Edmunds Daily
Car Maintenance
February 24, 2009
Edmunds.com consumer advice editor Philip Reed was recently interviewed on "America's Car Show" by host Tom Torbjornsen. He spoke about changes in the new and used car markets as well as his prediction for the future of the American car business. Have a listen.
In related news, columns about auto maintenance will be presented on Edmunds Daily written by radio host Torbjornsen. The articles will cover a wide variety of topics that will certainly help car owners prolong the life of their cars. Tom's columns will begin appearing weekly in March.
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- Philip Reed February 24, 2009, 7:41 AM
- Categories:
- Car Buying, Car Maintenance, Used Cars
- Technorati Tags:
- America's Car Show, New cars, Tom Torbjornsen, used cars
January 29, 2009
Toyota has announced a safety recall for approximately 134,900 Toyota Yaris sedans and hatchbacks sold for model years 2006 to 2007. The manufacturer determined that the seat belt pretensioner deployment may affect the sound insulating foam in the center pillar following a collision. That description doesn't make the fault seem very severe and there are no reported cases of this condition in the United States. Toyota estimates it will take approximately one hour for the dealer to repair (depending on workload, of course).
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
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- JRiz January 29, 2009, 1:10 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance
October 21, 2008
Dealerships all over the country are getting hit particularly hard by our country's current economic woes. Many consumers are deciding to hold back on buying that new car until they feel more financially secure (or are being forced to do so because of credit issues). In September, new car sales across the industry were down about 23% from what they were in August. It's predicted that many, many dealerships will be forced to close their doors permanently by the end of the year. What does all this have to do with oil changes and tire rotations, you ask? Read on.
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- Bryn MacKinnon October 21, 2008, 12:00 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Dealing with Car Dealers, Maintenance
- Technorati Tags:
- Car Maintenance, dealerships, service department
October 8, 2008
Recently, I overheard a conversation in the office that revolved around the soul-sucking, brain-shriveling task of going to the DMV. It went something close to this:
Her: Yeah, I have to go in to get it renewed because my address changed.
Him: Agh, that's a drag.
Her: Yeah, I'm bringing my hardbound copy of "War and Peace" with me to pass the time.
Him: Good idea.
Members of the American Automobile Association might already know that they don't necessarily have to withstand the endless wait at the DMV anymore for registration renewals and the like; you can take care of such things at your friendly neighborhood Auto Club office. Sure beats burning sick time on a DMV trip only to realize you've been standing in the wrong line for four hours.
But did you know that there are a whole host of additional services that the Auto Club can help you with, some of which have nothing to do with cars? Things like personal loans, bail bonds and prescription discounts. It's true! Check out the entire list in our recent article, Top 10 Other Benefits of Your AAA Membership. Who knew that the AAA card sleeping in your wallet, waiting for you to blow a tire or need a jumpstart, had so much potential?
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- Bryn MacKinnon October 8, 2008, 12:00 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Driving, Maintenance, Rants and Raves
October 1, 2008
Recent economic turmoil is causing many people to rethink big purchases. For those who aren't ready (or willing) to plunk down the money for a new car right now, take heart. There are plenty of ways to eek some extra life out of your older car -- and it doesn't have to cost as much as you might think. Here are some resources on our site that can help:
Broke With a Beater: How To Maintain an Old Car
Top Five Ways to Make Your Car Run Forever
It Takes More Than the Occasional Wash and Wax to Keep Your Car Looking its Best
Of course, many of our readers have their own useful tips for maintaining their beloved classics. Feel free to share them here.
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- Laura Burstein October 1, 2008, 12:04 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance
- Technorati Tags:
- Car Maintenance, Car Repair, Money-Saving Tips
July 23, 2008
We probably all have horror stories about being taken advantage of at a dealership service department. While some car repairs should be left to the professionals, the fact of the matter is, it's often easier to do something yourself than you might think.
Case in point: An overly zealous valet broke the window switch on my 2001 BMW 325Ci. I called around for repair estimates, and was quoted anywhere from $140 to more than $200 to fix it (one Los Angeles-area dealership wanted $145 just to "diagnose" the problem -- parts and labor were extra). The service advisers all left me with the impression that it was quite a laborious job, because "you can't just pop the window switch off and install a new one, you have to take off the entire center console."
Instead of blindly believing their stories, I did some research online with the help of a friend to see just how difficult it would be to install the switch myself. Lo and behold, I found a priceless resource of how-to info for my car that seems to have been put together by one or more enthusiasts who just like working on their cars (the site is an unofficial collection of information and is not associated with the manufacturer).
Turns out the job was as simple as popping off the shifter boot, removing four screws, lifting up the loose section of console and unplugging the old switch. And the entire console did not have to come off, contrary to what I'd been told.
As for the part, I found it online from a few different places for about 50 bucks.
Installation was a snap, and thanks to careful research, I was able to replace the switch in about 15 minutes. And it cost me only a fraction of what the dealer would have charged -- never mind the time I would have been without my car.
Of course, these circumstances were all specific to my car, but you'd be surprised what kind of information you can find -- and how much time and money you can save -- with just a little digging.
Laura Burstein, Automotive Editor
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- Laura Burstein July 23, 2008, 3:53 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, The Driving Woman Categories
- Technorati Tags:
- BMW 325Ci, Car Mintenance, Car Repairs, DIY, Do-It-Yourself
June 27, 2008
Not all of us – women and men alike -- grow up with the benefit of having a gearhead in the family who turns us on to all things automotive and sparks a lifelong interest in cars. Put me in that category. My dad checked his own oil and tire pressure, but that was pretty much the extent of the dirtying of the hands in our driveway...
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- Bryn MacKinnon June 27, 2008, 12:05 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Rants and Raves
June 11, 2008
Lauren Fix, a.k.a. "The Car Coach," just published a new book titled, Lauren Fix's Guide to Loving Your Car: Everything You Need to Know to Take Charge of Your Car and Get On with Your Life.
Lauren is the host of Talk 2 DIY Automotive on the Do-It-Yourself Network and has authored several automotive books. Her latest tome is designed to give you "Car Smarts" and to make good decisions on buying, driving, maintenance, and safety, and to save money...
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- Joanne Helperin June 11, 2008, 4:37 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety
June 9, 2008
In a gloomy economy, one can’t help but think that manufacturers are taking shortcuts to create new vehicles. But that’s not true according to
J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.
The study is an industry standard for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership...
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- Holly Reich June 9, 2008, 4:49 AM
- Categories:
- Car Design and Car Shows, Car Maintenance, Car Safety, What Women Want in a Car
April 28, 2008
Time to take your car in for service? Before you call to make an appointment, check out this super useful tool we have on Edmunds.com. I was recently reminded of its existence in the Tips & Advice section after one of our editors posted about taking our long-term Hyundai Veracruz in for service this week. I wish I had known of its existence before I took my car to the dealer the last time (which was before I worked here)...
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- Bryn MacKinnon April 28, 2008, 12:50 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Dealing with Car Dealers
April 14, 2008
NHTSA's done a lot of good work under Chief Nicole Nason, about whom we wrote only weeks ago. Here's another new annoucement that The Driving Woman is applauding: At NHTSA's consumer site, Safercar.gov, you now can signup for automatic e-mail alerts if the government recalls tires or child safety seats.
This is great news, because so many people miss these recall notices...
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- Joanne Helperin April 14, 2008, 5:37 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety, Rants and Raves
March 11, 2008
There’s a new line of tire-storage products that may help to ease the anxiety of compulsive garage organizers––you know who you are.
Tire totes make it easy to carry winter tires to their storage place.
The Tire Garage lets you store winter tires outside.
Wheel felts protect those expensive rims.
These products, designed by
Motivation Design, located in Salisbury, MA, are the same folks who designed the Kurgo dog restraint system for cars. They are sold through catalogues or on websites by outfits like Herrington’s, Classic Motoring Accessories, and Tire Rack. Some tire manufacturers, like Michelin, also sell them in dealerships.
For the garage obsessed, I can’t think of anything more appealing––after every nut and bolt has been put in a labeled drawer––than Motivation Design’s Tire Totes. As spring approaches and you take off the snow tires, slip tire cozies onto those expensive tires, seal with Velcro and use the handle to carry them to their appointed place.
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- March 11, 2008, 11:43 AM
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- Car Maintenance
February 26, 2008
A sixty-pound dog, unrestrained in a vehicle traveling at 30 mph, can cause an impact of 1,200 pounds. That’s enough to hurt another passenger in the vehicle or send Fido right through the windshield. Now, imagine how it could distract a driver who is trying to control the vehicle in an emergency.
That was the message from state troopers, who joined Volvo Cars North America and Bark-BuckleUp at the Chicago Auto Show to promote pet travel safety. But troopers made it clear that there is another important reason for Fido to buckle up. When emergency workers have to open the vehicle after an accident, sometimes the pet will prevent access. And if emergency workers do get the vehicle open, the pet is in danger of jumping out into oncoming traffic.
"Volvo believes this campaign to educate and inform consumers as to what happens after an accident will save lives." said Daniel Johnston, Product Communications, Volvo Cars of North America...
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- February 26, 2008, 1:49 PM
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- Car Maintenance
January 9, 2008
Over at the Green Car Advisor, Mac Demere has given us a pros-and-cons look at biodiesel that's worth reading. He makes using biodiesel sound a bit daunting, and advises against using used restaurant oil as a fuel generally. But I know another Edmunds contributor, Dave Chameides, happily runs his VW -- for free -- on waste vegetable oil...
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- Joanne Helperin January 9, 2008, 4:27 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Hybrid Cars and Better Gas Mileage, What Women Want in a Car
January 4, 2008
Hey folks.
You've probably seen Edmunds'
CarSpace -- where consumers can discuss any automotive-related topic from shopping for cars to the specifics of makes and models. Now, the people in charge of CarSpace (the Community team) has just launched a new service to answer all your questions. Appropriately called
Edmunds' Answers, i
t's a social question and answer system where any member can ask an automotive question. Members of the community, including Edmunds employees, can answer these questions...Continue reading...
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- Joanne Helperin January 4, 2008, 5:09 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety, Dealing with Car Dealers, Rants and Raves, What Women Want in a Car
December 21, 2007
Honda Odyssey Ranked Best in Bumper TestsBottom line. It costs a lot to repair a bumper on a minivan. We’re talking a range of $5,000 to $8,000. And that’s for driving at low speeds...
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- Holly Reich December 21, 2007, 2:13 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety, What Women Want in a Car
July 18, 2007
Until I got into the car biz, I thought about tires as a necessary accessory that needed to be changed, rotated or put out to pasture. A decade later I'm thinking differently. Last week I went to the jungles of Bahia, Brazil to see how
Michelin's rubber trees are
individually scraped for their sap and visited the plant where rubber is condensed into blocks to be shipped to Michelin’s plants in South Carolina. What truly astounded me was that it takes ONE YEAR for a rubber tree to create 5 kilos of the white sap, which equals enough rubber for a tire of a small car! Tires have taken on a whole new meaning for me.
In the course of a conversation with Lynn Mann, the spokesperson for Michelin, North America, she told me about the
Tweel, the airless tire that is less than a couple of years from market for front loaders like Caterpillars and ten years away for passenger cars...
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- Holly Reich July 18, 2007, 6:54 AM
- Categories:
- Car Design and Car Shows, Car Maintenance, Hybrid Cars and Better Gas Mileage, What Women Want in a Car
June 4, 2007
Hey readers! Want to give your Dad a gift for Father’s Day that will appeal to his inner car guy? It’s very easy to be creative when it comes to cars. And you can go from practical to more exotic...
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- Holly Reich June 4, 2007, 1:16 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety, Rants and Raves
January 24, 2007
If you're the owner of a 1997-2001 Toyota with either a 2.4-liter four-cylinder or 3.0-liter V6 engine, listen up: Autoblog reported last week that Toyota will be extending powertrain warranty coverage to a full 8 years on certain models fitting this description. It's part of a settlement of a class action lawsuit filed by Toyota owners who needed engine replacements due to the buildup of oil sludge or gel in their cars' engines.
Up until now, Toyota had offered only a Customer Support Program for owners who experienced "gelling" -- whereby the company would examine cars on a case-by-case basis and decide whether to cover the cost of engine replacement. If it was determined that the sludge was the result of owner negligence (not getting the oil changed frequently enough), the owner had to foot the bill...
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- Erin Riches January 24, 2007, 5:54 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Rants and Raves
November 8, 2006
I just love this story.
The Girls Scouts of America can now earn their first-ever automotive merit badge, the "Car Care Badge." Although most of the girls aren't driving yet, they're learning early how to change the oil and check tire pressure... something way too few adult women actually do. By building this competency early, they're sure to have an eye toward the preventative maintenance that may some day save them big bucks -- or a blowout...
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- Joanne Helperin November 8, 2006, 5:38 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Rants and Raves
September 13, 2006
A few weeks ago, my friend and her husband took a weekend road trip in their 2003 Volkswagen Jetta wagon. Thanks to traffic and being stuck behind a new Hummer H2 with no mud flaps, their trip culminated with a giant crack across their windshield from a stray rock.
My friend called their local Volkswagen dealer to inquire about having the windshield replaced. Her call was transferred through multiple departments before someone could assist her. To her disappointment, the service department insisted that she go into the dealership in person to order the replacement windshield before they would allow her to make an installation appointment. They also refused to schedule the appointment until the windshield was paid for in full. It seemed like a pretty big hassle for such a simple fix. The cost of the OEM windshield was about $250. Annoyed by the process, she decided to look elsewhere before pursuing things further with the dealership.
I suggested she call around to some of the mobile glass replacement companies. Most of these companies use OEM replacement glass and will come to your home or office to do the installation. After shopping around she selected a company called The Glass Doctor to handle the job. She called on Tuesday and the new windshield was installed Wednesday afternoon at her office. No upfront payment was required, and for $310 the installed windshield looked brand new.
For repairs that are not covered by your vehicle's warranty, it may pay to shop around. You may find you can get the same part installed for less money and if nothing else, a lot less hassle. One word of caution on mobile repair services if you work in an office building and park in an underground parking structure, check with building management before scheduling the service to ensure they are okay with the repair work happening on site...
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- September 13, 2006, 4:28 PM
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- Car Maintenance, Dealing with Car Dealers
July 28, 2006
Several weeks ago I wrote about how easy it is to take care of a BMW 3 Series, because the car's computer checks the oil for you. Well, since then I've spent some time our long-term 2006 Honda Civic Si, and I think it's also a good bet for people who are worried about messing something up when they open the hood. And this goes for all new-generation Civic coupes and sedans.
For starters, the car's engine bay is really compact...
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- Erin Riches July 28, 2006, 2:22 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance
July 26, 2006
This morning's Today show had a great segment in which former race car driver Mac Demere illustrates what to do if your car's tire has a blow out. He covers high- and low-speed situations and what to do if you're rounding a curve. Tips for avoiding a blow out in the first place are also featured...
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- Joanne Helperin July 26, 2006, 3:58 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety
July 7, 2006
Checking the oil in your car is a pain in the butt. Even remembering to do it is a pain in the butt. But BMW made it a lot easier in the recently redesigned 3 Series.
For one thing, there's no dipstick...
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- Erin Riches July 7, 2006, 4:52 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, The Car I Drove Last Night, What Women Want in a Car
July 3, 2006
Hot temperatures put more stress on your car's tires, so if you're traveling anywhere over the Fourth of July holiday, it's a good idea to check your tire pressure first. The benefits to driving your car on properly inflated tires are many:
-Better handling
-Better fuel economy
-Less susceptible to sudden blowouts in the event of a puncture
-Less susceptible to tread separation (think Ford Explorer/Firestone scandal)
Checking your pressure is easy. You can buy a digital gauge at any Target, Kmart or auto parts store. To find the correct psi for your tires, look for a sticker on the inside of the driver door jamb: If your tires are cold (i.e., your car has been sitting in the garage), this is the psi you should go by...
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- Erin Riches July 3, 2006, 11:14 AM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Safety
June 23, 2006
If you read the Long-Term Road Test blog on Inside Line, you know that we had to replace a tire on our long-term 2006 BMW 330i. The thing is, it's a run-flat tire so I didn't get any of the usual flat tire signs (there's no "blowout"). And the leak wasn't even bad enough to cause the car's tire pressure warning system to give me a message in the instrument panel...
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- Erin Riches June 23, 2006, 12:54 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, The Car I Drove Last Night
May 11, 2006
As I noted in an earlier entry, I supervise the care and feeding of a nine-year-old Saab. Swedish cars don't have a reputation for being easy or cost-effective to live with in their elderly years, but so far this 900 convertible has committed no great wrongs. One favor you can do yourself if you own a Saab or other older luxury car is to find a good independent shop, one with a clean, orderly service area and friendly mechanics who are willing to talk candidly to you about your car's needs.
Here's my bit of success: The 900 needed new front brakes -- pads, rotors, everything...
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- Erin Riches May 11, 2006, 9:01 PM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance
April 18, 2006
It's spring. Temperatures are rising, flowers are blooming, and students are counting the days until summer vacation. Nothing is as much a staple of summertime fun as a good old fashioned family road trip. Whether it's a day at the beach, a picnic in the park or a weekend drive up the coast, road trips can be a great way to see the sights, put some miles on the car, and enjoy a little family time.
There are plenty of great destinations on the web that provide limitless ideas for planning a safe and memorable family road trip.
FamilyFun.com offers a wealth of information on destinations, travel games, and even road trip recipes.
SmartTravel.com provides a comprehensive seven step guide to planning a perfect summer road trip including narrowing down your destinations and planning the perfect route. And to ensure your car is ready for road trip season,
Edmunds.com advises on how to get your car ready for summer.
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- April 18, 2006, 12:32 PM
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- Car Maintenance
March 21, 2006
I'm lucky enough to spend most of my time driving other people's cars -- test cars, that is -- so it's easy to neglect my personal car. Which is what I did to the 1997 Saab 900 convertible left in my care: I got busy at work and didn't drive it for a few months, a surefire way to kill the battery.
So when I tried to jump-start it this weekend, nothing happened. The battery was just too dead. I realized I had two options: (1) Remove the battery myself and take it to AutoZone for charging. (2) Give up and call a tow truck.
With the car stuck in a subterranean garage, I really didn't want deal with a tow truck. I decided to try option 1, especially after I found a simple picture of how to do it in the Saab's owner's manual: Just remove the positive and negative cables from the terminals and then undo the bolt that secures the battery to the car. Easy, right?
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- Erin Riches March 21, 2006, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, The Car I Drove Last Night
