Whole Auto

Toyota has really been suffering lately. Things are so bad around there that Toyota's president is schedule to speak to Congress about their response to earlier complaints of things like stuck accelerators. Some are saying that they waited far too long to issue a recall. It's been my experience that all carmakers wait far too long -- sometimes as long as never -- to recall faulty systems. Of course this isn't always the case, but take the Toyota Tundra brake disc warping problem or the Infiniti M30 engine self-destruction problem of the early '90s as examples of times something probably should have been done, but never was. With Toyota taking so much heat, it was smart of Honda to reverse an announcement Feb. 10 saying they would not be recalling Hondas with bad airbags. They announced they are expanding an existing recall to include 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, 2002 Acura TL. There are also some Honda Pilots and Acura CL included, so please check with your dealer to see if you are involved. This brings the total number of airbag recalls for Honda to just under 1 million units.

Toyota Not Alone in Recalls These Days originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 11:40:36.

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When diagnosing a problem your car is having, it can be easy to lead yourself down the wrong path. There's often some element of guessing, even to good diagnosis, but if you find yourself playing a game of paper/scissors/rock to decide which part to replace next, it might be time to consult a higher power. Do you have a proper repair manual for your car? If not, you should get one right away. And don't get so stubborn that you refuse to take your car to a trained mechanic. I'm a strong supporter of doing it yourself, but if you're in the dark you can waste a lot of time and money replacing parts that aren't bad. Sometimes a trained ear is all it takes to set things straight in no time at all. Of course, you should already be taking advantage of my Troubleshooting Guides to help you with your problem!

Are You Stuck in a Guessing Game? originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 23:09:50.

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Is it time for a mid-winter wiper refresh? If you live in a snowy climate, you know how valuable your windshield wipers are. For those that don't have to deal with the white stuff much, let me explain. It's not so much that you need wipers to whisk away snowflakes as they land on your windshield. They tend to blow right past as you're cruising down the road. It's the salt, that darn salt! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for the work road crews put in to keep the roads from freezing over. But I still curse when I see it all over the windshield. That's why your wipers must be in top shape this time of year. Salt spray is impossible to see through once it covers your windshield, so you need to be sure your wipers can make a clean swipe across the windshield. It's a matter of safety, really. If your wipers are launching a smear campaign, install new wiper blades today.

Are Your Wipers on a Smear Campaign? originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 23:46:27.

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Do you keep a six pack in your garage? We've never had a six pack in our shop before, but were excited when we saw that they were selling six packs right in the auto parts store! We snatched one off the shelf and headed back to work. Ok, it is a six pack, but we're not talking about beer. We're talking about the Liquid Wrench Six-Pack. The Liquid Wrench Six-Pack contains six cans of potentially useful lubricants and related products bundled together and priced nicely. But the question remains -- do you need a six pack in the garage? Check out our review to find out how useful we found the stuff and what you get in the pack!

Every Garage Needs a Six Pack originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 00:30:38.

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Wow. If you ever thought your day was going badly, you should listen to this guy's story. A woman dropped her 2008 Porsche off at her neighborhood Shell station for an inspection. She expected to pick her car up the next day with a new sticker in the window, but unfortunately woke up to a call from local authorities telling her her car had just been found upside down in a mangrove swamp. Local news initially reported the car had been stolen, but it soon surfaced that the man who flipped the car into the drink was the owner of the Shell station. He had taken the car home for a "test drive" when the accident happened. However according to authorities the test was being performed at a whopping 164 mph. I'm not telling you this as a warning, it's perfectly acceptable for a mechanic to drive a customer's car home to look for a problem or road test a repair. After all, that's what you do in your car, right, drive home? But 164 mph was probably excessive.

Read more and see video of the crashed Porsche here at NBC 2.

Mechanic Fails Test Drive, Flips Car originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 01:16:45.

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We all know how important it is to keep your brakes in top shape. After all, it doesn't do any good to drive to the store if you can't stop once you get there. Unfortunately, for many people "top shape" means making sure they have enough brake pad to make a safe stop, but nothing more. Pads are important, but there are other aspects of your braking system that need to be attended to. For instance, have you checked your brake fluid lately? Low brake fluid is a common cause of brake failure. And how about your parking brake? Adjusting your parking brake can be a pain in the neck, and is very different with each vehicle. If you have a good repair manual you can adjust your own parking brake. If not, have your regular mechanic or a brake shop check the adjustment next time you bring your car in. It's a worthwhile safety check.

Having Your Brakes Serviced? Don't Forget the Parking Brake originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 23:09:59.

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The stories of bodily injury and death by explosion pop up almost instantly when you mention Fix-a-Flat in the company of a seasoned auto mechanic or tire tech. I say seasoned because it's usually older guys that tell the stories. I'm here to tell you with 100% conviction that Fix-a-Flat will NOT explode! If you're using another product, be sure to check it out, but the Fix-a-Flat brand is non-explosive and can be used without risk of injury to the person who is removing the tire. Messy? Oh yeah. But not deadly. I could go on and on about this, and since I can write whatever I want, I did go on and on about it here! Read up on the history of the explosion myth and why there's nothing to worry about.

Is Fix-a-Flat Safe To Use? originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 01:25:14.

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I know I've been on the aftermarket warranty rampage of late, but things keep popping up which remind me of how careful you need to be when buying an extended warranty of any type. The latest comes from Pennsylvania, by way of Rhode Island. It seems a number of people in Rhode Island purchased extended warranty coverage from Eagle Warranty Corp., of Eynon, Pennsylvania, only to find that they had no coverage at all when a major repair arose. More than 600 people have filed an official complaint against the now-bankrupt company. We can't be sure whether Eagle was trying to scam their customers or just victims of bad business who ended up in bankruptcy court. Either way, the end result is the same -- car owners and honest repair shops left holding the bag, and the bill.

Read more here in the Providence Journal.

More Aftermarket Warranty Woes originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 21:57:34.

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When disputes arise between repair shops and customers, many car owners are quick to get on the phone with their credit card company to reverse the charge. The chargeback is an important tool when things get bad, but don't pull the trigger too fast. Communication is key when you're in any type of transaction. Sure, if you think you're being scammed or stonewalled, get the ball rolling on a chargeback. I urge drivers to use a credit card for all of their maintenance and repairs they have performed at a shop -- it's good protection. But if you skip the important communication steps and don't try to work things out, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. As soon as the chargeback takes place, you're telling the shop that you're finished talking and you want the powers that be -- the credit card company -- to decide the fate of the transaction. Unfortunately if you have a legitimate dispute but it doesn't qualify for a chargeback, you're going to lose. If that happens, what are the chances your mechanic will be willing to work something out? He probably won't even want you as a customer anymore.

Credit Card Chargeback? Be Cautious originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 21:32:36.

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Lemon laws are nothing new. In fact, the phrase "lemon law" is evoked pretty often during car repair conversations. But what can lemon laws really do for you? Are you protected if your car seems like a citrus? The lore is so thick involving these rules and regulations, it's worth brushing up. I found lots of helpful information on Your Lemon Law Rights.com. Even if your state is not listed, the information varies little from state to state. Might be worth a read.

Bought a Lemon? You May Be Protected originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 15:00:20.

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