Auto Repair Advice

Part of getting good service from your mechanic is accurate communication of noises and symptoms of the car trouble you are having. Here is a quick look at the most common drivetrain noises you may hear and the possible problems.

- Low frequency vibration when turning a corner usually points to a wheel bearing going bad. This usually sounds like a thump…thump…thump noise and varies with speed and how hard you are turning. To diagnose, your mechanic will raise your vehicle off the ground and check the amount of play in the wheel bearings. You can do this yourself with a jack in your driveway.

- High frequency clicking when making low speed sharp corners is a classic sign of a CV joint going bad. Front wheel drive vehicles use a constant velocity joint which can wear over time. If the boot which protects the joint from dust and keeps grease in, is damaged the wear can happen even quicker.

Have you ever wanted to turn corners fast in your Trans-Am? Check out Highland Daytona’s G-Hawk. I work for the company making the rear suspension for the car, and can verify that it’s well built and makes this thunder chicken really handle !

This car will make Burt Reynolds blush when tearing up the track. The Smokey and the Bandit car has nothing on the G-Hawk.

Get a Price Quote on a New Kia Amanti
Get a Repair Manual for a Kia Amanti
Get an Insurance Quote For Your Kia Amanti
Vehicle Specifications

When shopping for an Kia online, it’s best to do your research first and find out the true invoice price for the car. You can find invoice pricing at websites like Edmunds.com After you know the invoice price of your Kia, the next step is to get a price quote. I use Invoice Dealers to get a price quote from a local dealer. This service puts you in touch with a dealer in your area and most of the time results in the lowest price without having to haggle on price. Once you get a price quote you can compare it to invoice price and negotiate through email. This keeps you out of the showroom and gives you the edge when negotiating.

Every owner should have a repair manual for their car, even if they never lift a wrench on their car. AllData has a cool Online Repair Manual for your Kia which has excellent indepth repair procedures, as well as Recall and TSB information. The Recall and TSB information is very valuable for all car owners and could save you tons of money when taking your Kia in for Repair.

Available Trim Levels for the Kia Amanti:
Sedan

Specifications:

If you have spent any time online or browsing your local auto parts store, you have seen clay bar products to clean your paint. They advertise a shine than will blind you and a slippery smooth finish.

Clay bars work by pulling up dirt and other contaminant from your paint. Your paint is relatively soft and dirt and other tiny metal particles can become lodged in the paint to the point that regular washing will not remove them. When you rub the paint with the clay bar, the clay grabs the contaminants and yanks it from the grip of your paint.

The problem lies in the fact that once the contamination is removed from your paint, it does not just fall to the ground, it stays in the clay bar. This material which is often metal and organic compounds from brake pads and rail dust can become like sandpaper. Constant kneeding of the clay to expose fresh clay and burying the contaminants where they can not do damage, is needed to avoid scratching your vehicle.

I have seen good and bad clay jobs, some come out looking like glass, others have noticable scratches left in the clear coat. I don’t suggest it for first time waxers, but if you have some experience, are willing to take the time to do it right, then go ahead and give your paint a new look.

Fuel injectors need love too !!! A good cleaning every 20,000 miles will keep your injectors performing at peak levels. I use and recommend a product called BG 44K which is removes engine deposits in the entire fuel system. It also keeps you injectors clean and free from deposits.

Simply add a can at fuel up and feel the power return to your vehicle.

You can find a full line of BG products at a repair shop near you. Use their garage locator to find a distributor near you.

If you have watched any Speed Channel programming, you more than likely have heard of Wyotech. The beautiful and sexy Jessi Combs of Xtreme 4×4 is a 2004 graduate !

Wyotech has a very wide range of programs and can get you ready for the career of your dreams.

When you enter their automotive program you can specialize in…

Applied Service Management

Applied Service Management is a great specialty concentration for anyone interested in eventually managing or running their own shop. You’ll learn vital concepts for service management like:

* Business Principles
* Shop Management
* Accounting
* Financial Management
* Computers and Business Applications
* Communications

You’ll also learn the theory on setting up your own shop, record keeping, OHSA standards and regulations, service writing, job costing, pricing, marketing, developing business plans, budgeting, finding lenders and investors, and so much more.
These business skills you’ll learn are transferable to so many different career paths within the automotive or diesel industries.

Click Here to Get More Information

Motorsports Chassis Fabrication

The Motorsports Chassis Fabrication specialty course introduces students to metal working techniques that apply to specialty automotive chassis fabrication work.

This includes a study of metal types and configurations, measuring, pattern and outline development, mechanical drawing reading and development, attachment methods, metal finishing, cutting, MIG and TIG welding; frame design and modifications including boxing, tubular cross-members, c-notching, pro-street frame setup, roll cage construction, and complete tube chassis fabrication.

Click Here to Get More Information

Advanced Automotive Diagnostics

Students who choose to take our Advanced Automotive Diagnostics specialty course will get prepared for the California Smog Check technician license exam - a credential desired by California employers within the smog check industry. Students will study:

* Technical systems
* Body electrical systems
* Engine electronics
* Emissions devices
* Advanced engine
* Performance alternative
* Basic clean air course
* California BAR rules and regulations
* On-board diagnostics II systems

Click Here to Get More Information

High Performance Powertrains

The objective of our High Performance Powertrains concentration is to provide the student with up-to-date specialty training in many high-performance applications of diesel and automotive upgrades. The student will receive training theory, hands-on repair and diagnosis of modern hi-tech diesel vehicles and gasoline powered vehicles with an emphasis on performance.
Course Objectives

Students will learn:

* Engine block design
* Rotating and reciprocating assemblies
* Performance camshaft and valvetrain variations
* Fuel injection management systems
* Ignition control systems
* Systems upgrades
* Electronic engine management system
* Computer reprogramming and calibration for outcome parameters
* Modifications and power train tuning for improved performance
* Chassis dynamometer verification of performance outcomes

Click Here to Get More Information

Street Rod and Custom Fabrication

In our street rod and custom fabrication course, you will learn the techniques used to customize vehicles and create works of art. You will learn basic specialized sheet metal fabrication techniques as applied to customizing vehicles.

These techniques will include the use of basic hand tools and specialized equipment like the english wheel, power hammer, planishing hammer, bead roller and louver press. Our custom paint training will cover the application of specialized finishes like pearls and candies. Techniques will be taught for special effects including the layout and design of graphics.
Course Objectives

Street Rod and Custom Fabrication offers a solid foundation in:

* Custom and specialized sheet metal shaping and fabrication
* Application of lead (body solder)
* M.I.G., T.I.G. and Oxy-Acetylene welding
* Chop tops including carson style tops
* Hidden pin hinges (Suicide Doors)
* Body Construction including Firewalls, Floorboards and Transmission tunnels
* Custom paint techniques including special effects, airbrushing and pin striping

Click Here to Get More Information

If you don’t understand depreciation, it will come back to haunt you when you buy a new car. Depreciation is simply the decrease in value over the lifetime of your car.

As soon as you drive a car off the dealer’s lot it starts to lose value. While you can not stop depreciation of a new car, you can reduce it with some diligent research.

In general a used car loses 15-20% of it’s value each year. New car’s can lose as much as 20 - 25% in the first year. This significant drop in value is why many people find themselves in trouble after a year or two and owe more on their vehicle than what it is worth. Generally trading-in the vehicle only results in being in a worse situation (often called being upside down in your vehicle) This very scenario is why I recommend when buying any car you put at least 25% down to protect yourself in the future.

So what can you do? R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H ! Check the major sites like www.kbb.com www.edmunds.com and www.nadaguides.com for reports on the best resale values. If you must buy a new car, stick to one who’s value will drop the least in the next few years. In 2007 some of the best resale values are in the Acura TSX, Honda Civic, Pontiac Solstice and the BMW 5 series.

If you have decided to buy a used car, congratulations, you will avoid that first year hit to value. It’s a balancing act between age and reliability. Buy the oldest car with the best reliability and you will save the most money in the long run. With longer factory warranties being offered, used vehicles are becoming a better deal.

I just had a good experience with a new rust remover out on the market. “The Safest Rust Remover” is biodegradable and easy on the hands. We used this product to clean up the inside of a Model A gas tank at work and it really did a good job. After I looked up the website, I saw a cool side note… check out the 1957 Belvedere that has been buried as a time capsule.

Kevin

You know the story, driving down the road and a dump truck throws a stone into your windshield and you don’t have time to get the license plate. Or even worse, the truck is going the other way and you have no hope of getting a license number to track down the truck.
What do you do next ???

FIRST let’s backup and see if you got your insurance quoted lately and included comprehensive coverage with a low deductible which will cover situations like this.

Now that we have that “I Told You So” out of the way, here is what to do next… Calmly pull over to a safe spot and inspect the damage. Grab a piece of paper and write down the date, time and road where the damaged occurred, your insurance company will ask when you call them. Check to see if there is any glass missing from the windshield or any pieces that may fall off the vehicle while driving back to your house, work or wherever you are going. Once you determine it’s safe to drive, drive to your destination and get planning on how you will get your windshield fixed.

Most areas have a windshield repair shop which will come to your home or place of work to fix your windshield. This is very convenient, but you must have nice weather or a garage to have the work completed. The process of windshield repair takes only about 30 minutes and typically costs $150 - $300 depending on the vehicle.

My Fiance got this forward the other day and asked me if it was real. Thought a few of you out there could have gotten this in your inbox and wondered the same thing…

Begin Email…

Subject: Fw: Good to know

Most of us drive a lot - so if you didn’t know this it would be important.Ina

Subject: Good to know

EVER KNEW THIS BEFORE…

I wonder how many people know about this? A 36 year old female had an
accident several weeks ago and Totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore ,
Texas she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining,
though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and
literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very
stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told
her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN
WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by
setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in
the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when
your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the
pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you
take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what
had occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver’s seat
sun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR
ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the
cruise control and drive a safe speed - but we don’t tell them to use
the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the
patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car
and sustained severe injuries.

If you send this to 15 people and only one of them doesn’t know about
this, then it was all worth it. You might have saved a life.

NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow
you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.
End Email…

Let’s start with the mechanics of this claim. Hydroplaning is when water comes between the tire and the road, braking the friction bond. This can cause your vehicle to go out of control due to lack of traction. When you set your cruise contol, the computer reads the speed of your wheels turning and uses the revolutions per minute to calculate speed. If anyone has ever spun the tires in the snow, you will notice your speedometer increasing in speed as you push on the gas pedal. This is an important fact in this story… the cruise control reads the wheel speed, not the actual speed of the car. So when your tires loose contact with the road during a hydroplaning situation, the tires are still spinning so your cruise control thinks you are going the same speed. If anything you will slow down when hydroplaning since your tires will no longer be propelling the car forward.

The second part of the story is about the car flying into the air… this is totally 100% false. For you to have enough wind resistance to flip a car over, you would need to be traveling way over the speed limit (over 100mph). This part of the story is a very typical exaggeration found in most urban legends.

With all that said, it’s still not recommended to use your cruise control in severe ice, snow and very heavy rain because of your delayed reaction since your foot is not on the pedals of the vehicle.

Take Care,

Kevin Schappell

P.S. To check out any potential urban legend I always check out Snopes before I reply or forward to anyone.