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Car & Truck Tips For Buying, Selling, Service And Quick Fixes
Welcome to Car & Truck Tips! Browse our site and you will find quality information about sales and service related to cars, trucks, vans, suvs, and all other new and used vehicles. Our car and truck tips are brought to you by people who have spent their entire careers in the automotive industry selling, buying and servicing cars at the dealership level. Our primary goal is to provide you, the consumer, with quality and sound advisement concerning your car and truck buying, selling and servicing. Whether it is a routine tune up or buying a used car or truck online, the advice and tips on this website will help you to make wise and informed decisions and feel confident negotiating a deal on and offline with car dealers and negotiating service contracts with dealer service departments or your local mechanic. |
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 Auto Show In New York City: It's Showtime In The Big Apple
I just returned from a trip to the New York City Auto Show. For a car enthusiast a trip to an international auto show is similar to a city living fly fisher finding himself on a remote trout stream in Maine. Every sight and sound is a unique experience. From the exotic cars like Lotus, Ferrari, and Lamborghini to the daily transporters like Ford, Toyota, or Chevrolet, we had the opportunity to see the latest models as well as concepts the manufacturer has visions of for the future. Our tour of the nameplates took us about 4 hours of non-stop gazing. We looked at luxury, sporty, economy minded, alternative fuels, and retro looking. One of the most economical of the bunch is the smart
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Buying Questions: Can Dealers Sell Vehicles With 30% Life On The Brakes?
Question: We just bought a used Chevy Avalanche from a dealer. We noticed
there was something wrong with the brakes (they squeeked and went to the
floor in order to stop). We were told that since it's a safty hazard, they
would need to fix the brakes. Not sure if we should still purchase the truck
because of the brakes, we were assured we could make an appointment to have
them fixed at the dealership and they would take care of everything. Well we
took the truck back and the service person told us the truck had been
inspected before it was put up for sale and the brakes have 30% life left so
they don't have to fix them. All this even after telling them all the
problems with the brakes. Now a month later our brakes are
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Road Trips: Safety Tips For Family Travel
I just wrote some tips for those that like to get off the beaten path and visit the remote country side via logging roads. It occurred to me that some tips for those that stay on pavement could be helpful as well. As I have said in so many of my tips, preparation is key when it comes to your car or truck. Before leaving for a road trip, take the time to check the fluid levels of all the lubricated components of your vehicle. This means more then checking the engine oil. Be sure the transmission fluid is full, the power steering, differential, and cooling system fluid levels are at capacity. Does your car or truck have
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Environment Friendly: Is Your Car Green Enough
I believe we all have to play a part in being as green as possible. Whether you buy into the global warming arguments or not, you have to agree tailpipe exhaust emissions can’t be good for the environment. Vehicle manufacturers are working diligently to build “greener” cars and trucks with hybrid technology. However, if you are not in a position to go out and purchase a new vehicle, there are several things you can do to your conventional gasoline engine that will cut down on the emissions coming from your vehicle. Most importantly, make sure
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Brake Repair: Disc vs. Drum Brakes
There are two types of brakes on passenger car and trucks. There are disc brakes and drum brakes. Disc brakes use brake pads that clamp around a brake rotor with hydraulic pressure through a brake caliper. Drum brakes use a brake shoe that is pushed against a drum with hydraulic pressure supplied by a wheel cylinder. Disc brakes are found on the front and rear wheels of many cars and trucks. Drum brakes are only used on the rear wheels of today’s vehicles. The reason for this is the disc brake performs better than the drum brake. Whereas the majority of
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Buying Tips: Choosing The Right Truck
Every man and many women know the value of a truck. A truck gets your trash to the dump, the landscaping materials to your yard, your boat to the lake, and everything in between. Today’s trucks have all the creature comforts of a luxury sedan. Power windows, power seats, air conditioning, and sunroofs are just a few of the options you will find on a modern truck. In fact, there are so many options available that you may have a difficult time choosing the right truck for you. The first thing to consider is size, because in a truck it does matter. Trucks fall into full size and compact categories. A full size truck gives you
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Remote Starters: Buying & Installation Tips
If your morning starts something like this: the outside temperature is -12, your leather upholstered SUV is sitting in the driveway and it is time to leave for work, you may just wish you had a remote starter.
With the remote starter you could have had your vehicle warming up in the driveway as you sipped your coffee and you never stepped one step out into the artic air. Sound good? Where do you find a remote starter? Well, I Googled "remote car starter" and came up with 14 pages of possible vendors that I could buy a remote starter from. These vendors included all of the mass merchants that sell automotive electronics to car and truck accessory specialist. The first question that came to mind was
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Oil Change Tips: Better Safe Than Sorry! Choose The Right Oil!
In the old day everyone recommended oil changes every 3000 miles. That recommendation was
built around the technology and quality of the oil and the engines of that era. As with
most everything else, technology has improved products. With todays products I think
5000 miles between oil changes is a safe bet. The oil change chain stores still promote
the 3000 mile interval. Then when your business is oil changes why wouldn't you? The
right engine oil for your vehicle will improve fuel economy, reduce the likely hood of
engine failure, and improves emission control systems. Your service shop or your owners
manual will tell you what oil viscocity is recommended for your vehicle. Choosing a lower
priced, lower quality oil may not provide the protection your engine needs. If your
vehicle is still in factory warranty you risk voiding the warranty by not following the
manufacturers recommendations. Oil changes are a service the do it yourselfer can handle
without technical training. If you do change your own oil make sure you
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Car Painting: Touch It Up Yourself, But Leave It At That
A friend called me the other day and asked me for some advice on painting his car. My
best advice is don't do it. Leave it to the pros. Vehicle paint is a complicated process
carried out by trained experienced painters. The factories paint with robots to assure
consistent application throughout the paint process. Full panel painting, like a fender
or door requires expensive equipment to accomplish a good finish. Now that is not to say
there are not some paint applications that the do it yourselfer can't tackle. For those
parking lot dings, and chips a touch up stick works well. The trick to touch up is
preparation of the chipped area. Lightly sand with 400 or higher grit sandpaper, apply
touch up paint, let it dry and and sand smooth. Do not try to cover the chipped area in
one application. You will end up with a glob of paint that looks
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