Auto technicians are like doctors for your vehicle. When you have a serious medical problem, most people get a second opinion, Right ! ! ! Do yourself a favor, and maybe save yourself alot of money, GET A SECOND OPINION ! ! !

Here's an example; Jim is one of the best technicians I've ever seen he"s also my friend. I was there last week, at his garage, when a vehicle from another garage was brought to him for a new motor. Typical of Jim, just for shits and giggles, he says, lets make sure this vehicle really needs a motor.

The other garage said that the motor was knocking and that #6 clyinder had no compression, which is never a good  sign. So we started the vehicle up, so we could listen to the motor. There was a knocking allright, However it sounded more for the top of the motor than the bottem. So, I got a screwdriver to listen to noise in the motor, ( a little trick for pin pointing noises ), it's coming for the #6 clyinder but in the valve cover. OK, Jim took the valve cover off and found a broken valve spring. Bingo! ! ! Theres the noise and why no compression.

Jim just saved that customer acouple of thousand $$$$. The differance between a motor job and a head job.

My point! ! ! Get a second opinion, it can't hurt and could save you lots of money.

Most vehicles today don't require tune-ups for a 100,000 miles. That doesn't mean there is nothing you can do to improve gas mileage. The reason for this is simply because the ignition systems are electronic. They are much more reliable and longer lasting.

However, there are some things you can do to improve gas mileage and performance. Changing the air cleaner and fuel filter, for example two things you can do.

One of the best ways is to have a fuel system cleaning. This can have a big effect on gas mileage and engine performance, especially for vehicles with 50,000 miles or more.

Basically the way this is done is, through a 3 step process. There are 2 additives used, 1 that treats the fuel in the tank and the other is added to the engine oil. The third step is, ( and this is where the products at auto part stores fall short) the vehicle is connected to a fuel system cleaner. This machine actually bypasses the vehicle fuel system and the vehicle runs a treated fuel cleaner for a short time to clean the engine.

These systems really work well, and there not that expensive. Usually about $100 to have this done. Along with a new air cleaner and fuel filter you will see improvements in performance and gas mileage.

Ask Tom, automotive questions, at Shopritas@gmail.com.

   I have had a few questions recently, about repairing AC systems.

There are four basic parts to an automotive air conditioning system.

The compressor, the condensor, the evaporator, and the receiver dryer.

These components are connected with lines and electrical connections. The two main components that most commonly leak are the condensor and the evaporator. They are also the most expensive to repair, the evaporator especially. I't not so much the cost of the part, but where it is located. The evaporator is under the dashboard. It could take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours to replace this part, that's 70% of the cost just in labor alone.

The condensor on the other hand is located in front of the radiator. This is less involved, 2 to 4 hours of labor. The same goes for the compressor and receiver dryer.

Here's the problem. Labor rates in my area are in the $60 to $95 per/hour range. The other thing is the cost of replacement parts. All Garages use a formula to calculate how much to charge for parts. There are two prices, wholesale and retail. When you use this formula you'll see how much money is actually being made by this Garages and Dealerships on parts alone.

This is the common formula for my area.

Take either the wholesale or retail price and mulitple is by (2.2). Here is what that looks like on paper in dollars. For this example i'll use the wholesale price. However, you can be sure that, Garages and Dealerships use retail prices for this!!

Evaporator cost                                                               $189.85 X 2.2 = $417.67

Labor cost          8.3 hours                                               $80.00 X 8.3 =  $664.00

Total cost$                                                                                                $1081.67

This is a basic example; there are other costs. Like freon recovery and recharging, O-ring and seal replacement, so the cost is doing to go up.

Profit to the repair shop about $725.00. Not bad for a days work at your expense.

SO!! The question is how do you get the price down and save some money!!!!

First check labor rates; find the lowest rates possible.

2nd, buy your own parts. This is a tough one because, some repair shops will not use customers parts. This is because they don't make as much money. So you will have to ask these repair shops if they are willing to do that. You could save anywhere for 20 to 30% by doing alittle homework, and buying your own parts.

PS; never just have your AC recharged, with out having the system checked for leaks. This could cost you $100 to $150, only to have the freon leak out. Killing the OZONE.

Questions???  E-mail me at shopritas@gmail.com