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When It’s Time For A Brake Job

Taking your car to the repair shop for a brake job is usually a test of resolve and knowledge. The parts and labor involved represent a major profit center for the shops. As a result, most technicians are trained to encourage drivers to replace pads, linings, and rotors, even when it’s unnecessary. It’s one of the dirty little secrets of the auto repair industry.

That said, there will come a time when your brakes exhibit signs of wear and tear. When that happens, you’ll need to have a mechanic look at them. But, it’s important to note that getting a brake job doesn’t always mean a complete overhaul of your brake system. In many cases, only your front brakes will need to be addressed. Or, the linings may need to be replaced, but not the rotors. Today, I’ll describe how to tell when your car actually needs a brake job. We’ll also discuss a couple of advertising snafus that often confuse drivers.

Possible Warning Signs

Your car can let you know in several ways that there’s a problem in the brake system. For example, you might notice that your brake pedal is sitting lower than normal. This suggests that the resistance that is usually present has worn away. Other signs include a “spongy” or soft pedal. To stop your car, you may need to pump it. You might also feel a grabbing or subtle pulsing sensation when you step on the brakes. All of these are warning signs that one or more parts in your brake system are not working properly. They’ll either need to be fixed or replaced.

Advertising Snafus

I mentioned above that repair shops make a lot of money by offering brake jobs. As a result, they’re aggressive with their advertising. It’s not uncommon for a dealer or auto shop to advertise a brake job for $49.95 (or similarly low price). The problem is that drivers usually expect their brake systems to be completely overhauled for that price. Once they arrive at the shop, they realize that the “special” only covers the linings in the front brakes. By the time they drive their car home, they’ll have spent much more money than the advertised price.

In truth, there’s no way for a dealer or repair shop to know how much fixing your car’s brakes will cost until they look at them. You may only need the lining replaced. Or, you may need the rotors replaced. The parts and labor involved can have a significant impact on the price you’ll ultimately pay.

Watch for the warning signs described above. Then, take your car to a trusted mechanic. And beware of parts or service recommendations that you don’t need.

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How to Change a Car Battery

For those of you who own a hybrid vehicle, you do not have to concern yourselves with changing a car battery. But the majority of cars on the road have batteries that require regular maintenance and occasional replacement. The following article will explain battery replacement.

First, you will need to refer to the vehicle owner’s manual for the exact battery your car requires. Then you will need to purchase a new battery. They can be found at any auto parts or discount store. The prices vary-from the very reasonable to the relatively expensive. You want to get the most for your money, so price compare. If affordable, buy a battery with the longest warranty possible-60-months.

If at all possible, remove your old battery (see below) and take it to the auto parts dealer with you. When you do this, check the battery cables (cable terminals) to see if they can be cleaned to expose new metal; if not, they will need replacing.

Ask the dealer about the return policy on your old battery. Some auto parts stores will give you money for your old battery even if you didn’t purchase it at their store. Don’t ever throw away a battery or leave it in the garage. Always recycle.

When you purchase a new battery make sure that it is fully charged. The auto parts service team can check this for you. Also, be very careful handling batteries. They can explode if dropped.

Put on some gloves-latex ones work nicely because of the flexibility they offer. After you open the hood and locate the battery, you will need to disconnect the cables from the battery. Take a mental note of the position of the positive and negative poles, as they will need to be in that same position when inserting the new battery.

Make sure that you completely remove (meaning to pull it away from the post) the Negative (Black) first and then remove the Positive (Red). This is a very important step.

Next, remove the frame that incases the battery. Now carefully lift the battery out of the vehicle and place in a safe spot.

You will possibly need to clean the battery cables (sometimes called cable terminals). Use a brush and water, or water mixed with baking soda. If you have already purchased something to clean the terminal with, you may use that. It is important that the new battery be in contact with clean metal. If the cables are too damaged, they will need to be replaced.

Carefully place the new battery into the car, making sure that it is positioned carefully. Insure that the negative and positive poles are in the same place they were in before you removed the old battery. Now reposition the frame back into place.

Now you are ready to connect the cables to the new battery. Reconnect the Positive (Red) first then connect the Negative (Black). Once again, this is very important. Now make sure that the cables fit securely.

You may now start your engine. If the vehicle starts running then you have correctly installed a new battery. If you did not take the old battery with you, now is the best time to return it to the auto parts dealer. This process should take you less than an hour and save you money on a minor car repair.

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Beware of Dealer Leasing Tricks

Too often when it comes to auto-leasing, people get so dazzled by the myriad terms and the jargon thrown their way that they end-up paying through the nose, relying on a dealer’s “help” than their own informed decision.

Here is a look at some of the tricks dealers use to pad their profits and leave the customers shellinghundreds of dollars more than the deal should be worth.

Trick 1: Leasing always a better deal than buying

Dealers use the lure of lower-monthly payments to entice customers to sign for long-term loans, with terms stretching for five years or more, making the payments even lower.

There are two catches with such lengthy contracts:

higher mileage, exceeding the prescribed limit, and hefty repair costs. With  leases charging on average 10 to 20 cents a mile for any extra mile over the agreed amount in the contract, and warranties only covering three years,   you leave yourself wide open for hefty charges for excessive mileage and wear and tear.

Trick 2: Cheap 2-3% APR rate on your lease

The dealer is not quoting the interest rate you would be paying on your lease; he’s rather giving you the lease money factor. Whilst similar to an interest rate and important in determining your monthly payment, a  more accurate rate is calculated by multiplying the money factor by 24. For example a “cheap” 3% money factor is 24 X 0.003 = 7.2%. This gives you a better sense of what your annual interest rate on your lease contract is.

Trick 3: Stress-free early lease termination

Dealers know consumer driving needs change and they would like to have the option of getting out of a lease commitment sometime down the road, before their lease ends. Truth of the matter is, when you sign for a lease, you are effectively saddled with monthly payments for the remainder of the lease term and there is little-choice of getting out early. Lease contracts carry hefty financial penalties for either defaulting on monthly payments or terminating the lease earlier than the scheduled term.

To avoid being on the receiving end of such tried-and-true tricks, educate  yourself about leasing. Get down to the nitty-gritty and understand what the leasing terms used by dealers mean. Crunch the numbers along with him and understand how they arrived at the monthly payment figure. Don’t sign anything until you’ve understood all the terms and your numbers much those of the dealer. Do not let the dealer pressure you into signing; you are the one to determine whether the agreement is right for you.

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