WOW Bad Luck and HORRIBLE Service Makes a Madman

My brand new car had the worst weekend. On Friday, an old geezer in a huge pick up truck (parked next to mine) 'forgot' he had his snow plow on (he was also exiting a liquor store) and when he backed out, scraped the passenger side of my ride completely. While freaking out-I did get his insurance. On Saturday night, my car hit a horrible pothole and the BRAND NEW passenger tire blew out. completely. I called the Hyundai roadside assistance-free with my new purchase-and asked for help. The tow truck came and asked for the spare. THERE ARE NO SPARES IN NEW HYUNDAIs. What. So, the tow truck put the car on the flat bed and towed it to the dealership-where I thought I would get a deal since its under 900 miles. Then, the real tow truck called me. Apparently, my tow had been "sniped." After witnessing two tow truck drivers fight, fearing for my life (I am a small 23 year old woman, with no pepper spray, in a tow truck) and having my best friend speed like a demon to pick me up at the dealership-my problems werent over. I was stranded all Sunday without a vehicle.
Then on Monday, the dealership calls- NO HELP, $165 for a new tire. And re-alignment-$30. Ready at 1 pm. When I arrived, the dealership had no good information on what I should do for the huge scratch, laughed at me, and gave me a car with mud and dirt allll over it.
I freaked out. I screamed that they better clean my interior. The attendants, frightened and speechless, got out cleaning supplies while giving me a dirty look. I drove away very disappointed to say the least.
I will be calling Ron Marhofer no doubt to give customer service a piece of my mind.
A note to dealerships and service garages=when a customer has had a traumatic experience with an expensive new vehicle that they purchased from you recently, your roadside assistance was awful, your service station laughed at you, and your brand new cars are worthless on a Saturday night ( I can change a tire on the road, no big deal), CLEAN INTERIOR ON THE DRIVER"S SIDE IS THE LEAST YOU CAN DO. If you need help putting paper floor mats in a vehicle, please click our ShopSaver Express link.
Bam! Rant is over.

Common Fuel System Diagnostic Mistakes

For full article, see Auto Service Professional: http://www.autoserviceprofessional.com/
Article provided by Airtex Products, LP 30 Nov/Dec Issue

1. Replacing without diagnosing
   -Don't treat the car like a previous car who had the same problem.
   -There are 1,000 components in a vehicle, and there could be 1,000 different problems associated with it.

2. Not enough juice
   -Low voltage/poor ground can cause low pressure and flow.
   -Make sure that the battery is fully charged.

3. Jumping to conclusions
   -Make sure you understand fuel system before diagnosis, even if you have treated similar vehicles.
   -Faulty driver module can affect fuel pressure without fuel pump being the cause.

4. Same problem, different day
   -You "fixed" the problem, but the car is still not up to par. You need to start the diagnostic process over,      or the customer will come back.

5. Grounds, grounds, grounds
   -An electrical current must have a signal (power) & a return ground wire to work.
   -Installing a great system where there is poor ground will ultimately have the customer returning, it simply          will not work.

For more tips and tricks of the trade, log onto www.autoserviceprofessional.com! :)

http://gentlecar.tumblr.com/ FOLLOW-GREAT PICS!!!! Stole these two:

Singer Porsche 911 in NYC

1974 Lamborghini Urraco

The Most Expensive & The Cheapest States for Car Repairs

(extracted from article: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/most-expensive-cheapest-states-car-repairs-6C10287974 by Paul A. Elsenstein)

Fun facts for the Automotive Repair Businesses and information for your customers-the most expensive states and the cheapest states for taking your vehicle to the mechanic.

In 2011, studies show that automotive repair costs rose by 10% from the previous year, with a huge variation in averages across the country.

Take a look at where your state lies- (mine is Ohio, thankfully, getting my car fixed is quite cheap compared to the rest of the nation)-on this list. I find it interesting, the states with the lowest average repair cost are Iowa, South Dakota, Delaware, and West Virginia. The highest, some surprising and some not-so surprising,  are New Jersey, California, D.C. and North Carolina.

According to this article, the "local mechanic's" pay varies greatly with each state. Colorado has the highest paid mechanics, and Vermont pays their auto repair technicians the least amount of money.

Why the change in repair costs? The answer depends on several factors that vary from state to state. Vehicles are subject to natural disasters, different types of roads, varied average distance commuters drive, climate, average vehicle cost within state households, etc. Depending on the type of repair, the types of vehicles coming into the auto shops, and the weather most are facing, prices will fluctuate.

I Love Scott

Ahhh Scott. If this was me I would have many name tags from my many places of employment, mostly waitressing, but sure is useful for the once a mechanic, always a mechanic kind of person.

Photograph by: http://www.anthonygeorgis.com/levis/

Monday's Site Upload: Hooniverse

http://hooniverse.com

Hooniverse devotes its web space to all things with wheels and an engine, including forums, projects, merch, car uploading sites, blog posts, road test reviews, and auto industry news. Forums discuss topics such as cars available for sale, car updates and modifications, how-to help for the DIY mechanic, and simple voices from automechanics and like-minded enthusiasts. I immediately fell in love with this post: why don't they make these kind of cars anymore?? I'd take one any day!!

"When you think 1963 International Harvester Travelall, you usually think rusted, clapped-out raccoon sex dungeon on the back 40 of some farm in Iowa. Today’s example is no such hulk. This one’s been completely gone through and received a collection of new parts including paint, tires, a carb rebuild, battery and other details. There are basket cases, there are cars with what seems like a bunch stuff added, and there are cars cleaned up correctly. This one’s the latter.

With a 266ci V8 and 4 speed manual, it won’t win any races, but it will tow a small boat or sports car of similar vintage. It’s only two wheel drive, but let’s be honest: you’re not going to do any serious offroading or snow duty in a classic like this. Besides, the tires are 33″ BFG All-Terrains that offer enough clearance and traction should things get interesting. If you really wanted to, you could convert it to 4wd for less money and effort than it would take to bring a typical 4wd example up to this condition."

Check out more amazing vehicles and voices from the mechanics at hooniverse.com!!!!

Calling All Shop Owners

ATTENTION: All Auto Body Shop Owners/Self Employed Mechanics!!!!

We are looking for businesses/mechanics to feature every week in an article highlighting the business, your customers, and your surrounding community. If you are interested, please email lmartin@johndow.com contact information, an image of you/your business, and a little information about your business. Featuring your business in our blog will promote, highlight and create community for your local shop!