Avoiding Auto Repair Scams: How to Show Mechanics You're Smart Too

by Rob Hopp, Cars for Keeps Owner

Cars are complicated, but it’s not rocket science. We just happen to know cars really well.

One of the best questions you can ask is “why?” If you aren’t working with a salesperson who can make it understandable, perhaps you are working with the wrong one. If the representative acts like they just want to show you how smart they are, watch for other red flags.

Early in my career, I worked under a salesman that was very car smart but had the ethics of an ambulance chaser. The tipping point was when he took advantage of a woman who said she couldn’t afford a procedure that would not cause a reliability problem or danger, especially short term. He advised, in his puffed up “all knowing” manner, that she shouldn’t drive over 35 miles an hour until she got it taken care of.

She came in the next Monday to have it done, exclaiming that “It took so long to drive to Cadillac at 35 & lots of other drivers were rude to me”.

Most consumers are pretty good at listening to their gut feelings. But when people feel put on the spot concerning a car repair, they can be very susceptible to manipulation. So ask the old reporter's questions: Who, What, Where When & Why? If you feel like the salesperson is evading or spinning the answer, push them a bit. Don’t be afraid to insist on having it explained - and, if necessary, to walk away (hopefully drive away, beware when a shop dares to hold your car hostage).

Here are some common questions that you might feel are “dumb” to ask, but they're actually very smart. It IS your money we're talking about, after all.

1) What happens if I don’t do this service? Good answer: “If this part fails, the wheel could separate from the car without warning.” Lousy answer: “The wheel WILL fall off and cause a crash.”

2) Why does it need to have that done? Good answer: “It is worn beyond the safe point”, or “It will help the ____ last longer and save you money in the long run.” Lousy answer: “Because the Mechanic said so”, or “It’ll cost you a lot more if you don’t.”

3) If I go ahead with your recommendation, what are the potential surprises? Is this estimate solid? The answer should avoid scare tactics, yet an honest salesperson will explain any potential pitfalls, their and their mechanics' opinion of the odds. They should also guarantee NOT to exceed the estimate without contacting you to discuss the findings, options and cost of the change.

4) I only plan to keep this car for another year. Is there any way to save some money on this service? Most of the time less expensive/lower quality parts can be had. A good salesperson will work with you to control costs without compromising too much quality or safety.

Happy Motoring!

Tire Rotation: Switching it Up for Longer Lasting Tires

by Marjorie, Social Media Manager for Cars for Keeps

We've all heard that having your tires rotated regularly is important. But why? And what exactly does a tire rotation entail?

On the spectrum of crucial maintenance, tire rotation ranks slightly below oil changes, but it's still an important part of saving much larger maintenance costs down the road. In this case, the money you'll be saving down the road will be the expense of a set of new tires twice as often as necessary.

Front tires will wear twice as fast if left unrotated as they will with regular rotations. This happens to front tires in particular because front tires are responsible for turning, and each turn causes extra friction between the road and the tire. This friction doubles the wear, causing front tires to lose traction much faster than rear tires.

Moving rear tires to the back and back tires to the front not only balances out the wear caused by front wheel turning, but it balances uneven tread on all the other tires as well. Rear tires that are more worn on the outside than the inside can be rearranged so the worn sections receive less wear. Rotating tires extends the life of all four tires, and it can also prevent - or reduce problems caused by - misalignment.

Good tire rotation looks something like this:

When to rotate your tires. The experts' advice varies, but it's generally consented that rotating tires on every other oil change does the trick. Of course, if you wait 10,000 miles to change your oil, you might want to make that every oil change - or get your oil changed more often. Depending on the amount of wear your vehicle gets, having tires rotated every 4,000 miles or so should keep them wearing evenly for a long time.

Should you decide it's time for a tire rotation, be sure to check out Cars4Keeps.com's coupon page. Among this month's coupons is a complete maintenance package including a AAA inspection, oil and filter change and tire inspections and rotations for only $28.

Come in and see the waiting room Colette has been raving about.

Safe driving!

RAVE FOR THE RAV4

Nothing bonds a driver to his or her car better than a good old fashioned road trip. Living romance and intrigue, just as the song says:

“Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure…”

You know the rest.

My family and I finally had a chance to put our brand new RAV4 through the paces on its first road trip, during a recent 600 mile visit to Connecticut and back. A genuine road trip provided us the chance to test the car's performance, its cabin’s comfort, and its ability to serve our family’s needs. It was also a chance to verify, did we make the right choice with our purchase?

Now, of course, this review will be somewhat slanted. After all, it is our car, but the facts and observations are all true, or at least in our opinion. Before the trip, we already had a grasp of the RAV around town. Its zippy performance and handling has provided us much more agility and fun than our lumbering Ford Windstar van that it replaced. The RAV’s smaller size has made it much easier to park, not to mention the immediate dollar savings from the improved gas mileage. Thank you Cash for Clunkers.

Although we are all still getting used to a few things here and there, from the beginning we have been impressed with Toyota’s intelligent engineering and solid construction. The dash switches and other interior components are convenient and logically placed. They feel good to the touch, and work the way they should. From the handy auxiliary input for our various i-Pods, to the neat flip-up storage shelf above the traditional glove compartment, everything in the RAV4 makes sense. Sure, we occasionally still find ourselves searching for the clock, which is lower and out of the line of site from the other instrumentation. We are also still trying to figure out the rear wiper, but these are little things that are part of the learning curve for new drivers, in a new vehicle.

Inside and out, the fit and finish for the RAV4 is the best that I have seen. The doors and windows are solid and tight. The design lines of both the interior and the exterior flow nicely, and the vehicle is attractive to the eye, from whatever point of view. The tailgate door takes some getting used to; it swings out instead of flipping up a la the Windstar, but we find the cargo bay much larger than the van, with a low lift over.
Our after market molded cargo liner does a great job protecting the carpet and keeping the luggage under control. There is also plenty of space for the driver and the passengers. Leg room is spacious, headroom is not an issue, and the cabin a just a nice place to be. Throughout the trip, my teenage sons had plenty of room as rear passengers to stay out of each other’s hair. The arm rest/cup holder/divider between the back seats helps to clearly define their turf.

We chose the 4 cylinder engine, and at 179 hp, I have yet to see the need to have spent the extra money for the 6 cylinder, sacrificing fuel economy. The 4 cylinder responds immediately when asked to accelerate, up the ramp, and on to the interstate. It moves quickly up to speed with a pleasing growl of the engine, and then levels off nicely as we engage the cruise control. With four of us, including two sturdy teenagers and a full load of luggage, there was rarely a time that we needed more power. Even climbing steep grades to pass, the RAV4 safely delivered what was needed. At highway speed, there is actually less road and wind noise than I expected for a vehicle of this size, even with its wide 16” tires. Wind buffeting on bridges was never an issue.

No machine is perfect, and neither is the RAV4. On my Base model, there is no illumination for the door mounted controls. When operating at night, the driver must stave around in the dark to find the door lock or window switches on the driver’s armrest. A small pin light for each control would assist the driver to safely access these functions. My Scion TC (also Toyota) has them, why not the RAV4?

As is the case with most small SUVs, rear visibility in the RAV4 is a challenge. The RAV has a small rear window. When backing up, the driver must rely heavily on the two side mirrors to complement the narrow rear view mirror. Further adding to the tunnel vision is the rear mounted full size spare, which obscures the lower edge of the rear window. Also while backing, the driver always wonders about the clearance, as the full size spare protrudes well beyond the tailgate. It’s a luxury that I choose not to afford, but the available back-up camera would be helpful with the RAV.

Buying a new car is a major family event. In our case, everyone was part of the process, from the initial research, to the final delivery. With three drivers, and a fourth soon to follow, we look forward to years of fun and quality service with this well designed and executed vehicle. Regardless of the few quirks here and there, around town and on the highway, the RAV4 is the right choice for our family. Our next test, how will the RAV4’s 4 wheel drive handle the Maine winter?

“Get your motor runnin'…”

A Women's Point of View: Car Maintenance in a Perfect World

by Colette Cooley, Office Manager for Cars For Keeps

Car maintenance in a Perfect World would mean that our cars would need no maintenance to run perfectly at all times until we decide that we want a different car. Or a different color car. Or a different looking car. You know, like a pair of shoes.

Unfortunately, cars do need maintenance and they need it regularly. On a women's list of favorite things to do, this falls somewhere just above going to the dentist and cleaning the toilet. The oil needs to be changed. The fluids need to be checked. The brakes need to be looked at for wear. The oil filter needs to be changed. The air pressure in the tires need to be checked. The freon in the air conditioner needs to be checked. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Since we would rather clean spiders out of the garage then do these things ourselves, here are a few tips to make this regular chore a little more pleasant.

First, find a car repair facility that is woman friendly. Like Cars For Keeps. A pleasant waiting area with coffee, tea, and soft drinks, internet to check your email, soft music, television with CD's to play, and most important of all - a clean restroom with a baby changing station. Coloring books and readers for kids, a service manager who thinks women are intelligent and shuttle service if you don't want to wait.

Second, if you are waiting, you can catch up on your reading, do business using our wireless internet, copy recipes out of our up-to-date magazines, return those phone calls that are stacking up, or if you have had a particularly stressful day, we will give you some crayons so you can color. Don't laugh, we have several adults who find this very therapeutic. In other words, come on in, relax, have a few laughs while you're attending to car maintenance in an imperfect world.

Wheel Alignment: the Dangers of Driving Crooked

by Marjorie, Social Media Manger for Cars for Keeps

It happens to the best of us. You notice one day that your steering wheel is sideways, even though you're driving straight. Then it occurs to you to let go of the wheel - just to see what happens - and before you know it, you're headed right into the ditch. Or left.

Some responsible car owners will take this as a sign that it's time for some maintenance, but the rest of us decide it's not a big enough problem to fix right away. Or ever. As with almost all car maintenance issues, the longer wheels are left misaligned, the more potential damage can be done.

While it's funny to think that if left on its own your car would do donuts indefinitely, there are some major side effects to driving without proper wheel alignment. These problems affect both the car and the driver.

1) Irregular tire wear. Tires are expensive. Why not make them last by allowing for even wear? Having wheels aligned correctly could give your tires up to twice the lifespan of those driven crooked.

2) Handling problems. Sure, a pull to the right can be handy for hands-free right turns. But the rest of the time, when you need to drive straight, constantly having to pull your car in the right direction can be tiresome and even dangerous.

3) A crooked steering wheel. This is probably the least important symptom of tire misalignment, but wouldn't it be nice if just ONE thing in your life was straight and just the way it should be?

Wheel misalignment is very common and can be caused from potholes or simply daily driving. Fortunately, it's also easy and relatively inexpensive to fix.

How inexpensive? Rob's running a special this month for FREE wheel alignment inspections (that's a $25 value), with 15% off all alignment services. Check out our Coupons page for more great repair deals to make sure you're in tip-top shape for winter.

Pride Auto Care Awarded BEST OF THE BEST in Douglas County CO

The Parker Colorado Location of Pride Auto Care awarded the best of the best by Colorado Community Newspapers for 2009.

Thanks to our many loyal customers!

Automatic Transmission Failure: How to Check Fluid and Prevent Costly Breakdowns

by Marjorie, Social Media Marketing Manager for Cars for Keeps

No two words strike fear into the hearts of those of us who are not mechanically inclined like the words: transmission failure.

Checking my engine oil may be the extent of my automotive expertise, but I've learned that having a faulty automatic transmission can mean almost certain death for a vehicle. For most cars, particularly those that are getting on in life, the cost of replacing an automatic transmission exceeds the value of the entire vehicle - rather like totaling your car.

Fortunately, transmission failure does not happen randomly; indeed, catching the early signs of transmission trouble is easy if you know what to look for. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your automatic transmission doesn't cause premature car death.

1) Own cars with manual transmissions. Ok, so this isn't exactly a solution to maintaining an automatic transmission, but car owners should be aware of the differences between manual (standard) and automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions (or "stick shifts") are more energy efficient than automatics, but more importantly, they have far fewer moving parts - which means way less maintenance and risk of part failure. Sure, you can talk on your cell phone, keep the kids in the backseat from fighting and drink your coffee simultaneously while driving an automatic, but a manual transmission will never conk out like an automatic.

2) Check automatic transmission fluid (ATF) regularly. This is really not hard - no harder than checking your oil levels. If you're unsure exactly which dipstick is for the ATF or what to look for once you find it, watch this short video on how to check your car's ATF. If you're still unsure, there's a great little auto repair shop on Fulton Street where the mechanics would be happy to show you.

Keep in mind, you're looking for two things: level and color. The fluid mark needs to hit between the low and high marks, and it should be nice and red.

3) Change your ATF regularly! Although it may seem like this step would naturally follow the previous step, there are those of us (like me) who need the reminder. If your transmission fluid is dark, brown or muddy-colored, it's time for a professional to take a peek and probably perform a transmission fluid flush.

Please think twice before taking your car to a drive-through service for transmission fluid flushes. There are many reasons why these places don't always offer the best service for your money, but a certified AAA repair shop like Cars for Keeps will certainly give you a more thorough flush and overall checkup.

4) Listen to your car. As we've said here before, your car will usually tell you something is wrong before a major breakdown. Any out of the ordinary noises could be suspect, so bring your car in for inspection if you hear anything unusual. J.B. Herbert gives us a few pointers here:

Safe driving and healthy cars until next time!