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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