Amy’s Garage

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.

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 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.

When I woke up to snow falling last week there was no more denying that winter was going to be here way sooner then later. The time is here to dig out sweaters, coats, boots, hats, gloves and to get the car all ready for the next six months of cold, sleet, snow and slippery roads.

You want to be sure your car can transport you and your family safely in any weather conditions winter throws your way. Don’t procrastinate … be proactive!

Here are 6 steps you can take to get you and your car ready for winter driving.

1. Clean your vehicle inside and out!
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   Wash and wax the outside. This preventative measure will protect the paint from the salt and abuse of winter and also make the snow and ice brush off easier.         Do yourself a big favor and clean the inside of your car before it gets frigid cold out. Remove the debris that has collected over the summer. Vacuum the seats and floor, dust the dash, wash the windows and clean the upholstery.  Because your windows will be closed for over 4-5 months, it’s a great idea to check out the cabin air filter and change it if it’s dirty. It’s also a good idea to get yourself some water-resistant rubber mats before the slush and mush ruin your carpeted mats.

2. Make sure you have superb visibility! Make sure the washer fluid is good to -20 degrees (and NEVER use just water – it will freeze all over your windshield and you won’t be able to see anything!). If you can’t remember the last time you changed the wiper blades, now is a good time to do it. They only last about six months, so I like to change them in the fall, and again in the spring.
3. Make sure your heating system is functioning properly. Trust me, you do not want to be driving a car this winter without blasting heat and a working rear defroster.
4. Tires!!! Need I remind you that The Tire is THE ONLY Part of your Auto that Touches The Ground?

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   Seriously, the cheapest winter tires are better then good all-season tires. Braking, acceleration and handling are all dependent on the tires when driving. Give yourself a huge advantage and make sure you have good tires.   

5. What about the battery?

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   The battery gives little notice before it leaves you stranded. Very cold temperatures can reduce your vehicle’s battery power by up to 50%. If your batter is older than three years, make sure you get it tested to see how much life is left in it. Have your technician also check the battery posts and connections to make sure they are free of corrosion.

6. Get the antifreeze mixture right! Anitfreeze is very important to your car. It cools the engine and protects it from freezing in the cold weather. It also is key in providing heat to your fingers and toes while driving your car. The ideal mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and water for the cooling system of your vehicle is 50 / 50. You also want to be sure you have antifreeze that works in frigid temperatures.

Be prepared for the next six months by winterizing your car. This will help you avoid the aggravation of breaking down on a snowy, frigid day and save you money in the long run.

I had to fly from Vermont to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania last month. There were no direct flights so I had to go east to NYC to be able to go west to the Pitt. The planes were small and a bit noisy, but I just love the miracle of traveling up in the air, that I don’t really care how small or large a plane is. I am just in awe of sitting inside a room up in the sky.

It was wicked windy out and the small propeller plane shook all over the place. It settled down for a moment coming into NYC so I snapped this  picture of some of the sky scrapers that cover that island city.

I mean Seriously NYC, if global warming is for real and the water level of the oceans rise… you are so screwed.

Anyways, I never got around to making a reservation for my rental car, and decided to see how bad it would be to walk up to a counter and request a car.

All I can say is OUCH!

After being quoted $75.00 a day x 6 days + taxes and other fees, I about fell over.

I decided to put on my blogger hat and ask enough questions to get a good story and enough information to make my procrastination less painful. The young fellow (another unsung hero in my book!) who waited on my was so polite and very helpful.

I already knew that Airport Rental Counters are the most expensive place to rent a car, but have had great luck calling the airport counter directly to make a deal that I assumed that I could wheel and deal at the counter. I totally assumed wrong!

I explained that I had an automotive blog and wrote for www.askpatty.com “The Premier Automotive Site For Women”. How he should give me a great deal so I would write him a fabulous review. I tried to get him to go online to check out my blog and Ask Patty, but it was against company polity.

We concurred I could have set up my laptop and gotten a better deal online, waited 10 min., come back to the counter with a reservation and a savings of about $20.00 per day. My young man decided to save me this trouble and just gave me the discounted price.

He claimed he could not do better because Enterprise pays their employees per hour and they have a set amount they can discount of which he gave me the best deal he could.

I could have gone over to National or Alamo to see if I could get a better deal because their employees are paid a base salary and then a commission on sales. But they tend to be a harder sale on the insurance and extras, plus I felt like I got a good deal and appreciated how much time my young man gave me. He got an A+ in Customer Service!

I ended up renting a Ford Focus. I only had to drive an hour and was not going to be using the car much, so the attractive price of renting a little Focus sold me.

The truck size was really large and the front and back seats were very comfortable.

I loved it that I could plug in my iPod and listen to an Amy Radio show without any commercials.

Plus, I had great fun playing with the control toggles on the steering wheel!

I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the little Focus was.

• If you are in the market for a New Car, $15,000 would buy you a brand new Ford Focus.
• Fuel Mileage is 24 mpg city / 35 mpg highway
• To fill a tank full of gas it cost approx. $23.00 for 13.5 gallons of gas, which would take you approx. 340 miles down the road.

I’m still a Honda Girl, but I would rent a Ford Focus from Enterprise Rental Cars again. How about you? ??????? ????

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E85

My last post was to shout out the great news that Los Angeles County has approved a ground breaking facility that will revolutionize the Biofuel industry. They are going to be making their E85 out of Grass clippings, wood chips, paper products, and cardboard… and not corn.

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Then I got a bunch of questions wondering what the heck was E85 anyways?

E85 is a special alternative fuel that is a blend of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol. This special blend is used to power Flex Fuel Vehicles. You may have trouble finding a E85 fueling station at this time, because there are only about 1500 in the USA, and none in VT, NH, ME, CT RI or NJ. Seems the North East if lagging behind in the E85 arena.

Flex Fuel Vehicles? OK, so there is not a lot of difference in a Flex Fuel vehicle and a regular gasoline engine vehicle. Mechanically, the only difference is the addition of a fuel sensor that detects the ethanol/gasoline ration and the various parts that had to be upgraded to tolerate the ethanol, which is very corrosive.

Making fuel out of ethanol is not a new idea. Henry ford’s first cars were made to run on ethanol, but gasoline was so plentiful and cheap that it became the fuel of the day.

Flex Fueled vehicles running on E85 don’t really get any better gas mileage then their gasoline counter parts, but the advantages to using E85 versus gasoline are HUGE!

• Ethanol burns cleaner and tests have shown reduction in those nasty harmful hydrocarbon and benzene emissions.
• E85 can help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) that harmful greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming – and causing Vermont rain all summer – which only lasts 3 months if we are lucky.
• Ethanol is like totally renewable! It may be the In Cold Blood film hero of the day by helping to reduce our dependency on petroleum fuels.
• Manufacturing ethanol out of scraps will help clean up the environment while providing an alternative to straight gasoline powered engines!

I’ve got my eye on this one and will keep you informed when this becomes our new reality!

Alan Cohen has a new website www.LAAutoRefferal.com.

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Alan has taken his 30+ years experience in the automotive service industry and created a website to relieve the anxiety and stress of getting a car repaired.

His website provides a Professional Independent Service Shop Review for shops around LA California. They put the shops through a 10 step process to determine if a shop meets their qualifications.

In looking over Alan’s qualifications of a good repair shop, I have taken his best and added them to my own to create a list of what you need to look for in a shop to help you determine if this is a good fit for your automotive repair and service needs. Back to the Future Part II psp Snakes on a Plane trailer

1. How clean, organized and carefully thought out is the shop and waiting room?
2. Are customers greeted when they come into the shop? Does the Service Advisor show interest in the customer and make them feel at ease?
3. Does the S.A. run triage during the interview? Meaning…are they able to determine the reason why a vehicle was brought in by asking the right questions to get all the symptoms so the technician will have the information necessary to make a diagnosis without wasting their time and your dollars.
4. Does the S.A. explain the shops repair / service process so you understand how the job is going to happen. For example: “We will do a brake diagnosis to find out what is wrong with the brakes. We will put together an estimate to fix the problem and call you to get your permission before we do any work. Once we have your permission, we will complete the repair and call you to let you know when you can pick up your car. Any questions?”
5. Does the shop have a lot of repeat customers? Customers are more likely to stay with a shop that they trust and does a good job for them on a regular basis.
6. Does the shop guarantee their work with at least a 6 month / 6,000 mile in house warranty?
7. Is there at least one ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Master Technician on staff? This non-profit organization offers exams that set a national standard of technician competence.
8. Is the shop AAA approved or do they belong to any other groups that show that the shop is determined to keep up with the latest information on how to repair the newest technologies that are on the road?
9. Get a Referral: Ask around to see if folks you know have had a good or bad experience with this shop. (This is what www.LAAutoRefferal.com

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   is providing for folks who live in LA.)

   Alan wrote this very interesting article and has given me permission to reprint it.

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   There are many differences between dealerships and independent shops. The first is that most dealerships are bigger than independent shops, and have a much higher overhead.

   Then there is liability. From my experience while working at a dealership, when a quote is made for a repair it is usually higher than at an independent shop.
   Read the rest of the article!

According to Automotive News Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone move : After only six years of selling the Hummer brand, GM announced that they are “pulling the plug on Hummer and considering all options for the brand, including selling it”

What does this mean for the approx. 170 Hummer dealers across the country and especially for the 35 dealers that spent millions building specially distinctive quonset-hut style showrooms? It means that Hummer had a good ride for a couple of years, but now they’re running out of a rode to drive on. It also means that these 170 dealers invested in the wrong brand at the wrong time.

{According to Automoitve News Data Center & Company Sources} Hummer under GM sold:

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• 20,000 units in 2002
• 35,000 units in 2003
• 30,000 units in 2004
• 55,000 units in 2005
• 72,000 units in 2006
• 55,000 units in 2007
• will be interesting to see if they even sell 10,000 units this year…

Some dealers are dreaming that a Hummer Hybrid System will magically appears to save the day. Other dealers are hoping that the price of gas will drop drastically and folks forget about fuel economy.

This AutoGirl predicts that Hummer will turn back into a Army type rescue vehicle that is was design for in the first place.

What do you think will happen to the mighty Hummer?