highlander, and a converted Hybrid Prius Plug-in. The Plug-in got a lot of attention. Folks are excited about the extra 100 miles the lithium battery provides before the hybrid system takes over. Most folks had unrealistic expectations that the industry should be able to provide an affordable hybrid plug-in right away. But they were open to listening and getting educated to the reality of the time, energy and money the automotive industry is putting forth to creating the lithium battery. I don’t know if Vermonters are more apt to be DYI’ers, but the Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion System (www.greasecar.com ) that modifies diesel vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil was a big hit. If there was an exhibitor with a Greasecar Conversion Business, they would have made a lot of sales.

There were two electric vehicles. A Miles Electric Car and a Zap Electric Truck. The Zap Truck (www.zapworld.com ) was the hit of the party. People loved the affordability of it ($12,500) and that it went 40 mph for up to 25 miles per charge. Folks who lived and worked in the city felt that this little three wheeled truck would be a great second vehicle for their family. Buzzing around the test track, I had to agree that it is fun to drive and that the math is very attractive.

Then there was the Moonbeam

<htpp://mysite.verizon.net/vze6omtd/jorysquibb/index.html

This homemade Micro Car cost $2500 in parts and about 1000 labor hours to create. Gasoline powered it goes 40 mph and gets 85-105 mpg. It was so cute and way fun to drive, but I felt it would be too small to get around town on a daily basis.

Most folks were attracted to the low cost, low maintenance vehicles. They were all very concerned about fuel prices going up, very concerned about the mpg their vehicle was getting and were apologetic when I asked what they were driving.

• Wayne’s World hd

Which alternative powered vehicle are you most interested in? Join the conversation and send us your comments!