Smoke got you down? Just wait until your car or truck start to react to the smoke and ash. There is one and maybe even a second air filter in your vehicle. The first and most critical is the air filter which removes dust, dirt and ASH that is in the air the engine breathes. The other (and sometimes there are two) are called cabin air filters which filter the air that comes into the cabin of the car and with which we air condition and breathe. Make sure you have these critical filters checked to ensure your car and your lungs can operate at full capacity. The last big forest fire we had here in northern Colorado we pulled out lots of really dirty, black filters and expect to see more soon. For top performance, you need all the air you can get into your engine and not have it restricted by smoke and ash residue. Same for your lungs!
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Smoke Gets In Your Car and Truck, Too
June 18th, 2012The $1,000 Headlamp Repair on a Lexus
May 18th, 2012A customer came with us complaining that a headlight in his 2001 Lexus IS300 was out. He stated that he had replaced the bulb (retail cost $100.00!) without success. We determined that the ballast that fires up that pricey bulb was the problem and when contacting Toyota (maker of Lexus) we were informed that the whole headlamp assembly would need to be purchased for $1,000.00. Fortunately, we were able to locate a new ballast and when installed including labor the cost was a more affordable, yet very expensive $570, half part and half labor to remove the headlight assembly, replace the ballast and reinstall the assembly. The moral is that when you see a fancy new headlight or taillight assembly, it sure looks great, but if you should bump a pillar or pole in a parking lot and break one of these, you will be singing the blues. Progress? I think not.
Price Versus Value
February 8th, 2012“It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything because the product you bought was incapable of doing the job it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it cannot be done. If you deal with lower price, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.” —- John Ruskin
For every product made or service rendered, there is a person who will make that product or sell it a little cheaper. For every consumer, there is one searching for a little cheaper buy. For every purchase the second person makes, that person has made himself the first person’s lawful prey.
20 Years and Counting
January 30th, 2012As I gaze out my office window to the west, I think back to the spring of 1991 when we finished building our Performance Tune facility. I used to be able to see the foothills clearly, now there is a gas station and the senior center mostly blocking the view. One thing hasn’t changed: the hand prints of three young children ages 5, 3 and 2 in the cement slab in the play area just outside my window. How things have changed: carburetors have morphed into fuel injection; brakes have gone from drum to disk; and the eye and ear for diagnosis have been replaced by sophisticated electronic tools.
With change has come an increase in fuel mileage efficiency; improved stopping ability with antilocking brake control systems; and quieter and smoother rides. And we get these and other benefits at a price.
Our vehicles have virtually doubled in price and upkeep has done the same. In order to repair today’s highly computer controlled vehicles we have to first perform tests with expensive equipment and analyze data to determine the causes of problems. Yes, we still use our senses: sight, hearing and smell but not to the extent we did before this revolution in vehicle manufacturing.
The other day, a caller asked if we charge for diagnosis and I explained that with the recent purchase of a $10,000 diagnostic tool and paying our mechanics a salary, it is no longer possible to work “for free”. Most people today understand and just ask for the cost of diagnostic work, so it is not quite the issue it was a decade ago.
What’s next on the horizon for the next decade? You can expect to see fuel being injected directly in the the ignition cylinders of the engine. We are moving away from the current generation of carbon dioxide contaminating freon in the air conditioning system to one which is much gentler on the air. You can expect to have to change the oil in your car or truck much less frequently, starting at 5,000 miles now and for some synthetics two or more times that. These are the big ones. Many more will be less noticeable.
Time marches on and we will continue to keep pace at Performance Tune. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions at robc@theperformancetune.com.
Water, Water – Why You Might Want to Think About It
January 25th, 2012We are made of water. Arthur Guyton ‘s Textbook of Medical Physiology states that “the total amount of water in a man of average weight (70 kilograms) is approximately 40 litres, averaging 60 percent of his total body weight. In a newborn infant, this may be as high as 75 percent of the body weight, but it progressively decreases from birth to old age, most of the decrease occurring during the first 10 years of life. Also, obesity decreases the percentage of water in the body, sometimes to as low as 45 percent”. (Guyton, Arthur C. (1991). Textbook of Medical Physiology (8th ed.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. p. 274. ISBN 0-7216-3994-1. quote is verbatim, including brackets).
We drink it, espescially here at altitude and more so when we head to the mountains. We bathe in it. We shovel it (think snow). We recreate in it and on it. We apply it to our gardens and lawns. We wash our cars and clothes with it. We add it to foods, and cement and any number of things to make something. It is in, on and with almost every thing.
The Mayor of Fort Collins has designated 2012 as “The Year of Water” for good reason since our very survival depends upon it. And yet we often forget how valuable this resource it and waste it. It is time for us all to wake up and begin to offer water new respect.
We live in an area that was a virtual desert before large scale irrigation projects began to bring large amounts of water to Larimer County and Fort Collins in particular.
This first article will deal with water and your cars and trucks. Water mixed in a 50/50 mixture with antifreeze in your radiator and cooling system allows us to run engines which can reach internal temperatures of hundreds of degrees. Water from our windshield washer systems is used to allow us to see when driving in slushy weather here on on those trips into the mountains. Water is used to clean our vehicles and remove salt and other rust forming elements from rusting out our vehicles.
In the same vein, water combines with iron to form rust and destroy our vehicles. Water in the form of snow and rain can cause us to have accidents from hydroplaning (sliding) out of control. Lack of it can cause our vehicles to over heat. Too much water in the form of snow or rain can obscure our vision causing us to have collisions. In the form of hail, water can dent our vehicles and even break the windows. In the form of floods, water can inundate our vehicle’s electronic systems and cause short circuiting and rust.
So what is it with you and your vehicle’s relationship to this amazing thing we call water? Is it good, bad or ugly. Send me an email at robc@theperformancetune.com and let me know if you have some unique perspective on how water has affected your car or truck and we can expand this conversation.
Motor Mounts
January 16th, 2012It happened to me recently. I noticed a bounce and clunk when shifting into reverse. Hmmm. I also noticed the noise when dropping into a lower gear for fast acceleration. I asked the techs in the shop to have a look and we found that a motor mount had broken.
Motor mounts are the parts that secure the engine to the body/frame of the vehicle and are made of steel and rubber. The also will dampen vibration through the use of their rubber grommets so that low level vibrations in the engine do not transfer to the body and cause the whole car and its occupants to vibrate in unison with the engine.
Most vehicles have two or three and some have even four mounts. The most common positions you find them in are front and back, but also may be left, right. Occasionally one or two will can also be located on the transmission of front wheel drive vehicles.
Motor mounts can break from imperfections in the metal casting, rust (not often found in our Colorado dryness) or from stress over time as the engine rocks forward and backward from shifting. Most are easily replaceable and the cost is very reasonable.
Historical Note: I used to own a 1952 Ford with a flat head V8 engine. The motor mounts for this vehicle were incorporated into the dual water pumps found on each side of the engine. When a water pump failed, it was necessary to jack up the engine off of its mounting in order to replace the pump. I got very used to the repair as I owned that car for many years and travelled all over the US in it and experienced multiple pump failures. Needless to say I very good at the repair!!
So, if you experience a clunking when shifting gears, get the vehicle checked for damaged motor mounts. The last you would want to experience with your trusty car or truck is having the engine drop out.
When the Wheels Come Off
December 9th, 2011From time to time we see vehicles at the side of the road resting on the steering and suspension with a wheel missing. It looks terrible, but in most cases it is not as bad as it looks. Wheels can come off for a number of reasons, but the most common is that the lug nuts holding the wheel in place are not properly tightened. Those lug nuts have a specified tightness, called a torque specification, to which they are to be tightened. Most of us use a special wrench (torque wrench) which measures how tight the nut has been placed to hold the wheel. Some people use what is known as a torque stick that fits on the end of a wrench and accomplishes the same thing. Either way, it is important that whenever a wheel is removed for any reason, it should be torqued down rather than being just randomly having the lug nuts wrenched on.
There are a number of reasons a car or truck should have the lug nuts torqued. Most important, is safety. If the nuts are not tight enough, they can come unscrewed and the wheel can fall off. Another reason to torque is to be sure that all of the nuts are tightened to the same level of torque. When some repairs are done without torquing to equal amounts, the unequal pressure on the brake rotor can result in the rotor warping. This warping is then noticed as a pedal and steering wheel pulsation when braking the car of truck. We have experienced some pretty dramatic pulsation and even front end shaking in vehicles that have not had the wheels installed with even torque. Once the rotors are warped, they often must be replaced rather than resurfaced. This is due to the manufacturer specification for minimum thickness of the rotor to which it can reach. Too thin a rotor can crack and even shatter and result in a wheel locking up or braking in a dangerous manner. Often, warped rotors will also cause an uneven surface to form on the brake pads and this then necessitates the replacement of the pads as well as the rotors.
Therefore, WHENEVER wheels are replaced, rotated or for any reason removed from your car or truck, be certain that they are torqued to specification when reinstalled. Let’s not let the wheels come off that great wagon of ours.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
December 5th, 2011Hello Winter! But what about our trusty steeds? I have some tips that you may find helpful in this really cold weather. When starting a really cold car or truck, turn on the defroster right away and let it gradually heat up the windshield as the engine warms the coolant. This will prevent small chips and dings from becoming huge cracks. Make sure the antifreeze in your vehicle is good to -37F which is the equivalent of a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water. You can purchase a 50/50 mix these days at all places that sell antifreeze, from NAPA, Carquest, to The Zone (Autozone), O’Reilly Auto Parts (Formerly Checker), Kmart, Target or Walmart. Be careful when adding that antifreeze to a hot engine, do it slowly. Keeping your tank filled or with a substantial amount of gasoline will prevent gas line freeze ups by keeping small amounts of water that accumulate in the tank on the bottom of the tank. Make sure your spark plugs are clean or new so that you will get a full spark on the cold and thus less volatile fuel. How old is your battery? Most batteries are on the downhill side of their useful life at four years, even if they have a seven year prorated warranty. That is why the warranty is prorated. Consider a new battery at five years of age no matter what for cold weather starts.
I have always recommended having a thorough vehicle check over twice a year, just like the dentists and your teeth. Early fall and late spring will help catch potential problems before you are left at the side of the road. We offer that special pretty much year ’round as we want to accommodate your special needs. Please call if you have any questions and we will be happy to help.
Here’s wishing you a peaceful and happy holiday season and a great New Year in 2012 from all of us at Performance Tune.
Buying a Used Car – Ask for an Emissions Test First
October 24th, 2011In Colorado, the seller of a used car or truck is responsible for the emissions test required in the licensing to the new owner. If you buy a used car from a private party and the vehicle fails the emissions test, the seller is required by Department of Revenue rules to repair the car or truck to pass, or refund the purchase price. However, to enforce the rule, it may be necessary to sue the seller who does not want to comply and that is a big pain in the butt.
If you buy from a new or used car dealer, the same holds true when the dealer has not had the vehicle tested. Only, the dealer is allowed to provide you with a voucher to have the test run, with the same rule about failures as the private party.
My advice: have the vehicle emissions tested before you buy it and save some potential brain and financial damage.
Shop Fees – Not at Performance Tune
October 24th, 2011We used to charge a fee on nearly every invoice of 5% with a max of $10. Then it was brought to my attention that this is not always necessary or appropriate, and after I thought about it, YEAH, it’s not! I decided that charging some sort of random indescriminate fee was not right and we dropped it out completely several years ago. My cost for uniforms, towels, tp, water, and the like are not billed as “supplies” but are figured into the cost of doing business just as much as mortgage payment and electricity. So we felt that in review that it was no different than a bank charging me a monthly fee for a debit card and should be a general cost of doing business.
I have seen invoices from the dealerships with fees exceeding $20.00 and know full well that they did not use $20.00 worth of nuts, bolts, rags and cleaners. Just another bogus profit center, like changing the air in your tires to get rid of the “stale old crappy air”.
Our invoices tell you parts, labor, and taxes, no monkey business fees. Just as we pay our mechanics a salary to avoid any unnecessary parts replacements (most shops pay by commission, known as “flat rate”), we try to forge a new direction in vehicle care.
NO FEES, NO HASSLE