Repairing Auto

Learn about cars the old fashioned way but use the latest information. A new mechanic joined our shop and shared his automotive technology book with us.

Here’s a phrase 99% of you will never have any use for: 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene. You may never use the phrase, but in the next few years you’ll surely find yourself using the stuff itself. 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, more commonly known by its DuPont/Honeywell trade name HFO-1234yf, is a new class of refrigerant that is fast being adopted by carmakers. To clear things up, this is an article about air conditioning. HFO-1234yf is being billed as a direct replacement for the current R-134a used in your car’s air conditioning system. Why bother replacing it? For all its benefits, it turns out R-134a was still wrecking our atmosphere and HFO-1234yf is hundreds of times cleaner and safer. For most of us, this change will be nothing more than a blip on our personal radars. If you’re interested in the details, I’m happy to <a href=”http://autorepair.about.com/od/glossary/a/Hfo-1234yf-Is-The-Green-Alternative-For-Your-Cars-Ac-System.htm”>tell you more</a> about HFO-1234yf.

I’ve talked to more than a few readers who tell me that they really love their mechanics. They trust their mechanics, they recommend their mechanics, but would they marry their mechanics? Not only did Maggie Paskiewicz of Racine, Wisconsin accept her mechanic’s marriage proposal, she agreed to marry him right in the shop! I know a lot of guys who would have gladly exchanged vows with their loved ones in the shadow of a four-post lift with grease tray, but I don’t think any of their wives would have obliged the request. I know it’s a cheesy story, but even wrench turners have a soft spot!

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Windshield wipers seem to be one of those products that exhausted any opportunities for innovation decades ago. To be fair, there have been some serious improvements in rubber compounds over the years, but the wiper design itself has seen little in the way of advancement. If you’re raising your hand to tell me about those slick double and triple blade conglomerations you had on your Escort GT in 1991, don’t bother. Those things stunk and you know it. Let’s not bring up the 3-vaned plastic wiper wings either. Today, we’re finally starting to see a serious improvement in wiper design. I first noticed it on my wife’s Mercedes — the car featured a single wiper without a bulky metal carrier, and worked wonderfully. Now, some years later, the aftermarket has caught on and is offering this new style blade as a replacement for your car. We reviewed the Rain-X version of these wipers earlier in the year, but now we have a new set to try — the Michelin Radius. Read the reviews to see how they stacked up.

I received a letter today from Sharon who told this story:

While I was travelling in eastern Washington in July there was a strong smell…that I couldn’t figure where it was coming from. I tried closing the windows and recirculating the air in the car, thinking it was coming from outside…truck ahead of me or something sprayed on roadside. This continued on and when I pulled over for gas I started searching the car to find a can of Fix-a-Flat with the gas leaking out of it, in the trunk near the spare tire.

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Mechanic provides auto repair career advice. Learn about the different kinds of automotive technical schools and how they can affect the money you make.

Free auto repair guide for automotive service consumers. Master Mechanic shares stories about the dark side of the car repair business 67-page report.

Whether hauling heavy tools and equipment to a job
site or towing a boat for a relaxing weekend on the lake,
many vehicles are subjected to extreme operating conditions
and hot temperatures in the summer, placing an
increased level of stress on drivetrain components.
New vehicles such as turbo-diesel trucks and vehicles
with V-10 engines boast more horsepower and
torque than their […]

It’s easy to get wrapped up in gadgetry when you’re talking about tools for auto repair. There are just so many exciting pieces of equipment, small and large, that perform their specific function with an amazing level of ease and precision. If you wrench for a living, these esoteric tools can be worth spending the money on — a good tool will last a lifetime, giving you more than enough opportunities to justify the expense. But if you’re a home mechanic working on the family people mover you’ll want to stick to basics. One of the most basic of hand tools are the cutting pliers. This tool, referred to around our shop as “snips,” is an absolute essential. Check them out, and if your tool box doesn’t have a pair of cutting pliers, it’s time get some.

A good friend of mine had a sudden and unwelcome realization this week — don’t trust your mechanic to do everything for you! He was driving about 6 hours away to visit a college buddy, so he decided it was time for him to get a new set of tires and an oil change. The shop that did the oil change also claimed to check and top off a number of fluids. This used to be a premium, signature, or other specialized oil change for additional money, but these days most of the quickie-lube type places offer the whole package for one low price. Three hours into his trip he looks down at his temperature gauge and notices it’s higher than usual, higher than it’s ever been in fact. As he slows down on the exit ramp to check it out, the temp skyrockets — he’s overheating. Now pretty much stranded, he pops the hood and sees the problem, there’s no coolant — none at all — in the radiator or overflow tank. Thankfully he’s across the street from a Turkey Hill and can top off his radiator with no less than 2 gallons of 50/50 mix!

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