How to save on car repairs
Car repair -- just like other aspects of car ownership -- is getting expensive. So car owners are getting creative in driving down car repair costs. One way is that they buy their own auto parts. That's no surprise for do-it-yourselfers. But even people who don't do their own maintenance are buying parts and taking them to their mechanic or repair shop for installation. The trend appears to be growing. An October 2010 survey by my company, AutoMD.com, found that 90 percent of car owners (who rely on mechanics) would buy their own auto parts and take them to the repair shop if they could save money. Here are four tips to do it the right way: #4 Check with the repair shop before purchasing the part Most repair shops and dealerships make a profit on the parts they use in a repair. The good news for consumers is that more and more shops are willing to install parts purchased elsewhere. A recent phone AutoMD.com survey of more than 125,000 repair shops revealed that nearly half wer...
Posted Sunday, July 10, 2011Help prevent 'Oklahoma summer' breakdowns
It's not too late to save yourself and your car from this unforgiving heat by doing things for it now that you should have done in May to prepare it for 'Oklahoma summer.' " Safety tip: Always wear safety glasses when working on automobiles. Wear personal protective equipment when necessary: latex gloves when dealing with batteries or oil filters and closed-toe shoes. See tulsaworld.com/Consumer071410 Rubber hates heat: "Maintenance for Oklahoma's severe heat is a little different than maintenance for the rest of the country," said Mai. "All the rubber car parts wear out faster here. Things like wiper blades, motor mounts, belts, hoses and tires don't last as long as they do elsewhere because of the heat and the extreme dry conditions. Schedule it for a summer inspection soon and have its rubber parts inspected for cracks and wear." Coolant: Have coolant condition tested. It's not just antifreeze, it's anti-boil protection. Air conditioner: Have the AC tes...
By PHIL MULKINS Posted Saturday, July 9, 20115 Ways to Increase Electric Car's Range Overnight
If you’re an electric car owner who finds that the range you can get from a full charge isn’t anywhere near the distance the dealer claimed, you’re not alone. Rushing to work, carrying excess weight, poor maintenance, inadequate planning and even drive distractions while driving can cause havoc with the number of miles your car can travel per charge. But there is help. By training yourself to follow these five simple steps you’ll find your electric car is capable of a much larger range than you thought was ever possible. Slow down The laws of physics dictate that on earth the faster an object moves, the more energy is needed to push it along. Electric cars are no different. Driving down the freeway at 90 mph in the outside lane will drain your car’s battery pack a whole lot faster than driving along at 60 mph. Even a 10 mph difference in speed can make an amazing difference. Over a 60 mile commute in a 2011 Nissan Leaf, we discovered traveling at 70 mp...
By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Posted Saturday, July 9, 2011