Posts Tagged ‘Mechanic’

For the people around the globe who live in right hand drive (rhd) areas, finding a left hand drive (lhd) car can be very difficult if not impossible. Some dealers specialize in importing left hand drive cars to sell to consumers but this is quite rare. For the most part a left hand drive car is just an oddity to people who don’t drive them.

In fact, many people only see left hand drive cars in movies that are based in the parts of the world where they are driven. Some car manufactures don’t even make left hand drive cars or if they do, the quantity is very limited or only sold in certain areas. However, companies such as Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Lexus and Audi usually produce both left and right hand drive cars for most of their makes and models.

Once you have found a left hand car dealer you will need to do some extensive research into the cars history to ensure quality. Was the car manufactured to be a left hand drive car, or was it converted into one? If it was converted it’s best to question your dealer about the process and inquire about future repairs. Changing a right hand drive car over to the left side doesn’t necessarily mean that the car is somehow defective. Since the car has undergone a major change, it could have a negative impact on the car if it wasn’t done properly.

Just as with any car repair, improper work will only lead to spending more on repairs down the line. Even a brand new car that has been converted may show problems. Technically, the car isn’t even considered brand new any longer once the conversion has taken place. Some cars simply can’t be converted and forcing a conversion is very unethical but this does take place to some degree.

The most important thing is to have the car tested out by a third party mechanic using the standard diagnostic test that normal cars go through. Failing to do so could lead you to purchase a car that is unsafe for the road. The 1993 Jeep Cherokee Utility left hand drives were recalled due to defects and safety concerns and so have many other models.

Other things you need to be aware of when selecting a left hand drive car is the cost of maintaining your car. If your car is an import or contains parts imported, you should be prepared to spend more money on the cars maintenance then you would on regular cars. Just as with anything imported for another area you should be prepared for limited availability, higher cost and possibly extended periods of time for the parts to arrive.

Individuals should select left hand drive cars by first reviewing the car dealer’s website and then researching the cars history, while reading the car owner’s manual. Car manuals give full detailed information and specifications about the car and they normally state clearly if the car was made to be converted.

Whether you plan on importing a left hand drive car or getting a right hand drive car converted, your main concern should be safety. Aside from safety issues you will also have to contend with inflated cost and part availability. The best advice I could give to anyone on this subject would be to thoroughly research everything about the car and the dealer you plan to purchase it from.

To keep your car looking good and performing well, Here some simple guidelines that will give you all the information you need to know. Also some excellent suggestions in taking optimum care of your car.

UNDER THE BONNET

Do you know your way around under the hood of your car? While not as critical as it used to be, periodically checking under the hood can head off problems before they become costly. Today, with self-service gas stations everywhere, often the only way you will get it done is for you to do it yourself.

Start by reading your car owner’s manual or search for your car models manual on line if you bought a used automobile which most of the times doesn’t have manuals for the drivers for them. There will always be a section on under bonnet checks. A word about safety though: read the safety warnings in your owner’s manual and any safety warning stickers under the hood. Also, it’s advisable that you keep a pair of old gloves and a roll of paper towels in the boot.

If the engine has been running for any length of time, there are areas under the hood that can be very hot. Except for checking transmission fluid level, all checks should be done while the engine is turned off. If the engine is running, do not put your hands near any belts or fans.

BATTERY

Most batteries today are maintenance free, which simply means that you can’t check the water level. This doesn’t mean however, that there is nothing to check. The main things to check are the top of the battery, which should be clean and dry, and the terminal connections, which should be clean and tight. If the top of the battery continuously becomes damp or corroded soon after cleaning, then have the charging system and battery checked by your mechanic. If by chance you are considering to buy used cars from dealers, and know nothing about batteries, you might wanna check it by looking and inspecting the connection wires. If it is corroded (it is rusty or white chemicals are forming), you can ask the used car dealer to clean it or change the battery to save you more money.

To keep your car looking good and performing well, Here some suggestions on checking the Coolant (Antifreeze) level as well as the engine oil level.

COOLANT (ANTIFREEZE) LEVEL

Never open the radiator of a car that has just been running. The cooling system of a car is under high pressure with fluid that is usually hotter than boiling water. Look for the cooling system reserve tank, somewhere near the radiator. It is usually translucent white so you can see the fluid level without opening it. (Do not confuse it with the windshield washer tank). The reserve tank will have two marks on the side of it. FULL HOT and FULL COLD. If the level frequently goes below full cold after adding fluid, you probably have a leak, which should be checked as soon as possible. Today’s engines are much more susceptible to damage from overheating, so do not neglect this important system. If your car is prone to overheating, you might wanna change your engine coolant or have your radiator checked up. Cars bought from car auctions usually have this problem so you might wanna research the used car value and asking for the cars service and damage/accident history to be aware of this kind of problems. Having an overheating engine on the road could be a very difficult thing to deal with.

ENGINE OIL LEVEL

An engine cannot run without oil; oil is what prevents serious engine damage or total destruction! To check the oil level, make sure that the engine is turned off, then find the engine oil dipstick and remove it. With a paper towel or rag, wipe off the end of the stick and notice the markings on it. You will usually see a mark for Full and another mark for ‘Add’. If you have just acquired a used automobile, it is wise to check the oil immediately to determine if it is required to refill or do an oil change. Clean oil also is best for car engines.

Check your owner’s manual to be sure. Push the stick back into the tube until it sets, then immediately pull it out to see the oil level. You should not add oil unless the level is below the Add mark and NEVER add oil to bring the level above the Full mark. Your main concern with this check is that oil consumption is not rapidly increasing. If it is, take your car to a repair shop as soon as possible and have it checked out. It is acceptable for the oil to be dark as long as you change it at the recommended intervals. However, it should never be foamy and should never have a strong petrol smell. If either of these conditions exists, have it checked out soon. Remember, you can browse sites like Automobile Mechanics to give you some tips and advices in properly maintaining your car but it is also advisable to pay a few dollars for an expert periodically to check your car to get it to its best condition.

Automobile prices keep getting higher and when you consider that your car is usually the second most valuable item you own you want the best possible advice on taking care of it. Some of the questions you may have include insurance, warranties, maintenance issues, and more.

There are many resources available to you to give you expert advice and guidance and it is best to have the information before you need it. If you don’t have a source readily available you may make a bad decision.

One of the best sources for information is your mechanic. Don’t think of seeing your mechanic with the same disdain as a visit to the dentist. A good mechanic can be a wealth of information about all sorts of car related issues and the knowledge is usually not limited to mechanical information. Since mechanics are car lovers they will usually have no problem talking to you about anything automobile related.

Your local automobile dealership can also be a good resource. You can talk to service advisors and mechanics there as well as salespeople. Believe me, salespeople love to talk and it helps them pass the time while they are waiting for a real customer. Another key point if that they may have information about your vehicle that you won’t find anywhere else.

Car clubs are another great place to network and get information and advice. You can find car clubs for almost anything, especially if you own a sports car, a classic, or an imported street racer. In my area there are also several clubs for Jeeps and 4-wheel drives. The members of these kinds of clubs are truly car nuts and are particularly knowledgeable about the vehicles the club identifies with.

If you are more of an introvert and really aren’t into the personal contact and meetings then you can always go online, the internet has thousands of websites devoted to cars and anything associated with them and you can find answers to just about any question you may have. You can probably find an online forum or message board to post your questions to and receive answers back almost immediately.

There is no need to feel overwhelmed or confused about any car related issue. There are numerous individuals that are more than happy to give you free expert advice and as I said if all else fails you can find the answers to your questions online.

Finding a trustworthy person or a team for any kind of work is a daring task, especially when it comes to the services you don’t know much about. Maybe cars are not one of your interests and you just want to drive a car safely and to keep it in good shape. You don’t want to know what makes it run or how to fix it and you would just be satisfied with paying money to an auto mechanic shop that would in return give you a proper car service. All this sounds good but there are many people who will tell you that it is quite hard to find a reliable mechanic shop that will offer you a great service without ripping you off.

So, how do you find a good auto mechanic shop?

By following the next few tips you will surely be on the right track and have more of a chance to find a reputable auto repair shop.

1. You surely have some trusted friends, whose advice you value, who have a car and have used the services of a local auto mechanic shop before. Asking them if they can recommend any mechanic shop worth attention can save you a lot of time and trouble.

2. Try talking to other people who live close by and have cars similar to yours. They can surely advise you on where to find a good auto repair shop.

3. If you randomly look around for a mechanic shop make sure that they service your type of car. Feel free to walk around their garage to check out what types of cars the mechanics there are working on. This might give you some idea as to the caliber of mechanics working in that facility.

4. Check online for any complaints, feedback or comments for that particular auto repair shop. The Internet is huge and there has to be at least one comment available for that particular shop. Also ask the company for their web site. Usually good companies present their business online. Also checking various communities and forums is one of the best ways to find out about good and bad auto mechanics. A good auto mechanic shop will always have positive comments from their clients.

5. Ask the owner or manager to the detail what kind of repairs will be done to your car. Have them explain what exactly is wrong with the vehicle and if anything needs to be replaced and why, and how much it will all cost. You do not need any surprises when you get you final bill.

6. Ask about the car mechanic shops working hours, how long it will take their mechanics to finish the work and will they offer you a loaner while they work on your car.

7. Once you have all things covered and you know how much work needs to be done ask your mechanic shop for the length of the warranty on the repair that will be done. Six months warranty is great, three months is not bad and if a warranty is around 30 days you will surely have a reason to be suspicious. Another thing you should ask your auto repair shop is whether the warranty given covers both labor and car parts.

8. Don’t settle for the first auto repair shop you come across. Ask around, find out more and be sure to compare quality and prices. Remember that a low or cheap price does not always mean a job well done.

It took me a while to find just the right automotive shop and mechanic in Tampa. I first had to go through a lot of grief with other auto repair shops. Many of them are unprofessional and unreliable, not quite fulfilling agreements entered into. Repairs are usually not finished on time. Some auto repair shops use substandard car parts, resulting in return jobs that cost me valuable time away from work and other productive endeavors. Even worse, I often found my vehicle stalling in the most inconvenient places even after an expensive auto repair job. That was very frustrating, indeed.

I almost gave up on hoping to find an auto repair shop and mechanic that I could truly rely on in Tampa. I refused to get stuck with shops that offered poor service, though. There had to be a better way. I vented my frustration to a co-worker and, fortunately, he referred me to Guy’s Automotive.

He said he never brought his car anywhere else, whether for a simple auto oil change or for serious engine repair because the technicians there were highly skilled and experienced. They could handle everything from manual to automatic car transmissions, local to foreign cars, economy to luxury cars and even truck repair. He, therefore, made sure that he regularly brought his car for auto inspection and maintenance at Guy’s Automotive. He had so much trust in this automotive shop that I was convinced to give it a try. At that point, I had nothing to lose.

Guy’s Automotive in Tampa

Right off, I found the location of this auto repair shop to be very convenient, being near the downtown area. I decided to ask them for an auto inspection even if I still wasn’t experiencing any actual problems with my car. I thought it would be a good way to size up the shop and its staff.

The technicians were very efficient and friendly, indeed. Not only did they give fast service, they also clearly explained to me in layman’s terms what needed to be given close attention to in maintaining my vehicle. Not being very technically savvy, I greatly appreciated hearing about important details regarding my car in language that I could fully comprehend. I have never experienced such thoroughness from any other mechanic in Tampa. It gave me confidence in handling my vehicle and established my confidence in the auto repair shop, as well.

It turned out that some car parts previously put in my car were, indeed, of inferior quality and, although they were still functioning, were already showing signs that they would soon be needing replacement. The technicians at Guy’s Automotive  taught me how to check on those parts on my own to detect the very first signs of trouble so as not to be caught off guard on the road. They assured me that when needed, they would replace those parts only with top quality AC Delco car parts. Apparently, this auto repair shop uses only AC Delco car parts which they have proven to have the best performance.

True enough, in a few weeks’ time I found the warning signs they had told me about and was able to bring my car to Guy’s Automotive before having to be inconvenienced in the middle of a drive. I was so glad that they had diagnosed my car accurately and had provided me with crucial information and advice. I felt like an empowered car owner actively participating in keeping my vehicle in its best condition. It saved me time, money, effort and a lot of stress. It may have even saved my life.

Emmy award winning mechanic Scotty Kilmer shows how you can seal all those pesky fluid leaks in your car. Using just a small bottle of sealer in a can, you can make permanent seals in minutes. For all your car care answers, visit www.scottykilmer.com