Car Maintenance Tips

[junehhan]

My dealer changes my oil for $5.95 since I bring in my own oil and filter. I usually bring in Mobil 1 0w20 with a Mobil 1 or Amsoil oil filter.

Originally Posted by DIRECTVMAN

Really ???

Most dealers would say - Get the f*ck out of here with your Walmart bought oil !! It's only about $25 to get an oil change at a car dealer, that includes the new oil, new filter, recycle fee(s), wash the car, top off the windshield washer fluid. A lot of times they inspect the brakes, tires, belts, test the battery at the same time for the same price.

How much cash do you really think you're saving by making an extra stop at Walmart to buy oil to take to a car dealer ?

When you need a brake job done do you buy new brake pads and brake fluid at Walmart and take the parts to the dealer to be installed ?

When you get a haircut and they wash your hair do you bring your own shampoo from home ?

When you someday need a hip replaced are you going to supply the parts yourself ?

[daleb]

Originally Posted by hatt

I bought NAPA pads for my Superduty to replace myself but took them to the Goodyear place when I was in need of tires or rotation. They didn't have a problem, other than the old pads were still in good shape and they told me not to worry about it yet. The NAPA pads + installation was cheaper than the just the pads at Ford. The factory Ford parts were high quality however; got rid of the truck with 122K and the brakes were still in good shape.

I've never thought about buying quality oil and taking it somewhere since I always change that myself, but it sounds like a good idea if you have a good shop you deal with. Probably save a bunch with a diesel, and you get to chose the exact oil you want.

Most shops are not that agreeable. But in today's economy nobody can afford to turn away any business.
Some outfits like tirerack.com sell tires and other after-market parts and give you a list of recommended installers for your area.
I saved a lot on tires doing that a couple of years ago, and in the process found an excellent mechanic.

[hatt]

Originally Posted by daleb

Most shops are not that agreeable. But in today's economy nobody can afford to turn away any business.
Some outfits like tirerack.com sell tires and other after-market parts and give you a list of recommended installers for your area.
I saved a lot on tires doing that a couple of years ago, and in the process found an excellent mechanic.

Turning away good business in any economy has never made sense to me. Money is money! Labor charges pay salaries, light bills, lease payments, repairs, taxes, etc. Sure it'd be nice to hit people for the parts too to pay for your boat, but... Not to mention how much more business it could bring in down the road by making people happy now. Some places are still doing brisk business right now while other similar businesses are boarded up. There's a reason for that.

I checked out tirerack before. I don't know how you were able to save by going that route. Freight would make them more expensive, and you still had to have them mounted. I guess the area and kind of tire plays a big role.

[DIRECTVMAN]

Originally Posted by hatt

Turning away good business in any economy has never made sense to me. Money is money! Labor charges pay salaries, light bills, lease payments, repairs, taxes, etc. Sure it'd be nice to hit people for the parts too to pay for your boat, but... Not to mention how much more business it could bring in down the road by making people happy now. Some places are still doing brisk business right now while other similar businesses are boarded up. There's a reason for that.

I checked out tirerack before. I don't know how you were able to save by going that route. Freight would make them more expensive, and you still had to have them mounted. I guess the area and kind of tire plays a big role.

Yep, money is money ! Labor charges pay salaries, and maybe some other bills, but not everything you listed.

Repair shops are in the business to make money on labor charges and parts cost markup. They have suppliers they get parts from at a good price to them and mark the stuff up by 2X, 3X, etc... They charge you more for parts and you pay it because most people don't feel like calling around town or running around town for a new set of brake pads, or brake rotors, or muffler parts, or alternators, or engine oil, transmission fluid and filters, etc.....

[hatt]

Originally Posted by DIRECTVMAN

Yep, money is money ! Labor charges pay salaries, and maybe some other bills, but not everything you listed.

Repair shops are in the business to make money on labor charges and parts cost markup. They have suppliers they get parts from at a good price to them and mark the stuff up by 2X, 3X, etc... They charge you more for parts and you pay it because most people don't feel like calling around town or running around town for a new set of brake pads, or brake rotors, or muffler parts, or alternators, or engine oil, transmission fluid and filters, etc.....

I'm not going to argue this topic. I think it's good business to accommodate people who have simple, well paying jobs for you to do. If you have to charge labor AND parts markups or else you don't want any business, that's fine too.

[daleb]

Originally Posted by hatt

I checked out tirerack before. I don't know how you were able to save by going that route. Freight would make them more expensive, and you still had to have them mounted. I guess the area and kind of tire plays a big role.

That's what I thought. But there was enough difference no one local could be beat it, plus the installer's fees for mounting & balance were very reasonable, along with free new valves. The markup at local tire stores is quite high.
Sears and Costco are about the highest, even though they constantly advertise deals.
I think America's Tires and Tires Discount usually have the best in store prices. Although America's does not do alignments if you need that.
All I had to do was contact the installer and set up an appointment anytime after they were delivered (only took 3 days from a Nevada warehouse to CA).

You can do the math...but Tires Discount, America's Tire (same company I think), etc. have the same thing now. You can order them cheaper online and setup the installation in advance too. I think it's worth checking out.

[DIRECTVMAN]

Originally Posted by sarah_9

Hello,

Hey buddy thanks for sharing such a useful tips, here are few tips that can help in improving the mileage of your car:

3.Make sure that your tires are properly inflated



sarah_9

This one always make me chuckle. I really doubt you'll see a noticeable mileage improvement by adding or subtracting a few psi to your tires.

[sjt1985]

Originally Posted by DIRECTVMAN

This one always make me chuckle. I really doubt you'll see a noticeable mileage improvement by adding or subtracting a few psi to your tires.

That point can be argued to death - but underinflated tires can lead to uneven tire wear which will lead to replacing them sooner, and could even lead to a blowout that could otherwise be avoided. With that being said, checking inflation is a good habit to have

[hatt]

I don't know what the argument is. It's pretty clear that less pressure means higher drag and requires more energy to roll. Sure a few pounds isn't going to make much difference. The problem is many people haven't put air in their tires in ages and are running around at 75% pressure or less. You're going to be throwing money out the window in those cases.

[DIRECTVMAN]

Another good tip is to make sure you get your muffler belt checked regularly.

[hatt]

Originally Posted by DIRECTVMAN

Another good tip is to make sure you get your muffler belt checked regularly.

I got tired of changing this belt. I switched to a gear drive.

[daleb]

Originally Posted by hatt

I got tired of changing this belt. I switched to a gear drive.

Pilots found more speed from their planes when using fresh prop wash regularly, too!