Tag Archives: hey anthony

In Need of Love.

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No car is maintenance free.

I have clients that keep the car they drive at (A+) ready for the road condition. Everything is in good shape and the car looks and operates just like new.

At the opposite end of the scale is the fix it when it breaks clients. Most of the time this kind of car is not ugly on the outside, but it is in need of love under the hood.

Every car will need repairs someday.

Waiting till it breaks and you are at the side of the road is no fun. Only fixing things when they break will cost more in the long run. It may not feel like it at first, but if you put the numbers on paper they add up to more over time.

Starting a repair savings fund at your bank is one way to plan for future repair needs. I have three clients, that use a change jug. All spare change goes in and stays in till it’s time to service the car. Basic maintenance costs less than you think.

Getting your car repaired is as fun as going to the doctor, but If you plan for the repairs needed, it will take the sting out of the visit.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Yes Mother!

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When your mom said, comb your hair and brush your teeth, did you do it?

Most kids do not listen to mom or dad. They respond as if they are listening, but it went in one ear and out the other.

Selective listening is what this is called.

As you get older you may grow out of it. I have car owners that selective listen all the time. They only hear what they want and the rest falls to the floor.

Part 1: Recently a young woman (mid 20’s) was in denile about the cars needs. It was explained three times, in different ways. She just did not understand why the car needed repair. The client only wanted to hear what she wanted to hear, she did not listen.

Part 2: Three days later the car came in on the hook, broken. The client was mad.

Why did my car break down?

When we explained what happened, she said, how can that be, you just checked it out and said nothing was wrong. After reprinting the last invoice and showing her the area outlining the needed cooling system repair, it finally hit her. The car needed repairs on the last visit and she did not listen.

Listening is an art. To get good at listening, you have to practice doing it.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Oil Change Challenge

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I do not have enough money to make that repair.

Really, you do not have enough money to maintain your car? I run into this statement often. This time it was a single mom with two little ones. She said, she barely had enough money for the oil change, much less any repairs.

The repair needed was a cooling system hose @ $63.00 parts and labor. I could not let a good car over heat and turn into a bigger issue. If the engine overheated, I knew she would have no money to fix that. So I gifted the repair to the client.

Then I issued a challenge to the client. I handed her a two-quart empty juice jug, it was clean…

I asked her to take any spare change she gets and drop it into the jug. I also told her not to cheat the jug. Leave the change in the jug till the next oil change. Then bring the jug to us and our morning guy would run the jug over to the Coin Star Machine during her next visit for repairs.

Well, the client came in and she was shocked when the jug was counted. She had enough money for the oil change and two other maintenance needs.

Spare change can go along way if you do not cheat the jug.

It does not take much money to maintain a car. maintenance is on going and if you ignore it, the car will break down. The national average for a basic economy car care is $.08 per mile driven. This is does not include European cars, big trucks, suv’s, 4×4’s and sports cars.

Edmunds has a great maintenance calculator that can help you find out your cars basic costs for maintenance.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

When Rats Attack

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Repairs related to Rats or field Mice.

I have many cars come in every year with rat or field mice damage. The little critters chew up wires and hoses, damaging your car or worse causing a health hazard by getting into the A/C system. If you have a car that sits for the season, the little critters can cause hundreds of dollars of damage in just a couple of weeks.

On many cars, critters can get up into the small spaces and start building nests. The video above is showcasing what I did to stop field mouse from nesting in a Lexus A/C system air intake passage. The client had replaced the cabin air filter 6 times in 4 months. I had to make a repair inside the A/C case related to the damage so this is what I did to keep the critter out of the inlet passage.

Rats and field mice can damage a wire harness in hours. One way to combat them is to use an ultra sonic pest repel unit, if your car is parked for storage this works the best. Local hardware stores have them and you can find them on Amazon. You have to plug them into a 110 volt power outlet, but if you can use this product, it is effective.

Wire and hose repairs we do at the shop, are wrapped up with rat tape. Rat tape has a spicy kick to it. It has a hot pepper additive in the tape that makes the rat think twice about chewing on it. Rat tape works about 90% of the time.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Engine Ping or Rattle

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Pre-Ignition or Ping, it’s a rattle sound.

Summer time is here. Summer heat will place extra load on your engine. During the hot summer months it is advised to use top-tier gasoline. (91 octane) The engine systems in modern cars today do a great job to control timing, but sometimes it will still ping. Top tier gasoline most of the time will quiet the ping or rattle sound.

The engine knock sensor pictured above was causing a nasty ping on a Nissan Pathfinder. The sensor is located under the intake manifold, not easy to change. The one on the left is the new knock sensor. The sensor on the right was still working, but not correctly due to the broken outer plastic shell.

If you hear the ping sound, do not ignore it. Something could be wrong. An engine will also ping if it is over heating. If your car is 3 years old or older, inspecting your cooling system regularly is very important. Stop in at the shop if you have a ping or rattle condition. A prolonged ping condition can damage internal engine parts.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013